Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."

I think it appropriate to start with what I believed to be a  missing train. Apparently, I didn't miss the northbound run on Monday. Instead, the run occurred yesterday morning @ 10:09 a.m. EMD GP 38 locomotive #2057 came by on the RSTL heading north. It was odd enough for a train to be passing through on a Tuesday, but odder still that a single locomotive would be passing through.

At any rate, the train consisted of 21 CHCs with one at the end and one painted primer red, something that I've never seen before. In addition, there were 13 DBTCs, one graffiti covered BC, and one GTC. All were fully laden. I wonder if another train will pass by today?

Yesterday's weather was mostly pleasant when I was out with STWD and later when Mary and I traveled to Central Park for WGHNs Tuesdays in the Park concert series. As I noted before, the opening act was a local band, Uneven Ground, an Irish quartet from Muskegon. They were especially great last night as the opening act for Goitse, pronounced Gwitchy, according to Goitse group member Colm Phelan, a two-time All-Ireland and one-time world Bodhran champion.

To get a feel for his incredible talent, here is a YouTube link to one of his solos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUMc8WIht4w. This particular example was recorded in Newburyport, MA. The solo last night was very similar.

He was accompanied by band-mates Ainie McGeeney on fiddle and vocals, Tadhg O'Meachair on keyboards, and Conal O' Kane on guitar. Absent due to a family emergency was banjo player James Harvey. Both bands were incredible,

Goitse has performed on Michigan's Beaver Island twice during tours of the U.S. Here are pictures of both Uneven Ground, and Goitse.

The young man on the left playing the bodhran is Larry Halvorsen, He is also the band's regular Irish Whistle player and the driving force behind the Irish Jam Sessions that I attend at the Loutit District Library, where he is also the library's community outreach director. On Larry's left, is Tim Staudacher, who plays guitar and mandolin, Courtney Hutson who plays fiddle and sings, and David Closz, who plays guitar and sings lead.

Goitse fiddler Ainie McGeeney sang vocals for the Goetse. I have included several pictures that range from Colm's bodhran solo, to Ainie's fiddle and vocal performances, along with the entire band.

Four-fifths of the band. 

Colm in his solo

What wold a concert in Central Park be without the dogs? Pictured below is Bridget, a 10 year old well-behaved female with a visual impairment due to cataracts. She is available for adoption because her former human is in hospice care. In addition, it is the week for the annual Pirate Fest on GH, so several of the pirates stopped by to listen, They are pictured below Bridget's photo.

Yes, she is as cute as you think. 

The pirates posed for this photo in all their glory.

Sports yesterday is now over, as the Tigers lost in Seattle in the 15th inning. They lost the lead, again, in the bottom of the 15th giving up the lead they had taken in the top of the inning on a home run by Victor Martinez. The Mariners got a walk off win, 6 - 5. The Tigers' loss drops them to 61 - 52, but they are still in 2nd place in the A. L. Central, albeit with a scant 3.0 deficit to the Indians, who lost. The Tigers and the Mariners play again tonight @ 10:10 p.m.

The Cubs took another game from the Dodgers last night @ "The friendly Confines" 5 - 1, to move to 70 - 41 in the N. L. Central. The Cubs are solidly in 1st place. They have regained their swagger, to say the least. The Cubs and the Dodgers play again tonight @ 8:00 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox took one from the Yankees @ Fenway by a score of 5 - 3. They are still in 3rd place in the A. L. East, but they are only 1.5 games behind the Orioles, who lost. The Sox play the Yankees again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.

The Caps were not so fortunate, as they lost to the Bowling Green, KY Hot Rods, 2 - 5. That means that the Caps have a sub-.500 record of 21 - 22 in the Midwest League East, good for 4th place. They now trail the division-leading Hot Rods by 8.5 games. The Caps are off today before playing @ home against the Lansing, MI Lug Nuts on Thursday night @ 7:00 p.m.

STSD and I baked another loaf of my famous banana nut bread yesterday afternoon after I was done with my outdoor chores. Mary was hard at work on the index upstairs. She will be off to Holland today for her knitting session. I'll be doing a few more outdoor chores and some fun things in the man-cave while she is gone.

Today's weather forecast from the NWS calls for a high temperature of 84° under sunny skies with rising humidity. We have a current temperature of 66° under partly cloudy skies. The sun will rise this morning @ 6:45 a.m. and set @ 8:53 p.m. Ciao.