Friday Night Edge of Summer, BBQ, Beverage and First Hay Cutting Thread

The most hectic school year of my career (more so than 2020 and 21 even) ended today. Sitting on Lake St Clair with a blood Orange margarita thankful for the summer!

I'm BBQ'ing Red Baron pizza in the microwave while drinking Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack

Concerts in July

Not rooting for the Avs!

A little red pop in your cup, and not Faygo, if you know what I mean…nudge-nudge, wink-wink.

Steaks on the grill right now for fajitas.

A very smooth, prestige 2019 Le Prince de Corthezon in my glass.

Summer is shaping up a lot better now! Finally got a new job yesterday. 100% remote, 30% raise over the last one. Spending next week in Beantown. Might even be able to squeeze in one of the Tiger games at Fenway.

Go Bolts! I love the idea of them winning three in a row, and I think their assistant Derek Lalonde will be named next Wings coach.

Went to Tellaro, Italy for our daughters graduation trip.  Most beautiful place I’ve ever been. 
 

Wish I knew how to BBQ.  I am simply a burger and steak guy. 
 

Drinking some 1792 Small Batch (great daily drinker) and got a bottle of Russell’s 13yr and Rebel 10yr single barrel today.  Will crack one of those open too. 

1. Leftover BBQ chicken for dinner, grilling steaks at dads house on Sunday night while watching the end of the US Open. Just water to drink tonight.

2.Heading to the UP in mid July to visit in laws. Hoping to play golf at Newberry CC again this year. Just bought TaylorMade stealth irons today.

3. Rooting for the Lightning.

Just had Thai food, keeping our eye on the Texas ND baseball game, and trying to stay awake after a week of sleepless nights thanks to the oppressive heat and old AC. Looking forward to the weekend cool down. 

Just hanging out watching the CWS. You’d better believe I’m cheering hard against ND!

Avocado and meatballs (cleaning out fridge) with Killian's

Big Bay, Marquette next weekend.  Copper Country in July.  Was in Milwaukee/Ludington (Lake Express ferry, but watched Badger load up in Ludington) last week and saw O.A.R. and Steve Miller.  6 days of celebration and eating around Independence Day.  I haven't had this much fun in a while.

Was hoping for Bolts but it looked like all Av's in the first period of the last game.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 

Love the taste and the backstory on how these old gnarly vines produce such good fruit.  Maybe because I’m old.

Cheers 🍷

Pulled pork nachos and margaritas for dinner!  Wilderness state park by Mackinac last weekend, currently trying to find a lakefront cabin rental for early August somewhere, anywhere in NoMi but not finding a ton of great options this late in the game. 

1) No BBQ tonight, but just made some pasta with home made meat sauce. Beef, pork, veal, a smidge of bacon, red wine base. Thought so much about Goodfellas when I was making this, I didn’t put too many onions in the sauce. Just two. Not using a razor blade to cut the garlic, though, although I was tempted.

2) Not too many trips left. Just heading up to upstate NY to my in laws lake house in the Adirondacks for the week of July 4th. My wife and I get a day away in the finger lakes while the in laws watch our two year old, but otherwise any vacation time is just family time. With a two year old and another one on the way, we really have no major trips planned for at least the next year and a half to two years.

3) Ask me again after the game tomorrow. Tampa usually takes a game to get things figured out before they start rounding to form and locking their opponent down. They were about to get run out of the arena in game 1 and stormed back. Lost in OT but they came all the way back. But this is the Avs we’re talking about. They are what the Lightning were when the Lightning just started their run, minus an elite goaltender. 

If Tampa wins tomorrow, it’s anyone’s series, but I’d guess Avs in seven by the slimmest of margins. If the Avs win tomorrow, I’d say Avs in five. Lightning are too good to get swept, but being down 0-2 is too much to come back from against this team. Even for back to back defending champs.

1. Grilled some beef kabobs earlier along with some adult iced tea.

2. Took a few days off this weekend. Desperately needing it as work is taking a toll on me. Hopefully going cage diving with Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island this year. Did it last year and was the most amazing experience of my life.

3. Rooting for the Avs. Never liked Tampa after they screwed me beating the Wings in a playoff game I had $$ on while in Vegas.

Good to have you around XM.

So far, I've been doing a bit of work around the house and taking care of my wife who just had a hysterectomy. We've been watching a lot of bad movies and are keeping it chill until she's fully recovered.

Dinner out with the German family I stayed with in high school (became lifelong friends with their son who lives here now).

Eats: an artsy fartsy corned beef sandwich

Drink: Heaven Hill 17

No hay baling, but have had my hands full splitting a downed red oak into firewood every weekend for the last month.

I'm not doing much in the way of barbecuing these days--my wife's appetite (or lack thereof) precludes about all the things I'd like to fix, and grilling for one just ain't as much fun. Same for the adult beverages, although I did indulge in a whiskey and coke before dinner--used to be her favorite, she took one sip and said no thanks. I'm mostly just sticking to relatively cheap brews these days, and few of them, too, as I'm often needed to be not just awake but actually coherently alert in the middle of the night.

Finally figured out what needs to be repaired/replaced on the slide on my fiver, and an appropriate work-around to go with it, so we may get to go out camping this week, if she feels up to it. Hoping to be able to at least take some nonweekend trips around the Mitten, and I have a longer trip sketched out starting at the end of August when everyone else goes back to school and work. But, like everything in our household these days, it all depends.....

I have nothing invested in the outcome of the Cup, but my cousins in Colorado are of course Avs fans, so since their DU team won, I'd like to see them come out on the losing end of this one.

Junior Partner and I closed the warehouse for 6 weeks of paid vacation to let everyone on our crew catch their breath after an incredible 20 month stretch of hard work and success. Also made the crew "grin happy" with some Thank You checks too. 

No BBQ. Just had a quiet evening at home with The Keeper - take out pizzas, then watching the US Open. She nursed her one Craggenmore and I enjoyed a Sweet Vermouth - and her gentle presence.

Sons arrive tomorrow afternoon from their homes and we're planning a quiet Saturday/Sunday just enjoying each other's company. They won't know how to thank me (still) but they will try; they're finally getting to an age where they're recognizing just what Dad has done for and with them. I just like having them around me again ...