Blue Skies And Sun Rising

6:43

6;43

It's 7:18, and I've been up since 6:00, but I have not gone kayaking this morning — for a good reason.

Yesterday I began the day with a good paddle, breakfast, and then decided to go for a bike ride toward Celeron. I parked my car behind the gas station and rode into town. There's a busy corner there, so I opted to bike across a grassy field instead to avoid it. As I rode across, my front wheel dropped into a large hole hidden in the grass, and I was thrown forward, hitting my head and face. I'm still not sure if I blacked out or not.

I realized I was stuck on my bike on the ground and had a hard time getting off it. As I lay there, my Apple Watch went off, asking if I'd fallen. I replied yes, and it connected me to the Celeron Fire Department, who asked what had happened and where I was. About ten minutes later, two ambulances arrived — I was still on the ground. They put a collar around my neck, took my blood pressure, and eventually loaded me onto a stretcher and drove me to the hospital. Meanwhile, Evie had gotten the watch alerts, called me, and wanted to know what happened. I was able to tell her, and she drove straight to the hospital.

Before she arrived, I was given a CT scan of my head and neck. Soon after she got there, the doctor came in with good news — the scan showed no serious injuries, and I could go home. They told me to take Tylenol, see my regular doctor, and let the neck and back pain work itself out over the next few days. So that's my story of why I'm not kayaking this morning. I've got contusions on my face, aches all over from the fall, and my left eye is partly swollen shut, so I look like I lost a fight.

I have trouble moving my head because of the neck pain, and getting comfortable enough to sleep last night was a challenge. I did manage a nap in the afternoon, and even rode along with Evie to retrieve the Outback from behind the gas station. I can only read large print right now — my nose is too cut up for glasses to sit comfortably on it.

We had a normal afternoon, a glass of wine at 5:00 and dinner at 6:30, hot dogs and corn on the cob. We watched ER and ended the evening watching Caitlin Clark score 29 points as her team beat Dallas and Paige Bueckers, her rival, also had 29 points. 

I am fortunate that I was not more seriously hurt. I will just have to deal with the pain for a few days before I can get back ot on the lake and my bike. And I won't be winning any beauty contests!

A few coincidences from yesterday. After Evie found out about my fall, she was scrolling through Facebook and this T-shirt came up. And last night, my nephew Pat called to see if I wanted to go for a bike ride with him around Presque Isle, one of my favorite spots to ride. Obviously, I couldn't. 

Morning Fog

Bald Eagle

6:13

It's another gray morning, and it does not look like it's letting up. It's 8:10, and I've been up for two hours, paddling for 70 minutes on a foggy morning. I took my usual route, along Woodlawn, across to Long Point, back to Sandy Bottom, and home. A couple of fishing boats have been out since I got out there, one near our dock.

Kayak Morning

Looking East Towards Long Point And Tom's Point

Long Point

Kicking Back

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Heron

Yesterday was a busy morning, as usual. Up early, I kayaked for close to an hour and then, around 7:45, drove to the Ashville Country Store for breakfast. I was home just after 9:00, wrote the blog, then Evie picked out the photos and read it before I published it. I then drove to Lakewood and took a Yin Yoga class for over an hour. On the way home, I stopped briefly at Ryder's Cup, but the line was too long, so I left after talking with Dave for ten minutes. 

I was home around noon, and Evie was ready to drive to Jamestown to talk with an audiologist, then do some shopping. I had the leftover Mongolian beef on rice for lunch and started a new show called Des, with David Tennant starring as a serial killer. It's based on fact, and I was taken in by the three-part series. After lunch, I read and napped briefly, of course, until I heard Evie come home.

A Bee

I helped unpack the car and then had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon. For some reason, however, I wanted to wash the windows, so I got out the pail, white vinegar, and Dawn, a squeegee, and cloths, and washed the front windows. They are never perfect, just better than before. I worked up a sweat, so I took a quick shower, finishing just in time for wine time. Evie made an appetizer, loaded nachos, and we relaxed for a good hour before dinner: fried potatoes, eggs, corn, and a bagel. The corn was great — sweet and tender — and we watched another couple of episodes of ER before Evie went to bed and I returned to Des and watched the last two episodes before bed.

Interesting:

More Gray

5:51

7:07

It's 7:15, and I've been up since 5:45 and on the lake for 45 minutes, starting at 6:20. It was basically a boring paddle — a mostly gray sky.  As I paddled, I saw some color creeping in, and I got a photo of an eagle before it took off. Now a couple of boats are out in the bay, motionless and fishing, and my neighbors skied by as I paddled home.

Kayak Morning

Interesting Sky

Neighbors

Bald Eagle

Wednesday turned out to be a good day, mostly because I had nothing to do — just what I wanted or felt like doing — the joy of retirement. As usual, I was up before 6:00 and out on the lake by 6:15 for close to an hour and a half- a good workout. I came in, wrote the blog, and Evie was up and reread it, then published it. I had my usual breakfast of granola, hemp hearts, and chia seeds, along with handpicked blueberries and a banana.

Biking Out To Long Point

Long Point

By 10:30, I decided to get in a bike ride. So I hitched my bike on the Outback and drove over to Bemus, parked just beyond the bridge, and rode for over an hour, through Bemus to Long Point State Park, out to Long Point, then back to my car. It felt good to be on my bike, especially riding through the wooded trails.

Zinnia

I was home by 12:30 and had my lunch, another bowl of kuru fasulye — finally found something I liked. Season Four of Jack Reacher on Prime. So far, I'm into it. After lunch, I got back to my book and napped briefly. The rest of the afternoon was easy, although Evie asked me to clean the red potatoes, which were covered in dirt, and that took a good twenty minutes. Thanks, Tom!

Zinnia

We had our wine time at 5:00, and Evie put together a great dinner around 6:30 — roasted red potatoes, steaks, and a salad. Yum. We still haven't found a new show, so we're happy to watch a couple more episodes of ER. What a great series. After Evie went to bed, I watched another episode of Jack Reacher before heading upstairs to read and sleep.

Love It

A Mostly Gray Morning

5:58

7:58

It's 8:20, and I woke at 5:00, got up at 6:00, and was out on the lake by 6:30 for close to an hour and a half. I paddled over to Tom's Point, thinking I might spot some herons or eagles. It takes close to a half hour to paddle there, and it's often worth it. Not today — the trees and lakefront were devoid of any waterfowl. Most of my paddle was under gray skies, and it wasn't until close to an hour in that the sun began to break through the clouds. Fortunately, as I paddled home along the west shoreline, I spotted a couple of herons and ospreys, making it a good morning on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Bemus Bridge

Starlings?

Finally, Some Sun

Wow

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Osprey

Another Osprey

Yesterday turned out to be a busy day. It started early with a good paddle — I was on the lake by 6:30, back on my couch by 7:30, and had a good hour and a half to finish the blog and eat breakfast before leaving for yoga at 9:10. Evie was up around 8:00, chose the photos for the blog, and reread it before publishing. I then left for yoga and had a hard time finding a place for my mat because the studio was crowded — over 20 gals and moi. Our teacher was new, having just passed her 200-hour course with Tara. She was pretty good, and the class clapped for her at the end.

After yoga, I drove down to Ryder's Cup, bought coffee, sat down, and soon two friends, John, a retired teacher, and Dave, the honorary mayor of Lakewood, joined me, and we talked for a good half hour. We always have a good time, mostly talking about the good old days, like the old men that we are.

John And Dave

I was home by 11:30, and for lunch I had my Turkish white bean stew, kuru fasulye, over rice, and watched some TV. I tried to nap but ended up reading until 1:30, when I got ready to drive to Jamestown for another doctor's appointment. I was in and out in 15 minutes and on my way home. When I returned, Evie was chopping up veggies for our stir-fry. I wasn't ready to relax for some reason, so I fired up the mower and cut the lawn. It usually takes me 45 minutes with a short water break. I was done by 5:00 — happy hour time — so we both relaxed with a glass or two of wine before dinner.

Around 6:30, Evie put together our dinner, a Mongolian stir-fry with cabbage and beef, served over rice. It was really good, and I have enough leftover for my lunch. We couldn't find anything to watch, so we went back to our old standby, a couple of episodes of ER. Evie then went up to bed, and I watched the Indiana Fever game, then a bad crime series called The Following. I won't be sticking with it. I was happy to go up to bed, read my book, The Calamity Club, and eventually sleep.

Love it!! Trump Changing Planes

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.