A Porch Morning

First Garden Iris (Flag?)

Porch Shot At 5:58

6:05

It's just after 6:00 and the sunrise will probably drive me back in the house because it's so bright, making it difficult to look out at the yard and lake.  I am not complaining as it's a pleasant morning, a coolish 65º, just teasing us before it hits the high 80's if not 90's later in the day.  What is this, Florida? It's 8:00 now, just turned on NPR after a warm, long hour paddle, over to Sunset Bay and home. And I closed up the house, as the temperature inside just matched that of outside, our cheap air conditioning. 

Kayaking In Blue

Mom And Ducklings Hang Out On The Shoreline

Yesterday was one of those days, hot and humid and we had to go into Erie, leaving by 12:30, ruining the day.  I did get in a long paddle, came back sweating and when  I did, I noticed the Amish boat next door cruising out with one of the guys sitting in the front seat with a bow and arrow.  A couple of hours later, as you can see, he came back with a huge carp, the only fish on the lake that can be caught/hunted with a bow and arrow. 

Carp (e diem)

Anyways, I got in a trip to Wegman's around 10:00, picking up some staples we needed for the long weekend and some mulch from Home Depot, a deal, five bags for ten bucks...love a deal.  When I got home, Evie made me a spinach and tomato omelet with tortillas thrown in and I watched 15 minutes of Babylon Berlin before we had to go to Erie.  Evie was getting a final epidural to see if it would help her sciatica which has been rearing up its ugly head recently.  The people and the doctor at the Pain Clinic are great and were very encouraging which is nice.  And, because Evie was such a brave soul, we stopped at Krispy Kreme on the way home, picking up five sinkers, as we used to call them, five glazed donuts.  And it was crowded, with at least five customers ahead of me, no doubt, ready for a sugar high like us.

We were home by 2:30 and I set up some chaise lounges for Evie, both in the yard and out on the dock and she spent the rest of the afternoon resting both places.  I started to watch a World Cup match from Thursday but soon fell asleep, taking a good hour nap, out like the dead.  Around 4:00, I briefly joined Evie on the dock, thinking of taking a swim but the lake was unattractive, most likely because of the heat, with lots of weeds and moss, typical this time of the year I think.

For dinner, with had a pizza which I picked up at Coppola's in Bemus Point at 6:30.  Neither of us felt like fussing after the drive to Erie.  So around 7:00, Evie made a salad, and we had what once was a high school treat, pizza, salad and a Pepsi.  It tasted great, the way some meals do when they hit the spot.  We watched Colbert, with a guest diatribe by John Stewart, about you can guess who.  We ended the night with Amazon's GOLIATH.

I am including some photographs I took earlier in the week, when I rode my bike through Bemus Point, out to Long Point, to the Bathhouse, its newly renovated beach, then home.

Demolition Of Historic Hare N Hounds

Long Point Park Beach

Beach And Volleyball Court

No Comment (inside joke)

A Hazy Morning Sunrise

5:57 AM

5:58 From Our Porch

Kayak Morning

I was up at 5:20, sat on our front porch, enjoying the coolness of the morning, as the sun rose around 5:55.  It's a quiet morning on the lake although a serious kayaker paddled off around 6:00, replete with a fishing rod, a large net, and a safety flag.  I had a warm hour paddle, off to Tom's Point and back, the first time I have worked up a sweat. 

Yesterday was overcast with spits of rain on and off until about 2:00 when it cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful afternoon on the lake, blue skies, puffy clouds, calm lake, and temperatures in the 70's.  I had a short paddle because of breakfast at the Bemus Point Inn at 8:00 with the boys.  I was home just after 9:00 in time to finish up the blog and head off to Lakewood to yoga.  Evie, too, was off early, to a chiropractor, to see if she could get some relief for her continuing problems.  I stopped for coffee, bought some eggs and went to Home Depot because they were having on sale on mulch.  Unfortunately, the brown mulch did not come in and so I left empty-handed, a waste of time.

When I got home, Evie was back, having stopped at Sav A Lot for some groceries.  She was feeling somewhat better although a chiropractor is no panacea.  Evie used up the last of the chicken and made me a couple of sandwiches, with tomatoes and pickles.  I watched another episode of Babylon Berlin and have only a few episodes left.  We both then relaxed the rest of early afternoon but when it cleared up around 3:30, we went out to enjoy the sunshine after a couple of days of cloudy, gray weather.  What a relief.

Around 5:30, I went in and poured a couple of glasses of wine, found some pretzels, and we enjoyed them on the dock, having not moved since 4:00.  It was surprisingly quiet on the lake considering how calm it was.  Just wait until tonight when the long weekend of the fourth of July starts for many people.  Around 6:30, we went in and Evie fried up some burgers and I shucked five ears of Florida corn and we had dinner.  The corn was surprisingly good, the burgers juicy and tasty.  We watched some Colbert before I decided to see if I could catch the sunset from my kayak.

8:52 PM

8:56 PM

I was out for about a half hour, hugging the Long Point Shore until the sun began to hide behind the shoreline around, 8:49.  It was not spectacular, just an ordinary sunset but it still was fun to be out on the lake.  When I returned, I had a bowl of ice cream and we watched various news channels before going up to bed, wondering if our bedroom was still cool.

First Of Many Dahlia/ Days

Pink Mini

Scarlett Mini

I was up just before 6:00, to a wet morning since it rained a bit overnight.  A light fog obscures the clarity of both Long Point and Tom's Point.  The lake is placid, not a wrinkle, ripe for a paddle before breakfast.  It's 9:20 and I had a good paddle, a good breakfast.

A Gray And Foggy Paddle

Yesterday was what we call a rainy day, with showers on and off most of the day making it difficult to do much outside.  Not that it mattered much because we both were going into Jamestown to schedule what we hope will be our final colonoscopy.  I did get in a good paddle, spotting an osprey, and when I got home, one of the Amish roofers was in our yard because he's going to paint our garage.  He had a pressure washer and within forty-five minutes, had stripped all the loose paint off the garage.  What a difference between the old days when I had to scrape and wire brush our house twice before painting it.  And just as I was leaving for yoga, the weed cutters were cutting along Woodlawn so they were working in between the docks, cutting weeds.  Finally, as I was driving up Woodlawn road, our town was working on the road, widening the creek, putting down boulders to firm up the bank and save the road from erosion.  I wonder if my notifying the town supervisor about this problem on Monday prompted this work?  He did not seem aware of the problem when I spoke to him.  It was a busy morning on the lake.

Anyways, I drove the back way to yoga, avoiding the road work around the bridge, was one of six people in a good class and then hurried home because we were driving to Jamestown at 12:15. I had a lunch of vegetable soup and the last of Monday night's Cuban sandwich.  We met briefly with a PA, scheduled our procedures, a waste of time because we could have just as easily done it over the phone.  We stopped, then, at Sherwin Williams to pick up some paint for our garage.  Fortunately, they were having a 30% off sale but even so we spent way too much on paint.  A gallon of their Duration is now 65 bucks, 45 bucks on sale.

We were home by 3:30, to a rainy afternoon, so we ended up watched a good part of the German/South Korea futbol game because we heard that Korea had upset Germany and South Korea was going crazy with delight.  Well, they did not score until the very end of regulation so we sat there for a good hour waiting for them to win.

6:50 PM

We then had a delightful cocktail hour, with a triple cream brie (thanks, Linda!), crackers, and a drink we were introduced to by our good friend Hasan, at his summer home in the mountains outside of Gocek Turkey, Martini And Rossi Bianco on the rocks with a splash of lemon.  We watched the sky change, as it rained some, then cleared up, the lake as calm as we have ever seen it because of the lack of wind.

6:50 PM

Dinner was, yep, leftovers again, this time the leftover chicken parmesan, with a salad and roasted cauliflower.  The chicken parm was still tasty and the roasted cauliflower was just right, almost sweet so we were happy. watching Colbert and another episode of Amazon Prime's GOLIATH.

An Osprey Morning

An Osprey Landing

Settling Down To A Fish Breakfast

What's Up?

It's 6:22 and I have already been up for an hour, not fun.  The sky is mostly gray with slashes of light off over Long Point where the sun has risen.  It's 65º and rain is predicted on and off for most of the day and evening.  The storms should move in around 10:00 so I will be able to get in a paddle before driving to yoga. I just got back from a long paddle.  Evie and I were just talking about the fact that we rarely see a pair of herons. This morning, however, there were two standing on the Long Point fishing dock.  Just as I took out my camera, they flew off, in different directions.  It was disappointing not to get a photo of them but it was more than made up by catching an osprey eating a breakfast of fish, high up on a tree limb.

5:25

8:00

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was another fine summer day, lots of sun and not too hot.  I was determined to get in a bike ride, my first of the year, so around 9:30, after writing the blog, having breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, I put the hitch on my car, secured my bike and drove over to Bemus, parking just beyond the bridge.  I surprised myself by being in better shape than I thought and rode for a good hour, with a couple of stops, down Lakeside Drive to Long Point State Park, through the woods to the Bathhouse, then out to Long Point and back to Bemus.  It was ideal weather for a ride, a nice breeze, sun, but lots of shade trees.

Mallards

When I drove into our parking area, Evie was out in the front yard cutting the grass.  And we were having our brick stoop redone by Austin, so he was busy, taking it apart, reframing it, adding sand, then resettling the bricks.  He's a good worker, doesn't say much, just gets things done.  My kind of guy.  While Evie cut the lawn and Austin worked, I settled down in the TV room to watch some TV with a half of Cuban sandwich from the Viking.  I felt slightly guilty but not enough to get back outside to work.

Once Evie was finished with the lawn, she relaxed some, hoping to put in some dock time but it was tres windy. So she put together our dinner, chicken parmesan, then relaxed in our side yard in our newly arrived chaise lounges.  Now we have SIX.  After my nap and World Cup, I helped Evie in the yard, trimming our lilac tree, putting up a string for our clematis to climb.  We were done with our chores by 4:30 and decided it would be a good time for a boat ride as the wind had died down.

So Evie gathered some libations, some appetizers, and we took our usual ride, over to Long Point, along Lakeside Drive to Bemus Point, then home, taking our time and enjoying the sun and cool late afternoon air.  When we docked the boat, I put on the cover since rain was expected and we both then took a swim to cool off and recharge our rapidly dwindling batteries of energy.   When we came in, Evie put the chicken parmesan in the oven for 20 minutes, made a salad, heated up some Italian bread and we had a good dinner.  We watched Stephen Colbert, a couple of his shows because we were having some trouble with Amazon Prime.  It was not worth the hassle to stick with it, and we were both tired from our day and went up to bed earlier than usual.

Sunny And Chillin

5:45

6:00

8:25

 It's a chilly morning, 50º with lots of sunshine, a calm lake, and little activity on the lake.  A good day to enjoy the outdoors, skip yoga, perhaps get in a bike ride, some work in the yard and a boat ride.  That's my day!  And get in a good paddle before 8:00 which I did, getting another photo of an intrepid heron, ignoring me as I paddled within 15 feet of him.

Kayak Morning

 Heron On The Dock

Yesterday turned out to be a nice day despite the overcast early morning.  By the time I returned from kayaking, the sun was peaking out and the clouds were beginning to dissipate.  I decided to get in a yoga class despite the pleasant morning, so I left around 9:00, enjoyed the crowded class, and was home by 11:15, after a stop at the North Harmony business office, to pick up a sticker for the Transfer Station and mention the dangers on Woodlawn Road which need attention.  And I bought a fishing license, five bucks for senior citizens.  Perhaps the only deal in New York State.

It was so nice when I drove in that we decided to take a luncheon cruise, knowing that we were going out to dinner.  So Evie made some club sandwiches, with the chicken and bacon from last night's dinner and we were off, with fleeces to begin with but by the time we returned, it was warm enough for a tee shirt.  We still get a kick out of a cruise, whether fast or slow, usually, both, as we meander along Lakeside Drive, then race home, cleaning out the plugs according to Chris. 

Demolition Of History

Unfortunately, when we arrived at Bemus, the one-hundred-year-old historic Ye Hare'n Hounds restaurant was being demolished for a parking lot, or so we have heard.  It opened in 1915.  Sad making.

Early Phlox from Merrifield Nursery in Virginia

The rest of the afternoon was typical, a nap, some reading and World Cup and work in the yard, and for Evie, dock time until the wind became too much, then more weeding in the garden.  I have to admit it was the perfect day to work in the garden, sunny but cool, so we both got a lot done.  And best of all, we are beginning to see buds on our army of dahlias.  We may have the first blossoming this weekend when the temperatures are supposed to get into the 90's, alas.

Fun Night At The Viking With Jackie

We had invited our neighbor, Jackie, to accompany us to the Viking Club.  It was because of her that we were able to join as you need a sponsor.  The same thing was true of Linda and Ron and they joined us.  She's a few days away from becoming an nonagenarian, living on in own in Willoughby, as well as the lake during the week.  She, like us, enjoys the Viking on Cuban And Rueben Monday's, so we picked her up at 6:00, found a table in the bar and were joined by Linda and Ron at 6:30.  It was a good day to be at the Viking, the sun setting, the beer taps flowing, people enjoying their Cubans, both inside and out.  Evie and I ordered two Cubans, a mistake although we now have dinner for tonight or tomorrow.  Jackie ordered a Rueben, has enough left over for her dinner tonight.  Linda and Ron split a Ruben so they will have to make dinner tonight.  We left around 8:15, happy and full, as Jackie filled us in on lots of Woodlawn history as her father had their house built back in the 1930's, so she had been coming to the lake for quite a few years.

We had enough time to watch another episode of Showtime's The Affair which seems to be splitting into two completely different stories.  I am not sure we like it. 

Still Overcast But Sunshine To Come

7:30

7:55

8:10

It's almost 7:00 and I have been up since 6:20, having slept in some.  It felt good.  I expected a sunrise and clear skies but not yet, just clouds and some wind.  I see two kayaks over by Long Point and assume it's our the neighbors I met yesterday while kayaking.  They are usually out early like me on weekends.  Just returned from a rough, windy paddle, into gray skies when I began, sunny when I returned.

Morning Heron

Yesterday was a strange day, mostly cloudy with drips of rain on and off during the day, just enough to get wet.  I kayaked for over an hour and came home to a busy Evie, as we were having Linda and Ron over for a Sunday picnic dinner if only the weather had cooperated.  We kept busy in the morning, dipping the chicken in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, then frying it briefly then in the oven to bake, biscuits made, the coleslaw done so we could enjoy what we hoped would be a sunny afternoon.  We were done by noon, so we had our usual big breakfast of eggs and bacon and this time, some biscuits.  Yum. And we watched some CBS Sunday morning briefly, as Evie wanted to finish up in the kitchen.

We had, then, an easy afternoon, for me of watching some World Cup, reading a new book since I finished Ward Just's AN UNFINISHED SEASON.  It's titled SOJOURNER and is by Andrew Krivac, a winner of the Chautauqua Book Award.  He will be speaking at the CI Thursday afternoon.  Evie was determined to get some dock time so, despite the cloudy sky and winds, she went out, with fleece and blanket to enjoy the afternoon.  She lasted about a half hour before giving up.

Picnic Dinner

Linda and Ron arrived at 6:00 and we were quickly sitting on our front porch despite the cool afternoon,  Labatt's Grapefruit Light beers and appetizers.  We had hoped to either eat outside or on our front porch but by 7:00, it was too cool so we quickly set the table inside and had our picnic dinner of fried chicken, blue cheese dip, cole slaw and biscuits inside, pretending it was a picnic.  Dinner was great, the chicken tender, the coleslaw tasty.  We sat around the table till 8:30 then moved to the living room where Evie and Linda looked at this summer's Shutterfly album and Ron and I talked about books and TV series.  They just finished BROADCHURCH, loved it, and started Babylon Berlin, both series we have liked.

Morning Mist

Evie's Garden 

7:38

Returning From A Paddle

It's 6:25 and I have been up since 5:45, on a mostly quiet morning on the lake.  Mostly because about a dozen bass boats charged out of the Long Point Marina at 6:00 and occasionally, another flies by Woodlawn.  There's a special kind of beauty to a morning like this, of little contrast, mostly gray lake and sky, calm and quiet.  And I seem to be the only one up.  It's 8:45, just started to pour, as I returned from an hour and a half paddle, over to Tom's Point and back.  On the way, I ran into fellow morning kayakers, Tina and Jim, and we ended up having a book talk, recommending our favorites reads.  Let's hope I can remember the titles Tina recommended.

Kayaking At 7:00 Towards Bemus Bridge

Hello

A Heron Blends In The Grasses

Yesterday was another cloudy day, with periods of sun which would then be swallowed by storm clouds and rain.  We got a half inch spread out over most of the day.  We didn't have any great plans at first, so we cleaned up the kitchen, gathered the trash and I went off to the Transfer Station, checked for the first time, for a sticker to make sure I was an Ashville resident.  When I returned, it was raining off and on, making it difficult to plan anything outside.  So we decided to drive to  Lakewood, stop at Spectrum Eyecare and pick out a pair of sunglasses for me, my first new pair in close to forty-five years.  I think I was due.  The gal added up the price not knowing I had an eye care plan and the cost was close to seven hundred dollars.  I almost fell out of my chair; she then redid it with my plan and I walked out with glasses for under two hundred bucks.  How does anyone without a plan afford to get new glasses when needed.

We then did a quick through our favorite grocery store, Wegmans, busy as usual but more so because the Chautauqua Institution opened yesterday, adding five to ten thousand more shoppers for the summer.  We were back by 1:00 and I had a piece of Buffalo Chicken pizza for lunch, from Wegman's, where else.  While I ate, watched World Cup, Evie put together our dinner of eggplant parmesan, so it was ready to bake.  I was looking forward to the Germany/Sweden futbol game because it was a must win for Germany.  They dominated the game but regulation time ended with a 1-1 tie.  In the last minute of the five minute extra time, they took a free kick and it curved into the goal, as the fans and announcers and I went wild.  What an ending.  Evie had just walked into the TV room in time to see it as well.  So the demise of the former World Cup champions seems to have been premature.

Summer Storm

After the game, we went out to enjoy the dock but within 15 minutes, it started to rain, again, so we came in and read or watched TV until about 6;00 when it cleared up, the sky and lake turned a Greek blue, so we grabbed a beer and sat  out on the dock sipping our beers and munching on pretzels for an hour, on a surprisingly quiet Saturday night on the lake.  Evie put the eggplant and garlic bread in the oven around 7:15 and we ate and watched Real Time with Bill Maher.  I know you have to be a screaming liberal to enjoy his show, his coarse and often profane humor but he is so smart and clever and for the most part, makes good sense.  And he's often critical of the Democrats but it pales next to his disgust and abhorrence for Trump.  We ended the night with a gruesome scene from GOLIATH on Prime Video.  Why must they show such violence?

A Windy, Cloudy And Cool Saturday Morning

Great Blue

6:30

I slept in some, till 6:15, big deal, right.  It's a gray, overcast morning, not a hint of sun.  The lake's choppy, the tree branches are wavy and it's a coolish 60º.  We will probably get more rain sometime today, so it doesn't look like a lake or dock day for the weekenders.  Our neighbors from Victoria just kayaked by so I better get out on the lake before it starts to rain.

Kayak Morning

Another Great Blue

Heron Crazy

Yesterday started with a fun paddle, a colorful, early morning sky, before the clouds arrived.  Our roofers were here by 8:00, just in time to finish up the roof before it started to rain.  We really liked these guys, hard workers and fun to be around.  We made an excellent choice when hiring them.  And Evie was able to get the lawn cut as well because the rain held off until 11:30.  So she was happy, the lawn done and an afternoon to enjoy, with nothing that had to be done.

Our Neighbor And Her Ducklings

I did some work in the yard, watched the roofers, and cleaned out the garage attic, giving the Amish some plastic chairs and a Little Tykes wagon we no longer wanted.  I was tempted to have the shrimp and asparagus for lunch but it was enough for dinner, so I fried up a couple of Italian sausages instead and watched TV.  I did try out the new mattress, took a nice nap, waking groggy, alas, not wanting to do much.  Fortunately, it did not last.  Meanwhile, Evie did get in some dock time, despite the wind and gray skies, wearing a fleece and wrapping herself in a blanket, just like being on a cruise ship (sort of).  And earlier, she spent over an hour with our neighbor, helping her set up her cell phone.

Storm Rising

The winds and rain returned around 5:30, so we quickly pulled down the canvas curtain to our front porch.  Evie pulled out some appetizers and I made us a Manhattan, so we could sit out and enjoy the rain rattling on the roof.  We love sitting on the porch as it rains and even though it was chilly, we stayed out until 7:30, watching boats race home in the winds and rain.  Dinner was even better than the night before, as the leftover shrimp, asparagus, and penne seemed to have become tastier from sitting overnight in the refrigerator.  Next time Evie makes it for company, she may put it together the day before and just heat it up.  We watched a couple of Colbert shows, avoiding the news, before going up to bed.