The Winds Came

It was a very windy day by the big lake. It seemed like a day to recover from bike trips and, perhaps, to take a march to Big Red at the state park. It's a long trek, but one that I've repeated many times in the past. The reward is a chance to see if the lighthouse has changed since my last visit and the challenge is to get a unique photo. This, at least, proves that I made the full distance to the pier.


On the way back from the Big Red visit, I ran into this gang of ruffians. They seemed friendly and, indeed, familiar. They were coming to meet me on the beach - Nikki, Totally Jammin', Unky Herb, and Nancy.



Later in the day, after a trip to the farmer's market for cherries, blueberries, tomatoes, cukes and zukes we trekked to Tunnel Park to run down the dune and get a picture of Herb jumping off the wall next to the downhill. We're trying to get him in midair with his arms flailing about. We'll be trying again tomorrow after something less than success today. The picture below is the walking group standing on top of the dune in the wind. I guess it was gusting to about 30 mph, at least according to some reliable sources.



Another fine day in southwestern Michigan.

A Day by the Big Lake

It's the first day of August. Herb and I are visiting at Santini's Bed and Breakfast, a fine establishment near a very large lake. The proprietor of the establishment is shown below at Tunnel Park with the lake in the background. The weather is very nice and we were able to get in a bike ride today - 13 miles with a stop at Bowerman's Blueberry Shop for a quart of blue joy.


This would be Herb himself, jumping off the start point for the fabled run down the dune at Tunnel Park. This is the best of several takes, but we may get a better one later in the visit. He did not hurt himself.


Herb again. He's lording it over mere mortals, standing atop a structure on the dune at Tunnel Park. It was a beautiful evening with a beautiful sunset.



We miss the Prairie Princess who is saving the prairie, one orchid plant at a time. She's hard at work in Glyndon, toiling for the Nature Conservancy.

Tunnel Parking

The hill at Tunnel Park is an attraction for visitors to the Tulip Capitol of Michigan. Here we have UH and KS, along with the SLO's, running up the hill, in a display of youthful vigor. The county keeps this part of the dune as sand so that when we visit there is a place for the crazies among us to have some fun. It's a great event. I claim the record for the oldest downhill runner at this venue, unofficially, of course. I haven't run uphill in years.


An old photo from about 1949 - just guessing from the apparent age of Gino. I don't remember the car, nor do I know the location of the shot, but I know the people involved - Santini, the father, Gino, TT, and GPa. I scanned it in early in August and used iPhoto to fix it up some. Does anyone know where it was taken? And is that the family car that is serving as a bench? Santini says she was noted for her lack of modesty at that age, but who really remembers? She and Gino are wearing shoes.


This afternoon I found the picnic table at Como Park where I had sushi on Tuesday with Kagami Sensei. The City of St Paul workers were busily loading the oak trees and branches into trucks to be transported elsewhere for chipping. The place smelled of oak kindling.

The West Coast Eagles are the defending champions of Australian Rules Football.