Good Morning Chautauqua Lake

7:49

8:04

Well, it's 7:59 and we both have been up since 7:00, enjoying the changing morning sky. The lake is calm, perfect for a paddle, and it's 60º, the same as it's been the last few mornings. It's after 9:00, Evie's ready for school and I got in a decent 35 minute paddle, starting out in some sunlight, ending in gray skies. 

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron

Same Guy

Yesterday was a busy day for me, a good day for Evie to relax because she had a bad night. So I got in my paddle as usual, shot a couple of wildlife, and came home to finish the blog and have breakfast. First, I decided to start dismantling our lake stuff so I bailed out the rowboat and rowed out and pulled the buoys out of the lake, six of them. The ropes holding the buoys were covered with weeds and zebra mussels. It took a while to clean up the cement blocks holding down the buoys. The buoys were covered with moss so I cleaned them in a wheelbarrow filled with water and bleach. It a process I go through each fall so the buoys are ready for the next summer. I then took the cover off the boat to air it out and pulled out the life jackets, ten of them, and let them dry out as well as the interior of the boat. Finally, I used the wheelbarrow to cart the benches off the dock, getting the dock ready for the guys to take it out, probably next week. And that was enough for the morning. 

By 11:30, I was on my way to Jamestown to get a blood test and drop off some returns to Amazon for Evie. I was scheduled for 12:10 and the lab was basically empty I was in and out in five minutes. There was an Asian restaurant literally next to the lab so I bought a noodle and hibachi dinner so Evie did not have to cook. I was home by 1:15, heated up a Slovenia sausage for lunch and watched some TV. By 2:00, I was ready to relax with a book and take a nap. After my nap, I went outside and started organizing the garage for the winter, putting away things like our chaise lounges, oiling their joints so they don't rust. It took me awhile to clear the yard of chairs as well and I will put things in the garage attic today. 

By 4:00,  I was ready to relax and by 5:00, we were both happy to be back on couches, with a glass of wine listening to the tragic news about the havoc Helene visited up parts of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, especially Ashville, North Carolina. The death toll is in the hundreds and the destruction is monumental and it makes one wonder how and when they will be able to rebuild. 

We had the Asian food for dinner, mediocre at best and watched Real Time With Bill Maher and the first episode of The Great British Baking Show which is always fun. When Evie went up to bed early, I watched some of both NFL games until I got bored and went up to bed to read and sleep.