Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:00 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature being displayed on my DTWS is a brisk 57° under cloudy-skies. We had some rain yesterday and late last night, but as of now, all we have in the way of a precipitation forecast from the NWS is for late tonight and into tomorrow @ anywhere from 90% to 99%.

We do have a Small Craft Advisory in effect  until 2:00 p.m. today from Holland to Manistee, with strong winds and high waves. 

In addition, there is a Gale Warning in effect for that same area beginning @ 2:00 p.m. today until 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, with wind speeds up to 45 knots and wave heights possible up to 10 feet! 

Of course, there is also a Beach Hazard Statement until tomorrow @ 11:00 p.m. The NWS is reporting that the water temperature of the "Big Lake" has dipped below 70° which adds to the danger for swimmers. The sun rose this morning @ 7:32 a.m. and it will set later this evening @ 7:41 p.m.

Since I am or was on the subject of  Gale Warnings, Beach Hazard Statements, and Small Craft Advisories, this looks like a good place to insert some pix I took when Mary, Ginger, and I visited the Grand Haven City Beach late yesterday afternoon before we made a stop for a pick up at that big-box nearly everything store. This was the first time in many months that Ginger was able to walk on the beach, since dogs are banned during "The Season" that runs through Labor Day. 

I got some great pix of the roiling waters, the lighthouses, some gulls, some kiteboarders who were surfing the waters of Lake Michigan, and Ginger as she returned to the car with Mary in tow. I had my camera set on automatic, with the 75 to 150mm lens installed on my camera as I varied only the settings of both the lens and the 4/3 DSLR camera to get these shots.

I think the sky made a nice backdrop to this man kiteboarding.

The Gale Warning was not yet in effect. 

This gull was sitting it out.

The waves were building while we visited.

The same kiteboarder in this shot and the next.

That's the outer lighthouse behind the kiteboarder.

These two surfers were just boarding with no kites. 

Ginger can never get enough walking nor of guiding Mary safely down the beach.

All in all, Mary loves the fall as much as Ginger, probably more.

In sports news, the Cubs are still struggling to find some reliable pitching, something that will have to be addressed in the off season. As of now, Cubs' manager David Ross believes that only tonight's starting pitcher RHP Kyle Hendricks, 14 - 6, and last night's starting pitcher, RHP Alec Mills, 6 - 7, are definitely in the rotation next season. That means that the Cubs will be looking in their mostly depleted farm system, the free-agent market, or trades for pitching help. Every team is looking for pitching, so.... The Twins defeated the Cubs and Alec Mills last night in a 4 - 7 loss for the Cubs. Tonight's game versus the Twins, begins @ 7:40 p.m. EDT.

My beloved Red Sox are red hot right now, having won six in a row. The also red-hot X-Man, Xander Bogaerts, contributed four RBIs last in last night's win over the Mets, 6 - 3. Journeyman RHP reliever Ryan Brazier, 1 - 1, picked up the win for the Sox. Tonight's game versus the Mets begins @ 7:10 p.m. EDT when LHP Chris Sale, 4 - 0, makes his next start. 

The Tigers have now won two in a row over that other team from Chicago, following yesterday afternoon's win 5 - 3. Yes my friends, the Tigers are for real, as they are beating some very good teams. The Tigers' win went to RHP Bryan Garcia, 3 - 2, in relief. Garcia is only 26 years of age and should be a solid reliever for the Tigers next season and beyond. Tigers' OF Victor Reyes had four RBIs for the Tigers. Today's game also begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Casey Mize, 6 - 7 takes the mound for the Tigers. Do I sound like a Tigers' "Homer" yet?

I had an uneventful appointment at the dentist yesterday and I am good to go until next spring. 

Mary and I were trying to decide what we accomplished yesterday, as we couldn't point to any one thing. I finished a book late last night, but that is about all that I can point to. Mary made lunch and dinner. I am reasonably certain that she made further progress on her cross-stitching project, but I forgot to look when I was downstairs earlier. I think a successful trip to the beach for a photo-op and a walkabout are also worthy of note.

Today on my agenda, I have no appointments and only the indoor chores that I put off until today. I will likely start another book and read the Tuesday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune and perhaps work the crossword puzzles from Monday and Tuesday too. I must play more music, but painting will have to wait for more sunshine. Mary will continue to do that voodoo that she do so well. Oh, right now, the Gandy-dancers are walking the tracks of the MMRR checking the rails and looking for ties that need to be replaced. I stand corrected. They are also checking the rails for parallelism and cutting out sections to be replaced. They never replace too much, making the tracks look like a railroad track quilt. Ciao.