More Of The Same: Overcast And Drizzle

Summer, 2016

8:00

It's 9:10, and we're both up, watching the sky and lake change,  enjoying our coffee, and wondering what the day will bring. A trip to the Transfer Station, for sure. I didn't wake until 7:45 — a small miracle — and didn't get out on the lake until 8:00. I kayaked north, into the wind and waves, and was out for only 35 minutes. The wind picked up as I paddled, so I turned around before getting very far.

Kayak Morning

Waves And Wind

Woodlawn

Yesterday began with a great paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back. Evie was up when I returned, and we listened to Michael for most of the morning while getting a few things done. I cleared up some matters I'd been putting off, things that had been preying on my mind. Once I'd settled them — more or less — I felt free and ready to move. It was raining and overcast, though, so I spent most of the day inside, reading or on my computer, idling away time on Reels and the like.

5:15

Evie offered to make me lunch, but we had leftover pasta, so I heated that up and watched my show, finishing the first season of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. It's a bit dated, but I enjoyed it. I took a good nap and read through much of the afternoon, but by 3:30 I was going stir-crazy, so I walked the loop in the rain and collected the mail. Not much of a workout, but it felt good to get outside. We had our wine at 5:00 when the sky began to lighten, and by 6:30 we were hungry, so we both worked in the kitchen and put together a stir-fry of eggplant with hot bean sauce and other condiments, served over rice. It was delicious — we both wished we'd made more, since we each went back for seconds. We watched a couple of episodes of Doc before Evie headed up to bed, and I caught the last quarters of two NBA games, both wins — Detroit and Toronto.

Overcast And A Light Rain

6:41

8:02

First Loon Of Spring

It's 8:30, and Evie just came downstairs and is making coffee.  I've been up for a couple of hours and paddled for fifty minutes before a light drizzle sent me home. It was a lovely morning when I set out — a band of golden light stretched just above the horizon — but the clouds gradually rolled in, and the drizzle followed. The paddle, however, was exciting because I was able to take a couple of great photos of a loon. He was about 20 feet away, screeching, then diving for five seconds, then surfacing, and screeching again. 

Kayak Morning

Mergansers

North

Woodlawn

Loon

Loon

Yesterday was a productive day, despite rain throughout much of the morning, which kept me off the water. Since it was Thursday, I didn't mind skipping the kayak, as I had breakfast in Bemus with friends at eight o'clock. It was good to see them again after a month away. When I got back, Evie and I enjoyed a leisurely morning coffee, listening to Michael Smerconish and putting the finishing touches on the blog.

I needed to get to the bank, so Evie put together a short list, and I was out the door by 10:30 — stopping first for a coffee at Ryder's Cup, then on to the bank. Since I was already in Lakewood, I made a quick run through both Wegmans and Aldi's, picking up a few treats: sushi from Wegmans for an appetizer and a pasta sauce from Aldi's, which came highly recommended.

I didn't make it home until after noon. Lunch was light — leftover chicken noodle soup, stretched a bit further with some added broth and rice. I watched my show, charged the Kia, then settled in with a book and a nap. I've started Peace Like a River, one of the many recommendations that finds me through TikTok, and it's already pulling me in.

The rain had stopped by late morning, and by 3:30, the sun came out, blue skies and puffy clouds dominated, and the lawn looked dry enough to mow. I pulled out the mower, loaded two batteries, and got to it — forty minutes and a couple of short breaks later, the yard was done. It felt good to accomplish something outside.

5:50

Around five o'clock, we settled into the living room, put on Jake, and enjoyed our sushi and wine. Before happy hour, Evie had prepped dinner: meatballs grilled in the air fryer, mushrooms sautéed to a golden brown, and Aldi's tomato sauce folded into both. By 6:30, the pasta was boiling, and we soon sat down to plates of spaghetti topped with meatballs, mushrooms, and sauce. Neither of us thought Aldi's sauce was anything remarkable. Evie turned in after a couple of episodes, and I closed out the night the usual way — a little basketball, then the final stretch of my series on Prime.

A Dreary Lake Morning

6:53

9:14

It's a 41° morning with a light drizzle at 7:30. I've been up since 6:40, reading the various newspapers and relaxing with a cup of coffee. In 20 minutes, I'm heading to the Lake Life Cafe for breakfast — my first visit in a month.

9:15 — Just returned from breakfast, and it's still raining, so kayaking is out. Evie just got up, which is great; she needed the sleep.

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Wednesday was a bit of a bore, mostly wet and gray. Fortunately, I did get in a paddle, which made my day. When I returned, Evie was up, and over coffee we talked about what we needed from Wegmans — our refrigerator was essentially empty after nearly four weeks away. I was hoping to cut the lawn, but when the rain started up again, I headed out to shop instead.

Even though it was a Wednesday rather than 5% Tuesday, Wegmans was busy. I filled my cart to overflowing and came home with four bags of groceries. After helping Evie put everything away, we had lunch: chicken soup from Wegmans and toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. I then started a new series, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, based on the P. D. James novel I read back in the '70s — she was one of my favorites at the time.

Tired from the busy morning, I fell back into my routine of napping and reading for an hour. I've been making my way through Stewart O'Nan's Wish You Were Here, a novel set in Chautauqua, and it's been a pleasure to read since I recognize so much of the setting. After my nap, I did little other than sit, read, and poke around on my computer. Evie joined me, and we waited patiently until 5:00 for a glass of wine.

Dinner was a couple of marinated chicken breasts from Wegmans, along with rice and a salad, and we watched a few episodes of Doc on Hulu. Evie went to bed at her usual time — around 8:30 — and I caught a couple of NBA games before heading up around 10:00. It was a long day.

Home Again

Kayak Morning

Sandy Bottom

Northern Sky

Woodlawn Starting To Green

It's just after 9:00, and both Evie and I are back to our usual routine — listening to Michael Smerconish and enjoying our coffee. I've been up since 7:30 and got in a 40-minute paddle, down to Sandy Bottom and back on a gray, 55° morning. It felt wonderful to be back on the lake.

Knowing we had a four-hour drive ahead, we were in no hurry to leave the Hampton. We had some breakfast and were off by 9:30. We've made this drive many times, so it was a bit of a slog — an hour and a half to the Cleveland area, another hour-plus to the Ohio/Pennsylvania line. We stopped for gas at $3.87 a gallon and grabbed burgers from McDonald's, then made the final hour home to the lake. We're always a little anxious pulling in, hoping to find everything in order — and thankfully, it was. No problems.

Unfortunately, Evie was coming down with a cold with a slight fever, so I handled most of the unpacking. Once that was done, we both relaxed, and Evie eventually headed upstairs for a nap. I took care of a few things outside — moving the lawn mowers into the garage and pulling out the Outback, which started right up after sitting for a few weeks. A small victory worth celebrating.

Around 5:30, I drove to the Ashville General Store to pick up dinner: a Highjacker for me — think Cuban sandwich — and chicken-and-vegetable soup for Evie. The sandwich was excellent, but the soup was another story, so oversalted that Evie couldn't get through it. By 8:00, Evie was ready for bed, feeling miserable. I stayed up watching basketball until 9:30 before turning in myself, worn out from the long day of driving.

We loved the trip — cherishing the time with both Beth and Tom — but as always, there's nothing quite like coming home.

By the way, I just read King Charles's address to the House. I highly recommend you read it.  I loved the way it ended it: 

'Mr Speaker, Mr Vice-President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, America's words carry weight and meaning, as they have since Independence. The actions of this great Nation matter even more.

'President Lincoln understood this so well, with his reflection in the magisterial Gettysburg Address, that the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do. 

Once More To The Lake

 

Spring

Winter

Autumn

Summer

It's 7:06, and here I am again — another Hampton Inn breakfast nook, coffee in hand, watching the morning news while Evie sleeps in. We're just north of Columbus with a four-hour drive ahead to the lake. Right now, at 7:46, I am the only one having breakfast. It's not a very busy Hampton Inn. 

Yesterday was similar to the previous day's five-hour push. We were in no hurry to leave, enjoyed breakfast at the Inn, and didn't pull out until around 9:15 CT (10:15 EST). The first hour brought heavy rain, but once we crossed into Indiana, it cleared up, and we had smooth sailing the rest of the way. There's something satisfying about getting past Indianapolis — at that point, Ohio feels almost within reach, just an hour or two out. Gas in Illinois stung at $4.67 a gallon, the priciest of the trip. We rolled into Columbus around 4:00, hit the usual tangle of rush-hour traffic on I-70 and I-71, and were relieved to finally pull into the Hampton at 4:30. Once again, we managed to dodge any accidents or road closures — always something to be grateful for. We collapsed onto the beds, only to notice a strange odor, and ended up switching rooms for the second time this trip.

Road Trip Crazy

For dinner, we made the short five-minute drive to Cracker Barrel. We fit right in with the crowd — this was only our second visit, and we'd forgotten how much fun the whole experience is: the rambling gift shop, the cozy atmosphere, the comfort food. I went with the chicken and dumplings and two sides; Evie had a bowl of chicken soup. Her soup was a hit, though my dish didn't quite live up to expectations. Our waitress more than made up for it — young, peppy, and genuinely fun. We were back at the Hampton by 8:00, watched some basketball, and read until around 9:30 (8:30 Central) before finally turning out the lights, hoping to sleep in.

One More Day

It's 7:10, and I've been up for an hour, having my coffee in the dining area of a Hampton Inn in Effingham, Illinois. It's a busy place — most guests are retirees like us, up and ready to hit the road. We, however, are in no hurry. We have a five-hour drive ahead to a Hampton Inn just south of Columbus, where we'll spend the night before heading back to the lake on Tuesday.

Our View This Morning At 8:10

Sunday was an easy ride, though it seemed long. I suppose that's true of any drive — whether it's nine hours or five, it always feels long. We took our time leaving, packing up in the morning, getting the car ready, and then sitting down to one more great breakfast with Tom and Mary: steak, eggs, and potatoes. We said our goodbyes around 10:00 and promptly took a wrong turn, following the GPS down a path it inexplicably wanted us to take toward Kansas City. We got back on track quickly enough. Traffic was heavy, especially around St. Louis, where Evie took the wheel. All told, I drove about three hours and Evie two as we traded off along the way.

Easy To See From #70

Around 2:30, we stopped for gas and found ourselves pulling in right next to the Blue Springs Café — a place we'd long wanted to try because of their advertised foot-high pies. We decided this was finally the day. It was packed on a Sunday, full of elderly folks, likely farmers, enjoying a big midday dinner. We weren't sure what to order, so we settled on sharing the fried chicken dinner, which came with coleslaw, beets, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and French fries. Needless to say, the two of us couldn't come close to finishing it — and there was certainly no room for pie.

Firefly Grill

By the time we were done, it was 3:00, leaving us just over an hour's drive to Effingham. We collapsed on the beds, worn out, and debated whether to go out for dinner or just get carry-out. In the end, we went out — the Firefly Grill is one of our favorites, and it didn't disappoint. The bar was nearly empty despite the restaurant being busy, so we settled in there, chatted with the bartender over beers, and ordered shrimp cakes for Evie and a pizza for me. Both were excellent, and we've got half a pizza left for today's lunch. We were back by 8:00, watched some basketball, and read for a while, but by 9:30 it was lights out.

Five Hours To Effingham

It's 8:10 as I begin writing this on a sunny, 61° morning in Lee's Summit. I was up at 7:00 with Mary, and Tom and Evie followed shortly after, already making coffee. Since we have an easy five-hour drive ahead, there's no rush to get moving. My instinct is always to push through in two long eight-hour days, but Evie has talked me into taking it easy — three five-hour drives, arriving at the lake on Tuesday.

Saturday turned out to be a lovely day, even with the boys back home with Nick and Aundraya. We had a relaxed morning with plenty of coffee, and around 10:00, Tom put together an impressive breakfast feast — eggs, steak, and potatoes, all in one pan — more than enough to feed the five of us, with some left over. Delicious. We were also lucky to get one last visit with the boys, so Evie and I showered up and made the half-hour drive to Roeland Park, just across the state line in Kansas. When we arrived, Rhys was still sleeping, but Tommy was wide awake and more than happy to hold court. Rhys was up soon enough, and we enjoyed time with both boys until 3:15, when they headed off to Aundraya's parents' house for three days — Nick and Aundraya were leaving for a week in Cancun. Tom and Mary will have their turn with the boys later in the week.

It was too early for dinner when we got home, so we settled in and relaxed — Tom and I even managed a brief nap. Around 5:30, we decided to head out to eat. Tom suggested I take the wheel of the Tesla, so I rose to the occasion and, I have to say, I was exceptional at it... doing absolutely nothing. I sat in the driver's seat, feet flat on the floor, and watched as the car steered, changed lanes, waited at lights, and backed neatly into a parking spot beside our restaurant, 30 Hops. It's a lively place — a sprawling bar that seats at least forty. We found a booth, settled in quickly, and ordered beers, burgers, and salads for the gals. A great choice. The food was good, the ambiance warm, and the buzz of the room made it all the more enjoyable. The drive home was equally effortless, and I remain enormously impressed with my own ability to let the Tesla do its thing. Tom points out that the statistics back it up — self-driving cars are safer than human drivers in most situations, with human error responsible for roughly 90% of accidents. I'm a convert. And with every software update, Tom's Tesla only keeps getting better.

Marlena, Our Happy Granddaughter

We were home by 7:15, just in time for the White House Correspondents' Dinner — until the evening was interrupted by reports of gunfire nearby. It cast a shadow over the night, though thankfully no one was hurt. We stayed up watching the news coverage and Trump's brief press conference before finally calling it a night.