CRISP, CLEAR AND COOL MORNING: ON FISHING

Dawn on the Last Day of June

A beautiful morning, heralding a sunny weekend, at least that's how it sounds this morning on NPR.  It was 52 degrees out when I woke, sun peaking over Long Point about 6:06, about 22 minutes after the scheduled sunrise, at 5:44.  I guess it takes that long to rise from sea level to 1300 feet above sea level.

I was reading SUNDIAL OF THE SEASONS this morning and loved his take on fishing so much that I will quote it below:

"There is a common accepted fiction that fishermen go fishing to catch fish.   Some do, of course, but more don't.  The fish caught are only a lesser part of the catch.  The greater part is the day in the open, the little things that feed the eyes, the ears, and the soul, though we are so perverse and so practical that we seldom talk about them...It's the fishing, yes.  The way a fly follows a riffle, the way a plug plops, the way a wormed hook goes down into a deep pool.  The strike, the rush, the play of the line, the sound of the reel, the catch or loss fish.  But it's also the gleam of a dragonfly, the rattling of the kingfisher, the stark awkwardness verging on grace and beauty of a heron.  It's the slow climb of the sun, the slow travel of the shadows, the drift of the cloud.  Fish? Oh yes, one must have a reason and the day must have a purpose.  But it's the fish, really, the dawn and the morning and the day, and man's knowing that it's still there, still real"


How true, as I am in to zen fishing, or goal-less fishing, 'to travel is better than to arrive,' the going not the catching is what it's all about, or so I try to convince myself as I labor to get a simple bite.  I did hear some bass boats early, though there's no tournament, and as I look out at the lake, I see nary a boat.  How nice and quiet to hear only the chattering birds, not the roar of a bass boat.

We had pizza last night for dinner, homemade of course, as we continue to try and find the best pizza dough recipe.  Unfortunately, by the time we make the next patch, we have often forgotten which recipe we used the last time.  We need to be more organized.  But, I love pizza, especially when we make it ourselves.  Tonight it's pork tonkutsu, my request, panko crusted cutlets with a Tonkutsu sauce, a Japanese ketchup.  Served with cabbage, it sounds good to me.  Why do we want certain things to eat?  Where does the taste for something arise?  Two days ago it was German potato salad, yesterday pizza, and for some reason this morning, it was pork tonkutsu...perhaps I read about it, or something reminded me of it.  I am not sure.

A Fall Like Cloudy Day and Cool

Schultz's and Mc Clures

It's 59 degrees outside when I got up at 5:15 and it's not supposed to be much warmer as the day goes on, almost like a fall day.  As the week progresses, however, it's getting warmer, and by the weekend, it will be in the 80's, with little rain in sight, so far, just what we don't need.  I spent at least 45 minutes watering the new grass last night.  We are handicapped in that I cannot overuse the water from our well or it will turn off when it's almost dry.  And when I pump water out of the lake, the force of the water is so weak that it will only sprinkle about 15 feet, so it's time consuming and we are to wet the yard every night if it does not rain.

Davis's and Schultz's

Today's a good day to work outside but we both have dentist appointments for teeth cleaning and Ron wants me to help him put his boat in the water.  I am sure Evie will be out cutting weeds if it's not too cool, so we have a few things to do.  I am not sure I need anymore more gravel, good news for my back, but I am sure Evie will want more top soil, bad news for my back.

We had burgers last night, thicker than usual, cooked for almost 5 minutes a side and they were done inside but still juicy, something I would like to perfect.  At my request, Evie made up some warm German potato salad, with bacon, onions, celery, and the dressing of sugar, vinegar, and bacon fat.  It was just what I wanted and I must have had at least four servings.  It's funny how your taste buds crave something you have not thought of for at least a year, the taste or thought pops into your head, and you end up craving it.  Enough for lunch today but not much more.

Sunset at the Viking Club

I am reading Chris Matthews book HARDBALL, written before he became famous as a TV personality.  I heard someone say it was the best book ever written on politics and I have to agree.  It's filled with anecdotes, the do's and don'ts, kind of a modern day The Prince.  He shows how some politicians succeed, by following certain rules, and they can be learned.  I am making a list of them and will put them in my review.  I  cannot say it makes me admire politicians, in fact, they all seem somewhat disgusting, power hungry, willing to do anything to get elected.

STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG: KATE ATKINSON

This is the second book I have read by Atkinson, and I liked both, good stories, usually set around a murder or two.  Like a lot of modern works, we follow the lives of a number of people, and at first, we are not sure who is who, how they relate.  The major characters seem to be Tracy Waterhouse, a retired police office, single, unattractive, but effective and Jackson Brodie, a womanizer, private investigator, hired to find a orphaned woman's mom, who stumbles upon a hornet's nest of deceit, murder, abduction, and the cover up.  Tracy, too, ends up getting involved, first as the innocent cop as she begins her career with a unsolved murder, and later, when she saves a child's life, after she was being beaten by the mother.  It ends up much more complicated than this, as Jackson ends up trying to find Tracy who may hold the key to they mystery, but she wants nothing more than to just disappear with this urchin.  The ugly truth is eventually uncovered, both Jackson and Tracy somehow survive, and the criminals finally get their just desserts.  At first, the book was confusing, as nothing seemed to fit...Jackson taking a dog from an abusive owner, Tracy taking a child from an abusive parents, and an aging, fairly demented actress witnessing both of these scenes at a mall.  I am still not sure why she's in the book, other than acting as a deus ex machina towards the end, an irony no doubt, perhaps too much of a coincidence.

Cloudy, Overcast, But Septic/Yard's Done

Seeding

More seeding

A warmer morning, around 69, with showers expected this morning of course, clearing up.  I suppose it won't rain, however, because we want it to...our yard was seeded last night, so we need some rain to get it growing properly over the next two/three weeks; not too much, not too little.  I think I will be doing quite a bit of sprinkling over this period.  Rodger and crew finished up leveling the yard around 4:00 and did a great job.  He and Lonnie were neat guys, fun to talk to, and very efficient.  Then, the two State Patrol guys came in with their machine, and it took them about 20 minutes to cover our yard with a combination of seed, fertilizer, straw, and a kind of clear to keep it from blowing away.  It's now, as you can see in the picture, a fluorescent green, which will gradually fade away as it rains, the sun heats, the grass grows.  We should have some grass in a week, though the Kentucky Blue does not come in for three weeks. It should be ready for some action by the time the kids arrive in later July if  we get enough rain and sun.

We went to the Viking Club last evening for Cubans, with the Schultz's, our neighbors, and Ron and Linda, who just got back to the lake yesterday.  A bit overcast but pleasant, we sat outside on the patio, drank beer, ate Cubans, and watched the gray sky slowly darken.  It's a great place to watch the sunset but because of the cloud cover, we just got glimpses.  The price on Cubans has gone up from six to seven dollars; each sandwich easily feeds two people, so we cannot complain.  If we didn't drink beer we could get out of there for seven bucks a piece.  Alas, we do!

The CLA crew arrived this morning, after Evie's persistence, and picked up piles of seaweed from four of our neighbors yard, filling up the truck.  We hope this will  become a weekly happening but we are not sure yet what we can expect.

Fog and Haze, as Sun Tries to Peak Through

Captain Biff

A lazy morning as we wait for the sun to burn off the fog/haze.  We are hoping to finish our yard today if all goes well.  You can never be sure of your help, as they are always ready to move on or get started on a new job.  My worry is that the yard is still too wet for leveling by Rodger and his machinery, thus stalling our planting of the  grass.  We'll have to wait and see if he shows up this morning as he's supposed to.

We are off to the Viking Club this evening, with the McClures, and the Schultz's, our neighbors three houses down the road.  They are a neat couple; we have been out with them before a couple of times, are from Pittsburgh, and he's a retired school principal/superintendent in Fox Chapel, outside of Pittsburgh.

More Clouds, Gray Skies, But NO Rain!

A Gift from Mc Clures of Plastic Wine glasses

We were both up around 5:30 this morning for some reason, perhaps the boats from the fishing tournament woke us because I know I heard one go by around 5:00.  I did walk out on the dock around 5:30 and their were some fishermen going out next door though they were not in the tournament.  The Theissen's grandchildren, three boys, were out around 6:00 at the end of their dock, fishing and having a great time.  What fun to see.  It's almost 7:00, and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is almost finished and we'll listen to the You Bet Your Garden, with Mike McGrath, then Weekend Sunday Edition on NPR.  It's nice not having a TV in our living room.

Yesterday afternoon was our tri-annual Woodlawn picnic at the right of way.  About 25 people gathered around the buffet tables, enjoying their wine/beer and pupus.  The usuals were there, so it was fun to get acquainted again after a long winter.  Everyone was excited when Evie talked about the CLA picking up our weeds once a week.  Most have never done it, but they want to clean up their front lake yards, so a couple are coming down today to look at our weed rakes.  There's algae on top right now, and if you just drag it to shore, your lake front looks fine and the water flows more easily.  Let's see how many actually take action.

We had fish tacos for dinner and watched another Mike Leigh movie called Happy Go Lucky, a delightfully upbeat movie about a young English girl named Poppy (Sally Hawkins), who is determined to be happy and make others happy as well.  A primary school teacher, she brings her enthusiasm to her classes, to her somewhat depressed friends, and most touching, her relationship with a dour, curmudgeonly driving teacher who eventually mistakes her cheer for romantic interest, complicating his and her life,  getting her to see by the end that her good intentions may be misunderstood.  She befriends people on the street, in stores, bringing her cheer, often to little effect and by the end she seems rewarded, a she begins a relationship with a fellow teacher, quirky and upbeat like her.  We leave the film feeling good about ourselves.

Because it was a gray day, I did watch the Spanish movie BIUTIFUL with Javier Badem.  A very dark observation of mortality, the ways we survive, and the mistakes we make.  Badem is diagnosed early on with terminal prostate cancer.  He makes his living off illegal Chinese immigrants in Barcelona.  They make black market goods, which he has illegal Africans sell on the streets.  He pays the police off, but complications arise, the Africans are rounded up, sent back to their homes, and the Chinese, living in a basement of a warehouse, end up dying from a  gas leak.  Not only does he have some responsibility for these lives, but his marriage is falling apart, his wife's unfaithful and not a very good mother for his two children, the center of his life.  As his death nears, he sets his life in order, doing what he can to rectify hIs errors, ends up befriending an African woman whose husband was sent back to Africa.  Eventually she makes the choice to stay in Spain, with her baby, and take care of Badem's children when he dies.  I could not wait for the movie to end and since I had started it, I stuck it out to the end.  Badem is wonderful, the story depressing, the realization of the awful lives some people live makes you feel how fortunate we are.  Both the first and last scenes are surreal and we are not quite sure what they mean until the end when we realize it's Badem meeting with a young man in a black/white forest scene.  I think the young man he meets, talks with, then walk off with is his father, who died young, like Badem, and welcomes him to the world of the dead.  I think.

We worked on and off most of the morning raking rocks out of our torn up lawn, to some good, we hope though it's still muddy towards the parking area.  The sun has finally come out but there are still puddles in the mud.  We went off to the Chautauqua Lake Conservancy gathering, at the Artist's Loft, a really interesting building, just beyond the Institute.  It used to be an old saw mill, but a couple had it completely redone over the years, turned it into their home and an art gallery for five months of the year.  The owner took us on a tour of the house, amazing kitchen, old rough hewn cupboard doors, painted scenes on them, who know how old.  He was a teacher for 18 years in Dunkirk, then became a financial planner.  They live in Scottsdale for half the year.  The art loft itself had some really neat pieces in it, very pricey I suppose for the CI crowd but we liked lots of the stuff.  There were about 30-40 people there when we arrived, with free wine tasting, some pupus, and soft drinks.  We met the couple we had met earlier in the week at the CLA meeting.  They both sing in the Chautauqua choir, were thrilled as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was there yesterday.  They sang this morning and had another sing tonight at 7:00.  I think it takes up quite a bit of their week, but they love it.  Charlie and Ruthann Mc Chestney.

Misty, Foggy Saturday

Evie and Sandy in her Garden

Much cooler, about 59 this morning, as Evie's making our breakfast, my request, of sour cream pancakes.  I have a hankering for good maple syrup on pancakes, so that's what we are having.  Pea Meal bacon from the Lighthouse will complete a good start to a rainy day.  We have a number of things going on today, a gathering at the Artist's Loft in Mayville for members of the Chautauqua Lake Conservancy, a group we belong to and have hiked with.  It's from 2:00 to 5:00.  Then, at 5:00, we have our first Woodlawn picnic at the right of way since our yard's a mess.  It's fun to see the neighbors and Evie's going to educate them about the cutting of weeds, a weekly pick up service, things like that.  Unfortunately, our new found bar/restaurant, Pine Junction, has music starting at 2:00 for the rest of the day but we will have to skip to attend the other two events.

Sandy's Garden and House

We have been to Sandy's Perennials twice in the past week, and she's as energetic and cheerful as ever, an amazing women.  We picked up some perennials as well as some privets, as some of ours have died in the front yard.  She sells them to us for five dollars a piece, a bargain.  We also got some phlox and a flower we cannot remember it's name, as usual.

Digging Up Perennials

I have also been gathering interesting (to me) rocks from the stream, to make borders around our driveway, perhaps some of our garden beds.  It's fun walking the creek, looking for interesting shapes and colors; I just wish I had a grandchild to hunt with me.  Time for pancakes...yum.

Showers Likely, Then A Sunny Weekend

Septic Covers to be Hidden

It rained again last night, about a half inch, creating more mud in our side yard.  It's supposed to be cooler today; right now it's, 65 degrees, the high in the low 70's.  I was out checking out the lake shore and ended up talking with Jeff Aultz for about 15 minutes.  He's doing well; it's hard to believe but his eldest just graduated from OU and will begin law school in September at Akron U.  His other daughters, Kaeli, was a freshman at OU, and Sarah was just recruited to play basketball for Edinboro State, about 45 minutes away from us, so it might be fun to go watch her play.  He's up for the weekend, with the girls and some of their friends.

Evie's already planning on cutting weeds in the lake as she is setting up a plan for the Chautauqua Lake Association to stop by Woodlawn and pick up weeds we have cut.  They have encouraged home owners to do this, as it will save them money.  I will be hauling more gravel, I am sure, getting our road back to snuff after the heavy machinery from our septic tank installation.

Heavy Rains, More to Come, Muddy Yard

BEFORE

Well, our septic system's finished, the yards a mass of mud, with more heavy showers to come, so we will just have to wait for it dry, Rodger to come and level it, and our State Patrol office to come and spray the grass seed.  I have to admit to some relief, now that it's done, though we still don't know how much it will cost.  We trust Rodger to be honest and fair, so we'll see whether we have been fools or not.  Everyone I have talked to says he's the man, and we have had a good time with him, as he's quite a talker, enjoys people like our builder Jerry Grice, lots of stories, knows everyone.

We had a really nice dinner last evening with Fred and Judy Gregory, a couple we have known off and on over the years.  Fred's a basketball fanatic, plays in all these three on three tournaments all over the US, and Judy's an artist, in fact, I put pictures of her art work on my blog back in March.  They have a neat house at the north end of the Institute, and their backyard is combination of woods, garden, and her art pieces set in various sections of the yard.  We had drinks and well as dinner on their porch, overlooking their yard, and you would never know you were in the Institute it's so green and sheltered from neighbors, a real hideaway in a very busy community.  We had chicken and beef shisk kebabs, from the Lighthouse, a pie from Half Acres Farm, and Fred makes his own ice cream, this time honey/vanilla, as he's trying to make a sugarless ice cream.  Everything was really tasty; we found out about their kids, one a Chef in Alexandria at the Vermilion restaurant in Old Town, the other, a daughter, a holistic medicine guru, acupuncture and Chinese herbs, in North Carolina.  The Gregory's spend half the year in Davidson, North Carolina, an area they love because of the university and weather.  They say many of their winter neighbors are from the Buffalo/Rochester area like them.  Interesting.

AFTER

Evie's goes off this morning to a meet of the Chautauqua Lake Association, as they are discussing how to organized a sea weed pick up program, which would save the group lots of money.  We are already starting to think about how to hide the twin towers of the septic systems, which stick up out of the ground by about a foot.  We need to create a green area that comes out from the house and surrounds it, attempts to hide it with plants, bushes, other plantings.  It will be mounded, so as to hide the towers.  Any suggestions for plantings, let us know.

Took a run over to the Gravel Pit, picked up four large buckets of top soil, as we are building up our yard by the garden, where there are wet spots that collect water.  We also filled the ditch by the road, just as you enter our property on the right.  It's been an eye sore and hazard, as it fills with mud, then water, and sits there collecting mosquitoes.  Our neighbors did not seem to want to do anything about it when I asked, and told me it was my problem, my property, and I could do with it what I wanted.  That it was on my property was new to  me, and I still think they are wrong, but I had Rodger scoop out the mud yesterday with his shovel, and bring in a load of stones, so the problems been solved, fairly easily and there should be no more problems of people backing into the ditch. I am sure the gravel/stones will settle over time and I will have to add more to it, but it's worth it to keep things up.

Evie's not back yet from her meeting, as she was going to Bon Ton, get her hair done, stop at Weggies and the hardware store.  I'll see her sometime this afternoon, no doubt.

Rainy Wednesday, Yards Muddy and Wet

Yard Mud

Lowering the 9 ton septic tank

Our Yard the Next Morning After Rain

I was up early, at 5:00, as the rains woke me I think.  We got about a half an inch last night, and it's raining right now as I write this, looking at the the digger still in our yard, the pools of water and mud.  The septic should be finished today despite the rain,. The health department will stop by to give it their seal of approval, the electrician will set the mechanical switch in the house, and the pump will be started once all this has been done.  Then, Rodger will dig another ditch for me, a french drain which hopefully will get rid of some of the low spots in our side yard.

Well, it's almost 2:00 and they are about done with the digging part. Rodger will wait till next week to grade the yard since it's so wet, and we have just talked to a State Trooper who moonlights by spraying yards with  grass seed, fertilizer, some other agents that make it adhere and grow quickly.  You have probably seen it along roads, as it's green and gradually grass comes up though quicker than if you did it yourself.  Rodger and his one helper are really good guys, and it's fun talking to them, and your find out what a small community this is, as Rodger went to school with the health inspector, the State Trooper, and seems to know everyone else after living and working here for 40 years.

Septic City Begins: Diggers Have Arrived

Before the Mess

Well, the guys have arrived and all is well so far, as it looks like a warm but sunny day.  Rodger dropped off his steam shovel, and we are scheduled to have the tank pumped around noon, the new tank will arrive around 1:00, bd set, and then it's only a matter of digging trenches for the pipes and leech field, filling it in with stone, then dirt, and then having the lawn care guy come in with his grass seed sprayer, which supposedly quickens the time of your grasses growth.  Hopefully, the yard will be useable and decent looking by the end of July when the family starts arriving.

So far, no glitches and they hope to have it done by this evening; the tank is laid, covered and connected and the ditches are dug so they are laying the PVC pipes, then have to fill the ditches and the leech field with stones, cover it, then they are done till tomorrow when the health department checks that's it's working properly and the electricity for the pump is installed.  Then the lawn is leveled, and we have a guy come in, if he's not to expensive, and have the lawn seed with a special gun, of grass seed an fertilizer, which supposedly grows amazingly quick.

Ready to Go

Summer Solstice: The Beginning of Long Days, Short Nights

Summer Solstice, Sun Rising in Northeast over Long Point

Winter Solstice, Sun Rising to the Southeast over Giarizzo's

Solstice, according to Borland, means the sun (sol) stands still (stice), although the sun never does stand still, just appears to.  It begins today, at 1:16 PM, Eastern Standard Time according to Wikipedia.  The sun rose at 5:41, sets at 8:57 but dusk will continue till 9:30 or so.  I am not sure how they measure sunrise or setting, as it rose over Long Point this morning around 6:00, not 5:41 which is what the Weather site tells me.  When I read Borland yesterday, he talked about he Whippoorwill, a bird you rarely if ever see but that it sings all night.  Evie looked it up on her IPAD app, an amazing app, and we were able to hear it's call and are sure it's what wakes us often at night.  Unfortunately, I cannot get this app for my AirMac though that may be a good thing as Evie cannot figure out how to turn of the whippoorwill's call, which is driving us nuts.  They time their babies birth so it's ten days before a full moon.  They sleep most of the day, sing all night and are called the Nightjar in Great Britain.  There scientific name means goatsucker, because they haunted herds of goats at night and were believed to live on their milk.  Later, they learned that they lived on insects and followed the goat herds because they attracted such insects.  Interesting?  Perhaps.

Last night we went to a meeting of the Chautauqua Lake Association at the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club.  Sort of a boring night, of budgets, the need for more money, with nothing on whether there's any progress being made on the health of the lake.  Because of budget cuts, they will have to leave in dry dock a number of cutters, about half, which means the lake clean up will be half as effective as last year. The most important fact is that neither New York State nor the surrounded areas contribute anything to the lake's health yet it's essential to the financial health of the area.  One of the Trustees, in the newsletter, compared Lake Chautauqua to a highway.  You don't neglect highways, but constantly keep them up, designate money for their upkeep, which is the way we should look at the lake.  We will have to change the culture of the lawmakers to create this change in mindset.  Evie did connect with a couple of people on the Board and is going to a meeting Thursday morning to coordinate neighborhoods who wish to cut their own weeds, like us.  They will set dates when they will send a truck around to a neighborhood to pick up the weeds, a much cheaper and more efficient way of picking up weeds from neighborhoods.  Sending a barge over, for example, from their headquarters to our house would take 45 minutes one way, 45 minutes back, just to pick up weeds from one yard.  Evie will make sure this program is effective.  We also got talking with a couple, Charlie and Ruth Ann Mc Chestney, who talked about composting their weeds.  They invited us to stop over at their house on Summit, on the lake in Lakewood, and see how they did it.  It's a lovely Victorian house, divided in half actually, set on the lake, with a panoramic view of the lake, perhaps the wides I have seen.  They literally look straight at the bridge, but it's so far away, at the narrows, that you can hardly see it.  It's amazing how different each house's view of the lake is.  Anyways, there were really nice, showed us how his pile of weeds at the shoreline, had become rich compost.  They told us a little about themselves; Ruth Ann' husband died in the 90's and she met Charlie on the Internet over a Christian singles site.  They married in 2000 and have been happily together for eleven years.  She sings in the Chautauqua choir.  They live outside Pittsburgh in Mars, and Charlie has a cabin in Maine.  I guess we learned quite a bit about them.  I think we would get along as Charlie mentioned listening to NPR.

Today, we will continue to wait and see if we get our Septic Tank put in.  Some how neither of us is very confident that Roger Vallencourt, will come.

ANOTHER YEAR: A FILM BY MIKE LEIGH

Another one of those British character driven movies that we like and could even understand, as often the English accent is difficult to understand.  In this film, we witness a stable, happy marriage, as Tom, a geologist and Gerrie, a social worker, drift into their sixties, happy with each other, their lives, their son Joe, and their occupations.  They spend a great deal of their time at their community garden, a setting for many comings and goings.  Contrasting with them is Tom's buddy Ken, an affable, heavy set, heavy drinking buddy, who stops by for a weekend, and we peer, for the first time, into the unhappiness of others, people not as lucky as the Heppies in their marriage.  But the essential conflict surrounds Gerrie's office friend, Mary, a very needy 40 ish women, single, longing for a emotional relationship, unhappy with her life, her job, her relationships, a bit jealous, it would seem of what her best friend has, a good husband, a stable marriage, and happiness.  The movie has four parts, Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall, as we are introduced to these characters, in various settings.  The stability and affability of the Heppies is tested by Mary, as she appears in each vignette, increasingly unhappy, even flirting with the Heppies son Joe.  When, in fall, in brings home a woman with whom he has fallen in love, Mary treats her with disdain, much to the discomfort of all.  She clearly overstays her welcome and in the final scene, Winter, she barges in without an invitation, upsetting everyone as Tom's brother's wife has just died, but Gerrie and Tom and such good people, they invite to stay for the wake dinner, and the film ends with her sitting at the table, unhappy but not unwelcome, as the ties of affection are frayed but not not broken.  Nothing is settled; she has no life; the Heppies may eventually cut the ties, but for now, their lives go on.  I have to admit I really did get tired of Mary, as she takes over the scenes, and listening to her complain and go on not only tires the family but the viewer, as it's meant to.  The family, however, their relationship with each other, their son and his friend, and the troubled friends allows the viewer to leave with a wisp of optimism, about the essential humanity of humankind.

Waiting for the Septic Guy

Hiking/Bicycle/Cross Country skiing Trail

A bit overcast when I got up this morning at 5:00, alas, as I was really hot in bed, though the temperature last night was in the low 60's, not terribly warm.  I noticed that the sky off to the north was darkening, so I went out and put my boat cover on just at dawn, usually a surefire method for guaranteeing that it will not rain.  And so far, it's worked as it's cleared up and today's supposed to be warm, in the high 70's, with a chance of thunderstorms, with more storms and rain to come over the next few days.  All of this makes our septic tank work all the more unlikely.  If it rains, no work can be done.  Of course, our guy was supposed to call over the weekend and let us know when he was coming.  He didn't call and has not answered either our text or phone message.  So, what else did we expect, right.   I know he's very busy, were the only septic system he's doing, but I thought for sure he would at least call and let us know what's going on.

Lake Chautauqua from Long Point Pavilion

We had Ron and Linda over last night for teriyaki pork chops, ratatouille, and rice, and it was great.  We took our first booze cruise of the year, then ate out on our front porch, something we tried once before.  It's actually pretty comfortable, though we have to think harder about the furniture, as it crowded if we don't do anything we our Adirondack chairs.  They left about 10:30 and head back to Pittsburgh for about ten days.

A Strangely Quiet Sunday on the Lake

Evie and Hazel Making Ice Cream Cones

Paul, Hazel, and Heather

A bit cloudy, 63 degrees, as I listen to Weekend Sunday, without Leeann Hansen for the first time in ten years, as we plan our day.  Evie has been up since 7:00, played Scrabble on her IPAD and is now making ratatouille for dinner tonight of teriyaki pork chops and rice,  with the Mc Clures.  It supposed to be a nice day, in fact, most of the week looks decent with a chance of  thunderstorms  but mostly sunny.

I had my yogurt and goodies out on the dock, with hardly a boat on the lake, quiet in fact except for the martins.  I noticed for the first time that the carp were spawning, as they flap about in shallow water, creating waves since some of them are almost three feet long, weighing I am sure at least twenty or more pounds.

Lunch with Heather, Paul, Hazel and Barb Cassell

Yesterday, as I mentioned, one of of my former students and colleagues, Heather Liske, stopped by on her way to Hudson.  She teaches at Deerfield Academy, after spending last year in Morocco, a few years living in Berkley, CA, after teaching at Groton School and Reserve, victims of wanderlust no doubt.  She grew up in Hudson and I taught her freshmen year and we have been good friends ever since.  She has been to Chautuaqua before as I student, but I don' think we have seen each other in over ten years.  She and her husband, Paul Secker, also a teacher, have a delightful little daughter, Hazel, and it was fun to see them again.  They will be spending the summer with her parents in Hudson, as he husband will be working on his MA at John Carroll this summer.  We had a great lunch of both lentil and cauliflower soup with hot dogs.  Barb Cassell also stopped by on her way back to Hudson, so we all had lunch together.  Hazel loved the treasure chest, picking out an expanding snake and she and Evie hit it off of course.  It was fun to see Heather, Paul, and Hazel as we had lost touch over the years, sad to say.  Perhaps that will change.

It's been a beautiful morning, blue skies, placid lake, a brilliant blue and not too much action.  I just came back from a fun bike ride over at Bemus, down Lakeside Rd, through the woods of Long Point Park, out to the point, and then back again, about 1 1/2 hours total.  Not too hot, a nice breeze, the woods were shaded by the full leaves, a great ride.

SCORPIONS: Noah Feldman

This book explores the relationship between four of the most influential justices during the 1940's, all appointed by FDR, all seeming;y having the same liberal tendencies, though Frankfurter believed in , the  rest were literalists, taking in to account the time, cultural changes, and ideas of the times.  The four were Felix Frankfurther, a Jewish immigrant, confidant of FDR for most of the 30's, the intellectual of the court; Hugo Black, picked because he was from the South, unfortunately, he also had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan, mostly to get the white vote to become senator. Somehow he was confirmed.  William Douglas, by far the most precocious, hand picked by Roosevelt at the age of forty to sit on the court.  He became the longest serving justice, the champion of liberal causes and the environment, hated by conservatives, loved by liberals.  And finally, Robert Jackson, a small town lawyer from Jamestown, NY, who slowly became part of the state, then federal government, gaining the attention of FDR because of his views on the court, how it should decide cases.  He helped shape the attempts by FDR to pack the court in the 30's, became Solicitor General, then Attorney General, finally being appointed to the Supreme Court and, as his final act, presiding over the Nuremberg Trials at the end of WW II.  He is by far the most interesting, having little formal education other than a high school degree.  He mostly taught himself the law, passed the bar, and continued to grow, much different from Frankfurter, from Harvard Law School, Douglas from Yale.  Black was more similar to Jackson in that he was not part of the Eastern establishment.

Now all four are on the Supreme Court, all are ambitious, have wanted to be at the center of things and WW II begins with Pearl Harbor.  As a result, the court is pushed into the background and the war becomes the center, the Supreme Court and its decisions peripheral, unless a decision was central to the war effort, like the trying of 8 Germans who infiltrated our borders, with sabotage in mind.  It reminded me of the Guantanamo Trials, where no one is sure who had jurisdiction, what are the combatants rights, things like that.  FDR basically got his way, as they were tried by a military court, hung, and the Supreme Court figured out some way to go along with the President's right to decide this.  I can see how these four, seemingly liberals and friends, are beginning to develop different points of view and will be at each other's throats as the book continues, thus the title, SCORPIONS.

It's interesting reading how political everything is, how they, the justices, are maneuvering to gain power, win prestige, perhaps in the case of William Douglas, run for President.  Until 1952, he was abhor ed by his colleagues because his votes seemed political, inconsistent, whatever would be best for his career in the long run.  When he realized his dream of being President was not to be, he then developed his persona as the defender of individual rights, the environment, perhaps the most liberal and longest serving of any judge.  The section on Robert Jackson, his post as chief prosecutor at Nuremberg was also interesting, as it seemed he was out of his element, a bit of a joke to much of Europe, especially when prosecuting Goering, as if he were a Jamestown criminal.  He does not come off at all well, though its a brief section, and right in the midst of the trials, the Chief Justice dies, a post that Jackson was promised and lusted after, but it was not to be, as he was blocked by another justice, Hugo Black, as pay back for accusing his of favoritism in a case, when he should have recused himself. The dislike, even hatred this four develop towards each other is amazing in men who supposedly uphold the laws of the country.  We see how petty they can be, how quarrelsome, how they all end up with very different understandings of the court and the Constitution.  At this point, I cannot say who I respect the most, as all seem like little children as they try to gain power though most seem very serious about the cases, and their decisions, often disagreeing with each other, mocking each others defenses a puerile or silly or mistaken.

With FDR's death, there power wanes, as all four owe their positions to him, not Truman.  And they seem to have little respect for Truman, which does they little good, as they become marginalized to an extent, with no power in the White House. I about coming up to their most famous case, Brown vs. the Board of Education, though their decision on a case of how to treat enemy combatants, whether to extend the the rights of a  citizen or not, influenced the Guantanamo's trials, as precedent setting.

Jackson does stand out for his gift with the pen and he's often quoted for the clarity and conciseness of his opinions.  For example, when responding to Hugo Black's and current Justice belief in 'originalism,' the belief that  we interpret what the original writers of the Constitution intended, he says: " As for the original intent of the framers, what they envisioned 'or would have envisioned had they foreseen modern conditions, must be divined from materials almost as enigmatic as the dreams of Joseph was called upon to interpret for Pharaoh.'"  No more pithy dismissal of originalism appears in any document.

In the end, we see how human these 'immortals' are, often petty, hateful, ambitious, and power driven, worried about their legacies, lusting after power and influence, ultimately concerned as much about how they will be viewed in history as their briefs.  The four did manage to agree on their most important case, Brown vs. The Board of Education,  throwing out the 'separate but equal' clause, but also waffling by suggesting that change should be made incrementally, as they were afraid of chaos and rioting in the south if things changed to fast.  What  I took a way was how they were often restricted by their versions of the Constitution from doing something that made sense.  The Brown case was an example, as most knew that 'separate but equal' should be thrown out but they needed to find some way to rationalize their acquiescence.  The only one who was not troubled by this was Douglas who seemed to be a iconoclasts, with little judiciary consistency.  The other three all developed a philosophy which they used when deciding a case.  The final conclusion suggests that Jackson may have been the most influential for modern times, as he is often quoted and has gained more respect as the years have gone by, even regarding the Nuremberg Trials, where he struggled but ultimately it has set the state for a world court.

Sunny Saturday at the Lake

Picasso petunias on Spidey

I awoke to the sound of birds, singing wildly for some reason around 5:30, then soon after, the roar of fishing boats began to fill the lake, as a fishing tournament had obviously begun.  It's now quieted down, as the fishermen have arrived at their sweet spots and the birds seemed to have calmed down.  I am not sure why they are at their noisiest at dawn, perhaps because of the contrast between dark and the coming light.

It's a great time of the year: "Knee-deep in June. A wonderful time to be alive and sentient. A time of richness, of early ripeness, of Summer at its very best." And, indeed, the strawberries are local, ready to be picked, soon to be followed by raspberries, cherries and blueberries, so we had better get to the Pick Your Own fields so we don't miss them.

Evie's been out cutting weeds, I've been to the dump, and we are struggling to find a place to put the weeds once they dry out.  It seems worst this June than usual, but it always does.

One of my favorite students, later a colleague, who now teaches at Deerfield Academy in Western Massachusetts, is stopping by on her way to Hudson, with her husband Paul and daughter Hazel.  Also, Barb Cassell called; she's in town for the Greek Festival, the Yassou Festival in Albanian I think, and she's stopping by as well.  So, we'll have company for lunch.

Great Dinner at the Atheneum Hotel

Celebrating Linda's birthday at the Atheneum Hotel

As I mentioned yesterday, the Atheneum Hotel was offering a five course dinner for fifteen dollars, the purpose being to give their new staff the opportunity to practice serving.  It was Linda Mc Clure's birthday, so I made reservations for 6:00.  When we arrived, it was a bit overcast or we would have sat outside on the terrace, but we decided to sit inside.  We met Fred and Judy Gregory as we were seated, and they interested us to two couples, one which we talked to later, when we were walking back to the car and, interestingly, their son Pete, a good friend of Jill's, went to Reserve.

After Dinner Stroll at Chautauqua Institution

Anyways, it was not particularly crowded, though I assume they did not want to overbook the staff the first day.  It was a leisurely meal, though our waitress was quite good, a student at Colorado College.  We had choices for each course, and the best was the old fashioned shrimp cocktail, with six shrimp hung on the edge of a wine glass, the sauce in the glass itself.  It reminded me of the old days, the 1950's, going out to dinner with Grandad Davis, being allowed to order a shrimp cocktail. What a treat that was! We then had a choice of soups. I had clam chowder, Evie strawberry lime,  both quite good.  Then, a choice of salads, a typical greens, a celery and apples, or a pasta/prosciutto salad.  For the main course, I had duck confit, Evie and Linda at filet mignon, Ron had pork tenderloin.  Then dessert, a choice of carrot cake or blueberry cobbler.  We were able to order beer or wine, and we probably were there for almost two hours, not rushed, not impatient.  We all enjoyed it immensely, thought the food was wonderful, and it was fun to eat inside the flowered wall papered dining room.  After dinner, we went for a stroll, stopped to talk with a couple whose garden we were admiring, realized we had just met them at the Atheneum, and I realized this was a house where one of my student's used to live.  Well, it's still his house, and once we made it clear we were from Reserve, we had lots to talk about with his parents.  They have owned this cottage since 1984.  It has four apartments, and they rent out three of them all summer.  It is literally next door to the Amphitheater so it's an amazing location, and their garden is filled with neat little touches, not kitchsy but tasteful, plants but also stones, water elements, knickknacks, all kinds of visually interesting pieces.

We went off shopping this morning, stopped at Weggies, of course, but our big purchase, or small, was a mini fridge, 4.5 cubic feet, which will help us with beverages and food not only during the summer but during the year.  Rather than get a bigger, new refrigerator, we decided to try this and see how it works out.  It's small enough so we can put it in our back closet, where we already have a freezer.  It fits pretty well, could put it on the back porch in warm weather, so I hope we are happy with it.  I made Momofuku scallion/ginger sauce to put over noodles with dinner, and we will grill a couple of chicken breasts outside.  It's turned out to be a really beautiful day, as it changed from overcast around noon and since then, it's been blue skies and lake, about 74 degrees, warm in the sun, cool and breezy in the shade.  Perfect.  I also made some sourdough bread today, kind of a 7  grain sandwich bread and it turned out to be like a brick, heavy and solid.  Right from the start, the dough was too sticky so I knew I was in trouble.  Maybe it will taste decent, especially if toasted.

Linda and Ron at the Atheneum

Overcast, Southerly Wind, Perhaps Rain

Early Morning Kayaking

It seems to have cooled after yesterday's sunny and warm day, as the weather is changing.  The lake is choppy, winds from the south, and we may have rain on and off or the next couple of days.  Let's hope it's not too much.  Nothing planned for today though I am sure we will find things to do.

It is Linda Mc Clure's birthday, so we are going, as I mentioned yesterday to the Athenaeum for dinner, a special to train their staff.  We did go to their house yesterday for dinner; they had just gotten back from Germany but insisted we come over, for steaks and salad.  They had a great time in Germany, spent mostly with friends, a little different from their usual trips, where they were mostly on their own, hiking during the day, staying in a Gashaus at night.  Lots of good food, beer, friends, and some interesting sights and museums, like the Dirigible Museum outside of Stuttgart.  They also stayed on the Badensee or Lake Constance and I am sure we camped somewhere on the lake 40 years ago.  It was good to see them.

It's 11:00 and Evie's out finishing up cutting the grass, as it's been drizzling for the past 15 minutes.  We thought it was going to be sunny today, but not till later I guess.  Right now, it's a good time to sit inside and read.  SUNDIAL OF THE SEASONS mentions that six months ago we had 9 hours of daylight, and now it's up to 15 hours, that if you were on a farm, you need these extra hours to get your chores done and in the winter, since it's cold and snowy and nothing is growing, you don't need that much daylight because the chores are less.  Interesting.  Everything seems to work towards a logical, sensible end, at least with nature, not politicians.  And today's entry talked about the wonder of peonies in June, called 'piney's by Borland's grandmother.

"They were peonies, huge blossoms that summoned June bees and colored the whole  garden and made sweet the dusk, and finally fell in a profligate showering of petals...They still mean home.  Home in June. Sweet peas are lovely, and roses are superb; rhododendron is breath-taking, and columbines are simply beautiful.  But peonies are homely, and friendly, and generous beyond belief.  Give them half a chance and they are yours for a lifetime; yours in magnificent color and abundance when June is at it's peak."  

A lovely description of our favorite June flower which unfortunately, because of the wetness, hardly bloomed this June, at least in our yard.

Steam Rising on a Cold (49 degrees) but Sunny Morning

Sunrise Over Long Point

It's surprisingly cold this morning, 49 degrees, as I got up early so I could watch the sunrise, as we are getting close to the summer equinox on June 21st.  I wanted a picture on a clear morning, mostly so I could compare it to the sunrise at the other equinoxes.  Today, it's about as far to the north as it will ever be, basically rising about half way above Long Point, in contrast to December 21st when it rises literally above Giarizzo's house.  Because of the cool air, the warm lake, the fog or s team is rising, and as it sits on the lake, the breeze moves it about, as it gradually disappears.  Occasionally, I can see the silhouette of a fishing boat, partially obscured by the fog.

The Mc Clures should have arrived back from Germany last night, no doubt, to the delight of their cats.  Today brings a sunny and warm day, a good day to work on cleaning up my boat but Evie has other ideas, like cleaning and organizing the attic.  I think I know who will have their way.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, clear skies and warm, high 70's, so after the attic, we went off for a long kayak ride, north up to Snug Harbar and back.  Lots of docks and boats are still not in the water and the weeds are already starting to touch the surface in some places, not boding well for late July and August. We then relaxed most of the day, having lunch on the boat, as we took our usual ride, scoping the houses along Lakeside Drive in Bemus. Little if anything has changed, no new homes, although someone did buy the huge mansion about a quarter of a mile down the lake.  It's set back, and has the boat house which was turned into a cottage.  It had been on the market for three or four years, easily.  We then just drifted, read our books, and enjoyed the sun.  When we came back, Evie stayed on the dock and read most of the afternoon, and I cleaned the boat, trying to get off some of the mildew from storage.  The sun may be the best disinfectant actually but I did get some of it off by scrubbing.

Ron and Linda are back and wanted us to come for dinner tonight, even though they just got back from Germany last night around 11:00.  I don't think they want to leave their cats after their ten days voyage, at least not the first night.

Tomorrow is Linda's birthday and we all going to the Atheneum, the hotel in the CI.  They are training their staff and have a special tomorrow night only, a five course meal for 15 dollars a person, quite a bargain and it should be fun to see what it's like dining there.  I know I got one of the last tables so many are taking advantage of this deal.  Most of the people who live in the CI don't eat their either, so it will be fun for them as well.

Cloudy and Showers and Gray

Rainy, Cloudy and Cool

Up at 5:00, with the sound of a gentle rain hitting the roof, a bit of light, so I came downstairs, made the coffee, settled in on my couch, and listened to the rain, watched the clouds become more distinct as the morning got lighter.  It reminds me a bit of the grays I mentioned all winter, the snow, lake and sky, various shades of gray but in the summer, you always have a ring of dark green as you get near to our house, though in the distance, the green fringe of the lake, for instance Bemus, appears gray, as it's shrouded in both mist and clouds.

 It was 55 degrees when I rose, like yesterday, though it's supposed to clear up later so we may perhaps be able to work outside.  We are going through the trauma of getting a new septic, upset with the fact we are going to have this huge structure in our side yard, yet knowing that we need it.  There does not seem to be a solution either.  It's going to be quite prominent; the rub is the lower you set the tank, thus less visible, the less effective the system.  The higher, the more prominent, the more effective the system.  So what do we do?  Worry about aesthetics and have a troubled system, or dam the aesthetics and not have to worry about the system.  Why is life always a Catch 22, with nothing quite the way you would like it.

We have a busy day ahead of us, as it's 5% day at Wegman's for senior citizens, that's us,  so off we go to Lakewood, stopping at Bon Ton for returns, Sam's for deals (sure!), then Weggies, then home again. By the way, Evie is excited as T. J. Maxx is coming to Lakewood this fall.  Exciting? Scary? I am not sure.

We watched the debate last night between Republicans and had to finally turn it off as the candidates were so disgusting, nothing good to say, the same mantra of cutting taxes, criticizing Obamacare, anything he has tried to do, with no idea as how to halt the decline.  It reminds me of I. F. Stone's mantra: "Never believe a politician. They all lie." " Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed. " Or Michael Kinsleys witticism: "For a politician, a gaffe is telling the truth."

It's 3:00, we have done our shopping and Evie's out in the shallows, scooping up the moss sitting on top of our water.  I walked the entire Woodlawn lakefront and we are the only house that has this gloop sitting on top of the water, though it's almost gone now because of Evie, a good wife, a bad husband!  It's actually cold outside, about 59 degrees, very windy and gray, just like winter's coming in a month.  I have been down checking out my neighbor who is having their septic put in today.  What a mess, as their yard's dug up, truck and tractor and bulldozer  tracks, though all will eventually be smoothed out.  Our yard looks so wonderful right now an in a week, it too will be mess.

We are off to Linda and Ron's soon, as we have bought lots of goodies to put in their fridge, so they have some food when they return late this evening, as long as all of their flights work.  Linda's birthday is Thursday as well, so it will be nice to have some goodies

Fall Like Morning

Celeron Lighthouse (Lucille Ball Park) at Dusk

It's 55 degrees outside, with the striking clouds off in the distance, reminiscent of a fall sky.  It's partly sunny, with hardly a boat on the lake, only a fisherman or two, as I contemplate my day.  It looks like a good day to wash our front windows, something we have yet to do because or our travels, the wet weather, perhaps laziness or ennui.

We had chicken tikka masala last night, a bit disappointing as it was not spicy enough though we followed the directions.  The scallions cakes, however, were really good, cut up fresh scallions in a pancake like batter, dipped in a soy/vinegar sauce...yum.

We also watched a really good movie, our kind of film actually, called THE GROCER'S SON.  It was in French, set in I assume the Pyrenees, the southern mountain range in France.  The son, who left the small village ten years ago to make his way in the city, must return home to help out with the local grocery because his father suffered a stroke.  Somewhat angry, not very successful in the city, the son reluctantly returns to a job and village he fled.  Most of his days are spent driving the grocery truck around the nearby villages, serving the needs of the elderly who depend on the truck.  Lacking charm, patience and unhappy with his life, he offends the locals and only with the help of his girl friend, does he begin to understand how to relate to the people, repair the relationship with his father, and realize how important he is too these locals.  It's lovingly filmed, in southern France, filled with interesting people, and the relationship between Antoine and Claire moves slowly but relentlessly forward, as they get to know each other.  Like most European movies, it moves slowly, with little flash, action, or bam; rather it's about character, relationships, and the connection between people.  We loved it.

Sunday Laze, Foggy and Rainy Day

Sunday of Fog and Rain

It's a cooler day, 62 degrees, and foggy and rainy on the lake, so that I can hardly see Long Point.  I have to admit I do like this kind of day, the kind where you work inside, read a  book, come up with a great meal, as long as you don't have too many of them (these days) in a row, which happens here especially in April and May.  Evie's  busy on the front porch, vacuuming and washing the floor, the windows, the wall as most of her time has been spent outside in the garden and lawn.  We are trying to figure out how to eat on the front porch more, but we cannot quite find the right table.  Right now we have a 60 inch iron table on the porch but it's too big, though it works well for four people.  We just have to pick it up and move it from the side to the middle to eat.  We need something around 40 inches, that can be outside, and is easy to move.  We are constantly experimenting, trying to find just the right configuration of furniture whether inside or out, which, no doubt, we change a day, a week, or month later.  Perhaps its just part of the human animal...we change, always desire change, are never satisfied with the way things are.

I am enjoy SCORPIONS, the book I mentioned about the four disparate Supreme Court justices that influenced policy during the FDR administration.  It's a fascinating read so far, and the sections on what life was like during the depressing are 'depressing,' with towns that had 100,000 workers with good jobs now down to 10,000 jobs, neighborhoods rampant with crime and chaos, a  result of people without jobs.  Scary.

I am not sure what today will bring; we are trying to decide between chicken tikka marasa or baked ziti, both of them my favorites.  If it continues to rain we may tackle the attic, a little like reorganizing my  garage, something you must do four or five times a year.  We need more space!

Evie just came in a screamed, "What a nice gray day!  Cleaning my Chautauqua porch is like playing house."  We are happy here at the lake, in our own house, with the freedom to do whatever we like.  Yea, retirement!  The only thing that could make it better would be if each year we got younger, rather than older.  I wonder if that could be arranged.  Doubt it.

We ended up walking the CI this morning, then stopped at the Lighthouse to pick up a few groceries, visited the Mc Clures cats, then came home to an overcast day but it didn't rain.  We relaxed most of the afternoon, and Evie even went out to read on the dock though it was about 60 degrees outside, with a bit of a wind.

Giarizzo's had a crane over in their yard yesterday; after they cut the trees into logs, the crane lifted them up on to a truck, so they have begun the clean up.  And there dock was put in today, about 40 feet to the left of where they usual put it.  At least they will be able to enjoy the water this summer.

THE SNOWMAN: JOE NESBO

This is the second mystery I have read by Nesbo, about the dark, moody, misanthropic detective, Harry Hole.  This time he's dealing with a decades old serial killer, the snowman, who leaves his signature snow statuary outside the victims homes.  He is still on/off with Rakel, his lover from the first novel, and her son Olaf.  This time he's teamed with Katherine Bratt, a sex crime specialist, who seems to have brought in for this specific case.  I often got lost, mostly because of the names and places are so unfamiliar to me, even the victims kind of ran together, as did the suspects in all of them.  As usual, he ends up in many parts of Norway, feuds with his bosses, is almost fired because of a mistaken identity  but in the end, you can be sure that Harry gets his man.  I assume this is not a spoiler for anyone who has read a mystery.  I found it readable, Harry by far the most interesting character in the book, as he often depends on his intuition, on what he feels, always sensing he's missing something as he struggles to put together the disparate murders.  His battle with alcoholism, his relationship with Rakel and his colleagues, as well as the hunt, form the center of this book.  I would give it three stars.

Landslide Damage from Two Weeks Ago

Trees slid into the Lake

Walk/Tram are Destroyed

Mostly Shallow rooted Pines Fell

I finally took some pictures of the damage to Giarizzo's house, a result of the rains, winds, and terrible spring we have had.  It's unbelieveable what happened, and they are lucky to have their house still standing.  The costs of clean up and then restoring the cliff so that it's stable will be enormous and I doubt if insurance will pay for any of it.  Fortunately, their boats were not in yet, or they would have been destroyed.  As you can see, much of the earth fell into the water, creating an extra 30-40 feet of property, where the lake edge once stood.  It's been like this for a couple of weeks, and we have yet to talk with Mike, other than the  day it happened when he was still in shock.  Even  getting earth moving equipment into the area will be a feat if not impossible, unless you compromise other parts of the hill to create a graduated road to get up and down.

It's 65 degrees out, high in the 70's, though overcast and we got a hint of rain last night, perhaps thunderstorms today mixed in with some sunshine.  It's a good day to read SCORPIONS,  the storm of the four justices during FDR's presidency, their impact on society, battles with each other, and their rise to Court Justices, one of whom was Robert Jackson, Jamestown's favorite son, head of the Nuremberg Trials after the war.

After I hit the dump, we are off to the open air market in Westfield, then Topps, then Ron and Linda's to play with the cats for a bit.  It's still overcast, humid, and looks like rain but not thunderstorms.

Not a lot at the market, but we picked up some local bibb lettuce and green onions, stopped at Topps, and played with the girls (the cats) for about 15 minutes, then home again, to a warm afternoon, which Evie spent reading on the dock and playing scrabble, one of the first days in awhile where she has just relaxed most of the day.  I cleaned out my garage for the first time, as it's been wet, and will no doubt do it again three or four times during the summer.  It looks like was going to rain all day but it hasn't, at least here at Woodlawn, and if you are busy at all, it's quite humid and warm.  I am going out on the dock now to read for awhile, then swim.  Lamb koftas for dinner with a yogurt/tahini sauce and a Jar salad, basically a dolled up coleslaw, with fennel, carrots, feta, prosciutto, cabbage and a couple of kinds of vinegar and oil.  It also calls for chicken but we'll skip that. Yum