Gentle Rain, Gentle Rain

Home Made Pizza Dinner, Al Fresco

View From My Porch, 6:40

Up at 6:45, to, guess what, a gentle rain, overcast skies, not a whisper of wind, just the sound of rain on the trees, an occasional caw of a crow.  It's warmer, 65º, high in the 70's today, with rain forecast on an off during the day.  A good day to fish, watch a movie, go shopping, anything to keep the girls happy.

Yesterday was a full day, lots of busyness, beginning, for Beth and me, with yoga at the Eight Limbs Studio, then coffee at Ryder's Cup, then a mega shopping trip to Wegman's, getting ready for the rest of the family, Rami who is driving in this morning, Tom, Mary and Nick on Friday, Jill and Drew on Saturday.  While we were shopping, Evie made the girls pancakes; unfortunately, when they helped to pour the batter, the bottom was not on tight and all the batter spilled on the floor, an auspicious way to start the day.  So, Evie made more batter, and this time, the girls got their pancakes.  Afterwards, Evie, the girls and Mitch went to the petting zoo, part of the Chautauqua Campground, a short walk from us. They love going, feeding the animals corn cobs, and getting ice cream cones at the camp store, the real reason for wanting to go see the animals.  Kids never change.

At Petting Zoo, Chautauqua Campground

When they got back, we all went swimming, playing wild games on the rafts, tag and hide and seek, like always.  They love it and it was a sunny afternoon, maybe the last in a while if one is to believe the weather report.  The weather, even the cool days, doesn't seem to bother the girls, however, as they seem oblivious to the cold when they want to go swimming with Granny.

Frolicking On The Tubes

When they were finished, we decided to take them tubing.  That's when the fun, or lack of fun began.  I had trouble getting the boat to go in reverse, so Mitch jumped in the water and pulled us out beyond the dock.  I then could not get the boat to go forward, so we both jumped in the water, brought it back to the dock, and pulled the motor up out of the water to see what was the matter.  And, Einstein like, we discovered the problem...the prop or propeller was missing, having fallen off some time either in our aborted tubing trip or last night when we returned from the Casino.  We had no idea where it lay, so Mitch and I got out weed rakes and carefully scoured the lake bottom, looking for the prop for well over an hour.  I finally found it, out beyond our dock, in the middle of our property, in close to six feet of water.  Amazing to have found it since we probably dropped it the night before.  While I was looking for the prop, Evie called Chris Kent, one of the young men who put in our dock.  He works at Chautauqua Marina and Evie talked him into coming over, bringing a prop kit, and fixing the boat after work.  He arrived about 5:30, discovered the parts guy had given him the wrong kit, so I drove him back to the Marina, got the right kit, and within five minutes, he had it fixed, a life saver.  I thanked him profusely, paid, and off he went in his boat, a little richer.

Marlena's Rainbow Ring Bracelets

While all this was going on, Evie and boys were putting together pizza, with home made dough and sauce, four kinds, Margarita, Cheese, Pepperoni, and Mushroom Margarita, all with fresh mozzarella. Mitch baked them on a pizza stone, on the grill; Evie puts them on parchment paper and we even cook them on the paper, as it makes it easier to get them in and out of the grill.  After eight minutes, they are done.  We cooked six of them, took them over to the picnic table, and we had a dinner worthy of any pizza parlor in New York City.

Margarita and Mushroom Pizza

Granny With Two of Her Girls

After dinner, the girls continuing working on their dance routines; Mitch and I put the cover on the boat and fished for about an hour, and later, the girls came out to fish as well.  Mitch caught a nice bass, over a foot, but we threw it back in.  We came in off the dock at 9:00, just as it was getting dark, and the girls ran in and put their bathing suits on, ready to go for one final swim, their favorite thing to do since last summer, when Evie taught them the joys of skinny dipping at dusk. They call it 'dip cones',  a code word, so no one knows what they are talking about. All we could hear were screams and laughter as they paddled around in the water, sans suits.

The Gang Fishing At Dusk

Mitchell's Bass

They came in tired but happy.  Beth made them ice cream cones before bed, and up they went, having had a full day of fun, food, sweets, dance, and skinny dipping. Granny, as usual, is totally out of control.  Some TV, reading, and up to bed where, for once, the girls were all asleep.  Miracles.