Back At The Lake For Awhile

6:04

Early morning at the lake, as we are both up just after 6:00, a good night of sleeping at the lake...nothing like your own bed after a week away.  It's a partly cloudy morning, some chill, 57º, though that temperature usually means warm to us here at Chautauqua.  Lots of purple martins at our house, four families we think, singing and swooping above the lake. It's strange to be back after five early mornings in Virginia.

The Age Old Ritual of 'cash for cutting grass'...go Hayden Bissell

Our drive yesterday was the usual seven hours, no matter how we drive it.  It always shocks me how green and empty this part of the US is as we drive through Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York ribbed with gentle hills, valleys, all carpeted with green forests, a few towns sprinkled among the valleys every ten or twenty miles.  We got home about 1:15, a beautiful view greeted us as we pulled in, the lake a deep blue, the grass spring green, the sky clear.  Ah Chautauqua.

A Bench Of Geraniums

We unpacked quickly and I found that I used only half of the stuff I brought, typical over packing just in case.  Evie quickly settled out on the dock, with her book, determined to finish it before starting on the lawn.  I read some, took a brief nap, then did some work in the yard while Evie cut it, twice of course.  By the time we were through, the yard looked amazing, as it always done after a double cutting.  We were whooped and sweaty, so we put on our bathing suits, sat out on the dock for a bit, enjoying the late afternoon.  Then, because of Evie, I joined her in the lake, my first swim, her second and as I always say, it felt great once you got in.  We swam around for about five minutes, then toweled off, came in and dressed for wine time.  We sat on our porch, with a wedge of Castello cheese, as we went over our fun week with the girls and Jill and Drew.  They sure make us feel welcome.

We had an easy dinner because we picked up pulled pork and cole slaw from Gio's Truck Stop in Woodland, PA, just east of Clearfield.  We always stop, either for a sandwich or to pick up some sauce or pulled pork.  It's enough for a couple of meals.  We caught up and Stewart and Colbert, watched this past Monday's 24, and we in bed before 10:00, exhausted from the drive and the yard work.

This morning looks fine but thunderstorms are on the way, early afternoon, so we have lots to do before it rains.  Tonight, we are going out to dinner with Ron and Linda, to Bemus Point, for a beer on the Lenhart Porch, then a burger or fish fry at the Seezurh House.