Turntable Talk #15 – My Home Town

It is time once again for one of my favorite blog posts – Turntable Talk, hosted by Dave at A Sound Day. If you are unfamiliar with this feature, Dave assigns the participants with a specific musical topic each month. This is the 15th installment. This month the topic is: My Hometown

Dave’s instructions for us this time read: “I’m leaving this one rather open-ended for your interpretation, but  essentially if you’re in, write about either a song about your hometown, or highlight an artist from your hometown. Likewise, I leave it to you to define what your hometown is –  it can be your literal one, or one you live in now or somewhere close by that you associate with.”

As many followers know, I live in Michigan. I was raised in the city of Warren, which is about 20 miles from Detroit (less than 20 miles in some places). When the topic was presented, my first thought was to pic the song Detroit City (which was done by numerous artists). I really don’t consider that song a favorite, so I started thinking about Motown Songs. There were SO many good ones to chose from, but I decided against that, too.

I then did a search of artists from Michigan hoping that one would jump out at me. One did. I wrote briefly about him in the past, but feel he is worth writing about for this topic. I will mention some of his biggest hits, which you will be familiar with, and maybe even include some YouTube links. There is one song that wasn’t a huge hit for him, but it is my favorite vocal by him. I hope you are ready for some excitement – Mr. Excitement, Jackie Wilson!

Jackie Wilson has ties to many other artists and groups, all prior to having a successful solo career. He was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers and performers in soul, R&B, and rock and roll history. His story is really an amazing one to follow, although it does have a sad ending.

The iconic, soulful and energetic stage entertainer was born in Detroit on June 9th, 1934, and raised in the rough neighborhoods of Highland Park, Michigan (13 miles outside of Detroit). He actually began singing as a young boy, accompanying his mother, an experienced church choir singer. In his early teens he joined a quartet, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers, who gained popularity in local churches. Wilson was not very religious, but he enjoyed singing in public. The money the quartet earned from performing was often spent on alcohol, and Wilson began drinking at an early age.

Life was rough for him growing up. At age 15, he dropped out of school. He joined an area gang, which led to Jackie getting in trouble. He got locked up twice in juvenile homes where he eventually learned to box. He entered the amateur circuits around the Detroit area where he met fellow boxer and future Motown chief, Berry Gordy. Jackie would become a Golden Gloves boxer, but after his mother told him ‘that’s enough boxing’, and with a record of 2-8, he turned to music.

Forming the original Falcons, he would be discovered by Johnny Otis, who placed him in a group called the Thrillers. The Thrillers later became the Royals, the same group that backed another Detroit legend, Hank Ballard, but Jackie left before they made their big hits. Joining Billy Ward & the Dominoes in 1953, replacing Clyde McPhatter.  He stayed with the group for 3 years, and cut their last real hit “St. Terese of the Roses.” It was after this (in 1957) that he decided going solo would be a better option. He was absolutely right and it paid off for him in a big way.

Signing with Brunswick Records, Jackie would have his first hit “Reet Petite” in 1957, co-written by Berry Gordy, who would become good friends with Wilson over the years, and co-writing a few of his early hits.

Jackie followed this with “To Be Loved,” “That’s Why (I Love You So),” and “I’ll Be Satisfied.” But it was “Lonely Teardrops” that would launch him to a whole new level!

Charting 54 hits from 1957-1974, his stage presence earned him the nickname “Mr. Excitement”! Audiences went wild for his stage show! Go to YouTube and watch some of his live performances! He was amazing. He sang while doing knee-drops, spins, the splits, back flips, one-footed across-the-floor slides, removing his tie and jacket and throwing them off the stage, basic boxing steps like advance and retreat shuffling. Jackie would sing anything from high-powered soul classics, to opera, to ballads – there wasn’t anything Jackie couldn’t sing.

One of those amazing ballads was a song called, “Doggin’ Around” from 1960. The vocal on this song blows me away every time I hear it! You can hear the pain in his voice as he pleads to this woman to stop playing games with him. There is that lone piano plinking along in the back ground and the back ground singers are just enough to enhance the “pain” Jackie is trying to convey. The song itself only went to #15, but I have always felt it should have gone MUCH higher.

Doggin’ Around – Lyrics

You better stop, yeah, doggin’ me around
If don’t you stop, yeah, I’m gonna put you down

Cause, I can’t take it
Much longer
My heart’s getting weak,
It’s not getting any stronger
You keep me so upset,
My head’s in a whirl,
But if you wanna be my girl

You better stop, yeah, doggin’ me around
Cause if you don’t stop, I’m gonna put you down

Now you know you go out nights,
To have yourself a ball
Sometimes you don’t, you don’t make it home at all
I don’t mind you having yourself a real good time,
But now what are you tryna do, tryna make me lose my mind

You better stop, yeah, doggin’ me around
If you don’t stop, I’m gonna put you down
Yes, put you down
I don’t want to do it, but I’ll have to put you down
I love you baby, but still, I’ll put you down…

Elvis Presley’s hairstylist, Larry Geller, once visited Jackie backstage with Elvis after one of his Las Vegas performances. He said that Jackie had a habit of taking a handful of salt tablets and drinking large amounts of water before each performance, to create profuse sweating. Wilson told Elvis, “The chicks love it.” This may not have been the healthiest thing to do, and may have contributed to his tragic end.

On September 29, 1975, Jackie was one of the main acts to be featured in Dick Clark’s Good Ol’ Rock and Roll Revue at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. While singing “Lonely Teardrops,” as he sang the words “My heart is crying” he collapsed on stage; audience members applauded as they initially thought it was part of the act. He had suffered a heart attack onstage. Dick Clark sensed something was wrong, then ordered the musicians to stop the music.

Due to the lack of oxygen, he fell into a coma, of which he never recovered. He was moved to a retirement community in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, where he needed constant care. Elvis Presley paid for a lot of his medical expenses. On January 21, 1984, Jackie Wilson died at the young age of 49.

So many great singers hail from Michigan, and the Detroit area. Jackie Wilson was an amazing talent who, despite a short career, left us so many great songs! He posthumously received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 4, 2019. He is buried at Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan. His tombstone reads “No more lonely teardrops.” A bench in front of his grave says, “Jackie – The Complete Entertainer.”

Thanks again to Dave for allowing me to take part in this feature! I truly look forward to writing for it and reading the other participant’s entries. I am already waiting patiently for next month’s topic.

We Are “THAT” Couple

When Sam and I got married, a friend gave us two hand towels like the ones pictured above. Ours said, “Mr. Right” and “Mrs. Always Right!” In the years that we’ve been together, the only time Sam and I have ever “matched” was when we bought a ridiculous pair of Christmas pajamas!

After that, we tried to “match” for family pictures, but even then, it was usually just matching colors. It wasn’t like we have ever bought the same shirts or anything like that!

That all stopped I suppose when Sam went shoe shopping. There is a Hey Dude’s place near us and she kept talking about wanting a pair. She found some she liked and said I should get some. They look like what some people call “boat shoes” to me. Every time I have ever tried a pair of those style shoes, they would give me blisters, so I didn’t even want to try them. She talked me into to trying a pair and they were very comfortable.

We joked about having matching shoes and how we were slowly becoming “that” couple. Well, I can tell you that as of today, we ARE “that” couple. Let me explain.

Remember yesterday that I mentioned that we bought a new car? She had been looking at a Chevy Equinox for herself in the future. For me, we were looking at a Chevy Trax. In a nutshell, we sat in one that was sold. Then one became available and we drove it, loved it and bought it. On the way home with it Sam commented that she liked it.

Well, the guy from the car dealer called Sam yesterday. We hadn’t planned on doing anything for her for a couple months. He asked, “How set are you on an Equinox?” She said she really wasn’t set on anything. He asked how I liked my Trax, and she told him that we both liked it. He then informed her that the orange Trax we were only able to sit in was suddenly available.

It took just a couple hours to work out a deal and now, even though the colors are different, we have matching cars!

Sam’s has a few more bells and whistles than mine, but that’s ok. She deserves to ride like a queen!

A New Car!!!

No, I wasn’t on the Price is Right. No, I didn’t win a new car. However, here is a story of how everything kind of fell into place.

The Hyundai (The Goose Mobile) I have been driving was closing in on 200,000 miles. It was almost time to get new tires and put brakes on again. So, Sam and I had been talking about looking at cars that would get good gas mileage because of how far I drive to work.

We made an appointment to go to the dealer to see a friend of hers to just run numbers and look at cars. We also wanted to get the Goose Mobile appraised. We had a vehicle or two in mind that we knew did good on gas and would probably get us into a lower car payment.

We had been looking at Chevy Malibu’s or the Chevy Trax. Sam’s friend, Mark, told us that there was a Trax we could look at, but it was already sold. We wanted to see just how much room was in it, trunk space, back seat space, etc… I was surprised at how much room was in it, especially since it doesn’t really look that big.

Sam was also interested in the Chevy Equinox. Once Andrew is sitting facing the front in his car seat, Sam would like to get into one of those. There was a Demo on the lot, which was priced right, but the color was, what Sam called, “Baby Poop Brown.” HA!

As we were getting ready to look at some other cars, someone yelled to Mark that a Trax, which was supposed to be sold, was suddenly available. So he grabbed the keys and let me take it for a spin.

I really wanted to dislike it, but I didn’t! I really was impressed with it. I offered Sam a chance to drive it, but she said she didn’t need to. She said it handled well, which it does. When we got back from the test drive, they told us our appraisal on the Hyundai and gave us the rough estimate of the new car payment. It was significantly lower than what we are paying now, and Sam said to write it up.

We had hoped to get it financed through the credit union that we already have out van loan through, but they wanted a crap ton of money down. That kind of ticked me off a bit. We already have a loan through you, and have never missed a payment. Why would you not want to help out one of your members?! Oh well. Their loss.

When I called the insurance company to switch the insurance, they asked me what year the car was and both Sam and I were surprised that it was a 2024 model! I think we both assumed that it was a 22 or 23.

It was obvious that we hadn’t planned on buying a vehicle while we were there. I had the huge double stroller still in the car from our trip to the zoo and I hadn’t really cleaned the car out at all. Luckily, the stroller fit in the back with the car seats and the rest of the stuff I had to take out of the Hyundai.

It was one of those things where everything lined up and fell into place. As a bonus, I ran into my friend Christine, who does all the marketing for the dealership. She and I met 10+ years ago when the dealer hosted their first classic car show. My other friend, Mark, was there working in the finance department. He went on the air with me when we were promoting that first car show and it was great to see him.

The way they worked everything for us, they have customers for life! I had to work tonight, so I cannot thank them enough for all they did to make things happen in a hurry today.

Birthday Trip To The Zoo

Tuesday was my wife’s birthday. She wanted to take the kids to the Detroit Zoo. It was the perfect day! The temperatures were in the mid-70’s and the sun was shining. We got to see all the animals that we hoped to see and the kids (and us) had a blast!

You may remember that Sam’s favorite animals are penguins. When we were married in Florida, we paid extra to actually see, and hold a penguin. She was especially excited to go to the zoo because the new penguin exhibit was now open. It didn’t disappoint.

They were really active Tuesday. There is a part of the exhibit where you can actually watch them swim around you. It was a very cool thing. The kids loved it.

Sam wanted to get something “penguin” for herself for her birthday. She was thinking of a stuffed penguin or maybe a t-shirt. We planned on stopping back there on the way out (the penguin exhibit has its own gift shop).

I got to see my favorite animal as well – the otters. They were also active and swimming around where we could see them. I could be wrong but before we even went inside, Andrew showed me that he liked otters, too!

We got to see the zebras, giraffes, rhinos, and monkeys. As a matter of fact, the line of the day came from Ella when she saw this one:

She said, and I quote, “That monkey’s butt is really red, mommy! He needs some diaper cream on that!”

The reptile house is always neat because the alligators are in there with a lot of other animals, but it is always hot as blazes! The kids really loved that this huge turtle was swimming in front of them!

After being there for some time, Ella said she was ready to go home. We started our way back to the penguin exhibit to get Sam her birthday prize. Now let me tell you something about my wife. It is never about her. She is the most unselfish person I have ever met. As we were walking back to the exhibit, Ella said she wanted to have her face painted. Without thinking twice, she said she didn’t need to get anything and got Ella her face painted.

She wanted to be a butterfly and the look on her face when she finally saw the finished product was one of the best moments of the day.

My dad lives close by, so we stopped to say hello. Sam’s car was in the shop getting new tires put on, so we couldn’t stay long. The kids were happy to see my dad and he was equally happy to see them (even though we woke him up from a nap). Naturally, they had to go and bang on the keyboard in his music room.

We got the the tire place just in time and picked up her car. Once we were home, we finally got to grab dinner and sing happy birthday to Sam. She loves red velvet cake, so Ella, Andrew and I baked one for her! It came out better than I could have imagined. Bonus – no egg shells fell in the batter!

By the end of the day, Sam was exhausted. You see, she worked the night before and we literally left for the zoo after she got home. Even though it was her birthday, it was more of a day for the kids and it was an amazing time for all of us!

What an unforgettable day!

Book Recommendation: The Sherlockian – Graham Moore

I just finished Graham Moore’s The Sherlockian. I don’t recall if I stumbled on it because of other Sherlock Holmes themed books I have read or if it was something I saw on Goodreads. I picked it up Friday at the library and found it hard to put down.

Here is a synopsis from Goodreads:

In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective’s next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning — crowds sported black armbands in grief — and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.

Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had “murdered” Holmes in “The Final Problem,” he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.

Or has it?

When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, The Baker Street Irregulars, he never imagines he’s about to be thrust onto the hunt for the holy grail of Holmes-ophiles: the missing diary. But when the world’s leading Doylean scholar is found murdered in his hotel room, it is Harold – using wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories – who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.

In the acknowledgements of the book, the author states that the book is loosely based on real events. Many characters in the story are real (Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde) while others are compilations, in a sense of many people.

What I really enjoyed about the story is the back and forth from present day to Doyle’s England. The intertwining of the past and present really made the book a fun read.

I had no idea that Bram Stoker (who wrote Dracula) and Arthur Conan Doyle were friends in real life! I did know that Doyle hated his Sherlock Holmes character so much that he killed him off.

Whether you are a Sherlock Holmes fan or just love a good mystery, I think you’ll enjoy The Sherlockian.

Music Memory Monday

Jazz legend Mel Torme’ passed away on this day in 1999. He began performing when he was just 14 years old. While he had some success with his group, The Mel-Tones, and some solo work in the 50’s and 60’s, it wasn’t until late in his life that his career really soared.

He was introduced to young audiences when he appeared as himself on Night Court. In interviews he said people would go see him perform because they wanted to know what Harry Anderson’s character found so amazing about him.

I was lucky enough to see him perform once in the early 1990’s. He was touring with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band. It remains, hands down, the best concert I have ever attended. He blew me away!

He came on stage and I was immediately caught up in his presence. He literally grabbed the audience and kept us mesmerized by his singing, his scatting, and his banter. When Doc’s band joined him toward the end of the show, he got up on the drums and played Sing, Sing, Sing. He was phenomenal!!

There is one song that I absolutely love by him. I suppose it would be one of the many that belong in the “Great American Songbook.” It is called More Than You Know. There are live versions by him that are just captivating, but I will share the studio version, which is just as beautiful.

Thanks for your music, Mel, and thanks for a performance that I will never forget!

More Than You Know

Whether you are here or yonder
Whether you are false or true
Whether you remain or wander
I’m growing fonder of you

Even though your friends forsake you
Even though you don’t succeed
Wouldn’t I be glad to take you
And give you the break you need

More than you know, more than you know
Girl of my heart I love you so
Lately I find you’re on my mind
More than you know

Whether you’re right, whether you’re wrong
Girl of my heart, I’ll string along
I need you so
More than you’ll ever know

Loving you the way that I do
There’s nothing I can do about it
Loving may be all you can give
But, honey, I can’t live without it

Oh, how I’d cry, oh how I’d cry
If you got tired and said Goodbye
More than I’d show
More than you’ll ever know

More than you’ll ever know

A “Sense”ible Throw Away

I suppose this particular blog is what they call a “throw away.” It is a simple piece that came about because of something I read earlier in the week. The piece was about easing anxiety by connecting with your 5 senses.

The piece says that when you start to feel anxiety, uneasy you can calm down with the “five senses” or “5,4,3,2,1” technique. It is a way to connect with the present instead of being anxious about the future.

You are to find a quiet place, take a deep breath and then:

5 (Sight) – Look for five things. Look around you and name five things you can see. Say each item out loud. For example, you might say: ‘I see a computer, I see a pen, I see a cup, I see a photo, I see a light.’

Next – 4 (Touch) Feel four sensations. Focus on your body and acknowledge four things you can feel. For example, the hair on the back of your neck or the ground under your feet. As with sight, say each of these things out loud. 

Next – 3 (Hear/Listen) Listen for three sounds. What can you hear around you? Birds, traffic, a ringing phone? Name three sounds out loud.

Next – 2 (Smell) Smell two scents. Take a deep breath through your nose. Name two things you can smell. If you can’t smell anything, think of two of your favorite smells.

Finally, 1 (Taste) Taste one flavor. Toothpaste from brushing your teeth, a mint from after lunch, the lingering flavor of this morning’s coffee. Name one thing you can taste and say it out loud. If you can’t taste anything, name one of your favorite flavors.

I thought of the article when I woke up this afternoon. I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee, which always makes me happy.

Before getting ready for work, I walked outside and my neighbor had cut his grass – yet another one of my favorite smells.

As I walked to my car to leave for work, a slight breeze brought the sweet smells of the lilac bushes toward me.

They seem to grow bigger every year. They are extra fragrant this year. I always feel like their wonderful aromas are not around long enough. I suppose this fact makes me appreciate the smell of them every year.

I was actually quite surprised at this picture I took with my phone…

I love the detail of the flower.

So what is the point of this blog – I don’t know, really. As you go through your day today, pause and enjoy some of the smells of summer.

From Rapunzel to Snow White

As I have mentioned in the past, my daughter loves princesses. When she was born I had to do a crash course in princesses to make sure I knew them all for her! She, of course, is my favorite princess!

She has beautiful hair. It is long and naturally curly. She has these amazing ringlets at the ends. However, with long hair comes issues. She is not too keen on the hair washing and hair brushing process. Because she doesn’t always let us brush her hair, she tends to get snarls and tangles. In recent months, Sam and I have fought her quite a bit about her hair. So we decided it was time to trim it up.

She always talks about her hair being “Rapunzel” hair. She’s pretty much right on about that. It was really long!

We told her that we were going to get it trimmed and asked what princess hair she’d like. Snow White was suggested and she said she’d like that. Prior to the appointment, Sam messaged our hair gal, Shari, and let her know exactly what we were going to do. This way, there was no discussion before the haircut started.

Both Sam and I worried that those beautiful ringlets would be gone forever with the cut. We had to remind ourselves about the fighting at bath time and the snarls/tangles, etc… (Spoiler) We were both happy to see that after we got home, the curls and ringlets were still there.

As Shari pulled bits and pieces of her hair up and clipped them out of the way, I stood and watched as she took the scissors and made that first cut. I’m not sure why this bothered me so much, but it did. I swear it looked like she had taken 10-12 inches off the back!

In the end, she still is as beautiful as ever. Her hair is easier to wash and brush. She is no longer Rapunzel, and is now Snow White.

She did say that she misses her Rapunzel hair …

If I am being honest, I think my Princess Ella is much prettier than Rapunzel, Snow White, or any of those Disney Princesses anyway!

Projects – Done

Over the weekend, I finished up some of the projects on my “To Do” list.

One of them, I’ve blogged about a couple times. I feel like the nook is officially complete. I wanted to get a cushion for the bench, but the size was odd. I really thought that I was going to have to get one custom made, or by the foam and fabric and make my own. However, I found a solution I would have never thought of!

I had to go to Menard’s to get some mulch for the front yard. As we walked through the store, I passed the pet area. I happened to see a dog bed that said 42 inches. I knew that was the length of the bench (and nook itself) because I measured to mark off where the coat hooks were going to go. I put the only one they had in the cart and walked over to where the tape measures were. I knew the bench was 42 x 26, so I wondered if I’d get lucky. I did!

I picked up a decorative pillow and it is now officially complete!

The second project was fixing the swing set for the kids. The main beam on the set that was given to us was a bit rotted out, so my father-in-law told me what to get from the store to fix it.

He came over on Memorial Day and we swapped out the old hardware, drilled new holes, and mounted the new beam. After that, we put up a toddler swing, a regular swing, and a net swing for the kids. At some point I need to paint the bean, but there are a few other boards that need to be replaced first. The kids were thrilled to be able to play on it, though.

As a bonus, my mother-in-law brought burgers and dogs to grill for dinner.

The last, and easiest, project was a small (but important) one. A year or so ago, I mounted a flag on one of the trees in the front yard. The weather got the best of the aluminum pole and it broke and fell off the mount. The flag itself was tattered a bit, too. It was time for a new one. Thankfully, the mount is still in good shape and I was able to fly the Stars and Stripes proudly for Memorial Day.

I wish more people flew the flag at their house….

Weekend Work & Weekend Fun

I haven’t posted in the last 5 days. It is not often that I get time with my entire family, so my focus has been on them.

The weather has been just perfect. Even though we are officially still in Spring, it felt like Summer! We’ve got a water table that the kids love to play at, but we took advantage of the warm weather and set up their new sprinkler.

We picked this huge fire hydrant up at Sam’s Club and the kids love it. Water shoots from the side “plugs” and there is water that spins out of the top. Even my wife knows that you are never too old to run through the sprinkler.

Memorial Day was very laid back and I worked on some projects (more on those in another blog), but Tuesday was just the best day! Sam planned a day at the beach with the family. She also knows how much I have talked about my childhood summer vacation destination ….

As a boy, we spent many summer days in Caseville. I have written about it in the past. Prior to having kids, Sam surprised me with a day trip there. I was like a little kid! I remembered so many places. I have since told her that I would love to take the kids there. So we combined their first trip to a beach with their first trip to Caseville.

Choosing to go on the Tuesday after a holiday weekend had perks! We pretty much had the entire beach to ourselves! It was perfect! We lathered the kids up with sunscreen and before we could get some on ourselves, the kids were running toward the water!

Andrew loved every second of being there. At first he spent his time chasing seagulls, but eventually made it over to the water.

Neither kid has ever been to the beach, so they had no idea just how hard it is to run in the water. Both of them fell almost immediately and freaked out a bit. The main beach at Caseville is perfect for them because it doesn’t get too deep for a while. You can walk out pretty far and still be above water.

Ella was a bit scared after she fell in the water, but I walked her out a bit and held her hand all the way back because she was scared.

The water was cold at first, but that was always the way it was growing up. You know how it is, you go under water and then you are fine. There was a bit of wind that day, which made it a little chilly, but it was still fun to be there with the family. We even tried to build sand castles, but Andrew thought it was more fun to step on them once they were built.

Sam prepared a fantastic picnic lunch for us. She made sandwiches, packed some fruit, and plenty of water, iced tea, and juice boxes. She found this cool beach blanket that was perfect for us.

Of course, once the food came out, the seagulls were very interested in our picnic! Andrew wanted to throw them food, but we stopped him, thankfully. You know once they get a nibble of food, they want it all!

There was a point where the kids were cold and shivering, so we brought them up to the playscape and let them run around a bit. We were both surprised when Ella said that she was done with the beach. She said she would like to come back, but was ready to go home.

One thing we didn’t do was go by the old place that my grandparents had just out of town. We figured the kids were pooped, so we’d just head home. We did, however, stop by the new Caseville sign and get a family selfie.

The sign is a new sign. From what I read, they did a big upgrade to a lot of the signs in town to make them more “uniform.” What’s cool is that on the left of the sign the word “Caseville” is spelled out in the International Nautical Alphabet. You can see it a bit better in this picture of the kids.

After our long drive home, we decided that we didn’t want to cook. So we took the kids to the local pizza place and had a nice family dinner.

It was a fantastic day! Sam and I, however, realized soon enough that we had forgotten to put sunscreen on. Sam’s back and shoulders were just fried and my head was also pretty toasty. So we’ll be keeping the Aloe close by for the next couple days!