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.
Last nights contest did see me work my third straight game behind the plate....and it seems that I am getting much more comfortable with the new helmet mask and extra protection it affords me, after the recent Carotid Surgery....the worst wound so far this season, in my five games behind the plate, was on Tuesday night, when I took a fastball off the catcher's glove on my left wrist....that still is swollen, but not broken.
