About two weeks ago, Lukas and Annika arrived for a wedding of friends (and former students of mine), so we all went to the wedding. Then a day or so later, Lukas and Annika flew to Florida so Luke could finish his minor league coverage of the Fort Myers Miracle and Lakeland Tigers. They left us with the grand-dogs, a Cairn terrier (Slater) and a Goldendoodle (Meriam).
We really enjoyed seeing both Luke and Annika. We’re proud of the life they are carving out together. They now live in Westfield, NY, near Lake Erie and just off the slopes of the Chautauqua crest. It’s near Erie and Buffalo and Pittsburgh and Toronto, but out of the way enough to be quiet and historically local. The smell of Concord grapes in autumn is noticeable, and the colors of the hills are magnificent.

Here’s a pic of each (of the dogs). Slater loves to play defense between two or three people kicking the soccer ball. Meriam and Webster asleep in their customary locations — the couch. Lukas and Annika returned from Florida and stayed with us a few days, and made a 100 mile trip to Freeport to visit with the grandparents. That was a highlight for the grandparents.



After explaining to all of you the tranquility and simplicity of our lives, I must confess that adding two dogs to the mix put simplicity to the test at times. I “fixed” Slater’s love of barking by taping construction paper to the front windows and shutting the curtains — he couldn’t see anything and that mollified his barking.
So, I was able to spend my time on Mary without a hitch. And, thankfully, I met the deadline. The ms is in to the publisher. I’ll post the cover some time soon. I think you’ll like it.