Threesome

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

6:39

8:36

It's 8:50 as I begin this blog and Evie just came downstairs. I was up at 6:30, of course, paddled for an hour, and had a good morning because I was able to photograph at least two if not three ospreys, a bald eagle, and a great blue heron, thus the threesome.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday, a Saturday, always seems about the same, probably because of my trip to the Transfer Station every Saturday as well as my early morning routine of coffee, kayaking, writing the blog then breakfast, and a short walk. And yesterday was no exception. Before the Transfer Station, however, Evie wanted help doing some weeding around the bushes and trees in our side yard so I helped her with that before driving off with lots of neverending trash. I fit right in with most Americans. I then drove to Hadley Bay and Jeremy was there selling corn so I stopped, and bought a dozen as well as tomatoes. 

By the time I returned home, it was time for lunch, an ear of corn and a bagel with cream cheese, and a couple of slices of tomato. I  watched my show, as true to form, then read and fell asleep with a good nap, waking after an hour. I must have needed it. While I was dozing, Evie was mowing the lawn in stages so that when I walked out, the lawn looked amazing, as always, matching her garden. It's interesting how there's always something to do in a garden if you want but also rewarding. 

Our Neighbor's Granddaughter, Michaela, Celebrating Her Birthday
Evie's Gift, A Dahlia

By 6:00, we were relaxing on the porch with a slab of brie, good crackers, and a drink, enjoying the beauty of a late afternoon on the lake, the blue of the lake always startling in its richness. We dragged out our happy hour until 7:30 and then had dinner, the leftover moussaka, salad, and rolls.  We watched our shows and ended the night with the last of the peach/blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream, a perfect end to another fine lake day.

A Busy But Not So Fun Night Out

Pretty In Pink

6:31

8:52

It's just after 7:00 as I start this. I have been up since 6:15, the sun filling the living room with its light, and enjoying that first cup of coffee in a quiet house. It's after 9:00 as I begin this again, after an hour and twenty-minute paddle over to Tom's Point and back home.

Kayak Morning

Our Neighbor, Joyce, Kayaking

Yesterday began as usual, the paddle, coffee, blog, and breakfast.  Around 9:30, however, my brother-in-law and I along with Austin worked for an hour and a half, sawing and clearing the limbs from our five ash trees cut the day before by our electric company. 

Mostly Ash

I was surprised how easy it was to clear, especially with the help and I ended up with a nice pile of wood for our fire pit this fall when it gets cool. We relaxed, then decided to go for a walk in Long Point State Park. 

Elaine And Jim On Long Point

So Elaine, Jim, and I left Evie to make our lunch and we walked for a good hour, a little over two and a half miles, through the shade of the woods. It was perfect weather and they loved the woods, so quiet and green.  When we came home, Evie had tuna and tomato sandwiches ready, along with a wrap and chips and avocado, a tasty lunch. We sat out on the front porch enjoying lunch and stayed until they had to leave for Niagara Falls around 3:00.

After they left, I fell asleep reading, of course, tired from my morning and Evie even napped briefly on the front porch. Earlier in the morning, we learned there would be a band playing in Jamestown to benefit the Reg Lenna Theater, along with food trucks and libations. We decided we should make ourselves get out of the house and see what it was like, arriving at 6:30. 

Main Street, Jamestown

It was not quite what expected, a crowd milling around the closed-off street, the band difficult to hear. After a half hour, we checked out our favorite restaurant next to the theater, Forte, and found seats at the bar. For some reason, we were off and did not much enjoy our evening. I ordered two appetizers, finishing neither and Evie did not finish her steak and beer dinner. It was not the best of evenings out, probably because we were not that hungry and not in the mood to go out. 

We were excited, however, to get home, change into more comfortable clothes and fall onto our couches in the TV room and watch our shows, a couple of Joey Bimbos, spending their night watching TV. We even went up to bed early.

Another Cool Morning

   

An Evening With Evie's Sister, Elaine, and Husband, Jim

6:21

It's a beautiful morning as the sun just rose at 6:20. A partly cloudy sky, 61º. a perfect morning to be out on the lake and already I can see a few fishing boats out there. It's now 8:24 and Evie and I are the only ones up. I got in a good hour paddle, and photographed an eagle on a busy lake morning as four kayaks were out by 7:00. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

An Immature Bald Eagle

Yesterday was a busy day because Evie's sister and her husband Jim were arriving late afternoon and would spend the night. So the usual pre-guest hustle dominated our morning.  I of course played for much of the morning, with early kayaking, breakfast in Bemus Point, then Yin Yoga. During class, I received a call from First Energy to say they would be coming to our neighborhood to cut down five ash behind our garage and trim our Willow. So I hurriedly left class and drove to Wegmans to do a quick run-through because there were some things Evie needed for our dinner. 

Now What? 

When I got home, the guys were already busy filling our parking area with tree limbs and the owner (moi) is responsible for getting rid of the trees and limbs. They worked for an hour, left for lunch, then returned after lunch to take down a few willow branches that I convinced them needed to be taken down.  I had a quick lunch, a couple of salami sandwiches, and briefly napped. While they were trimming the willow, I drove to Jamestown and dropped off a letter from the IRS at my tax guys' office. Supposedly there's a discrepancy in my W'2s from the last two years which probably means I owe money. Anyways, my accountant will straighten it out. On the way home, I stopped at Peterson's and picked up another basket of peaches. 

While I was gone, Evie was prepping dinner, moussaka, and a peach and blueberry crisp as well.  I helped with some vacuuming and cleaning the porch while she worked inside. By 3:00 we were ready to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Around 5:30, Elaine and Jim arrived, tired from their drive from Chicago which took close to eight hours, lots of traffic and construction. We sat on the front porch, enjoying drinks, and tried to figure out when was the last time Jim had been here, maybe 15 years. He does remember riding his bike out from Cleveland which would have been the 1980s. 

A Greek Dinner

It was a lovely night to sit on the porch and catch up on their family and their lives in Oak Park. It cooled off some but we still were able to eat outside and the moussaka was straight out of a Greek Taverna, along with salad, bread, and sweet corn. After dinner, we walked the neighborhood, cleaned up the kitchen, had our peach and blueberry crisp with ice cream, and stayed up talking until the ungodly hour of 11:15.  What were we thinking? It was a fun night.

 

68º And Overcast

6:02

7:34

It's 6:20, a gray, quiet morning on the lake except for an occasional blast as a bass boat roars by Long Point. We might get some rain today but it's doubtful, probably happen when I am out on the lake. It's 7:40 and I had an uneventful paddle for a half hour and am now ready to drive over to Bemus for breakfast before yoga at 10:00, a busy morning. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus, two poached eggs on hash and now, we are listening to Michael Smerconish on Sirius. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a lazy day as I should have gone biking but didn't. Maybe it was because I was up so early or kayaked for an hour and a half. Anyways, after my paddle, breakfast, blog, and a walk around the neighborhood, I did get something done. I cleaned out a closet in our orange room where I store things I don't know where else to put. I threw away lots of stuff including a box of CDs, and no doubt, I will be looking for something I threw away in a couple of weeks. Still, it felt good to get rid of 'stuff' and have a closet that looks neat and tidy. That was it for the day for me. 

Lunch was corn on the cob and the rest of my Southwestern Wrap. I watched my show, downloaded a couple of books, and started a couple before falling asleep. The rest of the afternoon I did little, even broke one of my laws and watched some TV in the afternoon I was so bored but too lazy to do something about it. Evie of course had been busy and by 4:00 was making corn fritters to take to our neighbor's cocktail party at 5:00.

Just as we walked next door, it started to rain but only briefly so we were still able to sit outside and enjoy the party for an hour when it rained again and we had to go inside the porch. There were eight of us and it was a fun way to end the afternoon.  Joyce asked everyone to bring a poem to read and Ogden Nash was the hit, lots of laughs. 

Our Neighbors, Bill And Joyce, Reading Their Poems

We were home by 6:30 and not very hungry because of the yummy appetizers so we settled for tomato sandwiches on toasted sourdough bread. We watched our shows, a couple of Jeopardy and ended the night with another Seaside Hotel. 

A Delightful Lake Morning

Celebrating Ron's Birthday

6:26

8:55

It's after 9:00 as  I write this. Evie's up and I just returned from an hour and a half paddle to Long Point, Tom's Point, and home.  A nice breeze blows in our window, on a pleasant 67º morning. It should get up to 75º later, our kind of weather.

Kayak Morning

Tom's Point

Osprey Stare

Heron Among The Leaves

Yesterday was much like today, sunny and temperatures in the 70s. I got in my paddle, then was off to yoga class by 9:10. After a good class, my aching back felt much better and I was off to Wegman's to pick up a few groceries for nearly ninety bucks. On the way home, my favorite corn stand was open so I bought a baker's dozen for seven bucks, a dollar more than last year but cheaper than many other stands. I also went downtown, stopped at AAA, picked up some brochures on Traverse City, MI, where we will be attending a friend's wedding next weekend.  While I was downtown, I stopped at my favorite vegetarian restaurant, The Labyrinth Press, and bought a Southwestern wrap, enough for two lunches,

For lunch, I roasted an ear of corn in the microwave and had my wrap as I started Season Five of Peaky Blinders. We both took it easy the rest of the afternoon because we were going out to dinner. I finished my book, a silly ending and unexpected. I guess the two live happily ever after finding out that they murdered his wife for no reason, that she was not guilty of killing her two daughters. Evie was able to enjoy sitting out in the yard, in the shade of our trees.

Kitchen Sisters

By 6:00, Evie had given me a trim and talked on a Zoom call with her sisters. We were both showered, and on our way to Linda and Ron's, to celebrate his birthday. Ron loved his present, a pickleball tee shirt, especially his birthday cat card. We sat on the front porch enjoying a glass or two of wine and appetizers before sitting down to a great Italian dinner of quennels and tomatoes stuffed with meatballs. With a salad and French bread we had a feast.  We sat at the table for once, talking about the past couple of weeks and perhaps boring our hosts as Evie and I went down memory lane with tales of our time in Turkey. We enjoyed a peach and ice cream dessert before going home by 9:45. It was a good way to end the day.

An Italian Feast

A Welcome Morning Chill

5:55

7:02

8:21

It's 6:20 on a 57º morning, great sleeping weather, with a partly cloudy sky, even some pink. It looks like a pleasant summer day, highs just in the 70s, the way we like it. I was out for an hour, a nice cool morning, a few boats, and no birds, alas. Where have they gone? It's been a couple of paddles and I have not seen any other than seagulls. 

Kayak Morning

 Northern Sky

Mess Of Clouds

Yesterday was also cool, never getting up into the 80s. I got in a good paddle although the weather was so changeable that I got a brief shower, then a windy paddle home. Evie was leaving at 10:30 for a hair appointment and shopping, so I drove to Hogan's and filled up two five-gallon gas cans for my boat. When she left, I gassed up my boat, using a siphon, making it easy. Then, having nothing really that I had to do, I split some wood for fires although we rarely have them. Fire in summer seems redundant and people should wait till fall with cool weather. By noon, I was hungry, so I heated up the leftover eggplant and tomato pasta and watched my show. 

A Busy Bee

I then read and am still not taken with my book, Verity by Colleen Hoover but I keep reading. Evie didn't get home until 2:30 and by then, I was ready to do something. So I drove off and shoveled gravel into five buckets and used it to fill potholes on our road.  It should last until winter when the snowplow comes. After that, we did little, other than relaxing either on the dock or in the side yard until it became too cool so we adjourned to the porch for a spritzer.

Dinner was breakfast sausage, fried eggs, toast, and fresh corn on the cob. As they say, it hit the spot. We watched our usual programs along with a CBS Sunday Morning from a couple of weeks ago. We ended the evening with Seaside Hotel, then went to bed.