Fat Lip

Morning bike ride, going fast. Then, whap, something smacks me in the lower lip. Instant pain, way more than what you would expect from colliding with an insect. Then, a minute later, a fat lip and a splitting headache.

Moving slow all the remainder of the day, though that could be the result of laziness as much as venom.

Rain, Actually

Light rain last night, then off and on heavy morning downpours and then afternoon downpours. Good amount of moisture, absorbed by the forest—no runoff. And probably still a fire ban.

Clearing in time for dinner at Buoy’s and then a play at the theatre in Gore Bay. Cringingly awful—not so much the actors as the script. I guess amateur theatre is a health risk, like wildfire smoke, that sometimes can’t be avoided.

Chillin’ On The Dock of The Bay

Truck oil leak repaired. Early morning mad dash to the dealer in GorB to avoid ruining the engine by running without lubricant, with the need for one stop along the way for an oil refill.

Planned on going for breakfast in GorB after truck drop off , but none to be found.

Lot and lots of grackles in the neighborhood, for some reason, creaking and crackling. If they eat horseflies they are welcome.

Hot Work..

…on garage and bunkie, but offset by lots of time in the water. When swimming off the end of the pier I was accompanied by four large bass (maybe 24 inches?) who seemed to find me attractive. Should I have been worried?

Hot, sunny, humid, and still most of the day, though west wind now.

Parsley, sage, rosemary," said Tom timelessly.

Long Weekend…

…day two. Busier. What looked to be an overflow crowd jamming the falls as we skirted the area on our way to the dump. (Good thing we went too, as some of the “material” was over 10 days old.)

Very warm and humid, but not smoky. Several dips off the end of the pier.

"Oops! There goes my hat!" said Tom off the top of his head.

Perfect Breeze…

…for a Windride. Day started out clear but increasingly hazy in the afternoon. Southeast wind, so smoke blowing back from Pittsburg?

Above, my favorite Tom Swift book. The books were intended to make kids like science and engineering. Successful, pretty much. But adverbs were over used, hence the Swiftly puns.

"We have no oranges," Tom said fruitlessly.

"I'm a lot taller than I was yesterday," said Tom gruesomely.

"I only have diamonds, clubs and spades," said Tom heartlessly.

"Don't you know my name?" asked Tom swiftly.

Nous Sommes Ici…

…in just over 10 hours. Heavy smoke at outset, but mostly clear by Escanaba on a south west wind.

Katy asked me if I was a Swifty. It turns out I am—not a Taylor Swifty but a Tom Swifty. For example:


"This boat is leaking," said Tom balefully.

"I have to keep this fire alight," Tom bellowed.

Missed It

A short but intense downpour last night after I had checked out—so perhaps the pattern is changing. Lots of wind and a few light showers today. Cooler.

Above, gooseberries beginning to ripen. Tart but tasty. Usually not here for a harvest.

Environmental Anxiety

I’m not good with droughts.

Mostly yard work—weeding, trimming, watering, etc. But always going slow and trying to keep to the shade.

In photo one, above, tree tags and water bags at the Arboretum. Keeping all the new plantings hydrated must be a real chore. I appreciate those who are doing it.

In photo two, a bumper crop of serviceberries on the big bush alongside the south wall. Very tasty.

Long Day

Up at latitude 46 it doesn’t get dark this time of year (solstice) until about 10:30 pm, and the birds start singing shortly after 4 am. Not much dark. Here in Whitewater, at latitude 42.75 not so much.

But still a long day. Today in the car was also a long day, but we made the transition from one latitude and time zone to another.