Cottage 230 - Flora Stoner from Laura Stevens and David Stoner - Back to Book 3

By Flora E. Stoner, written in 1990 but edited for this new edition by Laura Stevens and David Stoner

            In 1940, we planned to spend out vacation in Northport, Michigan, with a couple from Detroit.  The inn was a lovely place but it was dull.  The manager, realizing that we wanted a livelier vacation, suggested the Belvedere Hotel.   He even phoned and secured reservations for us.  It was a happy choice.  Harold and his friend played golf; his wife and I shopped.  The Hotel had lots of charm and the food was good.  Everyone seemed to know each other; we were definitely the “outsiders.”  One night during dinner Harold’s friend turned to him and said “These girls are pretty lucky to be able to come on a vacation with their bosses.”  After that the atmosphere was noticeably cooler. 

            In 1951, we thought of Charlevoix and found through Mr. Edwards that we could rent cottage 511, the Orr cottage.  By that time we had two children, David and Laura Jane. The cottage was just right for us.  My mother came to stay with us and brought a nursemaid for Laura Jane.  The neighbors were mostly friendly.  The Hollencamps lived nearby and the Schlemans were next door to them.  Dr. and Mrs. Freyhof lived on the other side and welcomed us warmly.  The only one who was not glad to see us was Potter Orr, who could not understand why we were in his grandmother’s cottage.       

            The following summer we were back in the Orr cottage, but to our dismay we were not permitted to rent it for the third year.  Mr. Edwards suggested No. 11, the Heaton cottage which had not been modernized at the time.  What a comedown that was.  A big old stove in the dining room heated the entire cottage.  The dining room curtains had cobwebs and there were none at all in the living room.  A new bathroom on the second floor seemed quite modern, but the medicine cabinet with lights attached had been incorrectly wired.  Every time I used it I got a mild shock.

            That summer I took Laura Jane to the beach myself.  I made many new friends and enjoyed all of them.   Harold was hard at work at home except for the occasional weekend when he would take the sleeper from Cincinnati to Petoskey where I would meet him. Over the years Harold would drive us up from Cincinnati and stay about 10 days, and then take the train back overnight to Cincinnati.  He would work for 10 days and then take the train back, stay 10 days and then drive us home.

            The following year, to make up for our unhappy time on No. 11, Mr. Edwards suggested No. 311, the Jordan cottage which had been decorated by Chris Ransom.   It was delightful.  This was the beginning of many happy summers at No. 311.  The rule of three rentals in the same place did not seem to apply.  We had great cookouts and parties in the side garden.  Laura Jane’s birthday is in August, and we always had a party for her.  One year it rained on the big day but everyone crowded inside the cottage and had a good time anyway.

            Occasionally, we spent vacations in New England, Florida, California, and Vancouver, B.C., to visit my sister, but Charlevoix always drew us back.  Finally, in 1972 after looking at a few cottages which were for sale, we asked if we could build our own.  The Trustees agreed, specifying that the cottage must blend with what was already there.  We had plans drawn which we hoped would be acceptable and would accommodate our family.  By the spring of 1973, we moved in.  The contractor was pouring the walk at the back door.  Laura Jane drew the initials of David’s children, Diane and Rob, in the wet cement.  Then she added the initials for her son Jack and being pregnant at the time, she put a question mark at the end.   That turned out to be Jeff Stevens.

            Flora died in 1993 and Harold in 1994.  The cottage was left to Laura Jane and she and her husband George and their two sons, Jack and Jeff, and have enjoyed the Belvedere in June, August, and October of each year.  David and his children, Diane and Rob, and their spouses and children have equally enjoyed time in July every year. Charlevoix is in our blood—both Stevens and Stoner—the Belvedere is a great place to be every year. 

Harold B. Stoner (1906-1994) married Flora (Flo) E. Mills (1914-1993) in 1936.

They had David M. Stoner (1939-) who was born in 1939.  He married Rosemary B.  Holtgrefe  (1941-) in 1962.  They had Diane M. Stoner (1963) and Rob Stoner (1965).  Rob and Leigh have 25 year-old twins, James and Christopher.  Diane has two children: Nickolas, 25, and Allison, 23.

Harold and Flora also had Laura Jane Stoner (1945- ) who married George E. Stevens (1936-2012) in 1969.  They had John (Jack) H. Stevens (1971- ) and Jeffrey (Jeff) G. Stevens (1973-).