Hiking, Swimming, Painting, Dining And A Surprise

Almost 80

My Children

6:55

It's a gray morning at 8:40, five of us are up already enjoying our coffee, on their phones of course, while Evie and I work on the blog photos, too many to post. I was up at 7:00, out on the lake by 7:15 for a half hour, an uneventful paddle on a practically empty lake. 

Kayak Morning

North

Hiking Long Point

The Couples

The Gang

Yesterday was a busy day, routine or normal for us until around 5:30. First, however, I got in a  great paddle before the gang arose. Once everyone was up and after a breakfast of peameal bacon and eggs or healthy stuff like hemp hearts, granola, and yogurt. Once we were awake and ready to go, a group drove over to Bemus and walked to Long Point State Park. I had the enjoyment of packing up the car with trash from the last few days, with help, then driving with Mitch to the Transfer Station. We then hit Hogan's to get another large bag of ice for the cooler and came home. We filled the cooler and a couple of trays in the refrigerator with ice and we were set for the day with our drinks. 

Evie And Jill And Beth

Party

Party

Marlena, Evie, And Marisa

Tyler And Mitch

When everyone returned from shopping or a hike, Evie had Linda's sloppy joes ready for the gang and it hit the spot, especially with pickles and chips. We hung out the rest of the afternoon, either on the dock or in the sideyard, enjoying the sun or shade. Around 3:00, Beth got out the paints, and the girls and Mitch sat around the picnic table and painted rocks that we hand-picked from Barcelona Beach on Thursday. By 5:30, Evie had made a beer cheese appetizer for pretzels and a buttermilk cake, and Tommy, Drew, and I helped Evie put together six pounds of kofte for our Iskender Kebabs, a family favorite. 

Painting

Milena And Mitch

Beth, Marisa, And Marlena

Halle And Aundraya

Mitch's Surfer

Beth's Flowers

Painted Rocks

Once the chores were done and everyone had a libation of choice, we adjourned to the front yard to play beanbag or so I thought. As we were about to begin, the guys started bringing wrapped presents out to me and I wondered why until I realized it was a surprise early celebration of my 80th birthday because all of the family was together. I was in complete shock, having no idea it was planned. So for the next half hour, I opened presents, laughed, and read cards, as someone took photos of the celebration. It was an emotional few minutes. Once everything was opened, we got back to the games, with Tommy and Mitch winning the bean bag tournament. Once that was over, the beer cheese, and pretzels were history, it was time to start dinner.

Surprise!

The Boys

Milena

Mitch

So like yesterday, the gals prepped the salad, tomato sauce, and pita bread in the kitchen, kids set the table in the yard, while the guys cooked the kofte. The kofte on pita, topped with tomato sauce and yogurt was the highlight, along with Evie's ratatouille. We ended dinner devouring Evie's buttermilk cake, a perfect ending to the celebration and our meal. The adults sat around in the living room and the kids were in the TV room watching some terrible horror film. By 10:30, we were up in bed, leaving the kids to watch their film. OH WHAT A DAY!

All Fifteen Of Us

Just The Two Of Us