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.

Another Hot One

7:24

9:50

It's 7:30, and I've been up for 15 minutes on another 77º morning. It's too late to kayak now, so I'll head to breakfast at 8:00 and kayak when I get home, skipping yoga today. It's too hot, and I want to get a few things done in the yard.

Cutting Weeds In Our Lakefront

It's late, 10:00, and I had breakfast until 9:00, then worked with the weed cutters to clear our front yard, and then kayaked for 15 minutes.

Looking East

Kayak Morning

A Couple Of Weed Cutters

Kayak Morning

Yesterday began early with an uneventful paddle — no shots of wildlife, just a long paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back. I have no yoga on Wednesdays, so it's an open day to do as I like. I voted to stay home and have a leisurely morning, enjoying coffee and listening to Michael Smerconish until 10:00. I then borrowed a weed cutter attached to a rope from a neighbor and used it off my dock for about 25 minutes. I got back in the water and raked, and between throwing the weed cutter off the dock and cutting with my rake — going back over the area I'd cleared two days ago — I still filled three buckets of weeds and left them to dry on the dock. It was pleasant to be in the water, and when I finished, I took a quick swim. When I got out, though, the sun's heat was surprising, even though I was wet. It was 11:30 by then, so I came in and changed into dry clothes, and Evie made me a great lunch: fried eggs over onions and potatoes.

I watched my show during lunch, and since I was taking my Outback in for an oil change and tire rotation, I tried to get in a brief nap — no luck. So I read and relaxed until 2:30, then drove off, stopping at Petersons for a basket of peaches. I haven't been to the Subaru dealer in a while, but the same guy has taken care of me and has been working the desk for 16 years. It took about forty-five minutes, but I was entertained first by Fox News trying to explain the similarities between Teddy Roosevelt and Donald Trump. Then Trump came on and, as usual, went off topic — rarely speaking about Teddy, just how wonderful he is, how he's loved by everyone, and how America is hot, the hottest country in the world. Well, I can attest to that, since it was 90º when I left for Wegmans. I had to pick up a prescription and a jelly donut for Evie.

When I returned, it was too warm to sit on the front porch, so we relaxed with a glass of wine, and I took a few minutes to turn the weeds on the dock so they'd dry thoroughly. We had the leftover chicken and noodles and corn, and it was better than ever. We continued watching our Danish series until 8:00, when the US/BHG game started. I stayed up until the very end, and Evie lasted through the first half. The US won 2-0 but lost their top scorer to a red card, so they played the last 36 minutes down a man, and he'll be ineligible for their next game.

Heat Wave

7:32

8:45

It's 9:00, and I have been up since 7:20, out on the lake by 6:45, hoping to beat the heat. It was 77º when I woke, and I was surprised by the breeze, which made it difficult to paddle back after heading south to Sandy Bottom. I even tried to take a photo of an osprey, but the wind and waves made it impossible to focus, and he flew off.

Kayak Morning

Northern Blue

Yesterday was the beginning of the heat wave and the first day we turned on our air conditioner, and I have to admit, walking into the house after being outside was a delight. This is our second year having air conditioning, and it was a good choice, as our summers have become warmer and warmer. Tuesday, I was up early and out on the lake, and had written the blog before Evie woke. We got it published by 9:00, and I was off to yoga with Courtney at 9:30. It's a good class, and there are four of us who have been together for four or five years now. It's rigorous, and we always feel much better when it's over. I skipped coffee on the way home and stopped for gas — $4.29 a gallon, so I didn't fill it up, hoping for lower prices down the road.

When I got home, Evie was off in Jamestown for a blood test, then shopping at Wegmans. I relaxed a bit in the nice cool living room, then had lunch — the last of the kuru fasulye — and watched my show, The Agency. I was hoping for a good nap, and though I didn't turn on the air conditioner in my room, it was pleasant enough. I may have slept a half hour, not sure, then got up because I had things I wanted to do. First, I gathered the weeds that had been drying on the dock, filled two garbage cans with them, and hauled them up the hill to the wood pile. Then I decided to take my first boat ride of the year. Evie wasn't interested, since it was so warm, so I was only out for twenty minutes, testing the boat and motor — everything's copacetic. Since it was going to be hot for the next few days, I closed up the bimini top and put the cover on the boat, timing myself: twenty minutes flat. After that, I jumped in the lake and enjoyed the weed-free patch I'd cleared next to our dock. The water was chilly at first, but it gradually warmed as I stayed in and pulled more weeds.

I was done with chores by 4:30, and when Evie had her Zoom call at 5:00, I turned on the TV and watched the World Cup match between France and Sweden — France won 3-0, and they're looking like clear favorites to win it all. Before her call, Evie had simmered chicken thighs and set them on a tray, and once we were ready to eat, I barbecued them on the grill for a nice char and color while Evie boiled noodles in the chicken broth. This is one of our go-to dinners over the years — we loved it, and wondered why we hadn't made it sooner. Afterward, I watched a couple more episodes of our Danish apocalypse series. When Evie went to bed, I was about ready to watch the Mexico/Ecuador World Cup game, but the start was postponed an hour because of lightning. So I watched my series instead and caught the first fifteen minutes of the World Cup game once it kicked off at 10:00.

Heat Advisory

8:22

6:29

It's 8:00, and I just returned from an hour paddle down to the Power Boat Club and back to Woodlawn. It was 71º when I woke at 6:15, and for the first time, I worked up a sweat while kayaking. It looks like we'll have temperatures in the high 80s for the next four days. We may see rain on the fourth, with temperatures in the low 80s.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Great Blue

Osprey

Yesterday was a different kind of Monday — no biking or hiking, just another hour paddle early in the morning. The Chautauqua Institution opened its season Monday, and its 10:45 lecture series began with two women, Norah O'Donnell and Deborah Roberts, kicking off the week's theme: Women Who Change the World. So after kayaking, the blog, and breakfast, I grabbed my bike, hooked it on the Outback, and drove to Chautauqua Shores, a neighborhood next to the Institution. I rode my bike half a mile to the gate and stood in line with 15 or 20 people, waiting to get my ticket to enter the grounds. I found a bench in the Japanese Garden along with a few others and listened to the hour-long talk. Both women are passionate about women's rights and filled the audience with stories of women from the past who affected great change. They ended by taking questions from the audience but punted when asked if their media outlets censored some of their stories — both said trust was important and they wouldn't compromise it. I rode my bike back to the car and drove home.

View Of Ampitheater

The Assembly

O'Donnell And Roberts

I was home by 12:30 and had leftover pizza for lunch, then started the second season of my Paramount+ series, The Agency. After lunch, I tried to nap, since I'd gotten up so early, but had no luck and ended up reading instead. Around 2:30, I put on my bathing suit and went out on the dock, took the cover off my boat, and started it, letting it idle while I finished putting up the bimini top. Then I spent a good hour in the water cutting weeds, putting them in a floating container, then hauling them onto the dock to dry. Later today, I hope to take them up the hill once they've dried out some. It was tough going — the weeds were up to the water's surface, four or five feet tall. I basically cleared a 30- or 40-foot square just off our dock, so we can swim and get wet without fighting the weeds. When I was done, I got a ladder and took down a couple of bird feeders for the summer and put them in the garage. By the time I finished, I was ready to relax on the porch with a glass of wine.

While I was out working, Evie was on the phone with our daughter Beth for a good hour. For the first time in years, Beth has an empty house since Marisa headed back to med school on Sunday. It's a big change, and she's doing well.

Chautauqua Belle

I changed into dry clothes, and Evie already had a glass of wine waiting for me on the porch. We enjoyed it for a bit, but it was a little too warm out there, so we came back inside, which was cooler despite not running the air conditioner. Around 6:30, Evie breaded a couple of pork chops, fried and baked them along with potatoes, and we had dinner at 7:00 with a salad and applesauce. We watched a miniseries called Families Like Ours on Netflix — Denmark will soon disappear due to rising sea levels, so the entire country is asked to leave and start new lives in neighboring countries. It's decent, and scary because there's so much truth in the rising water levels.