A Leisurely Morning Of Waiting For The Thunderstorms

6:30

6:50

An exquisite morning on the lake and I feel like the only one aware of its beauty.  The sun hides, then peaks out from a few clouds, the sky a blue and rouge, the lake empty, the only sound, that of a few birds.  It looks like we will finally get some rain later in the day but for now, the morning sings.

Sunday was another day like the many others that preceded it...sunny and warm, the lake as busy as I have ever seen it as everyone seemed to be out on their boats or enjoying a Sunday on their dock, the opposite of this morning.  We took a nice paddle over to Lakeside Drive, then home along Long Point Bay, just early enough to avoid the many boats that rush from the northern portion of the lake to the southern.  It's always enervating to be out on the lake early and for reasons I cannot explain, perhaps the warmth, the color of the lake, the sun reminded me of my days surfing in Hawaii, getting up early, in the dark, so I could be out on the ocean before the sun rose, to get that wave for myself. Great memories.

A Mass of Water Lilies

Lake Flies Cometh? 

When we got back, we decided once again this was a good day to avoid doing and just be, mostly on the dock or in the yard, both of us engrossed in our books, the good reading life.  Around noon, however, Evie made me breakfast (that's right Ellen), eggs and toast and I watched some of Charlie Rose's Weekend Show, something new, at least to me, as he summarized his show from the previous week in a half hour.  Around 2:00, we tired of the dock and decided to take a long, leisurely boat ride, up the the west coast of the lake, all the way to Mayville, taking our time, then across to Hartfield Bay, past Point Chautauqua and Dewittville Bay, to the Viking Club.  We haven't done this in a year and its fun to see the new houses that have gone up along the lake.  It always amazes how many pleasant areas there are along the shoreline.  The Viking was busy, packed with people, as raffles and Bingo was going on, all to benefit the club.  We ran into our friends, Doug and Dawn, sitting at their usual place at the bar.  We ordered a beer and since there was no room in the bar area or the dining room, we sat outside in the shade under a tree.  I felt like I was back in the 60's, at a company picnic, kids running  and playing in the playgrounds, the adults sitting around talking, eating and drinking.  We were home by 5:00, in time to enjoy the end of the day on our dock before putting the cover on the boat (rain was forecast) and taking a swim before dinner.

Sunday Afternoon At The Viking Club

We had another easy dinner, as I grilled a couple of burgers outside and Evie steamed six ears of corn and made a couple of potato pancakes out of the leftover mashed potatoes.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning, some Charlie Rose, then Real Time with Bill Maher, as he skewered, to our delight, the Republican debate on Thursday.  It was a nice way to end the evening.

This morning I am  going to the Chautauqua Institution to hear Roger Cohen, a columnist from the New York Times I really enjoy, speak on the topic of 'Redefining Europe.'  Evie's staying home, wanting to work in the yard and cut the grass before it rains, if it rains.