Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:30 a.m. in "The City", where an 8 mph wind out of the southeast makes the "Real Feel" temperature the same as the actual temperature of 67°. The NWS is reporting a barometric pressure of 29.96" of Hg and falling, while my own DTWS is showing 29.30" of Hg and rising. Here in GH, you can usually count on my local DTWS and the NWS in GR to disagree, whether that be precipitation, temperature, or barometric pressures. The NWS is forecasting a 60% chance for occasional showers and/or T-storms this afternoon. 

We have two weather related alerts and advisories that begin today @ 2:00 p.m. this afternoon and continuing until sometime Monday morning. First is a Beach Hazard Statement that the NWS has issued. A Red Flag is posted and swimming will be dangerous due to strong currents and heavy wave action for Mason, Muskegon, Oceana and Ottawa counties in MI. There is also a strong chance that the piers may be swamped and dangerous for walkers.

In addition, the NWS has also issued a  Small Craft Advisory from 2:00 p.m. today until a more specific 8:00 a.m. Monday. 15 to 25 knot winds may propel waves up to six feet in height. Once again, Surf's Up! But, small boats should stay out of the "Big Lake." Not a good weekend for boaters this last unofficial holiday of the summer season. 

The Cubs used the bats of Frank Schwindel, a 29 YO rookie 1st baseman, who went 3/4 as he hit two home runs, and that of 25 YO rookie OF Michael Hermasillo, to propel them to a 6 - 5 win over the visiting Pirates. The Cubs placed two of their own on the Covid IL list yesterday, Field Manager David Ross and VP and GM Jed Hoyer. Will there be others soon? Wait and see. The Cubs and the Pirates play today @ 2:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Kyle Hendricks, 14 - 6, goes for a tie in the MLB pitching stats as he tries to get his 15th win. 

My beloved Red Sox cruised past the Indians last night, as they defeated the Indians, 8 - 5. Bobby Dalbec is staking his claim to the first-base job as he has been hitting well of late. Kyle Schwarber also had a good day at the plate too. The Sox and the Indians play again today @ 4:10 p.m. when RHP Tanner Houck, 0 - 3, makes his next start as the once red-hot Sox try to get back into the Wild Card race.

The streaky Tigers streaked past the Reds in the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati last night, 15 - 5. Tonight's game versus the Reds is scheduled to begin @ 7:10 p.m. when LHP Matthew Boyd, 3 - 7, makes the start. 

Sadly, the Caps squandered a strong pitching performance from Brendan White last night, he had 8 Ks and walked no one. Unfortunately, the Caps plated only that one run and so the Chiefs went on to win the game by a final score of 1 - 6. Tonight's game @ 7:05 p.m. features LHP Adam Wolf, 5 - 7, on the mound for the Caps. 

We took Ginger for a grooming session yesterday. After a short watering and harvesting session at the auxiliary gardens Mary and I returned to the manse and bathed and brushed STWD. After that we picked up Ginger and traveled to Hofma Preserve for a photo-shoot. I am still limited in my mobility, so I mostly stayed back and took some pix close to the parking area as Mary and Ginger ventured further down the paths.

Mary used our Smart Phone camera to snap this pic of one of the trails she and Ginger followed.

Smart Phones are also very capable cameras these days. 

I stayed behind and used two lenses to snap some pix of my own. Here there are in no particular order.

Perhaps my Olympus DSLR camera with its telephoto lens takes better pic, but Mary's pic is still very good.

A shot taken with my wide-angle lens.

And from the same position, a close up using my telephoto lens.

One setting with the telephoto lens.

Approximately the same shot, different setting. 

Wide angle lens.

In our own vast gardens, the cherry tomato plants are still producing fruit.

As are the plants that produced these soon to be ripe tomatoes

And these nearly ripe fruits.

Today, Mary has plans to do some cross-stitching and I have plans to do some indoor chores and hope that the rains come so that I can avoid watering. I want to do some crossword solving, some reading, and some retiring too. Ciao.