Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City." 

The current temperature is 38° under clear-skies, with winds of 9 mph that make it feel more like 32°. Today's high is forecast to be 50° with a 0% chance for more precipitation, which we had in the form of snow-showers most of yesterday. As the day progresses, the NWS is predicting sunny-skies early, changing over to partly-cloudy skies with winds from 20 - 30 mph and possible gusts to 40 mph!

Once again, a Gale Warning  has also been issued by the NWS, effective from 2:00 p.m. today until 12:00 a.m tomorrow! Southwest winds increasing to 25 to 35 knots and waves from 5 to 8 feet are expected from St Joseph to Manistee. Strong winds will cause hazardous waves which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility. Once again, mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions. The sun will rise today @ 6:57 a.m. and set later @ 8:31 p.m.

We ventured forth yesterday to stop in at one of our local merchants, JWs Market, a purveyor of wine, sauces and other sundry things. Mary discovered that JW's Market, an adjunct to JWs restaurant, had all-purpose flour, the oft mentioned and elusive TP, non-sulfite wine, and her favorite barbecue sauce available for curbside pick-up. She made arrangements with the proprietor and we began our short outing shortly thereafter. 

Since we were out, we motored down Grand Haven's main thoroughfare, Washington Ave., and then onward to the waterfront. Along the way, we sadly learned that one of the businesses on Washington, The Baker's Wife, had succumbed to the pandemic closings and their storefront is now empty.

The majority of the stores on Washington were closed, while the restaurants are limited to carryout only. In addition, some local restaurants, like Butch's Beach Burritos, had plans to open early this year, but they are shuttered at this time.

On season, great burritos, fair prices, friendly service.

We took the time to travel into Grand Haven State Park, as did many of our fellow citizens, but we never left the car. I did get some pix of the playgrounds there, now circled by fencing and off-limits to the kids who might be tempted to use them. 

A fenced off playground  looks so forlorn without the banned children to use it.

Same here. Sigh.

Our lighthouses at the South Pier.

And the deserted beach nearby.

Birdhouses on a dune, but for what birds, we're not sure.

Some fur-children and their parents took advantage of the deserted parking areas.

Whether the State Park, the playgrounds, the beaches, and campground will open this year is still uncertain. As of now, the annual Coast Guard Festival is on, but a final decision is due by June.

 
We decided to stay in the car and cross the bridge to Spring Lake to see what we could see. Like GH, not much was happening. I did snap some pix of the swinging railroad bridge over the Grand River as we returned home. 

Not bad from a moving vehicle.

A perfect chance to segue to the oft included report on the passage of trains on the RSTL (Reality Scale Train Layout). At 9:05 a.m., MMRR locomotives 2025 and 2019 passed by heading south, towing 11 CHCs, five DBTCs, and two DWTCs, one with a green, non-corrosive stripe around its mid-section.

Later, @ 12:48 p.m., we were just sitting down to brunch, when I espied those same locomotives heading north towing three CHCs, four DBTCs, two GTCs, and two DWTCs. 

Lat evening, we managed to tune in to the Front Room Concert presented by Wayne Faust. He obligingly played A Sky of Cubbie Blue during his concert. Here is a link to that song from YouTube™ and courtesy of Wayne, a Chicago native.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rvq4xE-CW0

He also obliged with another song, Sailing Home. I think this poignant song is terrific and I hope you agree when you listen by following the link below. This link is also from YouTube™ and also courtesy of Wayne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Nm8vSRgMY 

Today not much is planned. I would normally be going to my monthly Irish Jam Session, but the library is still closed. Once again, sigh. Instead, I'll be playing my own solo concert, writing more, coloring more, reading more, and solving another crossword puzzle.Oh, I will be trying to once again make some vegan Italian meatballs, hopefully this time with better results.

Mary will also be reading, helping with the crossword puzzle, and coloring, in between meal preparation. 

Yesterday, she found a recipe for dog-treats that are made from sweet potatoes that are supposed to help clean the teeth of our fur-children. She prepared them and our fur-children liked them, but the effect on their teeth is hard to discern. 

In the ongoing saga of Jax Farm, I I have 15 sweet pepper plants and 12 tomato plants doing well in the man-cave greenhouse. I am so proud! Ciao.