Monday June 29, 2015

Last Monday in June and it looks like it will be a good one. Nancy heads out to make her 0800 class and I do the at home stuff. Today for my bike ride I put on my bike shoes. These shoes have clips but the clips are depressed so I can use them on flat pedals. My new pedals have one side flat and the other side clipped. About two miles into the ride a large deer ran in front of me. First deer I have encountered in several months. The trail was busy this morning. I did not try the clips until about mile 10. They worked great and I remembered to unclip when I stopped. The downside to clips are in panic stop situations when failure to unclip leads to a tip over. Today I rode 14 miles. Before lunch I took a trip to Meijer's to mail a package. I also bought shaving location and priced a booster seat. The painters starting working on the condo today. This evening Howie and Shirley Short are spending the night. They have an early flight to Denver on Tuesday. They got here at 1730. We had dinner at Marco's. It was Monday night but the place was crowded. At home we sat in the living room and had a nice conversation. Howie and I had a shot of Scotch made in Campbeltown, Scotland, my GGF Mctavish's birthplace. Today was a nice summer's day.

Sunday June 28, 2015

Sunshine and the alarm got us up at 0645. Sunday, so it is a swim day for Bob and Nancy. We were the first car in the lot and also the first in the pool. Nancy swam 1,250 meters and I swam 30 minutes or about 900 meters. I have doing only the breast stroke with no pain. At Meijer's Nancy loaded up with fresh fruits and vegetables. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I read the funnies and sports page before taking my nap. We think our condo is going to be painted this week. I spent some time sweeping our ground floor deck. We will have to remove flower baskets and other things attached to our outside walls. Nancy did the laundry today. I finally got around to hanging some pictures. I should have done it months ago. We have been in the condo 50 weeks and still have not got it exactly the way we would like it. We are getting close. I fired up the grill for Nancy and then took a two mile walk. On my walk I mailed in my CA PE renewal. I don't know why I have renewed it. Would you hire a 77 year old? Perfect day for a walk. Nancy grilled burgers and corn on the cob tonight. It was really tasty. It is now 1918 and we are watching 60 Minutes. Will finish reading the GRP and watch some TV/netflix before turning in.

Saturday June 27, 2015

Up at 0646 and got ready for our trip to Gaylord. Breakfast at home and then got in the Taurus and first stop was Panera for coffee before hitting the open road. We got on the freeway at 0800. The drive to Gaylord was pleasant. It is 186 miles from the condo. We were attending a graduation party for Paige Kassuba, the granddaughter of my sister, Helen. It was a good party. In addition to talking to Paige we also talked with our niece, Jennifer, Paige's mother and Jennifer's brother, Jason, our nephew. Jason's daughter, Kennedy, was at the party. Jason also brought his girl friend Tina. Don Crandall my brother in law was the proud grandpa. He enjoyed having his family together. Shirley, Don's daughter and her husband Howie arrived from CO on Thursday. It was great talking to them. We found out Howie is also going on a South African safari. We exchanged details about our trips. Shirley and Howie are spending Monday evening at the condo. We look forward to their visit. The drive home was uneventful. We stopped in Cedar Springs and picked up Ms P. As soon as we got home I took a short walk in order to get my 30 in. Nancy fixed egg sandwiches and soup for dinner. Nothing on TV so it was a netflix evening.

Friday June 26, 2015

The chirping birds and bright sunshine got us up early this morning. Did the at home stuff and then put on my biking clothes and headed to Panera. I think all the EU members are totally exhausted from trying to get Greece in line. The WSJ still gave Greece a lot of ink. Is the failure of Iraq to take back territory lost to ISIS the fault of the USA? I don't think so. Why hasn't any politician proposed just getting out of the Middle East? I certainly would. Today I rode my 14 mile route. I did stop at the Ada Bike Shop to have them put new pedals on the bike. They removed the original bike pedals and put on pedals that I can use with or without clips. I called in a prescription refill to Meijer's and Nancy told me it was ready. I walked over and picked up the pills. Nancy and I are going to Gaylord tomorrow. Kim is taking Ms P for the day. She picked her up at 1400. I washed several khaki pants this afternoon. Need a pair for tomorrow. Nancy fixed pork chops, dressing and green beans for dinner. It was tasty. Our internet went out this evening so I had to unplug several wires that are connected to the modem and router. It worked. We watched some of the Women's soccer and then Midsomer Murders on netflix.

Thursday June 25, 2015

Thursday is my usual swim day but today I slept in. Did the at home routine and then got on the bike and rode 14 miles. Rain threatened all day but only had a sprinkle on the ride. After the ride walked over to Panera. I read the WSJ but cannot recall anything I want to comment on. Took a long walk home. We got an email from the Safari company outlining a schedule. We thought it looked good. We will leave GR on Sep 2 and return Sep 16. Emailed back and told them to get the tickets. The Overhead Door folks called and said they had a cancellation and could come over at 1400. We said come over. They spent about 90 minutes putting in a new spring. I cleaned up my in basket. My CA PE license is due for renewal. I have not decided if I will renew. It started raining hard about 1600. Could not take a walk so I took a nap. For dinner Nancy and I ate at Cascade Sports Grill. It is about 1/2 mile from the condo. The place was not crowded. With both had a burger. We gave it a B. At 1930 I took a short walk. Nothing on TV so we are watching our second Aussie Crime show on netflix.

Wednesday June 24, 2015

Blog being written at 2112: Up at 0545 to get ready for Breakfast Club. Drove in bright sunshine to BC. The speaker today was the Rev Dean who is running for Mayor of GR. He listed his qualifications and was given a good reception by the group. After BC I drove to Breton Village car wash to get the Cobalt cleaned. I then stopped at Starbucks in Breton Village. Final stop before heading home was Woodland Mall. Stopped at Sears and returned a pair of pants I bought yesterday. Walked down to American Eagle and bought a pair of khakis. When I got home took a 2.6 mile walk. The Taurus needs to be cleaned so I drove Nancy to Meijer Garden for her afternoon shift. Got the deluxe wash at Breton Village CW. Quick lunch and then took a nap. At 1600 grabbed Ms P and headed to the Gardens to pick up Nancy. I took a short walk before showering. We had our normal light Wednesday dinner. Tonight we attended our condo associations annual meeting at Noto's restaurant. Our neighbor Sonya rode with us. The meeting lasted two hours. This was our first meeting and we found it very interesting. We also found out we know several neighbors. We got a call this evening from the safari company. We checked our calendar and agreed to start the safari on Sept 4. They will confirm our reservations tomorrow. Busy day!

Tuesday June 23, 2015

Thunder showers last night, Ms P went bonkers so I grabbed her and took her downstairs, shut all the doors, put my iPod music on shuffle, turned on the light and we both slept fine. Today is swim day for both Bob and Nancy so I set the alarm for 0630. I want to get up early (about 15’) so I have more time at Panera to read. I have to leave Panera at 0930 or I won’t get a lane. I lucked out this morning. All the lanes were in use and I was ready to leave when a lane became available. All the swimmers Nancy and I talked to are waiting for the new YMCA to open later this year. They will have a larger pool and should take some of the pressure off MVP’s pool. The new Y will be only 1.25 miles from the condo vs 3.65 for MVP. I took the long route home. I did have a confrontation with a vehicle and it’s driver this morning. I was taking my time pedaling along 28th St when a man pulls into a nearby strip mall, rolls his window down and calls me over. I thought it was someone who knew me so I pedaled over. He began to give me a lecture about safe bike riding. He asked me my age and we were the same. I kind of lost it and told him I did not need a lecture and to bug off. We both parted ways in a huff. I got home about 1230. We were expecting the overhead door folks to come over about 1300 to put in a new spring. They canceled. It was too early for lunch so I took a 2.5 mile walk. This afternoon I jumped in the Cobalt and headed to Woodland Mall. I stopped at the Apple Store and asked how I could change a book I purchased that was in Spanish to English. They gave me the answer. I stopped a Sears to see if they had any long sleeve tee shirts. They did not. I did buy a pair of cheap khakis that were on sale. As soon as I got home I tried them on and tomorrow I will return them. Sears has really gone downhill. Will it survive? Nancy is grilling lamb for dinner. I will also get a sweet potato and some veggies. We got a paper copy of the GRP today so I will spend several minutes reading it this evening. Have not checked TV Guide to see what is available this evening. We always use netflix as a fall back.