Partly Cloud On A Seven Heron Morning

6:11

7:43

It's 8:00, and I have been out kayaking since 6:15 for an hour and a half, across the lake to Tom's Point and then home along the shoreline. It was a quiet morning on the lake, with only a couple of fishermen out. I spotted at least seven different great blue herons and one hawk or juvenile bald eagle — not sure which. It's 69º and should be a pleasant day.

Kayak Morning

Bridge From Tom's Point

Kayak Morning

Heron #1

Probably A Juvenile Bald Eagle

Heron #2

Heron # 3

Heron # 4

Heron # 6

Heron # 7

Yesterday was finally a rainy day. It started in the morning and seemed to turn on and off during the day until the late afternoon. Ultimately, we only received a little over half an inch, but the gardens loved it. I was able to get in a paddle before the rain, then wrote the blog and had coffee when Evie got up. I had some shopping to do because I needed some new clothes for our trip to Topsail Beach in late July. So I left around 10:30 and stopped for coffee at Ryders Cup and ran into one of my buddies, John, a former art teacher. We talked and got me caught up for 25 minutes before I drove off and did a quick run through Runnings, then Target, then Walmart, hoping to find some shorts and T-shirts with little success. I guess I will just have to wear what I always have worn, 20-year-old tees and bathing suits. It was raining on my drive home. Finally, the weatherman was accurate. 

I was hungry because I skipped breakfast, so Evie made me a couple of tuna and tomato sandwiches, and I was happy. I watched the rest of the England/Mexico futbol game, which England won 3-2. I then relaxed for a bit and read before going upstairs and briefly napping. It rained on and off the rest of the afternoon, so we hung out, either on the front porch or on the couch. Around 3:30, we changed the water filter in the hot room, and it really needed to be changed. I then watched a good part of the Spain/Portugal game while Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters.

Dinner was easy, frying a couple of burgers and enjoying baked beans and potato salad for the third night in a row. We started watching the Broadchurch series while eating, but heard a strange noise in the hot room and realized that the water filter we'd changed in the afternoon was leaking. We'd worried about this when we put in the new filter because the O-ring didn't seem to fit, probably because it was five years old. So we were without water unless we got a new O-ring, so I left for Home Depot at 7:15, bought the ring, was home by 7:50, and had the filter in by 8:00, just as the US World Cup game was starting. How's that for a quick fix? I watched the entire game until 10:15, and Evie hung in there till the second half.

The US soccer team started out like amateurs, going down 1-0 in the first ten minutes to Belgium and being outshot 6-0. The US fought back, however, and in the 30th minute tied the game 1-1 on a free kick. Unfortunately, a minute later, Belgium scored on a header and went ahead 2-1. Belgium looked like the better, more skilled team in the first half. In the second half, it looked more even as the US got more aggressive and put on the pressure, until the US goalie made a silly mistake, flubbing a kick and giving up an easy goal. And that's all she wrote. The US team just didn't seem to be the same as in their previous two games, and ended up giving up a fourth goal with two minutes to go. How sad... and thank Trump for giving Belgium extra incentive to play hard.

World Cup Sunday

7:34

8:37

Weed Cutter

In Our Front Yard

It just turned 9:00, and I was up at 7:00, then out for a 50-minute paddle on a practically empty lake. I just returned from the dock, where I directed the weed cutters as they attempted to clear our area of weeds.

Kayak Morning

Paddling Toward Long Point

Yesterday, Sunday, was a good day to relax after the Fourth of July festivities. I got in my usual paddle before 8:00 and returned to write the blog, finishing just as Evie got up. Rain was predicted but, as usual, it was a false alarm — just like this morning, when thunderstorms were predicted and never showed. So after breakfast and the blog, and because the temperature was in the high 60s, 

Webb's Trail

I decided to ride my bike. I drove down to Mayville Park, rode Webb's Trail back, then took the Mayville walk to Chautauqua Street and the Mayville Cemetery. I lingered around the various veteran sites — the oldest monument was built in 1890, marking veterans of both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It always amazes me how many vets are buried in the cemeteries in this area. After paying my respects to those who died for the freedom and rights we enjoy, I rode back to my car and drove home.

1890 Memorial

Veteran Of War of 1812

.

Civil War Veteran

It was 12:30 when I got back, so I had lunch — the last of the sub from Wegmans — and started a new series on Paramount+ called Special Ops: Lioness, about a women's special ops group operating abroad. So far, I'm enjoying it. After lunch, I tried to nap but left my windows open, and it was too noisy next door to sleep. So I came downstairs and read until the Norway/Brazil match. It was the first time I watched an entire match, and Norway won by two goals, both from Erling Haaland, the blond giant who dominates the football world. It was an exciting game, and Norway deserved the win.

I forgot to mention one of the joys of watching football: what's come to be called flopping. A player gets bumped or bumped into and collapses in apparent agony, and you expect a stretcher any second. Then no foul is called, play continues, and miraculously the player who was moments from a hospital visit jumps up and rejoins the action. Flopping has been perfected over the years in football, but it hasn't become quite the staple in NBA basketball.

I read until 5:00, when Evie and I relaxed with a glass or two of wine. We realized that the bottle we'd opened and shared the day before was terrible, and yet Linda never said a word about it. We tossed it and wondered where we'd even gotten it. Dinner was great — leftovers from Linda and Ron: Lighthouse hot dogs, Linda's baked beans, and potato salad. Yum. We watched an hour of a great film, The Remains of the Day, starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Evie went to bed around 8:30, and I watched three-quarters of the World Cup game in Mexico between England and Mexico. England won 3-2, but I felt Mexico outplayed them and deserved the win. Still, it was another exciting match — England scored two goals in five minutes of the first half, and it looked like Mexico was doomed, but they answered quickly, to the crowd's roaring approval, and were right back in the game. I'll watch the last quarter today.

Overcast And 68º

7:16

8:42

It's 9:00, and I have just returned from a 70-minute paddle, along Woodlawn, across to Long Point, then back across the lake to the Power Boat Club, then home. At times, I felt like I was the only one out on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron

Same Guy Or Gal

The Fourth was a quiet day for us, like most years here at the lake since all our families live so far away. So it was a typical Saturday for us. I was up early and out on the lake by 7:00, and I enjoyed a good paddle since the temperature was just shy of 70º. When I returned, Evie and I had our coffee and planned our day since we were having Ron and Linda over for dinner, our usual Fourth of July routine. I ended up driving to the Transfer Station, dropping off the trash, then on to Wegmans to pick up a few things we needed for the day. It was open until 2:00 and crowded with locals like me who forgot something for the Fourth's meals.

I knew we didn't want to worry about lunch, so I bought a sub from Wegmans and enjoyed it while watching the final episode of my series, The Agency. The ending was expected, with things left open for another season. Still, I really liked the series and would highly recommend it. I then got back to my book and briefly napped, then helped Evie with the kitchen, cleaned the porch, and got stuff organized for cooking out. Everything was prepped by Evie at 5:00, and I was showered by then so I could watch the World Cup match between France and Paraguay. France was a heavy favorite but didn't score until late in the second half to win 1-0.

Fourth Of July Burgers, Dogs, Baked Beans, and Potato Salad

Linda and Ron arrived at 6:30, and we quickly poured our wine and beers. It was cool enough to sit on the front porch and enjoy Evie's appetizer — baguettes toasted in butter and maple syrup, topped with brie, our new favorite appetizer. We sat on the porch until almost 8:00, when Ron and I grilled the burgers and hot dogs from the Lighthouse grocery. Dinner was great, as Linda brought her famous potato salad and baked beans to go along with the burgers and dogs. It was cool enough that we could eat outside in our yard for the first time this summer. For dessert, Evie had made a peach crisp, so we had that topped with vanilla ice cream. The fireworks and flares began around 9:45, and Ron and Linda soon left. I took photos of both the fireworks and flares, then came in and cleaned up the kitchen. We were both in bed by 10:30, after a typical, quiet Fourth of July.

Victoria Fireworks

Flares Surrounding the Lake

Woodlawn

South Along Victoria

Happy Fourth On A Refreshing Saturday Morning

6:58

8:02

It's 8:15, and I was up at 6:30 to a pleasantly cool living room — a sensible 69° instead of 78°. I opened the windows to let in the breeze. It will still get up into the high 70s later and may rain, but here's hoping the heat wave is gone. I did get in a paddle for forty-five minutes, and it rained as predicted, but only for a couple of minutes. I was literally the only one out on the lake because of the forecast. 

Kayak Morning

Threatening Clouds

Eastern Sky

By the way, I'd like to make the case for supporting newspapers like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or the Washington Post — papers that spend the money to get the facts straight. They're needed more than ever now with the likes of Trump and his cronies in the White House. I get both the Times and the Post and don't begrudge spending the money each month to support them. I also have a paid subscription to Heather Cox Richardson, another amazing voice of history and truth.

Yesterday was another hot one, probably climbing into the low 90s later in the day. I did get in a good paddle early in the morning before it got too hot, but I still worked up a sweat. My only big decision of the day was whether to mow the lawn on Friday or wait till Saturday. Big decision. So after writing and publishing the blog and having a good breakfast, I decided to mow, taking water breaks since it was already in the mid-80s. It took about 45 minutes with a few pauses, and I worked up quite a sweat, so I jumped in the lake to cool off when I finished. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, so I set up the hose to water the plants and quickly trimmed the privets in the front yard, getting things ready for the Fourth. That was basically it for the day.

I had leftover chicken and noodles for lunch and watched my show — it's getting really good. Afterward, I read for a bit and napped a good half hour, then relaxed the rest of the afternoon while Evie got things done, prepping for today. By 5:00, we were both tired and happy to sit on the front porch with a glass of wine, but the heat soon got to us and drove us back inside — unfortunately. The lake was the busiest it's been all year, and it was fun watching our neighbors' kids ride a foilboard — a small surfboard that lifts up out of the water on a hydrofoil. How cool. If I were forty years younger, I'd spend the fifteen grand to get one myself. I'm going to try to talk my neighbor into it.

Happy Hour

For dinner we had baked potatoes topped with eggs, salsa, and cheese, along with bagels — easy and delicious. We watched the Argentina/Cape Verde World Cup match until halftime, when Evie headed up to bed. I stayed up through a 30-minute overtime before Argentina finally scored the winning goal. Argentina is ranked #1 in the world, Cape Verde #67, so it would have been a monumental upset if Cape Verde had pulled it off. The announcers called it one of the greatest games in World Cup history. Who knows. I ended the night with my series — one more episode to go. Can't wait.

Hanging Tough In The Heat

6:24

7:51

Kayaking Friends, Jim And Tina

It's 8:20 and partly cloudy, and a bit cooler than when I woke at 6:00 — 73º then, 79º now, getting warmer as I sit happy and comfortable on my couch, although I have yet to turn on the air conditioner. I was out on the lake by 6:30 for 70 minutes, down Woodlawn, across to Long Point, then back across to Sandy Bottom, where I stopped to talk with Tina and Jim. On my way home, I was about to turn into our dock and was looking down the lake to see if there was a heron when I looked up and saw a heron staring at me on our dock, about 20 feet away. I quickly grabbed my phone, took several photos before he flew off and landed on my neighbor's dock.

Kayak Morning

North

Looking East Towards Bemus Bay

Heron On Our Dock

Up Close

Same Guy On Neighbor's Dock

Heron Above The Reeds/ Getting At An Itch

Great Blue Heron Relaxing

Yesterday was a hot one, obviously, whenever I stepped outside into the sun. The day began at 7:20, which meant I didn't have time to kayak. So I wrote some of the blog, then drove over to breakfast at the Lake Life Cafe, which was hopping. I ordered my usual: egg, cheese, and bacon on sourdough toast and an iced coffee. There were just two of us, Jack and me, and we never talked about politics or Trump — a miracle. I was home by 9:00, ready to kayak, and was pleasantly surprised to see the weed cutters cleaning our waterfront of weeds and algae. I didn't get out for a paddle until close to 10:00 and was only out for 15 minutes before I returned and finished up the blog, and Evie published it.

After breakfast, I decided to drive to Lakewood and stop at Ryder's Cup, hoping to see my friend Neal. His son owns a roofing company, and we fear we have a leak in one of our bedrooms and need someone to come check it out. Unfortunately, he wasn't there, and he doesn't seem to be coming around like he did during the winter months, so I'll have to get other ideas from friends. I stopped by the Chautauqua Lake Association to drop off a check for cleaning up the lakefront and weeds, something I do each year. I couldn't pass up a stop at Wegmans, and though it was busy, all checkout lines were open. I bought everything we might need for the Fourth and was home by noon.

I had lunch, a toasted cheese and ham sandwich, compliments of Evie, and watched my show. I then went upstairs to read, finished my book, Ghost Town, and took a brief nap. Because it was unbearable to be outside in the sun for long, I spent maybe 25 minutes cutting the dead wood from our lilac tree, then pulling out sucker vines that grow around the branches of our rhododendrons and tend to choke them. This is something I have to do each year, two or three times.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly, as I started a new book, The Detective Up Late by Adrian McKinty, until wine time, when we listened to Jake Tapper and the breaking news. We decided to try the new Middle Eastern restaurant up the hill called Coasta. We ordered two gyros online for thirty-two bucks, and I picked them up 15 minutes later. They were decent, not great. They could really improve them by getting rid of the feta, adding more tomatoes, and topping the gyro with tzatziki sauce. Both were a bit dry, and the sauce would make a big difference.

We finished our series Families Like Ours and recommend it. Evie went to bed around 9:00, and I watched some futbol, then another episode of my series The Agency, which I also highly recommend.