Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City."

My DTWS is showing a current temperature of 67° here at the manse, while the NWS is offering as its current temperature, 65° that feels like 65° with a wind our of the east @ five mph. Our overnight low-temperature forecast from the NWS calls for 57° before we reach tomorrow's high-temperature of 81° under sunny-skies. There is no precipitation in the forecast at this time. Once again, the water temperature of the "Big Lake" is 71°.

Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise @ 7:28 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 7:49 p.m.

We had an errand to run in Muskegon/Norton Shores this afternoon after the indoor chores were done, so Mary took STWD for a short walk and then we got Ginger ready to go for the trip north. I also took along my camera, as Mary told me that after our errand, we'd be going to P. J. Hoffmaster State Park so that we could take a hike and I could shoot some pix. 

The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular, as always. The naturalist, John Muir, was once quoted as saying, "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." After our little safari to P. J. Hoffmaster State Park today, I think I have a good idea what he meant. In fact, Mary stopped us on the trail we were on and pointed out how quiet it was. I believe that it was a great way to find our collective souls

At any rate, as I mentioned above, I took a lot of pix, so I'll just post some here that I think are the best.

Like many State Parks, Hoffmaster allows the trees to fall and decay where they fell. 

As long as they are not blocking a trail 

I find that pine cones make interesting subjects.

And sometimes, you get a shot of a shadow of one of the mysterious denizens of the forest.

With so many tree roots across the trails, all hikers need to look down and ahead with every step. 

The sun was very cooperative today when I took this pic.

Two more of those mysterious denizens of the forest. Not a clear shot, but definitely present.

So many trails, so little time. 

But, we walked nearly two miles through the woods. 

It was time to get home and feed our fur-children. Plus, I had to harvest dozens of cherry tomatoes from our vast gardens. Earlier in the day, Mary tossed a salad together that included some of the tomatoes from a previous harvest. 

Today's sports news was good, unless you are a fan of the NIU Huskies. They lost to the Wolverines of Michigan by a final score of 10 - 63. However, if you are a Wolverines fan, then you were ecstatic. 

If you are a fan of the MSU Spartans, as I am, the beat-down that the Spartans gave to the Hurricanes of Miami today in Miami was a sight to behold, as the Spartans crushed the Hurricanes, 38 - 17. 

In baseball news earlier today, the Tigers eked out a win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Miami, 4 - 3. Jeimer Candelario nailed a three-run homer in the top of the first inning to put the Tigers ahead, 3 - 0. But, the Tigers squandered that lead late in the game before the Tigers took the lead, 4 - 3, which led to the win for reliever and former starting RHP Jose Urena, 4 - 8, with the save going to Michael Fulmer in the closer's role. 

Sadly, the Tigers lost center-fielder Derek Hill to an injury. He was involved in a horrific collision at first base that led to an injury to his left knee. He will be evaluated further, but it is likely that he will be placed on the IL for the remainder of the 2021 season. The Tigers and the Rays close out their series tomorrow afternoon beginning @ 1:10 p.m. when RHP Wily Peralta, 3 - 3, starts for the Tigers. 

My beloved Red Sox are still in the hunt for a spot in the post-season Wild Card race, with a win over the Orioles today, 9 - 3. The X man, Xander Bogaerts, got four RBIs today en route to the win. Tomorrow's game with RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 10 - 8, on the mound for the Sox begins @ 1:10 p.m.

The Cubs fell to the Brewers in Milwaukee, 4 - 6 in a game that just ended. The Cubs and the Brewers play again tomorrow @ 2:20 p.m., when RHP Adrian Sampson, 1 - 2 goes for the Cubs. The Cubs are lacking an Ace pitcher and they are struggling to remain respectable following the departure of so many of their core players. 

The Caps dropped one earlier today to the Lansing Lug Nuts, 3 - 5. Tomorrow's game begins @ 1:05 p.m. in Lansing. 

From today's to do list, we got  the indoor chores done, the Friday crossword puzzle, that aforementioned watering, and the trip to the forest. Mary is still hard at work on her latest cross stitch project. I have no specific plans for tomorrow except to read more and relax following today's safari and errands. Perhaps that is the way it should be, a trip to the forest, music, painting, reading, and crafting. Ciao.