Overcast And Bass Boats

6:44

6:51

6:52

I am sitting out on my front porch listening mostly to the sound of boats, roaring by or starting up, drowning out the sound of purple martins.  I guess the 4th of July weekend has started early.  It's 67º and we may get some rain but I doubt it.  It's 9:20 as I finish this blog and it just started to pour.  Fortunately, I was able to get in a long hour and a half paddle, down to Maple Springs and back.  And I photographed the same loon as earlier in the week but he must be injured because when I paddled within 15 feet, he hardly moved.

Kayak Morning

A Solitary Loon

Rain At 9:33

Yesterday was 85º in the sun, unbearable without an umbrella or shade but we better get used to it.  I kayaked before the heat so it was fine on the lake.  I decided to go to yoga although I am going to cut back on classes for the summer.  I stopped at Wegmans, out of habit I think, then looked for an umbrella and stand at Home Depot but they were out of them.  So I had a thought, why not try Kmart and I found one, as I was one of the three shoppers in the store. Why it's still open is one of life's great mysteries.  

When I returned home we set up the umbrella on the dock but we were unhappy with the base.  So Evie jerry-rigged it on one of the dock posts and it works fine, saving me 35 bucks.  I had the leftover mac n cheese and half of burger for lunch and Evie, having prepped dinner, changed the sheets, and cleaned the kitchen, went out on the dock to enjoy the afternoon.  She was out there till 5:00, loving the shade of the umbrella, and the afternoon breeze, making an 85º pleasant.  I started a new series which I found on Netflix called the DOGS OF BERLIN.  It's a who done it with a twist.  Germany's best soccer player, a Turk, is found murdered the day before Germany's World Cup match with Turkey.  After lunch and a nap, I tested life on the dock but chose to stay in the house and watch the women's soccer team beat France 2-1 in Paris, a great game.  I thought France dominated most of the second half but could not overcome a 2-0 lead.  

We sat on the porch enjoying a libation, wine for Evie and a gin and tonic for me, a nice change.  Around 7:00, I fired up the grill and grilled some Turkish koftes, lamb meatballs with lots of spices.  We ate outside on our newly painted wire table.  This dinner is called an iskender kebab in Turkey.  Basically,  we place lightly toasted pita bread squares on a plate, add three or four koftes, cover them with a spicy tomato sauce then finish with yogurt.  It's one of our families favorite dinners.  It was pleasant eating outside as the heat had let up and there was a gentle breeze.  Around 8:00, we went inside, cleaned up the kitchen, then watched some TV, Colbert and some of the news programs.