Morning Calm

Great Blue Late Afternoon

6:07

7:15

It's 7:15, and I just returned from kayaking for 50 minutes, paddling over to Long Point, across to Bootey Bay, and back home, seeing nary an interesting bird. The lake was amazingly calm and interestingly, few fishing boats were out, maybe two or three. That will change no doubt in the next day or two. It's 9:15 and I have just returned from breakfast at a busy Lake Life Cafe. What a difference between a January morning and a July one. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling East

Western Sky

Wow

Yesterday was a strange day because I stayed home in the morning after my paddle, blog and breakfast and Evie was gone, off to Westfield for a doctor's appointment. I like to have my mornings busy but I was stuck at home because the Outback was still at Keystone. There were a couple of things I wanted to get done, like cutting the weeds in the lake. Since tomorrow is the fourth, and we are having Linda and Ron for dinner, I pulled out the chairs and table and gave them a good washing down. Both the cutting of weeds and washing took an hour and a half, so that by the time it was done, it was 11:30 and I had enough work. I went in and settled on the couch and read until I was hungry. Evie usually would have been home by noon, but she texted me that she was going to Wegmans to shop. So I was left on my own for lunch and decided to fry up some baloney and make a sandwich, with mayo and pickles. It's the way Evie taught me, and it's great.

After lunch, Evie returned, and I helped unload the car and put things away. Both of us were tired so she watched some TV and had lunch, and I read some and napped. I would like to have said I got some work done in the afternoon, but I didn't. I wasted it reading on the front porch until wine time, when Evie joined me and we once again marveled at what a beautiful and quiet afternoon it was. We had no plans for dinner so Evie fried up some hot dogs and heated up the leftover pasta and meatballs for dinner. We are still looking for a good series, so we went back to The Resident, a cheesy, soap opera-like medical series but we kind of like it, at least we are into the second season. When Evie went up to bed, I watched an episode of a new crime series called Capitani. It's not great, but something to watch. 

What A Morninng

Kingfisher

Eagle

6:05

7:51

It's 7:58 and I have just returned from a 70+ minute paddle, over to Tom's Point and back. I was literally the first boat on the lake, and even now, I can't see anyone out on the lake. It was a pleasant 62º when I got up, with a high of 78º later in the day. As you can see, it was a great morning for birding. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling East

Woodlawn

Eagle

Eagle

Heron

Osprey

Yesterday was a cloudy day to begin with, but by noon, the sun came out, and it was a fine, sunny, though humid day from then on. I had my usual morning of paddling, blog and breakfast, then helped Evie with a couple of things before driving off to Maville to walk Webb's Trail since I couldn't bike because of the problem with my Subaru. It's my first walk in a couple of weeks and I was miserable most of the way, not wanting to do it and feeling tired and out of shape. I persevered and got in two miles, but it was not fun. Obviously, the carryover between biking and hiking is minimal. 

Webb's Trail

Summer Green

When I returned home, Evie was changing sheets, so I couldn't wait to get into a newly made bed. She offered to make me a toasted ham and cheese sandwich for lunch and I had the last of my soup/stew. I watched a series which I cannot remember because I keep starting new ones, then read some and napped on my newly made bed, the best. My nap was short, and I was down on the couch by 2:30, reading and waiting for Evie to decide when we were going to drop my car off at Keystone, my mechanic.  We left about 3:30 and by the time I drove into the mechanic's parking lot, the steering was virtually gone. So not only is there a check engine light, but I also have no steering. I hope it's as simple as being low on power steering fluid. 

When we returned, I cut some weeds and then took a swim to cool off. The water is amazingly warm. By 5:00, Evie had our dinner made, pasta and turkey meatballs, just before her Zoom call with her sisters. I talked with my daughter Jill, and they all seem to be doing well. We can't wait to see them in mid-July.

Dinner was tasty and filling, and we still have not found a new series so we watched a couple more episodes of Rita and one episode of The Resident before Evie went to bed. I then started a couple of cop shows, none of which grabbed me, so I went up to read and sleep, 

One Humid, Overcast Morning

 

6:32

7:58

It's 71º with 94% humidity and not a cloud in the sky, just an overcast gray blanket. A couple of neighbors are out skiing because the lake is flat, but that's about it, no fishing boats yet. I was out paddling for just about an hour, my usual trek. I shot a hawk or eagle on the tip of Long Point, but the photo is too dark. And I shot an osprey and a couple of herons, none that exciting.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Great Blue On Woodlawn Dock

Hanging Around Victoria

Same Guy

Yesterday was not much of day, especially for Evie, because she had a bad tummy and was down most of the day. I was my usual self, up at 7:00 and coming home, finishing up the blog and having breakfast.  Evie was able to help make a list for Wegmans because we have to start thinking about the Fourth of July. I left at about 10:00, and it seemed like much of Jamestown had the same idea: shop for the fourth because Wegmans was packed, making it difficult to navigate the aisles, especially with a plethora of senior citizens like me. I particularly enjoy watching the husband tag along behind his wife, clueless as to where things are.

Hostas And Buddha

I was home by noon, and Evie was feeling better, although she spent much of the morning upstairs in bed. I read until 1:00, then heated up some soup for lunch and watched another episode of Sarah. After lunch, read and napped briefly, as uusal when I don't get a good night's sleep. When I came downstairs, I was curious what we did a year ago on the 30th so I looked at last year's blog, and guess what? Not much changed in my day, no surprise. I kayaked, maybe my lunch changed, but I read and napped and had dinner with Ron and Linda. 

It rained some in both the afternoon and evening, but I was able to cut some weeds before wine time. Yesterday, for the first time in a week or two, we didn't need air conditioning, although Evie used it last night. Dinner was easy: chicken, artichoke hearts and rice. We still have not found a series we like so we watched Colbert and another episode of Rita. By the way, our plumber was supposed to come by yesterday, but never made it as the dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Evie called this morning, and he is coming this afternoon, at least supposed to. I take back what I just said. Corry, our plumber just stopped by and checked our hot water heater, and all we need is a new zone valve, not a new hot water heater. Yippee. 

One Fine Morning

Great Blue, Reminds Me Of A Lumbering 747

6:55

7:47

It's 7:59, and I was out on a fine morning for over an hour, stopping occasionally on my paddle, to talk with my neighbors, Jeff and Nancy, who were getting ready to waterski. When I paddled across the lake to Long Point, I talked with friends, Tina and Jim, who kayak every morning like me. 

Kayak Morning

Dueling Herons

Kingfishers 

Great Blue Along Sandy Bottom

Osprey Above The Reeds

Yesterday was a busy but glorious Sunday, lots of sun, not too hot or humid, and blue skies. The day started with a good paddle, as always, followed by the blog and breakfast. We had no big plans for the day, after all it was Sunday, a day of rest. I had, however, a few things I wanted to get done that have been on my mind. First, one of our buoys is missing, probably as a result of a boat. So I went up in the attic, found an extra buoy, tied it up to a cement block, put it on my kayak and took it out in the lake and dropped it four or five feet from the other buoy. We will see how long that lasts around careless boaters. After that, I got out my hedge cutter and trimmed out privets, which run from our house to the lake, creating a nice wall of green between us and Pine Hill. Lastly, I went out on the dock with my pitchfork and turned the dead weeds on the dock, giving them a chance to dry and become less heavy. And that was it for me morning.

Evie volunteered to make me lunch, but I was happy heating up another bowl of my soup, probably because I made it,  I have to eat it, much like Colin Powell's Pottery Barn dictum: if you break it, you fix it. So enjoyed my soup, topped with parmesan cheese, which makes it better and watched a new Italian cop show called Sarah. 

After lunch, I returned to my new book by S. A. Cosby called King of Ashes. It was slow going the first couple of chapters, but now I am into it. I napped briefly, but since I didn't get up until 7:40, I was not that tired. It was cool enough to sit out on the porch, so we both hung out there much of the afternoon. Around 3:00, I gathered my wheelbarrow, took it out on the dock and gathered all the drying weeds in a barrel, took it back to my car, and drove it up the hill to the wood pile. Once that was done, I was finished for the day and looked forward to wine time at 5:00. I took a shower only to discover we have no hot water so I called our plumber this morning and he will stop by sometime today. Evie made some guacamole and pulled out some cheese, and it felt great to be able to sit on the porch and enjoy a Sunday afternoon, as the weekenders headed home. 

Since we didn't have breakfast, we decided to have it for dinner: eggs, bacon, and bagels. It's amazing how breakfast always tastes good, any time of the day. We watched some of our usual Sunday shows, mostly home improvement and a Colbert before Evie went up to bed around 8;30. I then watched a couple of episodes of Sarah. It's not grabbing me, but I don't have anything else to watch so I am sticking with it. 

It's Cool!

Osprey Hanging Out In Victoria

7:50

9:07

It's 9:20 and I paddled for 50 minutes, leaving around 8:15 because I slept in until 7:40, a miracle for me. I couldn't believe the cool weather when I walked out on the front porch to take a morning photo. What a relief from the heat and humidity of the past week. While paddling, I listened to a NY Times podcast on modern love, written by their columnist who writes about couples and love. Her conclusion: dating is difficult, love is easy. 

Kayak Morning

Juvenile Osprey?

Osprey

Saturday was typical with the usual list. First, I was up and paddling for an hour, then came home and wrote the blog and had Evie read it over, and publish it. Since it was still just 9:00, I decided to drive to Lakewood and have coffee with the guys before getting anything substantial done. Unfortunately, there was such a long line for coffee that I never had any, just sat on the front porch talking with the locals. After coffee, I stopped at the wine store and picked up a couple of boxes of wine, our new favorite way for wine time.

When I returned home, Evie had things cleaned up and the trash ready to go to the Transfer Station. I jumped in the Outback, drove up the hill, and started to the Transfer Station when all sorts of lights came on in the Outback, indicating a check engine light, oil, etc. So I turned around, drove home, transferred the trash to the Kia, and drove to the Transfer Station. When I got home, I checked the oil and antifreeze in the Outback and both seem full so it looks like I will be taking it to my mechanic next week.

I then had lunch since I skipped breakfast, my soup or stew of beans, kale, and orzo and it was decent to almost tasty. I was tired by 1:00, went up to read but fell asleep, enjoying a decent nap. I then read some but wanted to get a few things done, so I went out and mowed the rest of the lawn which we weren't able to finish on Thursday because of rain. I then went out into the lake and cut weeds for forty-five minutes, realizing it's a fool's task. They just keep growing. Once I was done, I went for a swim, then came in and took a shower and got dressed for our gathering of neighbors at 5:00.

Woodlawn Neighbors, Joe, Jim, Newt, And Moi

We meet our Woodlawn neighbors, usually three times a year, to talk about roads, right aways, insurance, things like that and of course dues. Everyone brings an appetizer to share so it's fun. Evie brought breaded eggplants slices and a tomato sauce for dipping. We get along well and there's rarely a problem. The best part is talking with neighbors who have been away for most of the winter. We stayed for over an hour and then came home, exhausted, at least I was from standing for so long. 

Evie heated up the leftover meatballs and rice for dinner, made a salad, and it was fine since we had feasted on the appetizers and were not that hungry. We watched an episode of a new series on Netflix called The Survivors, and it's not bad so we will stick with it. Evie went to bed around 9:00, and I finished up my series, Condor, and will need to find something else. 

Partly Cloudy And Cooler, High In The 70s

7:05

8:15

It's a partly cloudy morning, some sun but mostly clouds at the moment. It's 8:48 and I paddled for close to an hour, down to Bootey Bay and back. Evie's up and we are enjoying a coffee as we read on our devices. What did we do before the Internet in the mornings? Read a newspaper, I assume, then watch the morning shows. 

Kayak Morning

North

Wow

Great Blue

Same Guy

Yesterday was a surprisingly busy day for me, and I am not sure why. I kayaked, had breakfast and wrote the blog, then got busy. I decided to make a bean, orzo, and kale soup. While I was doing that, I also helped Evie clean out the medicine cabinet, wash the shelves, and discard whatever accumulated on them that we didn't want. After the soup was done, I went out and sprayed around our foundation, hoping to keep spiders and ants away. Once I was done, I started on our back porch, taking everything off, sweeping and dusting around the fan and walls. I also did some watering of Evie's garden, having run an electrical cord from our house to the sump pump which we have in the lake. So we water all we want without affecting our well. Evie was shocked but appreciative of my busy morning, wondering where the mojo came from. 

Female Merganser

Unfortunately, my soup turned to a thick stew because of the orzo but I ate it anyway, topped with parmesan cheese. It still needs some seasoning, so Evie worked with it in the afternoon. Everything I make seems to be bland, needs seasoning. After lunch, I had enough busyness and read some and napped briefly. It was too warm to enjoy going outside, although we did sit on our front porch during the late afternoon. Around 4:30, we had to put down the porch curtain because of a brief, though heavy, rain. 

Rain At 4:05

The brief shower ended by 4:15, so we were able to sit out on the porch with a glass of wine until it was time for dinner. Evie put together a ground pork mix and made meatballs, then baked them in the oven until done. She then made an Asian sauce for them and served them along with rice and a salad for our dinner. Yum. We watched the last  three episodes of Penille, and we loved all three of them. The ending is sad but perfect, and we both highly recommend the series and thank my sister Ellen for recommending it. We then watched the first episode of one of our favorite series, Rita, and were surprised at how raunchy it was. We don't remember it being that way. When Evie went up to bed, I returned to Condor before joining her.