Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under fair-skies is 71°. We have two, count them two, alerts from the NWS.

First, is a Beach Hazard Statement that goes into effect sometime tomorrow afternoon and lasts until late tomorrow night. How's that for a kinda, sorta, maybe forecast. At any rate, that statement is for Allegan, Mason, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Van Buren in Michigan. 

In addition, the NWS has also issued a Small Craft Advisory that will have a specific start and end time of 12:00 p.m. tomorrow until 4:00 a.m. Friday from South Haven to Whitehall. Wind speeds of 10 - 20 knots and wave heights from two to five feet can be expected. That's minor for the "Big Lake."

Our overnight low tonight will be a comfortable 63°. The current temperature of 71° is nice enough to beckon Mary out to our front-porch to do some reading while the light lasts, which will be very soon.

Speaking of light, the sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:08 a.m. and set later tomorrow night @ 9:28 p.m.

We got out today for a visit to my yak doctor to get an evaluation regarding my aching yak. I now await the calls from the scheduler for the actual procedures and follow-up visits. 

Since we were out, I took along my camera and captured some shots. Here they are in no particular order.

In Fruitport, I took this pix of a front-end loader in front of a large pile of gravel. 

These scrapers were at the same location. 

This Smiling Water Tower is also in Fruitport.

Whereas this is part of Spring Lake.

We had to pick up or vacuum from the service center in GH, so I took this pic as I waited in the loading zone for Mary to return.

When you like industrial shots, sometime you have to work with what is available nearby.

Near North Ottawa Comm. Hosp. these deer were crossing the road heading to???

Mom was guiding the little one across the street.

And staying back to ensure a safe crossing.

They made it and I got some great shots.

Baseball news for the 2nd place, 42 - 39, six games behind the 1st place  Brewers, Cubs, was not good. The Cubs got off to a good start this afternoon, then Miller Park in Milwaukee fell on them as LHP Rex Brothers took the loss in a lopsided 7 - 15 loss to the Brew Crew. Utility-man, Eric Sogard took the mound to mop up for the Cubs. The Cubs are off tomorrow before traveling to Cincinnati to face the 39 - 39, 3rd place Reds for a 7:10 p.m. start, as RHP Alec Mills, 3 - 1, goes for the Cubs. 

My beloved, 49 - 31, 1st place in the AL East Red Sox, are playing right now versus the 33 - 45, 5th place in the AL Central Royals. The Sox and the Royals play again tomorrow afternoon @ 1:10 p.m., when RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 8 - 4, pitches for the beloved. 

A side note, LHP Chris Sale, who has been on the IL since last season as he recovers from Tommy John Surgery, pitched two innings of live batting practice @ Fenway and he was throwing fastballs @ 95 mph and had good command of all of the pitches he tossed. Look for him to rejoin the starting rotation for the Sox in late August. 

The 34 - 45, 3rd place in the AL Central Tigers are also playing right now, in their case versus the 42 - 33, 2nd place in the AL Central Indians. The Tigers will be off tomorrow before they move on to Chicago to face that other, 46 - 32, 1st place in the AL Central team for a 7:10 p.m. start with no pitcher yet announced for the Tigers. 

The 22 - 24, 5th place in the East division West Michigan White Caps are also playing now versus the 19 - 29, 6th place in the West Division Peoria Chiefs. The game is close.

Otherwise, we have a visit to Ginger's doctor tomorrow afternoon for her follow-up and I have a visit to the podiatrist later in the afternoon. I think I'll ride my bike to that visit. That's enough for one day. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 12:45 a.m. in "The City.", where there is still a Flood Watch in effect until 1:00 p.m. today, due to rainfall totals from three to six inches in less than 72 hours!.

We have a current temperature of 63° under partly-cloudy that feels like 63° with a slight wind out of the north @ 4 mph. Our overnight low will only drop two degrees to 61° before we rebound to today's high-temperature of 77° under skies that will cloud up as the day wears on, which may produce T-storms in the late afternoon and early evening. The sun will rise this morning @ 6:07 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

A quickie sports report.

The third-place in the AL Central, 34 - 44 Tigers, eked out a 2 - 1 win over the 1st place in the AL West Astros in 10 innings yesterday. The Tigers are in Cleveland tonight for a game against the 41 - 33 Indians @ 7:10 p.m. EDT.

My beloved, 1st place in the AL East, 47 - 31 Red Sox, crushed the visiting 4th place, 40 - 37 Yankees yesterday, 9 - 2. The Red Sox await the arrival of the 33 - 43 5th place in the AL Central Royals for a game tonight, also @ 7 :10 p.m. EDT.

The 42 - 36, 2nd place in the NL Central Cubs, fell a full three games behind the 1st place, 45 - 33 Brewers, with their third loss out of four tries versus the 47 - 31 Dodgers, 1 - 7. The Cubs move into Milwaukee tonight for a game versus those front-running Brewers, when RHP Kyle Hendricks, 0 - 4, takes the mound for an 8:10 p.m. EDT start.

Sadly, the 22 - 24, 4th place Caps fell to the 1st place, 27 - 20 Dayton Dragons yesterday afternoon, 3 - 5. The Caps are off today before they travel to Peoria, IL for a 7:35 p.m. EDT start versus the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday. 

I got out on my bike yesterday for a short ride. I hadn't been out yet this year, but I still love to ride. My yak has limited my riding until yesterday. 

We also got out for photo-op along with a trip to the library late yesterday afternoon. Before we left, I took some pix of the flora in our own vast-gardens. 

Some new and some fading roses in Mary's rose garden. 

This rise is partially hidden behind the pseudo wrought-iron fence that delineates the vegetable garden from the rose garden.

I'm not sure how I did it, but this shot was of two blooms on our JFK rose.

All of that rain has caused the coleus plants to sprout vigorously.

After our library visit, we traveled to Mary's auxiliary garden to check on the plants there. All are doing fine. In addition, some of Mary's garden neighbors are experiencing good growth too.

We traveled to nearby Norton Shores to get some pix, but there was not much to see there. However as we were heading home, the draw bridge over the Grand River was just going up to allow for the passage of a large boat.

Traffic backs up quickly when the bridge is raised.

First the gates come down.

Then the bridge goes up. 

And then it goes back down and locks in place, 

Once home, we fed the fur-children. Since I was out there, I took some additional shots of the vast gardens. 

When it rains, toadstools always pop-up in the dog run.

The fur-children don't care, they just trample them.

Asian lilies, I believe. 

With the recent rains, our gardens are doing very well. 

Today, we have some errands to run, I have some reading to do, and Mary has more needle-pointing to pass her time. I am hoping that the Cubs will be able to conquer the Brewers tonight, but the Cubs have limited starting-pitching and they can't rely on their relief staff to take up the slack much longer. A front-line starter needs to be procured, even if that means a block-buster trade. 

Otherwise, that's all folks!. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:00 p.m. on the rainy evening here in "The City." 

We have a current temperature of 64° that feels like 64° with a wind out of the south @ 8 mph. In addition there are two Advisories, and one Statement currently in effect. The first advisory is for Ottawa County, where the NWS has issued a Flood Advisory due to the more than 2" of rain that has fallen this afternoon and evening, with more in the forecast. That Flood Advisory is in effect until 10:45 tonight. There is also a strong possibility of T-storms around 10:00 p.m. tonight and more T-storms and rain are in the forecast for tomorrow and Saturday. That's good news for our gardens. Our overnight low will be a comfortable 62°.

But wait, there's more. The NWS has also issued a Beach Hazard Statement in effect until 10:00 p.m. tonight with the very real possibility of strong currents and waves that will be hazardous to swimmers and to people foolhardy enough to venture out on piers. Couple that with a Small Craft Advisory also in effect until 10:00 p.m. from Holland to Manistee and you have a recipe for trouble as windspeeds will be between 15 - 25 knots and waves may reach from three to five feet in height. 

Oh, the sun will rise tomorrow into rainy skies with a 90% chance for additional showers and a high temperature of 71° with an overnight low temperature of 64°.

I had my second set of yak test injections today and my yak feels remarkably better. In fact, you could even say that I am enjoying a blissful evening here in my office. I have it on good authority that the chance to ride my bike tomorrow is unlikely to happen with the rain showers in the forecast. I was hoping to enjoy one of my blissful days aboard the saddle of my bike. Sigh.

The Caps were rained out for their game against the Dayton Dragons tonight. They'll try again tomorrow in GR @ 6:05 p.m. EDT.

The currently 32 - 42, 4th in the AL Central Tigers are not doing well against the 46 - 28, 1st in the AL West Astros. Here's hoping that tomorrows matchup that will feature RHP Wily Peralta going for the Tigers @ 7:10 p.m. versus those same Astros will prove to be a better night. 

My beloved, 44 - 30, 1st in the AL East Red Sox are locked in a scoreless game versus the 44 - 31 2nd place Tampa Bay Rays, 0 - 0. Red Sox RHP Nick Pivetta, is toying with a no-hitter. I hope that I didn't jinx him, as he has held the Rays scoreless through seven innings. Of course, that 0 - 0 score also means the the Sox have slumber in their own lumber too. The Sox will will be home in Fenway tomorrow night for a 7:10 p.m. game versus the 40 - 34 Yankees as LHP Martin Perez, 5 - 4 goes for the beloved. 

The 41 - 33, 2nd place, .5 games behind the 1st place Brewers in the NL Central Cubs and RHP Zach Davies, 4 - 4, will be starting their game in LA against the 44 - 30, 2nd place in the AL West Dodgers @ 10:10 p.m. tonight. 

Tomorrow I have my first professional haircut in over one and one-half years scheduled in the early afternoon. It will be a weird experience, but since my skills are limited and Mary is not a pro, I hope to come out of there looking good in spite of the fact that I am follicly challenged on top. 

Otherwise, we have nothing on tap for the day other than music, reading, crafting, perhaps some vegan kitchen activities, and retirement. 

By the by, Ginger is recovering nicely from her visit to her doctor yesterday. She was stoner dog when we first brought her home, but she is now alert and eating well, She has to take antibiotics for two weeks and some meds for any pain for seven days, along with eating soft-food for those seven days. She is getting kibble soaked in water to make it soft. She seems fine otherwise. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City."

The weather here in the Tri-Cities area today was noticeably cooler than yesterday. We have a current temperature of 60° under partly-cloudy skies that feels like 58° with a wind out the north @ 12 mph. The NWS is forecasting an overnight brisk low-temperature, an almost fall-like 49°! We still have those statements and advisories for the "Big Lake" in effect until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. 

We'll see a warmer day tomorrow, with a high of 67° under mostly-sunny skies and an overnight low of 57°. The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

We were kind of lazy today. We sat around, I finished a book, and Mary continued to read one that she seems to be totally enjoying. STWD and Ginger wanted to go out for a walk, but we fed them and left them behind as we set out for a photo-shoot. 

I started with our own vast-gardens and some pix of Mary's roses and other sundry flora. I used my newest lens for all of the shots today.

This rose is in the background, while in the foreground, are the leaves of one of our potato plants.

I opted to expand my focus and get more of the roses from the same shooting position. 

Even I am amazed by the clarity that a telephoto lens can produce.

This coleus is obscuring the Green Man filled with white blooms. 

I thought I'd try shooting from behind for this shot. 

Having exhausted the photo possibilities in our own gardens, we set out for a visit to the library for a drop off and pick up and then a stop at Mary's auxiliary gardens We finished at the Spring Lake Township Cemetery for more pix.

Our newest garden remains untouched by critters.

But alas, one of Mary's cabbages was ravaged in spite of being behind a fence.

And in spite of this Garden Gnome who was watching from a nearby plot.

The first auxiliary garden we planted.

I think that this shot of the monuments and trees looked nice.

Nicely cared for by someone in a cemetery with graves dating to the mid-1800s.

I used the trees as a frame for the same monument. 

Most of my baseball teams are off today, with the exception of the Cubs, who are losing to the visiting Indians right now. SS Javier Baez was pulled from the game by Cubs' manager David Ross following a boneheaded baserunning gaffe that cost the Cubs a scoring opportunity. Shortly thereafter, starting RHP Adbert Alzolay was also removed after he lost his own focus when the Indians started to hit his pitches.

Tomorrow, we have indoor chores, more music to play, more books to read, and more crafting to occupy our time.

One thing is for certain, we have plenty to keep us busy. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 0:00 a.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 65°, which coincidentally will be today's high temperature, a full 11° cooler than yesterday. We had some overnight rain, In fact, two claps of thunder were heard by yours truly. STWD didn't seem to notice. 

The NWS has issued two alerts that began at 12:00 a.m. and which will continue until 2:00 a.m. Tuesday. The first is a Beach Hazard Statement, that warns of hazardous conditions for swimmers in Allegan, Mason, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties. The second is for a Small Craft Advisory from St, Joseph to Manistee. Windspeeds up to 30 knots and wave heights of four to seven feet should be good enough reason for small craft to stay in port.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:27 p.m.

At any rate, no watering is required today for either of our garden plots. However, we need to visit the auxiliary plot to check on the green-children there.

Speaking of children, our human-children called yesterday to wish me a happy Father's Day and to chat in general. If there is one thing I miss due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is their irregular regular visits. Here's hoping that 2021 will be better.

Baseball news yesterday was mixed, The 40 - 32, 1st place in the NL Central Cubs defeated the 5th place in the NL East. 31 - 40 Marlins, 2 - 0, with solid defense, no home runs, and a great pitching performance by starter and winner, RHP Alec Mills, 3 - 1. The Cubs are home again tonight to face the 39 - 30, 2nd place in the AL Central Indians @ 8:05 p.m. EDT, as RHP Adbert Alzolay, 4 - 5, tries to get his 5th win to go even with the league. 

The 30 - 42, 5th place in the AL Central Tigers were victorious in Anaheim yesterday as they took a game from the 36 - 36, 4th place in the AL West Angels, 5 - 3. The win went to RHP Jose Cisnero, 1 - 4,. The Tigers are off today before they welcome the 36 - 26, 4th place in the NL Central Cardinals for a 7:10 p.m. EDT start when LHP Tarik Skubal, 4 - 7, takes the hill for Tigers and manager A.J. Hinch.

My beloved, 43 - 29, 1st place in the AL East Red Sox, fell to the 32 - 38, 3rd place in the AL Central Royals, 3 - 7, as RHP starter Nathan Eovaldi, 7 - 4, took the loss for the struggling Sox. The Sox too are off until Tuesday's game beginning @ 7:10 p.m. EDT when LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 5 - 4, makes his next start.

Sadly, the 20 - 21, 4th place Caps fell to the 23 - 19 Lake County Captains yesterday, 0 - 3. The Caps are off until Tuesday when they welcome the visiting 1st place Dayton Dragons for a 7:05 EDT start. 

Elsewhere at the manse, brunch yesterday was vegan TLT (that's tempeh bacon, lettuce, and tomato) sandwiches on fresh bread. They were great. I had requested spaghettirole casserole for dinner and Mary outdid herself on this one. I think it was her best effort to date. 

As you may recall, I promised to add a pic of the flowers that Mary picked up when she was on her way back from dropping Ginger for grooming last Thursday. Mary stopped in at Grand Haven Floral and picked up some fresh flowers for the living room. Here is a pic of her arrangement on the end table. 

Beautifully arranged and very fragrant. 

Mary reminded me that one of the flowers, a lily that I cannot name, like all lilies, was associated with the Virgin Mary and the Annunciation in the Middle Ages. In any case, they look great and are lasting nicely.

Late last night, around 11:30 p.m., I heard MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2170 pass by the manse deadheading southbound. A few minutes ago, @ 5:56 a.m., I watched out the WW as those same locomotives passed by heading north, towing 15 CGCs, and four CHCs, all loaded.

Today, I hope to do more reading, play in the kitchen, and just be retired. Mary will do that voodoo that she do so well. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City."

Normally, I'd give  you the current temperature, tomorrows temperatures, and the sunrise and sunset times. But, I have so many pix to share, that I am going to try for a truncated version of this blog. 

Current temperature, 70° feels like 70° under fair skies that will lead to showers after midnight and T-storms tomorrow morning. Sunrise tomorrow, 6:05 a.m. Sunset 9:27 p.m.

We traveled to several locations here in GH for a photo-shoot with my newest glass/lens. I took some pix in our own Vast Gardens, Swan Lake, and Duck Pond. I think that once I get the hang of using/focusing my new lens, I am really going to like it.

Roses in bloom in Mary's Rose Garden. 

The same.

This is the oft moved John F. Kennedy rose in Mary's garden.

One of the many paths/trails near Swan Lake and Duck Pond.

Swans and their cygnets on Duck Pond.

Another path/trail near Swan Lake and duck Pond.

A Red Winged Blackbird perched on a log in Swan Lake.

Post fishing in the channel near Linear Park. 

A woman fishing in Duck Pond. I liked the contrast between the tree and the woman.

These trees are flowering near our neighbor's garage.

We had a mixed salad for lunch so that Mary could get some of the bowls out of the refrigerator. I liked it with giardiniera as did Mary. Dinner was vegan hot dog wraps with jalapeno potato chips.

Earlier, I played guitar, finished a crossword puzzle, and did some reading. All of that was prior to Mary walking Ginger over for Ginger's grooming appointment. On her way home, Mary picked up some exotic/tropical flowers at a local florist. I'll try to get a pic in tomorrow's blog. The flowers are both gorgeous and aromatic. While Mary has access to her own rose garden, she wanted to treat herself to some different flowers in our living room.

The 39 - 31 and surprisingly in 1st place in the NL Central Cubs, dropped one to the 30 - 39 5th place in the NL East Marlins, 2 - 10, on a night that should have favored the Cubs' power hitting lineup. However, the Cubs who rely way to much on the home run, only got two from OF Joc Pederson. Things did not go well versus the Marlins @ Wrigley Field. The Cubs and the Marlins go again today @ 2:20 p.m. EDT when RH P Jake Arrieta, 5 - 7 makes the start.

My beloved 2nd place in the AL East Red Sox, fell to the 31 - 37, 3rd place in the AL Central Kansas City Royals, 3 - 5. The Sox should beat teams like the Royals, but alas, they, like the Cubs, often fail to do that and thus the final score as usually reliable RHP Nick Pivetta, 6 - 3 absorbed the loss. The Sox and the Royals play again today @ 4:10 p.m. EDT when LHP Martin Perez, 4 - 4 makes his next start.

The 29 - 41, 4th place in the AL Central Tigers, looked bad against the superior Angels in Anaheim last night, losing 3 - 11, as starter and loser, Jose Urena, 2 - 7, was once again victimized by the long ball as he surrendered too many home runs to the Angels for a final score of 3 - 11. The Tigers and the Angels  go again tonight @ 10:07 EDT when RHP cannon fodder, Wily Peralta, 0 - 0, makes a spot start for the Tigers . 

The 19 - 20, 4th in the East Division Caps, dropped another to the 2nd place Lake County Captains, 4 - 9. Next game, Caps versus Captains @ 7:00 p.m. tonight.

Tomorrow, more indoor chores, more music, more reading, and more retirement for me. Mary is downstairs crafting and watching TV news. I adjourned to the media room for some inane TV and reading. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 12:00 a.m. in "The City."

A current temperature of 77° feels like 77° with a wind out of the south @ 10 mph under mostly-cloudy skies. The forecast for the overnight low calls for 60°. The NWS radar is showing that we should start seeing some rain about 1:00 a.m. this morning. In fact, there is a strong chance for overnight showers and then scattered showers and T-storms in the a.m. STWD will let us know for sure.

Today's high temperature forecast calls for 76° with an overnight low of 63°. The sun will rise today morning @ 6:04 a.m. and set later @ 9:27 p.m.

I watered the vast gardens of the palatial estate today. Later, we traveled over to that big-box home center for some additional plants and then on to Mary's auxiliary vast gardens to plant them on her newest plot. When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was that the peppers in her first plot, the peppers that I and Mary felt certain would be unattractive to critters, had been half-eaten. 

We put more fencing around the part of the plot we'd left unprotected with hopes that the peppers would bounce back. We shall see. To be on the safe side, we encircled Mary's second plot with wire around the entire perimeter. We fertilized the new plants and gave them and their older siblings a good drink. Fingers crossed.

I received my newest glass for my camera today. FYI, the term glass is used by photographers for lenses. I have yet to try it out, but it should be twice as powerful as my daily-driver lens and much lighter than the huge telephoto glass that needs its own tripod. 

I had a tele-visit with my orthopedist today and he was pleased with the results of my first set of injections. Now, I have to repeat that process before I can move on to a more long-lasting procedure called a Radiofrequency Ablation, or RFA for short. This procedure deadens the nerves in the lower yak and after a few weeks, should produce a positive outcome. I am ready to try this as my arthritis is not getting better.

The 39 -30, 1st place in the NL Central Cubs, defeated the 35 - 26, 1st place in the NL East Mets earlier this evening to salvage one game in NYC. RHP Kyle Hendricks, 9 - 4, got the shutout 2 - 0 win. The Cubs are home tomorrow night to play the 29 - 39 Florida Marlins @ 8:05 p.m. EDT when RHP Zach Davies, 4 - 3 takes the mound.

The currently 29 - 39, 4th  in the AL Central, Tigers are in Anaheim to play the currently 33  - 35 Angels. The current score in the bottom of the 7th  inning is Tigers 1, Angels 7. The Tigers starter tonight was rookie Matt Manning, but he has given way to RHRP Kyle Funkhouser, 0 - 0. Let's just say that Funkhouser has not fooled the Angels who scored five runs off of him, so far. The Tigers tangle with the Angels again tomorrow night @ 9:30 p.m. when RHP Jose Urena, 2 - 6, makes his next start.

My beloved 42 - 27, 2nd in the AL East Red Sox, were off today. They open a series @ home tomorrow night against the 29 - 39, 5th place in the NL East Florida Marlins @ 8:10 p.m. as RHP Nick Pivetta, 6 - 2 makes his next start.

The 19 - 19, 3rd in the Eastern Division of the High A level league, fell to the 2nd place Lake County Captains, 3 - 6. The Caps were flying high, but they have come back to Earth lately. The Caps and the Captains play again tomorrow night @ 7:00 p.m. 

We have an appointment to get Ginger groomed tomorrow afternoon. Mary will walk Ginger over and she plans to stop by her auxiliary gardens to see if the fencing kept the critters at bay. Otherwise, we have no specific plans. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is now well past the sunrise of 6:04 a.m. and well before the sunset @ 9:26 p.m.

As of now, we have a current temperature of 59°, also our overnight low, under clear-skies that feels like 58° with a wind out of the north @ 6 mph.

A Beach Hazard Statement and a Small Craft Advisory go into effect @ 2:00 p.m. this afternoon and will remain in effect until 2:00 a.m. Wednesday. 

The  Beach Hazard Statement brings with it strong admonitions about staying out of wafer and off of the piers in the state Parks located in Allegan, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties. Strong currents and breaking waves could sweep people off of the piers and those currents may also produce Rip Currents which can challenge even the best swimmers.

That Small Craft Advisory brings with it wind-speeds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts possible to 30 knots and wave heights of three to five feet. 

As I noted in yesterday's blog, kite-surfers were not deterred by those statements and advisories yesterday, and so both they and many beachgoers were out in force late yesterday afternoon.

This surfer was doing great!

Pulled by the winds and encouraged by the sunny skies.

As were several others.

Whom I captured as a cargo ship waited its turn on Lake Michigan before getting into port.

Even the gulls were enjoying the strong winds. 

That cargo ship on the waters of the "Big Lake" against the azure sky.

We hadn't intended to go to the beach during our errands, but water draws Mary in all the time. We first stopped at the library for a book pick-up and then somehow we were drawn to the City Beach of GH, where I took the shots shown above.

So what was to be our second stop, Duncan Woods, for an exploratory photo-shoot, became our third stop. I was hoping to get some pix to use as inspiration for my next painting session and so I took these pix. Mary has a much stronger sense of what I should be seeing and photographing than I do, so I rely on her to give my pix focus and clarity. 

I was trying to get a feel for what trails looked like. At Duncan Woods, the trails are mostly sand from the dunes that surround Lake Michigan. 

The sunlight produces a mottled effect in the late afternoon. 

Trees and leaves abound.

However, so do roots, soil, and rocks too. 

I think the roots are there to trip me, but they are part of the trails.

So too are mosses and grasses.

I think I got some good shots for inspiration. Now all I  have to do is find time to paint. Retirement is such a busy state of being.

I have to keep my baseball report short. The tied for 1st in the NL Central Cubs fell to the 1st place in the NL East Mets last night, 2 - 5, ending their five-game win streak. RHP Jake Arrieta had nothing after a strong start and took the loss. Jake ain't what he used to be. The Cubs and Mets play in NYC again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. EDT with RHP Alec Mills on the mound for the Cubs.

My beloved Red Sox, 2nd in the AL East, needed a walk-off single from Rafael Devers to eke out a win over the 3rd place in the AL East Royals, 2 - 1. The Sox take on the 3rd place in the NL East Braves tonight @ 7:20 p.m. with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez trying to get two in a row for the Sox.

The 4th place in the AL Central Tigers were victorious over the 3rd place in the AL Central Royals, 10 - 3. However, starting pitcher Matthew Boyd was removed from the game with arm problems in the early innings and it took an already beleaguered relief corps to finish the game. The Tigers and the Royals play again tonight with RHP Casey Mize on the hill @8:10 p.m.

The 2nd place in the Eastern Division White Caps are home tonight to face the 1st place Dayton Dragons in a game that begins @ 7:05 p.m.

Today is another indoor chore day along with watering the green-children and that's about it. I have no other firm plans, having expended my energy and yak reserves yesterday. I'm relatively certain that Mary and Ginger will be walking over to Mary's auxiliary gardens to water there. Ciao.