Threatening Clouds And Blue Skies

7:26

7:50

7:56

  8:17

 Victoria and Woodlawn at 8:26

 I was up at 6:15, darkness covering the lake, the moon, however, shining brightly in the western sky.  There has been a dark, threatening cloud bank off to the east, slowly moving out as clear, blue skies take over.  It's 67º and we had some rain last night, perhaps some later in the day.  It's 9:10 and I had to hurry back from kayaking because of the dark clouds looming over Woodlawn and our house.

Kayak Morning 

Another Blue Heron Morning

Yesterday was a typical Saturday, starting with a good kayak paddle, then coming home, finishing up the coffee and the blog with Evie as we planned our day.  But first, we had to do up the dishes from last night's dinner, cleaning up the kitchen.  We then gathered all the trash and I drove off to the Transfer Station, then on to the bank, the gas station and Wegman's to pick up a few things before coming home to a busy wife.  We were going to our neighbors', Jim and Barb's Annual Clambake and Evie usually makes homemade potato chips for the bake.  Everyone brings either an appetizer or dessert, some beer, and 20 bucks a person for the clambake and the fixings, clams, chicken, sweet potatoes, salad and beer.

Making homemade potato chips is a  process, taking two to three hours, so Evie had her afternoon cut out for her.  She first slices the 5 pounds of potatoes on a mandolin, soaks them in ice water, dries them in a salad spinner,  spreads them out on towels and briefly dries them with a hairdryer, then fries them in small batches in the deep fryer on our porch.  By 3:00, we had two large bowls of the best chips you can eat.

The Bake Masters, Barb And Jim

We have been going to clambakes for close to sixty years, either at my parents beginning in the 1950's, my sister's house more recently, and here at the lake the past few years.  Barb and Jim, who were putting on the bake, live in Cleveland and pick up the bake from Johhny Camello's Euclid Fish, the same fishmonger that my Dad used to get his bake from although they are no longer on 185th Street in Euclid but have moved to Mentor.

Clam Bake Security

Woodlawn Neighbors, Betsy And Joe

We were having the bake at Debi and Bud's, our neighbor's house, who volunteer their yard and huge garage.

A Blast From Past: Bud And Debi, Enjoying Chips, Oct. 21st, 2012

One of the best parts of a bake is sitting around the steaming pot of clams, chicken and sweet potatoes, drinking beer and eating Evie's chips with blue cheese dressing.  We went about 4:30 and the bake was ready around 7:00.

Hartville Sue and Hudson Sue

We probably had about 30 people, neighbors and friends of neighbors.  Usually, we have to wear a fleece or a raincoat but not this year as the weather was unseasonably warm.  The broth, then clams and sides were great and everyone had plenty to eat.

Clam Bake In A Garage

As you can see, we ate in the garage, enjoying getting to know some of the new people, other neighbors we had not seen in months.  We ended the dinner with another neighbor's special cake, close to a carrot cake.  We left about 9:00, early actually, as most no doubt stayed till much later, drinking beer and enjoying the warm evening.

Almost Finished

It was a great way to begin the coming fall weather as fall is not really complete for us unless we go to a clambake.  Thanks to Debi, Bud, Jim, and Barb for a fun evening.