Very Early Morning Thunder, Lightning And, Yes, Rain

6:16

6:56

I was up way too early for some reason and came downstairs, sat out on the porch and was entertained by thunder, lightning which lit the entire sky, and a heavy rain at times.  It's 7:00 now and it's still overcast and we get an occasional shower but nothing sustained.  It's muggy 72º, and we may have more showers this morning and early afternoon.  The rain and cloudy skies are welcome change from the past weeks of heat, a dearth of rain.  Today we start the fun part of our summer, as Beth and Marisa arrive in Buffalo at 3:25, the start of three weeks of family.

Yesterday I felt like a mini ironman, as I kayaked for an hour early, over to Long Point, along its shore, then sitting in the middle of the lake, meditating and drinking coffee, enjoying the solitariness of it all.  When I got home, Evie was doing some wash, organizing the bedrooms for Beth's arrival today.  She also finished up a final grocery list of things we needed from Wegman's and drove off to Lakewood around 11:00.  I still felt energized so I put my bike in my car and drove over to Bemus, for another hour bike ride through Bemus and Long Point State Park.  It was still cool with a nice breeze so I really enjoyed my ride.  The marina was packed with trucks and trailers as the lake was riddled with bass boats although I did not see any evidence of their being a weigh in or tournament.

I got home just as Evie was returning, so I helped unpack the car and put things away.  After my bike ride, I rowed out and put out another buoy, to discourage boaters from coming too close to the docks. And I got out my trusty weed rake, and worked at cutting weeds for another hour.  Our swimming area is in good shape and ready for lots of play from our grandchildren.  I then had a quick lunch of vegetable soup and a bagel, and watched the tragic unfolding of the police shooting in Baton Rouge.  Another tragedy, a hate crime I would suggest, and another brief, articulate and deft speech from President Obama, urging calm and careful use of language, especially cautioning against using these tragedies to score political points.

We then did little the rest of the afternoon, taking in some sun on the dock and swimming before the noise and busyness on the lake drove us back to our porch.  We were both hungry, so Evie broiled the salmon, made the rice and garlic spinach, and we had dinner around 6:30.  We watched Bill Maher and cannot wait to see him this week because he will be broadcasting from the Republican Convention.  We ended the night watching Leslie Stahl interview Trump and Pence on 60 Minutes. Trump, as usual, bulldozed his way through the interview, interrupting Stahl and Pence, making it difficult for him to respond to Stahl's questions.  It was embarrassing to watch, humiliating for Pence, but he was loyal soldier,  happy to carry the water for this inarticulate, ignorant, bombastic bully.  There, I said it. I actually feel sorry for Republicans because they have little choice but to support Trump if they are party loyalists. Hillary, no doubt has her liabilities, blown out of proportion by Fox News for the past 20 years.  She is, however, the most qualified candidate ever to run for President, having lived in the White House for eight years, getting elected as Senator to New York State, and being appointed Secretary of State for four years.  People may dislike her but she is extremely knowledgeable and qualified and before she ran for President, she received kudos from both Democrats and Republicans alike for her skills in both the Senate and as Secretary of State.