A Bright Shiny Morning

No Filter Needed

6:42

It's 7:15 and I woke just as the sun was rising straight across from our house.  It's a deliciously cool morning of 55º as the 80+ days are in the past, at least for now.  I kayaked on this beautiful morning for forty-five minutes, not a ripple on the lake, and how amazing to be out there each morning

Kayak Morning

Morning Heron Yoga

Yesterday was different as I had no interest in kayaking or yoga in the morning.  Thus, I had a leisurely and long morning which began with breakfast in Bemus, my usual Thursday morning with friends.  It was strange to have so much time early in the morning but by 10:30, I was off to Jamestown, to have a visit with a dermatologist.  It's been a couple of years and we have a new doctor or in this case, a new PA.  I received a complete skin exam, then she froze some pre-cancerous cells and she also biopsied a couple of places.  I even had stitches in one of the areas but  I was a brave boy and didn't faint.  On the way home, I stopped briefly at Wegman's and was home by 1:00.  It seems, unlike Prufrock's who measured out his life in coffee spoons, I measure my week in doctor's visits.

Kingfisher

Because I had a big breakfast, hash and two poached eggs, I had a light lunch,  a leftover wrap from the previous day and a couple of ears of corn I bought on my way home from Wegman's.  It was the best I have had this summer.  I then napped, read, and took it easy the rest of the afternoon as did Evie although she did tackle our huge/pantry closet in the tv room.   By 5:30, however, we were gussied up, sort of, to go celebrate our anniversary, beginning with a drink at the new Harbor House Hotel in Celeron.  We tried to sit outside at the Carrousel Bar but the sun was too bright and it was windy, so we went into the confines of their small bar, a good choice as it turned out.  A couple sitting next to us started talking with us, recommending some appetizers.

Fun With Linda And John

And that was all it took and by the time we had finished a few beers and some appetizers, we were fast friends and they have tentative plans to come over to our house tonight for a boat ride and dinner in Bemus. They were here to see the Lucille Ball Museum, her grave, and the Comedy Center as well as the area.  John is a retired New York City policeman, his wife Linda an ESL teacher and vice-principal in New York.  For some reason, we ended up talking about John's experience with 9/11 when he was an officer and as he told us about his experience he broke down in tears, his wife as well.  For two or three days, because there was no electricity, no communication, neither one of them knew if the other was alive.  John was on the streets during and after 9/11. As we were talking, a lady walked up who had been sitting at a nearby table, had overheard us talking, and told us all about how her son who was a building away from the Twin Towers but was able to get out of his building and survive.  Soon, her husband joined us and we found out both he and Linda were Cubans, Pepe arrived in 1954, Linda's family just after Fidel Castro gained control.  Coincidentally, both their families were from a village in Cuba where the mayor was Desi Arnez's father.  Quite an afternoon at the bar.

8:03

We left about 8:30 and drove to downtown Jamestown to have our dinner at Forte our favorite restaurant.  We were able to find a couple of seats at the bar, ordered a beer and the steak special.  We get a beer, steak, salad, potatoes and rolls for 15 bucks.  It's available only in the bar area and everyone around us was enjoying it.  Evie struck up a conversation with a couple who live on Point Chautauqua and the husband's family has owned a home there for over a hundred years.  We felt at home because the bartender has gotten to know us over the past few years.  And our dinners were great which made our evening.

We were home by 10:00, fat and happy with our evening and ready for bed.  It was a late night for us, to be out celebrating past 9:30.  Far out.