Road Trip! far Western Indiana

If nothing else, with the recent downpours, tornado activity, and flood watches in Ohio...I don't think we will hear much complaining about "dry" weather if and when it comes later in the Summer....it has been a miserable stretch of wet and storms over the past couple of weeks...but it could be worse.

The Grand Lake area has gotten our share of rain, and I am sure we are breeding a cash crop of Mosquitoes for August and September....but we have been spared the storms that have brought the Midwest Cyclones and Flooding. Others places to the north, east, and south, in the Buckeye State, have not been so lucky.

Sam came home from Columbus in between classes at Ohio State and before the Finals start tomorrow...he was scheduled to work double headers both Friday and Saturday(that one with me), but neither on was destined to be played, costing him a couple of hundred bucks, and gas money...but at least he got his clothes washed, courtesy of his mother, and a chance to study for the upcoming finals before Summer Break.

Yesterday it got cooler and dried off for a day or 2....the rains, with much cooler conditions(only 68 scheduled for tomorrow), are back in the forecast for tomorrow.

Road Trip_____

My old Red Door buddy for 40 years, Nick lost his aging Chow about a year ago, and had been deciding whether to get another dog. He called me last week and said he had found a Chow/Akita mix over in far Western Indiana, about 210 miles from here...she was a 2 year old female in a shelter. He wanted to know if I could make a "road trip" to pick the mutt up...."Why not", I say, "we can do it Sunday".

So we headed out early yesterday, about 6:30 in the AM, and headed across the flatland of Indiana, and into the Wabash River Valley...traveling the 200 miles from Montezuma, Ohio, to Montezuma, Indiana, in about 4 hours...being the 60 something year old, too much coffee, made for too many pit stops to use the "Johns"....finally arriving at the shelter/pound in a small town just outside Montezuma called Hillsdale. Interesting that the Wasbash River begins in our Country Mercer, and we didn't cross it again until we got within 15 miles of our pickup spot...where it is much wider/larger. That area of Indiana is actually pretty nice, and remote.

The dog Nick had found online was a female Chow/Akita mix, with perhaps a bit of Rottweiler...she seemed like a pretty laid back dog, that had not been abused at all. The workers told us she was a product of an overcrowded home, that authorities had removed. After Nick paid the fees, we began our trip back across US 36 towards Indianapolis. "Bendy" was the Dog's name....and she was a perfect car dog.

From first meeting, it appears Nick has picked himself out a good one....but of course time will tell.....we had a couple beers and smoked a cigar upon our return. After that, I returned home and watched the Philadelphia Flyers get crushed by Chicago, to fall behind 3 games to 2 in the Stanley Cup Finals...Philly needs to take game 6 at home on Wednesday to force a game 7 back in Chicago....the Goaltending has been shaky, not only for Philly, but the Blackhawks as well....it should be interesting....I still believe the Flyers have a chance, but a Chicago Cup for the first time since 1961 is certainly a good possibility.

Today_____

The game I had slated for today is cancelled, not for weather reasons, but because of a lack of players for the visiting squad, cancelling their varsity season, and playing only a JV squad....tomorrow the rains move back in for, so with a full schedule slated, the rains will have an effect. Sam has a double bill at Crestview tonight, then heads back to Columbus for finals....

back later>>>>

Photos-Nick's new dog, "Bendy" on the return trip, relaxing in the back seat. At Nick's place after the return....and Crossing the mighty "Wabash" on Route 36 in Western Indiana....