Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

The NWS has issued yet another Gale Warning for Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee that begins @ 5:00 p.m. this evening and continues until 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. South winds will increase to 35 knots propelling waves up to 8 feet in height south of GH and 10 feet in height north of GH, with the highest waves either side of the Big Sable Lighthouse which is situated on the eastern shores of the "Big Lake" near Ludington, MI in Mason, County, much to the north of GH.

Locally, the current temperature is 29° under clear skies and it feels like 29° with only a 2 mph wind out of the north. Our overnight low will drop one more degree to 28°, before we reach today's high temperature of 55° under sunny skies. Today's high temperature will be 16° warmer than yesterday. The high temperatures will continue to bounce around this week, going from today's high of 57°, to later this week when the mercury won't get out of the upper 30s!

The sun will rise today @ 7:31 a.m. and set later @ 8:08 p.m.

That first Gale Warning expired earlier today, but not before we made a quick run to the library and then to the beach at Grand Haven State Park and on to Swan Lake and Duck Pond for a photo recon session. 

When we were down  at the beach area, the winds were so strong coming off of Lake Michigan, that I had all I could do to stay upright and on my feet. Anyone who knows me knows that it would take some seriously strong winds to accomplish knocking me down. Of course, I also have a much larger cross-section for the wind to act upon, so...

At any rate, I once again digress. We both got out at the State Park and experienced the exhilaration that only winds off of a large body of water can engender. I took a lot of pix to give everyone the flavor of our excursion at both of the locations that we visited.

Every man knew, as the Cap'n did did too, twas the witch of November, oops, March come stealing! But I won't offer one of my favorites, Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Instead, I'll insert this traditional Irish sea shanty, What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor as performed by The Irish Rovers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSltK-10zk

The "Big Lake" was very angry yesterday and it will be again tonight. 

I was originally only trying to capture this shot over one of the dunes because I liked it.

But this photographer was more determined, as he carried his tripod to the shore on the other side of that dune. At the same time, I also got a great pic of a gull in flight trying to fight the strong winds.

While not the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, these waves were very daunting.

Even the swans had moved over to the more tranquil "Duck Pond" to forage.

I think that this swan's mate is nesting nearby. 

These ducks were willing to "share" with the much larger swan.

Even the much smaller "Duck Pond" was stirred by the strong winds off of Lake Michigan.

Mary pointed out this view of our coal tipple that I don't ordinarily get, but which was available from the viewing deck on the shores of "Duck Pond."

Today we may take the fur-children for a safari to the Lake Forest Cemetery because the winds won't pick up until later and the skies will be sunny. We don't venture out on the weekends to places where we might have to encounter people with their own canine friends and risk having a dog scrum. That would necessitate the need to interact with people who aren't observing the dual-concepts of social-distancing and mask wearing. I agree with Mary that we've come too far now for that, as we only two more days before our own Independence Day.

So, that's enough for one day. Ciao.