A Quiet And Wet Memorial Day

7:51

8:18

Woke at 6:15, the blinds letting in enough morning light to get me up.  It's a cloudy morning, having rained a half inch overnight.  I like the colors, their clarity this morning,  the lake slate gray and green, the trees green, the sky various shades of gray.  A few bass boats are out but other than that, it's quiet here at the lake.  It's 9:00 and I just got back from kayaking and perching, no luck of course.

My Solitary Morning Paddle

Zen (Goalless) Fishing

Yesterday for me began with a long kayak paddle, as I mentioned.  Since it was Sunday, we decided to get some things done in the yard, or rather Evie did and I went along.  We did not get up from our morning coffee until around 10:00, enjoying the leisure of a mostly sunny morning.  We malingered. While I cleaned up the kitchen,  Evie put together a shrimp and cream cheese appetizer for later to take to the porch party later in the day.  Both of us, then, went out to work again in the garden, moving some unwanted plants, clearing areas and then beginning the process of planting the dahlias that Evie began in plastic yoga cups three weeks ago.  Because of this, they already have a good start, so she planted them in three or four areas around the garden.  They come in various heights so it was a crap shoot deciding where to put the 15-inch dahlias, the 45-inch ones.  The neat thing about them is they tend to bloom for a couple of months which makes them a perfect flower for the garden. The downside, we have to dig the bulbs out in the fall and store them properly or buy new ones next year.  I will leave it to your imagination which I would like to do.

Late Afternoon Rains

After the planting, we had our big Sunday breakfast of eggs, bacon, and bagels although neither of us was that hungry for some reason and we both left food on our plates.  Around 3:30, I started a new book by Don Winslow called THE KINGS OF COOL, about two 'good' drug dealers in California. It's the prequel to his more popular SAVAGES which was also made into a film.  So as I got into the surfer dude druggy life along the beach,  Evie fired up the mower (yes, Martha, even at the lake) and cut the lawn, a good way to end her day although, by the end, she looked wiped out, begging me to get her ice water.   It was surprisingly warm and humid on a day that started out fairly cool.

Porch Party Hosts, Jim And Barb

We both showered and put on our Sunday best, Bermudas and a tee shirt for me and walked in a light rain over to Jim and Barb's porch, a tradition, their Memorial Day porch party, which rings in the beginning of summer.  Everyone brings an appetizer, a few beers.

A Grand Chautauqua Porch

Buffalo's Joe And Betsy

Jim, Betsy, And Cindy

We sat on their porch until  9:00, enjoying the great food, the beers, and the fun talk, as each of us eventually went inside to get a fleece or blanket because of the cool night air.  Most were neighbors from Woodlawn, some having grown up here in their youth, so there were lots of stories about the good old days.  Jim and Barb are great hosts, so it was a fun way to celebrate the beginning of summer.  We walked home in a light rain, watched some TV for an hour, as the rain really started to fall.  Fortunately, the thunder and lightning seemed to be far away.

And we end with a heartfelt thank you to our son in law Drew and his family for his twenty-plus years of service to our country, mostly in Special Forces 10th Group.

Drew And Jill And Their Daughters, Halle and Hayden,  July, 2014