And Then It Was Friday (Pine Junction)

6:25

6:32

6:34

It's almost 8:00 and I have been up for a couple of hours, watching the sun play hide and seek.  For the moment, it's focusing its rays on the lake, a gleaming surface of light.  Much of the morning, however, it hid behind a cloud bank.  It's warming up as well, already in the 60's, with a high in the 80's, quite a difference from yesterday mornings 51º.

Yesterday began with my being picked up at 8:10, for breakfast at Jack Vollker's farm, out in the countryside, on Elm Flats Road, three or four miles north of Mayville.  There are five of us, all retired, who get together for breakfast during the year but take a hiatus during the summer months.  We have had a hops breakfast (because Jack grows hops), the last two years in mid August, as we start to contemplate the end of summer, the coming of autumn.  Breakfast is always great, egg casserole, sausage, and a blueberry cobbler, with maple syrup, all made by Jack's wife Diane.  It's always good to see the guys again because we often have not seen each other since our last breakfast in early June. Unfortunately, many had plans so we did not linger, or check out the hops, so I was home by 9:30.  

Breakfast With Charlie, Jack, Dick and Joe

Evie was busy painting an end table when I got home but she was soon finished, so we decided to paddle up towards Whitney Bay, as the lake seemed calm and smooth, the sun bright in the blue sky but temperature still cool, perfect for kayaking.  We were gone for over an hour and it had warmed up quite a bit since we started out.  Our major project of the day, started in early morning, was an attempt to get our ice maker to work.  We thought the line might have frozen, so we turned the refrigerator off, cleared out everything from the freeze, and let it sit until after lunch.  Evie meanwhile took everything out of the refrigerator, washed everything, while I went through the condiments that had been sitting on the refrigerator door, some for seven years.  Needless to say, I threw out most of the Asian and Indian products since they have all have expired dates.  By the time we got everything back in, we had a lot more space, especially on the door.  And about an hour after turning on the freezer and refrigerator, we heard an ice cube drop into the ice holder.  Success.  We do not (yet) need to buy a new appliance.

I made a quesadilla for lunch, watched another episode of Deutschland, read some and watched the PGA on and off the rest of the afternoon.  Evie put another coat of paint on the end table, the third, and then went outside to read on the dock.  She's begun Florence Gordon, a book I just finished as did my sister Ellen.  

Dinner With Joyce and Bill Leonard, At Pine Junction

Around 5:00, we got ready to go out to dinner with our neighbors, the Leonard's.  They had never been to Pine Junction, so we drove there, always a beautiful half hour drive, through farms and hills, past the Brushwood Folklore Center, on Bailey Road, with its clothing optional campground.  Some day we will have to stop.  Pine Junction was busy but not crowded so we were able to get a nice table.  Our waitress, Zoey, a recent graduate of Clymer High School, was a delight, funny and gregarious.  Evie and Joyce both got the broasted half of chicken and loved it.  Bill and I got burgers with sweet potato fries, and we also enjoyed a round of beers.  It was a fun night, the Leonard's really like the restaurant, the food was great, the drive always enjoyable.  We got home around 8:00 and went over to Leonard's for some ice cream and we stayed there until about 9:30.  It was another fun night out and we should all be so lucky to be as energetic and interesting as Bill and Joyce when we reach our mid 80's. 

I am going to the Chautauqua Institution this morning, to hear a couple of talks, one by Anthony Doeer, author of the best seller, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE.  And if it does not rain, we hope to go into Jamestown this evening for Motor Mayhem Friday, as they close down the streets, get out the bands, and bring in the classic cars and motorcycles.  Lots to see, and photograph, good food and beer. We like to support these kind of events.