Wet And Not Wild

6:55

7:39

A quiet, gray morning on the lake, shadows from the trees fill the lake's edge.  No martins singing this morning for some reason; I hope they have not gone to find other homes.  No fishing boats yet, not a ripple on the lake, with some fog rising over the eastern shore.  It looks like we might have rain off and on over the next week, highs varying widely, from the 50's to 70's.  It's currently 57º with a light drizzle.

Breakfast With The Boys At Eat'n Park

Yesterday morning was really fun for me, as an old friend, Stan Marshaus, picked me up and 9:00 and we drove to Erie, PA, for breakfast at Eat'n Park.  We were meeting three of his childhood friends and guys I got to know in high school and college from playing basketball.  We have kept in touch over the years and get together once or twice a year, usually here at our house on the lake.  Don Gacey and John D'Angelo played basketball for John Carroll University and were very successful high school coaches.  Tom O'Brien was Stan's neighbor and fellow Miami University graduate.  We of course spent a couple of hours talking playing and coaching basketball, bringing up names of players we had not thought of in fifty years.  It's always great fun to reminisce about the 'good old days' playing summer ball at Shaw Field or Patterson or Euclid.  All of us have been basketball fans since childhood, so we remember the names of guys we looked up to as kids, the late 50's and 60's when we were still active players,  as well and the more recent greats from the Cleveland area.  All five of us ordered the Sunshine Special for $3.99, most likely along with all the other retirees looking to save a buck.  We must of sat there for two hours before heading home, the guys to the Cleveland area, Stan and I back to the lake, a great way to spend the morning.

Spring Tulips From Our Yard

When I got home, Evie was out enjoying the sun on the dock but was soon driven in by the wind.  I had no interest in lunch because of the late breakfast, so I read some and took a nap.  Evie did some more weeding and working in her garden and around 3:30,  she decided our lawn needed cutting so that took a good forty five minutes as it was long and thick.  I did some work on the dock, drilling in some lag bolts to make sure it was steady and would remain firm and stable.

We were both excited about dinner with Linda and Ron at the new tres expensive restaurant in the area called The White Carrot.  They had a $125.00 gift certificate and wanted to share it with us at the Carrot's bar.  So we drove to their house around 5:30, had a beer and some appetizers and took another walk through their new home before driving over to The White Carrot,  a couple of miles from the Chautauqua Institution gate.  Even though it was a Friday night, there were few people in the restaurant and no one at the bar which was fine with us.  We settled in with a pleasant bartender, Tom, and talked with him about our drink options and food.   Everything is very expensive and the menu consists of 'small bites,' the typical three course small bite meal costing $65.00.  And when they say small bites, the chef means it.  We ordered four 'small bites off the menu, none of which I  can describe because they were all so bizarre and different.  And though each of us had only a bite or two of each, they were fantastic.  We surprised ourselves by having such a great time with so little food.  The wine we chose, the cheapest on the menu, Torres 5G Garnacha from Spain, was excellent and the homemade baguette with softened chive butter was to die for.  Next time, we decided we would just have the bread and butter with our wine and we would be happy.  We stayed for an hour or more, talking with the bartender  and when we left, there were only  two couples in the restaurant.

Friday Night At The White Carrot

We went back to Linda and Ron's and because Linda knew we would not be gorging ourselves at The White Carrot, we sat down and had a delicious Mexican soup with all the accompaniments, guacamole, cilantro, etc.  It was a great way to end a special evening.  We did not get home until around 10:00, and watched some TV before going up to bed.

Interesting Think:

When someone is honestly 55 percent right, that’s very good and there’s no use wrangling. And if someone is 60 percent right, it’s wonderful, it’s great luck, and let him thank God. 

But what’s to be said about 75 percent right? Wise people say this is suspicious. Well, and what about 100 percent right? Whoever says he’s 100 percent right is a fanatic, a thug, and the worst kind of rascal.

— An old Jew of Galicia