Before I flew to Germany last Thursday, I photographed my newly potted, growing ficus plants, the Hermann Junior, Jr.’s. One of the Junior, Jr.’s is growing out from its original stem, which is what I was expecting to happen. In the other pot, new shoots are sprouting from the roots, which surprised me. I’m interested to see if the two pots continue to grow differently, but hoping that they simply continue to grow.

Last week my family took its annual trip to St. Joseph, Michigan. Starting five or six years ago, I think, my family starting taking a mini-vacation to St. Joesph, MI each summer. We made the three hour drive up early Monday morning, stopping along the way at Warren Dunes State Park to climb the sand dunes and play in the sand a little. After a rinse in Lake Michigan we got back in the cars and proceeded northward to St. Joseph. There we had a couple days of relaxation—most of it spent on Silver Beach. It was a nice trip. Great weather, except for a storm which blew in for a couple of hours on Wednesday morning. I’m sure we’ll do it all again next summer.

Today I potted what I hope will grow into some nice, healthy ficus trees. A few months ago while repotting my ficus tree, Hermann, Jr., I read about how to propagate a ficus tree. The easiest method was to cut off a still-green shoot and place it into a glass of water until it develops a sufficient root system and then plant it. After thinking it over for a little while, I cut off a few shoots. It took some time—maybe a month or so—but eventually they grew some nice roots. This morning I took the Hermann Junior, Jr.’s out of their water and lovingly planted them into a couple of small pots. Here’s hoping they’ll grow!

Yesterday I took my first visit to the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio. I took the short trip east of Toledo with my family, and I had a pretty good time. The slimy snouts as the animals pushed their heads through the window openings made me a little uncomfortable at times, but it was fun … if not a little messy—I had to call for a wipe on a few of occasions.

I went to Fort Meigs today to watch the fife and drum corps perform during Drums Along the Maumee. There were a collection of corps from around the region who came to play. The most impressive, for my money, was the Plymouth Fife and Drum Corps. The others were good, too. There were also some costumed soldiers and civilians, adding to the atmosphere. They even held artillery and musket-firing exhibitions, which were pretty cool—especially the artillery piece. Was it ever loud though. And, oh my goodness, was it ever hot and humid. Perhaps that’s why there were only a handful of spectators.

Yesterday I went with my family to Cedar Point for the first time in a few years. It was a gorgeous day to be in the park. The temperature was cool, and the crowd was small. A perfect combination. Unfortunately, I’m getting a little too old for riding the rides. I was nauseated by just about everything—even the coasters! There were definitely a few thrill rides I might never ride again. Especially, maXair. It’s a fun ride, but two minutes of ride time is way too much for me! I was able to ride Maverick for the first time, and that was a great ride. Some of the twists were a little too quick, and I kept hitting my neck on the harness. Nonetheless, it’s a fun ride. My favorite coaster is still Millenium Force. The only problem this time was that I rode it at night when all of the bugs are out. I was sitting in the front row of the train and getting pelted like a car windshield! There was one dense patch of them which was particularly unpleasant. When the ride was over my shirt was covered in dead bugs. It was a little gross, but the ride was still fun. The best part of the day was the bumper cars! I just love those.

My teefury.com grab bag shirt arrived today, and I was disappointed. The shirt I ended up with is called The Shining Finger, showcasing E.T. in the pose of Jack Nicholson from the movie The Shining. I was intrigued by the notion of getting a random shirt, so I ordered a grab bag. For only $5.00 what could go wrong, right? Wrong. I would never wear this shirt. When I went through all the possibilities that I might receive there were only a couple that I absolutely would not want to get; this shirt was among them. I guess when you buy a random T-shirt, that risk comes with the territory. I posted the shirt at teetrade.org and already have a couple of offers on it, so it looks like I’ll be able to unload the shirt and get my money back. $5.00 is a good price for what seems to be a high quality T-shirt, but I’m not sure I’ll go the grab bag route again.