Not much happening today. Except traveling a few thousand miles.
We did get to start with a brief Olympics interlude, thanks to jane. But decided to leave before they put us to work installing her washer and drier.
Sitting in Newark, watching the terminal wildlife. (Since we did not get to see any bunnies at Jane’s place.)
There should be a picture here, but who knows.
Newark sparrow – C Concourse
Hey – I’m on vacation.
You can’t expect me to find the time to sit down at a computer every day!
I think last time we had at least one child in attendance.
We drove downstate for a really early morning departure.
This was followed by a side trip to Cleveland.
Home of the Cleveland Cliffs.
Welcome to Cleveland
What? You didn’t expect more boat photos?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was our first main attraction of the day.
Underground Railroad Guitar
There were decorated guitars all along the approximately 1 mile walk between Jacob’s Progressive Field and the museum.
Which (Progressive Field) was our second destination for a game between the Indians and Tigers.
Progressive Field – batting practice (only from the right-field stands)
Even at a ballgame at a distant park I am never far from thinking of work.
How to bring sewage home
During batting practice Carl managed to snag 3 baseballs, including one that was worth $10 in BP gasoline.
We finally retired to our seats.
See the sun glinting on the tarp in the background?
And then immediately went to the shelter of the entrance.
Driving rain
The rain delay was about 1/2 hour – before the game started.
Once we returned to the cabin, the routine was predictable.
Beach walk to the west.
Beach west
Beach walk to the east.
Beach East
Just another Gnome-com-poop.
Our friend
A lone Canada Goose trying to decide if we were worth avoiding.
Let’s call him Tregurtha
Sun rising over the top of the tree.
Checking out a recent nose job (courtesy of Carl and a frisbee).
Today’s adventures included a kayak trip to Cedar Point (on the beach, not in Ohio).
Kayaking
We saw mergansers.
A fowl trio
Potential invasive mussels??!? (This is a complete supposition, and we did not collect any samples)
Hundreds of these in Mosquito Bay
One of our main objectives was to look at the eagle nest and the eagles.
We were assuming bald eagles. We have seen the adults.
juvenile standing tall
But there are some on the beach that had earlier taken pictures in the same vicinity, and were pretty sure they saw golden eagles (banded by naturalists in the area).
From another angle – pretty sure this is a bald eagle
The controversy continues as juvenile bald eagles and golden eagles are similar looking. Especially from a distance.
As the afternoon lingers on, Carl is taking care of a few chores.
Sweeping sand – part of living on a beach
The Mariners are playing the Royals and Carl is rooting for the sweep.
Go FELIX – K K K
please note that some of the preceding pictures have been taken by the Grand Pooh-bah
Time to get back down to the beach.
Yet another day of lounging around, although we did enjoy lunch in town at Penny’s Kitchen.
After lunch we stopped by the old family home for a quick look.
1001 John St.
This is a typical beach day activity.
A typical view when you look up from the typical activity.
An older-style freighter
Also found out that sleeping with your eyes not fully closed is apparently hereditary.
Kind of a lazy post, after a fairly lazy day.
The vacation continues and so do the changing numbers at the cabin.
We were up to a high of 9, down to 5 and now back to 6.
And the sun just keeps on shining.
Even with the wind today, it was not necessary to wear more than a bathing suit on the beach.
(And sunscreen)
And the water has been very swimable.
The days have a fairly predictable rhythm.
Get up whenever. Have breakfast with whomever else is in the kitchen. Dishes. Walk the beach. Change clothes for a suit. Swim. Lunch. (The order of lunch and swimming are interchangable.) Read. Dinner. Walk the beach. Watch the sunset. Play Bananagrams. (Or Set) Finally go to bed.
I am not complaining.
Pictures from the past day.
Dave and Pooh, professional beach sitters
The last 2 days beach walks have included golf ball gathering. Not sure where they came from, but it provided an amusing interlude to driftwood and crayfish claws. There were 81 at least, at last count.
81 floaters
Frog at the non-Doelle end of the beach pond.
Here I am. Come eat me. Really.
Sunset
Sun setting in the west – over Iroquois Point
After sunset.
Post Sunset
These are some of the hundred or so windmills over in Canada.
No pictures from today – imagine yesterday with waves.
We went to town today.
I used to think the Soo was the biggest tourist trap around.
I no longer think that, for I have seen Gatlinburg.
And it is still fun to go in and browse a bit.
And buy fudge.
We started the day with a walk on the beach. Or at least near the beach.
Harry walking almost on the water
I chased a sandpiper for a bit – trying to get its picture. It is in here, just well camouflaged.
Can you find the sandpiper?
Before fudge, we indulged in the hamburger hangout that has been there forever, Clydes. We ordered and took our food to the nearby Rotary Park.
The slide that is always at Rotary Park
The seagulls were busy with others for the most part, and we got a great view of the Tregurtha headed upbound.
Tregurtha – upbound
Sated, well – bloated, we headed back to tourist row for some exercise in the form of putt-putt golf. The kids had a threesome, and the next generation a foursome. Let’s just say the kids average was lower than the next generation. And because the next generation was playing second, only the next generation had a group breathing down our necks.
Dave admiring Ashlans putt
A great time was had by all, and we were ready to head back to the beach, and the lake. One last big ship before we left. It looked brand-spanking new.
The Spruceglen – looking shiny and new – downbound
Today’s lake adventure included a fit-ball. Try as everyone might, there was no sitting on the ball in the lake. And with the 5-10 mph wind, it could just about beat you back to shore.
Pasties for dinner, and a pie for dessert has just about rounded out the day.
The cook.
Harry
The latest arrival
Dave
The next to leave, with his Grandma
Rey with Bubs
And for those that were here – note that I did not include the adventure in outhouses episode.
Well first there was Seattle, then Newark, then Detroit, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ann Arbor and finally Birch Point Beach.
There must have been work, and I assume some stuff important happened.
But we are now on vacation, and I can barely remember the start of vacation – so there is no going back to before.
This may in part be due to sleep deprivation followed by very high temperatures. And a ballgame.
More specifically, when the vacation was upon us we packed until about midnight. When I set the alarm for our morning departure, the phone noted that this was in just over 3 hours. Luckily, the alarm was set partly to give a wake up call to our driver. [I think I owe him one now.] Once we reached the airport, there was no complaining about our early rising as it would seem everyone there had been through a similar situation.
Security took much longer than normal. Partly as all of the airport workers seemed to be arriving at the same time, and cutting to the front of the line. We eventually made it to our gate, and waited for the last group to be called to board. I should have taken the opportunity to read or nap on the first leg of the flight, but there was a movie.
The movie was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The first movie I really remember watching on a plane was The Little Princess. Both of these movies had an Indian theme, with vibrant music and colors. It was a pleasant way to pass the time.
We finally arrived in Newark. This airport was different from Seattle in that there were many more people per square yard. We figured our next gate, and discovered we had to change terminals. This involved a shuttle bus and stairs. And our first introduction to the heat. Carl noted that the personal space bubble that exists in Seattle, does not really exist in this airport. Once we found the gate for our second leg we settled in to relax. There was plenty of entertainment just watching the people around us. While there were a lot of people, and a few harried parents with frustrated children, there were also instances of caring and kindness.
The flight from Newark to Detroit was short by comparison, and I was able to spy at least one great lake on our route.
Detroit Metro was a veritable ghost town. Especially after Newark. Really – there were entire terminals that seemed to be unused. It was late, so perhaps there would be more action during the daytime. We eventually got the rental car and headed “home”.
[Side note: Jane’s new place is excellent. Shiny and new (for an old place).]
A2 was also hot. But there is a basement. And windows. And fans. And the evenings were quite tolerable. So for the one day that we were in town we waited for the middle of the day, and set out to see the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
2012 Ann Arbor Art Fair
The A2 Art Fair puts all others that I have attended to shame. It is large, spread out, and has a wide variety of art available.
Carl kept seeing some of the kids he has cared for over the years.
Angela
Lillian & Eve
I knew we would not be able to see everything, so we just chose our route as it came to us. When we got too tired for more we found a Starbucks and called for a ride home. (Thanks Jane!)
Soon thereafter Rey arrived on the scene. Yeah – good to see him again. Vinnie Wydown passed 200,000 miles in Kentucky! So we put it in the garage for a well-deserved rest.
That evening was our Tiger’s game. Jane, Rey, Carl & I got there in time for BP. Carl caught one early on, and then had another tossed up. Fister was pitching for the Tigers. (He used to be a Mariner.) Our seats were between the home and visiting bullpens, so we were able to get a good view of Fister warming up.
FISTER
The evening cooled to an acceptable 83 degrees and everybody cheered when they announced the temperature at the start of the game. The game was fun – the Tigers won handily. We were hoping to catch Cabrera’s 3rd home run of the evening. It would have been Miguel’s 300th home run. However, he did not hit even one. Instead Carl managed to get the bullpen coach to throw him a ball at the end of the game, which he presented to Jane. A nice rubbed up ball at that.
Carl, Jane & Rey with the spoils of the game
Our exit strategy from Detroit left something to be desired. We do not know our way around, and it took quite a while to hit the highway. In the end that was just fine, because our next stop was Detroit Metro. We just can’t get enough of airports!
This brings us to Ashlan’s day. She worked, went home, packed, got a cab to the airport, and waited for her plane. About as we got to the ball park she texted that her flight might be 2 hours late. Apparently there as quite a storm in NYC. I checked the American Airlines site, and they were suggesting 1 hour. A few more text’s from Ashlan indicated – 1 hour, then I am getting on the plane, and I might be early.
I checked the flight status a few times during the game, and it kept saying one hour. Since Ashlan had indicated otherwise, we were just a bit confused. We decided to go to the airport anyway, and check the flight status at the airport.
Just as we were arriving, the flight status on the phone changed to “CANCELLED”. Rey tried calling Ashlan – and she answered – saying she had just deplaned – in Detroit! What we did not know was that the plane she boarded was a different flight that had been delayed and had a few extra seats.
All I can say is – Thank Goodness.
Next morning we managed to squeeze in a breakfast with Jane before we headed north. The drive was relatively uneventful, and that is a good thing.
I can see the bridge
The cabin is the cabin. Somewhat changed from my youth, but still my favorite place in the world. Family, familiar surroundings, and of course the lake. We all took the opportunity to stretch our legs.
Rey & Ashlan and Frisbee
Ashlan on the beach
Today, our first full day, was a perfect beach day.
It may have been 80 degrees on the beach. Enough to chase us into the water.
Frisbee, walking, swimming, reading, sitting on the beach. (Sorry, no pictures. The phone is roaming to Canada, so I tend to leave it behind.)
Dinner is cooking, both kids are in the house, a nephew scheduled to arrive shortly, and life in this moment is just about perfect.
A few posts ago I was posting pictures of our front yard rhodedendron.
I did continue to watch its progress. Here is the complete cycle (at least until I stopped taking pictures). Just under one month from start until end.
Why won’t it slideshow for me??
This is fresh news – that is, news of the day.
I went to work. Work came to Carl. Carl and his work went to Remlinger Farms. Sounds like they had a good time.
Carl went to the Seattle Aqua Sox game tonight. The goal was to see the newest phenom – Zunino, a catcher. Guess who else was at the game – Hultzen. Hultzen is a promising pitcher that we saw at the Southern League All-Star Game (AA) last month. He was called up to Triple A (Tacoma Rainiers) after the All-Star Game. Not sure why he was hanging around the Aqua-Sox game (A), but it was an interesting coincidence.
In news of the nation, somebody uncovered some extremely valuable baseball cards in the attic of their grandparents house. Now we know we have a lot of baseball cards, in our attic. We also know that they are not the super valuable cards. But — for all of those that continually speak of flinging, beware of throwing away too much.
AND – Here is a must see video. (And must hear)
This is Rey’s work – from a few days ago, when a heavy storm blew through. If you heard about damage to Smoky Mountain National Park – this is the same storm. We think Rey is in there somewhere, but we do not have confirmation. At the beginning he was taking down umbrellas from picnic tables.
I can’t believe it has been a week.
And a rather busy week at that, at least now and again.
I am going to look through my pictures, and see if I can figure out what I/we was/were doing
The Dixon’s visit – Dan, Parker & Maggie.
Several baseball games and some sight-seeing.
The Dixons at Kerry Park
Kerry Park
Maggie
And what trip can happen without the Space Needle
And the new Seattle Center Chihuly Museum
A glimpse of Chihuly – from the outside
Helmets – This tradition started for Tom Wilhelmsen, Mariner pitcher. It was during last season when the center front row of Section 106 decided that Wilhelmsen must be a Viking. They started out just pretending to blow the Viking horn, but it soon morphed into wearing cheap Viking hats. (Conical with horns out the side.) [Rey noted that the real Viking hats did not have horns, and probably had a nasal. But nevermind reality.]
Chief Sealth plus some Scandinavian Emigrants
Then there was the bit about whether Wilhelmsen was potentially a Viking. The only way to figure this out was to actually ask him. Which Carl did. Guess what? They were right! He (Wilhelmsen) said the name was German, but his family was of Norwegian descent. AND he allowed that it would be fun to have them wear the helmets. At a much later time – this year, he told Carl that his father gets quite a kick that they wear helmets for him. And note, Wilhelmsen was working as a bartender before joining the Mariners.
Carl had a birthday. See the previous post for a picture. And I am still older.
Dennis Nyback made his annual pilgrimage to Seattle for the 4th of July. Since Carl’s birthday is close to that holiday, Dennis put on an outdoor showing for a small crowd gathered in the Shannon’s yard. The fare included a baseball tutorial film, and a full length 1-hour Twilight Zone episode, The Bard, written by Rod Serling himself. This particular episode included a bit with a book store owner who is enamored of baseball players. It also includes Burt Reynolds doing a Brando immitation.
Buckets, or is it Beckett’s, of Baseball.
Carl + the Dixon’s hatched a plot to poke a little fun at Beckett. For the back-story link here.
First we went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. This had not happened for several years. Secondly they talked a few buckets out from the server behind the counter. They did have to buy some chicken, but she put it into a box. (There were cameras, so just handing over the buckets could have gotten her in trouble. At least that is what she implied.)
Bucket Anonymous Parker
Parker may have been a bit reticent, but Maggie was ready to go.
Bucket Maggie
One of the ring-leaders
Dan the Man
Where did this one come from?
The most famous Bucket of them all
And the heckling did take place. Beckett did not really acknowledge the joke, but a few of the fans got the point.
Birthday Bucket Carl
As noted above, there have been several Mariner baseball games.
And a Sounder soccer game. A great Sounder game. We had been watching the UEFA Cup (European Cup) over the past few weeks, and marvelling at the passing and shots. And at how many fewer hard tackling fouls seemed to be present in the game. I put this down to what the referees choose to call, as well as how the players play. The first 2 minutes of the Sounder’s game seemed just like the UEFA Cup. Passing, movement, and no fouls! The remainder of the game was above par as well, but not quite as pristine as the first 2 minutes. And the Sounders won 2-1 (over the Colorado Rapids).
This was one game we did not walk down to watch, and bus home. Instead we drove down early, parked and went out to dinner. We tried Mike’s Noodle House. It was good soup, with uncontrollable noodles. (Chopsticks and a soup spoon.) At one point I looked around and realized we were the only non-aisian folks in attendance. I took that to be a good sign.
The little brace
The other reason we drove was that Carl had a baseball game of his own the next day. This was the first game back after the attack of the right-ankle tendon. This attack was beaten back by a month or so in a boot, and now into the little brace.
He was able to pitch 5 innings the next day for the Islanders.
Much of the rest of the time has been work.
My work with the normal work folks. Carl has been working/playing with Lillian and Eve. This has been a fun interlude. They are both a bit older, play well together, and love to read.
The helmets make you angry
The house project has started to move along a bit. A structural review has changed a bit of the project – but not for the worse. It actually made a decision for us it would appear. Our own efforts have been a bit limited in our time at home. We are measuring windows.
All for now.
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