Ryan's Memorial Stone...

 ...finally arrived...and I'm quite pleased with it.

They did a good job with both the text and his picture...

...and it's an appropriate way to honor his memory.

I like to spend a few quiet moments in the morning by his tree, thinking about his time on earth and giving thanks for his new life in heaven with his Lord and Savior.

Decent day on the links...

Managed 1 par and a few bogies, but didn't putt very well.

One of those bogies should definitely have been a par...

my 1 putt for birdie lie that turned into a bogey

...and I flubbed a couple of niblick shots around the greens as well.

my "chip in for par" lie that turned into a bogey

Even so I enjoyed the round.

Kept it in the fairways - well, mostly - and finished with the same ball, so really can't complain (too much).

2 putted for bogey on this one

Plus my one par was on the 9th hole...nice tee shot with my mashie left it 25 feet from the hole, then standard 2 putt for par...great way to finish my round.

The clown in chief...

...held another presser on his debacle in Afghanistan, and he opened the carefully scripted Q&A session by saying, "I've been instructed to call on this reporter..."

Wow.

By whom was His Fraudulency "instructed"?

China?  The Taliban?  The voices in his head?

Remember the Trump years when the press resembled a crazed pack of howling, slavering jackals...

...who couldn't wait to tear into their prey with "when did you stop beating your wife?" gotcha questions?

They were salivating at the thought of the sound byte moment starring the wonder of them!  to be played later that night on their propaganda channels.

Well forget all that...those press corp jackals appear to have undergone voluntary lobotomies...

...sitting silently like obedient 3rd graders in Sunday school, waiting their turn to respectfully recite their assigned "questions" to the doddering fool in front of them.

"We've instructed him to call on you first," some lucky faux-journalist is informed.

"And remember:  speak slowly and clearly, then sit down and remain quiet.

"Who knows?

"He might even be able to read the answer from his cheat sheet correctly."

As events in Afghanistan have clearly demonstrated, Biden is unfit to lead a finger painting class, much less the most powerful nation on earth.

May God have mercy on our country.

Talking about politics always makes me want to take a shower, but before I do...

...let's see what's shaking in the parting shot department, shall we?

I do dress better than the COVID zombie while I'm working here

recently visited a bed and breakfast we used to patronize in days gone by...relaxing by their koi pond

queen of all she surveys

early morning relaxation station

well would you look at that...we actually grew a cob of corn this year

There are so many problems in the world it's easy to be overwhelmed, so I leave you this week with some encouragement from God's Word:

Keep the faith, mcm fans...

Hit The Trifecta Today...

 ...and kept it in the fairways again...for the 3rd week in a row.

May not sound like much, but to a duffer like me that's the difference between an enjoyable round and one where you wonder why you even bothered.

Managed to snag one par...

...and several bogeys along the way, with only one "3 putt" green.

Perfect weather, too...bright sunshine and high 50's when I started, mid 60's when I holed out on 9.

Tempting to unretire my Callaway supersoft golf balls for a round and see if I score a little better with some added distance.

Happy to report we had our pool installed a couple of weeks ago.

Marilyn overseeing the arrival of the Mirage Pools crew

It happened fast, going from this...

...to this...

...over the course of 3 and a half days.

The next week they poured the cement, and it's still a work in progress, but hey...we've got a pool:

And work continues...

...as they finish up the fencing today...

...which gives us a markedly improved view from the lower patio...

before...

...and after

The gas heater line passed inspection and the heater is now working...water temp is a welcoming 86 degrees.

Lately we've been watching "The Last Tycoon"...

...an Amazon series loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's last (unfinished) novel.

Set in the 1930's, it's basically a roman a clef  soap opera revolving around the movie industry, something Fitzgerald had gotten involved in as a screenwriter in an attempt to revive his flagging career.

Kelsey Grammer is outstanding as movie mogul Pat Brady, a thinly disguised Louis B. Mayer.

And his co-star Matt Bomer is excellent as  "the boy wonder" Monroe Stahr, Brady's right hand whiz kid...in real life, Irving Thalberg...

...a legendary movie producer who partnered with Mayer.

Thalberg revolutionized the business of movie making, melding art with popular taste in a way that invariably made money.

Indeed, almost everything he touched turned into a hit, including classics like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Big Parade, Mutiny On The Bounty, A Night At The Opera, Grand Hotel, and many, many others.

The Last Tycoon's Monroe Stahr / Irving Thalberg aptly illustrates that "boy wonder" talent, demanding the best from his workers and ultimately producing an Oscar winning movie, albeit at enormous personal cost.

And when I say the series is "loosely based" on the novel...

...that's with a capital Loose, because the Amazon series has Pat Brady and Monroe Stahr hobnobbing with Mayer and Thalberg, the real life people they're supposed to represent.

Kind of a Twilight Zone thing I guess...

No matter; the series is actually pretty good in its own right, with great acting, crisp story lines and sharp dialogue.

Plus it has fabulous art deco scenery; very classy and elegant, a true visual treat.

Sadly, the series was dropped after only one season, probably because Bezos in Swahili means "butthead" (no really; look it up).

And you can tell the writers and staff did not expect to be canceled.

How?

By all the cliffhangers they wrote into the last episode...

...which shall now forever be filed under "guess we'll never know, will we?"

Even so, the 9 episodes that do exist are worth a look.

Enjoy.

And don't say I never did nuthin' for ya.

I don't want to rush you or anything, but hey...would you look at the time?

Might just be enough sand left in your hourglass to race through the parting shots department...just remember to keep your hands where we can see them.

Larry mentioned the water levels were up a bit at the lake...

...and also that he  had a visitor...a northern water snake ...thankfully non-poisonous here in Michigan

had an early morning visitor to the bird feeders this week...

...speaking of which, we had 'em lined up and waiting...that's a fowl situation right there

our lonely hibiscus threw a dinner party and invited some friends...that's a joke, son...these are "dinner plate" hibiscus, so throwing a "dinner party" plays on the...ah, forget it..

we've got one opened up in the courtyard, too

the queen of sand mountain taking pics of the install

We're in the homestretch of summer here in Michigan; 2/3rds of our best summer weather is in the rearview now...so what are you waiting for?

later, mcm fans...