Morning Drizzle And Gray

Our Grandson, Nick, Reading To Our Great Grandson, Rhys

7:30

10:02

I woke to rain or drizzle. It's hard to tell which. Right now the lake is placid, a few boats are out and it looks like it stopped drizzling for a few minutes. I want to kayak but the weather app says it may rain for the next hour and if it were only drizzle, I would get out there with the ducks. It's 10:20 and I was able to kayak for about 25 minutes, just as the rain lets up and the lake begins to get busy. We received maybe a quarter of an inch of rain overnight, with some thunder and lightning.  

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky (looks like a painting)

Heron Perched

Osprey Perched

Heron Fishing Along Shoreline

Heron Stepping Out

Yesterday was back to routine, with a good morning paddle for 50 minutes. When we finished the blog, I knew Evie was ready for an easy day after a couple of very busy days so I decided to go to yoga, something I hadn't done in the past ten days. I arrived at 10:00 and discovered I was the only one in class. My teacher didn't seem to mind so it was just Moi and her for over an hour, a good class because she emphasized lots of stretching for my back. After class, I did not linger, no shopping or coffee but came straight home. And that was it for the day for me as it was extremely warm, both inside and out, making it hard to do anything physical. 

So had my lunch, a veggie wrap with cucumbers, radishes and hummus, and watched another episode of Justified. I can't believe I still have a couple of seasons with many of the same bad guys. I am reading a Will Trent novel by Karin Slaughter, my third, and I like it. And because it was so warm, I turned on the air conditioner in the bedroom, read, and fell asleep in a nice cool room. 

The rest of the afternoon we both spent in our living room or TV room where we had a fan and it was cooler than our porch. By 5:30, however, it was cool enough to sit out and enjoy a glass of wine as the day waned, the lake quieted and turned picturesque, just before the golden hour. Dinner was easy, with a good salad and the leftover chicken meatballs and rice. We didn't really know what to watch but fortunately, we found Caitlin Clark's Fever on Prime via Ion TV and watched it. I  have to admit that I am becoming a fan of the Indiana Fever, enjoy their games, and am getting to know all their players which makes it more fun. She had a great game, 31 points and 9 assists to lead her team to victory over the Chicago Sky. Evie's also into to it and loves Caitlin's passing and unselfishness. 

Gray And More Gray

9:02

It's another 65º morning with no sun to speak of. It looks like it could rain but it's not predicted. I was up later than usual, 7:30, which is sleeping in for me. It's after 9:00 and I paddled for a half hour, scaring off a couple of ospreys just as I pulled out my camera but got a good photograph of a bald eagle. 

Kayak Morning

Bald Eagle In Victoria Trees

Yesterday, a Thursday, began as usual with no kayaking because I have breakfast in Bemus at 8:00. It's interesting in that we see many of the same people each morning, the guy who works at the post office, the buff guy with two young children. 

After breakfast and the blog yesterday, I volunteered to go pick up another basket of peaches at Petesons' Farm, then stop at Tops for a few things before coming home. So off I went at 10:00, picked up the peaches and corn, and did a quick run through Tops. On the way home, I stopped at Jamestown Cycle just for the heck of it to talk about an E-Bike. It was interesting and they have just the bike I would want. I have decided, however, that even though I would love it, it doesn't make sense for the kind of riding I would do, which is hanging around the area and riding on trails I am familiar with. So no E-Bike...I think. I also took my Kia to a self-car wash before arriving home just after noon.

We were having two couples over for dinner so Evie had been busy, put together a couple of appetizers and a baked pastistio for our dinner. I was hungry so she took time out to make tomato sandwiches for both of us and I watched my show then read and napped before helping in the kitchen. I cleaned up the kitchen twice, once from the morning, and next from Evie's cooking in the afternoon. We had everything ready by 3:00 and were able to take time outs as we got things done, or rather Evie did.

Porch Life

We were showered and gussied up by 6:00 when our friends arrived, Stan and Carol from Florida as well as Chautauqua, and Dave and Pat from South Carolina and also our neighbors. Both couples are avid golfers so we spent a lot of time talking about golfing and golf courses, especially since Stan was a golf pro. We had corn fritters and spicy cashews for appetizers and everyone had a different libation, from wine to beer, to Arnold Palmer's iced tea. Dinner was great, Greek style, the baked pastistio, a great salad and spanakopita triangles with spinach and feta cheese. For dessert, Evie made Atlantic City pie and everyone wanted the recipe. Our friends stayed until 9:30 and then we both cleaned up the kitchen before bed, a fun night. 

Dinner With Neighbors And Old Friends

Foggy, 65º And Close (Biking Presque Isle)

9:20

It's 7:30 and I have been up since 7:00. Evie just joined me on a humid, warm morning. The lake is overcast with a heavy fog and it is 65º with 94% humidity. It's later than usual. 9:45 and I skipped kayaking and instead, had breakfast in Bemus Point. 

Democratic Headquarters, Erie, PA

Yesterday was different although as usual, it started with a paddle and some good photos of herons. After breakfast and the blog, Evie did not need me to do stuff so I decided to do something. I put my bike on my Outback and drove to Erie, about 40 minutes to the Democratic Headquarters in Erie. We both hoped to volunteer by writing postcards to registered voters, urging them to vote. We have friends who are doing this in Ohio and California but we figured, since Pennsylvania is such an important state, we would write postcards to Erie residents. Well, I talked with the leaders and they said they found that sending postcards had little value so they don't do it. We talked for a bit and they wanted me to cold call people via Zoom but I am not really sure I want to do that. I left my email and I will see what happens. Coincidentally, Evie just mentioned that JD Vance was also in Erie for the day. I was a bit discouraged because I wanted to help.

Presque Isle Beach

After I visited the Democratic Headquarters, I drove for 15 minutes to Presque Isle State Park. After parking my car, I talked with a couple from Frewsburg who also were going to ride their new E-bikes. I asked them whether they liked them and they were so enthusiastic that they could have been E-Bike salespersons. I then rode for seven miles, out to the Perry Monument, part in the hot sun along the wetlands of the peninsula. Most of the ride out, however, was along the shoreline. I met the same couple at the monument and he wanted me to try his bike but I declined. I then rode back along the water, completing the circle around the peninsula, about fourteen miles. It's a perfect place to ride, walk, or skate and I met many retirees like me, many on E-bikes and hikers, some with strollers. It's a flat fourteen miles, half along great beaches so it's a perfect area for families. Just outside the park is Sara's, a popular eating spot with lots of seating outside. I ordered a Smith's hot dog, with fries and a coke for ten bucks, a deal. 

Cormorants Hanging In Bay Of Lake Erie Bay

Biking Presque Isle Wetlands

Oliver Perry Monument

Presque Isle Lighthouse

Typical Trail Around Presque Isle

I was on my way home by 1:45, arriving at 2:30. I regaled Evie with my adventure, and my disappointment with the Democratic headquarters, then read and took a nap. It was a warm afternoon, so we stayed off the porch, sitting inside with the fan for a happy hour. Earlier, Evie put together our dinner, chicken parmesan meatballs with a picata sauce. We enjoyed the meatballs, with rice and a salad. And I saw a fairly new film both on Prime for 79 cents or Apple TV for 5.95. It's called Ghostlight and it's one of the best films I have viewed in years. Its center is the increasing angst of a father as he struggles with middle age, his wife, and his daughter but it's so much more than that. I cannot recommend it enough. Watch it. We ended the night watching Caitlin Clark's Fever defeat the Connecticut Suns. 

Gray Skies With An Occasional Streak Of Sun

6:24

6:49

7:04

It's 7:20 and I have been up for an hour, watching the sky change as the sun attempts to burst through the gray and listening to the squawking of ducks. It's a warm 69º, with the possibility of a shower in the next hour and mostly cloudy during the day, with a high around 80º, a relief from yesterday's high of 86º. It's 9:15 and I paddled for 50 minutes, harassed by lake flies, on a lake strewn with dead lake flies. Today was the first time, ever, that lake flies bothered me when I kayaked. 

Kayak Morning

North

Great Blue Heron On the Shore Of Long Point

Heron And A Buddy

Osprey In The Pines

Yesterday was a different Tuesday because I had to take my Subaru in for an oil change and tire rotation. I take it to a local guy who specializes in Subarus and his parking area is filled with Subarus. So Finns is a half-hour drive from the lake, in the small town of Niobe. I had my usual hour in Niobe, dropping the car off at 9:00, then going for a 50-minute walk down a wooded road until I was stopped by a bridge over a creek that is no longer in use. It's an attractive walk because of the thick woods on either side of the dead-end road and I pass The Herb Mill and Greenhouse, closed at 9:30 unfortunately. When I finished my walk, my Outback was ready so I took a bit of a detour to see where the Bear Lake Inn was located, about a half hour from our house, then drove home through Panama. 

Niobe Greenhouse

Dead End

Not Too Busy

When I returned, Evie had her list ready and was about to leave for a big shopping day at Wegman's. I had nothing I had to do so I relaxed, read some, then decided to have lunch, the leftover appetizers from Monday night's gathering. I filled up on wraps, corn fritters, and shrimp and watched another episode of Justified. I am only on Season Three and just realized there are Six Seasons. The afternoon was uncomfortably warm, in the mid-80s, so I turned on the air conditioner in our bedroom, read some and napped. Evie got home just as I went upstairs so I helped her some before going upstairs. 

Midafternoon, I decided to get a few things done, put away the cord to the sump pump and gather the hoses. I then decided to see what it was like on the dock and realized the lake was crystal clear so I came in, put on my bathing suit and cooled off with a swim. I was surprised at the weeds around our dock, probably because I stopped cutting them when our family left in July.

After a busy day, we looked forward to wine time but it was still uncomfortably warm on the porch so we sat inside, and enjoyed wine and a good cheese. It was actually pleasant sitting inside on our couches, listening to the news until dinner. For dinner, we had the leftover pasta and the rest of the appetizers and watched our usual shows, Colbert, Cheers, CNN, a dab of FOX for a laugh. It was a productive day. 

Partly Cloudy And 64º

7:52

I was up early, at 6:20 and it's another quiet morning as I hear only the caw of crows and hum of lake flies when I step out on the front porch. It's just 8:00 and I paddled for only 25 minutes because I am taking my Outback in for an oil change and tire rotation at Finns in Niobe. It was an interesting morning paddle, no birds but a muskrat, paddling by me. 

Kayak Morning

North

Muskrat Ramble

Yesterday was another warm one but a good one. I paddled for 50 minutes and shot three different herons, a first. After a breakfast of peach crisp topped with vanilla ice cream, I was ready to drive to Lakewood and meet my friend Paul for coffee at Ryders Cup. We caught up on our new grandchildren, great for me and sat on the front porch, enjoying the morning. I also ran into my yoga teacher, Tara, who just returned from three months on the Appalachian Trail. After coffee, I hit the bank to cash four checks from various sources, all under ten bucks? Go figure. I then stopped at Home Depot, bought a new hand vacuum because ours died, and then shopped at Wegmans for some goodies for last night's gathering with friends.

Lunch was leftover mushroom pasta from Sunday night and I watched my show. While I was gone, Evie was busy prepping for our happy hour with heavy appetizers. I then took a brief nap, read some, then spent a good part of the afternoon helping to get the house ready for our company. I mostly cleaned up the kitchen and the porch while Evie got everything ready. 

Better Together

By 5:00, our friends arrived, Jerry and Jane from here, now Florida, and Julie and Tom from Woodlawn/Victoria. It was nice enough, cool enough, to sit on the porch and catch up onall our lives. For appetizers, we had wraps. two kinds of shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, corn fritters, and lots of red wine. It was a fun evening and the appetizers were great. 

Crazies Having Fun

Jane and Jerry are here for a month so we will see them again. And I will be seeing Tom in late September, to spend the day with him making sauerkraut. Once they left, we cleaned the kitchen. Evie headed up to bed and I watched Caitlin Clark's game before going up to bed.  

A Great Blue Heron Morning

Great Blue And Old Glory

6:39

7:02

A Profusion Of Cosmos

It's 7:15 and I have been up for close to an hour. I saw the sun rise over Long Point, an orange globe and now I am waiting for it to move so that it fills the living room and I have to put on my ball cap. Life is tough this early in the morning. It's 9:20 as we finish the blog. I paddled for 50 minutes and had the luck to photograph three different herons, two along the shore, one high up in the trees.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Great Blue

Osprey

Yesterday was another amazing day of sun, clear skies, bike riding, and relaxing. I started with a 50 minute paddle, shots of ospreys and even a bald eagle before breakfast and finishing the blog. Instead of going for a walk, Evie wanted to work in her garden, so I decided to ride another bike. So I rode to Mayville again, and parked my car in the park just as the guys took down the festival tents. I decided to ride a different trail, so I rode the Mayville asphalt trail up to the entrance to the James Fincher Nature Trail, part of the Rails To Trails. I rode it, through mostly woods and open trails until I hit RT 27, then rode back to the start, then along Sea Lion Drive and back to the park. I was out for close to an hour on a great morning for a bike ride. 

Entrance To Trail

Gravel Path Through The Woods

When I returned, Evie had finished her gardening and was enjoying some sun on the dock. I joined her but soon it became too warm and we came in and she made me breakfast, egg and tomato on a bagel. The rest of the afternoon went quickly and as usual, with my book, an attempt at a nap, then more reading and enjoying the afternoon until wine time at 5:30.  I did call my good college friends, Joe and Mary Lou and it was good to talk with them. 

Dahlia

Neither Evie nor I had much mojo and just wanted to take it easy so that's what we did, 'take it easy' as the Eagles song says. For dinner, Evie sauteed some mushrooms for a pasta sauce and that was our dinner along with a salad. We were at a loss for a good series so watched some CNN special, then a couple of episodes of Cheers for a laugh, a good way to end the day.

Jerusalem Artichokes