I know I keep bemoaning the fact that once upon a time we used to have four distinct seasons. Summer began sometime in June, not necessarily on the day the calendar said it was so. Nowadays, the seasons are colliding, morphing into one another. But, it’s not just here in the Mitten State – sadly, it is all around the world.
In Michigan, in the months of May and June, temps sizzled like a 4th of July firecracker on more than one occasion and well before Summer’s official debut on June 21st.
Since the Summer Solstice arrived, the days are already getting shorter, shaving off three or so seconds daily as we begin our slow creep toward Winter. We don’t really notice those few seconds but, once the Autumn Equinox arrives on September 22nd, we will have lost three minutes and eighteen seconds of daylight … then it’s all downhill going forward. I’ve known folks that believe once the Fourth of July holiday passes, Summer is on the wane, so suddenly it’s time for a mindset of back-to-school supplies and kids’ sports programs, draining the backyard pool and eyeballing new harvest-type décor to buy for the homestead.
How have you spent YOUR long holiday?
I like when any of our official holidays happen on bookend weekend days, like a Friday or a Monday. We don’t have enough long weekends is what I say! Canada’s July 1st holiday fell on a Friday, so they were equally lucky this year.
Were you like me and immersed yourself in nature? I walked in five large parks Saturday and Sunday and did short laps at Council Point Park as well.
Did you take a trip and fly the friendly skies, like these guys?
Life in 2022 is no “day at the beach” on so many levels.
Perhaps, just like me, a “staycation” was your agenda due to inflation woes, outrageous gas prices, or COVID stats (ours are on the rise here in Michigan – again).
Does a quick trip to the shore define a delightful getaway for you? Even if it’s just a few hours, dipping your toes in the water, …
… feeling the breeze in your hair (or feathers), …
… is a wonderful change of pace and who can resist the smell of hotdogs or burgers on the grill?
There’s plenty of fish dying to be your “catch of the day” (or maybe not if you look at it from a fish’s viewpoint). Lots of anglers, shoulder to shoulder, fill the boardwalk at Bishop Park dropping a line or two or three in the Detroit River while aiming to bring home dinner.
Bopping along the boardwalk is a favorite pastime of mine. I took several trips to the Detroit River this past weekend, plus in recent weeks, taking advantage of those occasional cool mornings to slip down to the water’s edge, even on a workday.
Yep, I get it – maybe it’s not a beach-y scene with you and your buddies bobbing around in the water, …
… but hey, with a little imagination, just picture yourself walking barefoot on the sand with waves lapping gently at your feet, encroaching ever closer to you, while a few screechy gulls are cruising lazily overhead. It’s a nice image to conjure up – bopping along the River’s boardwalk is a brief respite from the reality of day-to-day living in 2022.
The “daily constitutional” (a rather archaic phrase to describe a daily walk).
It’s only fitting that I use the phrase “daily constructional” for this Fourth of July holiday. Here’s how the Farlex Dictionary of Idioms defines this phrase:
On a hot and humid morning, circa mid-1700s, can you picture this country’s founding father, George Washington, steppin’ out for his constitutional, with his powdered hair tied back in a ponytail and those famous, already-rosy cheeks aglow from the moist morning air?
To bulk up my miles in the month of June, I was here, there and everywhere, amassing lots of steps and a ton of photos. I have done a hastily-written recap of each trek’s unique sights and sounds so my memory doesn’t fail me. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to assemble those narratives and photos and get them published in a more timely manner, but that is just one more New Year’s resolution that has bitten the dust.
Here are some recent photos that define the red, white and blue colors synonymous with the Fourth of July holiday and I have thrown in a handful of Americana images as well.
So where “R” you in your journey?
I liked this blackboard with its special message. I’ve used the phrase before, showing a photo of a painted rock I saw at Heritage Park. Fellow Michigan blogger Ruth suggested I use it as a tagline on my blog, so I did. In this case, I was totally oblivious to the fact that the “R” was missing from the word “journey” until I had the photo up on the computer screen at home. Life is imperfect anyway, so … was I going to discard that photo? Nope, the message is clear, with or without that missing letter. [I updated this post for my walking miles and noticed today Jim has squeezed in the “r” in his message.]
I’ve walked my socks off as much as I can, even resorting to hitting the aisles of my Meijer grocery store to keep me cool and bulk up my steps. Each year I wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with my end-of-year mileage goal, but I soldier on and hope for the best.
I usually give a walking miles status the end of each quarter. I am now at 637 miles (1,025 kilometers). Half of 2022 is gone – this time last year I had 605 miles on June 30th so I’m a little ahead. My year-end goal is 1,256 miles (2,022 kilometers). I walked 14.5 miles the last two days and drove my car 101 miles (yes, feel my forehead as that is not the norm for me).
My photo at the top of this post is a holiday wreath on a wooden gate at Emily Frank Gardens in Trenton. I stopped by there recently and an upcoming post will feature flowers and garden art from this fun venue. The little white gate and Americana swag looks like the gate in this holiday card below.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Happy 4th of July. The best way to enjoy this holiday is outside with Nature. Your photos were very entertaining. Great job on this post.
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Thank you Peggy! You are right about getting outside. We need an escape from the reality of our 2022 world. I am glad you got a smile when reading this post. I was just going to make it a regular post about trips to the shoreline parks, then thought it would be fun to add some 4th of July colors and imagery.
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So many wonderful photos Linda, looks like a busy place on the board walk by the water. Have a great day 🙂
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Thanks Sandra! The board walk at Bishop Park and the other shoreline parks I walk are filled with people fishing or walking once it warms up. The fisherman (and fisherwomen) are already lined up when I get there.
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Joining the national protest today. Wish I didn’t have to do it.
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Cathy – I didn’t hear anything about this protest until the news about an hour ago, then read the story after seeing your comment. The story seemed to stress more that the holiday parade in Lansing was halted just after starting due to the protesters rather than the protest itself. Please stay safe – hope there were no incidents in your large crowd, especially after the parade shooting in Illinois this a.m..
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What a great post!
I had no idea you have an annual MILES walking goal! Wow, Linda!
How wonderful for your readers that you live near so much water and so many beautiful parks — and like to share your photos! 🙂
Thank you as always, and Happy July 4th to you !
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Thank you DiAnne! A little bit of everything in this post for your Fourth of July holiday.
Yes – I do have an annual walking goal and started that miles walking goal in 2012. I started walking at Labor Day 2011 so whatever mileage accumulated at year end 2011, I just added one more mile as my goal the following year. If I surpassed the goal, I made the next year’s goal one more mile for that final total. That was all good until 2019 when a fellow blogger, who is Canadian, challenged me to do something different for the brand-new decade and do 2,020 kilometers which was quite a jump in mileage, but I said “why not … big new decade?” I am only making a goal to do one more mile than the previous year though, like my early days, no matter how far ahead I surpass – the weather is too erratic anymore to be able to know I can accomplish what I set out to do and I don’t want to fail. We had a lot of ice in January and February and some snow too, so that started the year off with a deficit.
I am lucky to live so close to many parks with shorelines and this past weekend, I thought I’d get some pictures from three other metroparks for variety in my walking posts, so I drove out to the country to visit them. I wore myself out as it got to 84 Saturday by the time I got home; yesterday two more parks (where I’ve been before, but big parks with lots of walking). Good exercise – came home hungry and tired and lots of pictures which I’ll be using until late Fall at the rate of two posts per week. 🙂 Happy Fourth to you too DiAnne!
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Happy 4th. Our day here is lovely. Warm and breezy but not hot and humid.
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Same to you Kate. It was not too bad this morning here, but I knew it would be 88 with a real feel of 97 by noon, so I just stayed local today and walked while it was still cool. We have some bad storms coming overnight and tomorrow which I hope will regulate the heat to warm, instead of scorching and sizzling. Are you dining on the deck and grilling on the BBQ now that everything’s done or have you already christened the deck?
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Today was the formal christening with friends!
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Yay! A looooooong time coming!
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Loved the post Linda and the card!
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Glad you liked it Wayne – I decided a collection of fun images would be something different for the Fourth and I was happy the wreath on the gate matched my Jacquie Lawson card too!
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Happy 4th of July! Wow that’s a lot of walking, we should do that. But honestly I never thought of keeping track, it’s a great idea. I feel summers aren’t the same as when we were kids. We’re camping right now and wearing pants and sweaters! Where’s the heat? 😊 I love the the photo of the gate in Trenton haha😁
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Thank you and Happy Belated 1st to you Susan. I started keeping track in 2011 when I began my walking regimen and vowed in 2012 to beat that 2011 amount by one mile. In 2019, a fellow blogger, a Canadian, challenged me to walk 2,020 kilometers/1,255 miles for the big new decade 2020 which was quite a jump but I did it. Now I’m back to one more mile than my original goal as it’s getting more difficult to get there with the erratic weather. We had tons of ice in January and February so I don’t like to walk if it’s dangerously slick, so I have to make up for those lost months. This extreme heat is no picnic – wish I could send some your way while you’re camping in chilly weather!
I added that line about Trenton to the end part about the gate for you. 🙂 I go to Elizabeth Park and Humbug Marsh, also in Trenton. The Emily Frank Gardens was a fun place to go. It is a big area where they grow veggies in one area for the Trenton Food Bank and the rest of the area is lots of flowers, perennials and annuals and a lot of yard art. It’s maintained by a staff of volunteers – they were very nice and encouraged me to return in August when all the flowers would be in bloom which I plan to do so will hold off the post and do do it over a few weeks (I went June 18th).
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Thank you, we had a great Canada Day😊. I don’t walk a lot in the winter either depending on ice and snow. I would take some of your hot weather. Raining here now and cool. Still funny you live near Trenton but not my Trenton haha
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It was hot and steamy again today after a storm early this morning. A Summer that is nothing special and we long for Summer during those long snowy and icy months. When I first heard about yesterday’s mass shooting at the parade, I only heard the name of the city: Highland Park. We have a city of Highland Park here in Southeast Michigan, then I hard it was in Illinois. I live in Lincoln Park and there is a Lincoln Park near Chicago, Illinois. Guess they have run out of names. 🙂
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Happy 4th of July – YAY for being ahead of your quota in the middle of the year! You’ve seen so many wonderful story-generating scenes, I’m so happy to read how you combine your thoughts into such delightful posts! Keep on enjoying the summer and store some photos to share with us in the winter months!! 😉
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Thanks Shelley – same to you! Yes, I’m glad to be a wee bit ahead as we have a few stormy days on the horizon unfortunately. I originally was intending to make this just a post about shoreline parks then thought I’d include some red-white-and-blue images from around town and Americana pics from the ‘hood. I have stored up enough pictures to last through October as of now, plus I’ll add special holidays in, so probably longer than that. I’ve not looked at any of the photos I have taken the last week (there are a lot) as I’m too far behind here in Reader. I seem to be perpetually behind these days.
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You did a great job with picking photos for the post.
I’m feeling the same thing about photos. I’ve tried to do a bunny post each week and felt overwhelmed – I’ve taken way too many photos of the little critters.
Do what works best for you and your timelines – we all understand what it takes to stay on top of Reader!
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Thank you and I know how it is when you see little critters and want to take their pictures. I’m doing a Parker funny tomorrow – I use squirrels more in the Winter when I’m not out and about so much and they look pretty cute in the snow. I took a lot of photos again over this last week. There are times, like tonight, that I won’t even make it to Reader. If you catch up a little, then people respond so those comments … I have resigned myself this is the way it will be until retired. Perpetually behind.
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🤗🥰🤗
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Happy 4th, Linda!
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Thanks Pam – same to you!
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Happy 4th Linda! It looks like you’ve had a great weekend! I really enjoyed your photos especially the rooster. LOL!
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Thanks Ruth – back at you! I did and the weather was perfect for anything planned outdoors, that’s for sure. Did you have a family gathering at your place, with some swimming in the pond? I walked a different route last weekend when I was looking to take some Cruisin’ Downriver photos and saw that big rooster and a slightly smaller one – how fun, especially this one in red-white-blue colors!
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We had our family picnic at the farm last weekend then Saturday evening we went to my sister’s place for a bbq. Hoping and praying that we get some of the rain that’s forecast for tommorrow.
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Better than having people travel today – lots of traffic on the road today. I hope you get rain to give your hubby and hose a break Ruth. It sounds like three days of off and on rain after this deluge early tomorrow morning.
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I’m so glad you didn’t work and enjoyed nature. We went to Amish Country Saturday. Your pictures are so patriotic, love them! I bet you are thrilled you are a few steps ahead of last year. You are doing great, keep it up.
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I did enjoy nature Diane and took a ton of pictures while walking … will wait to look at them, something to look forward to. I know you like going to Amish Country. I am glad I’m ahead because they say it will be a long and hot Summer, likely stormy, which then I get behind again. Thank you, forward march!
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Great Posting Linda just read it then the news here in the UK 🇬🇧 of another mass shooting in the US. Glad to read good news from around the world in positive blogs. BEST WISHES.
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Thank you Andy! I was just going to do a post about a shoreline walk along the Detroit River at multiple park boardwalks, then decided to incorporate the flavor of the holiday into the post instead. We need to have more positivity in this world – like your geese coming up to check out the camera and their distorted faces as they up so close – something to bring a smile. My Wordless Wednesday post tomorrow will be fun too. After work I was reading about this mass shooting – another person has died and something sad … a young boy with his parents was wandering about after his parents were killed and strangers took him to the fire station. Thank goodness he has other family – his grandparents will now be raising him.
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Nice photos and captions!
I’m happy summer is in full swing; I hope we can enjoy this month without getting too distracted with back to school and autumn. Once autumn arrives, they’ll have black Friday shopping in early October. It seems life outside the home goes one season too fast. In any case, I’m going to try to enjoy this month as much as I can. We got a late start to the summer vacation.
I hope you enjoy the summer months too!!
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Glad you liked those photos and captions – have to fulfill the “whimsy” portion of my blog!
Yes, the Summer speeds by too fast, just like weekends or long holidays. The stores put out harvest decor and pumpkin treats before school starts for goodness sake. I see memes every year with a disgruntled pilgrim and his turkey complaining their holiday was bypassed, going straight from Halloween to Christmas. Hopefully Ellis is feeling great and you’ll have a few outings before school starts.
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I’m with you on all these points. It’s too much when the stores start moving one season ahead of the actual season. You miss out on the current season and rush into the next one. And when it’s Halloween, get ready for Christmas sales and decor. Kind of sad that it’s this way. This is why I should stay away from Target. lol.
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And Lowes is just as guilty … I don’t have any Halloween decor out on the lawn but they will have all those items out in August already.
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BTW, you really live up to the wit and whimsy of your blog title! Very witty. I wish it came natural for me.
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Thank you Esther. Sometimes I see something and just picture how fun it will look in a blog post … this picture of Parker posing (or would it be pleading) for peanuts made me think “this will be a Wordless Wednesday post called ‘Me and my Shadow’.”
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We definitely had a staycation. Felt sorry for all those poor folks whose flights were cancelled and for the millions struggling through traffic jams on the interstates. We drove less than a mile to Avery Point and considered ourselves the lucky ones. Decided against going to a parade. Watched the NYC fireworks on TV while people were setting off their own stuff in the neighborhood. Very content to stay safe at home!
Loved your gull with wind-blown feathers! We saw lots of people fishing at Avery Point on Monday. And I enjoyed your collection of red, white and blue photos. Thanks for sharing the joy you find in your journey, Linda. And thank you for the cute animated card. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed your Independence Day!
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I’m happy to be in parks and not mingling with any crowds too Barbara … even if there was no COVID lurking about, I would not be comfortable in large crowds anymore. So it’s nice to get out and immerse yourself in nature. Yesterday, like you and Tim, I stayed close and went to Council Point Park. I heard the story on the news of the guy who was bumped off his flight and would not make it home on time for his wedding.
Glad you liked the gull with the wind-blown feathers. 🙂 He was on one leg and a gust of wind came and nearly blew him off the boardwalk railing and into the River. I originally planned to do a post of images all along the Riverfront and decided to turn it into a patriotic theme. I was thrilled to find the Jacquie Lawson card matched the white garden gate – serendipity!
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You’re doing well with your walking Linda despite the weather! Love that second seagull picture JLS with the clouds. And great theme pictures too…..lots happening on your walks. I like the term “constitutional” – it sounds very old fashioned and British. I don’t know how you find the time to make notes for future use. I stayed home over the holiday weekend…..fear of more mosquitoes….and made jam.
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PS. We did get a nice rain this morning, but nothing forecast for the rest of the week. I’m thinking of hiring someone to water….
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You might have to think about an automatic sprinkler system down the road to keep up on the watering Joni if this climate change predictions continue to say on coou. When I worked on site, I used to hand-water in the morning before work because if it was a hot day everything would b parched and drooping. We did get some rain this morning too – a little break for us.
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A good idea but I have a big lawn, front and back, so it would be way too expensive. I see them put in on new houses/subdivisions though before they lay the sod. I think your whole house generator is a good idea though for power outages – I had never heard of them before you mentioned it, but see them advertised on tv now. Maybe because power outages are becoming more common. They are still fairly rare here – maybe once a summer and usually only for a few hours.
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The sprinkler systems are expensive but good if you have a large garden and want to keep the lawn green, but the problems I’ve read about lately is our erratic weather … the sprinkler company will com and winterize the pipes in the Fall, then we get a late Fall heatwave, or vice versa. People don’t want the sprinkler system turned on when it might be a hard freeze even though it is late April and we might have some very warm weather. I think the generators are so popular now because of the erratic weather. My friend in New York has had one since they moved into their house over a decade ago. The prior owners said the Winter snowstorms often knocked out power. And that was before as much erratic weather as we’ve dealt with the past few years.
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I don’t care about keeping the lawn green as most of my neighbours lawns look the same dried out color! I have a one hundred foot house in the back which doesn’t even quite reach the back fence, so imagine it would be pricey, plus the front. It’s an old subdivision so the lots are big. I didn’t know that about the pipes though it makes sense.
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Do you have a water faucet in front and in back Joni? I don’t, as I have a small house, but I was thinking of you earlier today on my walk. There is a fairly big house with front/back water faucets and he had two hoses going at once in the front yard using a very long hose from the backyard. The pressure seemed fine, likely because it was two faucets. Years ago, I tried a double-headed connector to run a hose on the side and front at the same time and the water pressure was not good enough to run two sprinklers at once, nor really for hand watering either, out of the same faucet. Yes, it is a problem if your sprinkler system is on too late or too early; it is just like your pipes freezing in Winter. Here in my City, they are testing all the outside faucets to ensure the water is safe. (I don’t know why that would affect inside and I don’t drink from the hose??) Anyway, I got a letter that they tried to check my water on 05/24 and could not. So I e-mailed them at the e-mail address provided that I never turn my water on until after Memorial Day as it’s difficult to reach the shut-off handle if we’re going to have a hard freeze. So they have to return later and inspect it. Hopefully there are no issues.
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Are they testing the water as there might be some problems with old copper pipes if your house is older than 50 years? (Mine is, but I know in the city they have slowly been replacing some water pipes in some older neighbourhoods, at least the city’s portion of it). Do you know if they will return? I have an outside faucet at the back and one at the front – the one at the front has a 50 foot hose attached as the front yard is smaller. I had the front faucet replaced a few years ago as it was dripping, but can’t shut the water off inside as the valve is ceased, so the plumber told me to leave it alone. It never freezes, but I do turn the back faucet off and drain it in the fall. I don’t use sprinklers anymore, although I did years ago – I can’t be bothered to move it around the yard so if it gets dry and crispy it bounces back. My grass is full of creeping charlie anyway – but when it’s green you don’t notice it. You can’t use pesticides here anymore, so there’s nothing to control it.
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Yes that is what they said they were doing so that is good – they said they do it every so often. i don’t remember them doing it and this time I got a letter in March saying they were doing this … no date for when they would be here and I didn’t put on the water … worry it will freeze up. I used to hand water when I had all the flowers in front/side/back as I didn’t want to drown them if I used the sprinkler, but used the sprinkler for the bushes only when it got really hot.
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Thank you Joni. Yes, I’m pushing on because they keep talking about this long hot Summer we will have … though to me it feels like we’ve already had it. I switched on the news at 10:00 p.m. to hear if we are still having a storm overnight – then I shut off the A/C and pull the cord on the computer. They had a breaking news event that Carlos Santana is here in town at an outdoor venue and collapsed on stage. They cancelled the rest of the show – apparently he had heart issues/procedure last Fall; they think it is likely from the heat. He is 74. I do make notes each day I walk i.e. the weather, how many miles and anyone’s name I spoke with, anything unusual … the rest I’ll fill in when I see the photos. It will be a few weeks before I look at the photos I took over the last week. I am still trying to catch up here. I like the word “constitutional” too!
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He’s way too old to be performing in that heat!
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They said it was heat exhaustion and he was still in the hospital today. It was close to 90 degrees and the lights onstage made it 115 degrees they said. The concern was he had heart issues and a procedure done last Fall but he admitted today he didn’t eat or drink all day. (Well ….)
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Happy belated 4th. I spent a long weekend sick with something that was not Covid, but got caught up on rest. I also made some headway on a long-simmering writing project.
As always, your photos capture the occasion wonderfully.
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Thank you JP. I decided to have some fun with this festive holiday post. I am sorry to hear you were ill over the long holiday, but glad it was not Covid and it is always good to catch up on writing projects. I have been taking a lot of photos, some I’ve not even looked at yet from over 4th of July weekend. I don’t want to run out of photos for the leaner walking months down the road.
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