The Curtain Lifts

6:09

6:16

8:33

It's hard to describe how different I feel this morning now that the sun is out, the sky is blue, the fog rising slowly down the lake.  What a difference from the last three days of drab.  It started late yesterday afternoon as the sky began to lighten as if we had moved to a new world and our spirits literally lifted.  It's a chilly this morning, 38º, thus the fog rising and  I woke excited, thinking about how great it was going to be to kayak this morning, no wind, no waves, no mist or rain.  It was just as I expected, a great morning to be on the lake.  I was out for an hour, paddling along Long Point, then back to Wells Bay and home although I did not see much waterfowl, a few spotted sandpipers and turkey vultures, few mallards. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday began with a terrible paddle, as I fought the wind, waves and drizzle, staying out for only twenty minutes.  I never should have gone out but I must suffer from a drop of OCD, as I increasingly feel as if I cannot start the day without a paddle and kayaking.  When I came home, I hung up my raincoat in the hot room, to let it dry out.  Then, I finished the blog, ate breakfast, and drove to a good yoga class with Julie.  She ended the class with a great Zen quotation which I included in this blog.  Because of the poor weather, I had no interest in doing anything, so I came straight home, looking forward to lunch.    

A Nest Building Wren 

I knew we still have veggie soup for lunch but was not sure what else until Evie suggested guacamole with chips to go along with the soup.  I, of course, agreed and had a great lunch as I watched the last episode of Season Three of Bosch.  Bosch still has another case to solve, who killed his mother forty years ago and it looks as if it was a well-known politician.  After lunch, I started another Gabriel Allon thriller, as I am getting bored with CONVERSATION WITH FRIENDS.  I should have known it was talky as well as filled with mucho emails back and forth between the two lovers.  I may stick with it, maybe not.  Around 3:30, after a brief nap, I decided to drive to the DMV in Mayville and renew the license for my boat trailer.  When I arrived, there was a line and nothing seemed to be happening because the computers were down.  I waited ten minutes and decided to come back another day as no one could say when they would be back up.

We were going out for dinner so we both showered around 5:00 and left for Steeners Pub at 6:00, looking forward to their steak special.  The parking lot was crowded because the outdoor volleyball season had started at the Pub's yard.  So the outdoors was crowded, the bar practically empty.  We easily found a seat, ordered our dinners from our usual waitress, Serena, and relaxed until a woman walked in, ordered a martini and started talking and amusing us for the next half hour.  She had obviously had it with her husband who was sick and a pain, so after a long day of helping out at a classroom filled with autistic kids, she was in no mood to humor her husband so she took off for the bar.  She had recently moved to the area to be near her daughter, had worked in schools before and was obviously hassled but happy to talk with us.  And when we left, she thanked us for listening to her as she obviously was feeling better after a couple of martinis.  We exchanged names and hoped to see each other again.  Just another example of why we like to sit at bars.  On our way home, we realized she had never asked us a question about our lives, typical for our bar hopping experiences. We were home by 8:15, in time to watch a Colbert, RAKE, and some NBA playoffs.

Dusk