A Reminder Of Summer

7:03

View As I Sit On My Front Porch, Writing The Blog

It’s 6:30, and I’ve been up for an hour, sitting outside on our front porch for some reason. It just started to rain a little, but I doubt it will last long. I want to be out on the lake by 7:30, so it had better stop by then. It’s 6:53 as I finish this, and it’s still raining. Well, the rain stopped by 7:30 and I was out paddling on a calm, empty lake for close to an hour. I paddled over to Long Point, across to Bootey Bay, and home, on an overcast, 58º paddle.

Long Point

Bootey Bay

Northern Sky

Mallards

Great Blue Heron

Yesterday was a bizarre day, with daytime temperatures rising to the 80s. It was an anomaly, because today’s high will be in the mid-60s, back to normal. I got in a good paddle before it warmed up, on a quiet, empty lake. I was back home by 8:30, in time to finish the blog, have breakfast, and head to yoga class by 9:10. It had been a week or two since I’d been to yoga, and yesterday’s class was fairly rigorous, but I hung in there. It felt good to push myself. After class, I stopped for coffee and talked with both Dave and Bob, friends and regulars.

When I returned, Evie was on the couch, coughing occasionally and feeling lousy from her cold. She had gotten a few things done but had no energy and wanted to go back upstairs to bed. I helped her get comfortable, then made my lunch: a couple of pork chop sandwiches on brioche rolls, with mayo and tomatoes. Yum. I’m into a new Prime series featuring Jack Reacher’s cohort, Neagley. She is one tough woman, a female Reacher. We both stayed inside, avoiding the sun and heat. I tried to nap, but it looks like those days are over, so I read a good part of the afternoon, watching the wind knock the leaves off the tree branches.

A Summer Afternoon In October

Ready To Mulch

I waited until 4:30 to mulch the leaves, and because it was so warm, I wore shorts and no shirt, taking a time-out after 20 minutes to have some water and check my phone. I finished up just after 5:00, in time to have a glass of wine with Evie and listen to the news. Evie mustered up enough energy to make home fries and eggs for dinner. We watched SNL for a while, but Evie was tired and uncomfortable and went up to bed around 7:30. I watched about ten minutes of the Cavs game on Peacock, then returned to my series, Neagley, watching two episodes until 10:00, when I went upstairs to read and sleep.

Fact:

A Picturesque Morning Sky

Zinnias!

7:06

7:13

8:24

It’s 7:05, and I was up at 6:30. The sky has some orange in it this morning, adding a little color to the gray. Today is going to be a warm one. It’s already 61º and should get up to 78º later in the day. It may be the last really warm day of the fall.

Kayak Morning

Eastern Sky

Bald Eagle

Prancing Heron

Monday began with a 50-minute paddle and a photo of one heron. I was up too early, of course, and waited until 7:30, sunrise, to kayak. When I returned, Evie was up, and we planned our day. She had to get a blood test in Jamestown, so she left around 10:30. We put together a short list, but basically I was returning five packages from Amazon at Michaels. T.J. Maxx is next door, so I stopped in and ended up buying a $65.00 shirt (right) for $17.00. Just what I need: another shirt.

Hiking Victoria/Woodlawn Woods

I returned home around 11:00 and wanted to get in some activity, so I walked our woods for a half hour just as the sun came out. I got back just as Evie drove in. She had stopped at Wegmans, so I helped her bring in the groceries.  For lunch, I had the last of the chicken enchiladas, and I started watching a new film called Animals with Ben Affleck. I watched it on and off during the day, after my nap and before my doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately, it became clear Evie was coming down with a cold or the flu. She had a bad cough and felt increasingly achy.

After my doctor’s appointment at 4:00 in Jamestown, I stopped at Tops on the way home  and picked up some goodies for dessert. Evie had managed to prep our dinner, pork chops and baked potatoes, and was able to talk with her sisters on a Zoom call at 5:00. We ate around 6:30 and watched some TV, but Evie felt worse and went up to bed earlier than usual, and without dinner.  I watched the lead-up to the Bills/Rams game, then the first half, before heading up myself. I woke this morning to a surprise: the Bills won a thriller in overtime, and I missed it all.

Mostly Gray , Overcast And 57º

Evie, Sister Jean, And Parents, Early 1950s

7:14

8:34

Well, it’s 7:18, and we were both up around 6:00 after bad nights. It ruins the morning, and sometimes the day, if you don’t get a decent amount of sleep. I just returned from kayaking forty-five minutes, on a gray, light drizzle morning. For the second day, just as I was about to shoot an eagle, he flew off, frightened, I suppose, by me. 

Kayak Morning

Sandy Bottom

Great Blue On Victoria Dock

Sunday was another football Sunday, although the Bills will play tonight.  Because of the heavy winds, I didn’t get to kayak and spent a long morning on the couch reading the New York Times and the Washington Post. The news these days is mostly depressing, thanks to Drumpt. I had plenty of time to write the blog, have breakfast, and plan the day. I needed gas, and my tires on the Outback were low, so I drove to Mayville, put air in the tires, and bought 30 bucks’ worth of gas, then stopped at Tops Market for a few things for dinner. That was the extent of my doing anything during the day.

I was home around 11:30, did some reading, and tidied up the living room.  At 2:45, Evie made me scrambled eggs and a bagel. I watched some football, but I had little interest in either team, so I went upstairs, read, and took a decent nap. While I was napping, Amazon dropped off our new Dyson 10 vacuum cleaner. When I came downstairs, it took the two of us to figure out how to put it together, me being so handy! We tried it out, and it certainly seems to vacuum thoroughly. I went out for a short walk, came in, and took a much-needed shower before 5:00. We had our wine with melted cheese and Tostitos as the sun came out, highlighting Long Point and Tom's Point. 

t

Tom's Point

5:34 PM

We had no worries about dinner, since there were enough leftover chicken enchiladas for both of us. We watched some news and the first episode of DOC before Evie went up to bed. I watched more football, and when I had enough, I turned to Berlin ER before getting back to my book and falling asleep.

It was not the best of Sundays, with no kayaking, biking, or walking, just some shopping and lying around reading or on my computer.

Windy And Gray Skies

7:25

It’s 8:00, and I’ve been up for an hour, wishing the wind would die down so I could kayak. It didn’t, so I’ve been sitting here reading the newspapers, surfing the net, and watching the sky lighten, the leaves fall, and the flags ripple in 13 mph winds with gusts up to 28 mph.

Saturday was typical: an early paddle, avoiding the duck hunters’ blinds, then writing and publishing the blog and having breakfast, all before 9:30. We got a few things done around the house and gathered the trash, so I was off to the Transfer Station by 10:00. Then I checked the three spots where we usually buy corn. All three were closed, so I doubt I can bring corn to the Euclid clambake next Saturday. I was near the Goose Creek Valley Greenway Preserve, so I stopped to check it out. Once again, I hope to have a happy hour there some late afternoon, overlooking the creek.

An Out-of-the-Way Preserve

Viewing Platform

Creek

I was home by 12:15 and heated up the leftover ramen for lunch. I watched some college football and struggled to find a series to watch. I’m beginning to get into my book, Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke. I read all his books back in the ’80s, following Dave Robicheaux, a detective and investigator in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. I fell asleep reading, as usual, and when I woke, I wanted to get moving, so I attached the bike to the Outback and drove to the Chautauqua Institution. It felt good to be back on my bike, and the CI is an easy ride. I was out for 40 minutes, and it was busy, with walkers and a wedding party in front of the Athenaeum. 

Thunder Bridge In Autumn

CI's Brick Walk

I was home by 3:45 and relaxed with Evie in the living room. By 4:20, though, I got antsy and went out to cut down the seven-foot-tall Zebra grass by the side of the house, filling a couple of garbage pails and hauling them up the hill to the woodpile. I was done at 5:00, just in time for a glass of wine with Evie on the front porch.

When I was at Sam’s Club in Erie, I picked up our dinner: chicken enchiladas. They looked good, and all we had to do was heat them. They turned out to be pretty good, so next time we’re at Sam’s, we’ll get more. We watched some TV, and when Evie went up to bed, I started three different series, disliked all three, and went up to bed to read.

A Morning For Duck Hunters

Hi there, Mr. Duck Hunter. It's My Lake Too

6:59

7:07

It’s 8:55, and I just returned from kayaking over to Long Point, across to the Power Boat Club, and back home. My new Apple Watch says I was out for 65 minutes, paddled 2.55 miles, and my heart averaged 70 BPM. I was up just before 7:00, awakened by duck hunters blasting away. It was 43º when I started out and should get up into the high 60s. It’s a bit overcast; the sunlight is muted, and the sky is mostly gray and white.

Kayak Morning

Geese And Sunrise

North

Heron Hanging Out On Woodlawn Boat Launch

Hi Guys

Friday was a good day because I woke up worried about two things, and both of them got done. The day began as usual, with a good paddle, writing the blog, and breakfast. The first worry was the key fobs for our KIA, which showed the batteries were almost dead; I changed one, and it made no difference. The second worry was that we had no hot water.

The hot water was easily fixed. I called the plumber, and he came by around 11:00, fiddled with one of the zone valves, and we had hot water. This was the second time he’d stopped by this week to help with heating. The key fobs were also remedied by driving to the KIA dealer in Erie, where they put in new batteries and showed me the right way to do it.

After that, I drove to Sam’s Club, joined again, and shopped for a half hour, coming away with a few things we needed. I was impressed by the variety, rivaling Costco. For lunch, I ordered pizza and a Pepsi from the Sam’s Club food court for $2.50. Afterwards, I stopped at a ramen restaurant on Peach Street and ordered two bowls to go for our dinner.

I was home by 12:30, happy with my morning but tired. Evie had been busy packing clothes she no longer wanted to donate to a free clothing place in Frewsburg. I napped for a bit, of course, and both of us took it easy the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately, when we tried to turn on the heat, it wouldn’t come on. We called the plumber again at 4:30 and left a message, thinking it was too late for anyone to do anything. Around 5:30, however, Phil, the owner, stopped by and worked through all the zones, making sure they were all working and we had heat and hot water. What a surprise. Let’s hope it holds.

We had our usual happy hour, with a glass of wine, the news, and no worry about dinner. We ate our ramen around 7:00, and there’s quite a bit left over for lunch today. We watched a couple of shows, and when Evie went to bed, I watched some WNBA basketball, then ended the night with The Mayor of Kingston on Paramount+. It was the end of quite a different day.

A Great Blue Heron Morning

6:50

It’s 6:58, and I’ve been up since 6:20, ogling the morning sky as it lightens. The sun won’t rise for another half hour, so I’ll wait until then to go kayaking. It’s 43º at the moment, and the high will be in the low 60s. I usually keep my kayak on a launch in front of our house, but since they took out the dock yesterday, I’m storing it against my neighbor’s dock and launching from a rubber mat. It works, and I have no trouble getting in and out of the water.

Ready To Launch

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising at 7:31

Into The Sun

Yep

It’s 8:46. As I paddled in from a 50-minute outing, a big dump truck pulled into our driveway, and the guys have been putting down a couple of layers of asphalt. They’ll finish today, and then we’ll have to wait four days before using it. It’s going to make shoveling this winter much easier.

Adding First Layer, An Aggregate

Rolling And Compacting

Too Bad Rhys Is Not Here To See The Dump Truck

Thursday was typical, with both of us up early, me for an 8:00 breakfast and Evie for kindergarten. I usually paddle before breakfast, but since the sun rises later each day, I’ve been putting it off until afterward. So I drove to the Lake Life Cafe, met my friends, and we stayed until after 9:00. When I got home, I kayaked briefly for 25 minutes, then finished up the blog as Evie left for school.

I had no plans for the morning until the guys arrived to take out my neighbor’s dock and mine. Since they store the sections on the lawn next to our privets, I raked the leaves in that area and then decided to mow the front yard. So while the crew waded in the water pulling out our dock, I mowed for 20 minutes, clearing the fallen leaves for maybe a day. In the old days, when the dock was smaller, I’d get a friend to help me pull it out. No more. It took four of them close to an hour to finish, and now our view of the lake has changed. All we need is for our neighbor’s dock to come out, and we’ll have an unobstructed view of the lake.

Pulling Out Our Dock

Pulling And Stacking

After the busy morning, I had chicken pot pie and corn for lunch and started a new series called Mayor of Kingstown. It’s fairly violent, so I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. After lunch, I napped, and when I woke, Evie was back from school, and it was another great day with her kids. What a wonderful way to spend five hours with five-year-olds.

Clouds At Happy Hour

We spent much of the afternoon reading, walking around the neighborhood, or watching TV. We’re both usually tired in the afternoons after a busy, productive morning, and we look forward to 5:00 because it means a glass of wine and dinner on the way. Evie had made what is becoming our favorite dinner, a simple eggplant pasta. It’s quick, easy, and delicious, so much so that we have hardly any left. We watched the usual until 8:00, when I turned on Thursday Night Football for 15 minutes, then switched back to The Mayor of Kingstown.