Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 p.m. in "The City", where we have no alerts in the forecast and the 61° temperature is also our Real Feel temperature with a slight breeze out of the east @ seen mph. 

The low-temperature tonight will fall to 42° before sunrise tomorrow @ 7:41 a.m. and the daytime high will reach a very fall-like 61° once again under sunny skies. That's before sunset @ 7:26.51 p.m and an overnight low temperature of 49°.

Otherwise, we took a photo safari to the Grand Haven Township Historic Cemetery for some pictures of the markers there. Some may find this macabre, but we think it tells a lot about the history of the areas we visit or live near.

A great deal of thought went into these markers. 

A closeup of the matriarch and patriarch of the Hoecker family.

And of the marker for Albert. 

I found this marker fascinating, but its meaning is unclear to me. 

The family plot of the Japenga family. 

We believe that the mother died in childbirth.

As this is the marker for an infant son with only 1923 as a date.

There are many of these iron markers throughout the cemetery. 

On another sad note, the ashes from Sugar arrived this morning in a beautiful box. Mary and I cried once again both this morning and this afternoon when Mary made a special place on our bookshelves for Sugar. I somehow knew that the delivery of her remains would trigger us again, and I was right.

Our regular letter carrier, Dave, hand-delivered Sugar's remains, which required a signature. Dave knew what was in the package. I was still abed, so Mary went down and she signed and then came up so that we could cry once more. It is getting easier, but I miss Sugar so much.

Tomorrow, a bit of yard work, more ear and print reading, and more college football, as the Wolverines are at Iowa, the Spartans are home to face the Terrapins of Maryland, and the Huskies of NIU are on the road to face the Cardinals of Ball State.

That looks like a full day. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:45 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under mostly-sunny skies is a very pleasant 57° although it feels like 56° with a slight wind out of the east at seven mph.

We have the possibility of a Frost Advisory in the forecast from the NWS beginning @ 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and continuing until 9:00 a.m. There is a possibility of damage to outdoor plants, especially vegetable gardens, for central, south-central southwest, and west MI. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:41 a.m. and set later @ 7:27 p.m.

We expect a high temperature of 66° tomorrow under sunny skies before we see an overnight low of 44°.

We left the manse today to get our annual influenza vaccinations and to make a short visit to the City Beach of GH for a photo shoot, before returning to the manse for some additional pix. 

Somewhere in there, we finished the indoor chores.

I may have noted this idea before, but as a photographer who works for Olympus once said, "The best camera and lens you have is the one that you have with you." That being said, I had my Olympus E-M10 MkIII digital camera and what Mary refers to as my "Daily Driver" lens a 40 - 150mm non-pro telephoto lens with me.

Although gulls can and do fly, they also walk on the beach. 

Except when they are enjoying a sunny day at the beach. 

As were these folks.

And this young lady.

These condos are adjacent to City Beach and Mary says she'd like to live there. I think it would be like the view from Lake Point Towers in Chicago as you stared out into the frozen lake.

Today was the open house at CGSGH. Tours and rides on CG boats were part of the day's activities. 

These CG boats were very fast on the smooth waters of Lake MI. A good recruiting tool if ever we saw one. 

Mary was on the line that separates GH State Park's beach from City Beach, where dogs are allowed after Labor Day. Can you see the difference?

Two CG boats and a pleasure craft. 

This CG boat sped into the channel on a return run to CGSGH. 

A perennial in our vast gardens along with our Hobbitt door, and part of our vegetable garden.

Mary likes this pic more, as it shows our mum in bloom, and Harry the Hare with several layers of foliage.

Our Eye Candy hibiscus, "Pink" is almost done for the season. We got close to five weeks of blooms.

I put some paint on canvas earlier, but I'm not sure I like how it turned out. But, acrylics are very easy to paint over and get a new look.

Mary has been ear-reading, cross-stitching, and enjoying the rainbows produced by the prisms that we hung in the upstairs window for our 49th anniversary.

We have nothing on tap for tomorrow. More ear and print-reading, a return to the crossword puzzles, and that's about it. I love retirement. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:40 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under cloudy skies is a cool but comfortable 53°, although it feels more like 51° with a wind out of the north @ eight mph. 

Our overnight low tonight has been forecast to drop to a very chilly 40°. However, if the stars align, some temperatures in lower MI might drop to the low to mid 30° range, which has prompted the NWS to issue a Frost Advisory. But not to fear, we should see a high temperature after sunrise tomorrow @ 7:39 a.m. of 61°. That's very fall-like here in MI. After sunset tomorrow night, we are expected to see a low temperature of 44°.

Just when you start to feel okay with the passing of one of your pets, the caring staff at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in GR sends you a card that the staff personalized with condolences for Sugar, aka STWD. We sincerely appreciate their kindness, as they made Sugar's passing easier for all in our little family.

Since Ginger had a spa day today, Mary and I dropped Ginger off and headed over to Hofma Preserve for a photoshoot. I got some great pix of the trails and the fauna, and when we got home, some pix of our own vast gardens.

I'm always fascinated by things at my feet.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it, or so it has been said.

Fallen trees are always attractions for me.

A few "Fun Guys" along the trails. 

This trail heads north, then circles back south to meet up with the other trails. 

Heading southeast at Hofma Preserve. 

With the aperture more open the forest primeval appears sunnier. 

Ants are always busy as the seasons progress. 

Wildflowers nestled amid fallen pine cones along the trail.

At the trail's end. 

At home, our annuals and perennials continue to prosper. 

Tomorrow, more indoor chores. more ear and print reading, more retirement, more crossword solving, perhaps more painting, and more of whatever we feel a need to do. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:15 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under cloudy skies is a brisk 49°, although it feels like 45° with a wind out of the north @ nine mph.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:39 a.m. and set later @ 7:31 p.m. Yes my local readers, we have crossed the rubicon and we now have shorter days and longer nights.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the high temperature today is only going to reach 59° before we plunge to an overnight low of 39°! 

That is one of the reasons that we broke down and turned on the furnace for the first time this season. However, Saturday's high temperature is forecast to reach 70°, so the frnace is not likely to kick on all that often.

Plus, the NWS has issued a Frost Warning for central, south-central, southwest, and west-central MI from Thursday @ 12:00 a.m. until Thursday @ 9:a.m.! 

Also in the forecast is the continuation of both that pesky Beach Hazard Statement and that Small Craft Advisory until 11:00 a.m. this morning. Wind-speeds of 10 - 20 knots, with gusts up to 25 knots, will push strong currents that will make swimming hazardous and travel by small craft dangerous. 

Not much else is happening here at the manse. I got good news from my orthopedist appointment yesterday. The doctor feels that there is something more he can do and so I will be scheduled for another procedure in the near future. Here's hoping.

No additional pictures today. Perhaps later, after we drop Ginger, who is improving at her spa appointment this afternoon for her early fall into winter grooming, we can make a visit to some photogenic spot. 

That's all I've got for you today. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:45 p.m. in "The City", where the skies are still cloudy as the rain slowly ends by 6:30 p.m. 

We still have a Gale Warning in effect until 8:00 p.m. tonight from St. Joseph to Manistee, with 35 knot winds and waves up to 10' in height. Naturally, the surf is up in GH. In fact, Mary, Ginger, and I drove down to the City Beach after Ginger's doctor's appointment so that I could snap some pics of those waves and wind-surfers. 

Those Gale Force winds mean that the Real Feel temperature is 53° with winds out of the east @ 17 mph!

Plus, there is a Beach Hazard Statement in effect until 11:00 a.m. Wednesday for Allegan, Mason, Oceana, Ottawa, and Van Buren Counties in MI due to those high waves and Gale Force winds. Anyone foolish enough to try swimming or walking on the piers would be in serious danger. But the surfers were quite happy with the waves.

The sunrise tomorrow will occur @ 7:38 a.m. and the sunset @ 7:32 p.m.

You may have noticed that I've stopped my baseball reports. That's because my teams are going nowhere except home to watch the playoffs and the World Series on their respective TVs. 

I'll only report that the Wolverines of MI won Saturday, while the MSU Spartans and the NIU Huskies both lost. 

Speaking of losers, the Lions found yet another way to lose yesterday, 24 - 28 to the Vikings. The Lions host the Seahawks next Sunday @ 1:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Bears found a way to win, defeating the Texans, 23 - 20. The Bears are in NYC next Sunday to play the Giants, also @ 1:00 p.m.

There, I've done it. Now on to what's really important, the pictures I took while we were out. While waiting for Ginger's blood tests to come back negative, I snapped some pics of the flora at the veterinarians office and also the machinery that is tying up the streets around the veterinarian's office as a new water main is installed in the street. 

5,000 gallons of water for the other machines

A front end loaders and a shovel used in the construction.

A larger shovel doing what shovels do, digging and loading trucks.

Landscaping with a smaller machine in the construction zone. 

Perrenials at the veterinarians office.

Fall colors in the hanging baskets by the vet's office.

Across the street from the vet's office.

A dog wishing he or she was anywhere else but at the vets.

Don't ask me, but a great photo-op.

Lake Michigan was very angry when we visited.

But this kite surfer was soon joined by new arrivals.

The outer lighthouse was being pummeled.

But another kite surfer was enjoying those high waves.

The inner lighthouse was backdropped nicely by the clouds.

The channel would have been too choppy for any craft, whether small or large.

The north pier was mostly underwater.

I think that's enough excitement for one day. I baked cookies yesterday and made vegan burgers today. Tomorrow, I have another ortho appointment for my yak to see if anything further can be done. I'm doing well, but I want to maximize my walking abilities. Ciao

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under cloudy skies is 61°. Those previously mentioned alerts, a  Beach Hazard Statement, and a Small Craft Advisory have been extended until 8:00 p.m. tonight with strong currents making swimming hazardous. But, who would want to swim on a chilly day like today? 

That  Small Craft Advisory extends from South Haven to Manistee, with wind speeds of 15 - 20 knots and waves from three to five feet in height tonight that will taper off for a while and then return with a vengeance tomorrow with wind speeds of 30 knots and waves up to seven feet in size as a strong possibility. 

The sun will set tonight @ 7:38 and rise again tomorrow morning @ 7:35 a.m. before setting @ 7:36 tomorrow night.

Be that as it may, the 4 - 0 Wolverines of MI got all they handle earlier this afternoon from the 3 - 1 Terrapins of Maryland. But, the Wolverines survived, defeating the Terrapins by a final score of 34 - 27.

The soon-to-be 2 - 2 Spartans of MI State, are still playing to the soon-to-be 4 - 0 Golden Gophers of MN, with the Spartans trailing, 0 - 31. It doesn't look like the Spartans are going to pull this one out.

As I noted previously, I am finding renewed energy for taking photos. So, Mary and I walked over to Central Park to see the Hispanic Heritage Festival and take some pix. In no particular order, with one exception, here are some of those pictures.

This man greeted us as we entered.

These young ladies danced very well in their bright regalia or costumes.

These young women added taps to their dance.

These colorfully clad young women were terrific.

As was this group.

The dancers moved on and off stage quickly and kept the entertainment moving. 

Wow!

This girl has a future!

An enthusiastic crowd was present.

Vendors had many wares for sale.

And then he said goodbye as we departed.

Otherwise, I texted my son earlier and he explained how to remove the back of my watch to change the battery. I ordered new ones from that big-box e-tailer and they will be here Wednesday. Not nearly $13.00 and two batteries for $5.50. 

That seems like enough for one day. Ciao.