Monday, July 1, 2013

Good morning crew,

Once we got off those torture-device bicycles and started walking around the commercial center of Mackinac Island and talking to people we discovered that the island is almost completely dependent upon tourism. In fact, pretty much every person we talked to didn't even live on the island except for during tourist season.

When you think about it, it seems obvious, since most of the island is a state park, but after a while I started to wonder how the island's few full-time residents actually survived. Unless you either run a bed-and-breakfast or you are a farrier, chances are you are only there for the summer. But somebody must live in those big, old houses.

But other than a surfeit of fudge confectioners there was nothing remarkable about "downtown" Mackinac Island. We had lunch and then visited a couple bars and gift shops. We even walked through a haunted house because, really, how many mugs and calendars with pictures of the Mackinac Bridge on it can you look at?

The only other thing we spent any money on was an old-timey portrait that the wife insisted we take. It was some ridiculous dollar amount, for a digital photo anyway, but she wouldn't be denied.

I wasn't happy about it, but I let the photographer dress me up in some smelly costume and put a cowboy hat on my head while the wife put on a saloon girl dress. I was in a petulant mood so I refused to smile, but as it turned out I looked exactly like a bitter, trail-hardened cowboy suffering from dysentery and alcoholism would look. So it gave the photo some authenticity that it would otherwise have lacked.

That was pretty much the end of the Mackinac Island adventures, although there was still a surprise or two left on the road home. But Independence Day is coming up and things are starting to get busy around here, so I am going to wrap it up.

I'll talk to you again tomorrow!

Laugh it up,

Joe

joe@gophercentral.com

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"Scientists have discovered that men are genetically programed to look at other women. So sorry, ladies, it's science. I've got to do what I've got to do." -Conan O'Brien

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"A new survey found that half of all American employees have faked a sick day. While the other half have just lied on a survey." -Jimmy Fallon

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"You folks know anything about climate change? I used to know a little bit about it but I don't care anymore. There's nothing we can do about it. But on the bright side, I've got a closet full of short-sleeved shirts I don't otherwise get to wear." -David Letterman

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I had noticed that my 60-year-old father seemed to be losing his hearing, so I mentioned it to my mother.

"Things haven't changed that much," she said. "The only difference is, before he didn't listen to me. Now, he can't."


*-------------- Guaranteed to Roll Your Eyes --------------*
Did you read that scientists have recently decoded the first low-frequency radio waves from an alien civilization ever to reach Earth...!

It said:

Simply send 6 x 10 to the 50 atoms of Hydrogen to the Star System at the top of the list, cross off that star system, then put your Star System at the bottom of the list and send it to 100 other Star Systems. Within one-tenth of a Galactic Rotation you will receive enough hydrogen to power your civilization until entropy reaches maximum! IT REALLY WORKS!