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.

A Perfect Summer Morning On The Lake

5:12

5:42

7:46

On Our Dock At 6:10

Heron On Our Boat

Well, it's 7:47, and I've been up for three hours, alas. When I got up, I read, checked to see if Trump was still alive (Iranians had vowed to assassinate him), then made coffee and was out on the lake by 6:15 for an hour. It was an indescribable lake morning — bright sun, blue skies and lake, no wind, few boats, just me, a couple of herons, and a bald eagle. I was in no hurry to get home, so I often just lingered, enjoying the moment of being on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Heron Above The Reeds

Sandy Bottom Eagle In A Pine Tree

Victoria Great Blue Heron

Yesterday was another early morning, and I was on the lake by 6:15 for close to an hour and a half. Again, it was a fine morning, though overcast until mid-morning. I woke up thinking I'd go for a bike ride in Long Point State Park, so after paddling, breakfast, and the blog — and despite being tired — I drove over to Bemus, parked by the bridge, and rode for an hour: down Lakeside Drive, around the park, and back, stopping briefly at the arts and crafts gathering in the park.

Long Point Trail

A Green Out

When I got home, I was going to go shopping at Wegmans, but Evie smartly talked me out of it, and I'm thankful, because I was whooped. So she made me a great lunch — a Turkish omelet with feta cheese and tomatoes, and a toasted bagel — and I loved it while I watched my show. By the time I was through with lunch, I couldn't wait to take a nap. I turned on the air conditioner, read for five minutes, then napped for a good hour and a half. While I slept, Evie put together our dinner: an eggplant, lamb, and tomato casserole- moussaka. I was a bit groggy when I got up, and happy to spend the next two hours watching Spain defeat Belgium 2–1, moving on to the semifinals of the World Cup.

6:27 PM

We relaxed on the front porch until 6:45, mostly because our neighbor Missy stopped by and stayed for half an hour. We enjoy her company, and since they're so busy with visitors, we hardly get time to talk. By 7:00, we were digging into our eggplant casserole and watching a couple of episodes of Broadchurch until 9:00, when Evie went up to bed. I then watched another episode of Lioness before heading up to read and sleep.

A Gray, Overcast Friday Morning

5:52

7:30

It's 7:50, and all is gray as I look out my front window, both the sky and the lake. I was up early again and out on the lake at 6:20 for 80 minutes, the only one there. I decided to paddle over to Tom's Point and back and was rewarded with a couple of herons hanging out at the point. On my way back, the shoreline was littered with geese, but no herons or ospreys.

Kayak Morning

Long Point

Tom's Point And Bridge

Heron # 1

Heron # 2

# 3 On Boat Lift

Yesterday was not a good day, although it started out well, with a good paddle, the blog, and a leisurely coffee with Evie. For some reason, since I was skipping yoga, I got it in my head to wash the windows in our living room. So I gathered all the stuff I needed — squeegee, scrubbies, newspaper, and window cleaner — and worked on the front windows and kitchen window for a half hour. It's always discouraging, though, when I get inside and look out, and they never look clean, just cleaner than before.

Evie had a doctor's appointment in Erie to discuss her hiatal hernia, so we both showered and left at noon for a 1:00 appointment. We were there early, and when Evie checked in, there seemed to be no appointment. After ten minutes, the nurse came out to tell us she'd left a message on Tuesday that the appointment was cancelled because the hiatal hernia was too complicated, whatever that means. Well, Evie never got a call cancelling, but did get a call confirming her appointment. I think most of what they said was BS, but there was nothing we could do. They gave us a list of other doctors to call, and we left and drove home, pissed off and ready to never see a doctor again, as they seem unprofessional and rarely call back with information about a test they requested.

So that was the good part of our afternoon. We were back by 2:00, and I heated up a can of chicken vegetable soup, which was tasteless but something to eat for lunch. I watched my show, then napped briefly and read. Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon, a result of our disastrous visit to Erie. Fortunately, it was a nice afternoon for a glass of wine on our porch, and we had no worry about dinner because we had two pasta dishes leftover from dining out Wednesday night. Evie heated up the pasta and made a salad, and we watched a couple of episodes of Broadchurch and are impressed by how good it is, even the second time. After Evie went to bed, I watched an episode or two of Lioness, then went to bed around 10:00.