let's go Red Sox!

4 for 4

Our last game was on the way home from Mt. Vernon. We stopped to see the Cubs play in Cincinnati and the Strunks came with us. Their son Josh drove over from Kettering to meet us.

Bronson Arroyo, a former Boston player, started for the Reds.

The center field was made to look like a riverboat.

There were a lot of boats on the Ohio river that day.

surviving in the heat

Lou Piniella came out to yell at the umpire when the Reds player was ruled safe.

Josh, Jean, and Ed Strunk

the whole gang in the 14th inning, when we finally decided to leave
As we were walking out, Alfonso Soriano hit the go-ahead run for the Cubs who won 6-3 in the 14th!

trouble brewing in the north

Check out my Facebook album of last night's storm.

Sabbath in Mt. Vernon

We went up the hill to Mount Vernon's church on Sabbath not knowing who we'd run into with school out and no advanced warning.











One of the seniors who just graduated was the preacher that Sabbath. We sat in the balcony with several MVA faculty and students who got a kick out of a surprise visit from Ryan. It was fun getting to see everybody again, even if I didn't know them that well.

The Strunks made plans to eat a picnic lunch at a nearby park with the family of the business manager at MVA, including their 1- and 4-year-olds. We had way too much good food.

I conquered the rope tower thing!

We hiked for about 30 minutes before coming to the end of the trail and the "waterfall." Look closely or you might miss it.







Here's us standing with the trail and waterfall behind. Some of the MVA kids that came with us climbed up the hill and hiked to a nearby dam and then back along the other side of the creek.

The surround rock is all sandstone and has carvings all over the place, some dated in the late 1800s. I wonder if the dates are accurate?











The covered bridge was really neat, but I worried about a few of the boards. They were only nailed down at each end.

Ryan and I played on the swings next to the creek while waiting for the group to decide to head out. I think I made a few nearby parents nervous . . . either that I was going to slam into a post/tree or that their kids would imitate me!







If you ever followed Ryan's blog while he was a Mt. Vernon resident, you're familiar with this local landmark. We went to visit Ryan's old "neighborhood" at the Arbors before supper Sabbath. Sure enough, Ryan's old neighbor Bob Beck was on his porch. He yelled, "You're a long way from home! Hi Ryan!"

winding and unwinding

On Friday we said goodbye to family in Michigan and drove a couple hours to Sandusky, OH to experience Cedar Point. We got slightly discounted tickets and headed in with the sun shining in a cloudless sky.

This is the view as you drive across the last bridge approaching the park. The big coaster on the left is Millennium Force, one of my favorites. We rode the red and yellow one, the Dragster, last. (Click the link for a pic of us riding.)

We had Ryan's camera with us before lunch and snapped a couple of pictures inside the park. The Twister is behind us.

Ryan's pic of The Twister

back in the "untied" states

After the almost five-hour drive back to Detroit from Toronto, we unwound with a little shopping, Olive Garden, and a lot of pool.

Ryan puts his ball in the corner pocket while also scratching with the cue ball.

I try to stay in the game by knocking down stripes.

the real pool shark in action


game 3 of 4 June 4
Red Sox @ Tigers

taken by a friendly usher . . . should have specified that I wanted the tigers in the shot

Tim Wakefield, expert of the knuckleball

standing by the visitors' bullpen


the National Anthem

Ryan's view from our right field seats at Kaline's Korner

Rocco Baldelli filled in for J. D. Drew

couldn't have seen this last season . . . know why?

Pedroia's odd broken bat - see how much is left?

Hey, what do you know, it's us at the game.

the view from our seats

Papelbon comes in to close it out for the Sox.

last out - Pedroia gets Inge at 2nd

friendly chipmunks back at Ryan's grandparents'

Gary getting the tour of the backyard plants before supper

Jake and Grandpa assembling a remote-controlled helicopter

an after-supper walk around the neighborhood