June 26-27

So!  Pictures first!

Lush greenness with pool

Green lushness with pool

Emerald lushosity with fish pond

Another

Yes, this the back of Russ and Ann's house.  Note the eastern lushness of which I wrote.  Not visible are the mosquitoes of which there are hordes because it has been so wet.  Also not visible is the awful humidity because it has been so wet.  100% chance of rain tonight, 2 to 4 inches accumulation.  The east is just plain different.

Because there has been such a shortage of pictures, I offer another as partial amends.

These are Russ and Ann's barky, but sweet, little kinda-dogs, that is to say, pseudo-hounds.  They are soon to be shorn because of the heat.  Fortunately, I will not be here to witness the result.  These guys started out barking and running from me.  Now I am getting little licks and kisses and can pet, scritch and scratch them.

One more picture and I will feel I have mostly atoned.  This is an art venue in Albany.

In case it isn't obvious, I took this out the car window on the expressway.  Bet you guessed it is known as "the egg."

Forgot to mention a winner of a few days ago.  Anal Recon.  I'm thinking it was a mobile colonoscopy unit.

And speaking of games, I need Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, Hawaii and South Dakota to round out the license plate game.  I am surprised I still need so many.  I will pick up Vermont on Sat. because I'm going there.  Should be able to get New Hampshire then, too.  Bet I can pick up South Dakota when I travel through Canada.  Might not get the others which, for this length of time and distance , is almost like getting skunked.

Russ and I go all the way back to the last two years of high school in Germany.  Then we  went on to Kenyon College together.  Took two motorcycle trips around the west.  He even visited Pat and me in our current house and helped Pat plant poplar trees she'd gotten on sale through the mail.  They were just sticks.  It wasn't even readily apparent which end was to go in the ground.  I refused to help on the ground that it was a giant waste of time as the pitiful little things couldn't possibly survive.  I did not help plant, water, weed or fertilize.  Every one of the damned things lived.   We still have them.  Russ and I kept in touch, more or less, over the years, but haven't seen one another since the mid 80s.

Russ taught English in prep schools and finally the public system for better than 40 years.  He retired one week ago.  Of course, for him it won't feel like retirement until August or  September.

I'd not met Ann before, she is a delight.  Still working, just like Patricia.  It does seem like the natural order of things, he said, in retaliation for Pat's last comment on this blog.

Good night.