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.