Nothing New---Sun, Heat, No Rain

So Warm, We Ate Inside

Well, we have started breaking down my study to get ready for next week when all the kids come.  We moved out lots of my stuff, my desk, books, things like that, and moved in a bed from the attic.  Not a big deal except that it's awfully hot upstairs, especially in the attic.  This afternoon, Evie is off to Walmart to print pictures for last summer's album, a herculean task, to put them in order and try to make sure everyone is included.  Obviously, the kids dominate, probably the girls because they are so cute, but she finds that there are not enough pictures of the adults at times.  Most of them don't like having their picture taken anyways, like me.  I have to take the Accord in for new brakes, not something I want to do right now but it must be done before everyone gets here.

Last night we had Joe and Betsy Bergen over for dinner, finally, after six years of being neighbors.  They are both lawyers, live in Buffalo, love the lake like us, and have two Dachshunds.  Joe has his own law firm, and  Betsy works for a large law firm in Buffalo, and mostly represents large clients like Ford in personal injury suits.  We really got along well, and found we have lots in common, politics, interest in movies, with similar tastes, and books.  Like us, they dislike Bush, are liberal, so it was nice to talk to someone up here who thinks the way we do.  There are not many around, as the locals seem to be conservative,  but a  group of younger home owners from out of state all seem to be liberal.  They brought a couple bottles of wine, Joe made a great coconut pie and brought some ice cream, unexpectedly I might add, so we had a great meal, Turkish mostly, with a great dessert and wine.  Betsy grew up in Hamburg, just outside of Buffalo, but Joe is from the Bronx.  They met at the University of Buffalo law school, liked the area, and decided to stay and settle in the downtown areas.  I think there are some really neat areas in Buffalo's downtown, perhaps a bit like Little Italy, University Circle, but nicer.  It was a really fun night, despite the heat and having to stay inside.

Betsy and Joe Bergen

It's really hot out side though I went for a nice kayak ride this morning; whenever I got too hot, I just paddled into shallow water, got out, and laid in the water.  I did it twice, so I was never really that hot.  The hillside at Giarizzo's is now filled with large gravel or stones, and the new bottom, jutting out into the lake, was covered with dirt and hydroseeded a couple days ago.  According to one of the workers, this wall of stone will do the trick, so they won't have to worry about it moving again but, on either side of the stones, there's also steep, treeless sides, so they are not completely safe.