Gentle Rain And 41º

7:34

7:44

8:05

It's just after 8:00, and both of us have been sitting in our living room for forty-five minutes. The rain has been falling since we woke so I guess I won't be kayaking this morning, maybe later in the day. Evie has school this morning because she has a luncheon tomorrow and won't be able to go to school. 

Tuesday turned out to be a decent day. I had a doctor's appointment for an echo at 2:15 in Westfield so I had to arrange my day around the appointment. I was able to get in a good paddle, spied a couple of eagles so I was happy. Once Evie left for school, I had three or four hours until my appointment that needed to be filled. I didn't want to sit around, so I hitched my bike to the Outback and drove to Mayville, hoping to avoid the predicted rain. I almost did as I biked Webb's Trail and Sea Lion Drive. The last ten minutes, however, it started to drizzle, and by the time I returned to the car, it poured. I was going to stop for a sub at the Lighthouse, but I forgot my wallet, and they don't take my iPhone's American Express card, like quite a few businesses around here.

Biking Webb's Trail

I was home by noon and took a chicken pot pie out of the freezer for my lunch, and watched my show. I then showered and was on my way to Westfield by 1:30, checked in, and was quickly taken for my echo, which was nice. I stopped for gas because it's 14 cents cheaper in Westfield and was home by 3:30, just as Evie returned from school and a stop at Wegmans. I helped her unload the car, read some, then wanted to do something, so I fired up the gas mower and mulched the front yard's leaves, although you cannot tell I mulched them this morning. 

Taking A Timeout From Mowing To Take A Photo Of Bemus

While I was mulching, Evie was zooming with her sisters, then put together our dinner, a couple of chicken thighs with orzo and tomatoes. At 5:00, Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters, and I watched another episode of Spooks. We had dinner at 6:30, and we were surprised at how good it was, considering Evie hadn't followed a recipe. We watched an episode of Doc, then a couple of episodes of All Saints. and finished up the Watergate cake. Yum.  When Evie went up to bed, I turned to the first NBA game of the year, the Rockets/Thunder. I stayed with it until the beginning of the second overtime, when I was too tired to see it to the end. The Thunder won by 1 point, and the game's leading scorer was Alperen Sengun, a player from Turkey with 39 points. 

Chilly , Blue Skies, And Light Wind

7:16

8:44

It's 7:30 and we are both up, with our coffees. I am waiting for the sun to rise before going out kayaking. It should be up in a couple of minutes. It's 42º so I am going to have to wear a couple of layers, gloves and a stocking cap. I was out for just under an hour, spotted an eagle, and paddled south into the wind to Sandy Bottom, and with it on the way home. 

Sunrise At 7:46

Into The Sun And Clouds

Eagles

Up Close

Male Mallard

Female Mallard

Yesterday was a bit of a bore because I didn't do much. When I got up, it was raining and windy, so I didn't go kayaking. Instead, I surfed the web, read the newspapers, wrote the blog, and had breakfast. Because of the weather, I couldn't hike or go for a bike ride. Instead, I decided to get rid of all of our empty cans and take them to what I call the Can Man at Don's Car Wash in Lakewood. Usually, when I drop off my bag of cans for 5 cents a can, five or six teenagers take the empties, bag, and count them, then give me cash. Yesterday, however, the machine took over, taking away jobs as one kid took my bag, dropped my cans into a machine, and it took them along a conveyor belt, and I assume counted and bagged them. Once they were in the machine, the kid went over to the cash register and gave me nine bucks and change for my cans. So I now had enough for coffee, so I went to Ryder's Cup, ordered a coffee and sat down, and talked with Bob, one of the regulars, for half an hour before heading home.

Mechanized Can Man

I was home by 11:30, and Evie had been busy, doing some washing, things like that. I read until lunch time, 12:30, and Evie made me a couple of schnitzel sandwiches, and I watched my show. I then read some, napped a bit, and read until it cleared up some and the sun came out around 3:30. So I did some yard work, picking up the deadfall in the front yard, from yesterday's rain and wind. It also knocked down the cosmos, so I had to pull them, and between them and the deadfall, I filled up a garbage pail.

Late Afternoon Colors Of Houses On Lakeside Drive

Heron Along Our Lake Wall

By the time I was done, it was almost wine time. It turned out to be a striking late afternoon, with a lavender sky and a heron walking along our lake wall, looking for dinner. We had the leftover Lev's chicken for dinner along with a salad and a couple of slices of Watergate cake. We watched The Great English Baking Show, although we seem to be getting bored with it. We then watched Old Saints until 8:30 when Evie went up to bed. I watched the first half of the Buccaneers/Lions game then went up to read and sleep, 

Overcasts, Windy, And Rainy

Evie And Her Watergate Cake

7:55

9:10

It's 8:45 and I skipped kayaking because of the weather, so I have been sitting here for over an hour, waiting for Evie to get up (she just did) and surfing the net, trying to avoid the news. I am not sure what today will bring because of the weather, maybe a walk later if it stops.

Sunday as usual was football Sunday although the Bills had an off week but the Chiefs played at 1:00. My morning was typical, a long paddle before 9:00, then finishing the blog and having breakfast. We were having Linda and Ron over for dinner which meant Evie spending a good part of the morning in the kitchen, prepping things. I volunteered to help but she was happy to send me on a walk through the woods, giving her full reign in the kitchen. It was a lovely morning to walk the woods so I was happy. 

Woodlawn

Path Of Leaves

Old Bridge Over Woodlawn Creek

Neighbors Free Range Chickens

Still Some Green

When I returned, I did the usual, cleaning up the kitchen, putting the dishes in the dishwasher, things like that until lunch time when Evie took timeout from prepping to make me a Turkish omelet and bagel for breakfast. I watched the first half of the Chiefs easy win over Las Vegas, then read some and napped. After the nap, I swept the back porch and straightened it but an hour later, it was filled with leaves, typical of this fall. By this time, Evie was able to relax and enjoy the afternoon, listening to the Chiefs and my final chore was to vacuum the living room. Around 4:00, the sky threatened but by 5:45, the sun came out lighting up the eastern shoreline.

4:49

5:39

Tom' Point

Long Point

We were relaxing and listening to Evie's favorites on a playlist when Linda and Ron arrived, bearing a couple bottles of wine. Once we were through with hugs, we settled down with our wine and old favorite appetizer, artichoke dip with crackers. We are not sure when we first made this receipe, maybe first in Hawaii in the 1960s, or later in Istanbul. For dinner, Evie made another favorite, Lex's Roast chicken, from Zingermen's Guide To Good Eating, a cookbook from Ann Arbor, Michigan's famous deli.

Sunday Dinner

Along with spinch and a salad, we had a delicoius dinner.  Then came the encore, Watergate cake, with pistachios . I came across the recipe when reading an article in the Washington Post. It became popular during the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, for some reason. Whatever, all four of us loved the cake and I even had to have a second piece. Linda and Ron left at 9:15, with a couple pieces of cake of course. Evie helped clean up the kitchen, went to bed and I finished up and then watche some football until 10:00 when I went up to bed. 

A Couple Of Our Favorite Signs From The No Kings Protest

Windy, Overcast, Rain In The Afternoon

 

9:26

7:46

Woodlawn Friends

With Jack And Diane

It's after 9:00 and I was out for a good hour paddle, into the sun initially, then mostly cloudy skies and a southerly wind. We are looking forward to some rain later today and most of the week, if you can believe the weather apps. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Saturday was a satisfying day for both of us. It started as usual with a short kayak, breakfast and the blog. We then got a few things done before I drove off to the Transfer Station. By 10:30, we were picking up our neighbors, Jim and Barb, and driving to downtown Jamestown's Dow Park, where hundreds were gathering for the No King's Protest. It was a larger crowd than last time, and I would estimate up to 400 protesters, many with creative signs or costumes. 

Young And Old

Peaceful But Commited 

We meandered around the protesters, happy, peaceful, and excited, listening to various speakers, one a professor from St. Bonaventure, who will be running as a Democrat for Congress in 2026. 

Aaron Geis, Running For Congress

I ended up standing behind the gathering, taking photos, and witnessed a tiff between a guy holding a Thank You President Trump sign and a guy following him, holding up a Blessed Are The Peacemakers sign. The Peacemaker was in the Trumpers' face no matter where he walked, and the Trumper said to leave him alone or he would be sorry. 

Trumper And Peace Maker

Fortunately, nothing happened. Not only was there a crowd listening to speeches, but protesters with signs filled both sides of 5th Street and Washington. We stayed for a couple of hours and went home, happy with the turnout and more determined than ever to not sit back and allow Trump and his cronies to take away our rights, save Democracy as we know it.

Creative Fairy Queen

Having Fun

Honk If Your Support Us

We were exhausted when we got home, but felt good about the morning. Evie made me lunch, a bagel with cream cheese and tomatoes, and heated up the last of the veggie soup. I watched some football, then read and napped, then watched more football and read until wine time. Evie, however, prepped our dinner and got a few other things done for tonight's dinner. It felt good to relax in the living room, with a glass of wine, and think back about all the protests in cities big (100,000 in New York City) and small, seven million nationwide. Dinner was delicious: pork schnitzel, applesauce, and baked potatoes. We watched our show, then Evie went to bed, and I watched my show. We are creatures of habit. 

No King's Saturday Protest (or I hate America According to Drumpt)

7:57

9:27

Well, it may be a wet No Kings Day today. It's 7:55 and I have been up since 7:20, listening to it rain and the wind blow, so I doubt if I will get in a paddle. A couple of intrepid fishing boats are out, despite the wind, the rain, and the gray skies. The skies to the north look like they are clearing up, so by 11:00, we should have decent weather for the rally. Well, it's 9:30 and I just returned from the Transfer Station and earlier, I got in a half-hour paddle as the rain let up and the sky started to clear. 

Kayak Morning's Northern Sky

Sandy Bottom

North

Friday was a busy day, but a good one. It started with a decent paddle, but no sightings of birds, just a couple of great shots of a couple getting engaged on the tip of Long Point. There's a website called Shoot 'n Share Chautauqua on Facebook, which I belong to, and members can upload photos. I uploaded one for the second time, of the couple getting engaged, and it already has over 542 likes and 26 comments. Amazing. So, I went kayaking, I finished the blog and had breakfast, then decided on riding my bike in the grape fields of Westfield, something I also did last year. So around 10:00, I drove to Westffield, parked my car at a tractor dealer on Prospect Road, and biked for close to forty-five minutes, on the roads, surrounded by vineyards, and in the vineyards. It was a striking sky morning, and as I pedaled, the smell of Concord grapes filled the air as well as, I have to admit, barn smells. After my ride, I stopped for coffee in Westfield at the Full Strength Coffee Company, a crowded place at lunch time. I then drove to Westfield Fisheries, on the coast of Lake Erie, and bought over a pound of freshly caught perch for our dinner. And that was it for my morning.

Vineyards

Biking in Westfield

Lake Erie

Barcelona Beach On Lake Erie

Westfield Fishery

I didn't get home until 12:15 and had lunch,  a couple of fried mashed potato patties along with fried eggs, a favorite. I watched my show, read some, and briefly napped. By 2:00, I was ready to go to Wegmans to do some shopping for the week while Evie mowed the yard.  That doesn't sound right, does it? I'm the guy, should be mowing, and Evie should be shopping! Wegmans was busy, as usual, and I had a hard time finding a few things, but eventually I bought 'everything' on the list, maybe for the first time. I was home by 4:00, and Evie was relaxing after mowing 2/3's of the yard. I volunteered to do the rest, and she was happy to let me.

We had our wine time, then Evie got busy in the kitchen, frying up the perch, making tartar sauce, and dressing baked potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper, and we had a great meal. The perch was amazing and we are going to get in more often. In fact, we have enough perch leftover in the freezer for another meal. We watched a couple of our shows until Evie went up to bed and I watched another episode of Spooks before joining her.

Footnote: I can assure Ted Cruz that George Soros is not supporting our protest!