After finishing up the list of things to do down in the Miami atea, there was a window 🪟 of opportunity that would allow me to return 🏡🏠🏡 for roughly 30-36 hours. It would require making a 13-hour drive 🚗 but as the Jimmy Buffett song 🎵 says, “Get out of the Heat.” The opening line from Last Mango in Paris (1985).

Laurel Fork is usually 8-10 degrees cooler than down in Mt.Airy, so if the actual temperature 🌡here is 100°, what is going on at the bottom of the mountain?

  The next leg of the journey begins tomorrow morning with a ✈️ out of RDU at 8:44 a.m., and thankfully, the next stop will be somewhere cooler ( Eastern Canada 🇨🇦).

Thoughts are with anyone who had to work outside today….

Alexia just said that the all-time high temperature in the Commonwealth is 110°. Crazy to think about….

The earlier games today both ended in heartbreak for Senegal 🇸🇳 and Congo 🇨🇩.

Senegal led 2-0 with five minutes left in regulation and lost on a PK in the second 15:00 extra time. Belgium 🇧🇪 was 🧇🧇🧇🧇🧇🧇 waffling ( insert laughter ), and then they weren’t. Wow, it’s hard not to feel bad for the folks from Africa.

Congo 🇨🇩 had England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 down 1-0 until Harry Kane scored in the 75th and 86th minutes. Give Kane credit for performing in the clutch, but sooooooooo close for both of the little guys.

It’s time for the USA 🇺🇸 11 to get busy versus Bosnia 🇧🇦 Herzegovina !!!

31st minute – USA 🇺🇸 Goal, disallowed 🚫 by offsides call.

45th minute- Gooooooooòooal !!!!!

53rd minute – off the cross bar, so close to being 2-0…..

7:55 – Halftime

65th minute – tough Red Card for USA 🇺🇸, down a player for the rest of the match and all night Monday night if we advance.

69th minute – water 💧break, still up 1-0

79th minute – Goal for USA 🇺🇸 but once again, offsides called…..soooooo close to being 2-0.

What a game…. yellows to their Coach and then one player.

81:34 – Tillman from just outside the box 📦 on a direct kick !!!!!!!! 2-0….

Need to hold on for 10 minutes of stoppage time ⏲️….

Really close calls 📞 for them in minutes 98 & 99 out of 100.

10:06 – it’s time to get back to Seattle on Monday night 🌙 !!!!!!! 2-0 is your final score !!!!!

Only 3 more days until Uncle Sam turns 250 !

There was a considerable amount of time where Lin and I would dream of having enough extra money 💰 to take our children to South of the Border.

Amazingly, those were the good Ole Days. We now live in a different world, one that is full of places like Disney World , Disney Land, and Epcot. Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags, and don’t forget the thousands of water parks.

By todays standard, South of the Border wouldn’t draw a second look. But as I pulled in this morning, the owner was out in the parking lot painting the parking spaces and still living the dream.

Humility is a beautiful thing, and one should never forget where they came from and who helped them through the end of the day.

It’s very fitting that Toy Story 5 is blowing up the box office, and it’s a great story about toys 🧸 and still playing with your friends. Pedro is that friend to me, and now that the youngest one of five is about to turn 36, I am not sure that they remember where we came from.

Thanks Pedro, for back then and still being here today !