The Boardman River runs cold and quick through this corner of Kalkaska County, and the ground it drains is sand and jack pine — soil that grows grass thin and lets it dry fast. Kingsmen Lawn Service mows to suit it: blades set high through the July heat, trimming close around posts and pine trunks, edges cut where lawn meets two-track. Afternoons out here smell of warm needles and fresh clippings at the same time. Cleanups at both ends of the season clear the winter's needle drop and the last of the oak leaves. It is straightforward work, kept on schedule, for homes and camps around Boardman township, Kalkaska and South Boardman.