A Crisp 52º Morning

FisherGALS

Then And Now

6:14

6:16

6:17

6:30

6:30

6:53

6:54

A heavy line of clouds hovered over Long Point when I got up at 6:10.  It occasionally breaks through, to reflect on the lake.  And because of the crisp morning, the lake is smothered in a slow moving fog.  I should be jumping in my kayak and glide through it, but I won't, at least for now because I am listening to the news for the first time since Friday.  And nothing has changed, just more Trump antics, admired by Fox, ridiculed by MSNBC.  Well, it's 9:30 and Mitch and I just got back from an hour paddle to Long Point, Tom's Point and home.  It was 56º out when we started, 70º when we got back.

Kayaking With Mitchell

Yesterday was another strange day, as it was windy and chilly much of the day, ruining what we might have thought would have been a dock and boating day, not that anyone seemed to mind.  We all found things to do and just relaxing in the house, on the porch, or yard seemed just fine with the gang.

Rolling and Cutting Sticky Buns

When Evie got up, however, fireworks ensued as she and the girls got out the sticky buns dough, gave it another kneading, then together, they rolled out the dough, heated the caramel mixture and made 36 sticky buns, putting them in the oven around 10:30.

The Finished Product

While this was going on, a crew was over at Long Point for a run or bike, Mitchell was at The Fitness Bunker, and the girls, Evie and I were out on the dock fishing while the sticky buns baked.  The girls had a great time fishing with their hoodies because of the wind, as the fish were biting for once and we did not go in until we were sure it was time to devour the buns.

Girls Gone Fishing

The Motley Crew

Sunfish

They had to wait for them to cool for ten minutes, but after five, Halle was eating one.  I have to say, these were some of the best Evie's ever made and by the time the entire gang was home from working out and had some sticky buns, there were less than a dozen left by noon.

Everyone then had lunch of some kind, the guys' sandwiches, Nick an egg with and Mitch made a great looking egg and cheese souffle.  These boys like to cook.

Bubbles

Bubbles And Iphones

Our Volleyballers, Halle And Mitchell

The rest of the afternoon we spent lounging in the living room on our devices, playing volleyball, blowing bubbles, or out in the yard, playing some mean games of bean bag. Tommy and I had a great come back, to defeat Tyler and Nick in three, the last game 21-2, as the old men taught the youngsters a lesson.

Rock Painting

Crazy Rocks

The girls spent a good part of the afternoon out on the picnic table, painting rocks, a tradition here at the lake and each year, they get more and more creative.  Beth, of course, is the leader, helping the girls with their rocks, suggesting themes and colors.

Happy Hour

Bean Bag

Granny And Tyler

By 5:30, we were out in the yard drinking beer, or a specialty drink by Jill, a combination of guava, pineapple juices, with rum.  Everyone liked it, even the kids' virgin versions.  We played more bean bag until it was time for dinner.  Evie had made cabbage rolls weeks ago, so she popped two trays out of the freezer, heated them up, boiled a dozen Slovenian sausages, mashed some red potatoes, and cooked some corn.  We ate inside because it was too chilly out.  Who would have thought late July would be too chilly to eat outside.  Beth was going to miss dinner because she was taking Tyler to the Buffalo Airport for a 7:00 flight to Boston.  It was, unfortunately, delayed or fortunately, so that both Tyler and Beth were able to eat dinner with us, and Tyler took an Uber, leaving at 9:00 for an 11:30 flight. Dinner was great and even though most of the grandchildren had never had cabbage rolls, a number went back for seconds and thirds.  Needless to say, there was nothing left of our dinner by the time we finished.

Enjoying A Campfire In Our Fleeces

After dinner, Drew and Tommy got out the firepit, split some wood, and we sat around a nice, warming fire until it was dark and too cold to sit outside.  There's something hypnotic about a fire, so we often found ourselves just staring at it.  Evie got out some marshmallows although we had forgotten to get graham crackers and Hersey bars but no one seemed to care.  Around 9:00, six of us played another rousing and long game of Telefunky, finishing around 11:00.  Needless to say, by then everyone was more than ready for bed.

Me