Getting Rid Of Stuff...Again

7:35

7:56

Another overcast morning early, some sun at the moment and has risen above the cloud bank, its reflections briefly filling the lake.  It's 63º and should get up to the 70's later, with false promises of rain. So far, then, we had about ten minutes of sun, but the sky and lake are mostly shades of gray. When I walked out to get a photo around 7:15, I was shocked to see a blue heron, knee deep in the lake, in front of our neighbor's house.  I was able to take a couple of photos until my movement scared him off, squawking as he flew away as if I had spoiled his breakfast.

Feeding at 7:15

And after my paddle down to Whitney Bay, I caught another photo of a heron fishing off a dock, mouth wide open, ready to strike.

Kayak Morning

Whitney Bay Heron At 8:53

I skipped yoga yesterday, having had enough for the week and because we were really going to get to it, the attic that is, a mess and filled with stuff we don't need, don't want, don't use but cannot part with.  Sound familiar.  And we were going to work on our driveway, spreading the six buckets of gravel I got on Thursday afternoon.  Well, we partly succeeded in that we made it to the attic late morning, a bit flummoxed as to where to start.  Just as I was going to pitch in, I got a call from the doctor's office, saying I needed a blood test before my appointment on Monday.  Of course, I had to put aside my helping Evie and drive to Lakewood to get a blood test (and to get out of cleaning the attic).  It worked as when I returned, Evie was still up there, tossing mostly empty cardboard boxes down the stairs, boxes we collected over the past years thinking they might be useful when sending off presents or cookies to the grandchildren.  At the moment, our porch is filled with enough of them to fill my SUV on a trip to the Transfer Station this morning.

Around 1:00, Evie took time off from the attic to make me toast and an omelet for lunch since I was still feeling sort of off.  It tasted good, agreed with my stomach as I again watched the new Netflix series OZARK, which I am not enjoying much but like reading a book I don't like, I find it hard to just stop reading until the end.  What I start, I usually want to finish, like books, series, and attics.

The rest of the afternoon was made up of brief working in the attic, then some TV, or reading, or napping but no dock time as the afternoon threatened to rain and eventually did, just about enough to wet our side walk.  In other words, we still are badly in need of a good rain shower for the lawn and Evie's garden or I will have to get out the sump pump and pump water out of the lake. Around 3:30, I glimpsed a blue heron fishing off our neighbor's dock, so I stood outside for ten minutes, waiting for what Cartier Bresson calls that 'decisive moment'.  I am not sure it ever came.

Fishing In The Afternoon

We were going out to dinner with our neighbors, Joyce and Bill, fortunately, so Evie had to leave the attic to shower and get dressed.  We left at 6:00 for the historic Stockton Hotel Bar and Grill, 19 miles away.

Dinner At Stockton Hotel With Bill And Joyce, Our Next Door Neighbors Of 36 Years

It's a venue that over the years has gone through various owners, many openings and closings but it looks like someone has finally got it right as it was a busy place.  Luckily, we had reservations so we were able to get seats in the dining room, just off the crowded and noisy bar.  We all ordered the fish fry, with fries, cole slaw and macaroni salad, an interesting addition.  They also have lots of good microbrews on tap, so we were all happy with our food and drink.  We took our time, enjoyed the evening and drove home a different way, down to Mayville and home, as the sun, a bright orange globe set off to the West.

We were home in time to watch the third of four episodes of THE DEFIANT ONES, about Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, music producers but were too tired to stay up and watch another Vice News.