Buddy, Michelle, is saying,
"Look whose last day it is!"

August 17, 2019 - Saturday morning

51 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

My bride is embarking on her first day of freedom from full time work. There'll be no more driving hundreds of miles per week and working on weekends and holidays is a thing of the past. 

Sargie was awake early this morning, just lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Old habits are hard to break, even that of getting up very early on a weekend morning to drive to the Vision Center. Those days are over.

Her friends and coworkers, Michelle and Laura, certainly gave her a fine send off.

Showering Sargie with flowers, a beautiful cake, and a generous gift card, Laura came in for a final farewell even though she was officially on vacation.

Michelle was supposed to be finished at 4 PM, but remained with Sargie until well into the evening, talking and being a good friend, so she wouldn't be alone on her last day. I doubt there were many dry eyes. Those two started in the Vision Center years ago around the same time and have been friends ever since. 

In fact, if it wasn't for Michelle, Sargie and I wouldn't be together, but that's a story for another time.



So, come Tuesday morning, my girl begins her newest venture as an optician for a new group of doctors. Her first day will be spent in the main clinic in Norway, Michigan, just east of Iron Mountain, and after that, she'll man the Crystal Falls office, a mere ten miles away, every Tuesday and Thursday. On the other days, she'll be in charge of Pentoga Road.

It was rainy and chilly all day Friday. Jambo had texted (yes, us old guys actually text back and forth) inquiring about going fishing. We left under the threat of rain mid morning after Sargie departed for work.

Jambo looks like a lost little boy. We'd just launched the boat and he was waiting for me to park the trailer.

Fishing was just okay. We were trying some new places in the lake, newer baits, and different techniques. Jambo landed half a dozen "eater-sized" crappies in the short time we were out there. Rain finally ran us in after just an hour or so.

I spent most the afternoon in the shop working on some "pretties," trim for the new garden shed.

It took longer to make the patterns than actually cut them out and assemble the trim. Once one is made, the rest are easy.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing something that didn't require climbing up and down a ladder, balancing a beam on my head, or hanging from my heels while attempting to put a screw through a rafter.

There'll be six of these, three on each side. Two were made yesterday. One goes under the peak and the other two towards the bottom of the overhang. 



They are purely decorative.

 I was going to include some correspondence from my friend, Joanna, a former student of mine in Alaska, in today's blog, but think I'll wait until tomorrow. Joanna, her husband, and infant son, recently moved to a very remote, tiny island village in SE Alaska, one that I frequented often during my Alaska years, and has written some very interesting and humorous thoughts about their latest adventure. Joanna's not only the best teacher I've been privileged to mentor in my forty two years in education, she's also a great writer and has given me permission to publish her email(s) on the blog. 

You Alaska enthusiasts will definitely enjoy it. Be sure to come back tomorrow. It's well worth the read.

 Sargie and I are off to Rhinelander later today to purchase the rest of the materials needed to finish with roof. Since we're entering the fall rainy season, I'd like to get the garden house closed in as soon as possible. 

Other than that, I'll leave what we do up to the newly semi-retired babe optician in my life. Now that she's home more, she'll, no doubt, have some definite thoughts on what our day should look like.

Meanwhile, I'm going to head out to the shop and make another piece or two of trim.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...