Early Overcast, Later Sunshine

7:01

8:22

It's 8:30, and in the last 15 minutes, the sun has burst through the cloud bank. When I got up at 6:45, it looked like it was going to rain. The weather report, however, indicated the sun would be out by 8:00 and for once, they were right. I paddled for an hour down to the Powerboat Club and back. And bizarrely, I spied no herons but two osprey, the opposite of my paddle on Wednesday morning, when I photographed four different herons but no osprey. I listened to another depressing podcast where a college president suggests that Trump and associates are attempting to destroy civil society by going after colleges, law firms, the media, health care, and anyone who has disagreed with him. 

Kayaking On A Gray Morning

Northern Sky

Sun Is Beginning To Burn Through The Cloud Bank

Sun And Blue Skies

A Single Osprey

Cormorant

Another Osprey

Thursday was a wasted day. It began with wind and rain, so I couldn't get out on the lake. I sat around for almost two hours, on my computer, writing and publishing the blog. The reason is that I had a dentist consultation at 8:45, and they requested that Evie be there as well. We were there for forty minutes, and they took various measurements because I am having an implant in a couple of weeks. Fortunately, the dentist's office is across the street from Wegmans, so we shopped there and picked up some essentials for the week.

We were home by 11:00 and had no plans for the day. I was depressed because of having to get dental work done so I didn't do much the rest of the day other than sit around, read, nap, and watch TV, my usual routine I guess, except my mood was dark. For lunch, I had a sub from Wegmans and shared it with Evie, and I watched a new, old series called Spooks, a British spy series from the early 2000s.  Around 4:00, I went for a walk around our neighborhood and noticed large grinders for our new sewer system strewn in driveways around the neighborhood, ready to be put in next week.

We had our winetime at 5:00 and listened to the news, always a downer, making us wonder why we listen to it. We had a great dinner, air-fried catfish, baked potatoes, spinach, and corn on the cob, with peaches and ice cream for dessert. We watched a couple of episodes of Bargain Block until Evie went up to bed. I then watched the first half of the Eagles/Cowboys game. 

Perhaps Some Rain

6:17

7:10

It's 6:45 and I have been up for half an hour. I am skipping kayaking this morning because I have to go to the dentist at 8:45. It's supposed to rain a good part of the day and start at 7:00 but as I look out the front window, I see no rain clouds, just a partly cloudy morning with a light breeze. I just walked outside and we must have gotten a drop or two of rain overnight because the walks are wet. 

Yesterday was both good and bad. It started with a good paddle, as usual - always a good way to start my day, especially since I spotted four or five herons. I had to hurry to finish the blog because I had a car appointment at the Subaru dealer at 9:00. Fortunately, they took it right in, but it still took an hour to put in a new speed sensor, whatever that is. At least I managed to take a short walk along the Chadakoin River.  Afterwards, I drove to Tops and picked up a few things for our dinner, and finally, bought peaches, corn, and tomatoes from Peterson's farm. I was home by 11:30, and the guys who were putting in new sewers were in are yard trying to decide where to put the grinder. It's about six feet tall and two feet wide, but will fortunately be underground. 

Chadakoin River

Evie had a headache, so she was relaxing for a bit. Around 1:00, she made me a cheese and tomato sandwich and I watched some tennis because I have not found a series I like. I am, however, into my book, The Mail Man. I fell asleep reading and then joined Evie in the yard around 3:00. She was taking care of our neighbor's dog, Ollie, for the afternoon, and loved it. It was a splendid afternoon, with puffy clouds, blue skies, and a light wind. We decided it was just right for a cruise, so I took the cover off the boat and we boated for forty-five minutes, over to Bemus, along the shoreline to Long Point, and home.

We were back in time to enjoy the afternoon on our porch with a glass of wine or two before Evie went in and made our dinner around 6:00, a couple of burgers with all the fixings and corn on the cob. We still have not found a series we like, so we watched a couple of episodes of Bargain Block before Evie went up to bed early because we both had to be up early. I was happy to get back to my book and went upstairs around 9:45. 

A Great Blue Heron Morning

6:42

7:44

I was out on the lake before 7:00 because I have a car appointment at 9:00. It's 8:00 at the moment and I was out for 50 minutes. This past week, I wondered why I rarely spied a great blue heron. Well, this morning, I saw at least seven different herons, a couple fishing next to each other, so they are still around the lake.

Sun Rising At 6:55

Kayak Morning

North

A Pair Of Herons

Hunkering Down

Long-necked Heron

Osprey

Tuesday started out well. I kayaked for close to an hour, then came home and finished the blog and had pie for breakfast. Yum. About an hour later, my stomach started to bother me. If I rode my bike in Bemus, I would feel better, but that didn't happen. I rode halfway down Lakeside Drive and turned around, and headed back to my car because I was still in pain. When I returned home, I lay down on the couch and read. Evie thought that maybe if I had some scrambled eggs, it might settle my stomach. It didn't make it worse but I was still uncomfortable. So I went upstairs and took an hour and a half nap, waking still uncomfortable and it stayed that way most of the day. We had to cancel dinner plans because ot it. 

Evie prepared some fried rice for dinner, which tasted good, and I was able to eat it without exacerbating my discomfort. We watched some HGTV shows and struggled to find a series we liked. We were both in bed by 10:00. 

My stomach is better this morning, but I still have some discomfort, but nothing like yesterday. 

 A couple of facts from this morning's podcast.

    * California has the fourth-largest economy in the world, surpassing Japan.

    * 40% of Americans are obese, 4% of Japanese. 

These states get back more in federal spending (aid, grants, contracts, Social Security, Medicare, military bases, etc.) than they pay in federal taxes, and they are mostly red states.

       Kentucky

       West Virginia

        Mississippi

        Alabama

        New Mexico

        South Carolina

        Maine

        Louisiana

        Arizona

        Alaska

Quiet Morning, Empty Lake

7:03

7:04

8:31

 It's 8:40, Evie's up, and I just returned from an hour and ten-minute paddle on a calm lake. Lake traffic was minimal as we begin the slide into fall and winter. Weekdays will be quiet, weekends will heat up some but nothing like the summer. 

Kayak Morning

Paddleboarding

Osprey

Labor Day was mostly uneventful in our neighborhood as many headed home. We were having Ron and Linda over for dinner, but much of the preparation was already done, so we both had a leisurely day. I wanted to get in some activity, so around 10:30, I drove to Mayville Park and rode two sections of Webb's Trail and Sea Lion Drive for a good hour of biking. It was still cool enough, so it was a pleasure to be out riding. Interestingly, the first two legs of the trail took 16 minutes, but the return, a slight downhill, took eleven minutes. I enjoyed the return. 

Biking Webb's Trail

When I returned, Evie had finished making Nora Ephron's peach pie,  a favorite, and was sitting in the side yard, sunning and reading. I heated up the leftover pasta and a bowl of corn chowder for lunch so I was happy. The afternoon seemed to go slowly because neither of us had much to do other than Facetime with our granddaughter, Marisa, and her kittens, in Austin, and sit around and wait for 5:00 when Linda and Ron arrived. 

Muffin

We had planned a cruise, but the wind picked up so we sat on our front porch with a beer, cheese, and pretzel appetizer, and drinks. It was a perfect evening for porching it, a slight breeze to keep us cool. Around 6;15, Ron and I went out and grilled the marinated butterflied leg of lamb. We struggled with three different thermometers to get the temperature right, brought it in, and let it sit for 15 minutes before carving it. Despite the thermometer, the lamb was raw and had a gristly texture. Thank goodness Evie made a delicious ratatouille, rice, and a salad. Linda and Ron were nice about the lamb, saying it was 'fine,' but I couldn't eat it, the only honest one. What a disaster. Dessert, however, was fabulous, the Nora Ephron peach pie. Around 8:45, Ron and Linda bid us adieu, and Evie, tired from the day, went up to bed. and I cleaned up the kitchen, watched another episode of Fauda, and went up to bed to read and sleep around 10:00. 

Another Labor Day

Sauerkraut Sunday Morning

Sauerkraut Boys

7:34

It's just after 9:00, and Evie's working in the kitchen. I've just returned from a 70-minute paddle on another fine Chautauqua morning, with no wind, lots of sun, and a bevy of cormorants. I listened to a podcast called China Watch, and the most interesting tidbit was that a hospital in China uses virtual AI-powered robots to serve as doctors that can diagnose, treat, and monitor patients. 

Kayak Morning

Cormorants

Bald Eagle On The Pines

Sunday was a different day, although it started out the same, with an hour of paddling. I returned home at 8:25 and realized I was supposed to head to Tommy's to help with the making of sauerkraut at 9:00. I hurriedly wrote the blog and was picked up by my neighbor Jim at 8:50. We made it by 9:05, and Tom and two buddies were ready to go. We had two hundred pounds of cabbage, and Jim and his friend cut the core out of the cabbage and halved it. Then either Axel or I would get a tray of cabbage and put it through the meat slicer, put the sliced cabbage in a pot, and then take it to Tom, who pressed it into crocks with salt. This is the second year for Jim and me, the 40th or 50th for Tom, who grew up making it with his Dad. It took close to two hours to fill up five crocks and clean up. It was a fun way to fill a Sunday morning.

Tom Pressing The Sliced Cabbage In A Crock

Tom And Julie's Camp Sign

I was home by 11:30, and Evie was making eggplant pasta for our dinner and ratatouille for today's dinner, so she was busy. Around 12:30, she made me a couple of fried eggs on toast and I watched another episode of Fauda. By the time I was finished with lunch, Evie was finished in the kitchen and out in the side yard reading. I cleaned up the kitchen, then read and took my usual nap before joining her out on the dock, admiring the clouds until it became too windy and we returned to the porch. 

Clouds

Blue Sky And Clouds

We had our wine at 5:00 as the lake traffic dwindled and then had the eggplant pasta and garlic bread for dinner, one of my favorite meals. We watched a home improvement show and another series, but neither grabbed our interest. Evie went up to bed early, at 8:15 and I cleaned up the kitchen before watching another episode of Fauda and I was happy to go to bed and read because I am really enjoying my book Descent. It's very well written by Tim Johnson.

Lots Of Fog And Sunshine

7:02

It's 8:30 and I just returned from a good long paddle, across to Long Point and back. A few fishing boats but nothing like a usual Labor Day. It looks like another great day, temperatures in th 60s and lots of sun, perfect for enjoying the outdoors. I am to leave at 8:40 because five of us are making sauerkraut, at my friend Tom's house. Five us will cut, slice, and press in crocks two hundred pounds of cabbage. We did 400 pounds last year so this should go much quicker.

Kayak Morning

Heron

Osprey

Heron

Saturday began as usual with a long paddle. After that, I was in a hurry to gather trash so I was off to the  Transfer Station by 10:00. After that, I drove to Lakewood, shopped at a very busy Wegmans, then stopped for wine and looked around the Tractor Supply for new socks. I ended up buying six pair of Dickies socks from Amazon for thirteen bucks. 

I was home by noon and had the leftover ziti for lunch and wasted much of the afternoon watching the Ohio State/Texas game before and after a nap since I taped it. Evie enjoyed the sun outside reading until she came in and made appetizers for our dinner last night. We both took showers and got ready to go out to dinner at Fred and Judy's home in the Chautauqua Institution. 

Dinner At Fred And Judys

We arrived at 6:00 and met their good friends Subagh and Linda, also residents of the CI. We enjoyed appetizers on their lovely back porch, catching up on everyone's lives, much of which was about grandchildren, of course. We then had a great salmon dinner, with roasted potatoes, salad from Subagh and Linda's garden, and Linda's homemade bread. Dessert was peach pie a la mode. We left around 9:15 with a vow to get together like this next year. It was a lovely night. 

A Quiet Labor Day Saturday Morning

Our Son Tom And His Wife Mary Celebrating Their 30th Wedding Anniversary

7:21

8:35

It's just about 9:00, and I was out kayaking for just about an hour. I listened to a podcast of an interview with Indian writer Arundhati Roy, one of my favorite writers. When the podcast finished, I was shocked by the quiet of the morning. Maybe I ought to listen to the quiet more instead of a podcast. You know, commune with nature.

Kayak Morning

Steam Rising Over Long Point

North

Osprey In Woodlawn Tree

Heron Along Long Point Shore

Mallards Breakfasting

Crow

Heron Above The Reeds

Victoria Osprey

Friday was surprisingly windy most of the day so I skipped kayaking because of it and the waves. I had a long, boring morning, which I spent with coffee, reading a couple of newspapers, and listening to a podcast. By 9:45, I was ready to go and tied my bike to the Outback, then drove to Lakewood and parked my car behind Crosby's. I then rode into Lakewood's Main street and continued down to Celoron and the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel. I took a couple of photos of the two Lucille Ball bronze statues in Celeron Park, one admired, the other made fun of. I  then rode back to my car, and I was biking for an hour so I was happy with my morning. 

Celeron

Chautauqua Harbor Hotel In Celeron

Lucy

When I returned home, Evie was excited because her new iPhone 16 was arriving in the next hour or two. I heated up the leftover ziti for lunch and watched another episode of Fauda before getting back to my book and taking a decent nap. Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon. Evie had some trouble transferring the info from her old phone to her new one, so she called Apple, and they were helpful. 

We enjoyed a glass of wine at 5:00 as usual, and the winds had died down and the lake had hardly a ripple or a boat, despite it being a Friday late afternoon. For dinner, we had BLT's and corn and watched a new series, The Truth About The Henry Quebert Affair. It kept our interest and we watched three episodes before Evie went up to bed and I watched another Fauda.