Happy Anniversary to Dr. Allyn Bell and his lovely wife Brenda. By the time you read this they will be celebrating their Golden 50th Anniversary in Florence, Italy. Allyn called me today from overseas to check on our status. He and Brenda are a testament to a lifelong love story.
On Friday the weather was at least dry but chilly and the waves were crashing over the breakwater. I decided to to ride my bike up the road about a half mile to hunt for Petoskey Stones while Jan did the laundry. One you might think this was terribly unfair and it was. She was in a warm laundry room reading a good book while I waded in ice water in the wind looking at rocks which all looked about the same to me. I collected as many as I could stuff in my pockets and went back to the dock to scrub them with soap and a brush. At this point I am not sure I have even a single Petoskey Stone but I have located a shop that specializes in then and tomorrow I will carry mine to get an appraisal.
Oh, did I mention we have extended our stay until Sunday due to weather? Unfortunately two men were drowned within 50 miles of our location when their boat was lost in the waves we saw in the bay. This lake is nothing to play with in high winds. One of them had a life jacket on but in the cold water you can only last so long out there. They were in a 26 foot boat so it was not some dinky thing.
We all took the Senior Shuttle to the Walmart today. I never thought I would live to see the day but I guess it is better than the alternative. Cost was $1.50 per person one way. Beth had to pay $3 because she is our “caregiver”. We spent $286 and did not get that much. Of course the six gallons of oil I bought was over $75. An oil change will be due before we reach Chicago.
As part of the Festival on the Bay there was a classic car show downtown. Many of the cars are called “rat rods”. They were very popular up here after WWII when soldiers came home and could not afford a nice car so they built them out of junk parts and developed a culture of hot rods.
Tonight at dinner Dean wanted me to go in the bathroom to look at his euphonium and I must say it was a magnificent instrument. He had explained to me a couple of days ago that he had a thing for them. I was not really interested but looked just to be polite. It was bigger than I thought. Here is a picture of it that was hanging in the restroom. The guy in the middle with the mustache is holding his. Enough suspense, here is the picture.
We had a lot of fun with this at dinner. I cannot repeat most of it but Dean played one in high school.
Finally here is a mystery question for you that hopefully will not be as difficult as the African cardholder. Can you help identify the creature that I caught creeping out to get a drink of water?
