Fog Rising

6:40

I was up at 5:30 for some reason, to a cold 39º and fog so I have been sitting here, with my coffee, reading the Times and Post, waiting for it to warm up and the fog to burn off before I hit the water. It looks like a cool but nice Memorial Day here at the lake.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Sunday was surprisingly cool, good for working outside with fleece but not for a boat ride because of the wind and choppy lake.  I got in an early paddle, had breakfast, went for a walk around the neighborhood with Evie and did not do much else the rest of the day.  I still don't have much mojo, enough to get a few things done but then I have to rest up.  

Wood Duck Couple

Great Blue Heron, Hang Out In A Tree

Evie, fortunately, makes up for my lack of energy and worked much of the day weeding her garden and planting the last of the dahlias.  I helped some, most with lugging water from the lake, adding Miracid for acid-loving plants, and watering the rhododendrons and hydrangeas.  Around 12:30, Evie fried up a couple of eggs and we had them with banana nut muffins and watched a bit of CBS Sunday Morning but it was too nice out to stay inside. Evie went out to continue working in the yard and I read some and took a nap, a lazy boy I guess.  Afterward, I did some trimming with my new Ryobi hedge trimmer and I love it, no cord but powered by a battery pack. 

The rest of the afternoon I watched some NBA playoffs, especially the Atlanta game because I wanted to watch second-year phenom Trey Young.  He is fun to watch and I watched part of the Laker game as they lost to Phoenix.  I wasted much of the day watching the games, alas, but I did not feel like doing much else.

Around 6:30, we had our dinner, a couple of filets, with a salad and baked potato, a classic dinner. We sat inside as it got dark, watching our shows, thinking we should really be outside and enjoy the waning of the day.  We finished our dinner with vanilla ice cream topped with blueberries and raspberries and watched a terrible film on Netflix, The Woman In The Window.  Unfortunately, I did not check Rotten Tomatoes for a rating. We ended the evening with another episode of the boring Handmaids Tale. Once we finish Season Three I doubt we will watch Four, at least not for a while. 

Cloudy And Cold

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 Our Granddaughter Marisa Graduates From Highland Park HS, TX

Our Granddaughter Marlena Graduates From Lees Summit West HS, MO

We are so proud of our granddaughters, as both graduated in the top 5% of their class.  Marisa will matriculate to Vanderbilt, Marlena to the University of Arkansas.

6:20

Well, according to my weather app, it's supposed to be raining but it's not.  It is, however, a chilly 45º out, with a whisper of wind so that I will be kayaking.  So far, the lake's empty, no fishing boats but they will come. It's 8:45 and I was out paddling for forty-five minutes.  I  ran into our weekend kayak friends, Tina and Jim, up for the weekend. And as I was talking with them in front of our dock, Nan, our financial advisor from Cleveland walked out on the dock, up for the day for paddling on her new board/kayak and she wants me to try it. It looks cool, a combination of a scull, a paddleboard, and a kayak.  

Kayak Morning

Kayaking Mates, Tina And Jim

A Partially Hidden Great Blue Heron

Yesterday was another wasted day, at least as far as getting something done in our yard.  It rained much of the morning and was overcast and windy and cold the rest of the day, making it unpleasant to be outside, Our major job for the morning was to gather all the trash and take it to the Transfer Station.  I then drove to Mayville, to Evergreen Outfitters, to see if they had any luck with finding me a seat for my old Pungo kayak.  Unfortunately, everyone seems to be out of parts or they no longer make a seat for this kayak so I am not sure what I am going to do.  I may have to jerry-rig something or get a new kayak. It's frustrating and for others because when I go online, other Pungo kayakers have the same problem.  

While I was gone, Evie put together a vegetable soup with leftovers from our dinner.  I had it for lunch along with a tuna sandwich and watched some TV before reading some and taking a nap.  I have to use antibiotic eye drops four times a day, use a lid wash twice a day and wear a plastic patch over my eye when I sleep.  That keeps me busy, gives me something to do. When I woke, Evie was watching a cornhole tournament on TV.  When it ended, we started to watch a film from 2009 called The Taking Of Pelham123 with Denzel Washington and John Travolta.  So we watched it the rest of the afternoon, a good film for a Saturday matinee.

We enjoyed a cocktail around 6:00, with chips and two kinds of salsa, and listened to music on Sonos, particularly 21 Pilots' new album until 7:00.  Neither of us was that hungry so Evie fried up a couple of Italian sausages and with soup and a salad, we had plenty to eat.  We watched another Jeopardy and The Handmaid's Tale before going to bed.  

Still Raining

6:57

It looks like I won't be kayaking again this morning.  It's been raining for at least 24 hours(1.75 inches) and won't stop until late morning.  Plus it's still chilly out, 43º, so I am going to stay inside, cozy on my couch, listening to podcasts, Spike Lee on the resurrection of Knick's basketball. I just looked out and there's a pontoon floating by, with guys fishing in the rain, 

Evie's Garden This Morning

Friday was as I said yesterday, a rainy day, with light rain falling most of the day, quite a difference from the past few months. So the morning was a bore, with no kayaking for me, no working in the garden for Evie. I spent a good part of the morning reading, waiting to go to the eye doctor at 11:15.  I dropped Evie off at Wegman's at 11:10 and drove to the doctor's office for my appointment.  I saw two assistants who checked my eyes and my cataract surgery went well, with no problems.  I then drove to Home Depot to pick up something to kill roots in our septic but bought a cordless hedge cutter instead because Ryobi was having their once-a-year sale and I got the cutter for half price.  Can't pass up a deal right. I then picked up Evie who had been shopping for an hour and her cart showed it.  

It took a while to unload the groceries in the rain but by 12:30, all was put away and Evie made me a chicken salad sandwich. Yum.  I think I need a new series because I am tired of Queen Of The South and end up watching NBA games instead of the series. I then read, napped and by 2:30, joined Evie in the TV room and watched the end of a film called Insomnia, set in Alaska starring Al Pacino.  Once that finished, we suffered various apps and ended up watching a documentary on Dick Cheney. We must have been hard up for something to watch but it was interesting, as he looks back at his controversial years and shows no regrets about his decisions, like the Iraqi war.  It's on Showtime and seemed objective, not a hit job.

For dinner, Evie marinated a couple of pork steaks with ground chilies and spices, grilled them, made a pot of rice and with corn on the cob we had a tasty dinner. We watched Jeopardy, another episode of The Handmaids Tale, and an acclaimed film, Minari, about a Korean family settling on a farm in Arkansas.  It was a bit slow for me but the eight-year-old son won us both over with his charm and cuteness. 

 

A Rainy Day

8:14

I just walked outside to kayak and realized it was already raining, so I decided to forget it and came back inside and starting to write the blog. It's chilly, too, and supposed to rain off and on most of the day. We need it.

A Great Blue Heron On Our Dock

CLA Barge Patrolling

Yesterday was not a nightmare, just a huge bore. I had an appointment forty-five minutes away in Warren, PA for cataract surgery at 11:15.  We left at 10:15, arriving a bit early.  We then sat in the waiting room for two hours, until 1:20 before I was called by the nurse.  I then waited for a good half hour to get a bed, another 15 until they wheeled me away for the surgery which lasted probably 10 to 15 minutes at the most. I then woke from the anesthesia, sat around for ten minutes to get my bearing, and then out of there by 2:30. It was not a fun day for either of us, especially me who hates to wait.  I assume it went well and gradually, I will be able to see better although I will still need another surgery on the other eye in two weeks. While I was getting the surgery, Evie smartly left the waiting room and did some shopping at Walmart, five minutes away.  

We arrived home finally around 3:15 and I promptly went upstairs and napped.  Evie, meanwhile, powered up the mower and cut the lawn, knowing that was supposed to rain both Friday and Saturday as well as cool off some,. I did not do much other than read, pleased that I was able to do it despite the surgery.  We had an interesting dinner, fried potatoes, roasted cauliflower, and fried eggs, surprisingly good.  We were both hungry no doubt. We watched a Colbert, then Jeopardy, and we were both about to forget about The Handmaids Tale, mostly because we were sick of the extended closeups of Elizabeth Moss's face until it seems clear they are going to rebel against the men.  Maybe it will get more exciting, with more action, less dramatic pauses. Maybe. 

A Chilly Lake Morning

5:59

It's a fall-like morning, with lots of sun, blue skies, puffy clouds, and a chilly 48º.  I was up at 5:45 and have a busy morning, with a paddle, breakfast, then at 11:15, I am having cataract surgery in Warren, PA.  So no food this morning, no liquids after 9:00.  It's 7:30 and I paddled for forty-five minutes on a chilly morning, with a brisk wind on my way home.  I should have dressed warmer.  

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a strange day weather-wise in that rain was predicted and it did rain, a couple of times of maybe five minutes, just enough to get the sidewalk wet.  We did, however, get a lot of work done especially because Austin came over at 9:00 to do the hard work.  He did some yard work, helping Evie, moving bushes, enlarging her dahlia beds.  He also power washed the north side of our house which needed it, fixed a piece of loose siding, and helped move chairs and tables into our yard. He was done by 1:00 and we both were happy to have his help.  While he was busy, both of us were working on the garden, me turning the dirt, Evie planting her dahlias in various parts of the garden.  I also drove to pick up some topsoil but it had rained enough to make the road so muddy that I was advised to wait until later in the day.

Better Together

Lunch was baked potatoes topped with the leftover chili.  I then read some and napped, waking to the sounds of Evie mowing the lawn.  She was just about finished when it started to rain and she had to stop with a few yards to go. The afternoon went quickly with more yard work, with breaks, and we both had enough by 5:00 and showered before leaving at 6:00 for dinner at our friends, Linda and Ron's home.  We have not seen them in six weeks after having dinner with them once a week for most of the winter.  It was great to see them, of course, and we enjoyed a beer out on their front porch with appetizers.  Dinner was a one-pot meal of mushrooms, chicken thighs, spinach and orzo and it was delicious, as we both got seconds.  We stayed until 9:3 0 and drove home with glimpses of a huge blood moon hanging over the horizon.

Humid Days

5:56

6:06

It's 6:36 with sunrise at 6:00, overcast, however, at the moment on a 67º morning. A few bass boats are out already, floating down the lake. We may get some rain later in the day but I don't count on it. I had a long paddle over to Tom's Point and back and was out for at least an hour on a quiet, smooth lake, no wind to speak of. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Mom And Pop Bald Eagles

Bald Eagle

Yesterday was another busy garden day as Evie has begun to plant her dahlias.  She started with 70, had to throw out maybe 20, so she had at least 50 to plant without enough room for all of them.  So we are planning on enlarging the garden areas some to accommodate the dahlias.  My mornings don't change much, obviously, up early, coffee, a paddle, breakfast and finish the blog.  Evie was up early yesterday so when I went out to kayak at 7:30, she was out in her garden, starting to turn the dirt, plan which dahlias to plant and where.  

Purple Martins Settling In To Their Condos

Chautauqua Lake Bridge

When I returned, I gathered my buoys, put them in my rowboat, and went out to the front of our dock and set up the buoys to discourage boats from cutting in front of our swimming and fishing area.  It works pretty well and is worth the effort.  I then joined Evie and worked in the garden along with her, mostly ending and digging and turning until it was time for lunch.  The garden is starting to look kept.

Lunch was the leftover spaghetti and chili, topped with cheese and sour cream, a healthy lunch! I watched part of my series than some of an NBA game that I saved from the night before.  It's fun to watch Serbian Nicola Jokic, the center for Denver, a potential league MVP.  I then returned to my book, briefly napped and was soon out in the yard, offering to help Evie who was still planting dahlias and watering them.  

Because we were both tired from gardening in the heat, we decided on an easy dinner, so I drove to Mayville, washed the Honda which was filthy from sitting under a pine tree for ten days, shopped at Tops and picked up a rotisserie chicken from the Lighthouse for dinner.

Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters from 5:00 to 6:00 while red potatoes baked in the oven for our dinner.  We had chicken, salad, and baked potatoes for dinner and it was a good choice, easy and tasty.  We watched a couple of Jeopardy's, Colbert, Hometown, and an episode of The Handmaid's Tale before bed. 

Dahlia Days

Heron On Our Dock This Morning

6:06

8:07

It's an overcast morning, with no evidence of a sunrise and a light wind.  So it's back to Chautauqua gray with no forecast of rain despite the cloudy sky.  Both Evie and I were up by 6:30, thinking about what we have to do today.  It's going to be a warm one, with a high in the '80s again, not exactly Spring temperatures here at the lake.  It's 8:30 and I had a good paddle, over to Long Point, back to Wells Bay and home, shooting both a bald eagle and a heron, a good morning.

Kayak Morning

One Of A Pair Of Bald Eagles

Heron Blending Into The  Grasses

Yesterday was back to normal, to our lake routine, to getting up early and going for a paddle, hoping to shoot a couple of photos of waterfowl.  After breakfast and once Evie was up and ready for bear, we went out and worked in the yard the rest of the day with brief timeouts to catch our wind.  I did little things like get the boat ready, gassing it up, getting it ready for a cruise.  I also set up our buoys, getting them ready to put in the lake this morning.  Meanwhile, Evie is planting her dahlias in planters, make sure that the colors blend.  She has close to 40 dahlias growing in yogurt containers so there's a lot of ground to get turned and ready for the plants.  While she worked, I mowed our neighbor's lawn, taking time out every 15 minutes to relax or check my email.  

By 12:30, I was done and Evie came in and made me a great lunch, fried potatoes with eggs.  I watched my show, Queen Of The South but am getting bored with it.  I then read a few pages of my Tana French novel, fell asleep briefly.  Around 2:00, we needed more potting soil and I decided to drive to Home Depot to get it.  Well, they were out of what I wanted, a driver shortage according to one of the workers.  So I  stopped at Walmart, its parking lot overflowing with cars and shoppers (does anyone work anymore), and picked up five bags which should be enough for Evie's garden.  When I returned, Evie was busy turning the soil in her garden, adding potting soil to make it a rich environment for her dahlias. 

At 5:00, we had enough and grabbed a beer, and went for our first boat cruise of the summer, over to Bemus Point and back.  It was a beautiful late afternoon, blue skies, a few puffy clouds and it was so good to be back out on the lake.  Dinner was chili, thawed from the freezer, over spaghetti with cheese and sour cream.  With a salad, we were happy, loving the chili, a good choice.  It's strange to be back in our TV room, watching TV once again, the same shows as before, Colbert and Jeopardy.  We also started the third season of The Handmaiden's Tale on Hulu.  

4100 Miles

A Hungry Heron Morning

6:06

Well, it feels like nothing has changed as I sit here in my living room on the lake, drinking coffee, listening to the news for the first time in ten days.  It's overcast, the lake slightly ruffled by a light wind and 55º.  Our road trips are over for a few months, having driven to Dallas, Texas, then Kansas City, Missouri, and home in April, to Virginia, then Topsail, NC, and home in May. Now our kids get to visit us, the entire gang arriving the week after the fourth of July for the first time in two years.  It's 8:10 and I just returned from kayaking on a surprisingly windy, choppy lake.  I was excited, however, to get photos of both a heron flying by my kayak with a fish in his mouth and an osprey, perched up in a tree just above the reeds.  

Kayak Morning

An Osprey

Our drive yesterday was easy and quick as we made good time, stopping only for gas at the Shawnee Store and Fruit Stand and a Mickey D's for breakfast.  It's a beautiful drive, one neither of us minds because of the hills, the forests, the lack of heavy traffic.  The only downer was all the Trump signs in Pennsylvania, the stupid and vulgar signs as we neared and entered Warren, one reading "Biden and Harris Can Go To Hell," the other, in flashing lights, "Biden Is The New Pandemic." Where do these people come from and what are they thinking? 

Hills, Trees. Clouds And Blue Skies

We arrived home at 3:00, a typical seven-hour drive, and quickly emptied our car and got busy.  We had no water when we turned on the faucet, but it was remedied when Evie realized the water filter needed to be changed and was clogged.  Once that was done, we had water.  I wanted to do one thing, set up our sump pump and weave three hoses from the lake, along the privets to Evie's garden so we could water her garden from the lake. It was bone dry as it had not rained since we left ten days ago.  While I did that, Evie powered up the mower and cut the grass which needed it after ten days.  It felt good to be active after spending the last two days in the car.  We were both surprised at how warm and humid it was and we worked up quite a sweat.  We were never this uncomfortable at the beach.  

By 6:00, however, we were on our front porch, freshly showered, enjoying a bowl of popcorn, a cocktail, and the view.  Although we have loved our trips the past six weeks, it is always good to be home. For dinner, we had frozen pizza which tasted better than when we got it from the pizza shop, go figure.  We watched a bunch of junk TV before going to be earlier than usual, tired from our drive and yard work. 

 

To The Lake

6:17

It's a warm morning here at Jill's, 67º already, and may even get up to 90º later in the day.  I was up at 5:45, not walking on the beach this time, no sunrise, just lots of green from the trees and an overcast sky.  As usual, Drew and I are the only ones up.

Thanks For The Fun Week

Yesterday was an easy drive, with little traffic from Topsail to #95 but then it became busy although we only came to full stops a couple of times so I should not complain.  We were excited to get an early start, leaving just after 8:15 until we were 15 minutes from the beach when one of the gals admitted to having left her wallet back at the condo.  Jill and Drew volunteered to go back, found the wallet but also the gal's computer, Wow.  While they went back, we stopped for breakfast at Mc D's, the girls getting coffee and french fries.  After breakfast, we were on our way for five more hours on #95 before getting off at the Warrenton exit, an hour from home via back roads.  We found a Chick Fil A, used the restrooms, got our meals by the drive-thru.  Fortunately, one of the gals remembered she left her phone in the restroom before we left or we would have had to go back for that as well. Teenagers.

We were home just about 3:00, a seven-hour drive.  We were shocked by the heat, 88º, after spending a week at the beach with temperatures in the 70s' with a nice breeze. We had little to bring in other than an overnight bag and spent the next couple of hours relaxing, watching some NBA on TV, and napping.  Jill and Drew arrived a half-hour after us so we helped them unpack their car. Drew is leaving tonight for Kazakhstan tonight so he had to drive into Chantilly to get a Covid Test or he would not be allowed into Kazakhstan for work.

When he got back, we sat out on their great screened-in porch, enjoying a glass of wine and Jill ordered a huge platter of sushi for dinner.  Halle has just got her temporary so she drove to pick up the sushi with Hayden.  The sushi was really good, with lots of choices and we devoured it quickly.  We sat around talking about our week until 9:45 when all of us went up to bed, tired from our drive.  

On The Road Again, To Virginia

A Fun Week At The Beach

Morning Fog

Walking The Dogs

Fog Bound

It's early morning and I skipped a beach walk because of the heavy fog and instead of coffee in Surf City, it's let's get organized because we have to be packed and out of our cleaned condo by 10:00.  Unfortunately, no one is up and probably won't be up for another hour, so I will be writing the blog and reading the newspapers online until everyone gets up. We will probably arrive at Jill's home in Bristow around 4:00 or 5:00 depending on traffic.  

The Gals

Today was another clear and sunny day but wind, keeping temperatures in the '70s, perfect for beach walks.  I had my usual morning except that I brought home a dozen doughnuts for breakfast.  No one was up other than Drew until 9:00 and the girls were not up until 10:00.  The doughnuts were great, different from a Krispy Kreme, moister with more texture, like cake. By the way, Fractured Prunes is a chain.  Evie and I were on the beach by 10:30 and both of us went for long walks, a good way to start our day.  Jill and Drew joined us but the girls did not make it down till the afternoon because of classes for Halle and Mac, and Hayden went into town shopping.  

Like the previous day, we walked, boogie boarded, sunbathed, took time outs for lunch, for me, to nap, and mid-afternoon, Jill and Drew took off to shop for our dinner and have a beer on the intercoastal waterway. The girls took the dogs for a walk, sunbathed, hoping to get a savage tan to take home.  Evie and I closed up the beach by 4:30 and went upstairs and got in line to take showers.  Once Jill and Drew were home, we relaxed for a bit before prepping dinner,  Evie put together a salad and a pasta dish with garlic, butter and cheese for the girls.  Jill put together a poke, a Hawaiian appetizer of half-inch cubes of ahi tuna, mixed with soy, wasabi, sesame oil, scallions, and avocadoes.  Once put together, we let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes before eating,.  It's heavenly.  Jill bought crab legs for Halle and the girls, their favorites, so while we ate poke, they ate the crab legs and pasta.  Once they were done, the adults had peel and eat shrimp and salad, just right after a poke appetizer.  

A Poke Afternoon 

While the girls did up the dishes, Drew and I got our cars packed with the beach stuff, making it easier for tomorrow morning. For dessert, we had Nutty Buddies, easy and good while we played a final game of Telefunky, with Evie and Hayden winning for the first time. 

Beach Ticket