Sargie captured this lightening flashing across the sky on our way home from Foster City Friday evening

July 20, 2019 - Saturday morning

67 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Ah, sweet relief. The humidity has dropped and with it, the comfort level has risen dramatically. It was horribly hot yesterday, gawd awful, miserably, hot and muggy. With a high of 90 and a dew point to match, Friday was, hopefully, our token scorcher for the year. We usually have one or two each summer.

I was up and out of the house at first light Friday morning and continued repairs on the pond until I got to the bottom level. More than a foot of water remained and I wasn't sure what to do. I thought about trying to pump the water out, but the goo was so thick with clay, sand, and gravel, that I knew the toxic mixture would eat a pump's impeller and quickly destroy it.

There was only one thing to do to hasten the drying process. I donned my Sitka boots, grabbed a five gallon pail, and waded in. I'm unsure how many trips I made to the top, but the water was greatly diminished within an hour.

I'd been working for over two and a half hours before the sun's rays hit the bottom signaling it was time to quit. I was a sweaty, wet, muddy, stinking, mess.

Sargie and I decided to have our big meal early in the day before the temperature rose too high. Big meal? That might be an understatement. 

Fried potatoes, fresh mushrooms, toast, and what you can't see are the hamburgers sitting under those two fried eggs.

I worked for a couple of hours in the shop and finished the big Jesus project. It's already been delivered and I can call that job complete.

Mississippi Brother Garry sent a picture of his latest lathe turning accomplishment, a bowl to donate to the Bead of Courage Project.

I see Garry's work and I quickly realize what an amateur I am. He claims to have had all kinds of problems in making the bowl from spalted dogwood, but it looks absolutely beautiful to me.

We had a wonderful time last night in Foster City at Taylor and Nikki's. There was lots to eat, yard games to play, babies to hold, and of course, news to catch up on.

Sargie's feeding great niece, Aria

Baby Aria

The evening wore on and rumbling could be heard in the far distance. It was time to depart for Pentoga Road. Sargie and I drove through some fairly heavy storms on our way home.

What struck us as odd was the orange cast in the sky caused by the reflection of the setting sun on the low storm clouds overhead. Sargie took some terrific pictures in some lousy conditions.







Thankfully, the big storms and rain missed Pentoga Road and we received only a trace of precipitation. The pond should dry today and I can finish the repair work and get on with the underlayment and liner.

The Iron County Courthouse and Clock Tower at the top of the hill in Crystal Falls

 Sargie closes the Vision Center tonight. With the temperatures and humidity back to livable levels, I'll work down in that hole in the garden. There's weeding and some basic maintenance that needs to be done in the garden. I'm working on another project in the shop and then there's the distinct possibility of an afternoon snooze.

Sargie's lilies are beautiful this year

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Who did you expect, Brad Pitt? I told you I was a hot, sweaty, muddy, stinking mess, by the time I was finished early Friday morning.