Yeah, I know, it has been MONTHS since I made an entry. Well, I've been busy. Life gets in the way of living, if you define living as doing just what you enjoy. I will try to recap the last 7 (!) months in a few paragraphs, which should not be hard given my lack of memory. At least this way the trivial and mundane events have already gone to my brain's recycle bin, never to be recovered. (And anyone who says "It's all trivial or mundane." is hereby awarded a slap to the back of the head, courtesy of Jethro Leroy Gibbs.)
So Sherman, shall we step into the Wayback Machine and travel back to July 2008? (If you don't get the reference, just Google the damn thing already!)
So Sherman, shall we step into the Wayback Machine and travel back to July 2008? (If you don't get the reference, just Google the damn thing already!)
July started off with a boom, and not just from fireworks, as my friend JoA
nn and I attended the annual air show / hot air balloon festival in Battle Creek, MI. It was an outstanding show with many different, and in some cases, rare aircraft. The USAF Thunderbirds and Canadian Forces Snowbirds put on their usual excellent exhibitions and there were aerobatic displays by a number of plane / pilot combinations. There were fly-bys by everything from a WWII P-51 Mustang to an F-15 Eagle, including 4 of the few airworthy Lockheed F-104 Starfighters left in the world. Many pictures were taken on my (new) Olympus camera. As is the case more often than not, the balloons did not ascend that day due to the wind.
nn and I attended the annual air show / hot air balloon festival in Battle Creek, MI. It was an outstanding show with many different, and in some cases, rare aircraft. The USAF Thunderbirds and Canadian Forces Snowbirds put on their usual excellent exhibitions and there were aerobatic displays by a number of plane / pilot combinations. There were fly-bys by everything from a WWII P-51 Mustang to an F-15 Eagle, including 4 of the few airworthy Lockheed F-104 Starfighters left in the world. Many pictures were taken on my (new) Olympus camera. As is the case more often than not, the balloons did not ascend that day due to the wind.August was noteworthy in more than one way. I scored front row tickets
to a Manhattan Transfer concert at Meadowbrook, near Detroit. This multi Grammy Award winning vocal group has been my favorite for 30 years, and I can (and will, if prompted) go on and on about their artistry and innovative vocal talents. This was the 7th concert of theirs that I have had the pleasure to attend, and the first that I've been so close to the stage. So, Cheryl, Janis, Alan and Tim: Thank you for a most memorable and enjoyable concert. I hope to be lucky enough to see you again, but this one will always be the best.
August was also memorable in that I attended my first full blown NASCAR
racing was close. I guess it doesn't get much better if you are a fan. And the fans were there, although there were empty seats to be seen, attributable to Michigan's economy and (at that time) $4.00 / gal gas prices.
September is my birthday month and my celebration included a reprise of what used to be an annual visit to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. This year's trip was a present from my Goddaughter, Kat and her boyfriend, Nick. Roller coasters (my passion) were ridden and tasty food and drink were consumed. A fun time was had - thanks again, you two.
The rest of September, October and November are a blur, punctuated by a better than expected MSU football season. Some arch rivals (Michigan) were defeated and some (Ohio State, Penn State) defeated us, but we went to a New Year's Day bowl for the first time in years and acquitted ourselves well, if not victoriously. Somewhere in there was a (too) short visit from my older daughter, who lives and works in Ft. Worth, TX. The obligatory cider mill visit was made. It seems that real apple cider is unknown in Texas. November ended with a Thanksgiving visit from the Honeck Family of Iowa City, IA, the (shameless plug) proprietors of the beautiful and elegant Alexis Park Inn and Suites in that same metropolis.
December brought the 2 things you can count on every year - Winter and Christmas. Christmas was, as in recent years, a low key affair, having no children living at home. I did receive an attractive MSU jacket from my kids and their boyfriends, just in time for..............January (and basketball season.) A basketball season that is, as of this time, not yet over for MSU (and 3 other teams.) This makes 5 final fours in 11 years - a record unmatched over that time span. This team has the best shot since the 2000 National Champs to make the finals. Winning the final? We shall see.
January brought what has become my annual visit to the North American 
International Auto Show in Detroit's Cobo Hall. Many beautiful models were on display and, oh yeah, there were some cars here and there too ;-) . The crowds were smaller than the previous year, and some manufacturers had opted out. There were fewer concept cars and the emphasis was on "green" and "fuel economy". The Chinese makers were out in force, and on the main floor this year, probably due to the "no shows" and the more austere displays, unlike last year when they were literally in the basement. It looks like the electric, hybrid and alternative fuel technologies are going to be increasingly empasized, and "high performance" internal combustion vehicles a fading concept. I still had a good time.
International Auto Show in Detroit's Cobo Hall. Many beautiful models were on display and, oh yeah, there were some cars here and there too ;-) . The crowds were smaller than the previous year, and some manufacturers had opted out. There were fewer concept cars and the emphasis was on "green" and "fuel economy". The Chinese makers were out in force, and on the main floor this year, probably due to the "no shows" and the more austere displays, unlike last year when they were literally in the basement. It looks like the electric, hybrid and alternative fuel technologies are going to be increasingly empasized, and "high performance" internal combustion vehicles a fading concept. I still had a good time. The aforementioned winter consumed January, February and most of March like a college student offered free pizza , relentlessly and without remorse. It wasn't the cold, although it did get damn cold at times. It was the snow, accumulating bit by bit, inch by inch, on an almost daily basis, punctuated by exclamation points of heavy snow. Those I could remove with the snowblower. It was the 1" to 3" storms that required shovel work that were the most disheartening. To get up early on mornings snow had been predicted, shovel as necessary, come home from work, possibly shovel again, and repeat on an almost daily basis was mind and body numbing. We had an above average accumulation of snow for the season, and yet less than West and North of here. I'm just glad I don't live there.
Which brings us to the present, the cusp of April, the onset of Spring, the 1" of overnight snow. (At least it required no human intervention, melting as the day warmed.) The trees are budding, the flowers are up (but not blooming) and my work day begins and ends while it is still light - it must be Spring. But as T.S.Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month." I will not put away my snow shovels quite yet.
Which brings us to the present, the cusp of April, the onset of Spring, the 1" of overnight snow. (At least it required no human intervention, melting as the day warmed.) The trees are budding, the flowers are up (but not blooming) and my work day begins and ends while it is still light - it must be Spring. But as T.S.Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month." I will not put away my snow shovels quite yet.
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