Fog Or Smoke Or Both

6:17

7:07

It's another heavy gray lake morning, and I can hardly see the Bemus coastline. It's early, 6:30, and I'm up because I'm having an MRI in Jamestown this morning and have to be there by 8:30. I decided against kayaking — the lake wasn't very inviting, and besides the fog and smoke, there was a heavy dew, and all the canvas boat covers were soaked. I was surprised by the cool morning, 60º, but shocked by the hazardous Air Quality Index of 500, worse than yesterday. So it may not be fog this morning but smoke.

Thursday started out well, with an early morning paddle. I was home by 7:20 and wrote most of the blog before driving to the Ashville General Store for breakfast. I ordered the usual, a couple of egg bunwiches with meat and cheese, and a coffee. Usually, there are old guys like us, up early, sitting around a table enjoying breakfast out. I was home by 9:15 and finished up the blog before driving off to yoga at 9:40. Yin class is always easy if you don't mind holding a position for three or four minutes. It gets kind of boring and often uncomfortable, but I usually persevere. After class, I stopped for coffee — there was a long line, so I skipped it and drove to Walmart to pick up a few things. The one thing I needed for Evie was heavy cream, and would you believe, Walmart didn't have it, just lots of cartons of half-and-half and light cream. So I had to drive to Wegmans to pick it up.

I was home by 12:15, and Evie had been busy finishing a couple of trays of pastitsio for our vacation. Once they cooled, we put them in the freezer, and I helped clean up the kitchen. For lunch, I had the leftover mushroom pasta and watched my show, Dark Winds, before taking a brief nap. Because of the heat and smoke, I avoided going outside and stayed in and read, but by 4:30, I wanted to get some watering done, so I spent a good twenty minutes watering the garden and some of the trees. They needed it.

We had our happy hour starting at 5:00, and Evie already had dinner mostly done: Salisbury steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes. We listened to the news and couldn't wait to NOT watch Trump's address to the nation at 9:00. I loved the fact that only Fox carried it, and that Trump called for NBC and ABC to lose their licenses for not carrying his speech. What a baby. Dinner was great, and we watched a couple more episodes of Department Q, although it's getting too complicated. Once Evie went to bed, I watched Dark Winds until I went up to bed at 10:00.

It's Smoke, Not Fog: Air Quality Alert

6:21

7:00

It's 7:00 on a smoky, smelly morning, the result of fires in Canada. The air quality index is 152, as high as I have ever seen it. I did get in a half-hour on the lake and was lucky to see a heron and the sun, partially obscured by smoke. Fact from today's podcast: Washington, D.C. is basically an occupied city with 5,100 National Guard roaming the streets. 

Kayak Morning

Long Point

The Sun, The Sun

Mallards

Great Blue

Same Guy

The smoke slid in yesterday, late morning, making it uncomfortable to do anything outside, along with the 86° temperature. Fortunately, I was able to get in a good paddle before it arrived. I was back by 8:30, had a second cup of coffee with Evie as I finished the blog, and Evie chose the photos.

Because of the heat and because my bike is in the shop getting a tune-up, I stayed home and got a few things done. None was a big deal—mostly putting things away in the garage attic, something I should have done weeks ago. I also did a bit of weeding before the sun and heat arrived and carried deadfall and weeds up the hill to the woodpile. And that was about it for my day. Oh, yeah, I did a bit of watering and took the photos you can see here of the flowers in our garden, especially the hydrangeas along the side of the house.

Gooseneck

Geranium

Hydragea Bush

While I was putzing around, Evie was making the meat sauce for a couple of pans of pastitsio, which we'll be taking on our vacation to Topsail in ten days. She'll finish it this morning, freeze it, and pull it out when we leave.

I had lunch around 12:30 and began watching the fourth season of Dark Winds, loosely based on Tony Hillerman's novels, which I remember reading in the 1980s and 1990s. After lunch, I briefly napped, read some, and helped Evie clean up the kitchen before 3:00, when the World Cup game began.

The game was surprising because I expected a better showing from England. They did start out strong, scoring first. From then on, though, they stopped playing aggressively, sat back, and played defense, rarely crossing the center line. That allowed Argentina to spend the rest of the game firing at the goal, and eventually they scored twice to win 2–1. I don't know whether it was strategy or just what we so rarely understand in athletics: momentum. I also thought Argentina was the more skilled team, dominating possession 64% to 36%.

Afternoon Smoke

We ended up having BLTs for dinner, and they were great. Nothing beats bacon, tomato, toast, and mayo for lunch or dinner. We watched a couple more episodes of Department Q, and then, when Evie went to bed, I watched the Indiana Fever lose at home to Golden State, which surprised me. Caitlin Clark did not have a good game, and I'm beginning to lose interest in watching her because she continues to complain about every foul. What a baby.

I had seen enough and went to bed to read before turning out the light at 10:15.

Another Hot One!!

6:38

8:14

Well, it's 8:30, and I have been up since 6:30, and it was already 74º. I made my coffee, put on my life vest and sunscreen, grabbed my sunglasses, phone, camera, and binoculars, and walked out to the lake. I paddled for over an hour, my usual, down Woodlawn, across to Tom's Point, back to Sandy Bottom, and home. I saw four or five fishermen out, usually in front of an area where I might see a heron.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Heron

Tuesday was World Cup semifinal day, between Spain and France. It wasn't on until 3:00, so we both got a lot done before the game. I kayaked early, too early, then had breakfast, wrote the blog, and was on my way to yoga with Courtney by 9:10. Class was rigorous, and I worked up a sweat even though the room is air-conditioned. I stopped at Ryders Cup and talked with Ellen, who recently lost her husband Paul, Bob, and Dave, the honorary mayor, for 20 minutes. I bought gas on the way home, half a tank for forty bucks. Thanks, Donald.

When I got home, Evie was off running errands and stopping at various stores for stuff for our week at Topsail, NC, with family, at the end of July. It's never too early to start planning. I made myself a couple of cheese and ham sandwiches and watched another episode of Sugar, but I will have to wait a few days for the next episode. I briefly napped, read some, helped Evie unload the car, and by 3:00, things were put away, and we were ready to watch futbol! Spain won 2-0 and was clearly the better team. They scored first on a penalty kick, then late in the game with an easy goal. The most exciting goal of the game was scored by 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, but it was negated because he was offside, barely.

After the game, I spent half an hour in the garden pulling weeds and watering in the shade on an 86º afternoon. Around 5:00, Evie put together our dinner, mushroom pasta and a salad, and we were happy. We watched the first two episodes of a recommended comedy set in Australia, but had had enough and turned to Department Q on Netflix, and we liked it and will stick with it. Evie went up to bed around 9:00, and I forgot what I watched, so it must not have been very good, and I went up to bed at 10:00.

Heat Advisory

6:32

8:04

It's 8:10 and still comfortable on the lake in the house, but the 88º is coming later in the day. I just returned from a 70-minute paddle down to Wells Bay and back along Woodlawn.

Kayak Morning

North

Heron On Neighbor's Dock

Above The Reeds

Got An Itch

Eagle

Osprey

Osprey

I listen to a podcast called China Decoded each Tuesday. Today they talked about China's major problems. First, 320 million people work for a gig economy (part-time, no benefits, no hourly wage) — that's the size of the US population. Also, they overbuilt, so a hundred million apartments are empty. Finally, a factory in China builds cars entirely with 700 robots, turning out a new car every seventy-six seconds. Scary, especially for the future of work in the US.

Mondays are usually a day when we don't have anything we have to do. I did get in a good paddle and wrote the blog, but forgot to publish it until I talked with my sister Ellen around 12:30.  So after breakfast, I decided to bike into Jamestown on the Jamestown Trail, which starts behind the Subaru dealer in Greenhurst. I drove to the start, parked my car, and rode the trail for maybe a mile and a half, following the Chadakoin River. It basically ends at McCrea Point, where they're expanding the dock for some reason. I then rode through the city and a couple of its parks, which follow the river. Unfortunately, it's also inhabited by the homeless, since there are a few fast food restaurants nearby. I always bike past the dam, which supposedly affects the lake's depth. On my way back, I stopped for a coffee at Crown Street Roasting.

Trail To Jamestown

A Couple Of Kayakers on Chadakoin River

Mc Crea's Point

Deer Stopping On Bike Trail

Park Next To Chadakoin River

After returning to get my car, I stopped at Peterson's for a basket of peaches and at Arby's for a seven-dollar gyro sandwich — half the price of the restaurant up the hill and just as good. I started watching the second season of Sugar on Apple TV, then started a spy thriller, The Mulberry Bush, by one of my favorite spy novelists, Charles McCarry. Because of the heat, we didn't do much outside. I tried to nap but ended up mostly reading. I set up the hose to water from the lake and gave some of our plants a dousing before coming back inside and getting back to my book.

Evie was busy giving our bathroom a deep cleaning and then marinating some pork chops in teriyaki sauce. At 5:00, she had a Zoom call with her sisters, and I watched Sugar. Around 6:30, I grilled the chops outside, and we devoured them along with rice and zucchini. We started watching the second season of Broadchurch, but after two episodes, we'd had enough — it wasn't what we wanted.  After Evie went to bed, I finished the night with another episode of Sugar.

Sunny And Getting Warmer

6:28

8:34

It's 8:30, the wind is picking up, the sky is clear, and the sun's reflection shines on the lake. I was up at 6:20 and out on the lake for an hour and a half by 6:45. I decided to paddle to Tom's Point, hoping to see herons and eagles, but no luck. I then paddled across the lake to the homes on Lakeside Drive, on to the Marina, and happened upon an eagle in the trees. From there, I paddled to the tip of Long Point, then across the lake to the north end of Woodlawn, then home.

Kayak Morning

Weed Cutters

Northern Sky

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Same Guy

Same Guy

Sunday was another fine summer morning, lots of sun, temperatures in the low 80s, and we had nothing to do. I slept in some, so I didn't get on the lake until 8:00, for an hour, finding a couple of herons to photograph. After breakfast and the blog, I wanted some exercise, so I drove to Lakewood, then biked to Celeron and back, a forty-minute ride. Since I was near Wegmans, I did some shopping on a very busy Sunday, which always surprises me.

View From Harbor House Hotel

View Of Fluvanna Homes From Hotel

I didn't get home until 12:30, and for lunch, Evie suggested Baba toasts with feta cheese and jam — my grandchildren gave it that name. We watched another episode of Broadchurch during lunch, and afterward I was tired enough to go upstairs and read and nap. We took it easy the rest of the afternoon, but by 4:00 we wanted to see how Broadchurch ended, so we watched the last episode. We've seen this series at least twice, maybe three times, and highly recommend it.

Happy Hour

By 5:00, we were enjoying our wine and chips and dip for a good hour and a half, and as the day waned, the sky began to soften. We both felt like hot dogs, so Evie made a salad, heated up some beans, and we watched some HGTV shows. I had a South Carolina dog, covered with coleslaw — a nice change from mustard only. Evie went up to bed around 9:00, and I watched the first half of the Indiana Fever's victory over Las Vegas. Caitlin Clark played sparingly because of a bad back, but long enough to complain to the referees about a call. I'd had enough by 10:00 and went to bed and read some.

Sunday Sun Day

7:02

8:26

It's 8:40, and as I look out our front window, I see clouds blocking the sun on a 70º morning. It may get up to 80º later in the day — another fine summer day.

I woke at 5:00 but went back to sleep until 6:45, so I got some sleep. I kayaked for an hour, my usual route, along Woodlawn, across to Long Point, back to Sandy Bottom, and home. Again, the lake was quiet, with a few boats and a couple of kayakers. Evie just came downstairs, and we tend to compare sleep scores on our watches, bragging about who got the lowest score. Today it was close — 64 for Evie, 62 for me — so she won.

Kayak Morning

Sun Hidden By Clouds

Heron On Long Point Fishing Dock

Wading Along Long Point

Saturday was another fine lake day, especially in the morning. Mid-afternoon, the wind picked up and made things difficult for boaters. I had a bad night, as I mentioned, and was out on the lake by 6:15 for a good hour. I was up three hours before Evie got up, so it was a long early morning — writing the blog, reading the newspapers, and having breakfast, all before she woke. I felt better once I ate and relaxed with Evie and gathered the trash for my trip to the Transfer Station. I was home by 10:30, and the lawn was finally dry enough to mow, so I powered up my Honda gas mower, giving the electric mower a week off, and mowed for 50 minutes, taking a couple of water breaks. I worked up quite a sweat, so after putting the mower away, I walked out on the dock and took a swim to cool off. It felt great, although the algae is starting to build, so I took a shower when I came in.

That was mostly it for the day, at least for me. We both had one goal in mind: being ready to watch the World Cup game at 5:00, between Norway and England. I read and napped, and Evie did a few things, then watched some TV. Lunch for me was a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches on Dave's multigrain bread, and I finished my series, Lioness. The next season begins August 1st. I did get in a good nap, maybe an hour or more, and we were both ready to enjoy a glass of wine at 5:00 when the game started. We, like most Americans, are taken with Norway's star scorer, Erling Haaland, and wanted to see his team win. Unfortunately, England won 2-1, and Haaland's obvious foul — a push on a player before a corner kick — negated a goal that would have tied the game.

We enjoyed the last of the moussaka during the game and had Nutty Buddies for dessert. After the game, we watched another episode of Broadchurch and have two more episodes to go. After that, Evie went to bed, and I watched the first half of the Switzerland/Argentina game, won by Argentina, 3-1. I was happy to head up to bed and read a bit before falling asleep.