Post Avett Brothers Concert Blues

Blue Heron On A Rock

Taking Flight This Morning

6:06

6:36

7:30

Early morning at the lake, the sun popping in and out, on a muggy Saturday morning.  It's strangely silent for a Saturday, few boats out, not even a bass boat.  I have been up since 6:00, listening to the birds, mostly happy purple martins, feeding their broods I assume.

Yesterday was a Friday that seemed like a Saturday.  My nephew Pat and his wife Courtney were coming for a visit mid afternoon and all four of us were going to an Avett Brothers concert at the Chautauqua Institution Friday night.  So we spent part of the morning getting things ready for them. And Evie, who likes to have dinners prepped early, marinaded a couple of pork tenderloins for our dinner.  No trips to the store, however, I did drive to the CI to pick up free tickets for the concert, compliments of two the the breakfast guys.

It was one of those days that threatened and predicted rain but it never came during the day, just false alarms.  For lunch, I finished off my sub from Wegman's and watched some soccer and tennis to fill the lazy afternoon.  Neither of us got in any dock time, as we spent a good part of the afternoon waiting for the company.  They arrived around 3:30, and we sat on the front porch, as the afternoon sun had come out and the only cool place seemed to be on our front porch with the fan.  Both Pat and Courtney have been up here before, so we talked a lot about the good old days and caught up on their lives.

Cruising With Courtney and Pat

Around 5:00, it got to be so nice out that I took the cover off the boat and we went for a booze cruise for an hour, over to Bemus and back, a good idea because it was pleasant to be out on the lake and beat the heat.  When we got back, Pat and I went for a dip and Evie seared the pork tenderloins and fried up a batch of Japanese vegetable pancakes.  It was nice enough to have dinner outside, so were were able to enjoy the great dinner but also the waning afternoon.  We wanted to make sure we got decent seats at the concert, so we just left the dishes.

Late Afternoon Dinner

I dropped them off at the gate and parked the car in parking reserved for Institution people which was nice.  I showed my friend's pass and the gate opened up.  It's nice to be special.  The grounds were packed with concert goers as well as those who were staying on the grounds.

Pre Concert Buskers

We got pretty good seats, halfway down the aisle and to the left.  The Avett Brothers charged out around 8:10 and for the next two hours, they blew us away from their energy, their songs, their musical skills, and the harmony of the two brothers voices. They are truly a tight band, love playing their blue grass as well as their slow ballads.

Standing Room Only

The crowd loved them, many obviously knowing many of their songs, singing along, shouting out and clapping at the right times.  Towards the end, the two brothers came off stage and walked the aisles, touching hands with the audience in thanks.  They came out for a two song encore to much applause and when we then walked back to the car lightning filled the sky.  We were fortunate to get out of the parking lot and onto #394 quickly, so we were home by 11:00.

Avett Brothers Live

We sat on the front porch, drinking beer, watching the lightning show in the eastern sky until the rain drove us inside until around midnight, when we decided it was time to go up to bed, the end to a full day.  It's now just after 7:00 and everyone is still sleeping as I finish my blog.  The lake is now dark, as the sky is overcast, perhaps a kayak morning for me.

Well, it was a kayak morning and I was able to get two amazing photos of a blue heron.  It's almost 9:00 as I finish this and all of us are up, sitting on the porch, drinking coffee and listening to NPR.

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