Hello. It’s me!

“Man, it’s a hot one,

like seven inches from the midday sun.”

At least that’s how Rob Thomas and Santana presented the situation to us at fifteen or more years ago. We experienced sweaty conditions in the Milwaukee area for three days. First, we watched my cousin play baseball. I looked all over for his appearance …

… and then, he waltzed up to the on-deck circle.

I don’t know what happened next … either I passed out from heat exhaustion or I got dizzy waiting for the sausage races that never happened.

Fortunately, Dad was able to hydrate.

That was Friday. Saturday, we left Dad’s brother & family … they would have to deal with the sultry conditions on their own.

Dad and I and Mom went our separate ways on Saturday. Mom attended the “BIG SHOW” in Downtown Milwaukee.

Air conditioning and Beads sounds like a good combination, but not quite as good as a 93 degree afternoon on the lakeshore in Milwaukee.

I worked my way toward the Marina where, as always, I evaluated threats. None on the way to the Marina.

A perceived threat here.

And nothing to see here.

From Milwaukee, we motored west toward Oconomowoc, where we attended a graduation weekend. First, we enjoyed a sunset along a lake, while Mom toured the lake in a boat.

Then on Sunday, we enjoyed a graduation party (well, I sat in a powerless rig, but that’s another story).

Late in the afternoon, now on the cool side of the warm front, we made the decision to head home. We made it to Albert Lea, Minnesota, named after the topographer Albert Miller Lea. Formerly a manufacturing town, Albert Lea is now host to the largest employer in the area, the Mayo Clinic (No, I don’t actually know these facts. I consulted Wikipedia (click here). What I do know is that, after crossing this country, the only growth industry my canine eyes observed was health care).

That’s what I know. We’re a handful of days away from being back in the Pacific Northwest. We left during cool conditions in mid-May. We’re enjoying the transition to summer with occasional sultry summer days in the Midwest. In my case, the trip has been exhausting, but enjoyable.