Bright Sunny Morning

Bald Eagle

6:57

8:53

It's 7:25 and both of us have been up since 7:00. Evie starts kindergarten today which is why she is up so early. It's 56º, slowly warming up from Monday's 46º.  It's 9:15 and I paddled for forty-five minutes on another beautiful morning.

Kayak Morning

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Fishing

Wednesday was another busy day at the lake. As usual, it started with a good, long 50-minute paddle and photos of two bald eagles in the same tree, a rarity for me. Friends mentioned that ospreys were gone but I photographed one a few days ago. They also mentioned that they may be the reason that we had so few purple martins this year. I don't know if that's accurate but I know the martins were scarce this summer. Around 10:30, after getting a few things done, I volunteered to go to Peterson's and pick up peaches and since I was in Greenhurst, I decided to ride the Riverwalk Bike Path into Jamestown and back. It was an easy 35-minute ride, just right. As I rode, numerous notices were posted on trees, alerting I assume the homeless that their stuff would be confiscated in the next couple of days and they should move to shelters. I don't remember seeing homeless as I rode but I assume they were off hidden in the woods. 

Biking Jamestown

McCrea Park And Chadokin River

When I returned home, I decided to mow half of the yard before lunch and mowed until the one battery on our electric mower ran out. I switched batteries and decided to do the second half later in the afternoon. Lunch was amazing, with fresh tomatoes on French bread and an ear of sweet corn. I should mow the lawn more often. While I was gone, Evie made a pie and our dinner, an African dish with sweet potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and peanut butter. After lunch, I read some, briefly napped, and then went out and mowed the lawn although the lawn mower began to stop for no reason, a problem we have yet to solve. I kept restarting it, mowed for a minute or two, then restarted it again, and so on. What a pain. 

Judy And Fred

By 3:00, we were ready to have company, the food made, the table set, and the yard mowed. We relaxed until 5:00 when we both showered and got dressed. Our friends, Judy and Fred arrived at 6:00. They spend their summers at the Chautauqua Institution but live in Davidson, NC. I got to know Fred through three-on-three basketball and Judy is originally from Jamestown. It was pleasant enough to sit on the front porch, sipping Manhattans and enjoying Evie's appetizers. Since the season at the CI is over, they are off to Rochester for a few days, then head home. Dinner was great, West African Groundnut Stew, one of our favorites from the original Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook. For dessert, we had Atlantic Beach Pie, Evie's new go-to dessert. We said our goodbyes around 9:00 and sadly will not see them again until next summer. Once they left, Evie was whooped and went up to bed and I cleaned up the kitchen and watched the first half of the Indiana Fever game. 

Good Friends