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Granddaughters Rock

With Moi

It's 6:40 and I have been up since 6:00, to a foggy morning here on the lake.  Everything is a blur of gray and white at the moment because of the fog,  on a 63º morning.  Although there was a heavy fog, I was able to kayak over to Long Point, back to Victoria and home, spotting a heron on Long Point fishing dock.

Kayaking In The Fog

Yesterday was a different kind of day, as the sun came in and out, as did all of us.  There were times when it was overcast, at other times the sun came out and we rushed out on the dock to enjoy some sun and swim.  I was up way too early, at 5:00, got in a long paddle and it was 9:00 before anyone else was up a tired gang.  Because it had just rained, no one was in a hurry to get outside.  So Evie made a huge bowl of buttermilk pancakes and slowly the girls rose, came down, and devoured most of the stacks of pancakes Evie had made.  Tom, Mary, and Tyler decided to work out in Lakewood and took off around 10:00.

Ryder's Cup For Frozen Hot Chocolates

Because it was the last day for three of our granddaughters, Hayden drove them to their favorite coffee shop, Ryder's Cup, for the last frozen hot chocolate.  I drove to Hogan's to pick up milk, beer, corn, and get my car gassed up since I will be driving to the airport today to drop off Tommy's family and tomorrow to pick up Beth.

Everyone was back by 12:30, relaxed some, then were hungry because pancakes don't seem to last long.  So Evie got out lots of leftovers, the sloppy joes, the barbecue chicken and noodles and anything else the kids could find.  It's amazing how hungry we get even after a big breakfast.

Dancing On The Blue Mat

Falling Off

Cousins

Around 2:00, the sky opened up and most of us went out to enjoy the sun and lake.  The girls spent most of their time on the blue mat, playing king of the mat or just sunbathing.  I joined them after a brief nap and just as I got out there, it started to rain and thunder so we all ran inside.  Perfect timing.  We then played some Telefunky, a card game the family all enjoy.

Device Time

It started to clear up around 5:00, so we could play some bean bag but by 5:45, the lake was too inviting and everyone wanted to get in their last swim of their vacation so Evie and I were the only ones to join the four girls and Seth.  It was a perfect late afternoon, the lake as clear as it's been all week.  We swam, played on the blue mat, had chicken fights and stayed out until also 7:00, even then reluctant to come in.

Jump

Dancing

Jumping Hayden And Seth

Earlier in the day, Evie had put together the kofte for our iskender kebabs, ground beef and lamb patties with Allepo and Maras pepper and sumac, all Turkish spices.  Tom and Mary shucked the corn, then Evie warmed up the tomato sauce,  warmed the pita bread in butter as Tommy and I grilled the koftes.

Iskender Kebabs 

I explained how to make an Iskender kebab to the group, putting the pita squares on your plate, then koftes, covered them with tomato sauce and topping it with a dollop of plain yogurt, Yum. It may have been our best meal of the week, the kebobs were great, with the guys having seconds, and the corn was so sweet that I had three.  It was a fine way to end the week's dinners.

A Turkish Dinner

After the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, some of us watched the Democratic debate while Evie and the grandkids played a long game of Telefunky, with Marisa and Halle the winning and happy partners.  We ended the night with Shark week on TV before going up to bed.

Jill leaves this morning at 8:00 for home, with Hayden, Halle, and Seth.  Tom flies home to KC at 1:00 with Mary and Marlena.  And Tyler stays until Sunday, Marisa and her Mom until next Friday.  We will miss them.

My Grandson Tyler's Idea Of A Prank

Yesterday, Dock Day...Today, Showers

Son And Grandson, Dumb and Dumber

5:45

6:23

6:24

It's just after 6:00 and I begin my blog, but I woke at 5:00 to what sounded like a deluge, rain pounding the side of the house, the air conditioner.  I came downstairs, made coffee, checked the rain gauge, about a half-inch in maybe ten minutes.  The sky turned light pink as the morning began, the lake quiet, and a pleasant 69º.  It's 8:00 and I am back from an amazing end of July paddle as I was the only one on the lake for over a half-hour before I saw and heard a boat.  I also caught a heron wading in the water, looking for breakfast.  Now, I am sitting on the front porch, listening to THE LOCAL NEWS podcast as everyone is still upstairs sleeping.  It's now 9:00, and I have been up for four hours and someone actually got up.

Morning Heron Sighting While Kayaking

Morning Stroll Along Shoreline

Yesterday was another splendid day on the lake, lots of sun, perfect for enjoying the dock and the lake.  I got in a long paddle before returning to a fairly quiet house, as the gang tends to sleep in most mornings.  Evie was up, making a batter for crepes when the kids woke and Tom, Mary and Marisa were off to work out around 10:00, just as the rest were waking.  I did some organizing outside, put our mat in the water, tied it to a buoy and cooled off in the lake.  The girls loved their crepes, who wouldn't, usually with lemon and sugar, 

Leisure On The Lake

Cooling It

Not much happened the rest of the morning although Marlena, Halle, and I did get in some dock time before lunch.  Tom did not get home until 12:30 because they went shopping after working out and had to hit three different stores, as Wegman's ran out of chicken,  When they returned, Evie had sloppy joes ready for lunch and made a couple of quesadillas.  Once lunch was done, it was out on the dock for the group except for Tommy and me.  Earlier in the morning,  a TCL 49 inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV had arrived from Amazon, highly recommended by The Wirecutter and only 300 bucks. I think I paid over a thousand for my Smart TV seven or eight years ago.  Anyways, we moved the old one upstairs, then proceeded to set up our new TV.  It took us longer than we expected but within a half-hour, we had the TV set up and I was signed in to Netflix and Amazon Prime through Roku.  After the setup, we joined the gang on the crowded dock and spent the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the sun and lake, knowing that it would be their last sunny day on the lake because Tuesday it was supposed to rain and they were heading home on Wednesday.

With Marisa

Cousins

Tom And The Gals

 We decided to go for a boat ride at 5:00 so everyone showered and washed their hair in the lake and we then cruised down to the Chautauqua Institution and back, taking our time so we could look at all the amazing homes on the grounds. Evie had baked some hanky pankies for an appetizer, cut up watermelon, and packed some chips, pretzels. and dip so we had a feast on the boat,  It was choppier than we expected so most of us got a bit wet when we hit some waves.  

Young Infatuation

Tom And Jill, Keeping Dry

By 6:30, Tommy and I were outside, grilling the barbecued chicken and Evie was inside, cooking the noodles in the chicken broth and making a salad.  This dinner was at Tommy's request, another summer dinner we all love and have when we are together.  Both the chicken and noodles were devoured, especially the noodles soaked in the broth.  

Barbecued Chicken And Noodle Dinner

After dinner, Mary, Tom, and Jill cleaned the kitchen while the kids drove off to Boxcar Barney's, an ice cream drive-in, in Mayville.  They were gone perhaps forty-five minutes, the house strangely quiet.  When the kids returned, they went into the TV room to watch their show WHEN THEY SEE US and the adults relaxed out on the porch, on a cool night, talking and checking devices until it was time to go to bed.  

A Rainy Summer Day

Most Of Our Family, 2019

The Grandparents

6:29

Well, everything looks washed and clean, a result of the rain on and off yesterday, especially the heavy downpours yesterday evening.  Right now it's a clear sky, with the sun reflection lighting the lake.  It's a warm 67º and we should have a dry day, clear in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon.  I had a great paddle this morning, caught two herons with my camera, one in a tree, the other sitting on a dock.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue This Morning

Yesterday felt like a lockdown, as we never did make it out on to the dock and only Evie and I went for a swim, mostly to cool off and enjoy the clear lake, freshened by the rain. I hardly got in a paddle, more of a drifting, waiting for it to rain.  Most of the family was up earlier than usual because they were going off to a hot yoga class at 9:30 in Lakewood.  It left Evie and me home alone for close to two hours, time to get everything back into order, the kitchen spic n span.  They returned around 11:00, having stopped for coffee at Ryder's Cup and some beer and ice at Hogan's Hut.

Evie's Most Recent Dahlia

Evie and Hayden and Seth then went for an hour tour of the Chautauqua Institution since Seth had never been there.  The girls then relaxed with their devices, catching up on their feeds, watching some shows. Before Evie left for the CI, she hurriedly put together a huge pot of corn chowder, by far the most popular dish of the week.  Tom had picked up fresh corn, so he cut it off the cob as Evie sauteed the bacon, added both the corn and some cobs to the pot and let it simmer before adding milk and a bit of cream.  It was ready by the time Evie left for the CI and by the time they returned, there was hardly a bowl left.

Playing Cards

We hung out inside the rest of the afternoon, playing some cards, watching some TV, playing some bean bag in between the drizzle.  Evie had set 5:00 as the deadline for our annual family photograph so everyone took a shower, spaced out so as to not overload our well.  The photoshoot was relatively painless, with only a few of Tyler's pranks.

The Granddaughters, Again

Sibs

Jill With Hayden And Halle

Mary And Marlena

Seth, fortunately, was there to be our photographer and by 5:45 we were in our cars, driving to the Bemus Point Casino for wings, again a yearly tradition since we bought our cottage in 1981.  It's changed little since then except for the prices.  We had great service and everyone ordered wings and fries so we were happy though, by the time we were finished, our table was, as always, a mess of seventy-five eaten wings.  We worked off our wings by walking down to the Bemus Point Market for ice cream cones, a tradition since we had grandchildren.

Wings At The Casino

Wing Night At Casino

Tyler, At Ease

We were home just in time to avoid the heavy downpour, happy we did not go by boat to the Casino.
We then hung out the rest of the night, watching some TV, Shark Week, again a recent tradition started by the boys.  And we played spoons, some Telefunky,  a card game, a fun way to while away the rainy evening.  I went to bed around 10:30, the first one, and am not sure when the rest followed, no doubt much later.  I am a wimp.

Seth, Hoping For The Big One

Now There Are Eleven

Tyler Lovin Hugin

6:19

7:09

It's 6:30 and I am out on the front porch, a partly cloudy morning sky and spit of rain. It's a pleasant 67º and I am listening to a podcast, Making Sense With Sam Harris and his interview with Ricky Gervais, the British comedian.  It's 8:30 and I was tired of waiting to see if it would rain so I just went out in the lake about 7:15 and sat in the middle, watching the dark clouds loom, listening to The Eagles.  I was in no hurry to paddle anywhere so it was pleasant, floating in the middle until it finally started to rain hard enough, after a half-hour, and I headed in to shore.  Now a few are up, enjoying a bagel, peanut butter and a banana and most hope to go to the hot yoga class at The Fitness Bunker at 9:30, but not me.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was another great day and I am running out of superlatives.  Lots of sun, fun, bean bag, rocking on the mat, food and the arrival of our grandson Tyler from Boston where he works for a chip design company.  I started the day with a good paddle down to Whitney Bay and back.  I was driving to the airport at 9:30 to pick up my grandson, Tyler, so Evie and I quickly gathered the trash, cleaned out the refrigerator, and I drove off to the Transfer Station at 9:15.  I left, then, to get Tyler, leaving the gang to enjoy their morning.  Most of the girls hung out on the porch butTom and Mary went for a run out to Long Point.

Tom And Mary At Long Point

Tyler's plane was on time, 11:20 and we were back home by 1:00. On the way home, Tyler called Evie to tell her he was starving, so she had a great lunch ready for him, his favorites, Slovenian sausages, and corn chowder.  There was even enough left for me.

Tyler And Family

After lunch, the gang went out to the dock to enjoy the afternoon and stayed out their sunning, swimming, and playing on the mat until late afternoon, with occasional trips to the house for libations, the potty, or to change into a dry bathing suit.  I, however, read and took a brief nap before joining the crowd. Fortunately, we have enough chairs if least three or four are in the water or we would have to expand the dock.

Granddaughters In Another Bikini

The Old, Old Man On The Dock

Happy Siblings

Around 3:30, Tom, Mary, Tyler, and Jill took the boat over to Bemus Point and had a few beers at the Ellicottville Brewery.  While they were gone, Evie and the girls began the process of making another of the many favorites, sticky buns.  Evie has been making them since we had grandchildren and now they are able to help her put them together.

Granny And The Girls Make Sticky Buns

Tyler's one request was to make sure Evie would make fresh sticky buns.  It's a two or three-step process because you have to let the dough rise, then the rolls, before they are baked.  And we, of course, played more bean bag or relaxed on the porch until it was time to start dinner.

A Beautiful Blue Sky With Puffy Clouds

Porching It

The group returned back from Bemus and we all began to prep dinner. Tom wanted to cook the steaks in a new way, using a reverse sear method.  He put them on the grill under indirect heat until the meat thermometer registered 90º, then seared them over the hot grill to give them sear marks and bring the temperature up to 120º which is rare.  In the kitchen, Evie had sauteed mushrooms and pulled two trays of her famous stuffed shells out of the freezer and heated them up.  And, best of all, the sticky buns had been baking so we were able to have them with and after dinner.  The steaks were great, the virtue of the method being that they were uniformly rare.  The shells were devoured as was the salad and sticky buns, so it was a successful first night dinner for Tyler

A Couple Of Groovy Chicks

Mary And Tyler

After dinner, we sat outside and played bean bag again until the kids seemed to get bored and Tyler suggested watching the new scary movie on Amazon Prime called US.  So we all adjourned to the TV room and watched the movie.  I lasted for the first half-hour before going upstairs to read and fall asleep.  Jill, too, was so into her book, ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE that she skipped the film and read. The film's ending so I heard was confusing enough that they had to go to Google to find out what the critics said.

Steak Dinner For Eleven