A 90 Minute Paddle

6:04

7:59

It's 8:10, and Evie's up, enjoying her first cup of coffee with me. I was up at 5:45, alas, and out on the lake by 6:20. It was a beautiful morning for kayaking, the sun filling the lake with its reflection, under a blue sky with a light breeze. I paddled over to Warner Bay on the east side of the lake, a trip that took about a half hour. From there, I followed Long Point to its tip, then crossed over to Sandy Bottom and headed home.

Kayak Morning

North

Canadian Geese And Great Blue Heron

Victoria And Woodlawn

Great Blue

Fishing From A Branch

Yesterday was a good day because I fell back into my routine. I was up early, out on the lake for close to an hour, and had good luck with bird photos. When I got back, I wrote the blog, Evie reread it, and by 9:10 it was published. I had my breakfast of yogurt, granola, and blueberries, then headed off to yoga.

Class was hard, and I worked up a good sweat. As usual, among the nearly 20 gals, I was the only guy. After class, I stopped for coffee and chatted with a couple of my Ryder Cup friends, Bob and Dave, before driving to Home Depot to pick up a few things. Then it was on to Aldi, where I bought three different kinds of cookies! Yep, cookies. I was home by noon, and Evie had been busy, mowing half the lawn and starting to clean the kitchen.

I had lunch around 12:30—leftover pulled pork barbecue and coleslaw—while watching my show. Then I tried to take a nap, but I always seem to have trouble falling asleep and usually end up reading instead. When I came downstairs, Evie was vacuuming the front porch. I powered up the electric mower and finished mowing the rest of the yard, and it looks super. After that, I grabbed the hedge clippers and worked on our privets again, making sure they looked neat and continued to block our view of the cottages.

By the time I finished, Evie was done with the porch, and we were both ready to relax on the front porch with a glass of wine. My new Kindle had arrived, so I downloaded all my books and was happy to see my newest download waiting for me. We sat there enjoying the smell of freshly cut grass and the view across the lake.

By 6:30, Evie had dinner ready: chicken tenders with our neighbor's marinara sauce and spaghetti. It tasted good, and we watched a couple of episodes of a new series, This Is Going to Hurt, about an overworked obstetrician in an English hospital. After Evie went to bed,  I ended up watching a couple of episodes of Safe before heading upstairs myself.

An Eagle, Two Ospreys, And A Great Blue Heron

6:35

8:13

It's 8:20 and I've been up since 6:15 — paddling for 70 minutes down to Wells Bay and back, talking briefly with Tina on her dock, and with Jim, who was out paddling too. At first the sun was hidden by a vast fog bank, but it soon broke through and filled the lake with its reflection.

Kayak Morning

Heavy Clouds

Into The Rising Sun

Kayak Friend, Jim

Fog Rising

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Osprey In Pines

Osprey In Maple

Yesterday began with a cloudy morning and a 50-minute paddle across to Long Point, back to the reeds, and home. Unfortunately, it was a bad morning for bird watching — I saw none. I was home by 7:30 and listened to a couple of podcasts, then wrote the blog and ended up buying a new Kindle, because for some reason I can't download new books to my old one. I've had it close to five or six years.

Once Evie got up, she went through the photos and read the blog, and I published it after rereading it. We didn't have much for breakfast in the refrigerator, so I made myself some toast. Then Evie and I had another cup of coffee and made up a shopping list. We had dinner planned for Monday night — pork barbecue and coleslaw — and our neighbors brought over some homemade marinara sauce, since they figured we might need dinner right after getting back from Topsail.

I left for the store at 10:45 and stopped at Peterson's for peaches, but a basket now costs $25, not $16 like a couple of weeks ago, since they're local now. I passed on those and bought tomatoes and cauliflower instead. Then I drove around the lake and over to Wegmans. Mondays are usually not as busy as Tuesdays, so I was in and out quickly. I stopped at Evans for wine and drove home, getting there around noon, and Evie and I put away the groceries. She offered to make me a ham and cheese sandwich, but for some reason I wanted tomato and mayo instead. So I enjoyed a decent — not great — tomato-and-mayo sandwich and watched an episode of Dark Winds.

After a brief nap I worked in the yard, first cutting down a dead tree and cutting off the branches so it would fit in my Outback and I could haul it up the hill to the woodpile. While I worked, Evie was out on the dock enjoying the sun, and I joined her for a few minutes. I got bored soon enough and moved on to the garden — pulling weeds and deadheading daisies. Around 5:00, Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters, and I tried to find a novel that interested me. I'm getting too particular — I've started a couple and put them down, then started another. Nothing seems to grab me.

After the call, we relaxed with a glass of wine until dinner time, when Evie heated up the pulled pork and made us sandwiches with lots of coleslaw. We watched a couple of episodes of a Harlan Coben novel adaptation called Safe until Evie went to bed. I then watched a couple more episodes of Dark Winds before heading up myself.

Chautauqua Belle At 8:24 PM

We had a great time in Topsail with our family, but it's good to be back home.

Once More To The Lake

My Great Grandson Rhys And Me

8:29

It's 8:08, and I was up just before 6:00 and out on the lake for a paddle by 6:20. My first thought was: where's the sun? After a week of amazing sunrise photos at Topsail, I couldn't find the sun anywhere — just a flat, overcast sky. The lake was practically all mine; I saw only one other boat in fifty minutes.

Kayak Morning

Some Sun, Some Blue

Yesterday was another seven-hour drive, the fourth in ten days. Enough! We left my daughter Jill's house Sunday at 9:00, stopped at Trader Joe's for a few gifts for my sister Ellen, and spent an hour at her house. She's recovering from a hospital stay, and her son Brooks was there helping out. 

Photo Of Ellen With Her Granddaughter Anna In Paris

We left Herndon just after 11:00 and had an hour-long drive in heavy traffic to Interstate 70, which we took to Breezewood — crowded, two- and three-lane traffic, and a heavy downpour didn't help. Once we hit Breezewood, we stopped for gas and were back in familiar territory, so the rest of the way home felt easy. We stopped in Phillipsburg for burgers at McDonald's, then, a half hour later, at Gio's for pulled pork and coleslaw, which was going to be our dinner. Gio's is known for its barbecued pork, and we always stop there. From Gio's it was a two-and-a-half-hour drive home, with Evie taking at least an hour of it to give me a break. Fortunately, the rain had stopped, so the drive through the Allegheny Forest to Warren, PA, and on home was easy

6:57 PM

We got home around 4:00 and quickly checked the house to make sure all was well. I got busy emptying the car — despite Evie's suggestion that I wait until Monday to unpack — and by  5:00,  the car was empty, and everything was put away. I was tired and ready for a beer on the front porch; Evie had a glass of wine. Neither of us was very hungry, thanks to the burgers around 3:00, so we watched TV — Evie had cereal, I had a chicken pot pie. Evie was in bed by 8:00, and I watched the final two episodes of Sugar on Apple TV before turning in myself.

Remembering This Past Week In Photos

Topsail, July, 2026

I'm up way too early—5:30—but Drew beat me to it, up at 5:00 because he's driving to Richmond this morning to help his daughter Halle move into her new apartment. I'll wake Evie around 7:45, and after her shower, we'll be off at 9:00 to visit my sister Ellen, then head home to the lake.

On Saturday, I was the first one up, so I got some photos of the sunrise and finished the blog before we left for Bristow. We'd packed the car Friday night, so all we had to do was gather a few things—computer, phones, medicines—toss them in, and hit the road. We said our goodbyes and were on the road by 7:15.

Our Son Tom's Family

For the first hour and a half, we wound our way through North Carolina, switching from one backcountry road to another with no idea whether we were headed in the right direction. Finally we hit Interstate 95, and for a while it was smooth sailing. We stopped for breakfast at a crowded McDonald's and were out in 10 minutes—amazing.

Our Daughter Jill's Family

Within 15 minutes, though, both of our GPS's blinked: a 25-minute delay, traffic slowing, and yep, we ebbed and flowed, starting and stopping for a good 25 minutes. We resumed normal speed once we passed the car that had stalled in the middle lane.

Our Daughter Beth, Son Tyler, And Girl Friend Renee

And you cannot drive on a three-lane highway, packed bumper to bumper, without some dumbass weaving lanes back and forth, risking everyone's lives to gain a couple of minutes. Once we got through Richmond, we hit what I guess is a high-accident area, where the 70 mph speed limit dropped to 40 and we crawled stop-and-go until Fredericksburg, where we finally got off the highway. I've had it—never going on 95 again.

The Gen Zers

After exiting, we stopped at Chick-fil-A and decided to eat there rather than push on. It was crowded, but the service was great, so it was a much-needed break after five hours of insane driving conditions. The rest of the way home wound through hilly Virginia countryside, past horse farms and green meadows. Finally, six and a half hours after starting, we pulled into Jill's, exhausted and ready to relax.

Our Grandchildren

Jill and Drew arrived about 20 minutes after us, then Hayden and Halle another forty-five minutes after that. Everyone was wiped out—Evie and I rested.  Around 4:30, we were all in the living room to say goodbye to Hayden, heading home to her apartment in Alexandria. A half hour later, we said goodbye to Halle, off to Richmond to move into her new place. Then we sat around enjoying a glass of wine or two before deciding, at Jill's suggestion, to order Domino's for dinner along with their brownies. The pizza was good, the brownies better, and by 7:30 both Jill and Evie had gone up to bed, while Drew and I stayed up until 9:30 before turning in ourselves.

Great Grandson, Rhys

Great Grandson, Tommy

Below is one of 42 posts Trump published on Truth Social yesterday in a span of three and a half hours when he should have been doing business for the people, not glorifying himself. He's insane. 

Six Hours (we hope) to Bristow, VA

 

5:54

6:21

6:21

6:22

6:23

It's 6:15 and have been up for a half hour. I have already been down to the beach to take a couple of photos and am waiting until the sun rises. It's now 6:33, Evie, Drew and Natalia are up and I am almost finished with the blog. We should be on our way by 7:00, after we finish our coffee.

Fish Market

Jilly And Drewski

Sunning

Grant And The Harem

My Cool New T-shirt

We made the most of Friday despite missing Tom's family. Drew and I were the first ones up, of course. I walked out and took photos at 6:15, then again later when the sun rose. We sat in our Captain's chairs with coffee, talking about the day's news. Gradually Evie and Jill got up, and most of the rest of the crew was up by 10:00.

We decided on shrimp and oysters for dinner, along with whatever was leftover from the previous days. So Drew and I drove into Surf City, stopping first at Bert's Surf Shop because I wanted a t-shirt featuring our VW bus, which we drove through Europe for seven years. They had two left, and I bought the yellow one. From there we hit the fish market for a couple pounds of shrimp, three dozen oysters, and an oyster knife. Last stop was the local grocery for beer, ice, eggs, flavored seltzer for the girls, and coffee — all ordered up by the gals.

—

Hayden Jumping The Waves

Playing Football With Dad

Drew, Jill, And Hayden

Dancing To The Music 

We didn't get home until close to noon, and a couple of gals were already on the beach. I decided to hit the beach briefly and take a swim before coming up for lunch. It was a beautiful afternoon but hot, and the ocean was refreshing. By 1:00 I made myself a sandwich; everyone but Evie and me had had enough sun by then. Around 1:30 I tried to take a nap, but to no avail, so I came out and read some, joining Evie. I went for a final walk on the beach around 3:30 and took a lot of photos, then Evie and I settled into the best seats in the house — the two Captain's Chairs — overlooking the ocean, enjoying a beer and peanuts until the group came up to start packing.

Jill and I boiled some shrimp and put it in an ice bath so Evie could make our favorite Asian shrimp with mayo and lemon. Yum. The other half will be boiled and eaten with horseradish sauce.

The Last Wave

View From Our Porch

Kicking Back On The Porch

Marlena Eating Healthy

By 5:00, we were mostly packed and ready to have the kids help carry our various things down to the car. Once that's done, we'll be set for an early start in the morning. That's why I'm writing this at 5:00 on Friday afternoon.

The Happy Couple

Waiting For Dinner

Master Shucker

By 6:00, five of us oyster lovers were out on the porch waiting for Drew to open one oyster after another, taking turns as he dished them out with sauce and lemon. He managed to shuck three dozen in maybe 15 minutes as we devoured them. While he worked, the Slovenian sausages were simmering, and the Asian shrimp was ready whenever the boiled shrimp caught up.

We devoured the oysters, then the Slovenian sausage, Evie's Asian shrimp, and Jill's boiled shrimp with sauce. After dinner, we sat around the living room wondering what we'd forgotten to pack and what time we really wanted to leave tomorrow. Then Jill, Drew, Halle, and Hayden walked out and scattered the ashes of Daisy and Coco, their beloved dogs who passed away this past year, into the ocean.

By 8:00, we were all sitting in the living room watching Meet the Fockers. Yep, Meet the Fockers, although few made it to the end. Soon Grant and I tired of the film and sat out on the front porch talking and waiting for the moon to rise at 9:27.

8:32

Stary Stary Night

The Moon At 9:32