First Swim

First Swim

5:40

6:20

 A partly cloudy morning, with a nice breeze, some sun, some clouds.  I have been up since 5:30, surprised by the first light off towards the northeast end of the lake.  It's 57º and once again, should get in the 70's later today before the rain arrives overnight and tomorrow.   It's 8:20 and I just got back from a paddle on a breeze but sunny morning on the lake. At 9:00, I pick up a buddy, Stan and drive to Erie to meet some old basketball buddies from Ohio for breakfast at Bob Evans.

Yesterday was a busy day for both Evie and me.  I decided to skip yoga despite the guilt and just enjoy the morning here at the lake.  Once one gets used to something, like yoga each morning, it is strangely liberating to skip it.  We had made a to do list Wednesday night, so once we had our coffee, finished the blog, we got busy.  First, we changed the water filter, an easy job although we forgot to turn off the water so we got a quick shower before we could turn the knob.  Live and learn.  Once that was done,  Evie put together our dinner, by searing country ribs and putting them in a crockpot with sauerkraut and tomatoes, and I washed the front windows, as they are constantly dirty from the bird feeders.  I suppose I could do it every day if I really wanted spic n span windows.  The rest of the morning we spent outside, getting furniture out of the garage and wheel barreling it out on to the dock.  This is the second time I have taken out the Adirondack chairs, alas, but now they are there until fall when we take in the dock.  Evie did some potting of the wave petunias and worked some in the garden before we decided it was too nice on the lake so we decided to take a cruise and have lunch.

Spring Perfection

It was the perfect day on the lake; I do not exaggerate.  We were one of maybe two or three boats on the lake and there was hardly a ripple, other than our wake.  We cruised slowly down to Prendergast Point, over to Sunset Bay and home, enjoying the sun, the lake, and lunch.  It reminded us of those few fall days when there's not a whisper of wind, the lake like glass, the sun warm.  We hated to come back to the dock.  After our cruise, we took it easy until 3:00 when we both went back outside and got busy.  I drove to Tri James and filled a couple of buckets with topsoil for our garden and yard.

The Beauty Of A Spring Hosta

When I  got back, I skimmed the sod off an area where we were going to transplant some hostas and took the sod and put it in low areas near the garden.  We then split the hostas, dug holes, filled them with good topsoil and planted them.  They look pretty healthy this morning, so we are hopeful that they will thrive.

Empty And Marvelous

It took about twenty minutes to clean up everything, put away the tools, the wheel barrel, the buckets and by the time I was finished, I had worked up a good sweat.  Evie suggested I take a shower or go for a swim, so I put on my trunks and we went out on the dock to enjoy some sun and perhaps swim.  I stepped down the ladder and thought there's no way I am going into this cold water.  Soon, however, I stepped down another step or two and it did not seem that bad.  So I stepped down to the bottom, waist deep, then neck, and finally, I dove underwater.  It felt amazing.  I do not lie.  Afterward,  I just reclined on the dock and drip dried as Evie enjoyed the sun.  We were not sure whether to take another boat ride or not but the wind picked up so I decided to put the cover on the boat.  Why does a boat cover go on easily one time, but is difficult the next time.  Well, yesterday was the next time so I ended up working up another sweat just getting to all the snaps.  Once it was done, I decided to take another dip.  This time it was easier and quicker although I admit to not lingering in the water.

Second Swim

After my swim, we went to the house and took some beers and appetizers back out on the dock to enjoy the late afternoon, the blue skies, light breeze, and sun.  We came in around 6:45 and dinner was ready.  All Evie had to do was make a salad and because I like mashed potatoes, we decided to try Bob Evans mashed potatoes.  Microwave them for five minutes and they are done.  Dinner was great, another favorite, fall apart pork ribs, sauerkraut, tomatoes on top of mashed potatoes.  It was a good evening for TV, as we watched THE AMERICANS, then SAFE, and finished the night with Colbert.  We were proud of ourselves for having done most of the 'to do list' for once.