A Calm, Quiet Monday Morning

6:00

6:49

6:50

I was up before 6:00, surprised to see threatening clouds and thundershowers predicted for later in the day.  At the moment, the sun has peaked out between the clouds and there is light off towards Bemus. The lake looks incredible, not a wrinkle, with various shades of light and gray, depending on the sunlight.  It's 47º and should warm up to the low 70's later in the day.

Kayak Morning

It was a pleasant morning to be out on the lake early, kayaking to Long Point and back to Wells Bay and home.  Lots of ducks cruising along the shoreline, quacking and flying away when I approached. And the martins are making a return, inhabiting a number of the houses along Victoria, still waiting for the Woodlawn martins.  It's nice to have them around, hearing their singing early in the morning.

Mallards

Lake Dead Fall

Yesterday was a typical Sunday for us and the weather was pleasant the entire day.  We had a leisurely morning, listening to NPR and reading on our devices.  We wanted to get a walk in and decided to stick with habit and walk the Chautauqua Institution.  It was perfect weather for a walk, as all we needed was a fleece. The trees and front yard gardens around here are still at an early stage, with little in flowering except for the daffodils.  I forget how early we still are in the spring season and our area is always later than Ohio.  There were actually a few people out like us, walking the streets of the CI.  We stopped and walked in and toured two homes that are being built, the only two we have noticed.  Both are interesting, though neither will be done in  time for the season.  And we stopped to talk with a couple from Pittsburgh, who have a small apartment on the grounds.  They were walking their two dogs, both Westies, Emma and Will.  I love other people's dogs.

We were home by 12:30 and had our big breakfast of eggs, bacon and bagels and instead of watching CBS Sunday, it was pleasant enough to eat breakfast our on our dock, as the wind cooperated.  It was great to finally have a meal al fresco.  We also cast a few lures, hoping to catch a perch or two but no luck.  After breakfast,  Evie began the process of putting together a photo album for the Summer of 2015 on Shutterfly.  I downloaded over 100 photos from our week in Topsail, so she's ready to start putting them in order.

Most of the afternoon, however, Evie spent outside working in the yard while I lounged inside, reading, napping and watching some basketball, a lazy sloth.  Evie cut both lawns, enjoying the exercise.  I finally got up off my couch to do some watering, as I was getting bored watching basketball.  And I washed our Outback, which had been bombarded by the birds over the past few days.  It's difficult to find a spot where it's safe from them.

Around 5:30, we had had enough and sat down to enjoy some wine and cheese, as the day slowly ended, the clouds began to arrive.  We were having steak for dinner, so I fired up the grill and cooked them outside around 7:00 and Evie put together a salad, sauteed some mushrooms, and made some potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes.  Dinner was delicious, what's not to like when you have a steak and salad.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning, then some Bill Maher because there is not much else on TV on Sunday nights.  We both miss not having a series to watch so we are going to have to start a new one.