Overcast And 56º

Go Chiefs, Go Bills

6:47

It's 7:00, and I've been up since 6:20. The dark sky has turned gray, with not a hint of sun at the moment, and a 6-mph wind from the north might make my paddle back more difficult if it picks up. I'm getting tired of windy mornings. It's 8:25, and we're all up, watching Rhys play with his trucks. I was out for 50 minutes on a cloudy, gray morning. It didn't rain, and the northern wind was light enough that I had no trouble kayaking back to Woodlawn.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue

Eagle

On Woodlawn Dock

Yesterday was a full day, thanks to Rhys and the Bills and Chiefs game. It started with an early wake-up and a brief 15-minute paddle because of the wind. Once everyone was up, we decided on buttermilk pancakes, and Rhys helped Granny make the batter. We sat down and devoured them, and Rhys, of course, ate his share. We weren't sure what to do with the day, so I suggested driving to Lakewood, getting coffees at Ryder's Cup, and then taking Rhys to the playground just down the street. It's a great playground, with two levels, one for older kids and one for younger. Rhys loved it, and we stayed close to an hour before heading home.

Rhys And Tom and Hydrangeas

Getting Coffee

Walking Down To Playground

The Great Grandparents

The rest of the afternoon was organized around NFL football. The games started at 1:00, so Evie volunteered to stay home with Rhys while he napped. The three of us went over to 14 Main in Bemus, a sports bar with four games on various TVs: Bills, Steelers, Browns, and Chiefs. We wore our Chiefs shirts into the bar, but I wore my Bills hat, so we were welcomed. We ordered beer and lunch: soup, loaded fries, and a sausage sandwich for Tom. Fans sat around the TV of their favorite team. Most of the patrons were Bills fans, although there was a loud contingent of Steelers fans. Evie called just after halftime, so I went back and picked up her and Rhys and brought them to the bar. We sat around for another hour, ordering more beers, some onion rings, and chicken tenders. Rhys was happy to sit on Mary's lap for a good half hour before he and Evie played with the bowling machine. It was a good day for the fans, because all four teams with viewers won: Bills, Chiefs, Steelers, and Browns.

Loving His Trucks

Putting Together The Puzzle With Rhys

After the game, we walked down to the Casino, which was closing for the season, and Mary and Evie took Rhys to the playground for a bit. We then headed home and relaxed from our afternoon of viewing with a glass of wine or beer. While we were at the game, Evie had put together eggplant sandwiches and had already made artichoke soup. That was our dinner, and it was just right after all we'd eaten during the game.

Our House At Night, Photo By Our Neighbor, Joe

We kept Rhys up until 8:00 to keep him on schedule, and he went quickly to sleep. About 9:00 Evie and Mary then went up to bed, and Tom and I watched the first half of the Rams/Broncos game before joining them.

Swaths Of Color Fill The Morning Sky

Airport

Rhys Arrives At The Lake

6:45

6:16

It's 6:42, and I've been up for a half hour on a 50º morning. Rhys is sleeping in so far, which is great for his grandparents. It looks like another windy morning paddle, with a brisk northerly wind, alas. It just turned 7:00, and the roar of bass boats fills the air as they fire out of Long Point Marina. It's 7:43, and Tom, Mary, and Rhys are up. Rhys is full of pep while the three of us sit around, nursing our coffee, trying to wake up. I kayaked for 20 minutes into the wind. It took me close to 15 minutes to get halfway down Woodlawn, into the fierce northerly wind, then I coasted back in 5. I did manage a moon shot, as well as a heron on one of the neighbors' docks.

Kayak Morning

Heron On Woodlawn Dock

Rhys Morning

Making Buttermilk Pancakes

Saturday was a busy morning, putting the finishing touches on Tom, Mary, and Rhys's arrival. I did get in an energetic paddle because of the wind, and had the blog written and published by 9:30. My last two tasks were to vacuum and clean both porches, something I usually do every month or two. Thinking back over the past few days, having company makes us give the house a good cleaning — something we ought to do every month or two but don't. Instead, we wait for company. While I was porch-sitting, Evie was cooking and cleaning as well. My final task before lunch was to vacuum upstairs, an easy 15-minute job.

Lunch was great: BLTs and soup, and I watched some football before reading and trying to nap. I took a shower, then left for the airport around 1:45, knowing their flight was on time. I arrived around 3:15, a half hour early, which was fine. Both flights were easy, and I met them at the gate just before 4:00. We got the bags, strapped Rhys's car seat into the car, and drove home the back way — the scenic route, a little over an hour and a half drive. Evie was sitting outside waiting for us at 5:45, and Rhys couldn't wait to see her.

Rhys And His Papa

Rhys And Nani

The living room was filled with toys, and somehow Rhys remembered from two years ago, because he went right in and started playing with trucks. The three of us sat around the fireplace area, watching Rhys and Evie play with trucks, puzzles, and all the other kids' stuff Evie's saved from when our grandchildren would visit.

Tommy

Tommy

We had dinner around 6:45 — chili with fixings, corn on the cob, and cornbread. Rhys had grapes, mac and cheese, and loved the cornbread. Dinner was perfect, just what we wanted on a cool Saturday evening. Afterward, Rhys went upstairs, and Mary put him to bed fairly easily, despite it being a new bedroom. The four of us then sat around on our devices, occasionally talking and sharing a funny meme, until 9:00, when all four of us went up to bed, tired but happy from our day.

Harvest Moon

It Looks Like A Good Saturday

Rhys, our great-grandson, has just gotten a haircut for his trip to visit us. We can't wait, and he will be here for five days with his grandparents, Tom and Mary.

6:23

7:12

8:03

It's 7:00, and I have been up since 6:30. I usually walk out on the porch and take a photo of the morning sky. Well, the last couple of mornings, a pontoon boat has been parked in front of our yard. In fact, he seems to have been there on and off during the summer. If I walk out on the lawn, I can usually hide his boat behind a tree. It's funny that there are over forty miles of lakefront and this guy chose to park in front of our house. This time it was lit up because it was still dark. Since it had just turned 7:00, the bass tournament began as one bass boat after another roared out of Long Point Marina. And just as I was paddling home, duck hunters fired their shotguns, scaring the heck out of me because they must have been close. Whatever happened to a quiet, empty lake? I did get in a good paddle for 50 minutes, although I had a tough paddle home because of the heavy northerly wind.

Woodlawn

Into the Sun

Kayak Morning

Friday was a busy day, starting as usual with my paddle, blog, and breakfast. We enjoyed our coffee and spent most of the time putting together a list for Wegmans, trying to anticipate all we might need for the next five days when Tom, Mary, and Rhys visit. We were off for Wegmans by 9:45, and I dropped Evie off and returned a shirt I'd bought at Walmart because it was too large. I then returned to Wegmans and followed Evie around aisle after aisle as she loaded up the cart to overflowing. In fact, I had to get a second cart when we checked out.

We were home by noon and spent a good half hour putting things away and making sure we knew where we'd put them. We are getting older! We had cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch along with Evie's soup, and I watched another episode of Lioness. While Evie continued to work on getting the house ready, I tried to nap but ended up reading for a half hour instead. I then went out and spent the next hour mowing the yard, edging the brick walkways, things like that. Finally, I helped Evie by washing the porch windows just as it turned 5:00 — time for a glass of wine.

Earlier, Evie had prepped dinner, baking potatoes, making a salad, and getting two steaks ready for grilling. By 6:30, we were enjoying our dinner and watching a couple of shows, happy with what we'd gotten done during the day. Once Evie went to bed, I tried to find a show to watch and ended up with a series called The German. It's about a couple of Israelis who survived the Holocaust, and the husband has to go to Germany for business. It's good so far, and hard to watch at times when it cuts to the concentration camps.

Full Moon

Moon Rise

Fog Rising Over Chautauqua Lake

6:26

6:40

8:21

8:30

It's 7:00, and I have been up since 6:20, watching the fog roll in, obscuring Long Point at the moment. I am not sure when to kayak because of the heavy fog along the shoreline as I look south. Well, it's 8:30; we are both up, and I just returned from a 50-minute paddle, most of the time in some fog.

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising

Fog Rising

Fishing In The Fog

Northern Sky

Thursday was another busy and good day overall. It began with an early paddle, then breakfast in Bemus at 8:00, and I returned home at 9:10 to finish up the blog and publish it. We got a few things done when I returned — basically getting rid of the lake flies on both porches and vowing to keep the lights off in the evening. I wanted to get in some exercise, so around 11:00 I drove to Mayville, parked my car, and rode Webb's Trail and Sea Lion Drive for 50 minutes on a fine, sunny, blue-sky afternoon. It felt good to be out doing something. Evie had lunch ready when I returned: ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches and veggie soup.

I watched another episode of Lioness and read until 1:00, when we drove to Dunkirk for a 2:00 appointment with an orthopedist. First, they took more X-rays of both of Evie's knees, then we talked with the PA for a good half hour as he explained what he thinks is wrong with her knee: severe arthritis and a possible meniscus tear. He went through four options, the last being surgery, but suggested a steroid shot. We thought that was worth a try, so first he drained her knee of fluid and blood before giving Evie the shot. She'd had one a couple of years ago on that knee, so she knew what to expect. We made another appointment in a month and drove home, hoping the shot would work.

We were home by 4:15, and I wanted to get one of my chores done, so I grabbed a stepladder, bucket, squeegee, and newspaper and washed and cleaned the front windows. It took me half an hour, and fortunately the lake flies didn't seem to bother me. By the time I was done, it was wine time, so we relaxed for a good hour, listening to Jake Tapper make fun of our clown in the White House. He would be amusing if he weren't so upsetting. We had an easy dinner: Wegmans General Tso's chicken over rice. It was actually decent, cheap, and tasty. We watched the usual until 8:30, then I watched a few minutes of the Fever game, the NFL game, then a full episode of Lioness before going up to read my new novel, Allen Eskens's The Heavens May Fall.

Unbelievable:

44º And Blue Skies And Blinding Sun

6:25

7:36

9:21

It's 9:30 as I start this blog, although I was up at 6:20. Evie and I are listening to Michael Smerconish, always interesting. I was out on the lake before 7:00, before sunrise, for close to 50 minutes. At 8:00, I was at the Lake Life Cafe in Bemus, ordering an avocado toast with a fried egg and coffee. Jack and I sat around reminiscing about the good old days until 9:00, when we both drove home.

Kayak Morning

Looking Southeast

Sun Rising

Fog Along Woodlawn

Looking East Of Long Point

Yesterday was a get-things-done morning. After coffee, kayaking, and the blog, Evie and I got busy organizing and cleaning the upstairs, getting it ready for the arrival of our Kansas City family. A lot of it was getting the toys ready for Rhys, who is obsessed with pulling all kinds of toys out of the attic, and arranging them downstairs for him. 

Lake Flies Cometh

Lunch was soup and a sandwich, and I watched another episode of Fauda. Evie left to get her hair done around 12:30, and I had a few things to do, so I left soon after, stopping first to set up a Physical Therapy session for me in October. I then returned sweatpants at Target, not long enough. I finally ended up at Walmart, where I bought shorts, sweatpants, and a pullover, all surprisingly inexpensive because they were on sale. I am starting to like Walmart for clothes as well as other items. When I returned, Evie was back, enjoying her show and happy with her haircut, a bit shorter and cute.

We both did little until 5:00, when we listened to Jake Tapper, with the news about the Trump clown show at the UN. I forgot to mention that I sharpened the lawn mower blades, then mowed the backyard, just to see if my sharpening made a difference. I doubt it. Dinner was a favorite: taco salad, with taco shells, chili, salsa, cheese, and sour cream. We watched our usual, and I finished the night with the last episode of Fauda, ending the series, and the first episode of the second season of Lioness on Paramount+.