TUESDAY 20th

.........I was the first person in the door at the Kennedy Library this morning. The entire bottom floor is filled with memorabilia of the Kennedy years in the white house. A large amount of it is presented with actual recorded TV announcements
and speeches. There are many dozen TV sets running at all times, giving you the story of his 1,000 days with actual TV footage. The lower floor is broken up into many "side rooms" where there is a TV explaining what is going on. It all leads up to the fatal day in Dallas. I get the idea that it is to help see Kennedy as the first TV President. It is all well done and there are many items of more personal nature on display too. I spent as much time outside photographing the grounds as I did inside. At first I was not impressed with the location but as time went on it seemed to grow on me.

The entry. Behind the building is Boston Harbor.

 

A park like setting is part of the campus.

 

 Kennedy's sailboat, much smaller than I had expected, probably as large as one man would want to handle in trying circumstances.

The Bay, with the Boston skyline early morning. this is the view from the rear of the Library.

 

The lobby, clean and neat, no extra unneeded things to clutter up the place.

 

The main hallway downstairs with the presentation rooms branching off to each side.

I had been having problems with the puter so I pulled off I 84 on the way to FDR and got a motel room. The puter is working fine again, the battery is all charged up and my chess games and blog entries are up to date. Tonight I will sleep well and tomorrow morning I will stop in on FDR. 

 

 

MONDAY 19th

......After leaving Niagra Falls Sunday night I drove about 60 miles East of Buffalo and shut things down for the night. I drove 419 miles that day and visited the Falls too.

SUNDAY 18th

........My plan was to stop at Niagra falls on the Canadian side but I did not turn at the proper place so ended up in the lane that took me to U.S. Customs. I arrived in line at 12:30 and it took till 2pm getting beyond that point. The time it took the Customs Officer to question me was about two minutes. The gas tank was in sad shape so I gassed up at $3.89 per gallon and drove the short distance to the entrance to Niagra Falls Park in the city of Niagra Falls, New York. I must mention that during the long drive from Salt St. Marie I bought 4 gallons of gas from a Canadian station. That sat me back $20.06 American. Our gasoline prices follow Canada by about a year so I expect we will all be paying that before too long.....I snapped many pictures at the park and the falls. Here is a smidgen of the total. 

The beginning of a very nice, long walk. I made it a lot longer than necessary by getting lost but so it goes. The weather was just right for a long walk in the area of the Falls.

 

That is Canada in the background

 

I was tempted to take the picture knowing it would be too light to be easily seen.

 

Before reaching this walkway between islands and the actual falls further downstream the water comes rushing down a slope of bedrock. The water is only about a foot deep, maybe two in places but it is running at  great speed.

 

The top of the falls looking down on the yellow jacketed paying customers who wished to get up close and personal with the falling water. I believe the tour takes them behind the falls. That must be a noisy place!

 

The tower reaching over the falls is loaded with tourists at $15.50 a pop. I spent my money on an ice cream cone.

SATURDAY 17th

The Rest Stop sign promised a view  but by the time I got the car parked the bushes had grown so high that not much could  be seen. I think there used to be a large lake out there somewhere. This Rest Stop is on the way to Salt St. Marie in Canada. My '52' Buddy Bob Vetious, recommended I take the detour just to see the Longest suspension bridge in the country. The bridge connects lower and upper Michigan.

Rest Stop with a view [not].

People who study such things have determined that the glaciers of 10,000 years ago pushed this rock about 200 miles and left it at this location. They feel they can match it exactly with  rocks of the same type from the other location further north.

The village that stood at this location many years before the bridge was built still has a presence in the neighborhood. It is a nice tourist trap now. The longest archeological 'digs' in the country is taking place right here.

A long shot of the bridge, arriving in Northern Michigan way over that'a way.

 My plan was to stitch these last two pics together before posting but I forgot. I will do that when I make up my YouTube pesentation after I get home.

 

 

 

FRIDAY 16th

I arrived at the Ford Library later in the afternoon. This campus is located in a beautiful spot right next to the University at Ann Harbor.

The scene of the front of the building, the grass extends in all directions from this point. It is a landscapers dream.

As one enters the lobby you find that there are steps leading down to the main floor. This lobby section is all that is open to the public. There are many 'trinkets' being displayed in the cases on the floor and the area along the wall.

A 'available light' picture of the office Ford used while at the Library. Flash pictures are not allowed at any of the Presidential libraries I have visited.

This is the best composite picture I could produce of the Courtyard at the back of the building. The end of the visitors section is on the left of the scene but the building really reaches out another two hundred feet or so to the right. That is the Library section that is used by Historians and writers. I would have liked to get in there and walk around but it did not appear to be in the cards.

This is all behind a glass case built into the wall. There are several such cases with memorabilia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY

...........I was on the road by 7am and after making one stop for gasoline [$3.39 per gallon]  I found myself in West Branch, Iowa by 11:30. I made my first McDonald's stop of the trip before crossing the freeway to the Hoover Library/Museum. I like the little town and they do a good job of directing out of towners to their main attraction. The Museum has very clean lines from the outside and the inside is done very well also. It is not a large building and a good share of the presentation uses the Civil War as a backdrop. I enjoyed the old buildings that are still standing in wonderful shape just as they looked when 'Bert' Hoover was growing up. I will not post many of the pictures I took but these will be the best ones. Iowa has slow speed Internet available for free at their official Rest Stops. That is nice but it has taken me almost an hour to down load these few pictures to the blog. Enjoy! This afternoon I start toward the Detroit area [Ford's Library]

These pics did not load in the order I had hoped for but so it goes. This first one shows Hoover in full dress and rubber boots fly fishing. I guess that is the way rich folks went fishing in his day.

A bust of Hoover in what appears to be an unfinished or remodeled section of the building.

The house Hoover was born in sits about one hundred yards from the location of the Museum. The Museum is off to the right of this picture.

The one room school is a couple of hundred feet and across the street from the house. It is so small that I had to take a left picture and a right picture then fuse them together to make this panorama of the room.

Across the street from his house and looking toward town about two blocks away.

The museum is in a wonderful sitting, with many bushy, green trees and an expanse of lawn.

WEDNESDAY 14TH

.............I slept very well last night and this morning I checked the outside temperature. It was 67 degrees, just right for sleeping! I was on the road by 7am and pulled into the Truman Library lot a few minutes after noon.  The house was a few blocks away and I was unable to get inside but the Library/Museum was beautiful.

House was built 1867, no doubt the Nat'l Park Service is keeping it looking first rate!

The Museum/Library is a couple of miles away from the house, sitting on a very nice little knoll in town.

The Lobby is very bright and inviting, there were several other visitors who had joined a guided tour, I followed them for several minutes but it was boring. I enjoyed my own tour.

I made this panorama of the recreated 'Oval Office'.

It is as it looked while Truman was President. How do you like that top of the line B/W Television?

This is a picture of his actual office while he was at the Library. This glass wall was one of his favorite things, he could look outside and see the inner court yard. This part of the building has since been walled in. This office is exactly as he left it the moment he died. You can't see  the stopped clock

to the right of the picture. It reads 7:50:45, the time of his death.

Courtyard and burial site of all three of them.

A view of the court yard from inside looking past the forever flame. A statue of Truman [life size] is standing beside the camera location, enjoying the view.

MONDAY, TUESDAY

Monday 12^th. I filled the gas tank before leaving Vernal this morning. It was less than one hundred miles to Grand Junction but you never know, you know. I did not stop for pictures until I got a few miles into Colorado State Highway  139. I think it would take a lifetime to discover all the beauty this state has for picture taking. The entries below are only a little glimpse of what is available on that highway alone. The Canyon pictures of the highway winding its way between canyon walls were something to behold. I do remember driving through there once or twice before and not having a camera. The pictures were taken from the car because there is no such thing as a wide spot to pull over to. I arrived in Colorado Springs too late in the day to find the RR Station that goes to the top of Pikes Peak so I drove it. It is a one hour drive, covering 19  miles of torture to arrive only a mile above the starting point. The drive is an experience some folks would not enjoy one bit. Talk about going over the side! The guard rails are few and far between, as a couple of these pictures will show. The top is not so great; the parking lot is of mud, cold mud any time of year. The temperature was 36 degrees at 7pm. I was lucky to get some sunshine so a few of the pics turned out OK.

Tuesday 13^th. I was in Limon, Colorado at 8AM stocking up on groceries. The rain was coming down by the buckets during a lot of the drive today. By noon I was in Wakeney, Colo. for more gasoline. I arrived at Ike's Library late in the day and spent most of my time taking a tour of the house he was raised in. The campus is surrounded by many old houses that once were the cream of the crop for Abilene but the streets are now in disrepair and most of the properties are not being cared for. I found a rest stop a few miles east of town to bed down for the night.

Northwest Colorado farm country.

 

 

There is a lot of beauty in this state.

 

I 70 Tunnel Near Denver

 

Lower part of highway to Pikes peak

 

Road to nowhere,  like those guard rails?

 

I made it! And the sun was shining, great luck.

 

Long way down.

 

Ike's family home.

 

Living room.

 

 

 

 

 

I 70 through the canyon

These pics are only a taste of what I have of these locations.

Now it is time to get on the road and visit Truman's Library.

 

SATURDAY and SUNDAY

SATURDAY 10^th.   I got away from the house by 6:45 and my first stop was Bridge of the Gods. I was told by the toll taker that the bridge was open to walkers but the cost was 50 cents. I like to walk across bridges so I took her up on the offer. The bridge is made of the steel structure that you can see through quite easily if you look down. I didn’t. I walked half way and took some pictures but I had to be careful because there is no pedestrian walkway. I was in competition with the traffic. The nice part of that is that the speed limit is only 15 miles per hour. I did take a picture looking down through the mesh at the RR tracks about 50 feet below me. I was thinking of posting pictures this evening but I discovered that I had forgotten my camera/computer connection. I phoned Caren and asked her if there was a Kodak Dealer in Boise but it turns out none exist. She did tell me about a Kodak repair rep in town and I found his office but he had gone home. No pictures will be posted until I find a way to do it. I will be in Colorado Springs on Monday morning so I will start the search again. Saturday night was spent at a rest stop near Exit 129 on I84 in Idaho; the temperature was 95 at sundown.

SUNDAY 11^th…..10AM. . . .I was driving down the highway in Southern Idaho when I suddenly decided to stop at the next Rest Stop and examine my Laptop for a possible SD port. Bless my Soul! I found one! I then downloaded all the pictures in the camera to the laptop. Then, before continuing on my way I recorded this little note. My plan is to add pictures and post the whole thing on the blog. Wish me luck! When I left home I thought that Pikes Peak at the end of two days was a cinch. Tonight I am in Vernal, Utah with a long way to go. I was doing too much pokey exploring to keep any kind of schedule. When I got to the Motel I started in on the pictures, hoping to post some tonight. The results are as follows. I will mention that while posting this we [Vernal] enjoyed a warm and wet thunderstorm. Noisy too!

This is Mt. Adams from the South East. I was driving back from the Reunion In July.

This is Dick and Bonny's summer palace on the Kalama River. We are all enjoying the great weather!

The view from their place.

Bridge of the Gods from the Oregon side.

Nice view, looking upstream.

This is what the bridge is made of, my left foot is trembling with fear as I look down at the RR tracks below.

Mitchell Point looking across the Columbia at the Washington side.

 

FRIDAY

.........This was not really a busy day. I had the laundry all caught up by 8:30 and the bed installed in the car by 9:30. During the course of the day I got all of my stuff together so now all that remains is loading the trunk in the morning and taking off. I delivered ChiChi to Ron and Caren this evening. Sol and Amy were there so I got to visit with Sol for the first time in several years. He seems to be feeling great and is looking for work. School starts in December for him. I didn't stay long because I want to have my cookies and milk and get to bed early. I told Roy, my landlord, that I would leave after I got up in the morning. He got the humor and said that was best.

THURSDAY

..............I really enjoyed the picnic this afternoon. There were close to 40 people there, most everybody knew everyone else, a great time was had by all. Dick and Bonny have a very nice summer cottage at the rivers edge. Luckily it is built on 4  foot stilts to account for the high water in the spring time. There was enough food for a hundred people and the weather was perfect. I was not sure what to expect with the weather because as I drove into town for my Protime check I attracted some rain drops but that did not last long. The Protime check turned out fine so I am ready to pack the car tomorrow and then leave Saturday morning. I am feeling fine and doggy is doing great. Life is good.

WEDNESDAY

........Great weather again today, ChiChi and I walked to the river and back. It was not as warm as yesterday, only because it was a bit earlier. The doggy did fine but he was breathing pretty hard by the time we got back. Most of my day was spent reading and napping, not to mention eating. Tomorrow is a Protime appointment then the Class lunch/picnic in the hills above Kalama. Friday will be packing day for my journey cross country. Ten minutes of packing is all I will need, everything is ready by now.

TUESDAY

..................I delivered the car to the car hospital this morning and waited while they did the oil change. I also complained about the drivers side window not going down as rapidly as in the past so that was checked and it needs a new part that will be delivered by Friday. I told them to not sweat the small stuff, I will not stick around to have it fixed if the part does not arrive in time. It was also discovered that the idler pulley was making noise so I had that replaced. It was amazing how much improved the noise level is in the car now. That pulley was making more noise than I had thought. I guess as cars get older we have a tendency to get used to the slowly raising noise level that occurs over time. This forty dollar change really made a difference.. . . . This afternoon I walked the doggy down Riven dell Lane for our two mile walk. On the way back he was showing a lot of strain, he actually stopped and was panting heavily. I never thought he would get old enough for me to have to carry him up that hill but that is what I did.  I have to admit though, on a relative basis he is much more overweight than I am, it should be no surprise that a almost nine year old dog might have trouble on a really warm day. He also stopped under the shade tree next to Roy's house and rested before walking the last fifty feet to his water bowl. At the moment he is asleep under the fan, snoring his little head off.

MONDAY

..........I had some errands to run today and after that was completed I drove straight to the Bowling Alley. I was really excited about attempting again, the almost unheard of [for me] results of yesterday. I was not a bit disappointed.My first games ended with scores of 177-150-141-170-157. That was an average of 159 and after throwing the 6th game of 167 I had an average of 160. The last four games were not as good but I did end the day with the same 155 average I had yesterday. Seven of the ten games scored over 150. No need to mention that I was walking on cloud nine when I left the bowling alley. I am excited about trying this new approach during league play but I will be missing the next four weeks  because of my upcoming cross country drive. . . . . I will take the T Bird to the car doctor in the morning for an oil change and check-up. I have a foot doctor appointment on Thursday, along with a pro-time check and class picnic that day. I will start loading the car with all I am going to take with me on Friday and plan on leaving Saturday morning. I will deliver the little dog to Caren and Ron Friday evening. I will take my lap top and attempt to stay in touch, perhaps even post a few pictures along the way.

SUNDAY

..........I had a very interesting day at the bowling alley this afternoon. My first five lines averaged 133 and the second came in at 145. I felt during the last three games that I had discovered a delivery that was working better than usual for me so I decided to bowl five more games and that turned out to be a 155 average. The final result was 144 for the day. I really felt good, I will return tomorrow since I have to go into town anyway. It will be interesting to see if I can make that new delivery work as well for me after a nights rest.

SATURDAY

...........I went to the market today to get a gallon of milk and on the way I stopped by Teigens for a short visit. They invited me to a hamburger dinner so after going home and getting some lunch as well as watching a good movie on TV I loaded the dog in the car and went back for dinner. Amy [Sol's girl friend] was there with her two little girls and Ruby; the three of them were having a good time making screaming noises with Coltor while a lot of dirt and cut grass at each other. All in fun, of course but such noise and laughter! Those kids will sleep the sleep of the dead tonight. I got home in time to have my cookies and milk before going to bed myself.

FRIDAY

................ChiChi and I spent over three hours at the fishing hole today, I caught up on my reading but caught no fish. The boats were a bit active for the first time in weeks but I never saw anyone hook a fish. That will happen eventually, I hope.  .  .   For lunch I had a couple of soft shell tacos that Natalia taught me to make from my own Pulled Pork recipe. Good stuff, if I do say so myself. I used less hot peppers this time, the last batch was pretty warm.

THURSDAY

...................I was raining in town today as I was driving in to bowl but it had stopped before I arrived so I did not get the car wet. It might have rained while I was bowling too but it was all gone by the time I headed home. My results today were all over the place, 102-120-176. The average was above my league average so I can't feel too bad. I will get back down there before long and get in some more practice. I hope I will be able to remember what I was doing to arrive at 176 in that last game. I have heard there are some Steelhead in the Cowlitz so perhaps tomorrow will find me fishing, if there is no rain.

WEDNESDAY

..................I spent a bit of the day hanging a couple of pictures that Terri had given me yesterday. I am also now the proud owner of one of her dads favorite clocks. It has been made from a tree stump or limb of a really dark colored wood. It is going to look good over the TV.  I will replace the clock motor tomorrow or the next day.  I have collected a lot of things for this place in the past two years, I hope I never have to move. Moving it all would be a real chore. I have enough trouble keeping it clean and dusted.

TUESDAY

................I had lunch with Terri this afternoon and visited for several hours at Starbucks in Tigard. She is in the process of cleaning out her local locker and getting her car ready for its shipment to Hawaii. We also mailed a package of stuff to her address in Hawaii, I wonder why we did not just leave the package in the car and let it arrive when the car arrives. Perhaps she will read this and wonder the same thing herself. It was sad saying goodbye but she expects to return for several weeks next summer so we will meet again, As soon as I win the lottery she and I will be taking a round the world cruise, that is something nice to look forward to. I was home by 7:30 and ChiChi was so upset that I had left him alone all day that he refused to eat his dinner [it was four hours late] for at least twenty minutes after I set it out for him. Poor dog...into each life a little rain must fall............

MONDAY

..................We have been having some very nice weather around here lately.
It has been cool at times but the lack of rain has been really great!.....I stopped by the bowling alley again today and came home happy enough. My first five lines added up to a 135 average and after giving myself a talking to the second five showed a 142.2 average. The day ended with a 137.3 average and since that is better than my league average I feel just fine with the world.  My high game was only 150 so that indicates consistency. Lookin' good!

SUNDAY

.................I drove in to the bowling alley late this morning. I threw eleven lines and averaged only 135. That was not the best in the world but the practice will do me some good eventually. I hope. When I got home I masked off the mirror on each side of the car and painted the black trim. It was showing a bit of wear after so many years of no more than an occasional waxing. It looks a lot better. Those little details add up to a better looking automobile each time I attend to one. If I am going to be driving cross country next month I want the car to look as good as possible.

SATURDAY

.........This was an OK day. The dog talked me into a 45 minute walk and that perked me up pretty much. I also got as far away from the house at the Post Office to get a package in the mail to Aunt Coral. While I was in town [Castle Rock] I left the car in the PO parking lot and walked around town looking at all of the Classic cars that were visiting today. There was even a '91' GEO setting in the mix. It won't be long and my '94' T-Bird will qualify. It was a little cooler today but at least no promise of rain any time soon.

FRIDAY

..............I took Caren to lunch today to celebrate her Birthday. As usual I ate too much so good bye diet for this entire week. This evening they invited me to go along with them to the County Fair. It was fun seeing all of the animals again. I was surprised to find that goats seem  to be much more popular than dairy animals or beef animals. Things have changed over the years. There were many different breeds of chickens available too. Some of the chickens at auction brought very high prices. I just don't know what the world is coming too! I got home after my bedtime but that did not stop me from enjoying my cookies and milk before calling it a day!

THURSDAY

.................Got to the bowling alley on time but only averaged 134 for the day. I didn't feel really bad because that is better than the average I have been holding in league play. At least I felt I helped the team. After bowling I stopped by the Market to stock up on Rum. I got out of the place with $85 having been deducted from my checking account. With prices like that I should give up drinking. 

WEDNESDAY

.....................The doggy talked me into a 45 minute walk this morning. I am glad I went because the rest of the day came to nothing. The weather was great, as soon as I hear of fish in the river I will be there with bells on.

TUESDAY

.....................Michael and Glenda stopped by for a few minutes today. It was nice to see them and we had a fine visit. They are on their way South on Hwy 101 to see the Oregon coast and to venture into California far enough to to visit the Redwoods. The weather is perfect for them! I am really happy for it turned out so nice; I remember telling Glenda on Facebook to bring her own weather with her and it appears they did just that!. . . I drove into town to fill the gas tank today and stopped by the bowling alley long enough to squeeze a ten line average of 133.6. Not very great but it is a good sign that I will do better on Thursday when the league meets.

MONDAY

...................I slept for twelve hours last night. I was a lot more tired than I had thought. It is going to be interesting how well I do on a cross country drive next month. I am looking forward to the drive but there is a chance I will be spending more time renting rooms than in the past. Sleeping in the car is fun and saves money but not at the price of wearing myself out. As soon as I got up I turned on the washing machine before checking my email for the day. As 9AM rolled around I had eaten breakfast and found myself transporting the clothes to the dryer. After the stuff was dry, folded and put away I found time for a short nap. I gave some thought to bowling a few lines but for some reason knew that was not going to work for me even though I felt the need for some exercise. From somewhere the mood struck me to wash the car. That was enough exercise for one day, perhaps in the next few days I will take the time to clean out the inside too. I will have to wait for that mood to strike. Mel stopped by with three dozen eggs his chickens produced. That is way too many eggs for me so I shared them with Roy, my landlord. The weather was great today, it never did get too warm or cloudy and there was no wind.

SUNDAY

..................I met the gang at the Sunday Brunch at 9AM  as planned. There were maybe two or three missing that were at the picnic yesterday. We had an enjoyable breakfast and a very short Family Meeting. Ann Marie has promised to continue putting the future Reunions together and the plan is to return to Leavenworth next August. She mentioned that the room rates have gone up to $180.00 per night. I hope that does not cause a problem for many of the folks that were there today.....I left Spokane at 10:15 for the drive home arriving at Teigens at 4:40 to pick up the old dog and get home to settle in for the evening. The drive both ways was beautiful and I even stopped at one point to get a great picture of Mt. Adams. I do not remember ever seeing it so well framed in the trees with blue skies surrounding it. It was a fine weekend, makes me want to get out on the road as soon as possible and see some more countryside!

SATURDAY

……………I had a lot of fun trying to check in to the Hotel at noon. They had no record of me so I had to phone Caren [she had made the reservation] to get things straightened out. I was settled in the room by 12:30 after a comfortable seven hour drive. I could have made it in six hours but I am pokey. I then decided to gas up the car and look for a light lunch before attempting to find the pic-nic  I was promised would be taking place at Three this afternoon. It took a while to locate the place but I didn’t feel too bad, others had the same problem. A sign that used to be located on a street corner had been removed. There were a couple dozen people at the picnic and a bunch of little kids. I am sure they all belonged to somebody; they were being watched very closely while they were in the lake splashing around. There was a lot of visiting and happy sounds coming from every direction. I was one of the last ones to leave and after stopping at a local market for some chocolate chip cookies and milk I arrived back at the Hotel about 7PM. The plan is all of us will meet tomorrow at 9am for a brunch and final farewells before heading in different directions.  The weather was just fine, 97 degrees and a shady location on the edge of the lake with a nice breeze blowing. 

FRIDAY

. . . . . . . .I noticed while getting ready for my weekend drive to Spokane that I was in need of a new toiletry bag. I found one at Walmart then had lunch before stopping by the bowling alley for one more try. The results were pleasing enough: The first five lines came to 144.6 and the second five added up to 148.2.  The average for the day was 147.3.  I was happy with that, now lets see how it goes at league bowling next Thursday. After I got home I packed my bag before bundling up the doggy stuff. I then delivered the pooch to Teigens house for a weekend visit. On the way back I stopped by the market and purchased some Dr. Pepper for the drive tomorrow. I plan on leaving early [If I wake up in time] and when I do that I have a tendency to get sleepy after a couple of hours so the Dr. Pepper will keep me going. At the moment it is time for my cookies and milk then off to bed.

THURSDAY

 . . . . . I phoned Teigens at the last minute this morning and hooked a ride with them to the Cousin's Luncheon in Olympia. We all had a great time. The four of us, Ken, Don, Lee and myself surrounded Aunt Coral and hogged all of her time. I think she had a ball. We all hope so! Ninety four years old and still going strong. She is one hundred percent behind me in my wish to take a solo drive cross country next month to visit all of the Presidential Libraries. I bet she would love to go too! She is a Cracker-Jack Lady! Loads of fun!

WEDNESDAY

. . . . . . . Doggy and I drove over to visit the Teigen's this afternoon. The nasty little dog left a pile of poop on the dinning room floor. Some visit that was!. . . . .I went over to see the new RV trailer they have purchased. It is in great shape, 32 feet long and looks like it has been well cared for. Ron told me it was Caren's Birthday present this year. Next year she gets a new truck to pull it. I have no idea what his plans are for the year after that. There were a [very] few rain drops on the drive over but the weather cleared this afternoon and the evening turned out to be very comfortable. No wind, no clouds. The calm before the storm? Perhaps. You never can tell in Washington!

TUESDAY

.....................I did some grocery shopping today but stopped off at the bowling alley on the way. I bowled another ten lines scoring a 145 average during the first five and a lot less on the second five. My average for the day turned out to be a fairly OK 138. That is better than my league average so I can't feel too bad a about it,........I bought my groceries and went home to spend the rest of the day eating too much while enjoying the warm temperatures. Some dark clouds rolled in but that did not turn into anything except higher humidity. It was a good day.

MONDAY

............Another wonderful day in Cowlitz County! I had a haircut and spent a nice afternoon sitting by the river reading, napping and fishing. Still no fish but that is not a problem, they will arrive eventually. 

SUNDAY

............Doggy and I never did walk today but I ended up having a great time at the bowling alley. The first five lines came out to a 136 average and the second five  gave me a 145. I decided that the 140 average was just fine for the day. My foot was causing a bit of trouble during the last five games and I am happy I was able to work around it. After bowling I drove home and popped a bowl of popcorn and watched a good movie. The name of the fare was 'Divorce, American Style'. Lots of fun and it ended just right.

SATURDAY

...............I drove the doggy over to the Teigens house today for a short visit. They had one of their last puppies running around the house [his name is Pooch] so ChiChi had someone to be afraid of until he realized the dog was just a pup. He suddenly become tolerant of the little fella who out weighs him by a couple of pounds. They got along pretty well, for dogs.. . . .I never did go walking today but I did attempt to not over do the eating thing. I would rather not eat than exercise. It was a nice spring day, I'm very happy with the nice weather we have been having. Keep it up, God!

FRIDAY

...................I was very reluctant to go walking today and I thought that the doggy was just hungry at 1:30 when he began to jump at me and get my attention. I fed him and was surprised that as soon as he finished the bowl he started jumping around like a crazy dog again......By that time I decided he really wanted to go walking. Just getting outside was not important to him because he has the doggy door that he can use any time. I put on my walking shoes and grabbed the leash. He was really excited when he saw that. So we walked for almost an hour, down to the river and back. I was pleased that my bad toe did not act up and the weather was just right for a walk. The exercise was a good thing, I have to get into the same habit I have gotten that dog into.

THURSDAY

...................Wonderful weather again today. Best to enjoy it while it is here, it can't last much longer, odds are against it. I began my bowling day with a happy 156 then fell on my face coming up with only a 119 and 124 for my next two games. That all turned out to be a nice 146 average for the day though, so I felt pretty good. I still can not understand why I can't do 150's all of the time. But I suppose if that is my biggest problem I shan't complain. At least my toe gave me no trouble today, perhaps the foot doctor has the right idea, I will continue with the pad under that foot and see how it goes. I am sure I can create my own pads for a lot less than the small fortune he charged me. I need some soft padding and Duk-Tape. No problem.

WEDNESDAY

.................I stopped by my Cardiologist office this morning and gave a negative report regarding that new Med she had asked me to try. I told her it made no difference in my breathing and my bowling score was going nuts because it added to my coordination problems and I had not had a comfortable BM since I had started taking the stuff. We agree that there was no reason to continue with it so I quit......I then kept my appointment with the foot doctor and after X-rays [which showed nothing] he told me that he feels the pads of my feet are too thin under that part of my foot so he supplied me with new inserts for my shoes. $42.00 worth of foam plastic, there seemed to be an improvement but just to be sure he wants me to return in a month for a follow up report. I will use those inserts in my bowling shoes tomorrow and see if there is any difference. . . . .Before I left the house today I started some 16 Window Updates and when I arrive back four hours later found that things had frozen solid on Update 3. I called Caren and she stopped by this evening to see what the problem was. Although the instructions said do not turn off the machine we did a restart anyway and darned if it didn't snap out of the mud and begin operating properly. She had it going in about 20 minutes. Thanks, Caren! She said she would send a bill but I told her "Na, your Birthday is coming up next week so lets just call it even." Works for me! She drove over in her sporty [and expensive] little convertible with the top down, about froze herself in the process. That breeze coming off the river cools things down around here. She said it was a lot warmer at her house.

TUESDAY

.................Had lunch with the '52' Gang today. Only eight made an appearance but we still had a good time.  Bob loaned me a couple of books that he thought I might like so that will keep me busy for a while. After lunch I stopped by the bowling alley and embarrassed myself again. The first five lines only averaged 113 but when I decided to pay attention I delivered a 131 average for the second five. That is always a good sign, it means I will do well on Thursday. I wish me luck. 

MONDAY

....................The laundry was finished and put away by 8:30 this morning. It turned out to be a nice day weather wise so doggy and I walked to the river and back. It felt good to be out and about but I would not have been comfortable in short sleeves. The long sleeved T shirt was barley enough. The folks who are broiling in the rest of the country should make a trip to Washington. Bring money.

SUNDAY

......................I was in town shopping today and stopped by the bowling alley to try my luck again. Things did not work out as well as I would have liked. I ended up with a 129.6 average for ten lines. My best game was 153. My sore toe gave me little trouble until the sixth line. After that I seemed to lose interest or the ability to concentrate. I have yet to decide if that was a toe problem or a brain problem. I haven't given up, I'll be back in a few days and give it another try. 

SATURDAY

.................This turned out to be another quiet day but I did get in some productive exercise. I finished waxing the car and even removed the wind shield wiper arms and painted them. That sure perked up the appearance of the old T-Bird. I started early in the day and the sun was getting warm by the time the car was put away. The weather was great but it never did get really warm. Watched NASCAR this evening, great race.

FRIDAY

..............After running my errands today I stopped by the dollar store and found two more books that might be interesting.  I then stopped by the bowling alley and felt OK about my results after ten lines. The first five delivered only a 128 average but I did well during the second five and bowled 148. The average for the day was above my league average so I will not complain. I did get my exercise, that is most important, I guess. Better scores would put some frosting on the cake though.

FOURTH OF JULY 2013

..................The weather has changed to cooler. I did not go walking but I did wax part of the car this morning while the sun was still lower in the sky. I worked on it for about 45 minutes and felt as pooped as I would be had I walked down to the river and back. I still have more than half to go..... Tomorrow I have some errands to run in town so I may attempt to bowl a few lines with both of my feet still complaining. We will see how well that goes. I do want to continue with exercising each day but find that as difficult as loosing 10-12 pounds by not eating so much.

WEDNESDAY

..................This was another lazy day, I did remove the glass windows from my front screen door and washed them. I decided to leave them off for the balance of the summer, probably about two more weeks.
     Washing the windows was my total exercise for the day, I am sure doggy would have liked going for a walk and the weather was just right for that but it never happened. I did pay a few bills on line and got some other stuff ready for the mail box. I have to go into town Friday so I may stop by the bowling alley just for the heck of it. 
     Last night I was dreaming that I was kicking the devil out of someone and woke up suddenly to find I had kicked the edge of the headboard. My right foot has a small [large enough to bleed on the bed cover] cut under the right large toe and two of the other toes have broken skin on the top of them. At the moment I am wearing three band aids on the foot. This same thing happened to me about four years ago when I kicked a dresser next to the bed and lost my right large toenail. The brain keeps that from happening in normal people. I have some wires crossed, I reckon. I don't think I walk in my sleep, I hope not!
     Perhaps the wounds will bother me if I try bowling, hard telling.

TUESDAY

........................This turned out to be another nice, warm day. I was at the bowling alley before noon and bowled ten lines that produced a 139.6 average. I was so proud of myself that I rolled another line just to see if I could bring my average up to 140. I am sure you can guess how that turned out. My average dropped to 138 so I picked up my ball and went home. I stopped by Safeway for a half gallon of milk and upon checking out found the bill was $42.00. That happens to me a lot when shopping for groceries. I arrived home, fed the dog, put away the groceries, fetched the mail while doggy went potty then we two climbed into the car and drove to the Teigens. All is well there, Colter is getting tall and thin as a rail, his tan looks like he is going to 'brown out' very well this summer. ChiChi was happy to be there and say hello but he was ready to come home after about 30 minutes. I was not planning on staying long anyway, I had lunch at the bowling alley but hunger pangs were returning by 4PM. The temperature is 80f at 6:10PM. Great day!

MONDAY

.......................I had a great day, I drove to Beaverton to help Terri with a day of waiting for the Honda Dealer to check out the transmission on her car. We had another fine and tasty meal at Home Buffet and spent a couple of hours visiting discussing and cussing automobiles in general. It was nice warm day, maybe 90f, I love it! I left about 2:45 and hopped on the Freeway not remembering it was Monday, I was thinking Sunday so I spent a lot of time in the commuter lane, my bad. Lucky for me there were no policemen watching. I arrived home in time to feed the dog before he fell over from lack of attention. [his words, not mine}. It was a good day, The temp. in Kelso at the moment, 18:36, is 80c.