THANKFUL WE WERE ABLE TO ENJOY OUR PARK'S OLD FOREST PATHS YEARS AGO

 A DRAGONFLY AT THE PARK'S POND THIS AFTERNOON

Another pleasantly cool morning but not cool enough for me to put a scratch of heat on in the car as Pheebs and I headed off to Goderich.  I had a prescription to pick up.  All the usual stops and we were back again before noon.

 THE WHEAT HARVEST HAS RESUMED

 CALM LAKE HURON WATERS FOR THESE TWO PADDLE BOARDERS AND THAT SAILBOAT ON THE HORIZON IS THE FIRST SAILBOAT  OUT ON THE LAKE I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR

 BEACHGOERS ENJOYING A FINE SUMMER MORNING AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE

 SPOTTED 'OLD LONESOME' ON THE WAY HOME

Kelly's oldest Son Jason, and his son Reeve came up to Deer Park Lodge yesterday so Kelly headed over there early this afternoon for a short visit.  It had been a while since she last saw Jason and Reeve.  

 KELLY'S OLDEST SON JASON WITH HIS SON REEVE

I finished my 'needles and vines' project and loaded all the yard waste into the utility trailer before the day heated up.  I gotta somehow remember to stay ahead of things better when it comes to our outside yard maintenance.

 PHEEBS LOVES HER TUMMY RUBS

Our street was a beehive of activity today.  Tuckersmith Communications is now in our area of the Park laying underground fiber optic cables.  These machines are very noisy.

 THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CABLE BEING USED

 THE CABLES ENTER THE GROUND IN A PREVIOUSLY PREPARED HOLE 

 THE CABLES ARE PULLED UNDERGROUND BY A MACHINE UP THE STREET

 THIS IS THE MACHINE PULLING THE CABLES

With a slight touch of cool air, it was good enough for Pheebs and I to head out for a walk around the Park's pond and beyond.  The tree-cutting machine had been working on the east side and south end of the pond this morning and I couldn't help but notice how our once-familiar landscape is slowly changing.  The area of forest where our favorite old Pine Tree Trail once brought us so many enjoyable morning walks years ago is a mere shadow of its former self.  Walking along this afternoon I had to remind myself to be thankful for all the wonderful memories over the years of walking our dogs, Max, Checkers, Cora, and Pheebs along this trail.  I know change is inevitable and when all is said and done I'm sure the Park's emerging new look will be just fine.  I'm thankful we were able to enjoy the Park's older forest paths years ago.  

MANY OF THE TREES COMING DOWN ARE OLD, DISEASED, DAMAGED OR JUST PLAIN ROTTEN LIKE THIS ONE 

 THINNING OF THE FOREST MAKES QUITE A JUMBLED MESS OF LOGS AND BRANCHES

 HARDLY RECOGNIZABLE ANYMORE THE OLD PINE TREE TREE TRAIL IS A MERE SHADOW OF ITS FORMER BEAUTIFUL SELF....MOST OF THIS TRAIL WAS NEEDLESSLY DESTROYED BY THE PARK'S FORMER OWNER

 IT WAS A ONE TURTLE WALK TODAY

 AS WE APPROACH THE TURTLE IT MAKES A HASTY RETREAT BACK INTO THE POND

 IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO SEE A DRAGONFLY ALONG THE POND'S WATERY EDGE

 TWO OF OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND FROGS

Al's Music Box:)) Till Then by the Mills Brothers.  Two versions by The Mills Brothers and the Les Brown orchestra, respectively, dominated the charts. The recording by The Mills Brothers was released by Decca Records and first reached the Billboard Magazine's Best Seller chart on September 21, 1944. The song was a plea (presumably by a soldier, off to fight the war) to his sweetheart to wait for him until he could get back home. Like many war-themed songs, it enjoyed great popularity when it came out in 1944.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The Laws Of Golf

LAW 1: No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.

LAW 2: Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

LAW 3: Brand-new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.

LAW 4: Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.

LAW 5: No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant "You looked up," or invoke the wrath of the universe.

LAW 6: The higher a golfer's handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

LAW 7: Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.

LAW 8: Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.

LAW 9: Palm trees eat golf balls.

LAW 10: Sand is alive. If it isn't, how do you explain the way it works against you?

LAW 11: Golf carts always run out of juice at the farthest point from the clubhouse.

LAW 12: A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group. Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and an IRS agent -- or some similar combination.

LAW 13: All 3-woods are demon-possessed.

LAW 14: Golf balls from the same "sleeve" tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water (See Law three).

LAW 15: A severe slice is a thing of awesome power and beauty.

LAW 16: "Nice lag" can usually be translated to "lousy putt." Similarly, "tough break" can usually be translated "way to miss an easy one, sucker."

LAW 17: The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one who beats you.

LAW 18: The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.

LAW 19: Golf should be given up at least twice per month.

LAW 20: All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until sunset.

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PHEEBS AND I DRIVE MISS KELLY TO THE DENTIST

 SEEN IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

It was a pleasantly cool 63F southwesterly breeze slowly rustling its way through our leafy Sun-filtered Red Bud tree this morning.  All was green, so all was good.  My first useful deed of the day was to tenderly catch a tiny little moth flying about in our living room.  With a glass in hand I was able to coax the confused little fella into the glass and with my hand as a cover, quickly walked out our patio door and set the little guy free.  I figured no matter what happens for the rest of the day, at least I was in the right place at the right time this morning to help out this tiny little creature of nature.  I like when things like that happen.  Before leaving our Park this morning, Pheebs and I cruised around our Park taking a few pics.

 WE SAW THE TREE CUTTER AT WORK 

 THERE SURE ARE A LOT OF TREES COMING DOWN

 ALWAYS NICE TO SEE BROWN-EYED SUSANS

 A FAIRY'S WHEELBARROW

It was cool enough again earlier today with Pheebs window down to have a touch of heat on in the Subaru.  I also had my long-sleeve flannel shirt on over my short-sleeve shirt. It was a beautiful-looking morning with big white fluffy clouds backgrounded by a deep blue azure sky.  A nice southerly breeze added to this fine mid-July morning as we leisurely cruised around a few slightly dusty gravely roads.

 IT WAS ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL MORNING TO BE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE HURON COUNTY COUNTRYSIDE

 A TRACTOR AND GRAIN WAGON PATIENTLY WAIT FOR THE GRAIN HARVEST TO RESUME 

 THIS TRUCK WAITS TO BE LOADED WITH WHEAT

A reader asked how we were getting along with using just one car for the first time we met 31 years ago the end of this month.  So far, it is working out very well and I can't think of even one good complaint.  The 4 cylinder 2018 Subaru Forester is certainly much better on gas than our 6 cylinder 2007 Jeep Liberty.  I'm sure there will be some times when maybe we wished we were still a two-car family, but for the most part, we're doing fine with one car and getting quite used to it.  We still have the Jeep and with all its great memories, it will be a sad day for me when I eventually have to drive it to the wreckers. (if that is what we decide to do that is) 

 OUT AND ABOUT ENJOYING OUR MORNING

Home again and energized by the cool refreshing air, I tackled an outside job I had been overlooking these past few years.  The roof of our small wooden shed had a layer of pine needles on and a wild Virginia Creeper had cast it's long tendrils not only around the shed but across the roof as well.  Out came my ten foot step ladder, my clippers, and a leaf rake.  Up the ladder I went and it wasn't long before I had that Virginia Creep vine cut way back and all those wet pine needles raked down off the roof.  I don't know how I had missed that the past few years but I did. 

 I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A 'BEFORE' PHOTO BEFORE I TOOK THIS 'AFTER' PHOTO

 ONE OF THREE PILES OFF THE SHED ROOF

 IT'S QUITE A LITTLE JUNGLE WE HAVE GOING ON HERE

 BUT HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE.....IF I DIDN'T LIKE ALL THIS 'ENGLISH COTTAGE' LOOK I WOULD SIMPLY CUT IT ALL DOWN

Kelly had a 2 p.m. dental appointment in Exeter but didn't feel strong enough to drive there, so it was Pheebs and I to the rescue.  Yay, day trip:))  After dropping Kelly off at the dentist, the furry Kid and I headed a few blocks away to MacNaughton Park where we had ourselves a nice scenic half-hour walk on the north side of the Ausable River along the Morrison Trail.  I had thought of walking farther but I had to be mindful of Pheebs age and the fact that her age is slowing her down now.  I could tell she was happy to be back at the car.  Relaxing in the parking lot with Pheebs snoozing on the front seat and me reading, my cell phone rang with Kelly on the other end saying she was ready to be picked up.  Minutes later we were all heading home with Kelly sporting two new Crowns.

 WE WONDERED IF THIS WAS SOME KIND OF LAVENDER OUTSIDE OF THE DENTAL OFFICE

 KELLY BROKE OFF A SPRIG TO SEE IF PHEEBS COULD SNIFF IT AND TELL US WHAT IT IS

 'GET THAT AWAY FROM ME MOM,,,THAT DOESN'T SMELL LIKE HAMBURGER

WE CROSS THE RIVER TO THE NORTH SIDE

 CROSSING A NICELY MOWED PARK LAWN TO THE TRAILHEAD AT THE LEFT

 A VERY WOODSY TRAIL

 THIS IS NORMALLY A SLOW-MOVING LITTLE CREEK BUT WITH RECENT RAINS IT'S A RUSHING TORRENT OF WATER

 PHEEBS AND I WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES ON THE TRAIL THIS AFTERNOON

 OUT FOR AN AFTERNOON WALK IN THE PARK WITH GRAMMA

 OUR SHADY PARKING SPOT

With the cooldown of late afternoon and overnight temperatures spilling into morning, one would almost think it was the middle of August when there is a subtle change in the weather as the earliest signs of Autumn's approach begin to make their ever-so-slight beginnings.  It's the time of summer I always look forward to.         

 'HEY DAD ARE WE GONNA PICK UP MOM SOON'

 'HERE SHE IS PHEEBS':)))))))

Al's Music Box:)) It's All In The Game is a pop song whose most successful version was recorded by Tommy Edwards in 1958. Carl Sigman composed the lyrics in 1951 to a wordless 1911 composition titled "Melody in A Major", written by Charles G. Dawes, who was later Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge. It is the only No. 1 single in the U.S. to have been co-written by a U.S. Vice President or a Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Dawes was both).  In the summer of 1951, the songwriter Carl Sigman had an idea for a song, and Dawes's "Melody" struck him as suitable for his sentimental lyrics. Dawes had died in April of that year.  In 1958, Edwards had only one session left on his MGM contract. Stereophonic sound recording was becoming viable and it was decided to cut a stereo version of "It's All in the Game" with a rock and roll arrangement. The single was released in July and became a hit, reaching number one for six weeks beginning September 29, 1958, making Edwards the first African-American to chart at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It would also be the last song to hit number one on the R&B Best Seller list.  The single helped Edwards revive his career for another two years.

GROANER'S POST:(( Jim was a just out of boot camp, and was on his first ship. About two hours out of port, he began to get a bit ill from the motion of the ship. He approached an ensign, also just out of training and on his first cruise.  He saluted and said, "Excuse me sir, I am feeling seasick, and I wondered if I may have permission to go downstairs to the dispensary."  The ensign returned his salute and replied, "Sailor, you are in the Navy now. You don't go downstairs, you go below! There is no dispensary on this ship, there is a sickbay. Not only that, that is not the floor, it is a deck; that is not the ceiling, it is the overhead; that is not a pillar, it is a stanchion; that is not a water fountain, it is a scuttlebutt. If I ever hear you using civilian words instead of Naval jargon, I will throw you out of that little round window over there."

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- A guy walks into a lumberyard and asks for some two-by-fours. The clerk asks, “How long do you need them?” The guy answers, “A long time. We’re gonna build a house.”

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Knock, knock. 

Who’s there?

To. 

To who? 

No, to whom.

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 - When I was at the gym yesterday, everyone kept asking me why I’m always sitting still on the stationary bike. I’m going downhill dudes, mind your business.

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