When I arrived home from the southern Illinois misadventure, the high temperatures continued in Wisconsin with our warmest days of the year. With our well-shaded home, we rarely use the air-conditioning, but it received its first work-out of the season.
Callie and I took early morning walks (5 a.m. before sunrise) to get our steps in. Then we both retreated to the basement for most of the rest of the day.
The weather finally turned this week. Julia was up in Door County with some girlfriends, so I played pickleball every day. One of the guys I recently got to know at pickleball turned out to be the fraternity roommate of my dormitory roommate. Small world. We both like pickleball and good small breweries, so we've gone out for beers a couple of times too. I had pretty much lost touch with our mutual friend Joe, but Mick has stayed in contact, so it was fun catching up. Maybe we will all get together someday for a beer.
I completed the repair of the Scamp bathroom door after consulting my friend Dean. The door was previously held in place by small screws from the inside bathroom door trim to the outside bathroom door trim. After 22 years, the screws had backed out or stripped. I drilled bigger holes and put in machine screws with fender washers and an acorn nut. It seems much better secured.
In the last few days, the weather has been much cooler with lows at night in the 40's. I celebrated with hikes at Gibraltar Rock and at Pheasant Branch. I also restarted my sourdough starter and baked some bread to take the chill off. I like fall.
I have no September plans to Scamp. Allie will be home again this weekend and staying for a week before she stands up in a friend's wedding the following weekend. At the end of the month, Julia leaves for a long-planned trip to South Africa with a girlfriend from optometry school. I may take a trip then but probably will travel within Wisconsin.
Why am I not going to Africa? It's just not a place that I have any current desire to visit. Ten years ago, I wanted to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, but that desire has faded away. Julia is going to do a safari, and that doesn't sound like fun for me, especially given the expense. I'm glad she has a girlfriend to go with, and so is the girlfriend's husband who also declined not to go.
Next year will likely be a big travel year for us here in the U.S. I'll save my pennies for those trips.
Comments
How is Allie?
Are we gonna get to hear about Julia's safari?
Allie had a great time at the wedding, and has been home several times this year. We will see her again at Christmas. She has her own trip planned to Mexico this fall. Justin's caregiving has been rock steady. There's been some turnover, but his service is in charge of handling that, and they've done an excellent job to-date. I talk with Justin every day and see him at least weekly when I'm home.
Julia is still in Africa, returning at the end of the week. I'll try to summarize the highlights when she returns. The pictures I've seen are amazing, but she says that there has been little opportunity to exercise or walk during the safaris and that I would have hated it. Lots of jeep rides. Warnings to stay close and not go out at night.
I may have told before how we, Michelle and I, chanced upon a raised-glazed of fine distinction at a Smith's grocery in the Albuquerque student ghetto. Previous research had disclosed Smith's uses a mix. Undaunted and in need, we bought a couple and were shocked-and-amazed at the difference. Checking with the baker, he confirmed the use of the mix. Michelle's verdict: it's the hand oil. (I suspect he wears gloves; how can this be?) Repeated followups proved his were noticeably better than those from other stores.
My own experience has been such that I only bake when the planets are correctly aligned. Fortunately, there's only been one birthday cake that didn't come out, but a couple of pies made during a bout of grumpittude had to be tossed. Have you had any similar experiences? What about with roasting coffee?
I've only tried a few birthday cakes, and they've been really bad. My pie crusts are similarly bad. I usually rely upon the pre-made crusts, which taste nothing like Julia's Grandma Bessie's home-made crusts, made with lard. Those were tasty pies.
Roasting coffee almost always goes well, unless my heat gun dies or temperatures are extreme (way below zero). Again, it's because I understand the process and the parameters which ensure success.