Finally, The Gang's All HERE( Fifteen Of Us)

Cousin Love

Beth and Her Nieces

Pensive Hayden 

It was another overcast and wet morning at 6;15 when I got up and now, at 7:00, it has not changed though it's not raining...yet.  It's 55º, will perhaps get in to the 70's later in the day.  I looked at the long range forecast and if it's accurate, they are forecasting rain every day.  So, we will have jump when the sun comes out, move to the outdoors, the dock, the lake or boat, then inside when it rains.

Mary Goes Hollywood

Jilly Bean

Another morning of slow rising, as each adult, then a child, would come downstairs, sleepy, looking for something to drink, coffee, or eat, cereal if Evie wasn't up, but if she was, they could just put in an order.  She's often like a short order cook in the morning, meeting the culinary wants of her grandchildren.  I went early to the Lighthouse to pick up six pounds of ground chuck, because we were have juicy lucy's, burgers stuffed with American cheese, a meal the boys found on some Food Network show three or four years ago and since then, we have made them every year.  I also picked up a couple of bags of Utz chips, a barrel of their pretzels, some ice, so we were ready for the day.

Ramiro Poses

A Happy Halle

We lazed around the house most of the morning, thinking of what we should do but I did not want to commit to anything away from the house because Jill and family were coming a day early, around noon, to surprise everyone so I wanted all of us to be at the house. After the girls got up and had cereal, Evie took both of them on her kayak, one sitting on the front, the other on the back, and they explored around the docks.

Kayaking With Marisa and Marlena

Around 11:00, all of us were hungry for some reason, so Tommy cooked a pound of bacon, fried some eggs, cut up avocado and tomatoes, and made eggs and bacon and tomato sandwiches for any of the crew that wanted it.  A great sandwich by the way.

Hayden and Jill Arrive

Drew, Too

And just about noon, they arrived to screams and yells from everyone because no one was expecting them till the next day. Hugs all around, screaming and yelling, bags up stairs, then all the girls piled into bedroom, on to the mattresses, and it was like they have never been apart, bosom friends forever.  It's fun to see.  Jill and Drew look great, have recovered from his retirement parties from two weeks ago.

Girls Go Jump In The Lake

Bosom Friends

Toweling Off

Halle, the Youngest

By 1:00 the girls were in the water, as the sun was out, then Tom and Drew took them tubing for about forty five minutes.  The lake was calm and not very busy, so tubing was easy and fun.  We were able to sit out on the dock for a couple of hours, till it rained briefly, when we came inside.  Beth and I decided to drive to Barcelona, on Lake Erie, to get some rocks for the grandchildren to paint, so that took about two hours, an hour of gathering, an hour of coming and going, picking up a Portage Pie, and stopping at Topps.  It was sunny at the beach, and sunny at home, as well, so everyone was in the yard, enjoying the hiatus from the rain. Tom, Drew, and Rami took the girls and Tyler for a cruise, parked at Bemus, had a beer at the Seezurh House, and bought the girls sweat shirts at Skillman and Wright.

The Cool Ones In New Sweatshirts

Relaxing On The Seezurh House Porch

Most of us sat out side, under the tree, before dinner, as Evie had the burgers made, though she was also making homemade french fries, so she spent a good deal of time twice frying them on the back porch. We had a typical picnic meal, though inside because it was getting cool.

Tom and Nick

Nick and I grilled the juicy lucy's,  Jill did the corn, and Evie did the final frying of the potatoes, all done around 7:15.  We put all the food and condiments on the island in our kitchen, and everyone made burgers to their own specification.  Everything tasted really good, nothing was left, which means, I suppose, we could have made more burgers and fries, but noone went away hungry.

Dinner For Fifteen

Boys Bar

After dinner, Drew and Tom built a fire in our fire pit, and we all sat outside, around it, making smores, talking and drinking beer.  We came in around 9:30, to have our all berry pie and ice cream, or brownies and ice cream.  The girls ambled up to bed around 10:00, with most of the adults to follow, as we were tired, some from the ride, others from just fatigue.  Another fun day at the lake.

An Early Morning Of Thunder, Lighting, Rain, And Fog (And Oodles of Noodles)

Fish Eye View---Docking It

Granny's Pony Tails by Marisa and Marlena

The Mom's Relax With Deep Eddy's Sweet Tea Vodka

Up at 6:00, just as Tyler and Ramiro were walking upstairs, Tyler having just returned from taking his girlfriend, Helen, to Buffalo for her flight home at 6:00; this meant that had to leave for the airport around 3:30, all to save a hundred bucks by taking an early flight...good kids.  It would be a nice morning, the rain, a bit of thunder, except for the fact I have ten people sleeping upstairs who want to be outside, enjoying the water and yard.  It ain't going to happen today, at least for awhile.  And, of course, this is one of the few nights I left the cover off my boat because I water proofed it (it is supposed to stay dry for 24 hours),  thus my boat is getting soaked.  It, too, will dry.

Yesterday was another cool one, but at least it did not rain.  Most of the young ones slept in till at least 9:30, the adults till 8:00.  Rami and Evie were up early with me, the rest slowly coming down the stairs following the smell of coffee.  When all were awake, Evie made buttermilk pancakes at Tyler's request because he wants Helen to sample all the joys of being in Evie's kitchen.  Ty and Helen made homemade banana syrup to Jackson Johnson"s "Banana Pancakes." The rest of us benefit from this of course.  We were semi organized by 11:30, bellies full, so some went off to Long Point, for a run or walk, and to do some shopping at Skillman and Wright.  Since the house was almost empty, and Evie and Marisa were playing cards (only after Evie made up some pie dough),  I drove to Lakewood to return a tube at Walmart, do some shopping, fill up the gas cans for the boat.  And Beth and Rami went shopping in Lakewood, having lunch, picking up supplies for our first rock painting day, whenever the rains stop!

Nick Hurls

Helen Takes Aim

Late Afternoon Kayaking

Everyone was back by 1:30, so Evie got out three soups, made cheese sandwiches, and the boys finished off the koftes, with pita and tomato sauce.  The fridge is slowly thinning out.

BlueBerry Peach Pie

Before going outside to enjoy the afternoon, Helen, Tyler and Evie made a blue berry peach pie for tonight's dessert. Then, we swam much of the afternoon, despite the cool weather.

Marlena and Marisa's Priceless Smiles

Slow Boating With The Girls

I took the girls tubing, then sunning over at Long Point Bay. Others played bean bag and bocce, some even tried to windsurf with little success.  It was just too windy to have much success if you were a beginner. Just before dinner, Tyler and Helen took a long kayak paddle, to Long Point, Wells Bay and back, on a perfect afternoon to kayak.

Some Kitchen Help

Making Homemade Pasta

Serious Pasta Makers

Tommy's Shrimp with Asparagus

Around 6:00, the fun began, as the kitchen began to get crowded.  Tom started his dish, of shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, cream, wine, and asparagus, while Evie started to make homemade pasta, with the help of Nick, Mitch, Helen, and Tyler.  Making fresh fettuccine is quite a production but worth it in the end as we had a huge roasting pan filled with noodles, shrimp, asparagus, and a great sauce, enough to feed all of us with some leftover for lunch.  We had a great  time, enjoying our food, talking, laughing, and we ended the meal by playing some our favorite songs from the past with Barry White seeming to be the gang's favorite, perhaps because I did my version of 'dancing.'  Quite entertaining!

Dinner at 7:30

Working On Granny

As it began to get dark, Tyler and Helen wanted to swim one last time before she left, so they went in just as it was getting dark, with Marisa. Evie and Marlena went to watch, but couldn't resist the temptation to jump in, so they did, with their clothes on.  Needless to say, it was cold at that time of the night, both in the water and out, so they didn't linger.  Around 10:00, we started another game of Telefunky, which lasted until 11:15, when all were too tired to finish the game.   The adults and girls went upstairs, the girls finally settling down about 11:30 in our room.  The boys and Tyler, I assume, stayed up watching a movie and Tyler and Helen may have stayed up till 3:00, when they were to drive to Buffalo.

Monday Night Ice Cream With Marisa and Marlena

It's still raining and overcast, at 8:30, not encouraging for today's activities.  Let's hope things change.

6:30

Chillin As Fall Arrives in July

A Happy Evie Surrounded By Grandchildren

Sunrise, 6:40

Evie and I are up at 6:30, mostly cloudy but some sun rays peak through above Long Point, a new and different day from yesterday's rain and wind, gray skies, living inside with an occasional swim by the crazies, Evie, the girls and boys, out to the dock for a quick dip, shampoo, and out.  As we were sipping our coffee, Marlena came down, in a half daze, and Evie talked her into going back to bed, to see if she could sleep...so far, so good at 7:20.

So the rain and gray skies defined most of yesterday but did not eliminate the fun.  With the grandchildren around, it's hard to get depressed by the gray weather, as they are always up to something, usually with or a result of their Granny.

Tom and Marisa Take A Morning Swim

Around 8:30, both Tom and Marisa jumped in the lake, despite the cold weather, briefly I might add.  We hung out early, enjoyed freshly made banana muffins made by Beth, and goofed around, trying to figure out our day.  The girls wanted to go in again, so Evie braved the winds, jumped in  with the girls, and enjoyed it as long as they stayed in the water; it was the wind that was cold.

At The Ashville Library With Libby

Around 11:30, Evie and I took the girls to the Ashville Library; they wanted mostly to see Libby, the library cat, but also took out some books and a couple of videos. We had a nice talk with Tabby, the librarian, and she mentioned that people come from afar just to say hi to Libby.  While we returned from the library, Tom and Mary drove off to work out at the YMCA, then did another mega shopping trip at Wegmans. We had a lunch of leftovers, as Evie took everything leftover out of the fridge and said 'this is lunch.'  So we had tuna salad, three soups, brisket, and cheese sandwiches for Marlena. Tyler and Helen took off to visit the Ashville Country Store, and other sites. I drove to the Chautauqua Marina to pick up a new valve for another tube, just what we need, bringing the number up to six floaties.  Beth did some crocheting, relaxed, and I took a brief power nap, regaining my energy.

Marisa

Marlena

Evie, With Her  Granddaughters, Helen and Isabelle

By the time I woke, Evie and the grandkids were out on the dock, in the water, despite the gray skies, occasionally rain drops, and wind.  They always manage to have fun, regardless the weather.

Checking Out The Casino Menu

Waiting For Wings

Everyone was back in the house by 4:00, and we then got ready to go to the Casino for the annual Monday wing night, some thing we have done each summer for thirty three years.  I cannot say each year it gets better but at least it's a fun night.  The kids love playing the games while we wait for our wings, playing out side in the playground after dinner but yesterday it was too cold for that.  Our wings, unfortunately, were not 'hot off the fryer' as we pointedly asked because last time we were there, they were also cold.  So, we ended up talking to the manager, got another couple of 'hot wings' and they comped us twenty bucks.  Big deal.  We would rather have wings right out of the fryer.  And they have tried to make the experience more up scale, getting rid of baskets for fries and wings, putting them on ridiculously small, square white plates.  And they have changed the sizes of an order, no doubt, to charge more.  We may look for another wing experience though the Casino, especially when you can boat there, is a great time even if the food is fair to middling.

Catching the Big Ones

Tyler Redux

We of course walked to the grocery store's open counter for ice cream cones, on a chilly night, so we did not linger in Bemus.  When we returned home, it was 7:30, so the boys, Tommy and Helen and I  decided to go fishing.  We took the cover off the boat, drove off to Tom's Point, then our sweet spot by the reeds, then along Woodlawn but had no luck, surprise.  And even though it was a cloudy, cool evening, it was great to be out on the lake at dusk.  When we came back to the lake, those crazy granddaughters were in the lake again, swimming for at least fifteen minutes, waiting for us to return. Evie showed some sense for once and just watched.

Bananagrams With The Grandchildren

After swimming and fishing, the gang played Bananagrams, the highlight being Mitch's imaginative spelling of words.  Around 9:45, Rami drove in after a quick day trip to New York City and back to the lake.  He seemed surprisingly chipper for a drive to and from Buffalo, as well as a plane ride to New York and back.  While the games were going on, my son, daughter, and daughter in law were all transfixed for two hours, watching the last episode of The Bachelorette, a thrilling reality show.  We all went up to bed around 11:15, clearing the TV room so Tyler, Helen and the boys would watch a movie.  Not sure what time they ended up going to bed.  I do know that when I came down this morning, the lights were still on in the living room and kitchen. Doesn't anyone no how to turn off a light when they go to bed.  Do I sound like an old grandfarter as my father in law used to say?  Yes to both.

Monday Night Dusk

Some sun forecast for today but cool, but that will not stop us from enjoying the water.

The Relentless Rhythm Of The Pouring Rain (Hiking Chautauqua Gorge)

'Gorging It'

Texting Their Girl Friends,  Hannah and Mimi

Marlena Swoons

6:30

Both Beth and I are up at 6:30, to a dreary, gray morning here on the lake, a cool 60º outside, high around 70º today and because of the rain, we are going to have to find things to  do with the kids inside, perhaps a group painting session, guided by Beth, a movie for the kids, maybe an excursion somewhere.  The one thing we know for sure is we are going out to dinner tonight at the Casino, for wings.  This is a must.

Hiking Down To Chautauqua Gorge

Twelve Of Us

Tyler and Helen

Zeus

The Old Man And His Daughter

Hiking the Gorge

The Family Females

Cousins

Nick and Baba, Copping Rays

Sunday was a great day to be on the lake, sunny and warm.  My day began early, as I mentioned yesterday, with a trip to the Lighthouse to pick up dinner and some pea meal bacon from breakfast. Everyone was up, finally, at 9:30, so Evie started frying the bacon and eggs, toasting the bagels, so one by one, the kids tromped in, had either cereal or the eggs and bacon.  We devoured the pea meal of course, and everyone was happy.  We knew yesterday was going to be a sunny day, so we drove off to Chautauqua Gorge,  a spot everyone wanted to visit because we missed it last year.  It's an amazing Chautauqua treasure, a twenty to thirty mile gorge, high walls, rocks, rushing water, minnows, fish, frogs, and swimming holes, everything kids would enjoy.  We hiked it south for a half hour, to sandy, steep cliffs, which kids climb.  We wondered how they were going to get down.  We then returned to our original spot, where the trail from Hannum road ends, and swam in the cold, cold water, sun bathed, and did jumps into the deep pool, and we, of course, took mega photographs, numerous cameras and iPhones shooting during the hike.

At Boxcar Barney's 

Rami took all the kids to Boxcar Barney's for ice cream, our car stopped at Chautauqua Marina, where Tom rented a wake board for the day.  We were home by 1:00, for many of us, a lunch of brisket, gravy and mashed potatoes.  The boys immediately got the boat ready, so Tom took them out and they must have wake boarded for at least an hour, having a great time.  Finally, my boat is good at pulling something, a wake board!  We all spent the afternoon on the dock, sunning, swimming, playing on the tubes, reading, just enjoying a beautiful day on the lake.  Nothing like a sunny, comfortable day on Chautauqua Lake, blue sky and water, green shore lines, and family.

Playing Wipe Out

Tom and Marlena

Young Love

For dinner, Evie and Mary started by forming five pounds of ground chuck into forty koftes (egg shaped hamburgers), heavily spiced and chilled.  Then, along with the boys and Tommy, she breaded eggplant squares, and deep fried them on our back porch, as an appetizer.  They were amazingly good, as everyone crowded on the porch to eat them.  After the eggplant, Evie and Beth and Mary, got the dinner ready, set the table, things like that, while Tom and I took  Marlena and Marisa out for a cruise, down to Whitney Bay and back, arriving just as it started to cloud up.  I put the cover on the boat and it started to rain.  About 7:00, I started the grill, in the garage, with open doors, because of the rain, grilled a couple of portabellos, then put on the koftes.  Tom, Nick, and Mitch helped me with the koftes, as it takes alot of hands to turn the koftes from sides to side, making sure they are browned on the outside, tender and moist on the inside.  They were done by 7:30, when we sat down to eat our feast, squares of toasted pita bread, topped with three or four koftes, then tomato sauce, then yogurt, every one's favorite summer meal.  With a salad, that's all we needed.  We went through about thirty three of the meat koftes, so some will be leftover for today's lunch.

Dinner For Twelve

After dinner, we had a rip roaring game of Telefunky, eight played while the rest watched or helped the two girls play.  The game lasted until about 10:45, with Mitch and Nick winning, despite numerous bone headed plays, typical guys, clueless but lucky.  The adults went to bed, as did the girls.  When I turned out the lights downstairs, Mitch and Nick were watching TV, texting, I assume their respective girl friends in Darien, CT and Kansas City, MO.  And Tyler was on the front porch, with Helen, strumming his guitar as they listened to the fallen rain.

Playing Telefunky After Dinner