More Rain, More Clouds But The Grandchildren Are Still Here!

Mermaids of Chautauqua Lake

6:20

Just after 7:00 and I have been up for forty five minutes, sitting out side, listening to the rain on the roof, the lawn soggy, the sky gray, the lake misty, everyone else sleeping, the only quiet time for me in the day.

Guys at Work

Before

After

Yesterday was a work day, mostly because Drew, with minimal help from me, put up bead board and a chair rail on our kitchen wall.  After a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up the primed chair rail and caulk, we started around 11:30, finished around 3:30 to the raves of everyone, just what Evie wanted. Drew brought his mitre saw, to make 45º angle cuts and I actually had a hand held jig saw my father in law had given me, so we could cut the bead board.  Most time consuming was cutting the bead board to fit, a painstaking process, as Drew had to cut it three or four times, taking off perhaps a quarter of an inch each time so as to make it fit perfectly.  As any project would have it, something always takes longer than expected.  In this case, it was the last thing, putting the switch plate back on the bead board.  It had to be raised, making it difficult to screw it back in the wall.  Finally, it was finished and we could admire our work.  As I said, it's nice to have handy son in law's, especially those who are willing to take on a task on their vacation.

Nick Skying

Hayden Flies

Girls Get Silly

While Drew and I worked, Jill and Beth went shopping and out to lunch, and they were gone for close to four hours.  I cannot imagine shopping anywhere for four hours, especially at the Chautauqua Mall area where the stores are not exactly top flight. For me Wegman's would be the flagship store, with T. J. Maxx coming in second.  Anyways, they had a good time, I assume and brought home more groceries, much needed when you are feeding fourteen people three times a day.  Tyler and Nick went to work out at Turner and Evie and the girls swam for, conservatively, two hours if not longer.  They just love making up games, doing jumps, dives, rating them.  The latest, Evie was offering five bucks to anyone who could, while jumping, throw their flip flops (we called them Tokyo's in Hawaii forty five years ago) and hit Leonard's dock.  They are infinitely imaginative in what they come up with.

Five Guys Cooking Burgers

Sitting Inside, Raining Outside

It rained some late afternoon, so the girls brought their rocks back onto the porch and worked on them. Tom and Mary arrived backed from the PGA golf tournament around 4:30 and brought all the guys PGA tee shirts, mine is baby blue!  Dinner was easy (for dinner) as we had cabbage rolls (made two weeks ago), sauerkraut, with mashed potatoes, sweet corn, salad, and grilled burgers for those who might not like cabbage rolls.

And just as it was getting dark, Beth and I took out the kayaks, for a night paddle, on an overcast but lovely night, the lake like oil, glossy and smooth, not a boat in sight.  Evie, at the urging of the girls, took them on what might be the final night of skinny dipping.  As Beth and I paddled, we could hear the screams of delight and laughter of the girls as they shed their suits and jumped in the lake.  Nothing like being 'buck naked.'

For dessert, Beth made brownies, so with ice cream, we were set for the night, until Evie brought out more chips, popcorn, and pretzels, while playing Telefunky, a game my Mom taught the grandchildren which they enjoy. Evie, Jill, and Mary and the three boys played till close to 11:00, while Beth put the girls to bed and the big guys watched some terrible pre season NFL games.  It's hard to believe football season is starting.

It's supposed to clear up today, so we have to fill it with dock and tubing time, as this is the last day we will all be together as Tom and family fly home tomorrow; Nick has soccer tryouts on Monday, their school starts on Wednesday I think.

Fishing, Early Morning