An Overcast And Wet Morning

7:07

Up at 6:10, seemingly my usual time, and came down to a wet walk, puddles on the road, and a windless, 70º morning.  It may clear up later in the day, but surprisingly, it's cooling off, with the high in the 70's, a break from weeks of 80º+ weather.

We started yesterday with a meeting of the Chautauqua Lake Association at the Bemus Point Casino and it was well attended.  We got an update, very optimistic, on the lake, on weed growth, water quality, on what's being done by various agencies, with lots of pats on the back to various people.  In other words, it was a bore.  The major project, however,  is the updating and extending of the sewer system around the lake, which is good news if you don't care about the cost.  Our area is scheduled for sewers once and if they get any money which seems doubtful for now.  And if they ever do get the money, our area won't be scheduled until 2024.  So we are solvent for now, can order that second beer or an appetizer.  Candidly, the interest in keeping the lake healthy is important and lots of people are working towards this end which is to be commended.  And new sewers are probably important, necessary eventually but the cost seems prohibitive especially since, as I have heard, septic systems are only 5% of the lake's problem, run offs from streams and farms the major polluter.  I wonder if money might be better spent addressing that problem instead of 1200 homes along the lakeshore, many of them empty nine months a year.  Anyways, we came home happy, not having to worry about things for the next eight years if at all.

We came home to another quite warm and humid afternoon on the lake.  The first thing we did is gather trash, so I could head off to the Transfer Station.  Since there are only two of us, there's not much to do and I was quickly home.  Evie had one thought in mind, to get out on the dock, set up her umbrella, lots of ice water,  her book and enjoy the afternoon; I had some lunch, leftover moussaka, and watched the women's volleyball team win a bronze medal.  I think I am going to miss watching the Olympics next week, as it was a nice respite from the junk TV I usually watch at lunch time.  I also read some, avoided the heat of the dock and sun; I would rather be doing something so I got out my kayak, paddled down to the ridiculously busy Sandy Bottom, where thirty or forty boats were tied together, their crews standing in the water, drinking beer, and blasting music.  I feel sorry for the neighbors.  It was so warm kayaking that I took off my life jacket and jumped in the water a couple of times as I paddled, to keep cool.  At least I got some exercise and its always settling to  be out on the lake.

The Mayor Of Woodlawn Speaks

How Big?

Around 5:30, Evie warmed up some appetizers, eggplant stuffed with ricotta, and we walked down to the third Woodlawn neighborhood picnic of the summer, a gathering for a couple of hours of neighbors and their guests.  It's always fun to see each other, as we don't get much of a chance during the week or weekends because everyone is busy with guests.  We had a brief meeting, made a few decisions effecting the right of way, and we were home by 7:00, in time for anyone who wanted to go out to dinner or have dinner.  So this gathering rarely gets in the way of doing something on a Saturday night.  Evie and I wanted to do something but we were not sure what.  We scratched going to Bemus for a  beer as we both had already had two, so we decided to go out on the lake for a paddle, over to Long Point, to Wells Bay and back.  It was nice to be out on the lake, surrounded by a darkening sky, and a quickly emptying lake.  We were out only for a half an hour but that was enough.

Kayaking At Dusk

When we came home, I warmed up some moussaka for a snack, Evie had some peaches, and we watched Netflix's Marcella, an increasingly confusing series about a female detective.  And the fact that its an English series, with English accents makes it even more difficulty as we miss quite a bit of the dialogue.  We were both in bed by 11:00, our usual bed time.

O, yea, I almost forgot.  Today is a special day...our 51st wedding anniversary.  Amazing.  How fortunate and grateful we are.