Wednesday my easy day. My first big decision is where am I going to have breakfast. I selected Bill's on Michigan Ave. It is a favorite of the cheap eats folk. After breakfast I loaded up the AT and headed for John Ball Park and the Kent Trails Bike Path. The trail has been resurfaced recently. It was a nice smooth ride. The north end of the trail follows the Grand River and I travelled along the west side of the river eventually crossing the river using an old RR bridge. I followed the trail until it passed under the freeway. On my return home as I crossed over the bridge I turned left (west) instead of right and followed the trail until it got to Millennium Park. The park has two paved bike paths. I took the east path and it took me through some great wetlands for about 4 miles. Following the park trail I ended up back on Kent Trails and it was just a short ride back to John Ball Park. The entire trip was about 14 miles. I highly recommend this trip.
I had a quick lunch and then Nancy and I headed for the airport. Today Missy (aka Tasha) and Akerke (aka AJ) arrive from Kazakhstan. The entire flight took over 36 hours. Needless to say both Missy and Akerke were exhausted. It was great seeing them and Nancy had purchased some ballons and presents for the girls. Akerke was fascianted with the ballons. Akerka has a Kazakhstan passport but is now officially a USA citizen.
After a quick dinner and bath Missy and Akerke headed to bed. The only sad thing about today was that Ms P was kind of left out of all the activity. Akerke will need some time to get use to the dog. Right now she is outside the bedroom door whining to get in. I will grab her after I finish the blog.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a clear warm Friday. GG said he took in beans and pulled most of the pods off. You farmer can figure that statement out.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday October 13, 2009
Tuesday morning and everything went well. I perform a few exercises and then run to the MAC. On Tuesday and Friday I now do 85% of the exercises I do at home on Mondays and Thursday at the MAC. I do not row on Tuesday or Friday. After the exercises I usually drink a half cup of coffee before running home. Today I ended up talking to Wayne, a dedicated runner, about our tours in Vietnam. We spent about 45 minutes telling stories. I got home about 1100, showered and headed to Kava House, via bike of course. I got home about 1300.
After lunch I decided to remove the screens on three doors and place the storm doors. I also removed all the downstairs screens. I think the house is much brighter with the screens gone. We need this additional brightness during the winter months. Nancy and I also brought in the hoses, flower pots and turned over the bird bath so it won't freeze. We also hung up the lawn mower so it is out of the way. Nancy's car looked dirty so I took it to Breton Village Car Wash. I finished my outside activities with a 1.5 mile walk.
I hope to have the blog done before dinner so I can watch NCIS tonight. Tomorrow Tasha and AJ will be here and Nancy has purchased some balloons to take to the airport. I got my 30 in today did you?
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. GG said they had some rain last night and it was not quite so warm. He put 15 baskets of wood upstairs. He also put gas in the tank and air in the tires of the old car.
After lunch I decided to remove the screens on three doors and place the storm doors. I also removed all the downstairs screens. I think the house is much brighter with the screens gone. We need this additional brightness during the winter months. Nancy and I also brought in the hoses, flower pots and turned over the bird bath so it won't freeze. We also hung up the lawn mower so it is out of the way. Nancy's car looked dirty so I took it to Breton Village Car Wash. I finished my outside activities with a 1.5 mile walk.
I hope to have the blog done before dinner so I can watch NCIS tonight. Tomorrow Tasha and AJ will be here and Nancy has purchased some balloons to take to the airport. I got my 30 in today did you?
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. GG said they had some rain last night and it was not quite so warm. He put 15 baskets of wood upstairs. He also put gas in the tank and air in the tires of the old car.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday October 12, 2009
Monday morning and in keeping with my retirement vows no alarm. I got up at 0630. Nancy was already up and had gotten her coffee. What good am I? I now do 5,000 meters on the Concept II. This morning I set my personal best of 22:00. I might record this time on Concept IIs web site. I try to get 40 minutes of aerobics so today I ran 18 minutes on the track (22' row + 18 run = 40').
I got a large coffee at the Kava House because it takes me longer to read both the DFP and WSJ. Although I must admit that I skip over a lot of the WSJ articles. The DFP this morning was disappointing. The majority of articles were taken off the AP news wire or some other wire.
Lately I have been reading about oil and gas exploration. It appears that new methods of getting natural gas out of rock formations has significantly increased the US's supply. Brazil and Ghana also have found large off shore oil fields.
I got home from the Kava House about 1315. I had a quick lunch and then got dressed because I attended a retirement reception for Bill DeYoung. Bill worked in the City Engineers office for 47 years. I met several of my college classmates at the reception. After I got home I went on a 3 mile walk.
This evening I will finish the newspaper and maybe watch some TV. Nancy likes to watch "House" at 8. I might retire to my office and watch the football game.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Wednesday. GG was home all morning but in the afternoon they drove to my grandparents via the old Hubbard Lake Road. They were home by 6 PM. Tonight Aunt Laura had a "Ladies Aid" meeting.
I got a large coffee at the Kava House because it takes me longer to read both the DFP and WSJ. Although I must admit that I skip over a lot of the WSJ articles. The DFP this morning was disappointing. The majority of articles were taken off the AP news wire or some other wire.
Lately I have been reading about oil and gas exploration. It appears that new methods of getting natural gas out of rock formations has significantly increased the US's supply. Brazil and Ghana also have found large off shore oil fields.
I got home from the Kava House about 1315. I had a quick lunch and then got dressed because I attended a retirement reception for Bill DeYoung. Bill worked in the City Engineers office for 47 years. I met several of my college classmates at the reception. After I got home I went on a 3 mile walk.
This evening I will finish the newspaper and maybe watch some TV. Nancy likes to watch "House" at 8. I might retire to my office and watch the football game.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Wednesday. GG was home all morning but in the afternoon they drove to my grandparents via the old Hubbard Lake Road. They were home by 6 PM. Tonight Aunt Laura had a "Ladies Aid" meeting.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday October 11, 2009
I set the alarm for 0656 but I got up before that because Ms P had to do her bidness. It being Sunday we head for the MAC and our Sunday swim. I swam 1500 yards. Gas was $2.55 a gallon at Meijer's so I topped off the Taurus's tank. We stocked up on food for Tasha's and AJ's visit on Wednesday. I am sure Tasha will be very tired after traveling almost 15 hours on a plane with a 19 month old child who had not even been in a car until 3 weeks ago.
As usual I took a short nap this afternoon. After the nap I make some changes to the AT bike. I removed the rear storage bag and mounted a tire pump on the vertical strut. I needed to remove the bag because as an old guy I have a tough time lifting my leg over the saddle when I dismount. Now I just slid the bike forward when I stop and do not need to lift my leg. After working on the AT bike I rode around Reeds Lake two times. I was a nice day for a ride. The colors keep getting better. The trail around Reeds Lake was crowded with runners, walkers and bikers.
Nancy is fixing hot dogs and beans for dinner tonight. This is one of my favorite meals. We will probably watch 60 minutes and the football game until 9. I will go to bed to read and Nancy will watch, Law and Order or CSI, I can't remember.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Tuesday with a few clouds. GG drove to Alpena to deliver 10 squash to Aunt Laura. He also purchased a new item at the Ford dealer for the car. The church is having a roast pork dinner tonight.
As usual I took a short nap this afternoon. After the nap I make some changes to the AT bike. I removed the rear storage bag and mounted a tire pump on the vertical strut. I needed to remove the bag because as an old guy I have a tough time lifting my leg over the saddle when I dismount. Now I just slid the bike forward when I stop and do not need to lift my leg. After working on the AT bike I rode around Reeds Lake two times. I was a nice day for a ride. The colors keep getting better. The trail around Reeds Lake was crowded with runners, walkers and bikers.
Nancy is fixing hot dogs and beans for dinner tonight. This is one of my favorite meals. We will probably watch 60 minutes and the football game until 9. I will go to bed to read and Nancy will watch, Law and Order or CSI, I can't remember.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Tuesday with a few clouds. GG drove to Alpena to deliver 10 squash to Aunt Laura. He also purchased a new item at the Ford dealer for the car. The church is having a roast pork dinner tonight.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday October 10, 2009
The alarm goes off at 0626 and Nancy gets up and heads for the MAC. I slowly get up and must decide where I am going to have breakfast. The weather report says that we have heavy fog and the temperature is in the 30s. It is still pitch black so I decided to get in the Aztek and head for the Omelet House for an oatmeal breakfast. Oatmeal is a nice breakfast for a cold fall morning. The weather is suppose to improve so I decide to take advantage of the few days left for me to go kayaking this year.
I load up the kayak and head for Weber Dam in Ionia County. This dam impounds the Grand River. This is the second time I have been on this impoundment and today it was a great ride. The fall colors were really nice. I saw a deer, a lot of waterfowl and several huge hawks circling above the water. I did not see any turtles a sure sign that cold weather has driven the critters into hibernation. I spent 2.5 hours on the water.
I always enjoy driving through Ionia County's farm country. Today was no exception. The farms all look well maintained and prosperous. Of course all the nice farms are on gravel roads so the Aztek is very dirty.
When I got home Nancy was on the phone with Sasha getting help on her new iMac. Sasha was a big help. Nancy tried out her built in web cam by talking to Sasha via Skype. It worked great. Nancy likes her iMac.
Right now it is 5:55 and I am writing this blog on word and watching the UW/OSU game on TV. Yes folks I am multi tasking. Nancy is fixing tomato soup and fried egg sandwich for dinner. A great fall evening meal.
We heard from Tasha today and we expect to see her and AJ on Wednesday. Her long plane ride will be a chore for her.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm day with a light rain. GG was home all day.
I load up the kayak and head for Weber Dam in Ionia County. This dam impounds the Grand River. This is the second time I have been on this impoundment and today it was a great ride. The fall colors were really nice. I saw a deer, a lot of waterfowl and several huge hawks circling above the water. I did not see any turtles a sure sign that cold weather has driven the critters into hibernation. I spent 2.5 hours on the water.
I always enjoy driving through Ionia County's farm country. Today was no exception. The farms all look well maintained and prosperous. Of course all the nice farms are on gravel roads so the Aztek is very dirty.
When I got home Nancy was on the phone with Sasha getting help on her new iMac. Sasha was a big help. Nancy tried out her built in web cam by talking to Sasha via Skype. It worked great. Nancy likes her iMac.
Right now it is 5:55 and I am writing this blog on word and watching the UW/OSU game on TV. Yes folks I am multi tasking. Nancy is fixing tomato soup and fried egg sandwich for dinner. A great fall evening meal.
We heard from Tasha today and we expect to see her and AJ on Wednesday. Her long plane ride will be a chore for her.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm day with a light rain. GG was home all day.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday October 9, 2009
It started out as a dark rainy day and it continued to get worse. I slept in until 0700 and then put on my running clothes for my jog to the MAC. It was 50 when I left and the rain was just a slight drizzle. After performing all my exercises at the MAC I ran home. It was still just a slight drizzle. I showered and dressed, warmly, and then pedaled to the Kava House. It started to rain hard right before I arrived.
I spent about 1.5 hours reading the DFP and WSJ. The news was quite depressing. I got real wet on my ride home. I immediately changed clothes and put on a pair of lined jeans. This is the first time this fall that I have worn lined pants. After a quick lunch Ms P and I piled in the Aztek and headed to Meijer's. I bought some doggy treats for Ms P and some hard sourdough pretzels for Nancy and Bob. I also stopped at Rylee's Hardware and purchased a pair of Carhartt lined jeans.
It appears that I can now copy and paste a word.doc into my blog. I don't know what happened. Tonight Nancy and I are meeting the Nameys at Marcos for dinner. The dinner was great I had a butternut squash soup that was outstanding. Nancy a big pork chop with plenty left over for Ms P. We had dessert at the Nameys. Mary prepared a heath bar/ice cream/vanilla pudding dish that was great.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a cool sunny Sunday. GG delivered papers to J. D. Bingham on Bartlett property. GG and GGM with the Clintons drove to the stone church for chicken dinner. Church was at 7:00 PM and 13 folks were in attendance.
I spent about 1.5 hours reading the DFP and WSJ. The news was quite depressing. I got real wet on my ride home. I immediately changed clothes and put on a pair of lined jeans. This is the first time this fall that I have worn lined pants. After a quick lunch Ms P and I piled in the Aztek and headed to Meijer's. I bought some doggy treats for Ms P and some hard sourdough pretzels for Nancy and Bob. I also stopped at Rylee's Hardware and purchased a pair of Carhartt lined jeans.
It appears that I can now copy and paste a word.doc into my blog. I don't know what happened. Tonight Nancy and I are meeting the Nameys at Marcos for dinner. The dinner was great I had a butternut squash soup that was outstanding. Nancy a big pork chop with plenty left over for Ms P. We had dessert at the Nameys. Mary prepared a heath bar/ice cream/vanilla pudding dish that was great.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a cool sunny Sunday. GG delivered papers to J. D. Bingham on Bartlett property. GG and GGM with the Clintons drove to the stone church for chicken dinner. Church was at 7:00 PM and 13 folks were in attendance.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thurday October 8, 2009
I am still not use to complete darkness at 0630. However, I did manage to get up and complete my at home exercises before 0800. I have still not figured out how to dress on these 40 degree mornings. I had on four layers for my ride to the MAC. When I left the MAC at 1030 I was overdressed with 4 layers. This morning's DFP had several good articles on how the City of Detroit and State of Michigan are trying to balance their budgets. It looks like the gov is recommending a tax increase. I think a tax increase is necessary.
I also subscribe to the WSJ and I spend too much time reading both papers. I spent 2 hours this morning reading papers (actually reading my Kindle). Speaking of Kindle the WSJ said that Amazon is lowering the price of the Kindle $60.
Nancy took Ms P into the beauty shop at 1230. After lunch we went and picked Ms P up. She looks great. If fact with short hair her dachshund features stand out.
I fired up the computer this afternoon and looked at train schedules in Europe. After much searching I finally found what I was looking for on mapquest. We can easily make one day visits to cities in Switzerland, Austria and of course Germany. We are thinking of buying a eurorail pass.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with the Horlings. We are meeting at the Bluewater Grill. The Bluewater was jammed. We had to wait about an hour.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Saturday. My great grand parents drove to Alpena to record at deed and also to get a quick claim deed from Gertrude Bartlett. GG drove a different route home.
I also subscribe to the WSJ and I spend too much time reading both papers. I spent 2 hours this morning reading papers (actually reading my Kindle). Speaking of Kindle the WSJ said that Amazon is lowering the price of the Kindle $60.
Nancy took Ms P into the beauty shop at 1230. After lunch we went and picked Ms P up. She looks great. If fact with short hair her dachshund features stand out.
I fired up the computer this afternoon and looked at train schedules in Europe. After much searching I finally found what I was looking for on mapquest. We can easily make one day visits to cities in Switzerland, Austria and of course Germany. We are thinking of buying a eurorail pass.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with the Horlings. We are meeting at the Bluewater Grill. The Bluewater was jammed. We had to wait about an hour.
Ossineke, MI this date in 1938. It was a warm Saturday. My great grand parents drove to Alpena to record at deed and also to get a quick claim deed from Gertrude Bartlett. GG drove a different route home.
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