Hundreds Shades Of Gray

Ready For Kindergarten

6:24

7:44

It's 9:05, and I just returned from breakfast in Ashville. Both Elaine and I were up at 6:15 and out on the lake at 6:50 for 35 minutes. It was a gray but spectacular morning, a calm lake and just the two of us. 

Kayak Morning

A Morning Paddle

Shades Of Gray

Great Blue Heron

Crows And Heron

I was able to kayak on Tuesday despite the early rain. I got out just as the rain stopped around 8:00 and was out for 50 minutes, then wrote the blog and had breakfast. I had my semiannual appointment with my dermatologist at 9:40, so I had time to kayak, write the blog, and have breakfast beforehand. My PA froze a couple of spots and took a biopsy of a spot on my chest, and I was out of there.

On the way home, I stopped at Aldi and picked up a couple of things for tomorrow's dinner, since I promised Evie I'd take care of dinner. When I got home, Evie and Elaine were playing Scrabble, and for some reason I was tired, so I went upstairs and read on my bed until lunch. We had the leftover Asian soup for lunch — really enjoyed it and will make it again.

After lunch I read and tried to nap, and by 2:10 Elaine and I were driving over to Bemus to park at the end of Lakeside Drive and hike Long Point State Park. Temperatures were in the 70s, but it was humid, and we both worked up a sweat walking a couple of miles.

Long Point Trail

A Humid Afternoon For A Hike

Porching It

We relaxed the rest of the afternoon, but since we were leaving at 5:30 for dinner at The Viking Club, all three of us took showers before driving over. We were there by 6:00, easily found a table inside, and ordered beers. Just as our beers arrived, our friends Linda and Ron walked in, so we talked with them. Not much later our neighbors Jim and Barb walked in, having boated over with other neighbors, Newt and Elizabeth — so it turned into a Woodlawn evening at the Viking. We ordered two orders of wings and a veggie pizza on a cauliflower crust, which was too much. Both were good, but we ended up taking close to ten wings and half a pizza home.

Sunset At The Viking Club

Before leaving, we walked the grounds, showing off the outdoor seating, the pavilions, the playgrounds for the kids, and the sand beach. It's probably the best location on the lake, and certainly the one with the most frontage. We were home around 8:15 and sat around talking in the living room until 9:00, when Evie and Elaine went up to bed and I watched some TV until 10:00.

A Wet Morning

8:45

7:10

6:54

It's 6:35, and I have been up since 5:50, listening to the rain on a dark morning. It's 64º, and I doubt if I will be able to kayak, although the rain seems to have lessened. There's a light southerly wind and today's high should be in the mid-70s, with no rain predicted after 9:00. It's almost 9:00 as I finish this and I was able to get out on the lake just after 8:10 for 35 minutes, avoiding the predicted rain.

Kayak Morning

Northern Gray

A Bit Of Color

Crouching Blue Heron

Yesterday was another sunny, cool September day. I was up early and out for a paddle by 7:00. A southerly wind made it an interesting paddle, not only getting out but also taking a photo because of the waves. I was back by 8:00, put the blog together, and talked with my sister-in-law, who was up at 8:00 and had breakfast. By 9:00, both of us were off to yoga in Lakewood with Courtney. Elaine really seemed to enjoy the class and met some of the group. Afterward, we stopped at Ryder's Cup for coffee, and she met a couple of the regulars before we drove home.

For lunch, Evie made us tuna and tomato sandwiches, and we enjoyed them out on the front porch. We had fun talking about family trees that Elaine has put together, and she also brought some old photos of Evie's parents and their sisters and brothers. It brought back lots of memories of family picnics in the 1960s. Evie scanned some of the photographs with her camera app, which really brought out their clarity and color.

Around 2:00, Evie and Elaine drove to Wegmans to do some shopping, and I went upstairs and read and briefly napped, maybe for ten minutes. I am not sure why, but I have not been napping like I used to. When I got up, I went out and put ten gallons of gas in the boat so it's ready next week when Tom, Mary, and Rhys arrive for five days. The gals returned around 4:00 and put away the groceries. While Elaine went for a walk in the neighborhood, Evie and I prepped dinner: an Asian soup with ramen, shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu, corn, and various Asian sauces. Elaine returned around 5:30, and Evie pulled out appetizers: sushi and Asian veggie spring rolls with shrimp. It was nice enough to sit on the front porch and enjoy the late afternoon sun and the view. It was so pleasant out there that Evie served us the soup on the porch as well. We didn't finish eating until 7:30, then took our time and cleaned up the kitchen, having it spic and span by 8:30 when everyone went up to bed but me. I watched the last episode of The Stranger and am glad it's over. I went to bed around 10:00, read, and slept fairly well until 5:30 this morning.

50º

6:45

6:46

8:11

It's 6:30, and a vast, dark gray and pink cloud hovers ominously over an otherwise clear morning sky. It's 8:00 and I just returned from a 50-minute paddle, as the sun slowly hid behind the cloud bank, definitely darkening the morning. I listened to the podcast China Decoded, always interesting and alarming, as it's clear China has become the dominant power of the 21st century. As I mentioned, robots build a car every 76 seconds, amazing, and they have basically taken over the Southern Hemisphere, Africa, and South America with development dollars. Finally, world powers are beginning to look more favorably towards China than the US. 

Kayak Morning

Southern Sky

Eastern Sky Darkens

Bald Eagle

Great Blue

Heron On Victoria Dock

Monday was a busy day. I woke way too early, sat around waiting for the sun to rise, then kayaked for forty-five minutes on a rough lake, with winds from the north up to 17 mph. After kayaking, Evie and I wrote and published the blog but forgot to put photos on from my hike yesterday. I realized it around 11:30 and added them if you want to see a photo of Jim and Ripley. Mr Fixit then tackled the shelf under the kitchen counter, and as of this morning, it has not fallen. Although I was lacking mojo, I made myself, with the help of Evie, go for a bike ride around the Chautauqua Institution. I was out for forty-five minutes, and the grounds were quieting down except for workmen. On the way home, I stopped for a chicken salad sub at the Lighthouse Grocery and was home by noon. 

Brick Walk

Boat House

Evie was busy getting the living room ready for our grandson's arrival in ten days. Books were removed from shelves and toys were arranged for easy access. I had my sub around 12:30 and returned to my Harlan Coben thriller, The Stranger. Because I was awake at 5:00 and finally up at 6:00, I went upstairs hoping for a nap, and I think I did for a half hour. While I was napping, Evie mowed the garden and started getting ready for the arrival of her sister Elaine, who will get her around 8:30 tonight for a few days. When I came downstairs, I took over the mower from Evie and cut the front and side yard, then did some raking of stones. My neighbor, John, arrived mid-afternoon, and we both decided to put off seeding our side yards, dug up for sewers, and wait until spring, giving the dirt time to settle. Having to fill sinkholes last week made us rethink doing it this fall. 

Evie's Sister Elaine, Hiking Presque Isle

We were both sweaty and tired by 4:00, so we took showers and were done in time for Evie to have a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00. Around 6:30, I grilled burgers outside for dinner, along with corn and potatoes. We watched a couple more episodes of ER until Elaine arrived around 8:30, having stopped at Presque Isle in Pennsvylvania for a walk. We got caught up on her life and her kids, both of whom are doing well. After Evie went up to bed, Elaine and I talked and watched some football until 10:00, when we both went up to bed. 

Clouds Are All

6:24

7:54

8:26

It's just after 8:00 and I was awake at 6:00, sat around until 7:00 with coffee, and then went out and fought the northern wind and waves for 40 minutes. The clouds were amazing, the kind we usually get during the fall, so I couldn't stop taking photos. Because of the wind and waves, though, it was difficult to take photos, as I had a hard time steadying the camera. Today feels like a fall day, 54º when I woke with a high around 64º. We love it.

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising

Southern  Clouds

Paddling North

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Along Woodlawn Creek

Sunday was another Joey Bimbo afternoon. The morning, however, was busy. It started with a good paddle, out for over an hour. When I returned, we finished the blog and published it. Around 9:30, Jim, our neighbor, asked if I wanted to go for a hike. Of course, I was up for it, so we left at 10:00 for a hike around Bentley Preserve in Ellicott, 20 minutes away. He warned me it might be wet, so I wore my bean boots. It wasn't too bad — a couple of muddy spots, but for the most part it was fine. Jim brought Ripley, his dog, along, so it was fun watching him disappear, then reappear after Jim's whistle. Much of the hike followed a creek, green with algae. It was, however, wilder than most hikes — overgrown, with lots of mature trees. We were out for just over a half hour. On the way home, we stopped at Outlet Greenway Preserve, a hike I was unaware existed. It's a short walk to a creek with no bridge, so it's difficult to continue to the lake unless you can ford the stream. I was surprised at how tired I got after the hike, and felt a bit nauseous. I figured out why on the way home — I'd forgotten to have breakfast.

Bentley Preserve

Creek

Algae Filled Creek

New Hiking Area

So Evie made us breakfast around 12:00: scrambled eggs and toast, and I felt much better. I tried to nap for a half hour but was up by 1:00 when the Buffalo Bills game started. They were underdogs but defeated a very good Houston team, so western New Yorkers were happy. After the game, I had to save the women's World Cup game in Berlin and watched the first half. 

Sunday Afternoon 

By then we'd had enough TV, so we sat on the front porch, enjoying a glass of wine and the empty lake. We ate around 6:30: the leftover mushroom and meatball pasta, salad, and rolls. Evie wasn't that interested in the basketball game, so we watched another episode of ER. After Evie went up to bed, I watched the US team completely outmatch France, and despite being behind at halftime, they won 97–79. By then, I'd had enough sports, so I watched the first half of Sunday Night Football as the Giants beat Dallas. I was in bed reading by 10:00, having had enough television for the day.

I checked to see if this meme is accurate on ChatGPT and it is.  

A Joey Bimbo Kind Of Day

6:36

8:13

Joey Bimbo was a character from a cartoon we loved in the 1960s. It pictured an overweight guy sitting in a lounge chair, watching TV, with a couple of empty six-packs of beer strewn around his chair. So a day like yesterday, given up to eight or nine hours of TV watching, reminds me of the Joey Bimbo cartoon.

Today's a totally gray morning, sky and lake, with no hint of the sun. The lake, however, is absolutely flat — perfect for skiing or paddleboarding. I was up at 6:30, out on the lake for 75 minutes, paddling across to Long Point, then back to Bootey Bay and home.

Kayak Morning

Nancy And Jeff Skiing Early

Northern Gray

A Rare Photo Of Two Herons

Great Blue

A Leisurely Morning Paddle

Scrunchy

On Neighbor's Dock

Saturday morning was the usual; the afternoon and evening were given up to watching TV. The morning began with a good paddle, a few shots of birds, then the blog and breakfast. Evie announced that she wanted to do a good cleaning downstairs. Before we started, though, we gathered the trash, and I headed to the Transfer Station, then to Hogan's to fill two five-gallon cans with gas for my boat at $4.39 a gallon. When I returned home, my first chore was to fix a shelf in our kitchen that always seemed to fall. The plastic holders kept failing, so I used super glue to keep them in their holes. Once I was done, Evie checked it out and noticed one side was lower than the other. I said it was going to stay that way—just as the whole shelf collapsed. My supportive wife laughed and called me Mr. Fixit! Needless to say, Mr. Fixit will be at it again today.

After that disastrous result, we tackled the north windows in our living room. I went outside, crawled below the rhododendrons, cleaned off the spiders and their droppings, then washed the windows. It's a pain to get back there, especially with a small ladder. Evie used the small vacuum on the couches while I vacuumed the entire living room and family room.

We were done by 12:30, and Evie made us fried potatoes and fried eggs for lunch. I took a brief nap but made sure to get downstairs by 2:00 to watch the US women defeat Spain on their way to the Finals against France. After the game, I switched to women's tennis, where upstart Elena Rybakina won her second major and defeated favored Aryna Sabalenka. I then took a break from TV to enjoy a glass of wine with Evie before dinner. Around 7:00, we had pasta with mushrooms and sausage, along with a salad and rolls. We watched two amazingly tense episodes of ER — so much better than the much-ballyhooed The Pitt. Around 8:30, I watched the first half of the Ohio State/Texas game until 10:00, confident Ohio State would win with a 20-3 halftime lead. Well, this morning I found out they lost, 24-23.

Today looks like another Joey Bimbo kind of day with the Buffalo Bills/Houston game at 1:00, the Women's World Cup Ball game at 2:00, the US Open Final also at 2:00,  and more NFL games at 4:30 and 8:30. 

President Bone Spurs