Sunday, July 20, 2014

Bowling For Nachos...

...at least, that's what I had between games 1 and 2 on Friday.  Hadn't bowled in over a year and re-beginner's luck allowed me to roll a 180 to start...only 2 open frames and those were just barely...skinned a 10 pin leave for one open, and chopped a 5-9 for another...would have been in the 200's if not for that display of back to back incompetence.

We were at the Lakeview Lanes in Douglas, MI...

(269) 857-1107


...a delightful, 8 lane bar and grill, and they'll serve you right at your table where you're bowling...

...so it was a Corona and nachos for me, an Oval Beach Blonde Ale and chicken salad for Karen...then it was game two.  No score given on that disaster as whatever muscle memory I may have retained from a year ago apparently was washed away by the Corona.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it for this blog entry.

So that was Friday's day off...a pleasant visit to Saugatuck and Douglas, a stop at the Lakeview Lanes, then back to our backyard for some fun in the sun:


That night we had a fire in the chiminea and enjoyed a drink and good conversation by the pool:

Saturday I was up early to have my cup of coffee and relax in Serenity Cove:

Here's a panoramic shot of Serenity Cove:
...obviously a panoramic view messes with the perspective, but gives you an idea of what the 180 degree view would be if stretched out in a straight line.

Of course we enjoyed our time in the pool, and later in the evening we stopped by Gordman's and bought a display shelf I used to organize my (mostly) Ronson lighter collection:

Saturday night we watched one of my favorite movies of all time:
It's a great adventure / romance set in the late 1930's and the art deco motif is fabulous.  Well worth your time.

Today has been pretty low key...beautiful, sunny weather but work looms once again and so I can't fully enjoy it as I deal with my automatic transition from time off to work mode as I do every Sunday.

Oh well; I'm thankful to be employed and able to live indoors and eat.

Tonight we enjoyed a fire in the chiminea:

...but I was interrupted with a problem at work...while I was on the phone with one of our third shift supervisors, Karen heard a noise near the fence and went to investigate...when she did she spotted Mr. Raccoon trying to scale the fence and gain entrance in our little backyard paradise.  Her appearance convinced him to retreat to the safety of the nearest tree:
Yes, we do live in the city, but sometimes it's hard to tell.

Later, mcm fans...

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Happy Independence Day...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

And with those words a new nation was formed, predicated upon a belief in God Almighty and devoted to the concept of freedom for all men.  That they were completely committed to this radical concept is evident by how this great document was concluded:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

So they did...most of them did in fact forfeit their lives and their fortune, though fate has correctly preserved their sacred Honor.

We celebrated this most radical concept and sharp departure from the norm of history - which has traditionally been one of tyranny, poverty, and harsh oppression - with fireworks, food, and family fun.

But I wonder how many people truly stopped to give thanks for the precious gift of blood bought freedom...
As Dwight D. Eisenhower opined, "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."  May we be strong and brave in the constant fight for our freedoms!


We enjoyed a beautiful time of backyard rest and relaxation -

- and then at night we sat out and watched fireworks going off all around us...

...no need to travel, fight the traffic and crowds...the show was everywhere in our neighborhood.  A good day.

In the "ain't this fun" department, the Qwerkywriter Kickstarter project was fully funded and then some on July 3rd:

This modern keyboard based on a manual typewriter look and sound will go into production, and within a year I should be getting 4 of them for my contribution to this project.  How cool is that?

Today, July 5th, is my dad's birthday...

...he would be 93 years old had he lived, but he passed on at age 69.  I've often wondered what it was like the day he was born in New York City back in 1921...there's a story there somewhere.

Later, mcm fans...