Thursday August 23, 2012

It is going to be another nice day, but hot. It was in the high 50s when I pedaled to the MAC but when I left at 1130 it was in the high 70s. It will top 87 today. I did not have time to read both the WSJ and GRP because at 1330 Nancy and I headed downtown to meet with our financial advisor. Bob and Nancy, I am happy to report, are above water. Nancy had a dentist appointment this afternoon so I dropped her off at the dentist and then did some banking. Nancy was done within 30 minutest. For dinner tonight we went to Great Lakes Shipping. It was too hot to eat outside. Tomorrow we are going to Chicago so we did spend some time packing. Nancy is using her new suitcase she received from Debbie for her birthday. Kim is picking up Ms P tomorrow morning. Nancy headed to bed at 2130 but I stayed up and watched some TV. I enjoyed NBC's show on the Mormon Church. I admire the Mormons I have known. Ms P and I just went out, 2230, and the temperature was 77 with a beautiful crescent moon.

Wednesday August 22, 2012

Today is Breakfast Club Wednesday. So I get up at 0555. I take Ms P out and then get in the C2 and head to the Women's Civic Club for BC. Today's speaker was from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The Mackinac Center bills itself as a think tank. It has a very right wing biases. The Speaker talked about the 7 proposals that are on the November ballot. That is right folks seven proposals. Most of the proposals were generated by public sector unions. The unions have taken a hit by recent laws passed by the Republican controlled State House and Senate. We are also voting on a proposal that would require 2/3 vote in order to increase taxes and the green folks was 25% of our energy to be from renewable sources by 2025. I am voting NO on all the proposals. I am really against all referendums because we elect folks to solve these problems. When I got home I started cutting the grass. I started at 1100 and was done at 1415. I cannot get the grass cut in under 3 hours. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. I took a quick shower and then a nap. At 1730 Nancy and I headed to 53rd Park for a picnic dinner and the Whitecaps ball game. Scott Civil Engineering Company was sponsoring this event. The food was great and it was a nice evening to watch a baseball game. We left after the 7th inning. I watched some TV but was in bed by 2200. Another nice summer day in GR.

Tuesday August 21, 2012

Ms P and I went out at 0500. It looks like another nice day. The temperature at 0500 was in the mid 50s. After the morning calisthenics I got on my bike and headed to the MAC. During the summer months south bound Breton Road is not very busy. I feel safe but when school starts in another two weeks I will change my route to use low traffic streets. Only one lane in the pool was being used when I started swimming. The other swimmer was Phil an 84 year superman. Phil can go the full length of the pool under water. I do not even try. I did my medley and swam 1050 yards in 32'. Today is free refill day at the Kava House so I buy a smaller coffee and get it filled more often. It took me 90 minutes to read the WSJ and DFP. Lately the USA has been chasing foreign banks that are involved in money laundering or help shelter rich folks from paying taxes. The movement of money around the world is interesting. I think this winter I will try and find an on-line course that will explain how this works. I am listing to itunes on my computer. Burl Ives is singing "Amazing Grace". I love this song but for the life of me I cannot remember the words. I guess summer is over because high school sports has started already. AHS girls volleyball beat the Sault but the soccer team lost to Midland. When I was in high school girls were not allowed to play sports. Boys soccer was not a high school sport. In fact the only fall sport was football. Tonight Nancy and I are working at the Tuesday night concert at the Gardens. Local talent is featured on Tuesday. They usually have over 1500 folks attend. We worked from 1700 until 1930 and then we had our picnic dinner. We listened until 2030. We were home by 2100.

Monday August 20, 2012

I got out of bed at 0700. Today I did my morning calisthenics plus 15' on the rowing machine. I have my annual physical coming up so I had to get some tests done. I got in the C2 and headed to the Lab. After completing the lab work I headed to the MAC. I was finished by 1100. Today I had my coffee at Breton Village. I read the WSJ and DFP. Nancy was having lunch with a friend in Grand Haven today. I got home by 1300 and after a quick lunch I headed upstairs. Today I am checking some bridge plans. I think this will be my last time checking plans. I am getting too far removed from the work. I am also having a hard time concentrating more than 30 minutes at a time. I am reverting to my youth because as a teenager I had trouble concentrating more than 30 minutes. We had a light dinner and then I watched the news before heading upstairs to continue checking plans. At 2000 I took a quick walk. We were in bed by 2200.

Sunday August 19, 2012

Sunday morning and the alarm goes off at 0655. We get up and head for our Sunday swim. I swam my medley today, 1500 yards in 46'. It was a cool morning with temperatures in the high 50s. The sun was shining but rain is expected this afternoon. Gas was $3.88 today. Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs this morning. I took my afternoon nap. I walked Ms P around the block and noticed that rain clouds were fast approaching. I dropped Ms P off and then took a short walk so I could get my 30 in. I hope everyone is getting there 30' in each and every day. August 19, 1962: Ensign Scott's letter home to mother. I just googled August 19, 1962 and found it was also a Sunday. I think I was getting Rock Fever. Island living was getting to me. I had been on the 800 plus acres since the day after Thanksgiving 1961. My routine 6 days a week included the following: up at 0600, quarters at 0740, routine work until lunch and then my afternoon duties. We had free movies and on the Sunday I wrote home I had been to three the past week. Yesterday I attended a Saturday First Aid lecture for all Officers. After the lecture I inspected the Maintenance shops and wrote up several sailors for poor cleanup. I then played handball, went swimming and at 1800 took a nap and slept until 0200. I then got up did some exercises and read until 0400. From 0400 until 0700 I slept. I ran 1/2 hour on the beach and then had breakfast. At 0900 I played handball and then had another breakfast. I took a nap from 1100 to 1400. I woke up and went swimming for an hour. I read until 1730. I was reading a book called "Hawaii". At 1730 I had dinner and then went to a movie. After the movie I went to my office and wrote this letter to Mother. A day in the life of Ensign Scott, boring! Nancy cooked a steak for dinner tonight. We also had corn on the cob. We read the GRP and watched 60 Minutes before heading to bed.

Saturday August 18, 2012

Happy Birthday Grandmother Hughes. Today would have been Grandmother Hughes 144th birthday. Margaret McTavish was born in Alpena, Mi on August 18, 1868 the daughter of Dr James and Eliza McTavish. Eliza Little was born in 1842 on Walpole Island, Ont. She was the first white child born on the Island now an Indian Reservation. Her family came from Edinburgh, Scotland. Great grandmother McTavish died in December 1933. She married Dr McTavish about 1865. Dr McTavish was born in Campbeltown, Scotland and attended medical school at the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical Institute graduating in 1866. In July Dr and Eliza moved to Alpena. The Alpena Fire Dept was organized in 1871 and Dr McTavish was the first chief. Grandmother Hughes lived with us at 123 First Avenue. In fact it was her home. Grandmother was a great storyteller. She attended the Alpena Public Schools. Around 1893 she got a job teaching in a one room school in the tiny sawmill town of Bell, Mi. To get to Bell, Grandmother took a lumber ship out of Alpena. Bell was about 11 miles north of Alpena. The community of Bell did not last long. As soon as all the white pine were cut the town died. In December 1895 Margaret McTavish married Roland Hughes. At the time Roland Hughes was part-owner of the Island Mill in Alpena. Roland Hughes was born in Papineauville, Quebec in September 1853. The story goes that Grandmother did not want to be an old maid so she actively pursued Roland who was 15 years older. Grandfather Hughes died in February 1933. His father was from Wexford, Ireland. Grandmother passed away in 1963 at age 95. Several years ago I reported on Grandmothers 1927 trip to Europe. She was a fine lady. Ms P and I went out at 0600 this morning. The alarm went off at 0630 and Nancy got up and headed to her body pump class at the MAC. I dilly dallied until I left for Bill's at 0800. I had Bill's Saturday Breakfast special. After breakfast I came home and loaded the kayak on the C2. I headed to Lake Macatawa. I spent two hours on the lake and paddled a little over 5 miles. The warm summer has created an algae layer over the lake surface. It is not good for swimming. Tonight Nancy and I are going to Russ' for dinner. We were the youngest folks at Russ'. I had a club sandwich and Nancy had a bowl of soup. We got home at 1840 and I sat in the recliner to watch the news and immediately fell asleep. I slept until 1954. We will watch some TV before retiring.

Friday August 17, 2012

It was cool and clear when Ms P and I went out at 0500. The stars were all in the eastern sky. During the summer they were in the western sky. I might want to do some star research. After my at home calisthenics I loaded the bike up and headed to Millennium Park. I rode 20 miles in 1h43'. I had to slow down for a doe and her fawn crossing the road. The bike trails in the park keeping getting better. Two days ago they opened another paved trail. I stopped by the Kent County Parks office and got an updated map. I stopped at the Kava House to read my morning papers. I did read both the WSJ and DFP but I got so depressed reading about the problems in the world that I want to forget everything I read. After a quick lunch I walked Ms P around the block and then took a quick nap. Tonight Nancy and I have to work at a concert at Meijer's Garden. The feature singer is Bonnie Raitt. We get to watch the concert after working. We started working at 1700 and were finished at 1830 when the concert started. Our job was handling traffic into the VIP and handicap parking area. Nancy fixed a picnic dinner and I bought a beer. We ate and drank and watched a great concert. The place was at capacity. The concert ended at 2100. The Gardens does a great job of traffic control. We were home by 2130.

Thursday August 16, 2012

I was so excited that last Monday, the 13th, was "Left Hander Day" that I forgot to mention that it was also VJ Day. VJ meaning Victory over Japan marks the end of WWII in 1945. I happen to remember that day. Dad and I were at my Uncle Bill Hughes home. Uncle Bill had a big garden and I think he gave us some corn. The sirens and church bells started ringing. My Dad who at the time was City Manager of Alpena wondered why all the noise. The Fire Chief, Tanky McKim, was driving by and Dad stopped him. The Chief said the war was over the Japanese had surrendered. Did you know my Dad was paid $4,500 per year as City Manager? My Mother said it was the only time she was able to save money. I took Ms P out at 0500. I woke up for good at 0700. Despite the weather warnings I rode the bike to the MAC. I did the tri today. It was pouring rain when I left the MAC. I headed home because we also had some thunder and lightning. I was thoroughly soaked when I walked in the house. Ms P was extra hyper. The thunder drives her bonkers. I changed clothes and then got in the C2 and drove to the Kava House. After lunch I headed to Meijer's to get some apples. I also stopped at Macatawa Bank to renew a CD. The interest rates are criminal. It is now 1635 and Nancy is at the dentist. Tonight we are going out to dinner with the Horlings. Nancy and Hal have birthdays this month and we are celebrating. We had dinner at the Bonefish Grill. The place was jammed. We all had a great meal. We were home by 2100 and after reading the GRP I headed to bed.

Wednesday August 15, 2012

Ah Wednesday! and it is my easy day. It was overcast when I got on the bike and headed to Bill's in fact it was cool enough to require wearing a jacket. I had Bill's $4.75 special, 2 eggs, potato, sausage and toast. I did read the WSJ and DFP. Detroit's former Mayor Kilpatrick is being tried in Detroit along with several cronies for stealing the City blind. The lawyers are all playing games. I keep reading about the trouble in Europe especially Italy and Spain. I wonder if Nancy and I visited Italy would we notice the problems? Today I must cut the grass. We have had quite a bit of rain in the past week and the grass is quite long. I started at 1215 and was done at 1515. I finished throwing the ball to Ms P about 1400. I have a new ball that I can really heave. I think I wore her out. Yesterday I wrote that the 14th was my Cousin Bill Hughes birthday and I had received some photos from his son. My cousin was a good pole vaulter and one of the photos show Bill going over the bar. He was using a bamboo pole. If present day vaulters used a bamboo pole their jumps would be several feet lower. Another photo showed Bill in his Navy uniform during WWII. Bill was assigned to a ship unloading battalion. Unloading ships on South Pacific beaches was a dangerous job. I just got an email from Pat Hughes and he said that Cousin Bill's vault was 10'1" and this was the AHS record from 1943 to 1963. The only sports record holder in my family. We had a light dinner and then watched several reruns. I did take a mile walk before heading upstairs.

Tuesday August 14, 2012

Tuesday morning and Ms P and I continue to have trouble waking. No rain today so I rode the bike to the MAC. Today is my tri day. In the pool I did my medley, back, breast and free. No butterfly that is too hard. Of course I ended up at the Kava House. I like Romney's choice for VP. The people will have a clear choice. Do we want the Fed controlling our life or do we want the individual to be more responsible for major decisions in their life. I did not get home until about 1330. I continue to clean my office and catch up on some projects I neglected over the summer. I cannot work in the office if the sun is shining. We had very few rainy days this summer. I got a nice email from my Cousin Bill Hughes' son. He said today would have been Bill's 87th birthday. He attached some great pictures. I am still trying to figure how to attach photos to this blog. At 1630 Nancy and I got in the Taurus and headed to Meijer Gardens. We are working at the Tuesday night concert. Tuesday concerts feature local talent and are free to members. Nancy worked in the ticket booth and I took tickets. We worked from 1700 to nearly 2000. After working we get to see the concert for free. Nancy had fixed a picnic and I bought a beer. We listened to the music until 2100. It was a beautiful evening for an outdoor concert. 1700 folks attended the concert.

Monday August 13, 2012

I slept in until 0600. It was raining but Ms P still did her bidness. I did not go on a bike ride this morning because of the rain. I rowed for 15' and then ran 1.5 miles at the MAC. Did you know that today is "National Left Hand Day"? The Kava House would not give me a free coffee. After a quick lunch I walked Ms P around the block. I spent most of the afternoon cleaning up my desk. I think I was quite successful. I made reservations in Chicago for the weekend of August 25. Nancy and I are celebrating her 70th with a trip to Chicago. We had a light dinner and then watched some TV. We watched the final episode of The Closer and then its sequel. The sequel won't make it. I keep writing about my Mother and the letters I wrote home. I was trying to attach a photo but was unsucessful.

Sunday August 12, 2012

Ms P and I went outside at 0500. Today is our swim day so the alarm was set for 0655. We got to the MAC early and surprise they let us in early. I swam 30 laps, 1500 yards. Usually I swim 66% freestyle and 33% breast stroke. Today I mixed it up doing 33% free, 33% back and 33% breast. Surprisingly my time did not change much, 45'. Nancy said our larder was full so we did not go to Meijer's today. I did fill the Taurus up in Eastown and gas was $3.999. I bought coffee for the two of us at the Kava House. I also took my empty Ball jar and got it filled with organic honey. What really is organic honey? Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I am not exaggerating about Nancy's scrambled eggs. They are really good. I took a quick nap and then spent some time gluing my carbon fiber canoe paddle back together. I used an epoxy glue. After my paddle chore was done I grabbed my 40# barbells and headed to Play it Again Sports. I exchanged the 40 pounders for 50 pounders. I took Ms P around the block and then walked to Gaslight Village to use the ATM. Tonight we are having hamburgers and corn on the cob. I will also have a glass of fiddlestick. On August 8, 1960 I wrote my mother from Putney, VT. I told Mom that I had 5 weeks of work left before heading back to school. I loved working on the traveling survey crew. I stayed in Putney over the weekend. On Sunday I took a walk towards the Connecticut River. I found a semi obscured monument. The monument read that "Old Fort Putney" was located at this spot. The fort was built in 1755. I also swam across the river to NH. I was reading "Dr Z" and it was so interesting that I thought I might take a Russian history class. My bank account was $25 overdrawn because the State no longer paid for Monday morning breakfast or Sat night dinner. We were working 6 days a week. I liked the weekend work because I made an extra $45 plus expenses. No work next Tuesday because it is a VT holiday. The holiday was called Bennington Battle Day. So it was 52 years ago.

Saturday August 11, 2012

I set two alarms in order to get Nancy up for her "body pump" class at the MAC. The time was 0630 but Nancy was wide awake by 0620. Today I pedaled over to Bill's for their pancake breakfast. After breakfast I stopped at the ATM in Gaslight Village and then pedaled around Reeds Lake. I spent most of the morning running some errands. I stopped at Rylee's, Macy's and Target. I got home about 1400. After a short break I walked Ms P around the block and then grabbed the empty growler and put it in my backpack and walked to the Harmony Brewing Co. I got the growler filled with their beer name fiddlestick. For dinner we had hot dogs, baked beans and of course a glass of fiddlestick. I also had rhubarb sauce and ice cream pie for dessert. After dinner we watched the Olympics. I fell asleep in the recliner and slept for an hour. After my snooze I took a 1.5 mile walk. Nancy headed upstairs at 2100 and I did not go upstairs until 2230. I cannot get enough of the Olympics.

Friday August 10, 2012

It rained all night. I slept in until 0720 and then took Ms P out. The temperature was 56⁰ when I headed to the MAC. For this first time this summer rain stopped me from riding my bike. Also for the first time in weeks I wore long pants. After the MAC I came home and talked to Kim about taking Ms P on the weekend before Nancy's birthday. She will take Ms P so that Nancy and I can spent the weekend in Chicago. I had a quick coffee at Starbucks in EGR and then headed to Lowell for lunch with Jennifer. We discussed a bridge project she was working on. It is now 1700 and still raining. Tonight Nancy and I will have dinner at Panera Bread. On a cool day a soup and sandwich sounds good. In fact the chicken noodle soup and tuna fish sandwich was very good. We watched the Olympics when we got home. Nancy went upstairs at 2100 but I stayed up to watch the USA Women's team set a world record in the 4x100 relay.

Thursday August 9, 2012

Good grief both Ms P and I slept in until 0650. After the morning routine I pedaled to the MAC and did my tri today. The weather folks said it would rain all day but I did not encounter any this morning. It was cool today with the temperature in the high 60s. I did the tri today and made some modifications to my routine. I increased the rowing and running and decreased the swimming from 1050 yards to 900. Yesterday's DFP had an article on the Detroit Water and Sewer Department. The Director had commissioned a study on how to improve the Department. The report recommended a 80% reduction in staff. For years I have heard about the incompetence of the department. I was surprised that the Mayor and most of the City Commission agreed with the report. The DFP had an editorial recommending that the findings in the report be implemented soon. After lunch I took a quick nap and then tried to catch up on some projects. For dinner Nancy and I ate at Great Lakes Shipping. We both had the shrimp salad. We got home in time to watch some of the Olympics. Nancy headed upstairs at 2100 but I stayed up to watch some of the decathlon. I could not stay awake for the final decathlon event the 1,500 meter run.

Wednesday August 8, 2012

Ms P and I got up with the alarm at 0555. Today I have Breakfast Club. I was downtown by 0700. The food was especially good this morning, French toast and scrambled eggs. The speakers talked about GVSU's leadership program. After BC I headed to the Kava House. I almost finished the WSJ before my meter expired. I found a WSJ Editorial that compares the USA with Greece in relation to scams that are ripping folks off. For example it takes twice as many firefighters to put out 1/2 as many fires as 30 years ago. The UC system has seen the number of senior administrators grow rapidly so that there are now 1 administrator for every teacher. In 1980 it took 1 administrator to see five Medicare cases today the ratio is 1 to 2.5. Retirees for the Long Island RR abuse the systems to the point that 98% apply for disability benefits. Most receive them. You can retire from the LIRR at age 50. This scam is presently being investigated by the Feds. The number of employed Americans grew by 316,000 the first 41 months of the Obama Administration. The number of Americans receiving Social Security disability benefits grew by 1,291,000. The SS disability is a major rip off. On a happier note today is my sister Helen's birthday. I would not tell Helen's age but she is younger than I am. I remember when my Mom and Dad brought Helen home from the hospital. In those days new Moms were not to exert themselves until several weeks after giving birth. My Dad picked Mom up in his arms and carried her upstairs. As a three year old I was very impressed with Dad's strength. I had a quick lunch and then I got in the C2 and headed downtown for a 1200 GRBA meeting. We had a small agenda and the meeting was over in 20 minutes. Tonight Nancy has book club so I met Tom Moleski for pizza at Vitales. I had a 12" pizza and it was really good. On my way home I was overcome with an urge for something sweet. I stopped and purchased a soft ice cream cone. Nancy got home about 2000. I fell asleep in the recliner and when I woke at 1015 Nancy and Ms P had already gone upstairs.

Tuesday August 7, 2012

Today I followed my normal Tuesday routine. I rowed, ran and swam in addition to doing the calisthenics. It was another beautiful sunny day with temperature in the mid 80s. I have not been getting much sleep lately because of the Olympics so I took a nap in the afternoon. This evening Nancy and I worked at a concert at Meijer's Garden. The Tuesday concerts feature local talent and are free to members. We started working at 1700 and were done by 2000. Nancy sold tickets and I collected tickets. The Tuesday concerts having been drawing near capacity crowds. Nancy and I ate a picnic lunch and listened to the concert. I did buy a beer. We left about 2100. It was a pleasant evening for watching a concert. Once home we watched the Olympics. Nancy headed to bed at 2100 and I followed at 2200. It was a perfect summer day.

Monday August 6, 2012

First wakeup call was at 0455 and the second was at 0715. I did the morning calisthenics and then loaded up the bike and headed to Riverside Park. I pedaled to Rockford and the ride was 23 miles and my time was 1h55'. I stopped at the Kava House for coffee. I did not finish the WSJ because my time expired on the parking meter. After a quick lunch I ran some errands. I stopped at Rylee's to purchase a pail to keep Ms Ps poop. I next headed to the bank to purchase some dollar coins. I use dollar coins for coffee and tips. My final stop was at GR Bike Company to look over the stock. Bill and Paul's is next door so I looked at their stock. I did see a nice solo canoe that I would like to buy but I don't think I can sell my kayak. I got home in time to see the end of the USA/Canada girls soccer game. It was a barn burner. Tomorrow is primary election day. Nancy and I will be glad when it is over because our phone has been ringing off the hook with all the canned political messages. We had a light dinner and then watched some of the Olympic coverage on TV. Nancy headed upstairs at 2100 but I stayed up until 2230. I have mentioned in other posts that I was on Midway during a launch of a Mercury space capsule. The capsule was recovered in the Pacific near Midway Island. My division was involved in the moving and loading of the capsule from the Navy vessel to a cargo plane. It was an exciting experience. The launch took place in October 1962. I hope to find the letter I wrote my mother describing the experience.

Sunday August 5, 2012

Sunday morning and Ms P slept in until 0655. We got up with the alarm and got ready for the MAC. I swam 1,500 yards in 45 minutes. Olympic swimmers swim 1,500m (1640 yds) in 15 minutes. After the MAC we headed to Meijer's for our weekly supplies. Gas today was $3.89 per gallon. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. After breakfast I took my Sunday nap. After the nap I finished the GRP and walked Ms P around the block. This evening Nancy and I are going to the Moleski's for dinner. In fact we are leaving right now. Tom Moleski grilled all the meat and vegetables on his new grill. He also used another grill for the corn. We ate outside on their deck. The meal was delicious. We left about 2000 and believe it or not we wished we had brought a sweater. It was cool. After we got home we watched some of the Olympics before turning in at 2130.

Saturday August 4, 2012

Ms P and I slept in until 0630. Today I rode the bike to Bill's and had their pancake breakfast. On my way home I pedaled around Reeds Lake. I put 11 miles on the bike. I was going on a long kayak trip today but it is too hot. It was above 90 at noon. I loaded the kayak up and headed to Reeds Lake. I paddled around the lake and it took me 90 minutes. When I got home I took Ms P around the block. She needs her daily walk around the block no matter what the weather. Today is Tom Collins' birthday. I called Tom who now lives in San Clemente, CA. Tom was a year behind me in school and this year he attended his 55th AHS reunion. He said they had a big turnout. Did you know that life expectancy for folks born in 1938 was 59.7 years? Tonight Nancy and I are meeting the Namey's at Shariz for dinner. Shariz features Persian food. I had the lamb shank and it was great. After dinner we all headed to our house for coffee and dessert. We had a great time. Nancy went to bed right after Ed and Mary left. I was going to watch some Olympics but I fell asleep in the recliner and woke up 2 hours later.

Friday August 3, 2012

We had the AC on last night and I really got a good night's sleep. Ms P also slept in until 0545. Today I did my calisthenics and then loaded the bike on the rack and headed to Riverside Park. I rode the bike to Rockford and back a distance of 23 miles. It took 2 hours. It is really hot and humid today. In fact I brought a clean shirt along with me so I could put it on before going to the Kava House. I was just starting lunch and watching some Olympics when our power went out. I turned off the AC and unplugged the computers. Nancy came home about 1330 and we decided to go to Costco. Ms P stayed home because it was too hot. I was surprised that Costco was not very crowded. The power was back on when we got home. The outside temperature was 94 at 1700. We had dinner at Russ'. I had the hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Nancy had a soup and salad. We are now watching the Olympics. I stayed up until 2100 watching the Olympics.

Thursday August 2, 2012

It is going to be a hot humid day. In fact we had a brief shower about 0700. This morning I did the tri. I am more motivated when I swim after watching the swimmers at the Olympics. Speaking of swimmers in 1961 I attended a 2 month Navy school in Port Hueneme, CA. One of my classmates won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. He attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. We had a brief heavy rain about 1000. Nancy thought she had left her sun roof open so I went out the check. The sun roof was closed. I did my normal thing at the Kava House. I had a quick lunch and then headed to Fox Ford to get our satellite radio fixed. I guess the radio needed some upgrades so the tech downloaded the upgrade and I headed home. I walked Ms P around the block and she was very unhappy because it is so hot and humid. We had dinner at Great Lakes Shipping. We spent the evening watching the Olympics. I stayed up to see Phelps win his gold in the 200M IM. I have been checking some old letters and this is an update. July 22, 1962: Midway Island Naval Station. I wrote my mother and told her about a big H bomb blast (50 mega ton) that I witnessed in early July. President Kennedy and his Russian counterpart were in a contest to see who could built the biggest nuclear device. The blast took place at Johnson Island. Johnson Island is a small island about 850 miles from Midway. Midway was a major monitoring station. I told mother that just before the blast I walked down to the beach. The beach was crowded with almost every sailor on the island. It was pitch black. When the bomb went off the sky over Midway was like high noon for about 10 seconds. For the next 30 seconds it looked like a bright sunset. Life magazine had a cover picture of the blast and how it lit up Hawaii. I also mentioned that I rode out to a visiting Korean Navy Ship. My friend a Lt is a trained pilot and he guided the Korean ships, 4 destroyers, into Midway Harbor. August 1, 1962: I let mom know that Helen's birthday present was in the mail. I also mentioned that I had a new boss a Navy Commander. He is big in playing handball so I got a work crew together and we fixed the outdoor court. Now I have to play the Commander whenever he wants. I mentioned our big project was to build a road to the edge of the reef. We were tearing down buildings and taking down old trees in order to get enough fill to build this road. I also told Mom that I would not send any checks home because I was saving up for my vacation in Hawaii. When I enlisted in the Navy I weighed 137 pounds. I now weigh 155. It must be the good Navy food. We have some Admirals visiting the Island tomorrow so I have to provide drivers. The men must be spit and polish in their dress whites. Tomorrow a ship comes in with supplies for the base. I must provide equipment operators and mechanics to unload the boats. The ships always come in on a weekend. The unloading operation runs 24/7. The Navy air wing assigned to the Island do not have to provide men. After all they are protecting the USA. No Navy construction personnel like folks in Navy air. I also vented on the career Navy personnel. I did not think the career folks worked too hard, especially aviators. Midway has heard rumors that the next Mercury Astronaut will land near Midway and we will be involved in the recovery. It was a long rambling letter home. I think the confined Island life was getting to me.

Wednesday August 1, 2012

It is hard to believe that it is the first of August already. We had a full moon last night and today is suppose to be sunny and warm. Aren't all summer days in MI sunny and warm? Today is my easy day so I had breakfast at Bill's. I had the $4.75 special that includes eggs, meat, potatoes and toast. It was very good. I took the time to read both the WSJ and DFP. After breakfast I stopped at the bank in Gas Light Village and then took a ride around Reeds Lake. The path around the lake was busy with walkers, runners and bikers. Linear Parks are great. When I got home I took out the lawn mower. I have been pouring the water to the lawn so the grass was fairly tall. It took over 3 hours to get all the lawn work done. Ms P insisted that I throw the ball while I was cutting. I nearly through my arm out. I was surprised that she wanted to go inside before I was done. I think the heat got to her. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. She said they had 900 folks pass through during her 4 hour shift. This evening we are going to dinner at Nancy's friend Kathi's house. Kathi lives in one of the big house on Plymouth. It is a nice old, vintage 1920, home. Brick exterior and wood and tile interior floors. Kathi and I had grilled salmon and Nancy had grilled chicken breast. We also had a garden fresh salad. I drank a special beer from Trader Joe's. It was very good. We ate on her screened in porch. It was a pleasant evening for sitting outside. We got home at 2200 and went straight to bed.

Tuesday July 31, 2012

We had a heavy thunderstorm roll through last night. Of course Ms P went bonkers. She finally settled down about 0300 and slept until 0600. I slept in until 0715. Today I did all my calisthenics including rowing 2,000M. I have been watching the Olympic rowing events and I am surprised how good the Concept 2 machine mimics actual rowing. Watching some college rowers using the Concept 2 at the MAC, I can see why it is a great dry land rowing exercise. My best time in the 2K is 8'59" and a young lady on the MSU team consistently does 7'20". At the MAC I ran a mile and swam 1,000 yards. Olympics swimmers are 3 times faster than I am and the rowers are about 30% faster. I like being able to compare. I did not get to the Kava House until 1200. I read the WSJ but not the DFP. When I got home I watched some rowing on TV and then got in the Taurus and headed to the Ford garage. I now have an appointment to get the Satellite radio fixed. We really needed last night's rain, however, the heat still lingers. It is now in the mid-80s. We will continue watching the Olympics tonight.