Haze, Partly Cloudy, But Sunday Sunday

6:20

Taking a Break from reading UNBROKEN

Mitch and I are up at 6:20 for some reason, perhaps because of the sun in our windows, something that has not happened the past few cloudy days.  It's 61 degrees, going up to the 80's later.  Mitch has already redone a bracelet, now he's happy with it.  It must have bothered him all night to get up so early.

Mitchell's Woven Parachute bracelets

Yesterday was a typical Saturday, starting with a trip to the Transfer Station, then all three of us went off to stock up for the next week, as Beth and family arrive today for a couple of weeks.  Everyone else arrives next Friday.  Anyways, we shopped the usual, Sam's Club to buy mega items, then on to Wegman's for groceries.  On the way, we got caught in the Ashville Day traffic, basically a parade and lots of food and craft stalls.  We didn't stop, in fact, have never been; we are not very good Ashvillites.

I just got back from a quick kayak ride, over to Long Point, across to Wells Bay and back, with little lake traffic despite it being a Sunday morning.  Surprising.  It was overcast and hazy, so I didn't need my sunglasses.  I bought an inflatable life vest, one that weighs about two pounds, and inflates if you fall in the water.  So far, so good, as it' easy to put on, not bulky, doesn't get in the way when I paddle and because it's so light, I wear it rather than carry it.

We had planned on taking Mitch skate boarding at Allegheny Park, where they have a great three mile run, but because it had rained, we had to postpone it because a wet path is dangerous.  So, we hung out here, Mitch making bracelets, in between games of bocce, bean bag, and reading.  And of course, we jumped in the lake a couple of times, especially in the afternoon, when the sun came out.

New raft

For dinner, we made an old recipe from Hawaii, called Shoyu chicken.  At the local drive ins, you could get it as a plate lunch.  My favorite drive in was called The Jolly Rodger and besides plate lunches, it had sandwiches like a Cheesy Girl and a Porky Boy)  It was owned by Kenny Kaneshiro, a great guy who sponsored our basketball team in the Armed Forces League.  I was player coach and we won the league three times in three years.  After our third title, Kenny wanted to buy me a suit, as a  thank you.  I asked if I could have the money instead and buy my first good camera.  He said no problem, gave me a hundred and fifty bucks, and my friend Jon Stanley, who was in the Air Force, picked up an Asahi Pentax camera for me, in Japan.  A great camera, it served me well until about 1983 when it was accidentally dropped in Lake Chautauqua.  Basically, shoyu chicken is braised in a liquid of soy, ginger, garlic, and sugar, then thickened, just before serving with rice.  It only lacked the macaroni salad as a side to make it complete.  It took me back to the 1960's, and Mitch loved it enough to want it for lunch today.  We watched one more episode of Breaking Bad and it is emotionally draining.  Walt did make the deal before seeing his new child, but each episode ends with us sitting on the edge of the couch.  This time Jesse's girl friend seems to have died of an overdose as Mr. White, as Jesse calls him,  looks on, either letting it happen or powerless.  Each show seems to drain a few more ounces of humanity from Walter, a result of the survival instinct.