Partly Cloudy, Partly Sunny

5:56

6:45

8:20

I was up this morning at 5:30, anxious to ensure my daughter Beth made it to Istanbul from her two-week safari in Africa. And, of course, because I was up so early, I was able to see the sunrise, then hide behind a cloud bank.  It's a chilly 52º although I love it. We did get some rain last night around bedtime, a surprise. There were quite a few fishing boats out early and I wonder if there is a tournament. It's 8:30, our daughter Beth is enjoying lunch in Istanbul and I paddled for 75 minutes, a good morning with photos of three different herons, and a couple of ospreys.

Kayak Morning

Heron On Woodlawn Dock

Osprey Woodlawn North

Great Blue Hiding In the Trees

Yesterday was almost back to normal although because of the wet and windy morning, I did not go kayaking. I did go to breakfast in Bemus, then to Yin Yoga in Lakewood and it felt good to be back practicing. After class, I stopped for a coffee at Ryders Cup and struck up a conversation with an interesting guy, who spent ten years in Germany in the 90s busking, then rode a bike across the US. We traded stories about our experiences in Europe although mine were in the 1970s. His name is Lenny Sales and I found out he will be playing music tonight at the Big Inlet in Mayville. 

I didn't get home until 12:30 and Evie was working on a Shutterfly book for the summer of 2021, making great progress because it was still raining outside, forcing her to stay inside and work on the book. She took time out to make me a toasted cheese sandwich and I watched my show, enjoying the sandwich along with cauliflower soup. I then read some, fell asleep, listened to the rain, and woke to sunshine. I decided it was dry enough so I worked on pulling out the weeds and climbing vines that tend to choke our rhododendrons on the north side of our house. I worked up a sweat in a half-hour but made good progress.

I then took a quick shower because I was having beers with the breakfast boys at Dick's house at 4:00. It's the first time all five of us have been together since the snowbirds returned from Florida. It was fun to get together and we enjoyed a couple of brews, leaving by 6:00. When I returned, Evie was watching a film called Mona Lisa's Smile, so I joined her and we put off dinner till it was finished, around 7:00. We had the leftover chicken curry, so we needed to heat it up with rice in the microwave. We then watched a Colbert, finishing just as the 1/6 Hearings began.  They made it clear that the impetus for insurrection came from Trump, that he let it continue despite warnings from his aides, and he clearly sided with those who chanted  "Hang Mike Pence." The hearings also made clear that this was not a one-and-done but that the Republican threat to democracy is real and must be addressed.