Unity, Classic Cars, Football, and Mind Control

I’ve finally been motivated to write my novel again, so blogging has been on the back burner. I’ve also been having a fun, bountiful, busy summer. I apologize for not getting to reading other blogs. I’m going to try and pop in to read them soon.We finally had a party on our new patio. Above, I’ve covered faces for anonymity. Over to the right, they were starting a fire in our firepit table for roasting marshmallows. I got good reviews about the party afterward. It was heavenly and unifying to bring together family with old friends. I, umm…ahem, got a little tipsy, but at least I didn’t have to drive (I paid for it the next day).We went to a football game . . . not an NFL game, but our nephew’s, who we just might see in the NFL some day. I loved seeing the camaraderie among the kids on the team. Unity is in very minimal supply these days, in general. Our nephew is one of the numbers facing the camera.We went to a car show where all the proceeds went to a veterans charity. It was nice to spend the day with kind-hearted patriots. Another unifying day.My husband finally had his car, show-ready, and he put a “for sale” sign in the window. I was a little disappointed, but he’s ready for a new project. Anyone interested in a 1966 Ford Mustang?We continued to take advantage of the gorgeous weather by walking along the river (and dam) near where we live. We ran into a couple of unexpected events while there. We had planned to cross the bridge to the island in the middle of the river where there are tranquil sitting areas. Unfortunately, as you can see from the pictures, it was flooded out.I’m not sure why, because we haven’t had an over abundance of rain. It’s been just enough. I think it has rained more farther north though, and this river travels down from Wisconsin to Southern Illinois.

When we first arrived at the riverwalk, my husband noticed a few people with their heads buried in phones. But, that’s not too unusual these days, right?Except, he said, “No, look around. There are a lot of people here today, and no one is looking up from their phones. They’re all walking without raising their eyes.” Even with faces covered in these pictures, you can see where their heads are focused.I scanned along the path, and he was right. Did we miss some big news, and everyone was reading about it on their phones? Or . . .. . . were these people being mind-controlled by some crazy app?

We learned that it was an app that kept their eyes on the their screens. It was the game, Pokémon.My husband and I have heard of the game, but have no idea how it works. I couldn’t help going science fiction with my thoughts and wondering if a game really could control minds.We thought it was good that at least people were getting out on a gorgeous day to enjoy a hobby. It also fits the running theme of this post . . . the game appears to have a sense of unity. The only setback was that they weren’t aware of the lovely day and nature surrounding them.I’m glad people are enjoying a fun, unifying game. Just do me a favor, look up once in a while. One lady almost bumped into me.

Do you play Pokémon? If you don’t play, do you think you would like to learn?