Recording Setting High, Day 24 Without Rain

John DiAngelo and Biff

This is getting to be old as I was up early, spent an hour watering the lawn, from 6:30 to 7:20, then again, the other half, from 8:30-9:15.  We are getting nervous about our well, so we have decided to depend completely on pumping water out of the lake, which takes more time.  But the grass looks rich, luxuriant, and green, so maybe all this time is worth it.  I wonder what I would have been doing if I hadn't been out watering my lawn...probably nothing.  It gives corners to my day.

I talked with Beth yesterday and she was excited because Mitch, who has real talent as an artist, especially throwing pots, has been asked by his school to move to the adult class, and they want him to help out, eventually getting paid to guide/teach the younger kids with their pots during the summers.  He is excited, of course, and it will give him the chance to do something he likes and earn some money as well.  Tyler, too, seems to be doing well, as his teacher says he is so far ahead of his peers with his guitar that he ought to take up singing as well, because he would be in great demand by bands.  He's also learning to play the drums and his teacher thinks he's a natural.  And, of course, Marisa is playing pepper, honing her skills, getting ready from Chautauqua.

Jill and family spent a great week with friends at Bethany Beach in Delaware, then a week up at Drew's families cottage in Vermont for a week.  They are home now for close to two weeks before heading to Chautauqua for about 10 days.  We cannot wait to see everyone.

John DeAngelo stopped by, as he usually does each summer, as he rents a cottage on the other side of the lake for a week, brings up the kids and grand kids, and has been doing it for around five years now. We knew each other from playing on the playgrounds in high school and college, and he took over for me at Painesville Harvey when I left in 1967.  It's always fun to talk with John as he's clued in on the basketball scene, and knows what all the players from our generation are doing, where they have retired to, how many kids they have, and so forth.  He asked about Rich Holzheimer, as he remember seeing him play.  He also stopped by to see Stan last night, I think, and they are up for a week.  He and his wife Penny took a great vacation last fall, twenty five days in Croatia, Germany, Austria, and Italy.  Most of the time they stayed either with family or friends, which made it a really fun trip.  I can remember the first time John ever traveled, probably back in the late  80's, when he took his father back to his hometown in Italy.  Until then, he had never been abroad.

The kind of afternoon to stay inside and read, which I have been doing.  It's only 86 outside, 78 inside because we keep the windows shut after 9:00AM.  Evie's off at the Ladies of the Night Tea.  I hope it's  air conditioned at the house they are meeting.  A biologist from Jamestown Community College is speaking on the lake, its health, so Evie's really interested.  After I read for a few more minutes, I am going to go jump in the lake and cool off.  We are going out to dinner tonight to a bar I heard about that has 41 different kinds of burgers.  It's off in the hills, about 30 minutes from here, near the Nic L Inn where we used to go for dinner but haven't in the past ten years.  It's the place with lots of hummingbird feeders and Mom and Dad used to like going there because of the beautiful ride.