If you are looking at this, we need your memories of the resort, email them to me.
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| Cottages 14,15,16 |
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| Being the grandchildren of Ralph and Grace had its advantages, not really being fully realized at the time but upon reflection much appreciated. Whenever I wanted to have a soda or an ice cream bar or candy bar, I would always seek out Grandpa Ralph, knowing what his answer would be, and quite certain Grandma Grace would answer the opposite way. Most of the time when I would ask Grandpa, he would reply "Sure, take ten, give some to your friends". I don't think I ever took him up on that offer, maybe once or twice, but the gesture spoke volumes to me how generous he was. He would get some change from his pocket or the cash register and hand it to me for the pop or candy bar, or tell me just to go get the ice cream bar, I especially liked the dream sicles and drumsticks.
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By Nancy Meyer-Crum, from the message board.
I remember.... the smell of pine trees and the winding roads always made me car sick but it was then I knew we were getting close and it was soooo exciting.
Playing tennis on the tennis court, but my favorite was archery. I would swim all day long my mom would make me come out to eat and I had to wait an hour till I could go back in. Swimming out to the raft and playing king of the raft.
I learned to water ski there. One time I was sking on one ski and when I came in to the shore I put my foot down on a broken bottle I was yelling to my mom and she was waving at me and saying good job, it took me a long time to get the to realize I had cut my foot, I had to go and get stiches and had to spend the rest of my time there on crutches. My Dad would spend hours and hours taking everyone sking and water tobogining.
I remember when they had the recreation room with ping pong tables and sitting in the booths with the friends I made playing cards. I would get pop out of the pop machine and Ice cream bars.
My Grandma loved slow poke suckers. One day I went into the kitchen and I saw grandmas false teeth in a slow poke. some one had come into the store while she was eating it and her teeth got stuck in the sucker so she took them out and left them on the table when she came back to the kitchen to get it we just laughed and laughed.
I remember swimming across the lake, my dad was in a boat beside me. I was so tired when I got to the other side I couldn't stand up.
I got my first bike from grandma and grandpa, a purple schwinn,I was so thrilled and proceded to ride down the huge hill down to the boat launch and straight into the lake.
The beach parties Grandma (Grace) would cook all day, huge batches of sloppy joes, home made pies, giant pots of coffee. Singing around the camp fire. I loved those old songs... when you wore a tulip, bicycle built for two, so many more.
I remember fishing and my brother Ken and my cousin Rick squishing fish guts on my head. One day Grandpa (Ralph) told me he was going to eat fish eyes I told him no your not and he took some fish eyes and put them in a frying pan and cooked them I don't remember him eating them. Maybe my brothers remember if he actually ate them. I was to busy freaking out.
My brothers found a huge black snake and put it into a large can and in the morning there were hundreds of baby snakes in the can and the boys sold the snakes to the kids in the resort for 5 cents apiece when grandma found out they ended up having to return the money.
I remember going to town with grandpa and stoping at Jim's resterant and getting french fries.
On Sunday's when every body would leave Grandma would run all day, her cabins were emaculate.
I loved my grandpa and grandma so much I remember lots of laughter, love, hugs, and kisses.
Those were the best summers of my life.
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By Bill Ledvort Junior, from the message board.
Where do I begin? There is so much I remember. Our yearly trip to the Pine Crest Resort was even more (saying alot) anticipated by the Ledvort kids than Christmas. We would get up very early in the morning and start our trip from Berwyn Illinois - Mom, Dad, Caroline (oldest) Susie (middle) myself and our dear black cocker spaniel Licorice. We would stop for breakfast at about 10:00 a.m. near Rhinelander. I remember being so excited when we saw the first Pine Crest Resort sign. Dad would then drive slow through the winding roads and when we came to the entrance us kids were so excited we could scream. Then we would turn right pass the shuffle board area and then wind to the right toward our cabin. Dad would check us in as we would unpack.
I loved to go back by the pier and then walk through the small forest area toward those beautiful rocks to the right of the beach. I loved climbing down them rocks.
I remember driving into town and dad would take me to the case in town which would display big fish caught. We would eat at Mickleberry's or Jim's - the fries were great! We would visit the store that had indian mockesins and just loved being in town.
Dad and I would play catch with the baseball in front of our cabin and I loved just seeing all the other families and kids we grew to know each year we came back.
The weekly BBQ was THE BEST! Those Sloppy Joes were just about the best I ever had. My sister Sue had a crush on one of the Meyer boys and I remember her running up to him and hugging him.
Swimming out to the raft was just about the coolest thing for me (it seemed like a real accomplishment) knowing we were all going to have fun jumping off it for hours. After hours of swimming and watching mom and dad at the beach in those wonderful chairs (you know the one's I'm talking about)I loved to go up to the store and get a popcycle. I could eat one after another. Also while we were swimming our dog would dig a hole near the back of the chair and lay in it to stay cool.
One day was always reserved for going to a nature walk near by. We still have movies of us crawling through a hollow log. Then as it neared dusk we would drive to the garbage dump to see if we could catch a bear eating.
Playing ping pong at night was so much fun.
I loved fishing on the lake with dad and after several years us kids were experts at rowing the boat out by the pier. Dad would let us at times holf the motor.
I remember water skying and taking an airplane ride on the airplane which took off from the pier. I do remember the time someone cut their foot on a bottle.
One summer we went to a field near the resort and picked rasberry's and we had them in cereal and milk the next morning.
Just before bed it was awesome to be able to stay up and watch the Johnny Carson show past our bedtime.
My best memory is of the Meyer family. They were so down to earth and really made every family there feel a part of their family. I loved to go behind the big house and see toads. I used to think it has to be the coolest thing to live in that house. I remember the hummingbird feeders on the side of the house and the little chipmunks scampering across the pavement in front of the house. The Meyer family and their kids were like a royal family to me and the house to me was like a castle. I can't think of a more rewarding accomplishment in life than what the Meyer family did for families like us providing the very best of memories which still are fresh in my mind after almost 40 years.
I can't tell the Meyer family enough what sincere thanks I feel for giving us the best vacations you can ever imagine. What I would give to have another day back in the 60's at the Pine Crest Resort!
My love to the Meyer family!By Bill Ledvort Junior, from the message board.
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By Patricia Meyer-Smith from the message board.
There are so many memories of spending time at my Grandparents resort.
The first time I ever sang in front of a group of people was there.
There was another girl and myself, and I do not remember her name, but we sang 'Jerimiah was a bullfrog'. My younger brother Mark stood in front of us with the words on a sheet of paper taped to his back.
To this day I remember most of the words to that song.
I remember the little tiny baby toads. They were so cute and sooo tiny.
We took a metal bucket and I bet we had about 100 of them, and we felt so bad when they started to die, so we let them go.
I learned to water ski on 7 mile lake. But I don't think my learning expierence was as traumatic as my brother Marks. He will have to tell you that one.
I caught my one and only Walleyed Pike on that lake. I met a girl named Terri when we were both 11. (1972) This was one of the last or the last year that Gramma ran the resort.
Well, Terri's father rowed the boat so we could 'troll' our lines behind the boat. I am sure this poor man must have been exhausted, but he kept going around because I kept getting a hit on my line and sure enough, I caught a two and a half pound Pike. I still remember that.
My Gramma cooked it up for us and I took a piece down for Terri's Dad since he worked so hard for it.
I learned to clean fish there too. My Dad always said "if your fish you clean". I did.
Meyer's Pine Crest Resort was a safe place for all of the kids that were there to run free.
We swam, we hiked, we rowed boats we met so many people.
We stayed for 3 weeks so we met 2 or 3 sets of new people as them came and went.
There is so much more, maybe I will tell you more later but this is all for now.
Nothing can compare to the time my family spent with my Grandparents at the resort and everyone loved my Granpa Ralph, I only knew him for 6 years but my brothers and sisters have always shared thier memories of him. Thanks.
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By Cheryl Tregler-Carter from the message board.
Hi All
I too have wonderful memories.
Every year, the last two weeks of July, me, my brother Wayne and my mom and Dad,(Gerry and Henry Tregler) would come up to Meyers. WE lived in Riverside, IL back then. We would leave at 4AM to get to the resort by noon! Dad always made a cartop carrier that matched the color of the car we had.
One of the things I remember the most is the delicious smell of the home baked bread Mrs. Meyer used to make every week! WE were usually in Cabin # 14 every year but also were in # 7 a few times, I loved being right near the beach.
I remember there was a slide in the water and the big kids always took it out deep and then we had to get it moved back for us little kids.
I can remember the soda machine in the rec room, that's when you'd get the soda in the small bottles.
I also remember the beach parties. I always was so embarrassed because my mom always volunteered me to dance every year and made my brother play piano up at the main house. But those Sloppy Joes were great!
I remember that my Dad and others always went fishing with Mr. Meyer over to nine mile lake each year.
We would also take hikes in the Nicolet National Forest.
My mom would collect the fallen pine cones each year and take them home with us and she would make pine cone wreaths for Christmas.
When I was a little older, my friend and I would go back to where the creek is by the big rocks, that was so peaceful.
My dad died in 1971. A couple years later, my mom, my brother and I came up for what I thought was the last time.
I'm now married with an 18 year old son and this past summer were able to come up for a few days. Alot of things were the same and I shared alot of my memories with them. they had a great time even though it was cold and rainy. I told them the time to go is the last two weeks of July, so maybe we will be able to do that again someday -
Cheryl
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Because I was from the next Generation of Meyer's I only remember
having one opportunity to visit the resort. The resort had been sold
the year before I was born and I think I was about 5 the year we went.
I only remember 2 things about that trip. The first was my Grandpa
(Ken) trying to teach me how to water ski. He put my skis on me and
gave me all the basic instructions. He got into the little fishing boat
and hollered out instructions as the boat began to take off. Up I went
and immediately back down. Whether he forgot to mention it or whether I
was so scared I forgot the instructions I can't recall, but I remember
holding on to that tow rope for dear life, being drug through the lake
on my face for what seemed like forever to my little 5 year old self.
And that was the end of my lesson...
The second thing I remember was Grandma Great Meyer (Grace) sending
me to Mrs. Otterstatter to get her a stick of butter. I remember
feeling like such a big kid getting to run an errand by myself. I
walked right up and asked Mr. Otterstatter for "butter on a stick". I
was very confused by her laughter and a little embarrassed, but she gave
me a hug and a dreamscicle along with the butter.
Although I only got to visit the resort once, I'm grateful that I,
being the oldest, at least got that opportunity. And while I missed out
on the place I had the honor of being raised by and around the people.
Proud to be a Meyer,
Jennifer Smith
(Daughter of Nancy Meyer)
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