Just Reflecting.....

Reflecting...http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning/reflecting/

I guess today's blog can be dedicated to Cars, Wrecks, Beer, Sports and a combination of same "reflections"

"Topper" 1937______

I sit here this morning, watching one of my old comedy favorites..."Topper" the Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young, vehicle from 1937....it comes on Turner Movie Classics from time to time, and by today's standards is anything but politically correct...can you imagine the bean counters, and Liberals that ruin, er run, Hollywood today allowing a comedy that makes lite of drunken driving, in anything but a crude way?  Anyway, Grant and Bennett meet their demise in what is nothing less than a drunk driving accident, then proceed to "haunt" their stuff shirt banker buddy, Roland Young ...aka:  "Topper"...well acted and classic....needless to say they don't make them like this anymore.  Sure the movie calls it a tire blow out at high speeds, but given the opening, it doesn't take much imagination to realize that the couple had been partaking more often than not in liquid delights before getting behind the wheel.

The Nitro Returns_____

After the January 2nd wreck on the slippery streets of my birth town of Van Wert, Ohio, with no alcohol involved on my part, Patricia's Dodge Nitro went into the shop at St. Henry's Carriage Werks...the body shop is a busy place, and one of the best....finally the Nitro was returned last night, thus allowing Patricia to have her vehicle back, and me to sleep in....which I still couldn't do this morning...the aging Airedale, Reagan, got me up at 6am, while the wife was working out at the Snaps Fitness Center...and that was it, I was up, and not heading back to the sack.

I am glad the Dodge is fixed, however, not sure if I want to drive it again, at least anytime soon....feeling much more at home in the 98 Buick Montana...hardly a classic vehicle, but it suits me for now....however, with winter finally here, I realize that I do miss the Jeep Wrangler, although it's been gone for 6 months and I had not driven it in almost a year now...oh' well, what the Hell?  I'm sure I will need another "manly" vehicle one more time before I die, but at this point I am content to drive the "Soccer Mom" vehicle....{he writes while rolling his eyes}.

Winter Brews____

Regular or casual readers of this blog know I enjoy beer....lots of beer.  No so much I get drun very often, but enough over the years if not for partaking in the liquid hops, I probably would be financially better off....but I'm sure I would have spent my extra cash on something else.  

Anyway, during the summer and baseball umpire season, I am usually content on downing large quantities of American Large brews such as Miller Lite...however once the air turns cooler, about October, I switch taste buds....from the flavorful Oktoberfest brews in the fall, to the Dark Lager and Stouts from European recipes in the winter....Sam Adams, Blue Moon, and Guinness, are among the regular brewery selections I frequently purchase...but I am always looking for a new favorite, at a reasonable price....It appears that I have found a new one...but sadly, having found it, it's hard to keep in stock, seems I, and one other person, have bought out the local stock.


Kostritzer is the brand name and Schwarzbier, a German Black Lager, is what it is.  I had some over a year ago, when my buddy Bill Clem treated me to a Columbus Blue Jacket hockey game in October 2009...I liked it then, but had not been able to find a suitable bottle of it until a couple of weeks ago....then, once found, and purchased, the few six packs were gone within a week, and the local speciality beer barn is waiting on it's next delivery....so in the meantime, I will stick with Guinness Dark Larger, Blue Moon Abby Ale, and others that I find appealing.  One thing I have discovered, is I do not enjoy the Dark Amber, as opposed to Black shaded Lagers....it just comes down to taste.  But you can be sure, I will be on the lookout for Kostritzer's Schwarzbier, and buy out the stock when possible.


Basketball last night___

Back at Wayne Trace last night...where they were playing five games....a Junior High double header, a Freshman game followed by the JV and Varsity games....the JH games were on the small court, while the rest were in the main gym.  My young cousin, Aaron Hockenberry, and I had the Freshman boys(they all were boys contests) game....which went down to the wire, as the home team was upset by visiting Continental 29-27.   I was home by 7pm.  No game tonight, then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, will see me officiate four Junior High games, sandwiched around a JV Boys game on Friday night at Columbus Grove.  Aaron, who was a good HS roundball player and played some in college, has the potential to be a good basketball official, hopefully he will stick with it in the coming seasons.

Baseball Umpiring____

With the first local baseball rules meeting just two weeks away, and the on-line state rules meeting up and running on January 26th, I have been checking out my gear and uniforms, and deciding what new purchases I might need to make....at the least, at least one pair of base pants, and a new facemask are in order....and perhaps other items as well.  When checking out the dealerships, one thing is obvious, the costs of replacement items is not going down.

Haircut Time?

 

That is enough "reflecting" for one day.....


back later>>>>

Entertainment Costs...through the roof!

 So they call this "Entertainment"?


I call it "Highway Robbery"
---------

More Sunshine, and above normal temperatures through at least early tomorrow....upper 40s, before a cold front pushes through by Friday leaving us in the lower 20s for highs, but even those colder predicted temperatures won't last for long.....every day of decent conditions brings us closer to spring....and the time, she is a flying.

When I got done working a basketball double header yesterday afternoon, a girls junior high roundball get-together, I headed for Dartball....we ended up losing 2 of 3 to start off the second half of the season, I arrived late in the first game, and had a total of 13 at bats, just 4 hits, 3 singles and a triple, with a run batted in...dropping my season average to .390 with 8 RBIs...the average, my lowest of the season.  At my, or any age, it can be pretty tough to run up and down a basketball court for 2 and 1/2 hours, jump in the car, drive 35 miles, and be ready to toss underhand heavy darts...sorry excuse I know, but I have noticed my level of play drops drastically, as the basketball season wears.  I've been especially pathetic at home, batting about .280, while hitting over .600 on the road...next week, no basketball, due to MLK Day, and we are on the road at Rockford, so maybe the hot road shooting will continue.

The Cost of "Entertainment":_____

When I got home, Patricia came downstairs and wanted to show me a couple of items.  The main one being the bill from Time-Warner.  TM is our TV, Internet, and Digital Phone provider.  It's prices have been going up like a hot air balloon.  In December, the bill for all services was a {IMO} outrageous $141.58.  Mind you the TV package is on for basic and standard services, we have no premium channels, just a Digital Variety package, with no digital TV?  WFT???  Well, that's not the half of it....the 2012 year kicks off with an increase of $44.47 per month, to $186.05!!!!  Gawd Damn!

Needless to say, that won't stand....I don't watch much TV, so I sure the Hell am getting rid of some of the channels, maybe the digital phone, and wherever else I can save.  When you combine the Internet from Roadrunner, the Digital Phone, TM Cable TV, XM Satellite costs and two cell phones, it runs us about $300 per month.  I call that Bullshit...so here I sit, looking at other options...and nothing looks good, so the only option is to dump some services.

Any suggestions, except to dump the entire mess, and start over with Internet, and cell phones?  Because that is the way I am leaning.....$300 per month?  That's more than our current mortgage payments...since we paid the house down over the years.  I'm not a cheapskate, but I sure the Hell am not a rich man, and even if I was, the cost of cable and other "perks" has become a joke over the past decade, since the Internet became a major part of all of our lives.

OK, today's rant, got me away from my Political View look back....I'll get back on that track tomorrow, but I had to vent on this today....meanwhile with eight games left to officiate this week, of a total of 10, I am feeling every bit of my 62 years and 10 months. 

Meanwhile the Dodge Nitro still sits in St. Henry waiting to be repaired, I did get the check from Nationwide Insurance yesterday for the damages....just under $3000...which means, there was really not a lot of damage outside the bumper and A/C Radiator unit....as for the other driver's damage?  I'm guessing it was a bit, Hell, a lot more.

back tomorrow, with the political side of life>>>>>


Photos-Grand Lake back in July, the mild winter has made the switch from hot to cold more bearable than in past years, especially last year and it's bitter winter season.  Last night 's Dartball was pretty mediocre for me and the team, we went 1 win 2 loses, personally I was a below average 4 for 13, with a triple and a run batted in.  Time Warner's fees are soaring, but checking around, others are just as bad...and the Nitro at the shop for a week, is now waiting on the $3000 in repairs to be completed.

Let the Political Game Begin....

Sitting here this morning, waiting on the towing company to pick up the Nitro for transport to St. Henry, where Nationwide and the body shop will decide what needs to be done and how much to pay for the repairs....hopefully it will be in the shop and out in a couple of weeks tops....but with the rash of wrecks in the area on Monday, I am sure the shops, especially this popular repair place, will be backlogged.

The Iowa Vote____

I have not written much about politics or the coming presidential race much of late, because frankly, the entire process makes me wanna puke....this circus is not what our Founding Fathers had in mind.  We have a probably foreign born illegal President in Office, a lawyer I suspect, although this half baked/half wit Marxist, releases no college records along with a fake birth certificate, while the lap dog media has his back covered.  Meanwhile on the GOP side, you have mostly a group of lawyers with the morals of snakes.  I however was surprised, pleasantly so, to see Rick Santorum come on strong in Iowa, and as at last look, out of 140,000 or so votes cast in the Iowa GOP Caucus, Santorum trailed front runner Mitt Romney by just 8 votes...and amazingly close vote count...meanwhile 'Crazy Train' Ron Paul was in third....the excuse maker for Islamic terrorism, has his hard core supporters, many who are nothing more than spawns of the 1960s radicals that hated those of us who served in Vietnam rather than cut tail and run off to college or Canada, like many of them did.

Newt Gingrich came in a distant 4th, Rick Perry, likely to drop out, was fifth, and Michelle Bachmann trailed far behind in 6th.  In my view it becomes a four man race...basically you have Romney, and Paul, then the anti Romney vote for Santorum and Newt.   I have, from a distance, supported Santorum for awhile now, but could vote for, Romney, or even Gingrich{while holding my nose} if I have to...if it would come down to a Ron Paul vs Barack Obama contest in November....I would likely vote third party.   At this point I can't see myself voting for the Crazy Train...and I sure the Hell won't be supporting that interloping Kenyan bastard currently sitting in the White House.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/iowa-caucus-jan-3 

So the race for November now moves on to New Hampshire, compete with all it's new Liberal voters, most being refugees from Taxyer2shits, and following that, South Carolina, with a more Conservative base.  Things should start to work themselves out in the next few weeks, and I suspect by the time March 1st rolls around, it will be much more compacted and clear, this GOP race for the White House.

Meanwhile the tow truck from Van Wert, same group that delivered the Nitro home on Monday, has arrived and taken off with the vehicle for estimates and repairs....I will lift weights later today, then head back to Van Wert for my final Basketball Rules Meeting of the year....baseball meetings begin in just 5 weeks, that I am looking forward to.

back later>>>>>

Photos-I'm not sure what the Hell is wrong with Blogger, but it is not posting the photos from my folders...which is wasting my time and pissing me off to no extent, so I'll post a photo of the Nitro and Rick Santorum, from old postings and see where we go from here.....exasperating to say the least...so now I can add new photos??? Anyway here we have added the Captain of the Crazy Train, Ron Paul, and the Nitro has it get a ride to St Henry for repairs....

The New Year Comes in, Crash, Boom, Bang....

It is now 3:19AM on 3 January 2012....Happy New Year to all, albeit a bit late.

Yesterday, January 2nd, was to be, by all accounts, my New Years Day, after all it was the holiday and Bowl Day...I would get up fairly early, pack a duffel bag, jump in Patricia's Nitro, and head north and west to near LaOtto, Indiana, where I would go to Rick's place, and spend the day with the same gang that does the annual Mushroom Hunts each May in Michigan...Rick, his sons, Clay and Guy, and Clint, our old Celina friend, and college buddy that was at Ohio University when we roamed the grounds of Ohio U and Athens, back in the middle 70s.  A lite snow had fallen, and Patricia, after her workout, had warned me that the city of Celina streets were slippery, with a coating of ice under the half inch or so of fresh snow that was being blown by the wind....this was the reason I decided to take the four wheel drive vehicle.

After pulling into the Northside Marathon station, where I filled the tank and got a large coffee to go, I headed north on US 127 towards Van Wert...a mile out of town I called Rick, letting him know I was on my way, telling him that the city streets in Celina "sucked", but that 127 didn't seem bad, and I would/should be there in a bit over an hour, if things went well... they wouldn't".  He told me if the roads were bad that we could always do our annual football, beer and buffet, pig out at a later time...."nonsense" I say, "the Nitro will make it fine".

I drove the 20 miles to Van Wert without problems...a few slippery spots, but I was cruising about 58 miles per hour and made it behind a 18 wheeler,  it was about 10am when I entered the city limits.  The big rig crawled along Washington Street(127) so when we got into town, I decided to jump to Jefferson Street, north to Bonnewitz Avenue, and then pick up the four lane US 30 and head west to Fort Wayne, and beyond...I should have stayed on Washington Street.

As I turned north onto Jefferson I knew that the streets in VW, like Celina, had not been treated.  Near 3rd street, as I drove north, I had to do a slight swerve to avoid a car sliding though the intersection....then as the new GPB system (which Hal and Lisa had purchased for us for Christmas), was yapping "stop ahead one quarter mile, then turn left", I began to slowly break....nothing, but a sickening sliding as the wheels locked up....I was going maybe 5 MPH for God's sake, this wasn't happening was it?  Yes it was....another 18 wheel tanker truck was heading east on Bonnewitz....I was either going to slide into him, he was going to broadside me or I had to make a quick maneuver....I decided to tap the gas and turn right onto the Avenue, instead of crashing through the intersection(which was a T) or taking on the semi.  I turned right, but nothing was gripping, and in slow motion I watch the Nitro slide into the north side of Bonnewitz, hitting the curb with all fours....that would have been OK, but as I looked up, I saw a silver Saturn, heading right for me....the driver had no chance in these conditions, and as I watched in super slow mo....she crashed head-on into me.

"Damn"!  The high sitting Nitro crashed over the top of the hood of the smaller car, sending the hood of that vehicle into a crumbled mess....fortunately the air bags on neither vehicle deployed...frankly the speed was just too slow.  I sat for a second, then jumped out to make sure the women driver, about my age, was OK....she said she hit her leg, but was OK....I went back to my vehicle and called 9-1-1.  The emergency operator ask me where we were, and when I told her, she replied..."Hold on, somebody will be there real soon, there are now three accidents on that same street, the other two with injuries".  As it turned out, by the time we had the accident report done, there had been at least six accidents in town in a matter of minutes...it would be a long day for police, and tow truck drivers.

The officer, Jeff, who I had met back in my Health Department days, apologized when he told me he would have to charge me for "failing to control"....I didn't think much about it at the time...a minor traffic violation, and he was following routine procedure.  As I assessed the accident scene, her car appeared totaled or close to it...the Nitro received some front end damage, and the radiator unit at the bottom was trashed...both vehicles would be towed.  With AAA plus, I would received a trip back to Celina...I cannot tell you how many times over the past 25 years that AAA has towed me or the boys home, without charge,after a wreck or breakdown.  Expensive yes, at some $100 per year, but it has been well worth it in the long run.

The Aftermath____

So I arrived back home about Noon, via the Mace Company tow truck, and watched the bowl games at home....basically without interest, as Ohio State and the not-so Big Ten, once again had a bad day of football, but no nearly so bad as mine.

Calls to the Nationwide Insurance got the ball rolling on getting the estimates of damage and repairs taken care of.....the home office and adjusters will be around in the next day or so.....meanwhile, I am scheduled in Van Wert on Thursday for a court appearance for "failure to control"...I though about that, and perhaps that is why I got up at 2:45 in the morning.  I'm not pleading guilty or no-contest to that, Hell, the only thing I could have controlled was not being in that spot at that time.  Minor misdemeanor or not, I, while my insurance company needs to take care of the other driver, could have done nothing, except stay home, or on 127/Washington Street, to have avoided the mishap.  So that will also be on the Tuesday agenda, after I take Patricia to work in the one remaining drivable vehicle....that, check out my standing with the local insurance office, and get ready for basketball tonight....I will call the courthouse in Van Wert, and see how I can move the date back, because, at this point I have no intention to pleading to something, that could not have been avoided.  I say this without anger....except for at myself, but frankly, except for staying home...I'm not sure how I could have done anything to avoid this New Year's mess.....

Stay tuned....updates on all of this exciting installment of "Pat's Daily Rant"....I know it could have been worse...check this out from a 100 miles or so to the south of us:


http://news.yahoo.com/photos/emergency-crews-scene-crash-along-interstate-75-involved-photo-235321325.html

I-75 is always and adventure.....I have driven that portion, south of Cincinnati maybe a 100 times or more.....always a lot of traffic, and if one person screws up on ice, fog, or snow, this is usually a common result.

back later>>>> 

Photos-All though the photos of the wreck don't look bad, the other driver's Saturn is probably totaled...the Nitro, while it doesn't appear bad, is going to need some front end work and a new radiator at least....the first two photos are from the crash scene, and the last, while the Dodge was sitting in our drive, after being towed home.

Winding down 2011.....Here comes 2012 part #2

The snow and rain took turns yesterday, but as I headed out to Convoy for a Girls game between the host Crestview team and Hicksville{yes Virginia there really is a town called "Hicksville, Ohio"....}most of the precipitation had ended....just a damp cold had settled in.  On the way home I thought about firing up a hand rolled cigar, but thought again, and decided not to stink up the van or my clothes....it's been at least two months since I had a cigar, which in a good way keeps my stock in the basement in full supply.  Don't smoke often in the winter months...just have not been one of those cold weather outdoor smokers.

Back at 2011____

After the February 5th wedding of Hal and Lisa, we returned home to Ohio to await the reception, which was slated for Dayton/Centerville some two weeks later.  As opposed to the wedding, which was just a family affair, with 15 total, counting bride and groom, in attendance, the reception at the local American Legion would see a "normal" sized crowd....I can't remember exactly how many, but somewhere between 150 and 200 is my guess, but I really wasn't counting.  Considering the bulk of Hal's friends were from Mercer County, it came as no surprise to me that we shut down the "free" part of the bar much earlier than anticipated....this Western Ohio County is well know for it's Catholic Beer Consumption tradition, and the guests did not disappoint.  It didn't matter, they boys from Hal's childhood quickly went into the pay as you go portion, without missing a beat, even the Legion bartenders were impressed.

As the reception put an end to the months of work for the bride and groom, and planning for them and parents, especially the mothers, it also marked the winding down of the long basketball season for me, and we could see the light at the end of the bitter cold and snow filled winter.  Baseball and moderating temperatures were just around the corner, as was the announcement that we would become first time grand parents by year's end. 

March and April came and went...despite much wet weather, I did manage to get most of my scheduled baseball games in...I remember some as bitter cold.  One in particular, at Defiance College, where Garry and I worked was as cold as I can remember in recent years working a game.  Early in the season, the day of the Reds traditional home opener to be exact, we worked the game in 35 degree temperatures, with a northeast wind...Garry was lucky, he was at the plate on this rotation, and got to wear the gear, making his day a bit more bearable than mine....even with the Underall winter clothes, I froze.  By the time I finished the Summer American Legion and ACME season, some cooler weather would have been appreciated.  Things warmed up considerably as the season progressed into June and July.  My spring season didn't see as many tournament games as usual, guess I didn't stroke enough egos of those making the decisions...aka Kiss Enough Ass...but if you know me, you know that will never happen.  

Summer ball, was a different story....working both multiple districts and the State Tournament here in Celina, at Montgomery Field, and also the District American Legion Tournament in Sidney....I stayed busy throughout the Spring and Summer Baseball Season.

Back to early Spring, where we usually have our Easter Dinner at sister Marty's place...{we do the same at Christmas}, it's a good place with enough room for all to move around, eat, and BS.  The newlyweds, Hal and Lisa were there, and at the end of the day, took us out to their car, and presented us with "Grandparent" gifts...announcing that they were expecting around Thanksgiving....on a Father's Day family get together, we found out the sex of the baby on a trip to Cincinnati and a Reds game...it would be a boy.  And as it turned out...Kasyn Timothy Houseworth would be born Thanksgiving evening....more on that later.  

In addition to the "Baby News",  back in March I turned 62, so I would receive a small stipend from Uncle Sam, called Social Security.  Working much of my adult life for the local and state governments{hard to believe with my political leans I know}, my small SS checks each month wouldn't do much, but it would be enough to make the payment with a bit left over for a new vehicle....so in April, Patricia and I purchased a Dodge Nitro for her.  I gave up the ghost and sold my old Jeep Wrangler to the neighbor kid, Derek, and took over Patricia's Mini Van....imagine me, drinking a "soccer mom" type vehicle...well, gotta admit, it is more comfortable than the Jeep.  Also Rick, Clint, and Rick's boys and I went on our annual Michigan Mushroom Hunt in mid May, for me it followed a two year hiatus....the mushroom pickings were slim, but I did manage to meet face to face with a Hog Nose Snake, thinking it was a Michigan Timber Rattler at first.  I got some good photos, before I dropped my camera in the stream, while reaching for a cold beer, from the bag of beers we had cooling....thus ruining it, but not the disk which included the snake photos.  The wet and mushroom-less weekend still was a good time, as it always has been.

We wound down the Summer with a trip to Wisconsin for another wedding, this one for Patricia's nephew...Hal and Lisa, would join us for this final fling of the Summer....more tomorrow as the summer turns into fall.

back later>>>>

Photos-The Mushroom Hunt in Michigan mid May, didn't yield many "rooms", but did give me a chance to get up close and personal with this Hog Nose Snake, which yielded one of my best photos in recent memory.  Turning 62 gave me a little pocket change via Social Security, enough to purchase Patricia a Dodge Nitro, to replace my Jeep and the Intrepid, the Jeep, as much as I hated to depart with it, was sold to Derek the neighbor{bottom photo}  I spent many summer morning at Grand Lake snapping photos of the glorious sunrise above our polluted lake...the lake stinks, but many photo were taken, and many came out excellent....baseball went from March until the end of July, here I am in July working the ACME District at Lima Central Catholic....and in Michigan, in addition to meeting up with the "Snake"...I finally got a chance to meet my cousin "Big Moe" Houseworth...we had talked via phone and e-mails for years, but we finally got to share a beer and a handshake.

Another Grand, Grand Lake Morning

Woke up about 6:15 this morning, Patricia was already out at the fitness center working out....getting up at 4:45 in the morning, she then heads for an hour workout before heading off to teach at St. Henry...gotta give her credit.  I work out, but morning has never been my workout time.  I tried it for awhile about 20 years ago, at the old Lake Front Racquet Club, but quickly figured out, that was not my time of the day to pump iron, or hit the treadmill.  The fact is, since I got into a regular workout routine, some 35 years ago...most of my workouts, whether running, walking, or weight training, were at night.  I remember when I was a student at Wright State University-Lake Campus, I was making ends meet by bartending at "Fats Stag Bar" in downtown Celina.   I would close up the place at 10 at night, and head out towards home on Brandon Avenue(only 3 doors from where we live now), and then run/jog around the Fairgrounds for 3 miles, before settling in front of our small black and white TV, and downing a few Mountain Dews....that's been 35 years ago, but those images are still strong in my mind.

Regardless, I am not a morning workout person....and these days, most of my weight lifting and treadmill work are done in the early afternoon hours....yesterday the weights got done, but the treadmill was replaced by mowing mom's yard...a good 45 minutes walking behind the Toro.

This morning, as I said, I did manage to get up....Patricia was pulling into the drive from her workout as I was pulling out of the garage, in her Nitro.  The Dodge got the factory replacement module put in yesterday, and seems to be driving without the worry of the alarm system going haywire...but Patricia is still a little apprehensive about driving it to school, so she is using the van and I get the Nitro for at least this week.

With camera and coffee in hand, I headed out to the lake for the first morning photo session in over a month....the morning was crisp, cool(about 52 degrees), with a breeze, and clear as a bell.   The sun would rise almost an hour later(about 7:05) than in my early July photo shoots, and it would also rise some 40 degrees to the east, rather that the northeast rise that was the norm earlier in the summer.  The southeast breeze brought thoughts of the coming autumn in my mind, until I looked at the extended forecast...93 for a high Thursday, with 92 on Friday.  It's gonna be hot for football this week!

The photo shoot session started out about 6:40 on West Bank Road, where I got some of the shots you see today, including the silhouette of me in the early morning dim.  I then climbed back into the 4WD and drove the 3 miles south to Windy Point, to catch the actual sunrise.

Windy Point is where I spent many hours during my high school days.  We would fish for panfish, mainly Crappies and Perch, from those 3/4 miles of stone and rocks as they jet out into Grand Lake.  We also swam at the beach, drank beer, and partook in a few more activities, whether they be in daylight or darkness.  These days, even in the summer, Windy Point is usually deserted, except for the waterfowl, and other birds that hang around...nary a soul as I arrived at 7am, some five minutes before the actual sunrise would occur.

Regardless of how many times I sit or walk Windy Point, it always takes me back to those high school days, when I first began to drive....me and the Jones boys spent a lot of our off hours at Windy Point, both in the Summer and the school year.  Later on, I would take our first two Airedales, Rag and Max, out there for a swim....life seems now more complicated than it did in those days, but I am guessing it's not, hindsight always looks better from afar, and our memories are softened by time.

No games tonight, nothing until Thursday on the field, but will head to Van Wert for another rules meeting tonight.

Made our motel reservation for the October VSPA Reunion at Fairborn/Dayton yesterday, but only set aside a room for that first Wednesday....we will take in most of the activities, but not sure how many days we will stay overnight at the actual meeting place, the I-675 Holiday Inn in Fairborn, still time to add a day or two later.

Will finish up this blog post, then decide what the rest of the day will bring, until Garry and I head to Van Wert about 6:15 tonight...back later>>>>

Photos{as always, double click for large view}-Some 20 minutes before Sunrise, I silhouetted myself looking out towards Safety Island a couple miles out into Grand Lake.  The Dodge Nitro complete with new electronic module, made in Mexico like the faulty one I am sure, sits in the morning sun at Windy Point.  The 7:05 sunrise looking out from Windy Point....looking south I head back to the parking lot, after walking most of the way out to the point....and a long dead log lays among the stones, rocks, and rip-rap, as a lone Mallard Duck swims away, thinking I was to close for comfort.