Overcast and Fog

A Rare Sighting Of A Green Heron

8:02

It's 8:13, overcast, and 62º. I paddled for just about an hour, down to Bootey Bay and back along Woodlawn. A few boats are out fishing, and I was the only kayaker on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Henry, The Heron, Above The Reeds

A Juvenile Green Heron

Yesterday was a typical day for me. It started with a decent paddle, the blog, and breakfast, but I had to hurry because I had yoga at 9:30. The class was onerous because I didn't feel much like doing it, but I persevered. Evie was going shopping in the afternoon, so I came straight home. Evie was organizing things for our great-grandson Rhys, getting out toys which we saved from when our grandchildren came to the lake. And she is child-proofing the house for an active boy. I was tired and went upstairs and read on my bed, with the windows open because the heat had subsided for a least a day or two. 

Lunch was the best, tomato and mayo sandwiches on good bread. While I was enjoying my lunch and watching my series, Evie left to shop at Wegmans, beginning to fill the pantry with goodies for the arrival of our family in eight days. Our daughter Beth arrives this Sunday so she will be a big help as well. After lunch, I took another good nap because I continued to have only six hours of sleep.  I woke up around 2;30, just as Evie returned from Wegmans so I helped her unload the car and put things away. The rest of the afternoon was relaxing, although I did take a couple of garbage pails of weeds up to the woodpile.

Jim Serving Dinner, A Low Country Boil

By 5:30, we were at our neighbors, Jim and Barb's house, enjoying strawberry margaritas and three good cheeses on their front porch. Former Woodlawners Tom and Julie were also invited, so the six of us reveled in another sunny and blue sky afternoon.  Around 6:30, we adjourned to the picnic table covered with paper, as Jim emptied a low-country boil onto the table. For the next hour, we feasted on shrimp, crab legs, corn on the cob, sausage, and potatoes.  We have read about low country boils, but this was the first time for Evie and me and we loved it. What a great way to enjoy food, just pour it on the table and dig in. Around 7:45, we returned to the porch and enjoyed Julie's blueberry pie a la mode, with blueberries from their garden. 

Oh, What A Night

We walked home around 9:00, sated with a delicious dinner and dessert. Evie was tired and went up to bed, and I stayed up until 10:00, watching another episode of Capitani.

Tuesday, Gray, And Overcast

6:31

7:37

It's 7:53, and I have been up since 6:30 and took a 30-minute paddle on a damp morning. It never actually rained, but it felt like it. The lake is basically empty at this hour, despite it is summer and the tourist season.

Kayak Morning

Mostly Gray Skies

Heron On A Boat Lift

Yesterday was another hot one, highs in the 80s, keeping us in the house a good part of the day. I had a good paddle, breakfast, finished the blog and then wondered what to do during the day. Evie wanted to mow the lawn so I decided to go for a bike ride on the Riverwalk into Jamestown. It was a warm but easy ride into the city, then avoiding traffic until I rode down to Riverside Park, along the Chadokoin River. I worked up quite a sweat so I decided to stop for an iced coffee at Crown Street Roasting Company. It was a busy place and I had to wait in line for at least ten minutes. It felt good to relax for a bit before hopping back on my bike and riding back to Greenhurst, where I parked my car. I stopped at Peterson's and bought a basket of peaches, a couple of tomatoes, and splurged on a raspberry pie.

McCrea Point On The Chadokoin River

A 1.2-mile asphalt Trail Along The Chadokoin River

I was home by noon and found Evie on the front porch, soaked with sweat, taking a timeout from mowing the lawn in 80º temperatures. I volunteered to help but she wanted to finish it herself. Around 1:00, I had lunch, the leftover Italian sausage and the last of the potato salad, and baked beans. Thanks Linda. 

I looked forward to a nap and slept for just about an hour, waking discombobulated, wondering if it was morning or afternoon. We both relaxed on the porch (a nice breeze) for an hour or two until Evie decided to make a meat sauce for a couple of recipes when our kids arrive. I briefly helped, then went out and cut weeds in the lake once again for forty-five minutes. Unlike teaching, there are immediate results: weeds drying on the dock. 

We had our wine time on the front porch, with chips and dip, and enjoyed BLTs, thick and juicy with fresh tomatoes. What a difference a summer tomato makes. We watched our soap opera and really liked an episode. When Evie went up to bed at 9:00, I watched some of the news and then my series, Capitani, until 10:00 when I went up to bed. 

New Think: Ernest Hemingway once wrote: “The hardest lesson I had to learn as an adult is the incessant need to keep going, no matter how broken I feel inside.”

Partly Cloudy And Warm

Mallards Take A Siesta On Our Lawn

6:41

7:55

I just got back from an hour's paddle, down to Bootey Bay and back. It was a busy morning on the lake as seven kayaks were out, enjoying the water. It's going to be a warm day as it was already 73º when I began kayaking. 

Kayak Morning

Weekend Paddling Friends, Jim And Tina

Osprey Above Sandy Bottom

Sunday was a warm one, with a high of at least 88º in the afternoon. Fortunately, it was only in the 70s when I kayaked early morning. Neither of us had any great plans for the day because of the heat but I wanted to get in some physical activity. So around 10:30, I drove to Mayville and biked my usual route, Webb's Trail, Mayville's trail to the cemetery and back, then down Sea Lion Drive and back to my car an hour ride. A few others were out riding as well as a couple runners and walkers. After my ride, I stopped at Tops and picked up a few things for dinner, especially a nice big cabbage for Evie's coleslaw. 

When I returned home, I was whooped from my ride and actually went up to my air-conditioned bedroom and relaxed and read until 1:00 when Evie made me scrambled eggs and a bagel for brunch, something I always look forward to because she has the touch with the eggs, cooked just right. I must have been tired because, after lunch, I read for a bit but fell asleep for over an hour and came downstairs groggy from my nap.  Mid-afternoon, our son Tom Facetimed us from Kansas City and it was fun talking with him and his wife Mary about their weekend, lots of family and company in their new house with a pool.

By 4:30, I was tired of lying around and decided to go out to the lake and cut more weeds, trying to keep up our swimming area. It's hard to tell sometimes if I am making a difference because there always seem to be weeds even though I have cut that area three or four times. I think it must be some kind of mental health thing, just doing something repetitively. 

I was done by 5:15, in time for a glass of wine. It was still to warm to sit outside, so we stayed in our air-conditioned living room (love it). We didn't want to fuss for dinner so Evie grilled four Italian sausages for sandwiches and along with potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw, we had another feast. We watched a couple of more episodes of The Resident until we had had enough and watched CBS Sunday Morning until bed.

Back To The 80's, Degrees That Is

Sunday Morning Paddle

6:37

8:11

It's 8:14, and already 74°F out on a sunny morning with a light, warm breeze. I was up at 6:15 on the lake by 6;40, for 75 minutes, paddling south down to Whitney Bay and back. I listened to a podcast about the founder of a company, Yonger, that supplies lockable pouches for iPhones to schools. When kids enter the school, they put their phones in the pouch for the day. He's reacting to the stats that show teens spend nearly 9 hours a day on their iPhones, or 109 days a year(40% of our waking hours). The results have been encouraging; grades go up and kids talk to each other more. 

Kayak Morning

Not Quite A Venice Canal

Ducklings Next To Our Dock

Whitney Bay Heron

July 5th was as busy a day here on Chautauqua Lake as I have seen. Everyone who owned a boat, except us, was out on the lake, cruising, skiing, or tubing. I got a paddle in early before the masses on a nice cool morning. For some reason, I woke up wanting to go for a bike ride, despite the heat and after the blog and breakfast, I drove over to Bemus at 10:00. It was extremely busy, cars parked everywhere as there seemed to be a 5k run down Lakeside Drive, at least I saw runners, walkers with strollers, and bikers on the road. I took my usual ride, parking at the bridge, biking to Bemus, then down Lakeside Drive, around the park to Long Point and home, just about an hour's ride. It was nice to see people out enjoying the day and getting some exercise.

Long Point State Park

Tip Of Long Point

I returned home feeling righteous for having biked. I relaxed with Evie on the front porch, then had lunch around 1:00, a toasted ham and cheese, along with Linda's amazing potato salad and baked beans. I am finally getting into my new book, Middle Of The Night, but just found out the loan has expired. Rats. Forget about rats, I was able to download another copy from another library. So I read and napped of course, then Evie and I spent an afternoon on the porch watching the action on the lake, on docks. We couldn't wait for wine time to arrive at 5:00 when we were able to feel good about having a glass of wine. It was pleasant enjoying our wine, as the action on the lake waned. 

Around 7:00, Evie heated up the leftovers from the Fourth, ribs, potato salad, and beans and we had a feast, made better because we added more barbecue sauce to the ribs(something we forgot on the Fourth). We watched our soap opera, three episodes of The Resident and by 9:00, Evie was ready for bed. 

I watched the end of my series, Capitani and started a new season. 

The Day After

Flares And Fireworks 

7:07

It's July 5th, the Independence Day hoopla is over, and we welcome another sunny, light wind Saturday morning; I paddled for an hour, in the sixties, and the lake was busier than usual. I listened to an interview with Bono while kayaking and now want to watch his documentary, Surrender, on Apple TV+.

Kayak Morning

North

Great Blue

Quite A Beak

Yesterday was a busy day, getting ready for our friends and dinner. It began with a paddle, not a whimper, but ended in a bang. I was out for over an hour, on the lake by 7:00, and it was, as usual, a good way to start the day. After breakfast and the blog, we both got busy, Evie in the kitchen and house, and me in the yard. Since we haven't had anyone over since summer began, there were lots of things to get ready so we could enjoy the outdoors, like pulling out the outdoor table and chairs from storage and washing them along with a couple of Adirondack chairs stored in the garage. This needs to be done each summer, but we just haven't gotten to it. That was just a few of the things I did outside.

Inside, Evie and I worked on getting the baby back ribs ready for grilling, removing the membrane, making the sauce, covering the ribs with the sauce, then wrapping them in tin foil until late afternoon, when we would put them in the oven. Besides things to be done in the kitchen, we vacuumed and straightened the living room, dining room, and both porches. These are things that need to be done, but we both put them off until we have company. I assume we are not alone in doing this.  

We took lots of breaks during the day so nothing was nonstop. I had fried eggs and the leftover Parmesan potato for lunch, then napped and read. We were both able to relax much of the afternoon, showering at 4:30 and ready for Linda and Ron's arrival at 6:00. Linda brought her famous potato salad and baked beans and a bottle of wine to complement the ribs. 

The Good Life

We enjoyed chips and dip and libations out on the dock for an hour, and then adjourned to our porch for Asian shrimp cocktails. When the ribs in the oven were done, Evie cut them into quarters and Ron and I grilled them briefly on the grill. We were going to eat outside, but it had cooled off quite a bit so we decided to eat inside. Everything was great: the ribs, potato salad, beans, and coleslaw and we have enough leftover for another dinner. We had a fruit tart for dessert, a perfect ending to the dinner.  

Our Neighbors Light Show

Because Ron was still weak from the flu, they left for home around 9:45, just as the fireworks were starting. We then enjoyed the fireworks, in the neighborhood, and other venues, and I put out flares around 10:00. It was a spectacular light show for about 20 minutes. After the fireworks, Ron and Linda left, and we both quickly cleaned up the kitchen and put away the leftovers so we didn't have to face a messy kitchen this morning. It was a fun evening. 

Bemus And Neighborhood Fireworks

Three Heron Morning

Great Blue Heron

6:58

Well, it's the Fourth of July, and the lake is surprisingly quiet, despite being the busiest holiday weekend on the lake. I paddled for about an hour, and shot photos of three different herons but no osprey or eagles. It was a chilly 57º when I walked outside but I loved it. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn Dock

Same Heron, Woodlawn Dock

Bemus Bay

Above The Reeds

Thursday was a get ready for the fourth kind of day. It began with an early paddle, starting at 6:30 so that I could be back in time to go to Bemus Point for breakfast at 8:00. As I mentioned yesterday, the Lake Life Cafe was busy but we were able to get served quickly and sit at our table. When I got home, I finished the blog, grabbed my yoga blanket and cushion, and drove off for yoga at 10:00, stopping to see if my car was fixed on the way. It was. Yin yoga was great, and I left feeling energized, following Tara's dictum that morning, "Begin Again." I stopped at the ATM, then drove to Wegmans to pick up a four-hundred-dollar prescription (Elliquis) and a few goodies before fighting the traffic on the way home. When I returned Evie was resting on the porch, soaked with sweat from mowing the lawn. She smartly takes water breaks every 10 or 15 minutes. 

It was 12:30 when I got home and I had some of Evie's soup from the freezer and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. I am still watching Capitani during lunch, then read and napped briefly. Around 2:30, Evie dropped me off at my mechanic's, and I picked up my car. It needed an alternator, thus the loss of power. It cost me six hundred bucks. So far, it was a thousand-dollar day. On my way home, I stopped in Mayville at the Ironworks, where my aluminum ladder was getting a two-step extension so that Evie and the girls could more easily get up from the lake onto the dock. It cost me two hundred bucks, making it an easy $1200.00 day. Thank goodness I will be getting tax cuts from Trump's Big Beautiful Bill!

We celebrated our busy day as usual with wine on our porch.  It had cooled down enough to make it pleasant sitting outside. Around 6:00, Evie air-fried both parmesan potatoes and haddock, made a salad and we had a tasty dinner, especially the parmesan potatoes. We watched three more episodes of The Resident, the last one so cheesy we vowed to stop watching the series. We won't. Evie went up to bed at 9:00 leaving me to watch my series and the news before joining her. 

Morning Calm

Great Blue Late Afternoon

6:07

7:15

It's 7:15, and I just returned from kayaking for 50 minutes, paddling over to Long Point, across to Bootey Bay, and back home, seeing nary an interesting bird. The lake was amazingly calm and interestingly, few fishing boats were out, maybe two or three. That will change no doubt in the next day or two. It's 9:15 and I have just returned from breakfast at a busy Lake Life Cafe. What a difference between a January morning and a July one. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling East

Western Sky

Wow

Yesterday was a strange day because I stayed home in the morning after my paddle, blog and breakfast and Evie was gone, off to Westfield for a doctor's appointment. I like to have my mornings busy but I was stuck at home because the Outback was still at Keystone. There were a couple of things I wanted to get done, like cutting the weeds in the lake. Since tomorrow is the fourth, and we are having Linda and Ron for dinner, I pulled out the chairs and table and gave them a good washing down. Both the cutting of weeds and washing took an hour and a half, so that by the time it was done, it was 11:30 and I had enough work. I went in and settled on the couch and read until I was hungry. Evie usually would have been home by noon, but she texted me that she was going to Wegmans to shop. So I was left on my own for lunch and decided to fry up some baloney and make a sandwich, with mayo and pickles. It's the way Evie taught me, and it's great.

After lunch, Evie returned, and I helped unload the car and put things away. Both of us were tired so she watched some TV and had lunch, and I read some and napped. I would like to have said I got some work done in the afternoon, but I didn't. I wasted it reading on the front porch until wine time, when Evie joined me and we once again marveled at what a beautiful and quiet afternoon it was. We had no plans for dinner so Evie fried up some hot dogs and heated up the leftover pasta and meatballs for dinner. We are still looking for a good series, so we went back to The Resident, a cheesy, soap opera-like medical series but we kind of like it, at least we are into the second season. When Evie went up to bed, I watched an episode of a new crime series called Capitani. It's not great, but something to watch.