June 2021

Strawberry picking in the first week of the month was the best we've seen in years. We'd normally pick a several quarts in about an hour, this year within 40 minutes we have over 24 lbs of berries, so big and perfectly ripe red.  The result was four pies, a batch of jam, shortcake, and a couple pounds still left over for the neighbors.  Last year's picking was overwhelmed with people due to Covid and their anxiety to get out (nothing else to do), this year was a quieter return of the regulars.

Nick and I made a trip to Cabela's one Sunday morning to pass the time. I bought a new pair of walking/hiking shoes from a guy who had retired as a pilot for Ford, and from our shared timeline, we probably flew together twenty years ago. We enjoyed the taxidermy and fish tanks, and got out without spending too much.  Also stopped at our breakfast place in Petersburg, Papa's.  Sadly our regular server is moving on... graduated from college. The pic here is of our table at Star Diner on Saturday mornings (every Saturday since 1995).

Brandi took a short vacation to Atlanta at the end of the month, easy round-trip flight. With mama gone, Nick and I ventured out.  On a perfect Sunday afternoon, we headed to Akron to watch the Erie Seawolves play the Rubberducks.  The Tigers AA team has three future stars in the lineup, and we found front row seats for $17 apiece. Two-dollar hot dogs, cold beer, a boat of pierogies and kielbasa, and a lot more cheap junk food kept us in our seats for eight innings, with a 9-4 win, and no rain until we got about five minutes north of the park upon leaving. He's a good sport spending the entire day watching baseball, not really Nick's thing, but he was good conversation and easy to hang with nonetheless.  Highly recommend this park, nestled inside downtown Akron, small capacity, and great sightlines.

We opened the pool mid-month, delaying in anticipation of possible cicadas that never came. Our happy place in the summer, the peaceful pool hidden in the trees. (He didn't get paid for his help this year, though, he got a little lippy with Grandpa... gotta learn that lesson.)  New neighbors are well behaved, liner is intact, Nick shaped the hedges better than I even could, we're ready for summer.
Don't think he's not extremely helpful, though, one evening Nick made dinner, he grilled us burgers (and then disappeared, it's not assumed he'll join us at the dinner table without an invitation.)

There's a new video here of Nick playing piano. He won't let me listen usually, I had to beg him for a short concert, in a weak moment. The music is from a popular video game.  Here's the original, and here's Nick's version.

Photos here.

Jason