From back in the ‘Natti, Good evening all:

” You are remembered for the rules you break.” — Douglas MacArthur

It’s Monday evening, I’m very tired, but enjoying a glass of wine—summer is now over!

It took two full days to shut and winterize Northern Comfort, our north woods cabin. Without Paul and Donn jumping into the fray I doubt that the pontoon boat would now be sitting under its winter tent.

The main piers have been set as best we could. Including building one under the cabin’s middle steel I-beam which sagged a solid six inches. Creating this pier demanded crawling 16 feet into a two-foot high crawl space. Here too, thanks Paul and Donn.

At the end, Marcia noted that my forearms looked like they came straight from a Popeye cartoon casting – swollen and bruised. Winterization does take a toll.

The last afternoon had us stop work to listen to the honking of many hundreds of Canada geese. Heading south they flew immediately overhead, a small ‘V’ formation at the tip and then one leg of the V stringing on and on with hundreds of the birds flying almost head-to-tail. Maybe the constant honking was for encouragement, maybe as a guide flying into the darkness of the night. In any case the sight is not soon forgotten.

We left at dawn. While still getting organized for the 12-hour homeward journey we passed an adult black bear standing at the side of the road. It never moved. The animal’s huge black head with coal black eyes just stared as we passed. Had it made any sense at all, at that instant, I would have turned around and headed back. There truly is something magical about the place.

This past weekend was spent in Chicago. My son-in-law Vince had a decade-busting birthday. A plan for him to make this truly memorable was hatched by our daughter Kirstin. Vince is a Chicago Cubs aficionado. Last Saturday the Cubbies played the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.

A surprise trip and flight was sprung on him and his friend to travel from Orlando to Chicago. What he did not know was that 10 more family and friends traveled from as far away as California to help celebrate—including his dad and brother.

Wrigley Field and a Cubs game is an experience in and of itself. For three of us the fact that the Reds won was brilliant (the Cubs fans always appreciate the game win or lose). My nephew Nick opened up his home for the after game event—3 college football games on a big screen, poker, grilled Brats and corn, and the requisite ‘brewskies’, all in his “Man Cave”. Vince was kind enough to donate a major stack of chips to Nick all of which helped defray Nick’s Brats and Corn “investment”; so kind.

Jason, Tevita, and I arrived back in Cincinnati at 5 AM this morning.

Make it a great week everyone. Good night!

Cheers,

Dirk