Three More Days

6:57

8:30

According to the weatherman, a heat wave arrives Tuesday or Wednesday, so we'd better enjoy the next couple of days, with highs in the 70s. It's 8:50, and I just returned from an hour and twenty-minute paddle across to Tom's Point and home on a pleasant morning, in the low 60s. I was hoping to see eagles or herons at Tom's Point, but it was not to be. I did shoot an osprey on the way home. And I listened to a podcast where two British historians argued that Trump has been the most consequential president in 75 years, since Roosevelt. He's changed American politics and our relationship with the world in ways that an Obama, Johnson, or Eisenhower never did. I tend to agree, but with the caveat that he's changed things for the worse, not better.

Kayak Morning

The Sky

More Sky

Osprey

Yesterday was a typical Friday in that I had nothing I wanted to do — no biking or yoga. I did get in a good paddle as usual, and it was another stellar morning on the lake. How lucky I am to get out on the water most mornings of the year. Evie wanted to get a few things done, so I volunteered to sweep and vacuum both porches while she cleaned the bathrooms. I took everything off the back porch, which tends to get dirty, swept and vacuumed it, and then put everything back, making a big difference. For the lakeside porch, I just moved furniture around and swept and vacuumed. It took me a good hour, but I didn't mind it. I didn't start until 10:30, having read some, so by the time I was through, I was ready for lunch. I still had a pot of kuru fasulye left, so that's what I had, along with oyster crackers and Frank's Hot Sauce.

I watched another episode of The Agency, which I'm enjoying. I then napped briefly but was awoken around 1:30 by my neighbor mowing the lawn. Imagine mowing the lawn at 1:00 in the afternoon — what is this world coming to? I'd ordered some photos from Walmart and wanted to pick them up, so I left around 1:45, stopped for an iced coffee, then picked up my photos and browsed Walmart. I wore sweat pants and a black long-sleeve tee shirt and felt overdressed. I picked up some snacks for our wine time and couldn't make up my mind between Fritos or chips, so I bought both.

7:25 PM

I was home by 3:00, read, relaxed on the dock, and did some yard work and watering for a half hour — long enough to work up a sweat, so I took a shower. Around 5:15, we had wine time, with chips, Fritos, and dip. Extravagant! For dinner, we had the leftover pasta with sausage, mushrooms, and zucchini, and it was even better than the night before. Because we couldn't find anything to watch, we ended up watching the Spain/Uruguay soccer game. Evie had enough after the first half, so she went up to bed around 9:00, and I watched a bit more until I got bored and watched another episode of The Agency before heading up myself.

Aunt Tifa Vandalizing The Pond

 

Partly Cloudy And Windy

8:12

9:10

It's 9:20, and the sun keeps breaking through the clouds, and the wind picks up, then dies. When I got to Long Point, I had a tough time crossing the lake, but then the wind calmed down, and I had an easy paddle home.

Kayak Morning

Looking East

Another Heron Morning

Yesterday was busy, like most Thursdays. I was fortunately awake by 6:45 and got in a 35-minute paddle before returning home, starting the blog, then driving to Bemus for breakfast at 8:00. I was home by 9:10, finished up the blog, then left for Yin yoga at 9:40. Class was crowded, but I squeezed in at the front of the room. Most people like to stay in the back so no one can see them. I left feeling sore from a couple of poses, but eventually, the soreness went away.

For lunch, I had a bowl of kuru fasulye (white bean stew) and was happy. I watched another episode of The Agency. The rest of the afternoon went quickly, with a good nap, watching some World Cup, and reading my books — a good way to spend the afternoon. Around 4:00, Evie put together our dinner, an old standby: sausage, mushroom, and zucchini pasta with cooking sherry and chicken broth. Once it was done, we enjoyed our happy hour until 6:30, then had dinner, and we had enough leftovers for another dinner. Yippee. We watched another series called Bait, and of course, after a couple of episodes, we had had enough and watched something else. We still cannot find a series we like.

Around 9:00, I watched another episode of The Agency until 10:00, when I watched three-quarters of the Türkiye/US World Cup game. I stayed up until 11:30 to watch the game, but also because there were alerts for heavy rain, lightning, and hail. Fortunately, we avoided the worst — just some rain. I found out this morning that Türkiye won in the last seconds, 3-2, and they can head home with their heads held high despite two early losses.

Biking Presque Isle

Presque Isle State Park

6:40

9:0s

It's 7:38, and I kayaked for 35 minutes on a cloudy morning. Fortunately, it didn't rain, although it looks like today will be a rainy day. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus and have about a half hour to finish the blog before driving to yoga.

Kayak Morning

Cloudy Skies

In The Reeds

Same Guy

Poised To Fish

Yesterday was a great day, lots of sun and we were both active. I got in a good paddle, 50 minutes, and came home to a relaxing coffee morning with Evie. For some reason, I had biking in Presque Isle on my mind, and when I looked outside, it looked like a perfect day to ride. So after breakfast and the blog, I got my bike ready, attached it to the Outback, and left around 10:15. Presque Isle is a seven-mile-long peninsula that juts off of Erie, PA. It has a biking/walking trail around the entire peninsula and miles of some of the best inland beaches in the United States. It took me 45 minutes to get there, and I parked at one of the many parking areas. I've biked it three or four times before, so I knew the trails. I biked out to the Perry Monument, 7 miles, 46 minutes. Half of the ride was along the shaded bay side; the second half was along the lake side, with the amazing beaches. I ended up biking 12 miles along with walkers, inline skaters, other bikers, and families all on bikes. I ended up at Sara's, an outdoor eatery, and enjoyed a Smith's 12-inch hot dog with curly fries and a root beer for ten bucks.

Bay Side

Great Beaches

Perry Monument Construction

Erie

Erie Close Up

Typical Bay Side Path

Bay Side

Waiting In Line At Saras

On my way home, I stopped at one of our favorite nurseries, Stan's, on Buffalo Road east of Erie. Our fall-blooming clematis died for some reason, so I bought another along with a couple of geranium baskets, two for the price of one. I was home around 2:45, and Evie was relaxing on the front porch after mowing the front and side yards. It looked amazing. I then tried to nap but was still too psyched from my ride, so I went out and dug out the dead clematis and planted the new one up against our house.

Both of us were exhausted by 5:00 and were happy to relax on the porch and enjoy a glass of wine and the view, another blue sky, and puffy white clouds. Dinner was the leftover ham and potatoes, along with a salad and corn on the cob. We watched Billy Bob Thornton in Goliath, and then Evie went to bed, and I went back to The Agency on Paramount+. It was a busy but good day.

What A Morning

7:38

8:39

It's 8:50 and I just returned from a forty-five-minute paddle. Getting up later than usual, at 7:40, I was in no hurry to get out on the lake. By 8:00, I was out paddling, the lake and sky gorgeous, with some fog rising off towards Long Point. Today looks like one of the best days of the summer, full sun, blue skies, and highs in the low 70s, a good day to be outside.

Kayak Morning

Tuesday was another fine day, with a long paddle to start the day because I was up early. Unlike today, I was able to photograph a couple of herons before returning. After a light breakfast, I was off to yoga at 9:10, always a challenging class with Courtney. It's nice to see it well attended, likely due to the influx of summer visitors. I skipped Wegmans and Ryder's Cup but stopped at Evans to pick up some box wine for the next couple of weeks.

I was feeling off much of the morning, so Evie made me scrambled eggs and toast for lunch, and I watched a show called Young Wallander. It's not my favorite, but I couldn't think of anything else to watch. I then got back to my history of the United States and alternated between it and Ghost Town, Tom Perrotta's new book. I napped and woke feeling better, and went outside and planted and watered the rest of the plants we bought from Mike's. I relaxed and read the rest of the afternoon, but by 6:00, we were both showered and ready to pick up our neighbors, Pat and Dave, and go out to dinner at Steener's Pub in Greenhurst. 

Steak/Fries Night At Steeners Pub

This seems to be our go-to place on Tuesdays because of the steak special. During Covid, it was maybe twenty-two bucks for two steaks and fries. Last night it was forty bucks. It was a fun night, catching up on their winter in South Carolina. We left around 7:45 and were home by 8:00. We sat in the living room reading until 8:30, when Evie went up to bed, and I watched a new series on Paramount+ called The Agency. It's confusing, but I am starting to get it.

From These Truths: "One million Europeans migrated to British America between 1600 and 1800 and two and a half million Africans were carried there by force over that same stretch of centuries, on ships that sailed past one another by day and by night."

Partly Cloudy And Occasional Winds

I just returned from a 45-minute paddle, and it's 8:00. Obviously, I was up early and out on the lake before 7:00. It looks like a decent day, mostly sunny with highs in the 70s. I have yoga at 9:30, and that's about it for the day, other than reading my book, These Truths, a history of the United States. I have vowed to read it for at least half an hour every day.

6:38

7:49

I woke yesterday morning to rain and a wet yard, as we'd received at least an inch of rain in the previous 24 hours, and we needed it. I couldn't kayak because of the stormy weather, so instead I had a prolonged coffee and listened to Michael Smerconish along with Evie until 10:30. By then we had a list for Wegmans, so I drove off, stopping for coffee, then shopping. Monday is usually a good day because most shoppers wait for 5% Tuesday, although some things still haven't arrived from the warehouse, like red potatoes, in the past couple of weeks. I was home just before noon, and Evie and I put away the groceries.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Blue Skies, Clouds, And Waves

Great Blue Heron Among The Grasses

When I left for Wegmans, Evie was hard-boiling eggs, so I was looking forward to egg salad sandwiches for lunch. While I started making kuru fasulye, basically a white bean stew, Evie made me sandwiches. Since we couldn't get the pressure cooker to close properly, I had to simmer the beans for a couple of hours. So I had lunch, watched my show, then read and napped until 1:30. Then I got back to the fasulye, sautéing uncured pancetta before adding onions, garlic, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, and Aleppo pepper. After that, I added the beans and water and let everything simmer for another hour, until the beans were tender and the flavors were right.

Great Blue Yesterday Afternoon

By the time I was done, the rain had stopped, and though the sky was still overcast, I went out for a half-hour paddle to get some exercise. While I was on the lake, Evie put together our dinner, a ham and potato casserole, and had it in the oven baking when I returned. By then it was 5:00, so we relaxed for a good hour and a half with wine before watching some TV and enjoying our dinner. For some reason, we really enjoyed the casserole and wondered why we don't make it more often. We watched a Harlan Coben thriller but got bored with it and ended the night watching Caitlin Clark and Indiana defeat Phoenix. After the game, I was ready to read and go to bed.

These Truths: The book's essential question feels crucial today and to democracy, with Trump attempting to govern like an autocrat:

"Can a political society really be governed by reflection and election, by reason and truth, rather than by accident and violence, by prejudice and deceit?"

Happy Rainy Day Monday

Our Granddaughters, 2007/8?

7:40

I woke up at 7:30 to rain on the windows, and it's now 8:20 and still raining and overcast. It's been a long time since we've had a day like this. Maybe it's the result of yesterday being the summer solstice — now each day will get shorter, and the sun will move from left to right when viewed from our porch. It's such a dismal morning that I thought a photo of our granddaughters would liven up the blog

Sunday was another perfect day to start summer, lots of sun and blue skies, with highs in the 70s. I got in a good, long paddle and shot photos of both an osprey and a heron on my morning paddle. We had our usual long Sunday morning coffee, listening to the pundits. By 10:30, we were on our way to Mike's Nursery to pick up some plants for the garden. We left with sixty bucks' worth of plants, stopped at Home Depot, then picked up a chicken dinner at Farmer Brown's Beef and More in Lakewood. We were home by 11:45, and since I wanted to waterproof the boat cover before lunch, I went out on the dock, pulled the cover off, brought it in, spread it out on our lawn, and sprayed it with waterproofing before leaving it to dry.

We usually have a big breakfast on Sunday, and Evie made one of our favorites: a Turkish menemen, eggs with tomatoes and feta cheese. Along with a bagel, the two of us were happy. All three of my kids wished me a happy Father's Day in the afternoon. I napped briefly, having fallen asleep while reading my book. Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon — we watched TV or read, either on the porch or in the yard, getting some sun.

Around 4:30, I put the boat cover back on and enjoyed a glass of wine with Evie on the couch as it started to get cool outside. Dinner was the barbecued chicken from Farmer Brown's, and we watched a couple of HGTV programs and some soccer before Evie went up to bed. I finished the first season of Sugar and watched the first episode of season two.

Yesterday, I listened to a great podcast with Heather Cox Richardson. She talked about how liberals are seen by many people on the right, especially MAGA loyalists, as unpatriotic, which bothered me. I certainly love my country, and so do all my friends, but I'm upset with the way Trump and his loyalists are damaging it. So I ordered a T-shirt with an American flag on it, which I'll wear proudly, and I vowed to read Jill Lepore's history of the United States over the next couple of weeks. It's called These Truths: A History of the United States. I hope to add an interesting fact from it to my blog each morning.

Morning Fog

6:55

8:50
I am sitting here at 9:15, with Evie, listening to Jake Tapper and enjoying our coffee made in a Yeti container. I was up at 6:30, out on the lake by 6:50 for an hour, down Woodlawn, across to Long Point back to Sandy Bottom, and home. I started in fog and ended in muted sunshine.

Kayak Morning

Canadian Geese

Long Point Bay

Kayaking North

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Saturday morning went quickly, the afternoon slowly. I woke late and didn't get on the lake until 8:00. After paddling, I had breakfast — cherry pie and ice cream — and Evie helped me finish up the blog. I wanted to mow the yard, but waited until 10:00 because the lawn was wet from dew. It takes me around forty-five minutes, with a break after mowing the front yard. It always feels good once I am done because the yard looks so good. While I was mowing, Evie cleaned out the fridge and gathered the trash for me so I could drive to the Transfer Station.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeck

I was back by 12:30 and made a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich for lunch, along with some chips, and watched another episode of my show, Sugar. I then read for a while and tried to nap but couldn't. So I came downstairs, and Evie and I watched Caitlin Clark and her team lose to Atlanta by 15 points. Clark scored 25 points but may have given up 20 with 7 turnovers and poor defense. You can tell I am losing interest in her play.

Yassou Festival

Enjoying Greek Food

By 5:30, we were ready to drive to Jamestown to attend the Yassou Festival, a gathering that celebrates Greek culture. We have attended it numerous times over the years, so we knew what to expect. It's on the grounds of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The streets surrounding the church were crowded with parked cars, but I was lucky to find a space nearby. We paid three bucks apiece for admission and then got in line for dinner. I ordered a gyro sandwich with a salad, and Evie had a chicken souvlaki sandwich with salad. We enjoyed our sandwiches with tzatziki sauce and watched little kids play on the dance floor to live Greek music. 

Dancing To Greek Music

Greek Pastries To Go

The highlight was Evie seeing one of her former kindergartners, who, upon spotting her, ran over and gave her a big hug. Unfortunately, the Greek dancing was at 5:00 and 8:00, so we were too late for one show and too early for the next. The venue had lots of Greek pastries and clothes for sale, along with a beer and wine bar. It's a popular event and well attended every time we've come.

We left around 7:00 and were home by 7:30. We relaxed in the living room, reading or on our devices, until 8:30, when Evie went up to bed. I then had dessert — cherry pie and ice cream — and watched two more episodes of Sugar before heading up to bed myself.