One Fine Morning

5:37

6:00

It's just 8:30 and I have been up for three hours, alas, but I did get in a great hour and a half paddle, over to Tom's Point, across to Lakeside Drive in Bemus, then home.  I spotted a couple of bald eagles and was fortunate enough to get a photograph of one.  They are very skittish; every time I get near, they tend to fly off. 

Kayak Morning

A Bald Eagle At Tom's Point

Bemus Point Bridge

Wood Ducks On Wood

Today looks like a carbon copy of yesterday, sunny and warm although not yet hot, the temperature in the high '70s.  Yesterday was our typical with one change; after the paddle, blog, and breakfast, Evie and I practiced yoga out in the front yard, in the shade.  It was a pleasant half-hour, cool and settling, getting us ready for our day.  After yoga, I went out and cut weeds until lunchtime and Evie mowed the yard and it looks super, primo, extra.  For lunch, I had ramen, bagel, and sardines, something different, then watched another episode of Baltazar.  It's coming to an end so I will be looking for another lunchtime show although there are so many choices that I will have a hard time choosing. 

I am halfway through my book, Manhattan Beach and It's taken a turn I didn't expect, in fact, a couple of them.  After my nap, I drove off to a busy Walmart and picked up some paint for Evie because she is sanding and painting a few metal chairs.  When I came back, Evie was out on the dock so I joined her, a perfect afternoon to be out, a nice breeze, a warming sun. 

We came in around 6:00 and Evie put together our dinner, using the leftover chicken to make black bean enchiladas.  While it baked, we sat on the front porch with hummus and pistachios and enjoyed a summer drink, vodka tonics with lime.  They tasted great and we wondered why we don't have them more often.  Maybe it's a good thing!  We covered our enchiladas with lettuce and sour cream, watched the news, another Hometown, and the first episode of Perry Mason on HBO.  We are not taken with it but it's the first episode so we will stick with it.

Like Glass

Evening Cruise

5:50

It's one of those rare mornings where the lake is calm and motionless.  It reminds me of rare mornings on Lake Erie when the same calm took over the lake, usually on hot, humid days.  It was perfect for paddling, no wind, no waves, just me kayaking over to the Bathhouse, back to Sandy Bottom, listening to Billie Ellish, quite a change from yesterday's Jack Johnson. I did spot a heron, perched high in a tree, spreading his wings.

Kayak Morning

Long Point

Great Blue Heron Nesting?

Sunning? 

Sunday was a fun day, not much to do although we always find something.  After my paddle, for some reason I settled down on our brick walk and worked much of the morning scraping off the moss, digging out the weeds, something I do twice a summer.  I usually pick a time when it's shady and stop when the sun takes over.

A Budding Dahlia, Crazy Love

 So around noon, I stopped and Evie made us a big breakfast, a menemen and bagel.  Evie had been busy doing some watering, then spray painting a metal chair we salvaged from Evie's Dad when they moved to Arizona.

Evie's Largemouth Bass

The rest of the day went quickly, some reading, a nap, and then I joined Evie out on the dock.  She was tres excited because she had pulled in huge largemouth bass, making my bass from the morning look like a runt.  It must have been close to two pounds.  She was excited and later, she pulled in a nice perch.  I guess the fish are biting.  It made us want to go get our fishing licenses and pick up some worms.  Evie also decided to get in some exercise in the lake, walking back and forth between docks, kind of pool exercises that lots of runners do to save their joints and stay in shape.  I watched her from the porch, then joined her for a beer before dinner,

Perching

We had meatballs and spaghetti, with a salad and garlic bread for dinner, with enough leftover for a couple of lunches or another dinner.  We watched a couple of Cheers, got bored, looked outside as the sun was beginning its journey west so we jumped in the boat and went for a nice, easy cruise as the sun dropped behind the horizon and the lake suddenly began to darken. 

Sunset At 8:52

We were amused to see two hammocks strung between the trees at the end of Long Point and assume a couple of kids were spending the night.  How neat.  We tied up the boat around 9:00, fished some off the dock with no luck then went in, watched some TV before going up to bed, another good day.

A Large Mouth Bass Morning

6:29

It's warming up now at 8:50 and I have returned from a 70-minute paddle down to Snug Harbor and back.  I have been bringing my fishing rod along just for the heck of it.  I kid that I am into Zen fishing, a goalless, repetitive throw of my lure.  Well this time, to my surprise,  I tossed my line in among the weeds and pulled in a 10-inch bass, a small miracle.  I carefully took him off the hook and set him free, to enjoy another day in the weeds.  It made up for my not seeing anything worth photographing this morning,

Kayak Morning Sun

Kayaking Into The Clouds

Saturday began with clouds, drizzle but by noon, it had cleared up nicely so that it was a pleasant late June day.  We are trying to get one major thing done each day and started on hanging curtains in the front guest bedroom but decided we needed smaller screws for the rods.  So we decided to tackle the attic, always a mess because when we don't know what to do with something, we put it in the attic.  We worked for about a half-hour, made progress, even found things we decided to throw out.  At least now we know where something is if we want it.

Crane's Bill Or Hearty Geranium

Next on the morning agenda was to gather the trash, clean out the refrigerator and I was off to the Transfer Station.  It was busy as most weekenders seem to be up and I got hemmed in by a couple of oblivious cars so that I had to back out.  That was it for the morning and the afternoon.  We had gotten something done and felt righteous about it.  We were not sure about lunch until Evie remembered we had sourdough bread so she made me toasted cheese for lunch, yum, with Wegman's jam spread liberally on top.  I watched my show, read some, napped some then joined Evie on the dock for awhile.  She has been swimming lately, now that it has warmed up and I am sure we will both be cutting weeds for the next few weeks.

Around 5:00, I walked over to a brief Woodlawn neighborhood meeting.  Usually, everyone brings an appetizer and their own drinks.  This year, however, because of the virus, we had no appetizers, some brought drinks, a few wore masks. We had a brief meeting, then stood around talking for a bit before everyone went home, a sad result of the times.

By 6:30, we were on the porch enjoying a Manhattan and appetizers as, after all, it was Saturday night.  It was a beautiful evening on the lake and we both thought you should be out there either paddling our kayaks or going for a boat ride instead of sitting on the porch.  We had the leftover chicken with potatoes and coleslaw, just right and watched Real Time With Bill Maher, then a couple of episodes of Cheers before bed.

Rainy Day Morning

Kudos To Our Daughter Beth for finishing her course work for a Master Degree in Education at SMU

6:20

8:48

It's 8:25, overcast, and wet from an inch of rain overnight. I just returned from a paddle, timed perfectly, as the showers stopped just about the time I stepped into my kayak.  Also, fishing boats began to appear as well as everyone waited for the rain to abate.  It was quite windy out in the middle, nice and calm long the Victoria/Woodlawn shore.

Kayak Morning

Long Point 

Yesterday as another near-perfect day, sunny and warm, with a nice breeze to keep from getting too hot.  I had a good paddle, what else, on a morning like yesterday, wrote the blog and had breakfast.  We decided to work in the morning, take it easy in the afternoon.  First, I trimmed our privets, making sure they were well-groomed and high enough to please Evie Joy.  We then decided to begin another neverending task, cutting the lake weeds,  They were getting too thick close to shore so that debris might hang up in the weeds like dead fish.  We worked for about an hour and a half and cleared the area and had a real sense of accomplishment.  We left it on the dock to dry out and late afternoon, I gathered it up a wheelbarrow, to take up the hill at a later date.

Sweet Smelling Flower From Our Privet Hedge

While Evie relaxed on the dock, I cooked a couple of hot dogs for lunch, smothered them with Stadium Mustard, and watched my show.  I then couched it, with my book, and took a brief nap before joining Evie on the dock.  Around 3:15, I came in, put on a clean T-shirt, gathered my keys and mask, and drove off to Spectrum Eyecare to pick up my new glasses with transition lens.  I waited out in their parking lot until a gal came out with a mask.  I tried the glasses on, and she went back in and readjusted them until they felt right. And that was it.  I then did a quick run-through Wegmans, doing our once a week shopping.  It was not a busy time, fortunately, so I was in and out quickly.  It was so pleasant late afternoon that we had a glass of wine on our dock, watching all the boats cruise by or pause fishing in front of our dock.  For some reason, the Amish seem to think the area in front of our yard is a hot spot.

Evie went in to fix dinner around 6:45 and I picked up the weeds from the dock.  Earlier, she had marinated a couple of salmon filets.  She roasted them in the oven, made rice, garlic spinach, and a salad, and we had a fine dinner, just what we wanted.  We watched Colbert which is beginning to be a bore with its sameness, then three episodes of Cheers.  When you watch them like this, we began to realize a sameness of episodes and it too is getting tiring. I think we are going to have to find a new series.

Early Morning Chill

6:01

I love it when I get up and I need a fleece, an extra layer when I go out to paddle,  By the time I get back, however, I wish I hadn't put another layer on as the sun warmed me up.  I paddled to Tom's Point, took a quick photo of a heron before he flew off, then I zen fished a bit, before paddling home, out for over an hour.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron At Tom's Point

Thursday felt like Friday, today like Saturday, as all days meld together.  It was the usual start to the day for me, the paddle, breakfast, and blog.  Evie, however, had a required 'wellness' appointment with her PA so she was off to Mayville by 10:00.  I took advantage then of her absence and drove into Lakewood, parked my car, and biked off to Celeron, around the neighborhoods.  I was not into it, so I was only gone for forty-five minutes.  I stopped in for a coffee, waited in line until a guy sitting in the shop, sneezed a couple of times, no mask, and laughed about it.  So I left without a coffee, regretting that I did not confront him and explain that's why you wear a mask.

Goat's Beard

Evie was back when I returned home, had a DNA blood test for forty-five kinds of cancer, which they seem to be giving to anyone who has a history of cancer in their family.  I was at a loss for lunch until Evie suggested a Turkish menemen omelet with a sesame seed bagel.  She whipped it up in ten minutes and I was back in Istanbul, on the Bosphorus, for a few minutes enjoying a menemen, a bagel as close as we can get to a simit.  I then started a new book, one I must have started before but put down after a few pages, Manhattan Beach. I fell asleep, tired from the early morning but was awaken by thunder and hail on our roof.  Out of seemingly nowhere, a storm materialized and rained hard for about 15 minutes, with close to an inch of rain.  Then it cleared up, blue skies and we had a normal afternoon.  I was bored by 4:00 so I practiced yoga for forty-five minutes, a good choice because I felt much better afterward.

Herons And Hostas

We left for Ron and Linda's around 5:30 as we were having drinks with them and Linda's sister, Janet, who was in town.  We sat outside on their lawn, at least six feet apart, and enjoyed a beer and Linda's appetizers, a tray full of packages of Fritos, Lays Chips, and Corn Curls.  It was a fine afternoon, comfortable in the sun and we had not seen them in close to two weeks, so a lot had happened since then.  We left just after 7:00 and Evie smartly had leftovers for our dinner so we did not have to fuss, chicken thighs and home fried potatoes.  We watched the usual, Colbert and Cheers and started a series called The Family until we realized we had watched an episode or two before.  It was highly recommended on the Michael Smerconish show and we always take his advice.  We were in bed early, tired from a day of practically doing nothing,

Amish Week

6:23

8:45 

Amish Boys

It's 8:46, clouding up, and had a good paddle for an hour, no interesting bird photos, however.  Lots of Amish out fishing this week, this morning,at least four different pontoon boats, often filled with young and old as well as 16 footers with families of up to six.  They seem to love to fish but I fear for their lack of safe distancing.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was another fine June day, cool weather, a breeze, lots of sunshine. What more could we ask for after having rain a couple of days past?  I paddled, photographed a couple of predators, making my morning.  Since it was so pleasant out,  I went for a bike ride through Bemus and Long Point State Park, about an hour ride.  The wind was brutal much of the way but I stuck in there.  It felt good to have my bike back.  While I was gone, Evie powered up the mower and cut our grass.  It needed it after the rain.  Everything is nice and green as a result and our yard and garden both look a healthy June green. 

Lunch was the rest of a sub sandwich from Wegmans and I watched my show and finished my book, Euphoria, based loosely on a year in Margaret Meade's life.  I liked it enough to give it three and a half stars.  I did nap of course and then we both relaxed, either on the porch or out on the dock, depending on the wind.  I had taken the cover off the boat earlier but because the wind picked up, I put it back on.  And when we went out on the dock around 6:00 for a glass of wine, the wind had died down and we could have gone for a cruise.  Next time.

Wednesday Afternoon In June

After our wine, Evie went in and fried up some chicken thighs which had been marinating all afternoon in buttermilk.  I sat down and caught up with our neighbor, Bill, until dinner time.  So I was no help.  Evie put some hot sauce on the fried chicken and we both added a dollop of blue cheese dressing on top, so we had a version of hot Buffalo chicken thighs, not wings.  With a cucumber salad to complement the heat, we were happy.  We watched the final episode of Lenox Hill and then realized they had added one more episode which chronicled the hospital during the Cov19 epidemic.  It was scary to watch as they tried to cope with the virus, the hospital inundated by patients.  We ended the night on a high note, Cheers.  We have five more days until Cheers leaves Netflix for good.  Lots of binge-watching ahead.

More Rain Yeserday And A Cool Day Ahead

 Better Together (for 56 Years) 

6:26

It was a fleece morning when I got up at 5:35, a chilly 58º. It's another perfect morning, fall-like temperatures, puffy clouds, and a deep blue lake.  I kayaked for an hour, down to Wells Bay, across to Long Point and home.  The wind picked up but it was not a problem kayaking. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Osprey In Pine

Hawk In Pine

Yesterday was another day of organizing our day around a couple of thunderstorms and showers.  Overall, we only received an inch of rain but it rained two or three times during the day.  I kayaked early, of course, wrote the blog, had breakfast, and took a shower because I had a dermatologist appointment in Jamestown at 11:00.  I dropped off my returnables, then went to the doctor. Surprisingly, I was in and out in 15 minutes with a diagnosis of some kind of poison ivy or another plant like it. Not much I can do except relieve the itching with a steroid cream and wait it out.  On the way home, I picked up my bike at Hollyloft which was being tuned up and getting a new tube for my tire.  I then stopped at the bank to cash a few checks from mostly hospitals for overpayment, then on to Wegman's to shop for a few things.  It was Tuesday so it was quite busy although I was in and out in 15 minutes. 

AFirst Dahlia, A Humpty Dumpty, AMiniature Variety

For lunch, I had a sub from Wegman's. It's large enough for two lunches, with Evie having a couple of bites each day as well.  I watched my show, took a good nap because I was up so early and read some more of Euphoria.  Meanwhile, Evie was busy making a garlic Foccacia because we were having neighbors, Ken and Marjorie, over for drinks and heavy appetizers.  She had put the dough together the night before so mid-afternoon, she baked it and topped it with garlic and olive oil.  She took time out to sit on the front porch and watch the storm roll in about 4:00.  She also prepped the Polish cucumber salad with sour cream and shrimp which was sauteed in a sweet hot chili sauce.

Clearing Up At 5:36

Ken and Marjorie arrived at 6:00 and we were fortunate that the storm had ended and the late afternoon turned to blue skies.  We caught up our lives for the past eight months and shared teaching stories.  Both of us were educators, both have been happily married for fifty five-plus years, and we both love the lake.  Our multicultural appetizers were a hit,  and we sat on our porch enjoying our food and talking until 8:30.  They left in a light drizzle, like the last time they were here when we sent them home with an umbrella.  We quickly cleaned up the kitchen, grabbed an ice cream bar and watched another episode of Lenox Hill. 

A Poem From Tuesday's The Writer's Almanac: For some reason, it sings to me.

Inaction of Shoes
by Ron Padgett

There are many things to be done today
and it’s a lovely day to do them in

Each thing a joy to do
and a joy to have done

I can tell because of the calm I feel
when I think about doing them

I can almost hear them say to me
Thank you for doing us

And when evening comes
I’ll remove my shoes and place them on the floor

And think how good they look
sitting?… standing?… there

Not doing anything

We Got Rain

Evie's Garden 

6:26

It's 8:15, at first an overcast, foggy morning but now the sun is out, the lake surface ruffled and I kayaked for a good hour, a nice breeze keeping me cool on a 70º morning.  It also looks like a wet afternoon, inshallah.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a waiting game, waiting for the storm clouds to arrive, hoping they didn't pass us by.  It was not as hot as the day before, in the '70s most of the day so we could enjoy the outdoors without working up a sweat.  I kayaked, wrote the blog, had breakfast, nothing different there except for a banana, blueberry, and yogurt smoothie.  In my attempt to have something wrong with me every day, I developed a strange rash on my arms and legs so I spent a good part of the day putting Sarna on it to keep it from itching.  While Evie continued to make sure every weed in her garden was a goner, I stayed inside most of the day reading, doing some dishes, things like that.  If I kept busy, I forgot about the itch.

Baptiste Flowers

Lunch was ramen and a chicken sandwich with tomato and homegrown arugula and I watched my show before napping.  I had an appointment for a blood test at 3:15, so I drove into Mayville, stopped briefly at Tops, then went to the Medical Center.  They drew my blood but the nurse had no idea what my rash was.  When I finished, it was pouring, thank the gods, and I drove home in it, knowing that Evie would be delighted.  We only got 3/4s of an inch but that is better than nothing.  I decided to see if I could see my Dermatologist so I will be going there this morning at 11:00.  What's a day without a doctor's appointment and I am basically a healthy dude!

We sat on the porch until it stopped raining, then opened all the windows, as the air had cooled.  Evie decided to fry up some squash fritters to go with the leftover moussaka.  I don't much like zucchini except if it's done that way,  I devoured it with yogurt, and we enjoyed the ziti and salad for an easy dinner.  We watched another Hometown, then two episodes of Lenox Hill.  It's a really intense and informative documentary, with highs and sad lows, just life in a New York City hospital I guess.  Watch it on Netflix.

Pink Sky In Morning

6:05

It's 8:40 and already warm, especially when I was heading home from kayaking with the sun at my back.  Evie's been out checking her garden along with our neighbor Joyce, up to the lake yesterday for the first time this summer.  It looks like another warm day with a chance of showers later.  I am not counting on it.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a busy day..  Our neighbors of the past 39 years were finally able to come up to their house next door.  Evie usually has dinner ready for them and we help them get their things into the house since they are both in their late '80s.  So after a morning paddle and writing the blog, Evie started getting things ready, mostly putting together the ziti, setting the tables inside since we decided it would be too hot outside, things like that.  I was the bottle washer much of the morning and vacuumed the living room, cleaned the porch.  It always seems to take longer than we think.

Phlox Blooms

We did take a timeout for a big breakfast, eggs and bagels and watched some of CBS Sunday morning.  I then read and took a nap and Evie kept busy,  sauteeing chicken breasts to go along with the ziti, getting things organized.  It was ungodly hot outside so we had closed up the house early and it was pleasant enough inside. Bill and Joyce and their daughter Kathy and her friend, Medio, arrived just before 4:00.  With all that help, we had the car empty in 15 minutes and they were able to start getting the house in order.  

Joyce, Daughter Kathy, And Bill

Kathy And Good Friend, Medio

Around 5:45, the four of them came over, along with neighbors Pat and David, and we squeezed onto the front porch, keeping a safe distance as much as we could.  Everyone wanted a beer because it was warm and we sat out there enjoying each other's company for the first time since early October. It felt like an afternoon on a Greek Island, with the ziti, chicken, salad, and heat.  Everything tasted good and all of us were hungryand there is just enough left for tonight's dinner.  They stayed until 8:30 and headed home, happy to be back at the lake. They have been coming to the lake every summer since 1973. We then did up most of the dishes and watched some TV before bed, the end of a busy but fun day.