Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

I'll start with the sports report, because the boys in blue righted the ship yesterday, in honor of my birthday, I'm sure. Cubs' pitcher, Jake Arrieta, with a record of 17 - 6, tossed a no hitter against the Dodgers, winning 2 - 0. The Dodgers have been no hit twice this year. Sadly, the Cardinals and the Pirates are ahead of the Cubs in the standings. However, the Cubs are well ahead of the Giants in the Wild Card™ race. The Tigers fell once again to the Blue Jays, 2 - 9. Nuff said. My beloved Red Sox finally surrendered a game to the Mets, 4 - 5. The Caps, who are nearing the end of their season, defeated the Great Lakes Loons, 6 - 3.

My birthday turned out great. I got a message from my daughter, Stephany, to wish me a happy birthday. I was thinking that you don't really get a chance to choose your children. While it is true that you usually get the chance to decide whether to have children, you don't usually get the chance to choose what they will be like. Genetics, environment, and all of the influences that life can throw at us, combine to make them who they are. In any event, although technically Stephany is my daughter-in-law, I like to think of her as my daughter with all that entails. I hope that Adam realizes how lucky he is to have her in his life. I can say the same for myself with Mary, as she is the perfect complement to my weirdness.

Speaking of Mary, she made a great salad for my lunch yesterday after we returned from our walk with STWD That was after we planted the previous day's garden purchases, but before we departed for the Michigan Heritage Park at Hilt's Landing. This park just opened in June, and as it grows in scope, it should be a great addition to the cultural experience that is West Michigan. It is great even now. A self guided trail walk takes visitors through the various eras of Michigan's history, from the era of the Mastodon, to almost the present day. Interpreters along the route describe how things were in the storied past of Michigan. We liked it, and I took some pictures of the various exhibits and their surroundings in a wooded setting, just outside of the city of Whitehall, MI. I guess that now would be a good time to include some that I like.

As you enter the exhibit, you are greeted by a sign explaining what you will be seeing. 

The land on which the exhibit was built was donated by this man, George Hilt, a well known businessman and philanthropist in Muskegon and Michigan..

Even in Michigan, cacti are a native plant. 

Small children get a chance to play with "The Bones" as they leave the entrance building 

I like the way this photo turned out. In the background, is the first exhibit, a Native American encampment.

This young lady is indeed a Native American, who interprets what you are seeing at the encampment.

Keeping with the theme of Michigan over time, the next stop is a trading post.

Near and dear to Mary.

This young lady was demonstrating how to felt the left over wool ends. 

Michigan was a stop on the Underground Railroad, as African Americans escaping bondage fled to Canada. 

Michigan sent 90,000 troops to fight in the Civil War, or The War of Northern Aggression, against the Confederacy. 

This is an interpretation of the housing for the lumberjacks of Michigan's late 1800s.

In the early 1900s, children entertained themselves, without electricity or batteries, by chasing these hoops down the street. 

That photo was taken on the porch of this circa 1900 farmhouse.

For Mary, no stop in a circa 1900 house would be complete without looking at the kitchen.

Moving through history, we encountered this exhibit about the Civilian Conservation Corps, a partial answer to the high unemployment brought about by the Great Depression.

The all male Corps participants, received $25.00 each month, along with clothing, meals, and a bed in which to sleep. All of the beds were in tents without A/C. The men rose at sun up, worked  all day, and went to sleep at the sound of taps for that $25.00.

The Michigan Heritage Park is part of a larger exhibit that includes the museums in the City of  Muskegon.

Later in September, the Early Times Chapter of the Pontiac Oakland Club of Michigan, will be having a car show at the park for vintage Pontiacs.

After a stop at the grocery store and the second favorite watering hole on the way home, Mary crafted my birthday dinner. It was actually one of the meals I had planned to make while she was OOT, but which I never got around to making. She interpreted it much better, but that's a story for another day.

That brings us to the weather. The next several days will be hot and humid, before we get back to more comfortable temperatures and lower humidity levels. No precipitation is in the forecast, so that means that watering will be part of my activities for a few more days, at least. The sun will rise today at 7:08, and set at 8:21. Ciao.