Sunny Monday

Long Point at 6:35

Woodlawn at 6:30

Boys fishing off of Tom' Point

Woodlawn Through the Weeds

Relaxing Back in My Kayak

Up around 6:20 and out on the lake, for a paddle, by 6:30, on a brilliant sunny morning.  Paddling towards Long Point,  I could hardly see because of the blinding sun.  It reminded me of my travels in India, in 1974, where pilgrims in the city of Benares would rise before dawn, go down to the Ganges River, and watch the sunrise as they did their ablutions.  Chautauqua Lake is not quite the Ganges but it's still pretty nice.  I can remember them selling bottled Ganges River water, it was so pure.  Now it's supposed to be polluted like every other river in the world.  It took me ten minutes to paddle to Long Point, twenty to Tom's Point, another forty minutes to paddle along the shoreline home.   I was surprised my the amount of floating weeds on the lake, from boat motors or perhaps the cutters.  Not much action at this hour, three or four fishing boats, no neighbors on the docks, the sounds of crows, some song birds, a heron or two, and a barking dog down at Wells Bay.

After my paddle yeseterday, I felt energized enough to ride my bike through Bemus, out to Long Point and back, before the heat of the day.  Again, few if anyone was on Lake Road, a few bikes, and a single jogger in the Long Point Park.  I came home and Evie had been out in the water cutting weeds, so I joined her, as a new batch are beginning to grow.  Evie made my eggs and bacon for Sunday breakfast and I made hash browns; I am getting quicker and better at making them.  Not quite perfect, perhaps a B- but they are improving.

We spent the afternoon under the trees, reading and relaxing, as the dock was too hot.  I watched the first half of the European Soccer Championships as Spain dominated Italy and went up 2-0 in the first half.  Later, we both watched Tiger clinch another championship at Washington's Congressional.  For dinner, we got a pizza from Hadley House as it was too hot to cook.  And we watched another independent film no one has heard of,  a quiet gem from France called LE GRANDE VOYAGE.  The premise is simple.  An elderly Muslim immigrant from Morocco, now living in France, wants to make the hadj to Mecca.  And he wants to go by land, not by air.  He decides his estranged son will drive him, to the his son's dismay.   Their journey, via car, though Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, eventually arriving in Mecca is the story.  Both are stubborn in their ways, the father a traditional father and muslim, the son modern, a non believer, and skeptical.  They end up sleeping out doors, in hotels, meet charlatans, pick up strangers, argue, almost part, reconcile and eventually make it to Mecca.  As the father explains, as a good Muslim, he must make the hadj before he dies.  And, unfortunately, he does die, after going off the first day to circle the Kabala, the holy shrine in the mosque.  The son must identify his father, wash his body, and see that he is buried correctly.  He then sells the car, returning home by plane.  We are not sure what he understands, only that he does, that his father's wishes have been met and the two have understood each other, setting aside their stubborn ways in favor of understanding and tolerance.  A bit slow, interesting scenery, the kind of movie I expect from France.  It reminds me of the other film we loved, THE GROCER'S SON, and both films starred the same actor, Nicholas Cazale