Only Gray

7:00

7:01 

I was up at 6:20, to a gray foggy morning, a lack of clarity, as all is black and white.  It's 61º and we should have a nice couple of days, perhaps some rain on Sunday.  Like most of recent week mornings, there's nothing stirring on the lake other than a few seagulls.

Kayak Morning

Thursday went quickly, too quickly, like this summer, the past eight years of retirement.  I started the day with a short, quick paddle because of breakfast at 8:00 with my friends.  The Bemus Point Inn is a popular place and I could hardly find a place to park.  I was home just after 9:00, in time to finish the blog and get ready for yoga.  Class on Thursday was at 10:00, with a bit different emphasis, the neck, arms and finally, the back.  I then stopped at Wegman's to pick up a few things; Evie forgot to update her Wegman's list, so I ended up buying things from last week's list.  Idiot.  When I got home, Evie was tearing apart her clothes closet, mine as well, as we are going to do a 'big ditch' of clothes we have not worn in years.  It's going to be hard to get rid of my 15-year-old tee shirts. Why is it so hard to get rid of things of little value or use?

A Profusion Of Dahlias

Evie had a hair appointment at 1:00 but had enough time to make me a couple of avocado and tomato sandwiches on Pepperidge Farm Bread.  Yum.  And I started an Australian series called THE CODE on Netflix and I like it so far.  I then had the house to myself for a few hours and wasted it, as usual, reading and napping.  Finally, just before Evie returned, I put on my hiking boots and pants and took a walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods for the first time in months.  The path was overgrown as no one else seems to have been on it as well so I will have to take my weed wacker up there and clear parts.  The deadfall, however, will need a chainsaw otherwise we will not be able to cross-country ski the path this winter. 

Pretty In Pink  

About 6:00 we relaxed with drinks and appetizers on the front porch for a good hour.  I made myself a bloody mary and Evie had a drink our Turkish friend Hasan made for us,  Martini and Rossi's Bianco with seltzer water and a slice of lemon.  For dinner, I had picked up a rotisserie chicken, so we had that with red potatoes and a salad for dinner.  And we had enough time to watch two more episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and have one to go.  I finished my Longmire and started the newest Daniel Silva novel, THE OTHER WOMAN.  It's nice to always have a new book to read. 

Relief...A Cool Morning

6:43

6:45

6:50

I was up at 6:00, to a welcome, cooling breeze on an overcast morning.  A slash of orange punctuates an otherwise gray, overcast sky.   After the past two days of extreme heat and humidity, today will be a welcome change, a high in the 70's.

Kayak Morning

 A Choppy Paddle

Wednesday, as I mentioned above, was another hot and humid one.  It did not stop me, however, from getting in a long paddle to Tom's Point, then yoga at 10:00 in Lakewood, a good class, with a substitute teacher.  She did things somewhat differently which I liked and her music choices were more modern and upbeat which I also liked.  I get tired of the monotonous Indian inspired yoga music.

Our Must Recent Dahlia

When I returned home, Evie was firing up the lawn mower despite the heat because rain was predicted for later in the day.  So as I made my lunch, ramen soup and salami sandwiches, she started cutting the lawn, taking long breaks to cool off and drink some water.  I was tired of DSI Banks so I tried a new series from Great Britain called GEORGE GENTLY.  I am not sure I like it either so I may have to continue my search for an afternoon series.  I am almost finished with my Longmire novel and I am getting bored with it as well.  Maybe I am just bored?

Mid-afternoon, we both took swims to cool off, the lake as clear and refreshing as we have seen it all summer.  Where did the algae go?  Around 5:00, the dark clouds arrived and it began to pour, stopped for a half hour, then poured again, pelting the lake, the wind knocking down some deadwood in the trees.  We decided to make dinner easy and drove over to the Viking Club and Linda and Ron were walking in just as we arrived.  So we sat with them, watching the sky clear up, the sunset, enjoying a few brews and sandwiches.  The club was not too busy, probably because of the rain and no one was sitting outside.  We stayed till 8:00, then drove home in time to watch another episode of THE HANDMAIDS  TALE.  We have three or four more to go in the second season.

Disgustingly Hot And Humid

6:18

6:50

Kayak Morning

Heron Hanging Out

It's 6:40 and I have been up for a half hour, to a some pink above Long Point, gray to the north and south.  It's already 75º and may get up to 90º in the afternoon.  The lake is calm, empty of any boats, the flag hardly moving.  Around 6:50, the sun popped up through the haze, an orange globe hanging over Bemus Bay, just to the south of Long Point.  It's 9:10 as I finish the blog.  I have already gotten in a long paddle to Tom's Point, washed the front windows, and Evie has been out watering the garden before the heat gets to be too much.

Yesterday was about as warm and humid day as we have had here at the lake.  Even closing up the house in the morning did little good and walking outside was like walking into an aluminum foundry and I know because I worked in one during my summers in college.  Still, I was able to get in a paddle early.  I was not sure about the rest of the morning but decided to ditch yoga and go for a bike ride on the new Riverside Walk starting in Fluvanna.  So I put the hitch on my car, tied up my bike and drove over to Fluvanna, next to the Subaru dealer.  The first two miles of the walk is mostly green fields, and it follows the Chadakoin River, about forty yards to the west.

Picnic Area At End Of New Riverside Walk

Unfortunately, the path soon ends at Mc Crea Point and I had to wend my way through streets and seemingly back alleys, ending up at the Jamestown end of the 3rd Street Bridge.  I then rode up 3rd to the Ice Arena, then to the Comedy Center.  I carried my bike down three flights of stairs to the bridges and walk along the Chadakoin River in the city, ending up at the Main Street Bridge which is being rebuilt.

Main Street Work

I then reversed my ride, taking the same route back to my car.  I was gone for maybe 45 minutes.  I then stopped at Tops in Jamestown and picked up a few groceries which we knew were on sale and Evie needed.  I was home around 11:30, took my bike and hitch off the car.

Evie had been busy despite the heat, putting together a couple of pans of baked ziti to freeze.  We will pull it out later in the month when she is convalescing from her back surgery.  I was going to wash some windows but it was too hot, with the sun still beating down on the front windows.  In fact, after Evie was through in the kitchen, we both decided to do nothing the rest of the day.  Around 1:00, Evie made me lunch and I watched another episode of DSI Banks but I am getting tired of it already so I may look for something else to watch.

Around 3:00, we decided to go for a boat ride, thinking that might cool us off.  It was a good idea because we found a nice breeze or even wind out on the lake, especially when we cruised Bemus.  In fact, the lake was choppy, so different from the calm in front of our house. We were gone for an hour and Evie relaxed on the dock while I put the cover on the boat.  We then took a swim to cool off, came in and showered and got ready to go out to dinner with our friends Marjorie and Ken.

We went to their house for a glass of wine and appetizers at 5:30, sitting on their great front porch.  We then drove 35 minutes to the Freeport restaurant in Pennsylvania, on RT 5, just north of Northeast.  We had been there a couple of times and wanted their perch fish fry which we remembered as being excellent.  Well, it wasn't this time, as the fillets look like they had been in a freezer for months and they were mostly batter.  We should have said something but didn't.  We did have a good time, however, with Ken and Marjorie, former school people like us.  And they are always game to go out for dinner, like us.  We were home around 9:00 and watched another episode of THE HANDMAIDS TALE before bed.

Another Day In The 80's

6:24

6:44

6:51

6:53

It's 6:47 and the sun is just starting to rise above the hills behind Bemus Bay.  It's a humid 71º already, not a whisper of wind, with a quiet and empty lake.  I opened the windows but there's no breeze to cool off the house.  I just returned from a paddle, with only one photo of a kingfisher.  Every time I pulled out my camera to take a shot, the herons flew away.  Lots of kingfishers again, flitting about, chattering as they fly. 

Kayak Morning

Kingfisher

Yesterday we were back in our routine, as I paddled early before finishing the blog and then driving to Lakewood to a Yin Yoga class. After class, I stopped at Ryder's for a coffee and everyone was talking about the new hotel which will be opening this Thursday in Celeron.  Like us, no one seems to think it will be successful but hoping for the best.  I then did a quick run through Wegman's.  Monday is a good day because most of the senior citizens wait for 5% off day on Tuesday.  We are bucks up so I shop on Monday.

When I got home, Evie was vacuuming the porches, getting rid of all the stuff that tends to gather on a porch rather than being put away.  I helped with the front porch and the kitchen was already dandy so by lunchtime, our work was done.  Evie made us toasted cheese and ham sandwiches and I watched DSI Banks while Evie went out to enjoy the dock but lasted only a half an hour.  The heat and humidity was too much for me so I stayed in the house with a fan, reading, and napping as usual.  The rest of the afternoon we hung out, Evie on the phone with her good friend Vi for a bit.  And I called about my broken camera and they are sending me a reconditioned Lumix since my camera was still under warranty.  Let's hope that it lasts.

We decided to have an easy dinner, the leftover shrimp and grits with a fried egg so we sat on the front porch with wine and appetizers and out of nowhere with full sunshine, it started to briefly rain and a rainbow appeared, just like last week.  This was the second time it rained yesterday, a lot harder in the morning, just lightly around 6:30.  Both times I had my boat cover off.  I argue that if I leave my boat cover off, it will rain and yesterday proved my point.

Dinner was just as good as Sunday night and we watched another episode of THE HANDMAIDS TALE although we are getting fed up with our cutting the cable and streaming on DIRECT TV NOW.   Too often we are unable to get the guide or a program we want because of problems with streaming.  Spectrum, get ready to offer us a deal for reattaching the cable!  Soon.

A Matthew Brady Like Morning

Figurehead Of Our Ship

6:25

7:55

I was up just before 6:00, to a dark house, a foggy morning sky of 50 shades of gray, straight out of a Matthew Brady 1860's album.  A haunting beauty, I cannot wait to get out and kayak in the solitude of this empty lake.  It's 7:50 and I am sitting on my front porch, listening to the rain.  The sky has darkened, no boats are on the lake.  And I just got back from a paddle, in time to miss the thunder, lightning, and rain.  For the half hour I was out, it was great, the only one on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday summer returned, with the heat and humidity and will stick around for the rest of the week.  I began my Sunday with a long paddle, returning only because I had to finish up the blog.  We both had great plans for the day but the humidity set in early and our plans went array.  And the lake was too inviting in the late morning, so we gathered up our stuff and when for an hour cruise down to Dewittville Bay on the east side of the lake, then across to the Chautauqua Institution and home.  It was good to be on the lake again.

My Only Visitor On This Morning's Paddle

We had our usual big breakfast on the porch, of eggs, bacon, and bagels, with no CBS Sunday morning,  By the time we finished, the house had heated up, the dock had a nice breeze so Evie decided to enjoy the afternoon.  I, of course, read some and took a Sunday afternoon nap before joining her around 3:00.  We both went for a swim at 4:00, to cool off, and I brought in one of the buoys, one I had to go underwater and drag it along the bottom to the dock. Around 5:30, the lake started to empty as the weekenders headed home, so we decided to take a booze cruise, over to Bemus Point and back.  When I was stepping in the boat, balancing a bag and a plastic chair, the boat moved away from the dock and I fell in the water.  Idiot. When I climbed out of the water, Evie came running down the dock, asking if her iPhone was safe!  It was.

1st Mate

We had a leisurely cruise over to Bemus, to the bridge, then turned around and raced home because Evie wanted to get cooking.  We were having  shrimp and grits for dinner and the grits take a good hour if you want them to be tasty.  She added milk, chicken stock, cream and cheddar cheese to the grits and sauteed the shrimp with garlic and fresh tomatoes.  Dinner was ready by 7:00 and it was the best shrimp and grits we have had, better than Rita's at Folly Beach.  And there's enough left for my lunch today.  We watched Real Time With Bill Maher but we cannot help getting tired of the anti-Trump diatribes. All three guests counseled, however,  that we cannot tire of Trump indignities and must keep and continue our indignation.  And they are right.  The easy way is to just say I cannot take him anymore and turn off the radio and TV.  But that lets him off the hook, to do what he wants.  We must all stay involved and show we care about what is happening to our country, something that reminds many of THE HANDMAIDS TALE.

A Gray And Quiet Sunday Morning

6:43

I was up at 6:00 to a humid morning, a sky of gunmetal gray, a few bass boats and that's it.  I just turned on C-Span and immediately my blood pressure began to rise.  Time to change the channel.  It's 9:20 and I just returned from a long paddle to Long Point, Tom's Point, Stow, then home along the bay.  It was a  good morning for wildlife as I saw six or seven herons, lots of kingfishers flitting about, a couple of cormorants,  and a raft of wood ducks.  It's easy to tell them apart from mallards; they have a high pitched squeal, a different neck and when they paddle, their head nods back and forth.  And I have decided, the morning lake is my church, usually empty but spiritual.  Oliver Sacks said it for me best: "My religion is nature.  That's what arouses those feelings of wonder and mysticism and gratitude in me."

Kayak Morning

Yesterday we had to get used to an empty nest.  It happens every summer when the last of our grandchildren leave for home and it happened yesterday when Jens family of five left.  The quiet is deafening, the house an empty shell without the energy of three boys.  Our answer always to this change is to get to work which we did.  For me, I took a longer paddle than usual and it took quite a while to finish up the blog, not publishing it until almost 10:00.  Once that was done, we started on the kitchen and both porches, neither of which needed much effort.  Once the house was in decent order, we had two more chores in mind.  Evie wanted to cut the lawn, taking her time and I wanted to work on my garage, starting to put summer things away up in the attic.  So we both got busy.  Evie was not done until after lunch and I was done with my rearranging and putting away by 11:00 so I could then drive to the Transfer Station with not only trash but junk from the garage attic which we no longer need.  It's always a pleasure to throw something away, make more space for other items that I will eventually deem unnecessary and throw away.

Lunch was leftovers, again, the pork chops and ratatouille from Wednesday night's dinner.  I watched another DSI Banks, then tried to nap but couldn't and came downstairs and read another Longmire having finishing WARLIGHT.  Neither one of us spent much time out on the dock even though it was a pleasant afternoon.  Around 3:30, Evie put together an appetizer of phyllo dough, ricotta cheese, tomatoes and basil and baked it because we were going to our neighborhood gathering at 5:00.  It looked like rain but it held off so we were able to have it on the right away and about 25 neighbors showed up, a good gathering.  We do this three times a summer and its a nice way to reconnect with neighbors who may have been away much of the year or just been busy with family and friends much of the summer.  It's from 5:00 to 7:00 so that if you have plans, the gathering does not stand in the way.  We left about 6:20 because we were invited to Linda and Ron's for dinner at 6:30.

Rock Painting

When we arrived, they had just had a rain shower which nixed any plans of eating out.  We were able to admire their new plantings, hydrangeas,  Japnese Maple, boxwoods, and arborvitae before sitting on their front porch with a beer and appetizers.  It seemed like a long time since we had seen them but was probably only ten days. 

The Couples

Dinner was great as usual, ribs, corn on the cob and a salad with green goddess dressing, dessert, grilled peaches with dulce de ice cream.  We sat at the table talking until 10:00 when we headed home, just missing most of the traffic from the Chautauqua Institution. 

And Then There Were The Two Of Us

Aloha Jen, Robert, And Family...It's Been A Fun Week

6:45

 A mostly overcast morning as I look out at the lake at 7:30 although I can see some blue skies off to the north.  I was up at 6:40 to a gray morning, a dot of light over Long Point, the sunlight peeking through the bay.  It's 9:30 as we finish this up.  I had a good, long paddle, over to the Long Point Bathhouse, across to Sandy Bottom and home, with four different heron sightings. Cool beans.

Kayak Morning

Heron In Flight (taken from Long Point Fishing Pier)

Yesterday morning was our usual routine, a kayak paddle for me, the blog done, then off to yoga at 9:30 with Julie.  I then stopped at the coffee shop, bank, Dollar Store for paint brushes, and went to a self-serve car wash.  I was home around noon and Evie had been busy, straightening up the house some, cleaning up our 18-year old Accord, but mostly getting ready for the boys because this would be their last day with us.  I had lunch, leftover pork chops, and ratatouille and watched DSI Banks until Evie got a message saying the gang was on their way.  Evie went out to meet them and as usual, the boys were so excited that they ran to her to give her a hug.  We have not had four or six-year-olds around in quite a while so its a treat to have them with us for the week especially such charming kids.  They love doing almost anything.

Walking To Our House

One of their first questions is, "Are the doors locked?" and when told no they would race ahead, run in the house and pick their favorite from the cache of toys waiting in a corner by the fireplace.
They were particularly attracted to several of our magnet games and tinker toys.

A Family Tradition, Painting Rocks

After that, we got out the paints and set up our table outside under the trees and got to painting.  Jennifer took it most seriously and painted a picture of their RV Cousin Eddy, named after Cousin Eddy from the National Lampoon film Christmas Vacation.  Everyone painted at least one rock and the boys were excited later in the day to put their rocks down among the rest of the painted rocks outlining our driveway and Robert's (he's a former Marine) depiction of a grenade was truly a "work of art" but hard to capture in a photograph.

Jennifer's Art

The Boys Rocks Among Nick's Superhero Rocks

We then alternated between fishing, blowing bubbles, and swimming out on the dock.  Evie always has another fun thing for the boys, this time chasing bubbles in the yard.  I started Will fishing, Evie, Robert and James soon joined us.

Will Blowing Bubbles

Happy On The Dock

Everyone caught fish but only Will let the entire neighborhood know when he caught his three, screaming with delight, "I caught a fish, I caught a fish."  What excitement and fun.

I Caught A Fish

James is the one who loves to swim so he and Evie swam for at least a half hour, James practicing jumps off the ladder.  They stopped only when James became cold.

James Swimming With Aunt Evie

So we had enough of the dock and fishing and swimming by 4:00, so Evie got out a snack, cheese, salami, watermelon and crackers and the boys devoured it, Will taking two or three pieces at a time, both loving the watermelon.

Chasing Balloons

Within 15 minutes, both were fired up again so Evie pulled out the balloons, a game our grandchildren love.  Evie pumps up the balloon, hands it to the boys, they let it go and chase it,  trying to catch as it crazily spins, dives and twists before it hits the ground.  It usually ends up on our roof!  Just before we were leaving for the Casino for dinner, Evie introduced the boys to our neighbors and Will gave everyone hugs,  practically knocked them over.

Video Game Wins and Will's Pet Balloon

We drove to the Casino around 6:00.  Jen remembers going there when she was probably nine or ten, but she remembers mostly the game room and playground.  Robert and I sat down with Henry, ordered beers and Robert fed Henry and the rest of the group played on the swings until they came in  to play on the video games, hoping to win a prize.  We all ordered something different.  Only Robert had wings but our meals were fine.  The boys, however, had to be cajoled into finishing because all they wanted to do is get back to the game room, the same as all our children and grandchildren.  Everyone wants to win a furry animal.

Fun At Lenhart Hotel

After the games, we walked down past the Lenhart, took some photos before walking back to the car to say our goodbyes.  It was hard to say goodbye without tearing up but we managed.  The house is going to seem awfully quiet and empty this weekend.

We were home in time to watch another episode of THE HANDMAIDS TALE and a week old Stephen Colbert, who is on vacation for a couple of weeks.  Not sure what today will bring because we will have no James, Will or Henry to play with, Jen and Robert to enjoy.

Henry, Nine Years Old

James, Six Years Old

Will, Four Years Old