Waking To Rain ( And Lake Flies)

6:34

Blue Heron Catches A Fish

Whoops

Well, it's 7:00 and the rain stopped a few minutes ago.  What a delight to get up to a gentle rain, no thunder, no lightning, just a nourishing rain.  We used to be a very wet area but over the past few years, it's changed, especially during the summer when we have long spans of dry weather.  We did have a wet spring, however, so it's hard to predict whether our weather patterns are changing or not. It's cooling off dramatically over the next couple of days, with a high in the mid-sixties but sunny. The only bad news this morning is the return of the lake flies, a yearly occurrence.  When I walked outside this morning, I could hear their hum. They usually stay for a week to ten day and leave a mess on mostly white surfaces.

After Rain

I have decided to lay off yoga classes for a bit as I want to get back into daily hiking or walking as well as more kayaking.  Yesterday began then we a nice paddle, a sighting of a couple of cormorants, an exciting way to start the day.  We were both unsure as to what to do and since Evie could not make up her mind, whether to paint or walk, I said let's paint.  We have had two benches since we bought our house 36 years ago.  We have painted them a couple of times but they need it again.  In June, Evie worked on stripping them, getting them ready for paint but they have sat in the garage since then, waiting to be painted.  Well, we finally got to them yesterday.  We got out a tarp, draped it over a couple of chairs and set the benches on top and started painting.  They are the kind of benches that are metal with wood slats, so it takes time to paint first the underside, let it dry, then do the much easier upside.  We worked until lunch on the one side.  We then took time out to let the benches dry and Evie made me an omelet to go with a tortilla as I watched FNL.  Evie went out on the dock to enjoy some sun.

Another Beauty

We then finished the benches around 2:00 and they look pretty good though they will need another coat.  We then took it easy the rest of the afternoon, reading, napping, watering, or enjoying the pleasantly cool afternoon on the dock.  I made sure the boat was ready for a cruise over to Bemus later in the day, set it up for a cruise with appetizers by putting up the table.

Boating To Bemus Point With Linda And Ron

Ron and Linda came over at 5:30, as we had talked about taking the boat over to Bemus and having some wings at the Village Casino as it was locals night, with half priced wings, a deal we could not pass up.  Evie had made an artichoke and parmesan cheese appetizer for the boat, so we took our time cruising over to Bemus, enjoying a beer, the appetizer and the late afternoon on the lake.  It was so nice we didn't want the ride to end, so we passed the Casino and cruised down to the bridge, then back to an empty Casino dock.  We were able to get a table on the deck, on the water.  It was a fine night to watch the sunset, drink beer, and eat wings.  The wings were great,  just what we wanted. And we took our time boating home at dusk, the sky darkening, making it difficult to pick out our dock.  We said our good byes to Linda and Ron and smartly put the boat cover back on, as rain was predicted.  We were able to watch another Vice News and follow the latest on Harvey before going to bed.

The Sun Finally Rises

A Rare Photo Of Two Perched, Migrating, Double Breasted Cormorants

6:54

7:05

Up at 6:00, listening to the news concerning Harvey as the sun took its time to rise above a cloud bank but it finally rose above it about 7:10.  It's now filling our living room with light and soon I will be forced to move to another chair as the sun moves south towards the Fall Equinox on September 22nd.  It's 9:40 and I have been back from a paddle for about a half hour, as we finish the blog.  As you can see, I took a couple of amazing photographs of two Double Breasted Cormorants.  It made my morning.

Kayak Morning

Long Point

Double Breasted Cormorants

Yesterday in contrast to Monday was a good day.  No car trouble for one thing.  So far, the engine light on my Accord has stayed off.  At 9:30, I had a good yoga class, lots of people, a few neophytes which is nice to see.  Afterwards, I decided to drive to Niobe, a small town near the Pennsyvania line, where an Amish family splits the work, the father making canvas curtains and boat covers, the son doing the upholstery businesss.  I wanted to get a second opinion of the cost of both a canvas boat cover and recovering the cushions in my boat.  Well, it was worth the trip as their estimate on both was a third the cost of the previous estimation at a business in Ashville.  Amazing.  So I made a tentative date for both and will wait till we take the boat out of the water at the end of September to get it done.  It's an interesting drive to their house as the macadam road ends about three miles from their houses and it turns to dirt and stone.  I know how to find it as I hang a right at the old Amish School house, with two outhouses sitting behind the school.  I also stopped at Sandy's, a gal from whom we have bought perennials from for the past 25 years.  Her garden appears to be overgrown but she said she still has some perennials left.  Pulling weeds have become too difficult for her and she cannot get her children to help out.  Sad making.

A Lonely, Perhaps Abandoned Baby Purple Martin

When I got home, Evie was off to get her hair done by Jaret and to do some shopping at Sam's and
T. J. Maxx.  So I was on my own for three or four hours.  I heated up my 16 bean soup, toasted a bagel and watched FNL  I then started to water various bushes and trees, going outside to change the hose every ten minutes until I got tired of doing it.  I then read MRS FLETCHER by Tom Perotta, fell asleep briefly, then went out and started to water again.  I figured out a good way to water the garden; sit in one of the chairs in the garden and read, changing the hose every so often.  Around 3:30, Evie returned, so I helped her unload the car and put away things and finished up the watering.

It was still windy and overcast outside, not the kind of weather that beckons to the dock, so we had our wine time inside, listening to the news, enjoying the leisure of late afternoon.  Dinner was tres easy, just heat up the leftover pork chops, ratatouille, and rice, make a salad, steam broccoli and we had dinner.  It was as good if not better than the night before.  We watched a Spanish movie called THE INVISIBLE GARDEN, about a serial killer in Navarre who targets teens.  The female detective in charge also happens to have grown up in Navarre which causes some problems.  It was watchable, perhaps a B or B-.

Not Much Of A Morning Sky

7:18

8:28

It's 7:50 and I have been up since 6:40, waiting for something interesting to photograph but the sky remains one vast blank canvas of gray.  I did catch a blue heron who seemingly arrives early in morning to fish in our neighbor's lakefront.  I love his awkward walk, body parts going in all direction.  It's a chilly 59º, the high getting into the low 70's.

Searching For Breakfast

No Luck

It does not look like our week is going to change much as we are back into a routine.  The day did not start out well, nor did it end well.  When I got in my car to drive to yoga, one of the warning lights was on...ugh, more money I thought.  I drove to yoga, worrying about the light and had a hard time keeping it off my mind during class.  I stopped at my mechanic after class, and he said to bring it in at 2:30 and he would check the light.  I then made the mistake of driving to Ashville, where I was going to get an estimate on how much it would cost to recover the seats on my boat which are worn and ripped.  Well, the estimate came in at 4500.00 bucks! Needless to say, I am going to get another estimate, driving off to a recommended Amish guy who I hope will be cheaper.  So besides my car, the cost of the boat ruined my lunch, of 16 bean soup and a cheese sandwich, compliments of Evie.

The semi good news is that when I drove to my mechanic later in the day, the red light did not seem to be anything serious.  It has some thing to do with the gas cap and a sensor that if I need to get a new one, will cost 75 bucks plus labor.   He turned the light off and said drive it and see if it comes back on.  If not, fine, if it does, then we can get the part which I will need if I want to pass the safety inspection for 2018.  That was sort of good news.

While I was gone, Evie worked on giving my bean soup more flavor, successfully I might add.  And she put together our dinner, a ratatouille, a mix of eggplant, onions and other goodies,  to go along with marinated teriyaki pork chops.  Once that was done, she was free to enjoy the dock briefly because the southerly wind was so strong that we could not enjoy sitting out for long.  So we watched lots of news about Houston and got some things done around the house.

Dinner used to be one of our go to dinners back in the 1990's but we have not made it recently, teriyaki pork chops, ratatouille, rice and yogurt to put on the ratatouille. It hit the spot as we watched what we thought would be a movie about corporate cheating called THE ACCOUNTANT but it ended up being a violent shoot em up.  Ben Affleck, the protagonist, suffers from Asperger's syndrome.  He, however, has certain skills: the mathematical mind of a genius, thus an accountant, to go along with being an expert in karate and using firearms, skills taught to him when he was young by his military father.  So it ended up not being a quiet movie but one where Affleck must kill at least 15 or 20 bad guys only to discover that the baddest guy of all, the last man standing, is his brother. Go figure.   We ended the evening, catching up on the latest in Houston, the latest on Trump's continuing blundering towards Moscow.

Earlier in the day, I had called my boat guy, Chris, because I needed a new prop for my boat.  He said he would stop by, early evening, and check it out and put new plugs in my motor.  Well, about 8:00 we finally saw him out on the dock, working on my motor.  When I went out to see him, he told me he was so late because two of my neighbor's had boat trouble and he had to get both of their boats running.  I guess it was a good thing I had him stop over to check out my prop.

A Quiet Lake And Morning

6:25

6:44

6:45

6:46

7:56

What a difference between yesterday's morning of bass boat mania at 6:30 and this morning's quiet, with not a boat in sight.  It's overcast, the sun barely visible behind the clouds and still a pleasantly chilly 56º.  I have been listening to the devasting news from Houston where these poor residents have lost everything, house, cars, worldly goods and probably their jobs.  We have never seen anything like it and the worst is yet to come when everything settles down and tens of thousands of people if not more will have nothing to return to, no home, job or income.  And just wait till the politics enter into this mess, making things even worse.  Already the Texas Congressmen who voted against aid for the residents of New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy are being criticized for asking for aid now for their state.

Pretty In Pink

Yesterday was a strange day weather wise as we had a gusty, constant southerly wind all day, unusual for us.  We had our typical Sunday morning, listening to the news about the rain fall in Houston, the flooding, its effects on the city, the homes and residents.  It's amazing how you can bring a tragedy into your own home, even wars as we have seen over the past twenty years.

Sunday Morning At The Chautauqua Institution

Since it was a sunny morning, we decided to take the boat down to the Chautauqua Institution, the final day of the season and people watch, listen to part of the service, and go for a walk around the north end.  It was a nice way to spend the morning, still lots of residents but within the week, the grounds will be empty of people unless there is a special event.  By Labor Day, most of the residents close up their cottages and go home.

Buddha In Metal

Tiny Buddhas Builds Buddha

We took our time boating home, enjoying being out in the middle of the lake, the blue sky and clouds above, the wind keeping us cool.  We got home around 1:00 and Evie immediately got out the bacon and eggs and made our Sunday breakfast.  We were going to eat outside but it was windy and we wanted to see what was happening in Houston.  It's hard not to watch the developing tragedy.  After breakfast, we spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what we should be doing but doing nothing.  We read, Eviw visited with some neighbors, enjoyed the dock until the wind forced us off, watched some more TV until 5:30 when we decided it was wine time, so we sat out on our front porch, protected from the wind with some leftover appetizers, enjoying the late afternoon.

Wine Time Begins At 6:00

No worry about dinner because we had leftover pizza from Thursday night's dinner.  Around 8:00 we when we got tired of listening to the news, then music, we came in, heated up the pizza, steamed the fresh corn and we had an easy and good dinner, the corn especially was stellar.

End Of Wine Time: 8:07

We channel surfed the news about the storm, moving between the Weather Channel and the various news stations, each competing to give viewers the most up to date and nerve racking rescues.  CNN usually wins this competition.  I could not wait to go up to bed to read something to take my mind off of the news.  And for once, Trump was mostly pushed off of the Boob Tube for a day, maybe two.

Final Night At Bemus Point Golf Course Bar/Restaurant

The Buddha In Evie's Garden: Peace And Love

6:44

6:52

6:55

Well, Evie and I were talking yesterday afternoon on the dock about the fact that there did not seem to be any bass tournaments this summer.  Last summer, I might get awakened at 6:00 by the roar of bass boats starting their day four or five times a summer.  So much for that theory.  I was awakened at 6:30 by the roar of bass boats, probably a good two minutes of boats taking off from the Long Point Marina.

Good Morning, Dahlia

Yesterday, for the most part, was a typical Saturday, a relaxing morning with coffee, a newspaper and no hurry to get up and do anything, in other words, no yoga.  Around 10:00, we started life.  I started gathering the trash and Evie worked at putting things together which we were donating to Journey's End, an organization that helps immigrants settle in Buffalo.  It was an easy trash day, one bucket and a few other oddities.  Once that was done, I came home and decided to make a pot of 16 bean soup.  I had seen this Goya product before and decided to give it a try.  I sauteed onions and celery while I soaked the beans in hot water for an hour.  I then drained the beans, added them to the onions and celery, added six cups of water and a package of ham flavoring and let it simmer for a couple of hours until the beans were tender.  I have not tried it yet but I get the feeling it's too thick, in other words, needs more liquid and lacks flavor so I will need to salt it quite a bit more.  Whatever, it will be my lunch for the next few days.

Once we were done doing a few chores in the house, Evie went out to enjoy the afternoon on the dock where depending on the sun and clouds, it was either too hot or too cool.  I had lunch of the leftover eggplant pasta and watched another episode of FNL, my nostalgic fix.  Then, I read some and since I finished CHURCHILL & ORWELL, I had picked up a John Banville novel which I was not enjoying.  Fortunately, my library sent me a message that Tom Perotta's latest, MRS. FLETCHER, was ready for my Kindle.  So I downloaded it, put the Banville novel aside, not without some guilt and started on MRS. FLETCHER, a fast, funny, vulgar but an easy read, about a single mother who sends her only child off to college.  It's a new life for both of them and in alternating chapters, they tell their stories.  Set in the present, I can't much relate to either, to be honest.  You will have to read it to understand what I mean.

I then joined Evie and enjoyed the sun for a bit before getting bored as usual and did a few things, like clean off the hood of my car which I parked under our willow after washing it Friday afternoon, a mistake because the hood was covered with both bird dropping as well as sap from the tree.  I need a garage!

The Ladies Of Woodlawn

Around 4:30, we both took showers and got gussied up (tee shirt, shorts, and Vans Skate Board shoes) because our neighborhood, Woodlawn, was having its third gathering of the summer, from 5:00 to 7:00.  It's a nice way to catch up with the neighbors who are usually busy with their families or guests.  Everyone brings an appetizer and their own drinks and we stand around and catch up for an hour or two,

The Men Of Woodlawn And Nancy

It's always fun and we usually get to meet someone we have never met before (a friend of a neighbor) or a neighbor we have not seen in awhile.  We were the last ones to leave along with our neighbors from Cleveland Heights, Barb and Jim.  They mentioned that the Bemus Point Golf Course restaurant was having Customer Appreciation Night since they had recently been sold.  They asked if we were interested in going so, of course, we said yes and drove over to the crowded bar, had a few beers, talked with others who were sad to see the restaurant, famous for their grilled wings, close.  Both Barb and Jim as well as Evie and I knew a number of the customers, in fact, a couple of them were bartenders we have gotten to know over the years.  I am not sure what this says about us.  The only bummer was that all the food except for cold tater tots was gone so we went home at 9:30 still hungry.

Selfie With Barb And Jim As Bemus Point Golf Course Restaurant Closes

When we got home, Evie made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a perfect complement to a couple of beers and I made a chicken sandwich, enough to tide me over until this morning.  We watched Real Time with Bill Maher, lots of laughs, then went to bed at 11:00.

Fog And Forty Five Degrees

6:24

6:52

7:09

7:24

I was surprised when I woke up at 6:20 to see a fog bound lake.  I could not see beyond the dock and the fishing guys had to use their lights to navigate.  Around 7:00, the fog started to break up some as the sun began to rise and I could just make out Long Point. Now, however, at 8:00, the heavy fog has returned and I can just see beyond my dock.  And it's still a chilly 48º.

Friday was Friday, with a yoga class at 9:30 for me, seven of us, and I had difficulty losing my monkey mind despite my awareness and attempts to stop thinking about both the past and future. Usually, I can lose myself in my asanas but not yesterday.  After class, I gave in and stopped at Ryder's for a coffee and I stopped at the Auto Zone to pick up some tar and sap remover because wherever I park my car, either the willow or pines drop sap of some kind on our cars and it can be difficult to remove.  And I went to Wegmans because we needed a few things for dinner and an appetizer for a Woodlawn gathering today at 5:00.

When I got home, Evie was out on the dock but the wind soon drove her inside and it was chilly.  She decided to give our boat a deep cleaning so before I had my lunch, I pulled the boat almost into shore and ran an electrical line out to it and took out our shop vac for cleaning the carpet.  So, as I ate my lunch and watched FNL, Evie vacuumed the boat's carpet and scrubbed the seats.  I have to admit the boat looked spiffy by the time she was through, ready for a cruise later in the afternoon.

After a nap and some reading, I went out and washed my car, working at getting some of the sap from the pines off of a few areas.  It's not easy.  After I washed the car, Evie went over the windows with her miracle window washing cloths, making the windows sparkle.  And since it was a pleasant afternoon, she worked in her garden some before we got ready for another booze cruise.  Evie brought along a glass of wine and I made myself a gin and tonic, something different, and we cruised over to Bemus, along Lakeside Drive and home.  We were gone probably close to an hour and it was windy in sections of the lake but calm and warmer along Bemus.

Unfortunately, we had done nothing about dinner so we both worked at putting it together.  Evie baked some eggplant in the oven and cut up tomatoes to saute as I shucked the corn and got the noodles for the eggplant pasta going.  It took us about a half hour to get dinner plated before we sat down to eat and watch TV.  Neither of us felt like watching a show so we channel surfing, watching some news and other programs before going up to bed around 11:00.  We looked forward to sleeping on a cool night.

A Fun Night At Brigadoon's In Findley Lake

Morning Rain On A Dahlia

6:43

6:44

7:27

 I had a difficult morning as I kept waking up, looking to see if the light had begun to enter the room until finally, I got up at 6:15, knowing it was morning, not still night.  It's chilly again, 55º, with the highs only in the 60's.

Morning Visitor

We had a much better day yesterday, as Evie was rested, ready to be busy again, her old self.  I headed to yoga after a nice breakfast at 9:40, getting to class just in time to find a space for my mat.  I really like the class as we did a number of different asanas and I felt energized when I left.  Yoga clears the mind, heals the body.  Sort of.  I then stopped for a coffee, signed a birthday card for Courtney, one of the many baristas, then drove to Wegman's for the first time in a week, amazing.  I need to pick up a few things for last night's appetizers, but other than the usual yogurt and some veggies, I did not need much.   The eggplants, however, looked good and I could taste the eggplant and tomato sauce pasta, so I picked up a couple.  On the way home, I stopped at Evans and picked up a couple bottles of Chilean red as we are running low and we won't make it to Trader Joe's until next weekend when we go to Akron for a friend's wedding.

When I got home, I was surprised to see Evie cutting the lawn since she had mowed it a couple of days ago.  But then I realized this love for mowing was not unusual, just normal so I wished her well and went in, put away the groceries and made myself some lunch by heating up the remaining enchilada from the previous night's dinner.  And by 1:30, the lawn, the back yard and garden all looked super, neat and tidy for a couple of days.

The rest of the afternoon was one of leisure, the only chore to make sure the downstairs and front porch were in order.  Evie had already done most of the picking up so I had little to do, some dishes, cleaning out the car, putting some things away.  By 5:00, the house was in order and we both took showers, getting ready for our dinner.  At 5:45, Evie put together our appetizers, toasted baguettes with cheese and tomatoes, basically bruschetta.

Appetizers And Wine On Our Porch

At 6:00, our neighbors, Ken and Majorie arrived with Charlie T, our musician friend and we sat on our front porch for an hour, enjoying the early evening on the lake. The five of us have gotten together two or three times a year for the past four years, either eating in or out.  After wine and appetizers, we drove to Findlay Lake, to a fairly new restaurant called Brigadoon.

Another Embarrassing Selfie At Brigadoons

Evie and I had been there once, about a year ago and liked it so we decided to try it again.  It was a good choice, a helpful waitress, good draft beer and everyone enjoyed their meals.  We had baked wings as an appetizer which were really good, too.  After driving out through the countryside on back roads, we took the highway back in the dark, getting home around 9:30.  Another fun evening with friends.

A Chilly Morning

6:09

6:44

6:54

It's just after 7:00 as I start my blog, as steam rises from the lake, the sun bright and large, looking down at Long Point.  I was up at 6:10, in time for the sunrise around 6:45, on a quiet, empty lake morning.  I had to put on a fleece, a harbinger of fall I suppose.  Bring it on.  I am ready to get back in the hiking mode.

Yesterday seemed like a long, leisurely morning because yoga did not start until 10:00 and both of us were up early.  So around 8:00, after coffee and listening to Morning Joe, we took a kayak paddle over to Long Point, to the marina and home, on a algae laced lake.   It is that time of the year.  I paddled home before Evie because I had to get ready for yoga and she stayed on to meander her way home.

Yoga was as usual good, as we did different sorts of asanas with Jen which I like.  Trying something different or using a chair or pillow makes yoga more interesting and fun.  Afterwards, I picked up a coffee and drove to Sam's Club to return the luggage carrier we had ordered on line.  I was a bit worried they would not take it back but there was no problem, as they never batted an eye to use an overused cliche.  I also bought one of their rotisserie chickens which are usually good enough for two meals for us. And I stopped, again, at Harbor Freight, to pick up a heavy duty tarp to put in my car to keep it clean when carrying trash or tree branches.  When I got home, Evie was relaxing as she had a sleepless night.

The rest of the day we sort of hung out, as neither of us had much energy.  I had a lunch of tuna salad and a bagel and watched Friday Night Lights.  I then relaxed on the couch and finished my book, CHURCHILL & ORWELL, not a favorite but an interesting look at the similarities of both men's beliefs, with an emphasis on freedom, the individual, and the fear of power of the State.  It's hard to tell if their sympathies would be with the democrats or republicans but one thing is  certain: both would abhor, even fear the rise of Trump for reasons too many to enumerate.

After a brief nap, I decided to get something done since Evie was relaxing on the dock.  I got out my saw and shears and started cutting up the downed willow branches, putting the larger branches in my Subaru, the smaller into a garbage pail.  It took be about an hour to cut up everything filling the car with the large pieces, two pails with the smaller branches.  It took two trips up the hill to get rid of everything but now our parking area is clear.

Around 6:00 Evie put together some chicken enchiladas, using the rotisserie chicken, put it in the oven and then we relaxed for forty five minutes with a glass of wine and listened to 'breaking news' on CNN.  Dinner was tasty, chicken enchiladas on a bed or lettuce covered with salsa, cheese and sour cream.  We caught up on three Vice News episodes, always relevant and interesting, then finished the evening with last Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher.  I have to admit I am getting sick of listening to every talk show go off on Trump, as if there is nothing else to talk about.  He so dominates the news channels with his madness and fear mongering that it no longer seems mad, just normal, more of the same. How are we going to put up with this for three and a half more years? Can he change?  Or will he resign as many pundits (and Evie) think?  Or will he be impeached as the Republicans finally turn on him, realizing that he is a threat to the nation.  Who knows?