Rafts Of Buffleheads

A Common Female Merganser

7:02

8:58

Long Point

It's 8:52 and I am sitting here, warming up after a chilly hour paddle, down to Bootey Bay and back, chasing buffleheads as I paddled.  Evie's up as well, waiting for the Michael Smerconish radio program to start at 9:00.  It's an overcast morning, lots of gray with a stillness, making the reflections of the shoreline on the lake striking.

Kayak Morning

Lonely Loon Preening

Merganser

Starlings?

Yesterday began with a paddle, in a drizzle but fun nevertheless.  We then had breakfast and finished up the blog before getting busy in the kitchen,  Unfortunately, as I was washing up my breakfast dishes, my one lens fell out of my glasses and when we tried to put it back in, we lost the screw. Rats.  We called our eyecare place but they were closed.  I then had the bright idea to call Walmart and thankfully, they were still open.  So we made up a shopping list for the week, intending to go to Walmart, to get my glasses fixed, then to Wegman's. When we arrived at Walmart, the optometrist easily fixed my glasses and Evie found just about everything we needed so we did not have to go to Wegmans.  Walmart was quiet, just a few shoppers, so we really did not need to interact with anyone which was nice.  And we were thinking spring and went to the garden section and bought at least 25 dahlias to plant in Evie's garden when it warms up.

Lunch was the lentil soup Evie had made on Monday and a bagel and I watched my series, Blood on Amazon Prime.  While I was eating, Evie was prepping our dinner, the St. Patrick's Day dinner a couple weeks late, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.  It was in the oven by 2:00, ready by 5:00 or so. I then read some after my lunch, took a brief nap, and was up by 2:45, wondering if I should do something, like walk or yoga.  My answer was easy, NO.  I read then joined Evie in the TV room and we watched a couple of episodes of Home Town to waste the afternoon.

Dinner was ready at 6:30, and after a brief wine time, we were settled in the TV room, with a great corned beef dinner, ready for the Trump Reality Show, always amusing.  We both loved our dinner and I went back not only for seconds but thirds.  We decided to take a respite from The Americans for a night and take my nephew Pat's recommendation and start a mini-series on Netflix called Unorthodox.  Based on a true story, it follows a young Hasidic Jewish woman, as she struggles with the restrictions of her religion and finally breaks away.  We watched the first three episodes, saving the last episode for tonight.  We recommend it highly, a good story and interesting in its depiction of Hasidic life, especially a traditional wedding. 

Paddling In A Drizzle

Female Mergansers, Midafternoon 

One Month Ago

7:22

It's 9:00 and I have been up since 6:30 on a damp, overcast, 41º morning.  It's not exactly a great morning for kayaking but I went out anyways, on what is becoming my morning constitutional.  I scared off rafts of buffleheads, got a shot of a loon and that's about it.

By the way, A plane from Shanghai arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York Sunday morning carrying an extraordinary load: 12 million gloves, 130,000 N95 masks, 1.7 million surgical masks, 50,000 gowns, 130,000 hand sanitizer units, and 36,000 thermometers.  Just saying. 

Kayak Morning

Loon Alone

A Common Male Merganser

Yesterday was forecast to rain most of the day but we must have missed it; we did get some wind, a brief shower but for the most part, we had partly cloudy skies.  After my morning paddle, we decided to get out and drove over to Long Point State Park. We parked by the marina and walked out to the point and back, noticing that others had the same idea.  Usually, we are the only ones hiking but because of the quarantine, lots of families are getting out and enjoying the park for perhaps the first time.  We walked just over a mile, just right for Evie.

Long Point Path

I was anxious to get home after our walk because Evie had gotten the bacon out before we left for our big Sunday morning breakfast.  I was also looking forward to watching CBS Sunday morning.  Both breakfast and CBS Sunday were great, just what we needed to satisfy our mid-day hunger for food and entertainment.

Spring Time At Long Point

We spent the rest of the afternoon inside, watching the weather alerts, moving the cars because of heavy winds and a storm which missed us, fortunately.  I finished my James Lee Burke's novel, too long with a weak ending.  I started American Dirt, a hot new book because it's an Oprah book but I am not sure about it.  I will stick with it but I am not ready for this kind of book right now. It's already violent and depressing and I don't think it's going to ger much better. Late afternoon, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, brightening the day.

Long Point At 5:50

We were having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, easy because Evie had pulled her homemade meatballs out of the freezer early in the day and just added a jar of pasta sauce and we had a good dinner.  We had the spaghetti along with a salad and garlic bread and watched Trump's incoherent rambling Daily Reality Show until we could take it no longer.  We then watched 60 Minutes and a couple of episodes of The Americans although we are getting bored with it.  We were both tired from our day of doing little other than sitting around and went up to bed early.


Trump:  Jan 21st: "We have it totally under control.  It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control.  It's going to be just fine."

Trump: Sunday, March 29th:

"You’re talking about 2.2 million deaths (In US). 2.2 million people from this. If we can hold that down as we’re saying, to 100,000, it’s a horrible number. Maybe even less, but to 100,000, so we have between 100 and 200,000, we all together have done a very good job. 2.2, up to 2.2 million deaths and maybe even beyond that? I’m feeling very good about what we did last week."

Silent Spring

Early Morning "Painting" By Evie

6:51

7:12

9:00

It's 7:20 and it has stopped raining, the sky still threatening, a mixture of gray and cream.  It's surprisingly warm out, 56º, and we must have gotten a couple of inches over the past 24 hours. I had a good paddle this morning, capturing my first sighting of a loon, and a couple of buffleheads.

Kayaking At  8:16

Sky At 8:50

A Solitary Loon

Yesterday was overcast and wet most of the day so we never did get out and walk, nor did I get to kayak.  So except for the weekly trip to the Transfer Station, we were in lockdown, Chautauqua style.  We wasted much of the morning until about 11:00 when Evie decided to make some lentil soup for the week.  While she cooked, I spent 40 minutes practicing yoga, following my own routine.  I have no need for a video because I know enough asanas from taking classes on and off for the past eight years.  If someone is interested in taking yoga, there are lots of free classes online. 

Female Bufflehead

A Handsome Male Bufflehead

Around 12:30, I had lunch, the chana dal, basically spicy lentils and I have to say, I don't think I will be making it again.  My cooking as been zero for two lately and I will have to rethink my recipes, my cooking.  Fortunately, I have a wife who knows what she is doing.  I tried to nap but couldn't even though I was up early.  So I read and about 3:00 we decided a good way to spend the afternoon was to watch a movie.  Earlier in the day, Evie had talked with our good friend Vi, the wife of one of my Ohio University teammates,  Lloyd, a former FBI agent. She recommended the Tom Hanks film, Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, about Fred Rogers. 

I admit to not being excited about watching a movie about Mr, Rogers but once again, I was wrong.  For one thing, it's not just about Mr, Rogers but also about a journalist tasked with writing an article about modern heroes by his editor at Esquire. He's skeptical of Mr. Rogers's heroism but agrees to the article.  How he is changed by his meetings with Mr, Rogers is the core of the film.  It's a great film for a family but I must warn all, it lacks sex, violence, action heroes, and car chases.   It's the kind of film that might have been made in the 1950s, a feel-good film where there's conflict but it's resolved in the end and you leave the theater feeling good about the world.  We worried it might veer towards sentimentality but it avoided it, for the most part.  Tom Hanks plays Mr, Rogers and Matthew Rhys, from The Americans, plays the journalist.  The film is based on actual events.  Watch it and thanks for recommending it Virpi.

Around 6:30, Evie got out the Unexpected cheddar cheese from Trader Joe's and crackers and I made us Manhattans and we sat down and listened to Apple Music, talked about our day (not much to say) until gloaming, around 7:45.  Dinner was heating up the leftover chicken piccata, still tasty, and we watched a film we happened upon called ELECTION.  We have watched it before but loved it.  It stars a young Reese Weatherspoon as Tracy Flick, an obnoxious high school go-getter.  It's based on a novel by Tom Perotta, once of my favorite writers.  We enjoyed blueberry pie a la mode as we watched it, of course, the culinary high light to our evening.

I'll end with a few words from Mr. Rodgers about how parents should think of their children:

                                      " I like you just the way you are."

It's Raining, It's Pouring (the old man ain't snoring)

Long Point Friday Afternoon

8:05

It's 8:23 and I have been up for a couple of hours, listening to the rain, the dark sky turn gray.  There's a light breeze, a wrinkled lake, and 45º, with rain on and off all day.  Not the kind of day that makes us want to get outside and do something.  I have listened to CSPAN, then Pop Culture Happy Hour and have finished with The New Yorker Radio Hour. It's 8:47 and I have just checked the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and at the moment, the US leads the world in Covid 19 cases, 104,837, 450 deaths in New York City alone. Scary.

Yesterday began with a typical Chautauqua gray day but ended up with bright blue skies and lots of sunshine.  I did get in a paddle despite the gray, a wind that picked up as I paddled.  We then finished up the blog because Evie was having a phone call with her back surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic.  They discussed her back problems, and he suggested some palliatives, then mentioned the fact that he would be spending time in the ER the next couple of weeks even though he is a spinal surgeon.  The whole of Cleveland Clinic is preparing because they fear they will be inundated with Covid-19 cases. He seemed in no hurry to get off the phone and Evie had a good talk with him.  He will get back in touch in three months to see how she is doing.

That was around 9:30. We then did our own thing, Evie some PT and I had a good yoga hour, enjoying my music from Apple Music.  Because it was still overcast, neither of us felt like getting in a walk. At noon, I had a bowl of cauliflower soup and we then headed to Erie, to Evie's appointment with a pain specialist.  She met briefly with him, prescribed a muscle relaxer because they, like most clinics, are not doing any tests or invasive procedures.  Before the appointment, we called Orton's Market and ordered another cherry pie, something that makes us happy for four or five nights.  When we arrived, they had inadvertently sold our pie to someone else and ours would not be ready for a half-hour.  So we compromised on a fresh blueberry pie, two potbellies of Pot O Gold chocolate milk, and a small bag of cheesy pepperoni rolls.  We enjoyed a milk and pepperoni rolls on the way home, making our drive go quickly.

Enjoy The Blue

We were home by 2:00, in time for me to get in some reading and take a brief nap.  Mid-afternoon the sun came out, the lake calmed down and turned a deep blue so I could not resist the temptation to get back out on the lake and I paddled down to Whitney Bay and back, basking in the sun for a half-hour. A few fishing boats were also out but I mostly had the lake to myself. While I was out kayaking, Evie went for a walk in our neighborhood, ended up talking with neighbors, keeping a good six feet between them.

Kayaking Friday Afternoon

We were having a stir fry for dinner, one we have made in the past, eggplant with ground pork and hot bean sauce.  I prepped the three tablespoons of garlic, two of ginger, and made the sauce.  Earlier, Evie had roasted the eggplant so it was already cooked.  I put it together around 6:30, enjoying a glass of wine as I cooked.  It went together quickly, just brown the pork, add the garlic, ginger, sauce and hot beans sauce, boil for a minute or two and add the eggplant.  Then, finish the dinner off with sesame oil.  As usual, despite adding corn starch, I could not get the sauce to thicken.  We served it over rice and it was terrible, salty and unedible.  Not sure why but we had to throw it out and enjoy a salad, a pepperoni roll and a big piece of blueberry pie with ice cream for dessert.  I don't think I will be making stir-fries for a while.  We watched a bit of the Trump Hour, then The Americans until we were too tired to follow the episode and went up to bed.

Finding Light In Darkness

7:29

It's 8:30 as I start this blog and I have just returned from a chilly paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back.  When I started, it was fine but the wind picked up on a 39º morning, so my hands were cold despite the gloves and I didn't see any waterfowl, mostly because they tend to blend into the gray morning.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday morning, however, was a striking contrast to today, with a beautiful sunrise, lifting our spirits as we stay indoors for much of the day.  For some reason, after a great sunrise and finishing the blog,  I wanted to go for a walk through the Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, where Lucy is buried and other Jamestown founders. We try to walk it a couple of times a year but autumn is best.

Lake View Cemetery

So we headed over there around 11:00 and joined maybe ten others winding our way along the paths, looking at gravestones, the interesting family names, the most common, Larson, Carlson, and Peterson, obviously Swedish.

Veterans Memorial

I Love Lucy

We walked to the end, past the Veterans Memorial and back.  And we, of course, followed the path of hearts to the Lucille Balls memorial.  It was a perfect day for a walk, warm enough so we hardly needed a fleece.

Family Time On Lake Point 

We didn't get home until 1:00 and I was ready for lunch, so Evie warmed up the cauliflower soup and made me a taco salad which we shared.   I watched another episode of Blood, read my book and napped until 3:00.  Early afternoon, the sun disappeared, the day turned gray so we did not have much motivation to get outside.

Child On Tip Of Long Point Yesterday Afternoon

At 4:00, I practiced yoga for a half-hour and then we had a nice wine time until it was time to finish off dinner.  Earlier, Evie had marinated chicken cutlets in buttermilk and made a lemon/vermouth sauce for the chicken piccata.  At 6:00, she roasted asparagus and sauteed the cutlets before returning them to the sauce.  She also made a cup of rice and salad so we had a feast interrupted however by Trump's Open Mike Ramblings, as he threatened Governors: if they want items like ventilators, "They have to treat us well." What a buffoon, such a whiny baby.  Anyways, once we turned that off, dinner was great and we returned to our show, The Americans, two more episodes, as we are about to finish Season Four.

A Beautiful Day For A Walk

Good advice on today's Writer's Almanac From Poet Wendell Berry:

Look It Over by Wendell Berry I leave behind even my walking stick. My knife is in my pocket, but that I have forgot. I bring no car, no cell phone, no computer, no camera, no CD player, no fax, no TV, not even a book. I go into the woods. I sit on a log provided at no cost. It is the earth I've come to, the earth itself, sadly abused by the stupidity only humans are capable of but, as ever, itself. Free. A bargain! Get it while it lasts.

That Morning Sun Rise

7:00

7:01

7:03

7:24

7:35

It's 9:04 as I start this blog although I have been up since 6:30, listening to Sirius, reading both the Washington Post and New York Times online until 8:00 when I decided to go kayaking.  It's not as easy as it seems.  Here's my routine.  I wake, open the blinds, to see if the flag is moving.  If not, I know I might be able to kayak.  Once I decide to kayak, I gather my coffee, binoculars, phone, and camera and set them on the kitchen island.  I then microwave my coffee and put it in an insulated coffee container.  I walk to the closet, put on a fleece, a windbreaker, and inflatable life jacket and walk back to the kitchen to grab my sunglasses, put them in my pocket along with the phone and camera, and sling the binoculars around my neck.  I return to the closet, put on a stocking cap and gloves and turn on my iWatch for paddling. 

Moi At My Best?

When I am ready to go outside, I grab my paddle on the porch, a cushion and inflatable lumbar support and walk out to my kayak.  I turn it over, put my cushion, support, and coffee in the cockpit, slide the kayak into the lake, grab my paddle, step into the water, put one foot into the kayak, then drop into the seat and lift my other foot into the kayak.  I then paddle away and follow the same pattern in reserve when I am finished.  I am already out of breath having written this and by the way, I usually forget something.

Kayak Morning

Long Point

Paddling Towards Woodlawn

By the way, I had a great hour paddle this morning, over to Long Point, back to Wells Bay and home.  I was excited to photograph my first wood duck of the Spring, perched at least 50 feet up in a tree along with a female.  And I caught a muskrat cruising by just before he dove under when he saw me.

Male Wood Duck

Female Wood Duck

A Wood Duck Couple

Muskrat And His Tail

Yesterday was a good day because I was able to get in another trifecta, of kayaking, a walk and yoga.  The day, however, started early as we were on our way to shop at Wegman's by 8:00, hoping to beat the rush.  We were lucky because there was a rush but by the time we got there, it had quieted down and we were able to shop easily and there was little if any line at any of the checkouts.  We bought enough so we would not have to shop for another week even if it took us quite a while to put everything away. After we were done, Evie wanted to go for a walk so we drove off to the Chautauqua Institution and had an enjoyable walk, passing a few couples but it was still basically an empty place.  We walked over a mile, just right for Evie, in the warm sun, making it especially enjoyable.

Chautauqua's Brick Walk

We were home by 1:00 and I had the leftover stir fry from Sunday for lunch, by this time, it was a mash of rice and veggies but still tasty.  I decided to save my chana dal for later in the week.  I watched another episode of Blood, then as usual, fell asleep reading my James Lee Burke novel.  When I woke, the sun was out and the wind had died, so I got out all my stuff and went for a paddle down to the Power Boat Club and back.  It looks as though the area next to the boat club is ready for development, as septics are in and the land has been leveled and ready for building, I assume, homes.

Kayak Afternoon

When I returned, I wanted to get in some yoga before dinner, so I put on my headphones, turned on my new album, Pure Yoga and practiced for 35 minutes.  By the time I was done with it, Evie had dinner ready, tacos with all the fixings.  We filled out plates with tacos, meat, lettuces, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream and listened to the Trump Open Mike for 15 minutes before returning to another episode of The Americans.

Tommy And The Birthday Girl

We were looking forward to 8:00 because our son Tom had arranged a virtual birthday party for his daughter Marlena.  So at 8:00, all Marlena's aunts and uncles and cousins were on Face Time, all talking at once, wishing her a happy birthday and trying to catch up with each other's lives.  We were on for maybe 15 minutes.  It was a fun way to surprise and celebrate her 17th birthday during these scary times. 

The Virtual Birthday Party

Face Time On A Computer

After the party, Evie had a good talk with Tyler, our 24-year-old grandson, who is living on his own in Boston, working from home like most people.  We ended the night as usual with a couple more episodes of The Americans, Season Four.