HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

TO ME--

And, it was a dandy.

The celebration began Friday actually with a 20 mile bicycle ride from Mansfield to Bellville with my lady Sue Brooks and granddaughter Mackenna where we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream treats--whopper sized, of course.

Friday night we enjoyed the Miss Ohio show and Saturday evening 16 of us from the Mansfield Johnny Appleseed's, western square danced in Marion, OH.  

Sunday, son Brian and wife Kathy treated Sue and I to an excursion and picnic lunch on Charles Mill Lake with their newly purchased pontoon boat; Captain Kathy quite capably at the helm, by the way.  

There was a car show going on at the lake's beach and that's me riding with Robert Shutt of Mansfield (above) in his hand-made replica of a 1901 Oldsmobile.

Bob is a neighbor of Brian's and, it turns out, I was almost a classmate of Bob's dad in the green shirt, background, at Madison High School more than 50 years ago.

And, Bob showed us a miniature engine he made from scratch.  It would fit in the palm of your hand and it actually runs.  He also shared photos of a .22 caliber Gatling gun he made, also from scratch.  I hope to be paying more attention to this very talented fellow in a future blog article.

  

Momma mallard duck (right) tends to her nesting chores on the stern of a pontoon boat docked nearly adjacent to Brian's slip at the Charles Mill Marina.  Notice how she lowers her head and hides behind the boat's rail support, making sure she is as unobtrusive as possible as we glide quietly by.

Yup, life is good.

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Remember you can click on these photos to see a larger image.  Top photo by son Brian.