Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City."

Last night, we had a "Gully Washer" of a rain-storm, replete with T-storms that drove STWD into her hide-e-hole and which also interfered with our TV viewing. But, that rain came on the heels of the completion of our new front gardens, the gardens that eliminated all of the grass on the Palatial Estate.

We have a current temperature of 74° that feels like 74° with a five mph wind out of the west under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach a seasonal 81°, with an overnight low of 66°. In between the sunrise today, which occurred  @ 6:47 a.m. and the sunset @ 8:51 p.m., the forecast calls for partly-cloudy skies and the possibility of a stray T-storm during the evening hours. At any rate, I won't have to water the new plantings until at least Saturday.

We visited our auxiliary gardens yesterday after taking the fur-children for a short walk, STWD is not good in the heat and humidity that has plagued us for the last several days. She was glad to get home. Ginger would walk for miles as long as Mary was at the other end of Ginger's leash. Ginger likes me, but she is really Mary's girl.

Once we were back from our walk with the fur-children, we took off again to make a drop at the Goodwill store. Then we headed out to Hofma Preserve for a photo-shoot. I took along my camera with a wide-angle lens that I recently had to purchase due to the demise of my old lens. I will include some pix that I took to show how well it fits my needs.

My new lens is totally manual, but I like the way it is easier to focus.

My camera is a four-thirds, digital Olympus mirrorless camera. I think this shot demonstrated its capabilities nicely.

I've often said that looking down can yield some of the best shots.

That's one of the reasons I included this silhouette of yours truly.

I was on a bridge over the wetlands where Mary had left me and my yak when I shot this flower.

Mary continued to walk deeper, farther, further?, into the wetlands.

I'm very pleased with my new lens.

Sometimes, a fallen tree is a good subject.

Baseball news yesterday was interesting, to say the least. 

The 4th place in the NL Central, 52 - 64 Cubs, continued their slide away from their 2016 World Series championship and the players that got them there. Gone are Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and a cast of players too numerous to be named. Now wearing Cubby Blue are players, most of whom I didn't know their names until recently. 

Sadly, one of the pitchers that helped propel the Cubs to that Championship, one-time Cy Young winner RHP Jake Arrieta. He recently came back to the Cubs following a free-agent stint with the Phillies. Arrieta pitched yesterday and in the top of the first-inning, he had to face 11 Brewers batters and throw 37 pitches before the Brewers were retired. 

The first-place, 69 - 46 in the NL Central Brewers are now the team to beat in the NL Central and the Cubs are just cannon fodder as they rebuild. Oh, by the by, the Cubs fell to the Brewers last night, 0 - 10. Today's game @ 2:20 p.m. EDT will feature another of the pitchers from that World Series team, RHP Kyle Hendricks, 13 - 4.

My beloved, second-place in the AL East, with a record of 66 - 50 Red Sox, drubbed the first-place in the AL East, the 69 - 45 Tampa Bay Rays last night, as RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 10 - 7, looked impressive as the Sox topped the Rays, 20 - 8. Today's game @ 4:10 p.m. EDT features the stylings of young Sox RHP Tanner Houck, 0 - 2. Houck is one of the pitchers that the Sox are counting on for the future.

The third-place in the AL Central Tigers and their 56 - 60 record, easily handled the 5th place in the AL East Orioles, last night, 5 - 3. Best of all, Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera, nailed his 499th home run while playing first-base, where Cabrera looked good defensively. 

Cabrera will be joining the ranks of some great players like Barry Bonds with 762, Hank Aaron with 755, Babe Ruth with 714, my personal favorite, David "Big Poppy" Ortiz, at 541, and the Cubs Ernie Banks with 512. Other names on that short list include Reggie Jackson, 563, Frank Thomas, 521, and the immortal Ted Williams, also at 521. Rare company indeed. 

The Tigers and the Orioles also play this afternoon beginning @ 4:05 p.m. EDT, when RHP Matt Manning, 2 - 5 hurls for the Tigers.

The West Michigan White Caps and the Lake County, OH Captains were rained out last night. They try again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.

Otherwise, today we have plans to get to some of those tings we've been meaning to get to for a while and also do some additional reading. That should be enough for one day. I've already been downstairs for some of the tasks that were on our short list. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation  and across the world. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City." 

We have a current temperature of 74° under partly-cloudy skies that feels like 74° with a wind out of the west @ 8 mph. There are no statements, advisories, watches, alerts, nor warnings in effect at this time. 

The high temperature of 81° forecast for today by the NWS, is 4° warmer than yesterday. That's after the sun rises @ 6:45 a.m. and well before it sets @ 8:54 p.m. 

In between, the crew installing our new front garden will continue their efforts after they were rained out early yesterday afternoon. Before the rainout, they got the necessary old bushes and the concrete of the old sidewalk removed. The old concrete sidewalk gave them quite a battle, but they got it done. They still have to move one of Mary's rose bushes to a new location in our parkway garden. That bush is one we planted shortly after we moved into the manse nearly 10 years ago.

Speaking of rainouts, the 52 - 67 4th place in the NL Central Cubs, had their game versus the 66 - 46, 1st place in the NL Central Brewers postponed. The Cubs and the Brewers will play a split-game double-header today, weather permitting, with the first game commencing @ 2:20 p.m. EDT when RHP Justin Steele, 2 - 0 , takes the mound. Game two is scheduled to begin @ 8:05 p.m. EDT, when RHP Alec Mills, 5 - 4, throws the first pitch. Both games are scheduled to last seven innings under the new rules in effect this season.

Cubs' OF Jason Heyward wishes he were able to play rather than being on the 10-day IL, but from this Diehard Fan's perspective, he is better off on the IL than on the field. Let's look at the young players to see what the future has in store for the Boys in Blue.

The 54 - 60, 3rd place in the AL Central Tigers, play tonight versus the even worse, 38 - 72, last/5th place in the AL East Orioles, with play beginning tonight @ 7:05 p.m. when RHP Cassey Mize, 6 - 6, makes his next start for the Tigers.

My beloved, 65 - 49, 2nd place in the AL East Red Sox, face the 68 - 44, 1st place in the AL East Rays, tonight @ 7:10 p.m. when LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 8 - 6, makes the start for the Sox. Good news is on the horizon for the Sox, as LHP Chris Sale, 0 - 0 for 2021 and fresh off the IL from Tommy John surgery, makes his first start in over one and one-half years. He had his final rehab start last Saturday and according to Sox manager Alec Cora, Sale looked sharp. Here's hoping that Sale's return will be the spark needed to get the Sox back on track.

The 40 - 44 West Michigan White Caps travel to OH tonight to face the 44 - 40 Lake County Captains @ 7:00 p.m. The Caps are a High A affiliate of the Tigers.

Yesterday, I played my guitar for a long stretch. It felt good and my playing was sharp and my singing was on key. I did some reading too. Today, more indoor chores and if the sun shines, perhaps more painting. I've decided that I don't like the direction my latest effort is going, so it will soon be painted over and returned to a blank canvas. 

Mary will continue to do some needlecrafts and we may start our next TV series, as our previous series, Salvation, is now over after two seasons. 

Otherwise, 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 8:30 a.m. in "The City" where the current temperature of 68° under partly-cloudy skies is also the lowest we got overnight. A slight breeze out of the west @ three mph makes the temperature feel like 68°. Today, the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach 78° under partly-sunny skies with an overnight low of 71°. Most of today, there is only a 5% chance for rain, but tonight, that chance increases to 35%. What will that mean for tonight's Coast Guard Festival fireworks? Stay tuned.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:42 a.m. and it will set later @ 8:58 p.m.

Today marks the and of the annual Coast Guard Festival  for Coast Guard City USA, Grand haven, MI. The scaled-down craft fair will once again be open in Central Park and the annual Grand Parade is scheduled to step off @ 11:45 a.m., weather permitting. Sadly, given the rising number of Covid-19 cases here in Ottawa County, MI, we will not be attending any of this year's events. We've come too far to risk any chance for infection. 

As always, people from all over MI and beyond will be here to watch the parade and the fireworks. Many locals have already staked out their spots for both, using tape, blankets, lawn chairs, and sometimes people to hold their viewing spots. 

Worthy of note, is that Mary is slightly redecorating our foyer after staring at the two tall vases with artificial flowers that had been located there for the last couple of years. She set them out at the curb, and within less than one-hour, someone had taken them home to become the new proud owners of those vases. A great way to repurpose rather than toss the vases and their contents. Oh, we had to move the table in the foyer about four inches to the right for balance.

In baseball news, the 52 - 59 4th place in the NL Central Cubs, fell to their crosstown rivals, that other, 64 - 46, 1st place in the AL Central team from Chicago, 6 - 8. Several newly acquired players contributed to a final score that was not as close as it first appears. But, with the addition of OF Greg Deichman, acquired from the As in the trade for pitcher Andrew Chafin, and the subtraction of OF Jason Heyward, who was placed on the 10-day IL with a hand problem, the Cubs are clearly trying to assess what they got in the various trades that gutted the 2016 World Championship team. 

In the case of Heyward, he hasn't been hitting his own weight this year and in spite of the huge salary owed to him for this year and next, close to $40,000,000 over two years, I believe that it is time to say buh bye to his great defense but weak-hitting self. Let's see what the young players can bring to the table, so to speak. The Cubs and that other team from Chicago play again this afternoon beginning @ 2:20 p.m. EDT, when RHP Adbert Alzolay, 4 - 11 tries to stem the tide. 

My beloved, 2nd place in the AL East, 64 - 47 Red Sox, were clobbered by the 4th place in the AL East, Blue Jays, with a 58 - 49 record of their own, 4 - 12. The Sox and the Jays play two today, the first @ 3:07 p.m. and the second @ 7:07 p.m. 

Good news. The Sox have RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 9 - 7. going in game one and young RHP Tanner Houck, 0 - 2 going in game two. Some baseball pundits liken Houck to Red Sox LHP Chris Sale, due to pitch his final rehab start today following Tommy John surgery, for the minor-league Worcester Red Sox, before he returns to the Major-League Red Sox early next week. He and Houck may be just the spark the Red Sox need for their playoff push.

The 3rd place in the AL Central, 53 - 59 Tigers, were left out in the cold in Cleveland, as the 2nd place in the AL East Indians, 53 - 54, tied the hands of the Tigers' hitters in a 1 - 6 loss for the Tigers. Tonight,. the Tigers and the Indians play @ 7:10 p.m.

The 39 - 42 White Caps split twos yesterday, losing the first game to the 42 - 39 Dayton Dragons, 5 - 7, but coming back to take the nightcap, 4 - 3. The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

Otherwise, it is time for more indoor chores, more crossword solving, more reading, more cooking, and more music. We will have to put the blinds down in the living-room, in hopes that Ginger will be quieter as the massive crowds walk by our window. Later, we'll put STWD in her Thundershirt™ when the fireworks will try to terrify her around 9:30 p.m. tonight. Ciao. 

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."

The current temperature is 74° as we drop towards the overnight low of 69° before we rebound to tomorrow's high of 75°, which will be about four degrees cooler than today. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:40 a.m. and set later tomorrow night @ 9:00 p.m. There is a 45% chance for scattered T-storms late tomorrow morning.

In baseball news, Cubs lose, Red Sox lose, Caps lose, and the Tigers win in a big way over the Red Sox.

We decided that today would be a good day for a photo-safari and so we set out with no particular destination in mind. One of the good things about not having a built-in GPS navigation system in our car is that it is easy to get lost very close to home. We never got more than 10 miles from home, but we discovered a place we'd never been before.

In fact, after we had made a drop-of at the Goodwill store, we headed east to see what we might find. We traveled on the locals call Mercury Drive, a road that seems to have more than its share of serious accidents and we found ourselves at one of the numerous parks in the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission system, Connor Bayou. Mary has often said the she finds each new park we visit her favorite place, so today's stop at Connor Bayou was no exception. I apologize in advance for the inclusion of so many pix, but it was too hard to choose just a few, so...

Connor Bayou is accessed off of a gravel road.

And it is situated along one of the branches of the Grand River.

Trails abound at Connor Bayou, which also is a kayak launching point.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped and maintained.

The obligatory through the trees shot.

One of the overlooks from which I shot most of my pix. 

Native flora abounds alongside the landscaped flora.

Recreational boaters enjoy cruising in the wide-open channel.

While some are speeding at a much faster pace.

Some people just enjoy fishing there too.

Very serene,

A closeup of one of the native plants.

One of the many trails found at Connor Bayou.

These swans were just enjoying the day.

I switched to a wide-angle lens to get more of the scene.

Here too.

Back to my telephoto lens.

I thought that this shot of a weeping-willow on the opposite bank was interesting. 

All in all, we had a great outing without our fur-children. My yak was feeling cooperative today, so I am thankful for that. We came home to the Palatial Estate and fed our fur-children and then sat down to watch another episode of Salvation. 

Tomorrow, we hope to do more reading, more painting, more crafting, more music, and more retiring as we watch the parade of people pass by the manse heading towards the craft fair. 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 passing 7:00 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature of 62° is also the overnight low and the "Real Feel" temperature with a slight wind out of the east @ 2 mph. There are no statements, watches, advisories alerts, nor warnings in effect now or in the near future. The sun has already risen @ 6:38 a.m. this morning and it will set later @ 9:02 p.m.

We had a good day yesterday. A mixed salad of greens, mushrooms, giardiniera, homegrown tomatoes and Mary's homemade French dressing was a terrific lunch. Dinner was the last of my vegan Italian burgers with some jalapeno chips as we watched the last episode in season one of our newest series, Salvation. We decided that they had us hooked, so we purchased season two. Let the games begin!

I did some painting yesterday and as I was cleaning up, Mary took STWD for a short walk and then we drove over to the auxiliary gardens for some watering and harvesting. I wanted to walk over, but discretion being the bette part of valor, we drove. I took a couple of pix while I was there to memorialize our efforts and that of the local GH Community Garden liaison, Jane.

Our gardens are out there, hidden behind some of those in the foreground.

Jane posed for this shot of the gardens, which lay fallow last season during the pandemic. 

Once we were done watering and harvesting our cucumbers, a jalapeno pepper, and a summer squash, we set out for a photo-shoot at the nearby Hofma Preserve, located in GH Township. Mary and Ginger had visited before, but I was in the dentist's chair at that time, so I wanted to see personally what they had been so excited about. While I am still working my way through my yak issues and I can't always walk as far as I'd like, Mary and Ginger eagerly set out for a longer trek while I stayed back and took some pix.

Not part of the Ottawa County Parks System Hofma is a very nice place for hiking and enjoying nature.

Trails lead in several directions.

Across this bridge.

Through the wooded areas.

Where the sunlight filters through the trees.

And the sky can be seen where the canopy thins.

But the sun also illuminates the forest floor.

Where the trees are allowed to fall and decay in situ.

As befits a natural and unspoiled habitat.

Of course, we had been out the day before to see some of the local sights that come with every annual Coast Guard Festival here in Coast Guard City USA! We had originally set out to be sure that our absentee ballots would be counted at the City Clerks office @ the GH City Hall, but since we were out and since I had my camera, I took some pix of the local CG offerings by area residents.

City Hall in GH is a very traditional building for a small city like GH.

Across Washington Ave. from City Hall, these people go all out for Coast Guard Fest!

At the end of this week, Central Park will be filled with vendors for the annual Craft Fair.

Our display was wrapped up by the winds here in GH.

So, I unwrapped it!

I'd like to say that baseball news is still exciting, but I can't. 

The Cubs had their Fire Sale of core players from the 2016 World Series team at the end of last month and they lost to the Colorado Rockies, 6 - 13. They play again tonight in CO @ 8:10 p.m. EDT. 

The Tigers are still rebuilding, but they are showing some signs of a bright future, as Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera notched his 498th home run last night as the Tigers defeated the Red Sox, 4 - 2. Both teams return to the field @ Comerica Park tonight for a game @ 7:10 p.m.

The West Michigan White Caps defeated the Dayton Dragons last night, 4 - 3. The Caps play the Dragons again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

Today promises to be a bit more laid back. No indoor chores and I did some vacuuming yesterday, Mary is still listening to her latest book, I am still reading and I should be able to do some crossword solving and more painting today too. 

I originally got up to do some music this morning, but like always seems to happen, the morning got away from me, so perhaps tomorrow. When you are retired, there is generally more time. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City" where the current temperature is 64° and it feels like 64° with a wind out of the north @ 5 mph under clear skies.

The sun will rise this morning@ 6:36 a.m. and set this evening @ 9:04 p.m.

We still have those two alerts in effect until 5:00 a.m. today, a Beach Hazard Statement and a Small Craft Advisory. 

Baseball news yesterday was mostly bad, as my beloved Red Sox fell to the Rays, the Cubs fell to the Nats, and the Caps fell to the Loons. The only bright spot was the 6 - 2 win by the Tigers over the Orioles. 

All of the teams are off until Tuesday night, when the Cubs travel to Colorado to meet the Rockies, the Sox travel to Detroit to meet the Tigers, the Tigers are home to meet the Red Sox, and the Caps will be home to face the Dayton Dragons.

I got up early this morning with the intent to see the 2021 Cruise In Car Show that was supposed to be held in the parking lot of the Ottawa County Courthouse, but which was moved at the last minute to most of Washington Ave. in downtown GH. At any rate, I took a number of pictures to commemorate the return of the show, punctuated by the playing of music from the 1950s and 1960s. My son believes, and I have to agree, that it is time for the DJ to get into late 20th or even the 21st centuries.

Without further ado, here are some of the pix from my excursion yesterday morning. 

No wasted under-hood space in this Jeep.

A nice Ford Econoline Pickup.

An actual Morris Mini decked out for rally racing,

A circa 1950s Jeep.

A race equipped Jeep Wagoneer, complete with a roll cage.

Why not a Corgi at the show?

Circa 1948 Willys Jeep.

Ready to race!

Ready to rest!

A beach cruiser?

Mary took time to cook those collard greens we harvested on Friday and when she was done they were great with our vegan Italian cheese burgers with homegrown tomatoes for dinner.

I spent a lot of time reading before and after we walked with the fur-children to the library for a pick up. We had to wait until the pedestrian/dog traffic from the car show and the Flea on Seventh had cleared. Otherwise, I finished another crossword puzzle and colored in that sketch I'd made the other day of Mary's living room flower arrangement. All in all, a very productive and enjoyable day.

Today, watering is probably on tap, more reading, and more crafting by Mary. In short, it should be a good day to be retired. Ciao.