Out of Time

As Sluggo rested from overheating last night, I turned on the television and got sucked in for most of the night. Lots of documentaries about Troy on cable right now. (My high school's physical education department had a towel boy/equipment manager in his sixties who the coaches always called Mr. Breedlove, but who the kids all called by his first name, Troy. Never since have I been able to hear the name without picturing an old guy handing out towels.) But the program I found most interesting was the one about the Queen Mary 2 which the Discovery Channel has been showing lately.

When I was a kid, I found ocean liners fascinating. I read every book I could find about them, and even went to all the travel agencies which used to be clustered along 6th Street in downtown Los Angeles to get brochures. I also scored a few folders with deck plans of several liners, including the original Queen Elizabeth. For a long time, I fantasized about working on an ocean liner, but by the time I was old enough, most of them had vanished. There were more and more cruise ships, but they never appealed to me. I suppose it's just as well, since I've never learned to swim. (I hate when water runs into my ears.) I probably wasn't suited for a life at sea, anyway. But I still have a fondness for ocean liners. I'd really like to sail on the QM2 someday.

Oh, night has flown, and I must once again go to sleep with the chatter of morning birds in my ears. At least it is expected to be a bit cooler today, so I might get more time with Sluggo tonight.

Monday Redeemed by Precipitation

Rain has arrived! Not much rain, but enough to make the pavement gleam and scent the air with grassy wetness. For a while, large gaps in the steely lower clouds revealed splendid heaps of white cumulous topping the eastern mountains. Now, it's getting a bit late for the sun shower for which I then hoped, but there are a few blue patches revealing higher clouds that glow with evening color. That's almost as good. A blustery wind has risen as well, and a twig-end leaf on the mulberry tree is whirling around in a comical parody of the Royal Wave^TM. I wonder if the tree has been possessed by the ghost of the Queen Mother? She's going to get soaked!

Oh, so blessedly cool!