A Stop at Dave Kober's

Something from the tackle box:

       Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre: .… Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly-colored cloth.…

       Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon: .… I am sending Huram Abi to you.  He is very bright.  His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre.  Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen.  And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow….. (from 2 Chronicles 2 CEV)

       At least twice a month, from April through October, I make the trek from Lake Odessa up to my cottage on Long Lake in Cheboygan County.  It’s a longish drive of about five-hours, but I don’t mind.  I go up M-66 to Kalkaska where I pick up US-131, then up to Boyne falls where I cut over to Old 27 on Thumb Lake Road, then up Old 27, past Mullet Lake, to just south of Cheboygan where I pick up the series of twisting, turning back roads that take me on to Long Lake.  It’s a beautiful drive almost anytime of the year.

       Now, I could get up there in much less time, under four hours, if I were to cut east to the freeway going north out of Lansing, or west to the freeway going north out of Grand Rapids, but I don’t do that unless I need to get up there quick.  I Hate freeway driving!  (And, yes, that capital “H” on “Hate” is there on purpose. I really Hate it!)

       I prefer traveling on what has come to be known as the “Blue Highways,” after the blue lines on old Rand McNally maps that indicated two-lane paved roads with traffic going in both directions.  So what if you get stuck behind a combine for three miles, I just roll down the window and breath, it’s better than the race track anxiety of going north on I-75.  It also allows for frequent stops just to putz around along the way.  I can stop for a cup of coffee at a small town diner, look into an antique shop, or pick up an old fishing rods at a yard sale, or any of that kind of stuff, whenever I want to.  It’s the best way to go up north.

       There is one particular relaxation stop like this that I make at least once every year, and sometimes twice, Dave Kober’s place.  It’s a bit of a detour for me to get there, where M-66 crosses M-115, just south of Marion, I have to turn left and take a ten mile drive out of my way to get to Dave’s place, but it’s worth it – every time. 

       You see, Dave is a craftsman who carves and paints wooden fish decoys, which I find very interesting.  Now, Dave doesn’t just fool around with this, carving a fish every now and then, he does it full time for a living.  A Dave Kober fish decoy is considered a piece of genuine folk-art by many collectors around the United States and beyond, which allows Dave to do pretty well carving his fish decoys.  You can even find his work on display in a couple of museums around the country.  He’s that good. 

the display room of Dave's shop

       But I’ll let Dave tell you himself.  Here’s a paragraph from his own literature:  Dave learned the art of decoy carving as a young boy from his grandfather Lester Ballard and Uncle Mike, who were avid fishermen and spearers.  They both saw his talent and encouraged him to keep carving, which Dave did over the years while working in the Environmental Construction business.  He traveled extensively all over the country on business and carved and fished when time permitted.  Dave gave many decoys to friends over the years who admired his creations.  A few years ago when people began knocking on the door of his home asking for fish decoys, he retired from his job of 25 years and went to his first love – carving fish.

the working part of Dave's shop

       Dave’s shop is something to behold, a work of art in itself, filled up, inside and out, with his own work as well as fishing related paraphernalia he’s collected over the years.  I can’t help but smile every time I pull in his drive and see it again.  Walking inside, I feel like it’s a place I could stay and relax in all day, if I didn’t have to get on up to my own place, but you have to remember that it is a shop. 

       Now, you can pick up a small ready made Kober decoy at Dave’s shop for a pretty reasonable price (I own three myself now), but if you want to special order a fish carving, done to your specifications, you’d better give Dave a call first and find out how long the waiting time on his backlog of work orders currently is.  I’m not kidding.  He’s that busy. 

Dave himself

       But, as nice as Dave’s work is, that’s not the real reason I enjoy stopping by his shop once or twice every year.  The real reason is that Dave Kober, as busy as he gets filling his orders, is still one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, possessing a ready smile, a quick firm handshake, and the willingness to spend a reasonable amount of time just talking to the people who come and visit his shop.  If you like stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, and camping, Dave can tell a story with the best of them.  And he will, given half a chance.  He will listen to your story with interest, and a smile on his face, but don’t be surprised when he tops it.  I like that about Dave.  His place is one of my favorite stops on the road up north. 

Something to take home in your creel:

       I love being at my place up north, it’s my little patch of Eden, but if I didn’t have to go up north to get there, it wouldn’t be the same.  As the Welsh poet and writer, Gwyn Thomas, said; “The beauty is in the walking…we are betrayed by destinations.”

If you would like more information about Dave Kober and Kober Decoys, go to his website, koberdecoys.com, and you will find a good sampling of his work.