Sunny And Blue, Cloudless Skies

6:21

7:32 

I was up at 6:10 and almost missed the sunrise at 6:20 because I was fussing with my computer. Clear skies mean it won't be a striking morning sky but I will live with that.  It means another fine day on the lake.  In fact, it looks as though we may have at least three days like this in a row, perfect lake days, sunny with highs just reaching 80º.  Just got back from an amazing morning paddle on the lake; it's difficult finding superlatives to describe my morning outings.  Today was the best.

Kayaking Along Long Point

Yesterday was supposed to be 'leisurely Sunday' and it was after the noon hour but before, Beth and I went off to hard Kundalini Yoga class in Lakewood, with lots of difficult asanas and breathing exercises, a class which finished with a ten minute gonging savasana.  We then went to Walmart to pick up a few items, the parking lot quite crowded, church for the shopper I suppose.  When we got home, Evie had the mower out and was giving the lawn a good trim even though it hardly needed it because of the lack of rain.  It took her a good hour, with time out for lots of water on a very warm Sunday morning.  Once she was finished, the chairs and tables put back in place, it was finally a 'leisurely Sunday afternoon.'

Marisa At Rest

We were so comfortable in the house after lunch that we did not get out on the dock until 2:00 or later in Beth's case.  But once we were out, we stayed until 5:00.  Evie spent a good amount of time on the float, soaking up some sun and Beth and I read while Marisa did one hand stand after another, for a good hour or two, perfecting her stand before falling into the water.  We would like to know where she gets her energy so we might have some.  Because of the heavy winds, I had to move the anchors for both floats a couple of times, to make it easy to get our boat out.  It was a great afternoon on the dock and we wished the rest of the family were here to enjoy it.  We hardly had a lake day like this when all were here.

Marisa In Action

About 6:00, we realized we were really hungry, so I set the table outside and Evie had put some potatoes in the oven around 5:30, so all we needed was for Beth to make a salad and for Evie to grill some chicken breasts and roast some cauliflower and broccoli along with the potatoes.  It was a good night for eating outside, a dying wind, shade, no insects and a blue lake, clear sky.

Dinner Al Fresco

Dinner was great and we sat outside talking and sipping wine until 7:30.  We quickly did the dishes then went outside for another game of bean bag.  This time Marisa and I got our revenge, beating Evie and Beth.

We were going to go for a boat ride or have a fire but Marisa wanted to finish the movie we started on Saturday, Okja, so we did what she wanted, what else.  We finished off the blueberry pie with ice cream, a sweet ending to a lake day.

Clear Sky Sunday

Making A Blueberry Pie With Granny

6:21

Dahlia

I was up just in time to see the sun peak over Long Point at 6:20.  Not a cloud in the sky, just a light blue and finally, the wind has settled down after I brought in our float of course.  We had a good 36 hours of heavy winds the past two days for some reason.  It's now 9:00, the wind is pickng up and both Beth and Evie are up as well.  I already did some thoroughly watering of the trees and garden and took some pictures of the dahlias as you can see.

Goodbye To Halle

The Retired Colonel Heads Home

Yesterday we said aloha to Jill's family, as they left for home around 8:15 and Beth took Mitchell to the Buffalo Airport, leaving around 11:00, as he was flying home to Dallas.  That left Marisa, Evie and me to an almost empty and quiet house.  So what did we do?  The beginning of the 'big clean up,' as we spent a good part of our morning just straightening rooms and putting away extra blankets, comforters, mattresses, as we no longer need them because we now have more than enough beds and bedrooms.  In fact, Marisa spent a good part of yesterday, luxuriating in her own bedroom with a king size bed and cosy comforter.  It was almost like we were recovering from something, in this case the fun and chaos of a week of family.  Anyways, this clean up is our way of coping with the fact that we won't be seeing our kids and grandchildren for a few months, probably not until Thanksgiving.

Pie Girl

A Lattice Blueberry Pie

Once we were tired of organizing and vacuuming, we got down to business and found a blueberry pie recipe on our computer.  First, Evie and Marisa decided to make an all butter pie crust rather than use a store bought one.  So that took some time and it ended up great.  They then put some blackberries in a pan with sugar, heated it until the sugar melted, made a slurry of cornstarch and water and added it to the mixture and brought it to a boil, adding lemon zest, butter and a dash of cinnamon.  After the cooked blueberries cooled off they added 4 more cups of uncooked blueberries to the mixture.  They then rolled out the pie crust, added the blueberry mixture, then put a lattice pattern of dough on top before baking for 40 minutes or until the crust was just turning brown.

Dahlia

Beth meanwhile spent a good part of the day on the road, taking Mitchell to Buffalo, then stopping in Westfield where there was a Farmer's market with mostly Amish goodies and an Arts and Craft Festival.  She browsed both, buying corn from the Amish and some earrings for both Evie and herself.  Finally, she stopped at Tops in Mayville, to pick up some French Vanilla ice cream for our pie and some salad.

Around 3:30, all of us went out to enjoy the dock and go for a swim but we neither swam nor lasted long on the dock because of the 15-20 mph winds.  So we either sat on the porch, came in the house or like me, relaxed on a chaise lounge reading in the side yard. We were all hungry by 6:00, so Evie roasted some cauliflower, Beth made a salad and I grilled Marisa's favorite, Juicy Lucies, burgers with a slice of cheese in the middle.  It was still too windy to eat outside so we ate at the dining room table, just the four of us, alas.  We certainly missed both Jill and Tommy's family.

A Dinner With Juicy Lucies

After an easy cleanup, we played bean bag and Marisa and I got beaten thoroughly by Beth and Evie. We were good losers.  We then decided to watch a movie and after some discussion, we ended up watching a Netflix original, OKJA, about a young girl's fight to save her massive pet animal. We also had our blueberry pie with ice cream and it was every bit as good as we hoped and the crust was buttery and flaky.  Yum.  We watched half of it before we got tired and a little bored and decided to go to bed. I am reading a new book by Mark Bowden called HUE 1968, about the seminal battle in Vietnam which changed the Americans attitude toward the war.  It's really good.

Dahlia 

Down To Four

The Girls Last Morning Together

6:02

6:15

6:33

A windy and cool morning of 60º.  I woke to the sounds of bass boats around 6:00, came downstairs, checked to make sure the heavy winds did not blow away our floats, made the coffee and settled in for the morning.  Drew joined me around 6:30, as we listened to CNN off and on, catching up on the news we have missed over the past week.

Lots of Hugs Goodbye

Marlena And Halle

Yesterday was the first of three sad making days as Tommy and his family flew home to Kansas City. It was a busy morning, with their getting organized, packed, making sure they had everything.  Beth made blueberry pancakes for everyone, so she was up and busy, making enough for nine.  Marisa and Marlena were up early for them so they could get one more kayak paddle in before Marlena left for home.

Kayay Morning

Watch Out Marlena

We filled up on pancakes, packed the car and we were off for the Buffalo Airport, Tommy's family and me.   Tommy realized that their flight home, at least the first leg to Baltimore might be canceled so he called Southwest and was able to change it so they flew through Chicago rather than Baltimore.  It was not easy as he lost the connection to Southwest twice because of the poor Sprint coverage, very annoying.  We made it easily to the airport and they had a good hour before their flight so all was well.

Lunch At Bemus Point Casino

Mitchell And Me

When I got home around 1:30, the group was ready to drive to Bemus Point to do some shopping and have lunch at the Casino.  It was too windy to go by boat, so we took two cars and had a hard time finding a place to park.  The Casino was busy but we easily found a table, ordered our wings or sandwiches or salads, and all was well, the kids were happy.  We then hit a couple of Bemus Point shops before wilting in the sun and heat and driving home.  The rest of the day is somewhat of a blur as we tried to go out on the dock but it was uncomfortably windy, so most of us stayed inside, tired from our lunch and shopping, either taking a nap or reading on our devices.

Jilly Bean

We were having a big dinner, meaning homemade pasta, with a vodka pasta sauce, and scallops and shrimp.  So Evie and Mitch put together for the dough for the pasta and Beth made her special vodka pasta sauce.

Making Fettuccine With Granny

Since we had eaten lunch around 2:00, we did not get started on dinner until 5:30.  Beth made the vodka pasta sauce, the girls and Mitch helped Evie make the fresh fettuccine, Evie and Mitch seared the scallops and shrimp, Jill put together a salad, and by 7:30, we had a feast of pasta, vodka sauce, and seafood. Needless to say, we had no leftovers.

Dinner For Nine

After dinner, all of us were at sixes and sevens, knowing that Jill's family were leaving Saturday morning, so it was the girls' last night together.  They spent some time going through old photo albums, watched some TV together before dessert, brownies and ice cream.  Finally, they just wanted to go upstairs to their bedroom, to talk and watch a show.  The rest of us followed around 11:00 and as I fell asleep, I could hear the girls still up, giggling.

Hayden And Marisa

And Then There Were Nine

Beth And Jill, Sisters and Best Friends

6:14

6:24

8:03

It's just past 7:30 and three of us, the guys, of course, are up drinking coffee, occasionally talking but mostly we are tied to our devices.  I was up at 6:15, had my half hour of solitude, took some photos, and then the guys started to get up.  The girls have set their alarms for 8:00, so that Marisa and Marlena can go kayaking before Tommy and his family leave for the airport around 10:00.  It's hard to believe they have been here for a week, as the days seem to have vanished like a magicians trick.

Jill And The Girls

Yesterday, despite the overcast sky, was a busy day filled with the usual, workouts, docking it, swimming, shopping, lots of bean bag, followed by a good dinner.  We were slow getting started but by 10:30, a group went over to Bemus to walk or run, Mitch to work out, Nick stayed behind to study for his exam at noon, and Evie, having received another recipe from me this morning, made a lemon blueberry cake which was outstanding.

Making Crepes

When the girls got up, Evie made them crepes before they got going.  Afterward, they helped Evie by vacuuming and picking up the house before the adults returned to wreak havoc.  I was helpful, too, organized, washing and drying the dishes, and so on and on.  By the time the group came back from their workout, both Evie and I felt like we had been working out.  And I was ready for a nap.

Kayak Girl #1

Kayak Girl #2

We Did It

For lunch, I grilled some hot dogs for everyone and heated up a can of Bush's Baked beans, and everyone dug in, hungry from their exercise.  We then headed to the dock, the occasional sun, the water and tubing for the girls.

Cousin Power

I was going to go to the store with Beth after a nap but when I got up, she had gone without me, knowing I was not crazy about shopping.  And she wanted to take her time and that doesn't happen when I am along.  I want to buy what's on the list and go home, no browsing or uncertainty.

The Kayak Twins

 Midafternoon, Evie put together, with Mitch and Tommy's help, the koftes we were having for our Turkish dinner of Iskender kebabs, basically meatballs on pita bread with a tomato sauce and a dollop of yogurt.

Hayden Kayaking With Her Baba

While they were prepping, Hayden and I took a nice kayak paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back, on a choppy but fun lake. And once dinner was prepped, we all sat out in the yard for a couple of pounds of shrimp with cocktail sauce.  It did not last long as we all congregated around the appetizer table and devoured it.

Halle, A Good Winner

Enjoying Appetizers And Bean Bag

Mitch Relaxing Back

We played more bean bag, a couple of the games seemed never ending as you have to go out exactly on 15 or 21.  We did not start putting together dinner until about 6:45 when Mitch and I went out to the barbecue and grilled about forty koftes.  We decided to eat inside so we stuffed 13 people around a table best for ten because the girls wanted to sit with the adults, understandably.

Dinner For Thirteen

Dinner was great, nothing left by the end and little clean up because of paper plates and plastic utensils, a great invention for a large group.  After dinner, Marisa and Marlena went for their second paddle of the day, as the day waned.  It's fun to see them get into kayaking.

Nick And Mary, Son and Mom

A Lake Of The Ozarks Couple

Finished With His On Line Accounting Test

Around 8:30, we had the lemon blueberry cake.  Evie wasn't sure how good it would be but the fact there is a small slice left this morning attests to its tastiness.  I loved it, like a rich pound cake with blueberries.  We ended the night playing a wild game of spoons which ended with Jill grabbing a spoon out of Marisa's hand and knocking her out of her chair on to the floor.  And we have a video tape of it for proof.  Jill's a fairly aggressive player!  We all went to bed about 11:00 and Evie and I had to quiet the girls down at 11:20, so we could get some sleep.  Another full day.

Overcast And Warming

Selfie With Aunt Linda And Uncle Rich

Just Like A Kid

6:20

7:40

Up again, like clockwork, at 6:00 to an uninspiring morning sky, mostly gray, overcast, with not a dab of the sunrise.  There is some color to the south, but that's it for a mostly gray canvas.  It's 62º, quite a bit warmer than yesterday's 54º and will get up to 80º later in the day, with no rain forecast for the next week.

Yesterday was a busy lake day, like the past five days, with late starts but lots of action thereafter.  We got up slowly, adults then kids although because Mitch was up early, we went for a good kayak paddle around 8:00.  When we got back, everyone was up, trying to decide what to do.  So some went to workout at The Fitness Bunker, two to yoga and Drew took a ten-mile bike ride, to Dobbins Woods Preserve where we saw a bear and its cub run by the road.  Exciting and scary.  Evie and the girls got busy cleaning up the mess downstairs.  And around 11:30, my new Google Mesh router arrived, so Nick and I spent the next forty-five minutes setting it up.  I was having trouble with my wifi signal and the new router seems to have solved the problem.

Girls Rock

Posing

When everyone returned, we all ended up on the dock until about 2:30, fishing and swimming as we saw fit.  The girls caught lots of fish until they tired, then swam and played in the water, jumping off the dock for more Evie photographs.  Nobody seemed to worry much about lunch, just grazed whenever they felt like it.

Nick's Big Catch

Adults Only

Mary And Tom

Drew And Jill

About 2:30, the adults and Nick took the boat over to Bemus, hoping to enjoy a beer at the Ellicottville Brewery.  Unfortunately, it did not open until 4:00 so they ended up at the Italian Fishermen which was fine.

Picking Blueberries

Summer, 2011

With Buddy, The Wonder Dog

Cousins

Evie and I took the girls to The Blueberry Patch, a farm about three miles away.  We go there every summer with the girls for seven years, have gotten to know Margaret over the years and she remembers when the girls used to come with their matching dresses.  No more.  We picked berries for about forty-five minutes, got photos with Margaret and the wonder dog, Buddy, always willing to do tricks for a snack.

Big And Little Sister

Hayden And Halle

Surfer Gals

A Balancing Act With Marisa And Marlena

When we got back from The Blueberry Patch, my sister Linda and her husband Rich were on the dock with Mitch.  They had driven in from Saranac Lake, where they spent a few days with their kids and their families.

Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Grandkids

All fifteen of us sat out on the dock, enjoying a beer, catching up.  Tom and Drew took the girls tubing for the first time and they seemed to love it.  I am sure there's more to come.  We had planned on going to Pine Junction, near Findlay Lake, so Linda and Rich joined us since it was on their way home.

Burgers At Pine Junction

We could not find a table for 15 so we took over the three tables in the bar and had great meals, mostly burgers, some pizza, a pork chop and open faced steak sandwiches.  It was a good choice.  We headed home around 8:30, saying goodbye to Linda and Rich.  Everyone seemed worn out when we got home, so we ended up just sitting around, talking or on our devices.  Tom and Nick watched the US win a soccer game over Jamaica.  Evie and the girls had a fun time going through the photographs from yesterday, laughing and picking out the best.  We all were in bed by 11:00 except for Nick and Mitch, who always seem to stay up later than the rest, a habit they developed no doubt in their freshmen year at college.

Halle Relaxed With Her Dad