Photo of the Day: Ol’ Blue at Bonobo Winery

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Today’s Photo of the Day is courtesy of Ol’ Blue, the blue flatbed truck that used to be part of Warren Orchards and is now owned by Bonobo Winery. I wrote about this handsome truck a couple of years ago, noting its long history on the Old Mission Peninsula, including the fact that my father-in-law, Tug Boursaw, drove it for the Warrens during cherry season. 

The truck is now parked in the field south of “Winery Hill” on Center Road, next to Bonobo Winery, founded by brothers Todd and Carter Oosterhouse (Todd is a recent appointee to the Peninsula Township Planning Commission.) 

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I love seeing the old flatbed trucks on the Old Mission Peninsula, although you don’t see them as much as you used to. My family, Johnson Farms, still has “Old Black,” a 1956 Chevy Flatbed, tucked away in the barn. I don’t think he comes out too much anymore, though, as my brothers have newer trucks they use to haul cherries and apples. But when I worked on the farm as a teenager, we used it to haul cherries and apples. 

My cousin, Steve Johnson, drove Old Black for us during cherry season back in the 1970s and ’80s. I drove it a few times for hay-bailing as the guys tossed bails of hay on the back. But Old Black has a long legacy on the farm. My dad used it to haul fruit to the Detroit Farmer’s Market, in the 1940s and ’50s. 

My mom also recalls the “very long trip” they took when they drove it to Virginia to see her family. I can just imagine that was a long haul in that truck, especially if the weather was warm. 

Thank you to the Bonobo crew for decking Ol’ Blue out for the holidays. It makes all of us smile every time we pass by. 

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Ol’ Blue decked out for the holidays at Bonobo Winery | Jane Boursaw Photo

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