36º And Sunny

6:31

7:23

It's just 7:00 as I sit here, the sun filling the living room with its light. I hardly noticed until this morning how far the sun has moved — from rising over Tom's Point to, this morning, rising over Long Point — on its journey along the horizon from southeast in winter to northeast in June. It's 9:56 and I had breakfast at the Ashville Country Store at 8:00 and was out on the lake for a 40-minute paddle at 9:15. A busy morning

Kayak Morning

Paddling North

I was up way too early yesterday and had too much coffee, waiting for Evie to get up around 8:30. Since we'll be traveling by air to Dallas next week, I signed up with both American Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, since we'll be needing a car in Dallas. For some reason they make it very difficult, and it took me a good hour to get signed up with both. Now I just have to remember the usernames and passwords. They also seem to be asking for something I don't quite understand — a passkey. My grandsons will help explain it to me next week.

Once that was done, I wasted much of the morning reading or on my computer. Around 11:30 I drove to Hogan's because I wanted a sub sandwich for lunch — we didn't have much in the refrigerator. I ate it, watched my show, and was napping by 1:30, tired out from getting up at 5:30.

At 2:45 I headed to the KIA dealer in Erie. For some reason I entered "KIA Express" into the GPS, which took me off the highway onto back roads to what used to be KIA Express. The real KIA dealer was still ten miles away, and I found myself at a motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle showroom called Polaris. The guy was really nice and volunteered to change the oil and rotate the tires, so I sat around for half an hour, paid about half of what it would have cost at the KIA dealer, and drove home on back roads — a lovely drive, the hills and valleys mostly green.

When I got home, I relaxed and got ready for dinner. Evie was showered and ready by 5:45, so we picked up Ron and Linda and drove a couple of miles to the Lake View bar and restaurant in Mayville. It caters to bikers and snowmobilers, so it was practically empty when we arrived. We ordered beers, burgers, fries, and onion rings and caught up on the past month. They head East on Tuesday and we fly West on Thursday, so we won't be seeing them again for close to a month. We left around 8:00, dropped them off, and were home by 8:15. Evie was ready for bed. I, of course, stayed up until 10:00 watching the Knicks/76ers game — won by the Knicks, though it was close.

I'm still struggling to find a book to read. It seems like every book I download, I realize I've already read it when I begin it. 

Rain And More Rain

An Inventive Barber Shop

7:55

I have been up since 6:00, watching the gray sky lighten. It started raining yesterday evening and continued most of the night — two inches total — and it looks like it will keep up for much of the day. No kayaking for me. I spent the first hour signing up with American Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, since we will probably be using both next week.

Yesterday was a long day, probably because there wasn't much we had to do. I did get in a good paddle to start things off. Evie was up when I returned, and we put together a blog honoring our son-in-law, Rami, who passed away on May 4th. I had a couple of phone calls to make, and both, surprisingly, were pleasant. We then sat around and made a list for Wegmans, and by 10:45 I was off. I stopped for coffee and talked with Dave, the honorary mayor, for about 15 minutes before heading over. It was 5% Tuesday, so the place was busy, but I maneuvered easily around the retirees and found a checkout line that moved quickly. There was a gal in front of me that I knew, and we traded hellos — but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I knew her. It drove me crazy until it finally hit me on the way home. Pickleball player.

When I got back, Evie was talking with our daughter Beth. It looks like there will be a celebration of Rami's life on Saturday, May 16th, so we will probably fly out late next week and stay for a week or two. At least that's the plan for now. I heated up a chicken pot pie for lunch and started another series. The Night Agent. I watched the first season, skipped the second, and am jumping into the third.

I also started another book in the Gray Man series, Agent in Place. So far, I'm into it. I took a brief nap but had too much on my mind to really sleep. Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon, other than try to sort out our plans for getting to Dallas next week. We think we've settled on flying, though that could easily change.

Five o'clock and wine time couldn't come soon enough. Dinner was baked potatoes and catfish, and we watched a couple of Hometowns and then the Cavs game. Evie lost interest pretty quickly and headed up to bed. I stuck with it to the end, which I probably shouldn't have — 19 turnovers, and they deserved to lose. I was happy to get back to my book.

Ramiro Albarran: June 17, 1966 - May 4th, 2026

 

Ramiro And Tin Tin: 4/13/26

Monday brought heartbreaking news for our family. Our son-in-law, Ramiro Albarran, passed away peacefully in Dallas, surrounded by those he loved most, after an extraordinary five-year fight against cancer — one he faced with unwavering hope and remarkable courage until the very end.

Ramiro lived for his family. His devotion to his wife Beth and their children — Tyler, Mitchell, and Marisa — was at the center of everything he did. He will leave an immeasurable void in all of our hearts.

Evie and I were deeply grateful to spend two and a half weeks with him this past April. Even then, through the pain and the weight of years of treatment, he continued to work and stay active right up until the day he was hospitalized. That was simply who he was — determined, dignified, and inspiring to everyone around him. A truly amazing man.

He will be profoundly missed.

A Bit Warmer This Morning

8:50

It's 9:10, and we're both up, enjoying a sunny morning. I was out the door by 7:30 for a fifty-minute paddle down to Wells Bay and back — easy going, light winds. I spotted my first heron of the season on the shoreline, but he lifted off before I could get the camera on him. What struck me as odd was paddling to the soundtrack of a lawn mower and a weed whacker. Summer is coming, albeit slowly.

Kayak Morning

North

Sunshine And Clouds

Sunday turned out to be a pleasant day all around. When I got back from the paddle, Evie and I had a leisurely morning, half-listening to various pundits trying to make sense of Trump and his loyalists. By 10:30, I was ready to move again, so I headed over to walk the Chautauqua Institution — my usual Sunday jaunt. Forty-five minutes, and like everywhere else right now, the ground is beginning to turn green, with a touch of color from the Redbud trees — what we always called Judas Trees back in Istanbul.

Thunder Bridge

When I returned, Evie was deep in a long call with our daughter Jill. By 1:30, I was enjoying an omelet — feta and tomatoes — and my series. I read for a bit afterward, though I'm growing restless with the book. A nap followed, and I woke to the sound of the lawn mower; Evie had gone out and started in on the grass. She'd had enough after a while, so I took over and finished it up — burning through both batteries, which concerned me. Last week I cut the entire yard on one.

Happy hour at 5:00, watching the lake. A pair of Canadian geese paddled by, trailed by six or seven babies. Dinner was a salmon salad, one of my favorite ways to eat salmon. We watched the final episode of Doc, then drifted into some HGTV before Evie headed up to bed. I stayed up for the Cavs, who pulled out a game-seven win over the Toronto Raptors, then closed the night with another episode of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.

I couldn't stop laughing at the creativity of the following meme. Make sure to pay attention to all the details.

A Striking Morning: Blue Skies And Sunny

Our Great Grandson Rhys

9:15

It's 9:10, and we're both up, listening to CNN and enjoying a sunny morning here on the lake — light winds, calm water. I was up by 7:15, on the lake by 7:30, and paddled down to the Power Boat Club and back. A great morning for kayaking — easy paddling, though not much wildlife. I've yet to photograph any blue herons or ospreys; just mallards, buffleheads, and mergansers so far.

Kayak Morning

A Bevy Of Buffleheads

Saturday was pretty typical. The one major chore was my trip to the Transfer Station — couldn't wait! I slept in, still managed to get a paddle in, though the wind had picked up enough that I cut it short. Afterward, we settled onto the couch with coffee and caught a couple of the morning news shows on CNN. Around 10:30, Evie finally gave me a much-needed haircut, and after a shower, I felt like a young man. Evie then got busy in the kitchen while I got ready to haul the trash. When I arrived at the Transfer Station, I was the only car — by the time I left, it was packed. Perfect timing. I wasn't feeling like a hike for some reason, so I helped out around the house while Evie tackled a mountain of laundry.

Fishing On Long Point's Dock

Lunch was easy — the last of the pasta with meatballs and mushrooms — and I watched my show, then read and napped as usual, heading downstairs around 2:30. By that point, I was ready to get outside, so I walked the Victoria waterfront and back, about 25 minutes, then fussed with a tarp covering some chairs on the side of the house. I read until 5:00, when we had wine time with cheese and crackers. We listened to the news until 6:30, then had an easy dinner. We'd planned on salmon, but neither of us felt like it, so we had egg salad sandwiches on toast — my suggestion. Yum. We watched some shows until Evie was ready for bed. I stayed up for the rest of the Celtics/76ers game, then an episode of my series, before finally heading up.

More Of The Same: Overcast And Drizzle

Summer, 2016

8:00

It's 9:10, and we're both up, watching the sky and lake change,  enjoying our coffee, and wondering what the day will bring. A trip to the Transfer Station, for sure. I didn't wake until 7:45 — a small miracle — and didn't get out on the lake until 8:00. I kayaked north, into the wind and waves, and was out for only 35 minutes. The wind picked up as I paddled, so I turned around before getting very far.

Kayak Morning

Waves And Wind

Woodlawn

Yesterday began with a great paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back. Evie was up when I returned, and we listened to Michael for most of the morning while getting a few things done. I cleared up some matters I'd been putting off, things that had been preying on my mind. Once I'd settled them — more or less — I felt free and ready to move. It was raining and overcast, though, so I spent most of the day inside, reading or on my computer, idling away time on Reels and the like.

5:15

Evie offered to make me lunch, but we had leftover pasta, so I heated that up and watched my show, finishing the first season of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. It's a bit dated, but I enjoyed it. I took a good nap and read through much of the afternoon, but by 3:30 I was going stir-crazy, so I walked the loop in the rain and collected the mail. Not much of a workout, but it felt good to get outside. We had our wine at 5:00 when the sky began to lighten, and by 6:30 we were hungry, so we both worked in the kitchen and put together a stir-fry of eggplant with hot bean sauce and other condiments, served over rice. It was delicious — we both wished we'd made more, since we each went back for seconds. We watched a couple of episodes of Doc before Evie headed up to bed, and I caught the last quarters of two NBA games, both wins — Detroit and Toronto.