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+.

Parly Cloudy, Windy And Cool

Our Great Grandson, Tommy

It's 8:23, and both Evie and I have been up since 6:45. After a cup of coffee and planning our day — mostly how I am going to help this morning — I realized she's already up doing things, so I'd better get this written so I can be useful, which is always problematic. I was out on the lake at 7:30, paddling into a southeasterly wind for 20 minutes down to Sandy Bottom, then had an easy paddle back, spotting both a heron and an eagle, which made my morning.

7:22

6:36

Kayak Morning

  Into The Sun And Reeds

Heron

Tuesday was a good day, mostly because Evie had a great day at kindergarten. I had my usual morning of paddling, blogging, and breakfast, so I won't go into detail. By 9:30, we were on our way to Southwestern. I'm sure Evie could have driven, but I wanted to give her knee one more day to heal, so I dropped her off with no plan for the rest of the morning. I went a little crazy and walked around the Target next to Wegmans, checking it out, and was surprised at all the stuff on the shelves — it rivals Walmart. I bought a pair of sweatpants for twenty-five bucks but will take them back today because they're too short. After my retail excursion, I stopped at Tim Hortons for a coffee and a sausage biscuit, then drove to Bemus, to the end of Lakeside Drive. Instead of my usual hike, I did the eastern side of the trail, heading up toward the highway past the buildings. It seemed longer than I remembered — it ended up being about two miles, much of it up some easy hills. I was glad to get back to the car.

Long Point Trail

I was home by 12:15, had a fish sandwich, watched some TV, then left to pick Evie up at 1:15. I waited in the parking lot for five minutes before she came out smiling, having had fun with her class. We were tempted to do some shopping, but it would have been too much for Evie after a day in kindergarten. Once we got home, she regaled me with stories about some of the kids, then watched her shows while I read and napped. Neither of us did anything productive the rest of the afternoon, and we looked forward to wine time at 5:00. It was a windy late afternoon, with the wind chimes sounding every minute or two. After wine and appetizers, neither of us was that hungry, so a bowl of Evie's veggie soup and a hot dog sounded good — that was our dinner. We watched a few shows until Evie went up to bed, when I switched over to the first half of the Fever game. I was bored by halftime, so I switched to my series Fauda, about an Israeli undercover counterterrorism unit. It takes place after the October 7th Hamas invasion, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed. Episode seven, though, went back to that day — to the invasion itself — and it was hard to watch Hamas storm a house and kill children, and rape and kill the wife of one of the series' main characters. There was a warning before the episode began about its violence. I looked up the stats afterward: yes, 1,200 Israelis were killed. In the Israeli response that followed, which continued for over a year, roughly 72,000 Palestinians reportedly died — I had a hard time falling asleep after that.

Loving Autumn Weather

7:09

8:22

It's 8:35, and Evie's up, showering and getting ready for school. I returned from a 50-minute paddle at 8:15, having been up since 6:30 on a chilly 48º morning. It was a good morning for a paddle, although the wind is picking up now. The ospreys have definitely migrated, but I shot three different herons and one eagle high up in a tree.

Kayak Morning

Victoria/Woodlawn

Clouding Up

Hunkering Down

Cormorant

On A Branch

The first day of fall was a decent day for both of us. Evie's knee gets a bit better each day and she is more mobile, enough so that she is going to school today. Yesterday was typical, with an early morning paddle, writing and publishing the blog, and having breakfast. Before going for a bike ride, I helped Evie organize a bedroom for the arrival of our great-grandson Rhys, and brought down some toys saved from when our grandchildren were young. Once that was done, I drove to Spectrum Eye Care to get my glasses adjusted because I accidentally sat on them. I was in and out in ten minutes, and since I was already in Celeron, I drove to Celeron Park on the lake, left my car, and rode my bike to Lakewood, stopping at Ryder's Cup for a coffee, and sat down and talked with a couple of friends, Dave and John. I then rode back to Celeron and drove to Wegmans to do some shopping. I then picked up some wine at Evans and was home by 12:30.

Celeron Lighthouse

I had lunch and watched my show, Fauda, then took a good hour-long nap, a first in a long time. Evie was relaxing much of the afternoon, putting ice on her knee occasionally like a good girl. I read some, then was on my way to meet with my friends for beers at Dick's house. We try to get together every couple of months, alternating at each other's house. Since three have worked at the Chautauqua Institution for many years, it's often the topic of conversation, especially since a former friend's son is now the president of the CI. We left around 6:00, vowing to get together sooner rather than later.

The Boys

When I got home, Evie had dinner practically ready and was putting the breaded fish in the air fryer. Ten minutes later we were enjoying fish, coleslaw, and roasted potatoes. We watched TV together until 8:30, when Evie went up to bed, and I watched some Fauda and Monday Night Football until 10:00, when I went up to bed.

A Southwestern Morning Sky

6:53

6:52

6:48

6:47

6:34

It's 8:44, and we're both sitting around, watching the constantly changing lake sky. I was up around 6:20 and was fortunate to catch a spectacular sky before sunrise. I waited until 7:15, when the sun began to rise, and then went out for a paddle on a very algae-filled lake. It was a long, 75-minute paddle across to Long Point, then south to Tom's Point and home. My kayaking friends had mentioned on Saturday that they'd seen five eagles along Tom's Point, but when I turned the corner, there wasn't an eagle, osprey, or heron in sight. On my way back, however, I did see a heron and a mallard.

Kayaking Along Long Point

Bemus Bridge

Kayaking Towards Tom's And Prendergast Points

Mallard

Heron

Sunday was another day of football, like most Sundays in autumn. It began with a decent paddle, then writing and publishing the blog, all before Evie woke. It was great to see her sleep in, and her knee seems better each day, which is encouraging. We sat around until 10:00, thinking about what we might need for dinner over the next couple of days. We also found a knee brace recommended by ChatGPT that was available at CVS, since the brace the hospital gave her keeps sliding down and is much too big. So around 10:30, I drove into Jamestown and bought CVS's last knee brace. After that, I stopped at a very busy Wegmans and picked up what we needed for the next few days. I forgot the beer and wine, though.  Probably because I wanted to remember to stop at Jeremy's for corn near Hogans. There was none left, so I drove up to Stedman Corner, then to the farm down the road, and found none at either. I went home empty-handed.

When I got home, Evie had been busy in the kitchen, making her famous veggie soup and getting things better organized. For lunch, I had the leftover fried rice and lamb chop and watched the Steelers/Patriots game. I had enough after the first half and went upstairs to read and nap. The rest of the afternoon went quickly, as neither of us did much other than sit around, scroll on our phones, or watch TV. Evie did have long talks with both Beth and Jill, and by 5:00 we were ready for a glass of wine.

For dinner, our neighbor Pat had cleaned out her freezer when she left, so Evie pulled out Pat's ham loaf, made it into ham balls, and baked them with a brown sugar syrup. We'd had them before at Pat and David's and really liked them. Along with mashed potatoes, they made us happy in front of the TV. I watched some of the Sunday night game between the Chiefs and Colts but went up to bed at halftime, tired from doing very little all day.

From my former student Rex:

Yom Kippur (Day Of Atonement)

To those I have wronged,

I ask forgiveness.

To those I may have helped,

I wish I had done more.

To those I neglected to help,

I ask for understanding.

To those who helped me,

I thank you with all my heart.

G'mar Chatima Tovah

May you be sealed in the Book of Life