Sun Rising On An Overcast Morning

6:20

7:29

It's 7:39, and surprise, we're both up enjoying our coffee. I was up at 6:15 and out on the lake by 6:35 to an overcast sky, the sun hidden by the gray. As I paddled, though, the sun gradually burned through the clouds, lighting up the morning. I was out for just about an hour and photographed a single heron sitting atop a pine tree in Victoria.

Kayak Morning

All's Gray

Northern Sky

Neighbors Skiing

Sun Rising

Sun

Sun Above Long Point

Heron Atop A Pine Tree

Same Guy, Likely Squawking

Monday was a busy day. I was up early as usual and out kayaking by 6:30, and it turned into a good birding day — I shot four different herons. When I got back, my brother-in-law Jim was up showering, getting ready for his camping trip to the Allegheny State Forest. He was in no hurry to leave, so we gave him some advice: park near the Art Roscoe Cross Country Ski building, a spot that puts you at the start of five or six trails we've hiked over the years. Around 9:30, Evie made us a delicious breakfast — fried potatoes and onions topped with a couple of fried eggs, cheese and salsa — and it was nice enough to eat outside.

Jim left around 10:30, and unfortunately, within the hour it started pouring, at least here. It lasted maybe 25 minutes and dropped a half inch of rain, so it should have set up decent camping conditions for him later in the day. I helped clean up the kitchen and then didn't do much until lunch, when I made a sandwich since I was still full from Evie's big breakfast.

Evie's Zinnias

After lunch, I read and napped, then got ready to head to Jamestown for a doctor's appointment at 2:30. It was quick, and I was on my way to Wegmans by 3:00. Since it was Monday, I figured Wegmans wouldn't be crowded. Was I wrong — even the parking lot seemed full. Fortunately, they had plenty of checkout lines open, so I was out quickly once I'd finished shopping.

I was home by 4:00, put things away, and got a few things done around the house until 5:00, when Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters. So I read my book until wine time at 5:45, and it was cool enough for us to sit out on the front porch and enjoy the sunny, blue-sky afternoon. Dinner was easy — leftover eggplant pasta with brioche rolls — and afterward we struggled to find something to watch. We made the mistake of starting a new Netflix series called Sterling Point, and one episode in, we'd had enough. Evie went up to bed after that, and I finished my series, The Truth Wins Out, on Prime before heading up myself to read and sleep.

A Four Great Blue Heron Morning

Evie And Her Sister Elaine's Husband Jim

6:10

8:35

Well, it's almost 9:00, and I was up at 6:00, on the lake by 6:15 for close to an hour, and have been sitting on the porch with my brother-in-law, Jim, since I finished kayaking. He arrived last night and is off to camp in the Allegheny Forest for a week, ending with a family get-together at the Bee Hunter Pavilion. 

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising

Northern Gray

Sun Rising Above The Reeds

Heron Along Long Point

On Jim And Tina's Dock

Sandy Bottom

Victoria

Sunday was another fine day, lots of sun, not too hot, and nothing that we had to do although we knew my Jim would be arriving sometime in the afternoon. So I got in my paddle early, like today, on an almost empty lake. After my paddle, I was tempted to do something, either go to Wegmans or bike, but thought better of it and stayed home and got a few things done. For example, getting a bedroom ready for Jim, putting in an air conditioner in case he needed it. After getting things ready, I read much of the morning until 1:00, when I had breakfast or lunch, kuru fasulye and rice again, and watched my show. 

Bald Eaagle

By 1:30, I was upstairs reading and fell asleep for a good half hour, which I needed. Around 3:00, Jim arrived, and we sat around talking for an hour before deciding to go for a boat ride over to Bemus and back along the Lakeside Drive shore. It was windier than we thought, but we managed and even got a decent photo of an eagle in the trees next to the Long Point Marina. 

Dining Al  Fresco

We were home by 5:30 and sat on the front porch catching up on Jim's family, especially his two children, Kiana, who just graduated from Purdue, and Alex, a graduate of the University of Illinois. Around 6:30,  Evie went in and put together our dinner: eggplant and mushroom pasta and a salad. It was nice enough to eat outside in our side yard, making for a nice evening. We then took it easy, talking and reminiscing until it was time to go to bed, around 9:30, because the three of us were tired, Jim from his drive and us as usual. 

A Quiet Morning On The Lake

 

6:33

6:33

It's 8:15 as I start this, and I have been up for two hours. I was out paddling on the lake by 6:40, and for the first half hour, I had the lake to myself. Then a few fishing boats appeared, and later my neighbors skied by. I paddled down Woodlawn, across to Long Point, then back to Wells Bay and home, and was out for 70 minutes. Now both Evie and I are enjoying the morning sun and our coffee as I finish up the blog.

Kayaking

Breakfast is Served

Dives

Yum, A Fish

Osprey

North

Rising Sun

A Different View Of A Great Blue Heron

Saturday was mostly a day of relaxation for both of us, and it felt good to not do much. I got in my paddle, of course, wrote the blog, and published it. We listened to Michael Smerconish on CNN until 10:00, then both of us got the trash ready to take to the Transfer Station. It's a busy place on Saturday morning, and I have a feeling anyone on this side of the lake, not just North Harmony residents, brings their trash there. I was home by 11:00, and Evie was getting a few things done while I finished up my book.

Evie's Zinnia

For lunch, I cooked some rice and topped it with my kuru fasulye, typical Turkish fashion. I loved it, watched my shows, and then decided to read upstairs and nap. When I came down around 2:00, Evie was putting together our dinner — breaded eggplant slices cooked in the air fryer.  Around 4:00, I walked down to get our mail and ended up talking with a couple of neighbors I haven't seen in a while. I then talked with my daughter Beth in Dallas, who is about ready to begin school, since Dallas starts classes this early. She is looking forward to getting back to teaching.

Evening Sky At 8:30

By 5:00, we were on the front porch enjoying the lake view and a glass of wine until 6:30, when Evie made us Chautauqua sandwiches — eggplant, with tomato, cheese, and mayo. Yum. We watched a couple of our shows and around 8:30, the sky clouded up and I expected a storm, but it must have passed us by. I finished up the series Dark Winds before going up to bed to read my new book, The Calamity Club, enthusiastically recommended by my daughter Jill.

Threatening Evening Sky

Dock At 8:35 PM

Listening To The Rhythm Of The Falling Rain

Rain At 6:38

8:19

It's 6:44, and I paid attention to the weatherman who predicted rain in ten minutes, so I didn't venture out on the lake. I was up at 6:20, made my coffee, and sat out on the front porch — and it just thundered. Not sure how long the rain will last. It's 6:56, and the rain has let up. I just watched a couple of great blue herons chase each other off the docks, a rarity to see two of them going at each other like that.

It's 7:10, and the rain has stopped for a bit, so I may try to paddle. Well, it was a good choice — I was out kayaking for an hour, and just as I was returning to shore, it started to rain again. I had good luck, shooting an osprey and a couple of herons, as well as kibitzing with our neighbor skiers, Jeff and Nancy, and with fellow kayaker Jim, who attended the Jerry Seinfeld show last night in Jamestown, sponsored by the National Comedy Center.

Kayak Morning

Osprey

Heron

Fishing

In A Tree

Same Guy

Friday was a strange day because I didn't really have anything planned other than a good long paddle to start the morning. Once Evie woke, we finished the blog, had breakfast, and I didn't feel like riding my bike. So I took our friends Tom and Julie up on their offer of a basket of red potatoes from their garden. Around 10:30 I drove to their house, grabbed the potatoes, and then, at their suggestion, picked blueberries for a half hour. On the way home, I stopped at Tops to pick up a few things we needed for dinner, and was home by noon.

Yum

Evie had a hair appointment with Jaret at 1:00 and left around 12:40, so I made lunch — a ham and cheese sandwich — and finished off a bag of potato chips while watching a new Swedish crime series called The Truth Will Come Out. Not sure I'll stick with it, though I did watch two episodes. After lunch I read for a bit, then napped and waited for Evie to get back. After stops at TJ Maxx and Wegmans, she returned around 3:30, and I got busy making a pot of kuru fasulye, a Turkish white bean stew. I put the beans in the pressure cooker for 28 minutes while frying up pancetta, onions, butter, tomato paste, and Aleppo pepper. Once the beans were done, I added them to the pan with the tomato paste, poured in chicken stock, and let it simmer for half an hour — and voilà, kuru fasulye. Good plain or over rice, for lunch or dinner. In Istanbul, there are restaurants devoted to kuru fasulye.

Missy And John

Around 5:30 we had some appetizers and a couple glasses of wine as the day waned. Our neighbors John and Missy stopped by to say hi, and we talked for fifteen minutes — it was Missy's birthday, and they were taking their boat over to Bemus to celebrate. We had dinner around 7:30, leftovers from Thursday's dinner plus the kuru fasulye. We watched a couple of HGTV shows until Evie went up to bed, and I finished the evening with an episode of the Swedish crime thriller and an episode of Dark Winds before heading up myself to read and sleep.

Overcast And Drizzle

Evie And The Boys

5:52

7:24

It's 8:16, and I've been up for two hours — paddling for an hour, occasionally in drizzle, listening to a podcast, reading the NYTimes and Washington Post, writing the blog, and waiting for Evie to come downstairs and pick out the photos. It looks like we might have rain on and off all day — a good day to spend reading.

Morning Heron

Ready To Dive

Neighbors Morning Skiing

The Good Life

The Reeds

Kayak Morning

Yesterday ended up being a good day. It started with an early rise, then breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00. When I got home, I kayaked for half an hour on a lovely morning, then came back and finished the blog around 9:45, later than usual. And that was it for me for the day — I really didn't do much else besides lie around reading, watch some TV, and nap.

Lunch was great — Evie put together the leftover sea trout with hard-boiled eggs, Sirrachi, tomatoes and mayo, and made me sandwiches, which I loved. I finished my Harlan Coben series and now have to find something else to watch during lunch. I was looking forward to a nap and turned on the air conditioner, since Thursday was quite humid — the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside rather than go out and do anything.

Around 4:00, Evie's boyfriends, Arlo and Louie, came over to play with her. Earlier, she'd made homemade cinnamon rolls for them, and they were in heaven, enjoying them and begging for more. They sat on the front porch shooting airplanes in the air, making friendship bracelets, and reading books. They left at 5:45 because we were going out to dinner, but they are looking forward to a movie afternoon during a future visit to the lake. They are neat kids.

We stopped at Ron and Linda's at 6:00 and gave Ron his birthday presents, a bit late since we'd been away for a week. We then drove to Westfield, where we had reservations at Brazil's bar. The restaurant and bar were packed even though it was a Thursday night. Unfortunately, our favorite bartender wasn't there, which was disappointing.  We finally got wine for the gals and beers for Ron and me, and we enjoyed relaxing with our drinks — ending up in a fun conversation with a group of ladies from the Chautauqua Institution, sitting at a table behind us. 

The Gals

Dinner was burgers and fries for Ron and me, shrimp pasta for Evie, and crab cakes for Linda. We left after 8:00, dropped Linda and Ron off, and were home by 8:30. Evie was ready for bed, but I stayed up until 10:00 before heading up myself — the end of what turned out to be a good day.