Sunshine at Home

Headed out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, destination Salamonie SRA.  This view across the lake is a l o n g shot a doesn't do justice to the scene.

 Just relaxing, enjoying the environs and the company.

 From the park we headed north to Holland, Michigan on Thursday morning.

 This is the "Cuckoo House," property recently acquired by Shari and Reid;

 Shari doesn't mind a little work-- or even a lot of work!

 Many hands make light work, and everyone pitched in.

My BBBH certainly did her share, and even I did what I could.
Another Sunday and we are safely home.                                                                           

Another "On the Road"

Loaded the RV and departed the homestead on a Friday afternoon.  Drove to Marion where we visited briefly with daughter Shari, then on to Albion where we parked in Don and Rebecca's drive to visit them and daughter JoLynn.

Monday we drove to Lake Odessa. Michigan via Sturgis, Coldwater, and places on the detour that we had not planned.  We parked in Chuck and Sylvia's drive off the Secondary Road on which they live. (Chuck is owner, manager, and writer of the blog "Secondary Roads.")

                                                                                                                                              

We had a marvelous visit with these friends and after Sylvia fed us breakfast on Tuesday we departed for Grand Rapids.  There we located our friend Daniel's apartment where he welcomed us heartily and we spent the afternoon enthralled with the stories of his life this wonderful 101 year-old gentleman told us.  He even recalled an incident in my life when he was a teacher and I was a 14 year-old lad.

Later in the afternoon we drove to P. J. Hoffmaster State Park where we camped until Thursday.  Great place, recommend the campground and the surroundings.

On our way to Holland we stopped in Grand Haven for lunch and a bit of sightseeing.

The first stop in Holland was the beach, then on to Shari and Reid's driveway for our final campout.  We worked and played with family, had a great time.  Drove home Sunday afternoon.

                                                  

Mid-America Threshing and Antique Show, 45th Edition

The featured marque this year is Case. The history of the J.I. Case Company is nicely done on Wikipedia if you are interested.

I arrived at the fairgrounds on this beautiful summer morning.  Like the show itself my camera featured Case.

I wonder how many Case owners know that J. I. Case once owned a racehorse named Jay Eye See which set a record as a trotter, was injured and rehabilitated and nine years later set a record as a pacer.

Then beautiful yellow flowers along the creek bank for my enjoyment on the ride home.

Wanderers are Home Again

This week completed the annual visit to Ouabache State Pa^k.  It could not have been bette^.  Sunshine, low humidity, happy campe^s.

And safely back home again.  P^aise God f^om whom all blessings flow!

Living on Eighties Time

Do you remember when every move was calculated and effective, every motion quick and accurate, every deadline fourteen minutes away?  The pace, the pace.  Now! Or better, yesterday.

I don't live that way anymore.  I couldn't live like that even if the desire to do so were present. I have two speeds:  exceedingly slow and can you still see me moving?. Do I still accomplish things?  Not much, but I can still shower and dress myself.  I live in gratitude fo what I can do. 

Will the world, or even the nation or my community be improved if I watch congressional hearings, form biting opinions about the state of affairs in which we are entangled?   They will not, so therefore I do not invest any of my precious remaining time doing that.  Same for most "news" outlets.  I hate this, but I have become so skeptical that I herewith validate my father's opinion regarding reporters and pundits.  "The only thing you can believe in the newspapers is the funnies page."  But that is not all bad; saves me more of that dear commodity called time. 

So what do I have to contribute to the conversation over the coffee mugs at the old coots' gathering?  Pleasant words about the weather.  A cheery, "How're things?" and a firm "Good day!" if someone should steer the conversation toward Washington, the State Capital, the mayor's office.

Seriously.

Think the wain will huht the whubob?      (The "ahh" key quit on me.  Sowwy,)

Eighty-five, Man Alive!

Can that be true?  Is it possible that I have lived 85 years?

It is; it is!

 Here is the intersection of 85 with 85:  As a lad I lived in Colorado Springs through which the major north-south highway was US 85/87. Up and down that road untold numbers of times on bicycle, by automobile, and even short portions of it on foot.  When I left those environs at the age of 18 I am sure it never occurred to me that I would live 85 years.  Or maybe I hoped I might, who knows? 

Fyi, US 85 runs from the Mexican border in El Paso to the Canadian border in North Dakota. It is sometimes called the CanAm Highway.  As a boy I traversed this road many times with the parents, or that is the section between Pueblo and Denver.  I believe the farthest point south we achieved was Albuquerque.  When I left the Springs in favor of the PNW I took 85 north into Wyoming as far as US 30.

I have taken many roads since then, speaking not only geographically but in all areas of my life.  Some of those roads were smooth, straight and easy sailing.  But not all of them.

Just One Man's Ramblings

Remember Abound Solar?  Any numbers come to mind? Like 850 jobs and a $15 mil taxpayer incentive from the county?  Like $400 mil federal dollars?

On this date in 2010 it was announced that Abound would purchase the vacant factory facility at 28 and 31 and create 850 jobs.

Abound declared bankruptcy three years later and Colorado got stuck with cleaning up the mess they left there.

But, Hurrah for Green!