A Foggy, Overcast Morning

Bill And Joyce, Our Friends and Neighbors For Thirty-Eight Years

7:05

I woke up to fog at 7:00 but now, at 8:15, the fog has mostly disappeared, the lake and Long Point are both visible.  It's still chilly out there, 49º but we should have some sun and warm temperatures later in the day.

Yesterday was a strange day since for the first time in months, I did not kayak or go to yoga class and I missed both.  Instead, I moped around the house while Evie got busy, prepping our dinner because we were having our neighbors, Bill and Joyce over.  She had been wanting to make a special cake with a pineapple and coconut custard-like frosting for dessert so that took up a part of the morning for her.  I, of course, was her bottle washer and dryer.  By 10:30, I had decided to drive into Lakewood for a coffee and do some shopping (I needed shoelaces)  at a new store called Runners, which took over the Sam's Club building.  As I was leaving,  Evie was browning chicken thighs and making a tomato and apple sauce, keeping busy, the way I like it.

I stopped for coffee, talked briefly with the regulars then drove to Runners, a chain I had never heard of before.  It's a strange place, with clothes, farm equipment, fishing and hunting stuff, toys, staples, automotive stuff and tools.  I spent quite a bit of time in the clothes section where they have Carhartt, Wrangler, Dickies, and Columbia wear.  I ended up buying a fleece-lined shirt and a pair of Columbia slacks, both liked by Evie when I returned home.  I will return.

Lunch was the leftover chicken enchilada and Evie, after finalizing the prepping by frying and baking the eggplant, left for Westfield for a test at the hospital, another annual appointment.  I watched Line Of Duty on Prime Video which I highly recommend both for the acting and the story.  I then read some of my Virgil Flowers book, napped and waited for Evie to return.  She was home by 3:30, finished up a few things in the kitchen and then relaxed until dinner.

Woodlawn From Victoria

I asked if she needed help but she didn't so I went for a walk down Victoria, ending up walking around Chestnut Hill and talking to the guy who manages the place.  The mansion, now a rental house for up to twenty people, has a great view of Long Point, very different from our porch.

Path To Lake

Long Point From Chestnut Hill

I was home by 5:30 and Bill and Joyce arrived at 6:00. We usually have them over for dinner when they arrive for the summer in June and leave for home in Valley Forge, PA, in October.  Both are in their late 80's but doing well, keeping busy, working in the yard and garden, and walking every day to keep in shape.

A Shenandoah Chicken Dinner

They have spent summers here at the lake every year since 1974 when they bought their cottage.  We had a light appetizer, then dinner, my Mom's recipe called Shenandoah chicken, with a tomato/apple sauce over pasta.  It was great and Bill and I even had seconds.  Since they are leaving this morning they made an early night of it but stayed for a piece of Evie's Pineapple Seven Up Cake, a sweet ending to their evening and forty-fifth summer here at the lake.

Pink Sky At 6:50 PM