Lots Of Clouds And Sun

7:30

7:54

It's 8:11 and I have been up for forty-five minutes, watching the sky change, from dark, to some sunshine, to clouds again. It's 40º and won't get much warmer during the day. It's 9:30 and I paddled down to Sandy Bottom and back, rousting geese and buffleheads as I paddled. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

Sunday was typical, with getting up late, and then enjoying coffee, while waiting for Evie to wake. I then kayaked down to Whitney Bay and back on a chilly morning. I am glad I wore a couple of layers and mittens while paddling. When I returned, Evie was up listening to CNN and I made myself another cup of coffee and breakfast,  Around 11:00, I felt myself losing my mojo so I put on my hiking boots and walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods for the first time since the snow has melted. Leaves covered the paths and they were little wet areas. When I returned home, Evie was cleaning up the kitchen and I relaxed with my book until 1:00 when I had breakfast, brioche scrambled egg sandwiches and I began watching some of March Madness. I save most of the games so after a half hour, I got fed up with the seemingly neverending commercials, read, and napped instead, knowing I could watch the games later. 

After my nap, I took a shower,  then watched some of the games or read until 5:15, when we left to pick up Ron and Linda and drive to the White Inn in Fredonia for dinner, a half-hour drive. The Inn reopened a few months ago, and we have always liked it. We were hoping to sit at the bar but all ten stools were taken so we sat at a nice booth in the barroom. It was fun to catch up with them because like us, they took a trip last weekend to Washington for three nights. 

Sunday Dinner At White Inn

We decided on light dinners, so I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and a steak sandwich and Evie ordered spaghetti and meatballs. Both were tasty and just what we wanted. So with a couple of Chautauqua lager drafts, the four of us were happy. We skipped dessert as usual and left around 7:45, getting home around 8:30. Evie was tired and went up to bed and I watched some basketball until I had enough for a Sunday and went up to bed to read and sleep, a good day.

Partly Cloudy And Chilly

 

9:40

7:38

8:19

It's 8:20 as I start this and I have been up for an hour. It's 21º outside and we should have some sun this afternoon and rain or snow later this evening, typical Chautauqua weather. It's 10:00 as I finish this, after a 40-minute paddle down to Magnolia and back, on a beautiful sunny and blue sky morning. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Southern Sky

Yesterday was a busy day for Evie as we had friends for dinner. The day for me began with a 35-minute paddle over to Long Point and back on a surprisingly windy day. After the paddle, we finished the blog and Evie began prepping for dinner. First, we gathered all the trash and I drove off to the Transfer Station and dropped it off. The rest of the morning Evie prepped much of our eggplant and chicken parm dinner so she could relax in the afternoon. 

Around 12:30, I had my lunch, the rest of the hoagie from Wegmans and watched some of the NCAA tournament until 1:30. I then read some, napped and watched most of the St. Johns/Arkansas game until 3:30. I then vacuumed the living room and cleaned the back porch and by 4;00, all was ready for dinner.

Saturday Night Dinner

Jack and Diane arrived at 6:00, and we quickly settled down in the living room with a libation. Our appetizer was an Asian shrimp salad, with mayo, lemon juice, and sliced red onions, a favorite. Evie had made up a favorites list on her iPhone so we had fun listening to tunes from the 60s and 70's, Jack has a great memory for various albums and singers and we played 'Jack and Diane' by John Mellencamp of course. Dinner was served around 7:30 and we talked about their various vacations around the US. In fact, they are off to the West Coast in two weeks. Dinner was great, both the chicken and eggplant, done by the way in the air fryer. Around 8:45 we had dessert, brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce and by 9:30, I was doing up the dishes and Evie was heading up to bed, It was a fun evening and a busy day.

Gray Skies And Light Winds

8:33

It's warmer than yesterday, 40º, but that will be about it. There's a light wind at the moment and a bevy of mergansers just landed in front of our house. It looks like a gray day, windy late afternoon, with a chance of rain. It's 9:50 and I paddled for 40 minutes, over to Long Point, across to Sandy Bottom and home, on a gray morning, with occasional rain drops. 

Kayak Morning

A Barren Long Point

Bemus Bay

Buffelheads

Friday was another day where we did not get much done. It started out well with a paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back. It was in the 20s so I wore a couple of layers to keep warm. When I returned, Evie was up and together we made a brief list for Wegmans. After coffee, the blog and breakfast, I gathered up a few shopping bags and drove off to Lakewood, to a busy Wegmans. Although the list had only 17 items, it cost me nearly ninety bucks!

When I returned Evie was cleaning out the refrigerator. It's amazing the things she thinks need doing which I would never think of, the difference between men and women I guess. Anways, she gave it a thorough washing down and threw out bottles of whatever that have been on the shelves for too long. Meanwhile, I had lunch, a sub from Wegmans and began watching a marathon of March Madness games on three or four different stations. I soon got bored with it all and returned to my book and took another good nap. It's nice to be good at something at my age.

When I woke, Evie had finished the kitchen and was happily ensconced in the TV room watching a couple more episodes of The Crown. Around 3:30, I walked around our neighborhood for a half hour, marveling at all the destruction of areas by the guys who are putting in sewers.

Around 5:30, we had drinks and light appetizers with friends as the lake began to settle and the blue sky began to darken. It's our favorite hour of the day. After they left, we had a couple of pieces of pizza Evie had pulled out of the freezer earlier. We watched a couple of shows, Colbert and HGTV until Evie went up to bed. I then watched parts of a couple of March Madness games before going to bed as well. 

Subscribe to EVIE, the new magazine that caters to conservative women and promotes traditional values.

A Publication Opposed To Modern Feminism

Partly Cloudy And Cold

7:45

8:10

9:18

It' 's 8:20 and 25º as the cold or chilly days return. Right now the sun is out, although it's been hidden behind the clouds much of the morning. Well, it's 9:30 and I paddled for over a half hour, and saw few if any water fowl other than mallards. I don't think the osprey or herons are back yet. As I paddled down to Sandy Bottom, one of the neighbors yelled out, came down to my kayak and said it was nice to see me on the lake again, that it's part of their morning, 

Kayak Morning

East

Norrthern Blue

Yesterday was a day to do nothing for me, a day of kindergarten for Evie. We were both up early, and I had coffee and wrote the blog before driving off to Bemus for breakfast at 8:00. I was home by 9:10 and finished the blog and Evie checked it before heading off to kindergarten at 9:30. I already was dressed and decided to drive to Ryders Cup for coffee with the guys. Five of the regulars chewed the fat for an hour before we all had to leave and get something done except for me. I did stop at Aldis to pick up a few things for dinner but was home by noon.

I was not very hungry so I made myself a bowl of ramen and watched some of the first NCAA games, starting at 12:15. As I was finishing lunch, I got a call from our plumber to say he was nearby and wanted to stop over to talk about airconditioning our downstairs and two upstairs bedrooms. We went over the plans and I decided to do it. They put us on their list and we will probably have it done in the next couple of months, but before summer for sure. I then read some, napped and when I woke, Evie was home, enjoying some lunch.

I was not tempted to kayak even though I skipped it in the morning. Around 5:30, we relaxed with a glass of wine and listened briefly to the news. Dinner was easy: the leftover ham, scalloped potatoes, and a salad and we watched our usual shows until Evie went to bed when I watched some of the Kansas/Arkansas game I had saved. I ended the night with Reacher of course.

A Spectacular Morning Sky

7:14

7:34

It's 7:25 and I have been up since 7:00, watching the partly cloudy sky, with blues, blue-grays, gunmetal grays, and a streak of orange over the eastern horizon. It's 52º and starting to get colder, with rain and a low of 29º tonight.  It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast and I am getting lazy, because I am skipping yoga and kayaking this morning, hanging out at home. Welcome Spring

Hooded Merganser

Male and Female Mergansers 

Yesterday I decided to skip yoga but I did get in a short paddle after coffee and the blog, For some reason, I was off and on most of the day so I ended up doing very little. I got up enough energy to drive to the paint store to get a few cans mixed because we will do some painting and I got rid of some old paint. When I got home, I was exhausted from doing practically nothing. Evie made me a couple of cheese sandwiches for lunch, and I watched my show. Meanwhile, Evie was enjoying the day, not having to do anything, It was nice for her, no school, just relax and enjoy the day. 

After lunch, I took my usual nap and started a new Robert Crais novel, The Big Empty. The rest of the afternoon neither of us did much even though it was surprisingly warm outside, in the 70's. I did pick up some deadfall and after 10 minutes, I had enough. We usually go to the Vikng with neighbors on Wednesday but I felt lousy so we had to cancel. 

Dinner was leftovers from the freezer, the goulash and a salad. We watched two more episodes of Doc on Hulu and it's getting to be like a soap opera after a decent start. Evie went to bed early because she has kindergarten on Thursdays and I watched another episode of Reacher. I am beginning to enjoy it in Spanish. 

I'm Back In The Saddle Again (song by Gene Autry)

7:46

It's 8:15 and I have been up for a half hour. Evie just came downstairs so we are both enjoying a sunny morning. I have already had to change my seat because of the sun. It's 49º and will  get up into the 60s later in the day. It's later than usual, 9:50, and I was out paddling for 35 minutes on another 50º sunny morning. 

Kayak Morning

Southern Sky

North

Sun And Lake

Yesterday was our typical weekday, getting up early, having coffee, writing the blog, and by 9:30, we were both on our way, me to yoga and Evie to her kindergarten class. It was good to do some stretching, the emphasis in class on neck and back. After class, I went to Wegmans to pick up some essentials for the week and then came home to an empty house around noon. I had a chicken pot pie for lunch and watched my show, then read and napped. My days don't change much during the winter.

When I woke, Evie was home, exhausted from her day. Both of us were tired yesterday, probably from our fun weekend, the drive home, and a busy day. Around 3:00,  I kayaked for forty-five minutes, down to Sandy Bottom and back on a beautiful blue sky day. I took a couple of photos of buffleheads, mergansers, loons, and mallards. It felt good to be back on the lake, probably my first time in 2025.

Kayak Afternoon

Floating Ice

Ice

Northern Sky

Woodlawn

Loon

Merganser

Mallards

Buffleheads

At 5;00, Evie had her Zoom call with her sisters and I read. We then had our usual glass of wine and then dinner. Earlier, Evie had roasted some cauliflower and made up a dish of ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner. Both tasted good and we watched two episodes of The White Lotus which we are increasingly disliking. Once Evie went to bed, I watched an episode of Reacher, in Spanish because I couldn't figure out how to get it in English. Fortunately, I am used to subtitles. After Reacher, I went up to bed for the night. 

Home Again

7:11

7:35

It's 7:48 and we are both up, enjoying our coffee, thankful for such an amazing weekend with my RC students. The sun rose about ten minutes ago, the lake has thawed in many areas and all is blue, sky and lake. It's chilly this morning 28º but will get up into the 50s later in the day. I was tempted to go kayaking this morning but will go to yoga instead and maybe get in a paddle in the afternoon. 

Yesterday was sad as we had to say goodbye to my students. It was such a busy and fun weekend. We were up around 8:00 and came downstairs and spent another hour talking, and enjoying a coffee before most of us were on our way. It was hard to say goodbye but we vowed to see each other again.

Partially Frozen Lake In Bemus Bay

Our ride home was easy and uneventful, and we were fortunate to spend most of it on the Southern Tiers RT 86 which was not busy. We stopped for gas and a McDonald's in Horseheads, but that was it until we arrived home around 3:30. We were shocked to see the lake was open, no ice, a dark blue vastness. We quickly unpacked, put things away, and were happy to be able to relax in our living room after a six-hour drive. 

The Lake On Monday Afternoon

We had a glass of wine at 5:00, and because neither of us was very hungry, Evie made fried potatoes, eggs, and a salad for our dinner around 7:00. We watched The Pitt on Max and for some reason, we struggled to watch another episode of The White Lotus. Evie went up to bed around 8:30 and I watched some basketball and news before joining her. What a weekend. 

Thank You Robert College Class of 1974 For A Wonderful Weekend