THE NEWLYWEDS: NELL FREUDENBERGER

Amina, a young woman from Bangladesh, has always wanted to live somewhere else.  When, at her parent's urging, she goes online to a dating service, she connects with George, a shy thirty four year old electrical engineer who lives in Rochester, New York.  We learn how the two first begin to communicate, how their interest in each other grows, until George takes the big step of flying to Bangladesh to meet Amina and her family.  All goes well and they agree to marry, Amina coming to Rochester to live, where she will get a green card and after three years, she will be able to apply for citizenship.

We see the relationship through Amina's eyes, a woman struggling to understand herself, her role as a wife, in a culture totally different from her own.  Freudenberger is very good at showing the differences in the two cultures, the two families, Amina's close, even intimate, whereas George's family is dysfunctional, a crazy mother, and a hippie sister.  Both families, however, are welcoming to the new spouse, so that Amina does not feel ostracized or left out by George's family.  She eventually gets  a job in a Media Center, loses it because of a draw down, then ends up working at Starbucks.  She hopes to get a college degree but George ends up losing his job, so their finances are strained.

Two major problems rear their head.  One, Amina discovers that for a time, during their email courtship, when George seemed to lose interest for a couple of months, he was living with his step sister, fathered a child, though it was eventually aborted.  This sister, Kim, ends up befriending Amina and never tells her about her relationship with George.  When Amina does find it out, she distances herself from Kim and she distrusts George's motives from then on.  The second problem is familial.  Amina all along has assumed her parents would eventually come and live with her and George, a typical Indian way of doing things.  George is not sold on the idea but eventually acquiesces, especially after Amina learns about his tryst with his step sister Kim.

The second half of the novel takes place in Bangladesh, when Amina goes to bring her parents to the United States.  The return after three years is one of nostalgia for Amina as she realizes how much she has missed her extended family, her small town, and her parents.  Complications arise in the getting of visas for her parents, lengthening her stay.  This gives her time to reconnect with a childhood friend, Nasir, a possible suitor at one time but deemed unsuitable by her parents.  Now, he's their savior, helping them with visas, allowing both Amina and her parents to stay in his house.  Amina's affection for him rekindles, as she sees how he's changed, how he treats her parents.  They have a brief kiss on a roof top, but both stop knowing it's not the right thing.  They avoid each other when possible from the kiss on, but Amina continually thinks about Nasir in ways she never thought about George.  The reader, as a result, is never sure if she will return to George or  throw it all up and stay with Nasir.

Before they are able to fly to the State, Amina is made aware of some shady dealings by her father; it's not clear if he's guilty of theft or not but a antagonist throws acid on him in the bazaar and he is rushed to the hospital.  He slowly recovers, gets his visa finally, and the family says good by to Nasir at the airport, then they get on the plane.  The novel ends with a letter written by George's sister, Kim, for Amina in which she explains why Amina ought to win a 10,000 dollar Starbucks scholarship.  The letter wins the award and we assume Amina and her parents return to George in Rochester and life goes on.  In the end, she does the right thing, for her and George and her parents, sacrificing her love for Nasir for her parents and a new life in the States.  Our feelings about George and Amina are mixed, as they both have their virtues but also their weaknesses, making them human I suppose.  Nothing is as it seems, especially in a relationship,

A Delightful Morning, Partly Cloudy and Cooler

6:11

6:52

Up around 6:00 to a much cooler morning, how nice, and a partly cloudy sky, masking the sunrise at least early.  The next few days will be much cooler, in the 60's during the day, the 50's at night, like May and June used to be.

Yesterday we continued to get organized for our trip to Jill and Beth's.  The days this week seem to blend in to one another, as we haven't really done anything different, no hikes, no trips, just kind of hang out at the lake, work some in the yard, in the house, pack a bit, get the car ready, and wait for our departure date, tomorrow at 7:00.  We did take the boat out yesterday morning for the first time.  We also experimented with a new method of weed control.  Evie would drive the boat slowly over the weed beds and I would drag the rake behind.  We worked at it for about thirty minutes with mixed results.  I know I cut some weeds but at this point, at least where we worked, the weeds did not seem tall enough yet.  I know later in the summer this will work, especially if the weeds are up to the water level.  They are projecting a bumper crop of weeds this summer so we are getting ready.

Late afternoon, we went over to the Mc Clure's and we took a nice cocktail cruise around the entire north end of the lake on their pontoon boat.  We, of course, had drinks and pupus and it was a perfect late afternoon for a ride though by the time we headed back, it had gotten windy and we were all glad we had brought jackets along.  There are some amazing houses at the north end, like most areas, and this may have been the first time we have seen them from a  boat.  Usually the weeds are so bad, the water is so shallow that we have steered clear of this area.

Ron McClure's Spiffy New Tennies

We had another delicious meal, this time with a Moroccan spin, a chicken couscous, flat bread and an eggplant salad.  Interesting flavors for each dish, a bit different from either Turkish or most Middle Eastern foods.   We sat around the table talking and enjoying our food until about 9:30 when we headed home, just as it was getting dark.  It's amazing how long day light lasts this time of the year.

A Beautiful Morning, Cooler and Clear

6:23

Dinner at Nic L Inn

Our Next Door Neighbors, Joyce and Bill Leonard

It was nice to wake up to a cooler morning at 6:20, the sun already up but hidden behind the clouds off to the east.  Now it's high above, a sunny day to come, not too hot, in the 70', getting progressively cooler as the week goes.  A perfect day to get ready for our trip East

Yesterday was a lost day, as I spent a couple of hours in the morning waiting for my car, oil change and brake adjustment.  I walked into Jamestown from the dealer, went to Cibo, a coffee shop on 3rd, the only one open at 8:45, then picked up a couple of books on the way back, at the James Prendergast Library.  I returned some bottles in Lakewood and returned home about 11:00, a wasted morning but something I had to get done.  Later, Evie then went to get her hair trimmed, returned items to Sam's and picked up some new dresses for the girls for the summer from Old Navy. The highlight of the day was the heavy rains for about a half an hour, including hail for about two minutes around noon.  I think we got a half inch in that brief period.  The results of the rain are evident in Evie's garden, as what was once mostly green is beginning to pop with color, finally.

Recycling Store in Lakewood

For dinner, the Leonard's took us out to the Nic L Inn, in South Valley, one of our favorite restaurants.  It's about a 35 minute ride through a beautiful valley, which I mention each time we go, but this time the mountains were lush with green, reminding me of Austria or Switzerland.  It was a perfect time of day for a drive, the colors just right, the sun out.  We all had great meals, veal and chicken parm for Bill, Joyce and me, pork chops for Evie, plus two desserts to share.  What a great meal.  We went home the quicker way, via #86, getting back around 9:00, in time to watch the latest episode of Mad Men.  A slow episode, we thought, though Peggy's resigning from the firm, was a shock.  I wonder if she will still be in the series.

Hazy and Warm, Thundershowers to Come

6:05

Memorial Day Picnic

Enjoying Dessert as the Sun Sets

Up at 5:45, as the sun tries to burn its way through the haze of this warm, humid morning.  Not a boat on the lake so far, no bass boats waking me, just the sound of the happy martins, building their nests, getting ready for their families.  It's going to be another warm day but thundershowers will cool it off later today.

Yesterday had to be another record setting day, hot, humid, with little wind, too hot to sit on the dock but nice enough under the trees, in the shade when the wind picked up.  Though it was Memorial Day, the lake was not as busy as Sunday and by 6:00, the lake had really settled down as most people had headed back to their homes and jobs.  I talked with all three kids and they are all well.  Hayden was going for a run with her Dad; Marisa was in a parade, doing her Irish dance, and Marlena was having pancakes with her friend Abbey, who spent the night.  Fortunately, we get to see the Bissell's and Albarrans in a week, heading to Jill's and Virginia on Friday, then to Beth's the following Wednesday, returning home on Monday, June 11th.  We are going so we can see the girls hip hop performances, something we cannot miss!

Yesterday, we relaxed much of the day because of the heat, but since we were having the Mc Clures and Leonard's for dinner, Evie made a foccacia with herbs and sun dried tomatoes, baking it on a pizza stone outside on the grill.  We had it as an appetizer, with Greek olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and it was amazingly good.  We almost did not need dinner.

We sat outside for drinks and appetizers for an hour or more, enjoying the waning afternoon sun, before I put the English cut on the grill, taking close to a half an hour before it was done.  While it rested, I grilled some asparagus, and then we settled down to a great dinner.  We had closed the house up early in the morning, so it was like eating in an air conditioned room, at least ten to fifteen degrees cooler in side than out.  Linda made her special potato salad, with a dozen eggs, and the Leonard's brought ice cream and toppings for dessert.  Everyone stayed till about 9:30 then headed home to warm houses, no doubt.  A good day but we missed our families.

I am off this morning at 7:45 to get my car serviced, readying it for our trip on Friday.  Let's hope their are no surprises.  The

Memorial Day: A Thanks to All Our Brave Soldiers

7:10

Heliotropes and Peony Buds

La Casa

View from the Dock

Up later than usual, about 7:00 to a muggy, drippy morning, bright sun reflecting off the lake, with temperature highs in the eighties or even nineties, alas.  A few fishing boats on the lake, a haze has set in, as the lake has lost all color, almost white, because of the reflection of the sun on the gleaming water.

We had a lazy day of doing nothing really, though I did manage to get a good bike ride in early in the morning.  I went to the Lighthouse, ordered an English cut for tonight's dinner with the Mc Clure's and Leonard's, parked my bike in their lot, then rode south around Sea Lion Drive, mostly flat and I could avoid  #394 for the most part.  I went as far as Hartfield Bay, riding by the famous Deli which was open early.  Then, I headed back to the Lighthouse, about a fifty minute ride total.  I picked up my English cut, stopped by Ron and Linda's to say aloha, then headed home to a great breakfast of butter milk pancakes and bacon.  I have been coveting this kind of breakfast for a few weeks, perhaps tiring of the usual eggs and bacon.  It reminds me of summers with the grandchildren, where Evie seems to stand at the griddle for at least an hour, trying to fill up the kids and adults with her famous pancakes.

It was a schizophrenic day, hot and humid till late in the afternoon when the temperature plummeted about 20 degrees, to the sixties, then came heavy but brief rain showers, and we got out our fleeces, even took a warm shower.

We were able to read on the dock till the winds came, then enjoyed the brief but needed storm, and we got about a fifth of an inch total according to my rain gauge.  We made fried rice for dinner, using a left over pork chop with various vegetables and left over brown rice, one of our favorite meals.  It tasted great, healthy I suppose, with just enough pork but lots of vegetables.

We tried to find an interesting movie on Netflix, ended up watching a boring film called Strangers in Good Company. Eight elderly women are stranded in the wilderness when their bus breaks down.  The premise could have been interesting; unfortunately, the characters weren't and we just waited to see how they would be rescued...by plane.  It was slow, with lots of long shots of individual women staring off into space, sparse dialogue, as if he didn't know how to tell a good story.

A highlight yesterday was when we saw a pileated wood pecker yesterday, a rare sighting though we have seen one or two in the past few years.  He has an amazing red head dress, a black body, with a white and black striped face and a long beak.  He was working out on Leonard's tree, oblivious to us, just after a rain.  They can get huge, crow like, up to 17 inches tall, with a 27 inch wing span.  This one was much smaller, probably about 10-12 inches tall.  His bright red head dress was amazing.

Photo from Google Images

THE WAY THE CROW FLIES: ANNE MARIE MAC DONALD

This is quite a tomb, 722 pages worth, but also a good read.  My daughter Beth suggested it.  Her reading group read it and she said it really effected her. I can see why. It took me over a week to get through it and it was an intense read, set mostly in Canada in the earl 1960's, on a Canadian Air Force Base.  The family, the Mc Carthy's, seem to be a typical, happy Canadian family.  Jack, the father, is the head of the Air Force School.  His wife, Mimi, the perfect homemaker, efficient, perky and cute, the two kids, Madeleine and Mike, well adjusted and happy.  But, like all novels, like life, this idyllic life does not last long.  Why and how the trouble begins is one of the questions of the book.  It could have been Hitler's fault, or the United States, for pursuing it's Cold War strategies, or Jack's, for keeping a secret, or Mr. March's, for abusing  the fourth grade girls in his class, or Madelaine's for not lying instead of telling the truth.  So many small things go into telling the whole story, something Mac Donald tries to understand.

The first two thirds take place on the base, and we see things from both Madeleine's and Jack's points of view.  Jack is the realist, a patriot, an officer sworn to defend his country, to do as he's told.  He missed WW II because of an injury, has lived in Germany with his family, and seems like a strong, efficient Air Force officer, a good family man.  Madeleine is a bit of an individual, strong in her beliefs, a thoughtful and questioning child, the perfect complement to her father and they get along well.  Two stories intertwine, the molesting of Madeleine and other young girls in the fourth grade class, culminating in the awful murder of one of her classmates, Claire, a child of an American officer on duty in Canada.  The other thread concerns a German scientist, secretly in Canada before being allowed to come to the States to work on the NASA missile program, to outdo the Russians.  Jack, the father, is asked by an old friend, now a British intelligence officer, to look after this German for a few months.  The two threads, impossibly, get linked, in a way that's too hard to explain.  A young neighbor is accused of the murder, and Jack has some info that might exonerate the boy but it also might compromise the scientist, lead to his exposure, possibly sabotaging the efforts to win the Cold War.  Jack does his duty, keeps quiet.  His daughter, meanwhile, wants to lie to save the young boy's life, but is convinced by Jack to tell the truth, dooming the young boy to prison for a crime he did not commit.'

The last third takes place some twenty five years later; Jack and Mimi are retired; their son, Mike, is still MIA from the Vietnam War (he joined the American Army, against his father's wishes, to prove he was as good as his old man).  And Madeleine becomes a very successful comedian, unhappy, but funny, still troubled by her past.  She is also a lesbian, something her mother finds very difficult to accept.  Gradually, Madeleine delves into her past, with the help of a therapist, researches the newspaper articles about the killing, finally understands that she is not to blame for the incarceration of her neighbor, and seems to have found some peace.  And she finds out, to the shock of herself and the reader, that the killer was not their pedophile teacher, Mr. March, as she thought, but two fourth grade girls, also victims of the teacher.  They, too, are victims and its never quite clear why they killed their classmate, whether it was an accident,  just fooling around, or confusion caused by their teacher's molestation.

It was an engrossing and effecting novel, long but worth reading and well written.  The setting, during the mid 1960's was very realistic and affecting, something straight out of Betty Crocker and Ozzie and Harriet but beneath the veneer of normality, was sickness, lies, subterfuge, child molestation, and death.  Things are never what they seem.  Doing what we think is good often has dire consequences; nothing is predictable, as King Lear says, "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport."

Sunny Sunday Morning

6:10

Kevin and Connor Gail Hiking the Overland Trail

Barb and Jim Fox on their Great Porch

The Guys of Summer

Summer Girls

Evie and our neighbor, Bud Kinney

Again, I awakened to a bass boat; perhaps I was awake anyways but it's certainly the first sound of summer on weekends.  A few fishermen out but mostly I hear the chatter of birds as I sit enjoying my view of the lake.  It's 58 degrees, feels nice and cool as I write, listen to NPR and it's not yet 7:00, time for You Bet Your Garden with the know it all  Mike Mc Grath.  Listening to him is like watching Fox News; for reasons unknown, we are attracted to the obnoxious and awful just like the true and good .

Yesterday, we had a full morning, leisurely afternoon, and fun early evening.  As I mentioned yesterday, we picked up my nephew, Kevin Gale and his sixteen year old son, Connor at the southern end of the George Cusimano Overland Trail, then dropped them off at the north end near Mayville, for their two day hike, approximately twenty two miles.  We then drove to Westfield to join a Wildflower tour.

We got home around 1:00, just in time to head to the Transfer Station, my Saturday routine.  The rest of the afternoon we recovered from the past couple of busy days.  Evie spent most of the afternoon out on the dock, soaking up the sun and reading while I joined her off and on, though I preferred staying inside to read, as it was too hot out for me.  Late afternoon, Evie cut the lawn and I worked on filling some of the holes in the lawn made by the topping of our maple tree on Thursday.

About 5:30, we headed over to our neighbors, Jim and Barb Fox, for their annual Porch Party.  They have a great porch obviously, perfect for hosting a large group of people, with the overflow on the lawn.  It was fun to see some of the neighbors who we have not seen for nine months, as well as those who come up regularly, even during the winter, like the Kinney's and Bergens.  Everyone brought an appetizer, so there was lots to munch on, lots of beer or wine as well.  We ended up talking with various couples, some who we had met before, others who were new to us.  A number of them read my blog, to my surprise, and enjoy it mostly to see what is going on weather wise at the lake.

Jim and Barb are great hosts, fun to be with, and they clearly enjoy having a party.  It was a perfect night, too, not too hot like Friday, a nice breeze, and everyone seemed to enjoy the first gathering of the year on Lake Chautauqua.  We stayed till about 8:00, came home too full to want a full dinner, so we nibbled at some of the left overs from last night's party, watched some TV, a show recommended by friends called Lillehammer, which we did not like much though we may not have given it a chance to pull us in.

I am reading a book called The Newlyweds, about a Bangladesh's woman, who meets and marries an American engineer from Rochester, NY on the Internet.  So far, they seem to be happy but we all know this won't last long.  It's told from the point of view of Amina, the wife, with little insight into her husband yet.

It's supposed to rain today, something we really need, but it will be spotty so we will have to wait and see.  Off for a bike ride around Sea Lion Drive.

Wildflower Walk with the Chautauqua Lake Conservancy

Evie with Becky Nystrom, JCC biologist at LakeErie

With Sue Mc Gill at mouth of Chautauqua Creek

Tulip tree leaves

Getting info about the Walk

Discussing the Greenery

We met a group of about twenty five people Saturday morning at 10:30 , at the home of Jim and Sue Mc Gill, friends of the conservancy.  They live just off of Rt.  5, about 3/4 of mile west of Barcelona, off of North Gun Club Road.  They have a cottage and an additional 15 acres of woods, paths, wildlife, mostly untouched, and it fronts both Chautauqua Creek and Lake Erie.  We spent about two hours meandering through the woods, stopping to exam and name most of the plants along the paths. Unfortunately, there were few spring flowers, either it's still to early or the snow killed them off about three weeks ago.  It was fun to have a naturalist with us, who could identify just about anything with green leaves, and tell us about it.  The woods were filled with tulip trees  or yellow poplar, for some reason, along with the other great trees of this areas, maples, beech and ash, the last two, however, are besieged by diseases which may wipe them out.  Becky Nystrom, the naturalist, also pointed out the most invasive of all plants, garlic mustard, which propagates easily and can snuff out an entire forest if allowed to run rampant, which it has done in some forests in Wisconsin.  She mentioned an indigenous azalea, called Pinkster, which we will try to find along with the following: cinnamon fern, jack in the pulpit, Virginia creeper, Garlic Mustard, May Apple,  cranberry viburnum (indigenous), cucumber tree, along with various wild berries.

The property abuts the creek, which is about a ten to fifteen foot drop, so it would be hard to get down to it, so we just walked along a path to the lake, walked out on the sand and over to the mouth of Chautauqua creek, teeming at the moment with carp, spawning because we could see them moving in the water.  It's a lovely beach, lots of driftwood, mostly undeveloped, at least the shore line is all woods in both directions except for on huge Mc Mansion, about a mile to the west, which has cut down all the trees in their yard so they have a view.  This ought not be allowed like in Maine: no trees can be cut within 150 of water.

The Mc Gills are from Columbus, Ohio, but also lived for twenty five years in North Royalton.  They are really a nice couple and invited us back anytime to walk the woods, or hit the beach.  I really want to walk a good part of Chautauqua Creek, perhaps as far as as Hannum Road. where we enter the Gorge, about twenty miles roughly.

More Haze, More Heat

6:05

Topped Maple Tree

Bean Bag Champions, Dick Redington and Jan Johnson

Bean Bag Runner's Up, Wendy Heinz and Joe Johnson

Dick Redington, Jan Johnson, Karan Redington

Joe Johnson, Charlie Heinz, Dick Redington

Up at 6:00 to an orange globe, just rising over Long Point,  63 degrees outside, 73 inside...amazing heat for May, as it got up to 85 yesterday.  The sky over the lake is hazy, like an August morning, and I was awakened by bass boats about 6:00 though I don't think there is a tournament, just the early bird fishing boats.

We had a busy day yesterday, getting ready for our dinner party of eight.  Lots of work inside for Evie, cleaning the house, the porches, getting the food ready, setting the table, all the sorts of things that you have to do to get dinner ready for guests.  I helped when I could, finished the weeding, put in the buoys to keep the boats away from our dock, grilled some mango for dinner, all this before our tree service arrived.  Maalon, a young Amish tree climber, topped our southerly most tree, not one of the two big maples in the front yard.  He discovered the upper core was rotten, from woodpeckers and squirrels, dropped it in the yard, a huge trunk, leaving behind a pretty ugly but safer tree.  When he starting cutting the large trunk into smaller pieces, two squirrels ran out of the tree, though the third did not make it!  It took them close to two hours to do the work, costing a pretty penny but at least our yard should be safer from the falling of dead branches.

We both went swimming late afternoon, the water numbing, especially if you went below the the surface but in contrast to the weather, it felt refreshing, cleansing, cooling, just what we needed to recharge our batteries for the company.  They arrived around 6:00 and we sat outside in our front yard, a beautiful evening, with drinks, talking and playing bean bag till 7:45.  Everyone seemed to love the game, wanted the directions for making the boards, and neither Evie nor I were part of the winning teams.  The women especially seemed to enjoy the game because they were as good as their husbands.  Dinner was great, teriyaki pork chops, brown rice, ratatouille, and salad with Evie's special dressing, which all loved and wanted the recipe.  We had revani for dessert, a rich semolina cake, topped with a sugar and water sauce and chopped pistachios, a typical Turkish sweet.  We passed around strawberries which made the revani perfect.

We sat around the table till 10:30, talking mostly about the good old days, growing up in the late 50's, the cars we drove, our kids, books we liked, especially mysteries, the usuals for a party like this and, of course, getting older.  No talk of health or medication, little about politics, nothing about sports, so it was a congenial group.  We feel a little on the outside since they all worked for the CI and had lots in common.  Slowly, we are beginning to know some of the allusions, the people, the stories.  Joe and his wife Jan, grew up in Jamestown, and know just about everything about the area.  Charlie Heinz and his wife Wendy have been here since the 70's and Charlie used to come to the CI when he was a boy.  And Dick and Karan Redington have also been here since the early 1980's and Karan's parents have had a cottage at the CI since her childhood, so their are lots of reminiscences of life at the CI. After everyone left, we did up all the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and got to bed around 11:30, tired from a  long day.

We have a busy day today. At 9:30 we are picking up my nephew, Kevin Gail and his son Connor, in Panama, at the south end of the George Cusimano Overland Trail.  They are going hike it over the weekend and we will drop them off at the north end.  We are then driving to Westfield for a wildflower walk along Chautauqua Creek with Becky Nystroms of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy.  And tonight, we are going to a porch party at our neighbors, Jim and Barb Fox.

Hazy, Hot, and Humid Spring Morning

6:20

Patio at Southern Tier Brewery

Waiting to watch The Dictator

It's already 63 degrees, sun burning through the haze over the lake, a slight breeze, with a high of 85 degrees later in the day.  No rain in sight for Memorial Day Weekend and as of yet, no big plans.  Before it gets too hot, I intend on watering a couple o spots where we put down new plants and some grass seed.

Yesterday was a busy day for Evie because we are having three couple over tonight for dinner and she wanted to get must things done early, keeping Friday a more leisurely day.  She made my favorite new dessert, a Turkish semolina cake, one that you bake then pour sugar syrup over, add a dab of  creme fraiche on top and it's heavenly.  We are also having pork chops, so Evie brined them and baked the eggplant and squash for putting together a ratatouille later today.  I went to yoga, probably for the last time in awhile, stopped at Weggies to pick up a few items for dinner, JC Penney to look for summer dresses for the girls (no luck) and then came home to help out with kitchen.  It was a strange day, a warm but strong wind, so strong it blew the plastic Adirondack chairs off the dock.

At 5:00, we went off with Ron and Linda to see The Dictator.  We were seduced by the trailers on TV and though it's not a great movie,  it is funny.  As Ron said, once you thought they had reached a level of vulgarity and crudeness, they surprised you by going even lower.  There is not much of a story, mostly funny scenes, crude humor, mostly sexual or bathroom in nature, what else.  Sasha Baron Cohen does bring politics into it, of course, and has a very funny diatribe at the end which skewers the current conservative republican point of view ( I don't think it will be reviewed on Fox News).  I constantly surprised myself by laughing at the crude and disgusting language and behavior.  Maybe I am rediscovering my adolescent self?  A student of mine from Reserve, a class mate of my son Tommy, was one of the co writers and producers, Jeff Schaeffer.  He was a marvelous English student in my AP class, a Presidential Scholar, but this antic side was rarely evident in class.

After the movie, we went to the Southern Tier Brewery for a few drafts and a sandwich. It was a beautiful night to sit out side on their patio, have a beer, and munch on chips and dip.  The barbecued beef sandwiches, however, were dry and not worth getting again.  For a Thursday night, we were surprised at how crowded it was, lots of people of all ages, one family with kids, and lots of bicyclist, just returning from a ride.  It would be a fun place to go with our kids this summer, especially on a nice summer night.  Tonight, local favorite Jackson Rohm, plays for three hours, no cover.  A friend of my daughter Jill dated Jackson in Atlanta, probably fifteen years ago, and she was surprised to see him up here for a weekend.  Small world.

A Warm July Morning in May

Weeding the brick path

5:30 A.M.

6:05

Evie' Garden at 6:15 A.M

Up too early, at 5:30, to  a light pink sky off to the east, the kind I remember from mid summer when it's very warm.  A slight haze mars what is usually a crystal clear May morning sky.  As I say, May is the new June.  Scary.  It's 59 degrees, high in the 80's the next couple of days, time to keep the windows closed, get out the fans, turn on the air conditioning...o, that's right, we don't have air conditioning.  In fact, I remember August in the old days, the 1980's when a sweat shirt was de riguer for the cool days, highs usually in the 60's.

I am having a hard time remembering what I did yesterday as the days blend into each other unless something different pops up.  O, yea, now I remember.  I began my routine of driving to the Tri James gravel pit, where I picked up a load of stones, then another load of sand and top soil.  I made a mixture of sand and top soil to level low spots in our yard, a result of last year's septic installing.  I used the stones to fill in low spots in our driveway and road.  I get four buckets, more likely five for two dollars.  For some reason, I enjoy doing it, perhaps because it gives me a blip in my otherwise routine day.  Around 3:00, we dropped my car off to get new brakes at an auto shop about two miles away, recommended by a couple of friends.  Then, Evie dropped me off at Snug Harbor to pick up my boat, after getting a new impeller and bilge, at a hefty cost, of course.  A nice way to start the summer.  As we got there, our boat was in the water, going backwards.  Strange.  When we inquired what's up, they said they couldn't get it in forward, just reverse.  They took it out of the water again, opened the lower drive, adjusted a few shafts, tightened a bolt, and viola, I was off on the lake, for the first time this summer.  Let's hope that's it for the boat.  Just putting gas and oil in the boat is enough without adding the cost of upkeep and storage. If you worry about the cost of a boat, you shouldn't have one.

Evie has the backyard and garden looking spectacular; though we still have little color.  The garden is immaculate, the green of the plants and lawn rich and fertile, the color only found in late spring before the heat of summer.  Leonard's invited us over for a drink before dinner; they seemed to have settled in quickly and easily.  For dinner, we had breaded pork chops, an old favorite of Evie's from her childhood, with apple sauce, baked potatoes and salad.  We watched a French movie called Summer Hours on Netflix, about a French family who must decide what to do with their mother's house, valuable paintings, and furniture after she dies.  The oldest son wants to keep the house, the accoutrement's, the memories for his children; the two youngest, who no longer live in France, want to sell the house and the priceless paintings.  They win out and we watch the way they manage to not let their differences get in the way of their feelings for each other despite the sadness of getting rid of a home filled with memories.  A bit slow but worth watching.  The house, of course, was typically French, surrounded by a wonderful garden, somewhat unkempt, but straight out of a Monet or Renoir.

Light Fog and Overcast Morning on the Lake

6:35

Oliver Hazard Perry Monument on Presque Isle

6:36

Awoke to the sound of birds (what else) but stayed in bed until 6:20, a sleep in for me.  It's 50 degrees outside, going up to the mid 70's, but warming up each day, with little hope of rain.  It would be a good morning to kayak, not a ripple on the lake and the fog is supposed to burn off quickly and we'll have another sunny day.

Yesterday I spent the day in Erie, for a routine doctor appointment (we measure our weeks in doctor's appointments), hit Dick's Sports for some goodies, then went to St. Vincent hospital where my old friend Stan Marshaus has been for a few days.  He went in with intense pain, diagnosed as a torn muscle, from golfing no doubt, but now he's having heart problems and may have a pace maker put in.  When I walked in, friends from Chautauqua were there, then a good friend from Cleveland, John Di Angelo, came in just as I was leaving.  With luck, he may be out at the end of the week.  He's having a second heart catheterisation today (electrical).

Because I was in Erie, I packed a lunch (peanut butter and honey sandwiches, Halle's favorite) and went to Presque Isle Park, a peninsula that hooks out over  the city of Erie on the lake.  It's an amazing park, with great beaches, views, kayaking, and a bike/walking/online skating path that circumscribes the entire peninsula.  I rode my bike out to the tip, to the Perry Monument, had lunch, then rode back to my car.  The day was overcast and cool, perfect for riding.  I stopped at a couple of deserted beaches which reminded me of pictures of the Outer Banks, only on a smaller scale.  I ought to do this at least once a month and it made me want to try online skates.

I drove home the long way, via # 5, which skirts the lake and goes through the center of Eire.  It's an impressive decaying city, like most in the northeast, but the homes along this route attest that it was once a wealthy place to live.  Many are still kept up, most on the west and near east side, but then they begin to decay as the neighborhoods turn in to homes for the poor.  I loved one of the squares, a huge tree filled park, surrounded by brick homes with porches, most fairly middle class, no huge mansions in this area.  I went along the lake road, passing vineyards alternating with lake homes set on the bluff above Lake Erie.  Lake front homes are more predominate in PA, perhaps because they are so close to a big city like Erie.  As you get into New York state, the homes are less numerous with more vineyards and undeveloped property.  I headed home via #394, through Westfield and Mayville.  I was really tired when I got home, about 4:00.

While I was in Erie, Evie did the major shopping for the week, for our dinner party on Friday with the breakfast club.  Not much fun for her, but she was able to get everything.  Hitting Sam's, Wegman's and Home Depot, especially on senior Tuesday's is not much fun.  But we saved 5% on our  groceries!

We had pork barbecue for dinner, watched The Devil Wears Prada, for the second time but still fun, and some American Idol before going to bed.

Cloudy, Calm Morning

6:10

Monday Afternoon at 4:45

Purple Martin families

Awake early, again, but stayed in bed till 5:45, getting up to the sound of the martins.  It's overcast, though off to the east, the sun is struggling to peak through the cloud bank.  Rain, wonderful rain, is forecast for this morning, something we need badly, especially for Evie's garden.  It's warm, 60 degrees, though it's only going to get into the low 70's today, quite a difference from Sunday's record setting 89 degrees.

This is my last week of yoga, so I went yesterday morning and, too my surprise, class was crowded with three other guys, very unusual for class.  They seemed to be students or recent grads, friends of Elise, our teacher, and knew what they were doing, had obviously taken yoga classes before.  I then went for coffee, at Ryder's, picked up some plants at Walmart and was home in time for a lunch of pulled pork and cole slaw.

We spent the afternoon in the yard or out on the dock, though about 4:30 it poured for about 15 minutes, enough to flood our side yard near the kitchen window, a rain we desperately needed.  The lawn already looks greener and longer this morning as a result.  I too Evie's father's tool box, a wooden box, 4' X 1', with eight sections out of the attic and  Evie gave it a good coating of linseed to preserve it.  She then filled each pocket with dirt and potted a herb.  It looks neat and will fit in well next to garden porch.

Last evening we had originally planned to go to a birding event at the Greystone Nautre Preserve, near Bear Lake, but because of the storm's, we decided it would be too wet, so we headed off to Hadley Bay Restaurant, just beyond the bridge on this side of the lake, as it had just opened.  We sat at the bar, got to know the owner Connie, her daughter in law, Christina, the bar tender, and Steve, another bar tender.  They had a special; if you ordered a 16 inch pizza, you got 12 free wings.  So we ordered a pizza to go, ate the wings at the bar with our beers, then headed home already full though we did manage to eat some pizza.  It was quite good, in fact, one of the better pizzas we have had here at the lake.  They have not yet advertised their opening, preferring to depend on word of mouth the first week or two, getting things organized and efficient, then they will advertise, put out their sign, and see how things go.  There were about 20-30 patrons, many seemed to know either the staff or owners.  We will go back for sure.

Sunny Sunny Monday Morning

6:20

Bill and Joyce Leonard, our next door neighbors, are back for the summer

Woke at 4:00 as I played the game of guessing  what time it was; I was off by two minutes.  Fortunately, I went back to sleep getting up about 6:15, to a brilliant sun shining through the leaves of our maples.  It's a warm 58 degrees at 6:30, about as warm a morning as we have had this spring.  No wonder as yesterday was a record setting 89 degrees here at the lake.  Ugh!  I shudder to think what it might be like in mid summer and the lake is already showing moss and weeds.

Yesterday, like many of the past few days, was a perfect day at the lake, clear, sunny, almost too warm to be out on the dock, but the lake was refreshing, as Evie swam numerous times.  It was a busy morning, leisurely afternoon.  We rearranged our living room, then washed windows, me outside, Evie in, as there was a residue left from having our house sprayed for spiders on Friday. Later in the morning, I went for a bike ride at the CI, circling it two times, about forty five minutes of riding.  Things are waking up there, lots of people up for the weekend and what looked like a conference of some sort.  Later in the day, I went off to help Ron launch his boat from the Mayville Marina.  We had little problem, just getting the ropes right so the boat doesn't hit the dock.

Around 3:00, the Leonard's arrived so we helped them move their clothes and things into the house, as Bill has had sciatica for a month.  Things went smoothly, the water, electricity and septic all seemed to work, and within 20 minutes they were moved in, able to relax.  We then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the dock, reading, taking an occasional dip.

We had Bill and Joyce over for dinner at 6:00, for pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw, potato salad, and broccoli salad, just the right meal for a Sunday evening.  It was good catching up with Bill and Joyce and their family, and they stayed till about 8:30.  We were both really tired and went to bed early for us, about 10:00.  A good day again.

Bass Boats Awaketh

6:10

First Swim of  2012

Gambling at the Rod and Gun Club

Happy Winnings

Well, summer is here, as bass boats awakened me at 6:00,  tearing off from the Long Point Marina, anxious to get to that sweet spot, hoping to bag the biggest bass or walleye or whatever is in season.  It's another clear morning, sun bright in the eastern sky, lake calm, birds chirping, about 52 degrees, a perfect spring morning, for walking or working in the yard or just relaxing on the dock.  I think we'll do all three.

Yesterday morning,  I got ready for yoga but my neighbor, Joe Deault called saying he was free to help me launch my boat.  So, we went up to where I store it, trailered it to Prendergast Point, launched it and found out the impeller wasn't working.  It keeps the engine cool.  So we pulled it out, drove the boat and trailer to Snugs, left it there and hope  to get it back by Wednesday, inshallah!

After that disaster, the afternoon was ours to waste; Evie cut our yard, worked in the garden, and sunbathed, and I cut Leonard's lawn, read some, sun bathed but it got to be too hot for me.  And, for the first time this spring, probably the earliest time ever, Evie jumped in the like for a swim.  Later in the afternoon, after working in the yard, she jumped in again.  It looked so good that I decided to swim as well.  It was cold  but refreshing, not bad once you got used to it.  We both shampooed our hair, so the 'real summer' has begun for us.

Ron and Linda came over around 6:00.  We sat out on the dock, the first time this summer, for a beer and some pupus.  It was a lovely evening, warm enough so all you needed was a tee shirt, with lots of traffic on the lake, like mid summer actually.  Everyone had the same idea; come to the lake, launch your boat, and enjoy the water.  A few skiers and tubers, lots of jet skis.

We went to the Rod and Gun Club, stopping at Wegman's first to pick up a few things for today's dinner. The club was packed, as usual, so we had to sit at tables in the bar, overlooking the lake, for a about a half an hour before we were seated in the dining room.  Evie and Linda could not wait to gamble, so off they went to the bar, Linda winning a fifty dollar ticket, which she split with Evie, their deal.  We all had prime rib for dinner, a deal at 10.95 and great, reminding us of Bud's.  At 9:00, the lights dimmed and the band rocked out, making it hard to hear if you were still enjoying your dinner.  The Rod and Gun is a very popular place, no doubt, and the number of people that eat there on weekends has to be in the two or three hundreds.  It's definitely a place popular with an older crowd, lots of people our age or older, with their families or other couples.  It seems like a throwback to 60's and 70's, a place my parents would have enjoyed, just not the rock music.  I wonder if they ever have big band music?  We are beginning to feel like locals eating there, even knew a few people.