And Rising Up Early In The Morning...

...I journeyed eastward...through the ethereal mists of the fertile farmland...

...and the slumbering settlement of the native Lamontians...

...to the verdant valley of Constant Frustration...

...where once again I waged war against the unforgiving demigods of the golf underworld.

They're a nasty bunch, those demigods...

...but I and the tools of my ignorance stood our ground.

After a week of practice with my original 1930s hickories, I had a considerably better round than when I first used them on my dad's birthday at the beginning of July.

They're lighter and stiffer than my hickories from Louisville Golf, so I don't get as much distance with them...but I still had my share of "1 putt for par" chances.

And the weather was perfect...60's and sunny...a delightful stroll through the country.

Guess who's back?

In spite of their confident assurances, turns out the grautogallery folks couldn't sell Mr. T after all...and they had him for 4 full months.

Sorry guys...not impressed.

So now he's back and up for sale on Fakebook marketplace...again.

I told Karen if we can't sell him at the new reduced price then THAT'S IT...I don't want to hear any more about it...we're keeping him.

Time will tell...

Speaking of selling things...a very nice couple from Indiana ended up buying 3 of my vintage televisions last week...turns out they have a museum in Ft. Wayne and wanted them for a display window:

The TVs on the far left, in the center, and just to the right of center are the ones they purchased: 2 original black and white Predictas from the late 1950's and a color Telstar Predicta Meteor from the early 2000s (the centerpiece).

Hated to part with these vintage beauties but it was time...and the couple who bought them are serious collectors so I know the TVs will be well maintained.

Last weekend while working in the front yard 2 ladies were driving through the neighborhood - they noticed all the wild turkeys wandering around - 

- and stopped to comment on the unusual look of our home...since they were mid century modern aficionados we ended up giving them a tour.

It's an odd circumstance but after a couple of years here we've gotten used to it.

All us mid century modern fans are interested in residential architecture and this home's shape, stone and glass are natural attractants apparently.

They were very nice ladies and at the end insisted we accept a bottle of wine from them...

...pretty good pinot noir...don't mind if I do...

I've gotten some static from co-workers recently...they take exception to my complaints that summer is being pushed off center stage by Nature's next impatient act, Autumn...and they assure me summer is NOT over yet.

Well Saturday morning I drove #2 son to the airport - he's relocating to Florida, just ahead of hurricane Dorian...

...and the temperature when I got up at 5:15 am was 45 degrees.

Come on, August 31 and it's in the 40's...does that sound like summer to you?

I'm not saying we won't have more warm days...I sure hope we do...but it's time to face reality:

Summer has packed her bags and she's definitely headed for the station...

me, dressed for fall, sorrowfully watching her go...

Rats...

Enjoyed one of the classic "film noir" movies from the 1940's...

Bogey and Bacall in "The Big Sleep"...an overly complex case of blackmail, murder and of course, romance...both on screen and off.

You can feel the chemistry between the two stars in their scenes together and no wonder...in real life they were lovers and then husband and wife.

Theirs was a May / December union, almost literally...Bacall was born in September of 1924, but Bogart actually was born in December...the 25th no less, and 25 years prior, in 1899.

The movie itself is pretty good...rattles along nicely with crisp, clever dialog, and a satisfying conclusion.

But today it is perhaps most useful as a guidepost, a touchstone in Cinematic history from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

So pour yourself a rye whisky, break open a fresh pack of smokes, put your snub nose .38 revolver on the coffee table and enjoy a classic.

Afterwards, do yourself a favor and cue up Woody Allen's hilarious "Play It Again, Sam"...

...and marvel at the reincarnated Bogey in Allen's brilliantly neurotic sendup of that most famous of film noir classics, Casablanca.

Since you insist, here we go 'Round The Horn...

confession time...all that work was worth it...the sitting area in our front yard IS better with the broken cement pavers.

further proof Fall is approaching...one of the stores we visited had their (ok I admit it, electric) fireplace going...pretty nice one, too.

that's what it looks like when the rain cascades off our new roof / scuppers now.

that's just cool...

...and so is that.

love the art deco look of this store front.

a new resident in our lagoon, evidently.

nightly dinner guests

love the historic buildings we have as part of the downtown district.

And that kind reader is a wrap for this edition of the Atomic Monster Cafe.

On this Labor Day weekend, please rest assured none of our writers...

...nor any missing, corrupt union officials...

...were harmed in any way during the production of this blog entry.

In fact, trying to get the lazy good for nuthin's to actually DO something is our biggest challenge.

Well, that and trying to figure out who shot Mr. Burns...

...wait...What??

...my secretary just informed me we do know who did that...so yeah, forget that last thing...it's the first thing I said.

later, mcm fans...

That's One Small Step...

...for a man...one giant leap for mankind.

So spoke Neil Armstrong 50 years ago today when he descended the steps of the Eagle Lunar Module and did what no man before him had...stepped foot on the moon.

Better men than I have waxed eloquent about the enormity of this stunning achievement, so I won't waste words here repeating the obvious.

All I'll say is the bravery of those men is incalculable.

They faced the very real possibility of dying there on that cold, forsaken orb.

The slightest error at any point - the smallest mechanical failure of any equipment being used in an environment completely foreign to any we'd ever encountered before - would have meant certain death for them, 240,000 miles away from home.

In that tragic event, President Nixon was prepared to give the following speech, written by William Safire:

"Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind."

Praise God they returned home successfully, rightfully celebrated as heroes.

As you gaze up at that luminous light in the heavens tonight, stop and ponder the amazing achievement of 50 years ago.

God Bless America, y'all.

In considerably more earthly pursuits, I headed cross country through farming communities...

...and the idyllic burg of Lamont...

...to the Sand Creek links.

After last week's dismal showing, I decided to stick with "simple golf" for awhile, but I did change out my club selection.

Moved up from using a mashie to my mid-iron, and from a niblick to my mashie niblick.

For you non-hickory golfers, that's moving up from about a 6 iron to a 3, and from a 9/wedge iron to an 8.

Seemed to pay off, as I definitely added some distance to my shots this week...

...actually stroked a couple of tee shots 190 yards with my mid-iron, and thus had several chances to 1 putt for par.

Dropped a couple of them for par, carded a couple of bogeys, and overall had what was for me, a pretty good round.

Gotta love hickory golf.

#4 son finished up our back patio this past week...he took it from this:

...to this:

...with a lot of hard work along the way.

As always, he did an excellent job.

Thanks, Chris!

Also in the "finished projects" category is our bubbling stone fountain...

...looks pretty good.  Saw a robin perched on the stone taking a drink the other day...left his mark, too.  Dirty bird.

Our roofing mega-project is finally underway...

...that's all the roofing materials being delivered.

Marty and Dave and their crew will start tearing off the old roof(s) on Monday, and by Friday our home should have a brand new chapeau.

This is one of those really expensive projects that will not be outwardly obvious...but as one of the men I respect most in life told me recently, a building is only as good as its roof.

This one should be nigh onto perfect when done.

If not for the pressing need for a completely new roof, this was the year we were planning on a new pool!

However, for obvious reasons we've had to scale back our plans a bit.

Even so, we did go ahead and splurge for a new swimmin' hole...

...the portable variety...ah, now that's the life.

Believe it or not, Karen does actually cool off in that little thing.  I think she does it to make me feel guilty.

It's working.

Sadly, we've come to the end of another rousin' session of intellectual mediocrity here at the bustling offices of the Atomic Monster Cafe.

But as we close up shop for another day, please remember this important truth:

Everything we do here is for you.

Well, most things, anyway.

Ok, so, realistically, some of the things we do are for you.

Fine,  I admit it:  I do this because I enjoy talking to myself and spitting into the wind.

Satisfied?

For the love of chicken gravy.

later, mcm fans...

July 4th...

...2019...We celebrate America...greatest country on earth for 243 years and counting.

I hope today is more for you than just time off from work enjoying some good food...more than just fireworks, family and friends.

I hope you contemplate - truly consider - the tremendous sacrifices made by generations before to secure our freedoms and make our liberty a reality.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who have gone before.  Their bravery and service made our current estate of peace and prosperity possible.

Give Thanks...

...and God Bless America!

Got this from Larry up in Traverse City...

...what a gorgeous picture...he's a blessed man to enjoy this beautiful view of the northern Michigan sunset and I appreciate him sharing it with us.

They also have an air show to celebrate Independence Day...

...very impressive.

Here's a pic of us hosting a recent cocktail party...

...what?  Are you calling me a liar?

Fine, I admit it...we don't have that many friends nor enough money to pay people to pretend to be our friends...but I can't help it...love that print by Diane Dempsey of https://retrolifestylecompany.com

Our back patio is a real eyesore...

...lots of cracked and uneven cement...so I'm paying #4 son to break it out and pour a new one.

Here he is getting started...

The demolition part of this job is not especially complicated...you just beat the snot out of it with an 8 lb sledge hammer, something he happens to be really good at doing.

But this holiday weekend #5 son and his bride are staying with us...and it just so happened older brother chose this brutally hot weekend to get started on this lovely job.

Was #5 son happy about being pressed into service as designated helper?

I'll let you be the judge...

"How did I get roped into this nonsense on the hottest day of the summer??"

We (yes, I did get sucked into this loathsome job as well) stacked the broken cement pieces by the side of our garage...

...and he hauled a truck load away as well.

We have neighbors who'll use pieces for retaining walls, pathways, etc.

I have a very bad feeling Karen will want to do the same which means her beast of burden (read: me) will be forced back into a life of conscripted labor once again...I'm so happy I could spit.

So why are your reading this blog on Independence Day?

Get out there and enjoy this, our nation's birthday!

later, mcm fans...