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. 

Sunny Morning, Rainy Afternoon

9:09

It's 9:10, and I was on a warm, humid morning for an hour, paddling along Woodlawn, over to Long Point, across to Sandy Bottom, and home. I was fortunate to find a heron in a tree above the reeds, and an osprey in the trees above Victoria. 

Kayak Morning

Sun And Clouds

Blue North

Morning Skiing

Acrobatic Great Blue Heron

Osprey

Yesterday began well, with a quick paddle, followed by breakfast at the Lake Life Cafe in Bemus, and then home to finish the blog. I was on my way to Jametown by 9:40 for a teeth cleaning that ended up with my needing a new bridge, perhaps an implant. What a bummer. After that good news, I stopped at the Prendergast Library and dropped off a box of books for their book sale. And then, I stopped in Tops for some goodies for our dinners over the weekend. I stopped at Peterson's, hoping the peaches had arrived but they didn't look good and were sixteen bucks a basket. 

For lunch, Evie suggested a quesadilla and that sounded good so that's what I had and I continued with my show, Condor. It's on Prime, but it's there to get me to sign up for MGM+. Prime is always trying to get me to sign up for another streaming program. I was tired and pissed off from my morning at the dentist office so I tried to nap with little success so I spent a good amount of time reading. Around 3:30, Evie decided to mow the lawn despite the heat and I went out to the lake and cut weeds 4:30, then finished up the lawn for Evie, who had had enough because of the heat and humidity.

We relaxed with wine and guacamole on the front porch, bearable because of the fan. We remarked at the beauty of the afternoon, and how fortunate we are to live here. Neither of us was very hungry so Evie made us a couple of omelets, with tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and onions, and along with a bagel, we were happy. We watched a couple of episodes of Penille, then Evie went up to bed and I watched an episode of Condor before going up to bed. 

Overcast And Humid

6:35

7:34

9:09

It's 7:30 and I just returned from a 40-minute paddle, down to Sandy Bottom and back. And like yesterday, I saw not an osprey or heron, just gaggles of Canadian Geese. It's 71º and when I woke, I noticed a few raindrops on the windows but the ground was hardly wet. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast with my guys in Bemus and will be heading to Jamestown for a teeth cleaning in a half hour. 

Kayak Morning

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was my typical day, and I realize my days don't change much during the year. I paddled for close to an hour, returned to write the blog, talk with Evie about what we might want for dinner,  had breakfast and then drove off to yoga at 10: 00. Class was rigorous but I enjoyed it along with three other students. After class, I went back to Home Depot and Wegmans, picking up some goodies for Evie, such as a raspberry jam-filled donut and items for our dinner.  When I returned home, I had the leftover chicken and orzo and I loved it, one of Evie's best concoctions. I started a new series that I like on Prime called Condor.

Because of the heat, neither of us ventured outside for any length of time. I had my typical afternoon of reading my Michael Connelly novel, napping in an air-conditioned bedroom (which I love), and keeping up with the news on my computer. Evie is going through old scrapbooks and old newspaper articles that follow my basketball career from 8th grade to my years in Turkey. No one cares about this stuff, so its all going in the trash. Forty years ago, I thought I should save it. Now, it goes in the trash. 

South Team With NBA Greats, Dave Cowen and Nate Archibald: 1969, Hawaii

We enjoyed our wine in our cool living room and then adjourned to the kitchen to make Szechuan eggplant, a favorite, with hot bean sauce. We had it over rice, and it was not as good as usual for some reason, perhaps too much salt or soy; however, we ate all of it. We watched a couple more episodes of Penille, both were much better than the past few.  I watched my show, Condor, after Evie went up to bed, and I was looking forward to getting back to my book.

Overcast and HUMID

7:15

8:04

It's 8:10, and I was out kayaking for a little over an hour because Chris called and is coming over to help steady our dock. I didn't see much during my paddle, just a disgusting green lake which is unusual for this time of the year. 

Kayak Morning

North

Yesterday was a busy day for me, a day of relaxing for Evie, mostly because of the heat. I kayaked for an hour, wrote the blog, then left for a good yoga class at 9:10. I was surprised at how many students were in class despite the hot, humid weather. After class, I had to go to Home Depot to pick up some straps for our dock, then did a quick run through Wegmans', busy as usual. 

For lunch, I had the leftover stir-fry, which was still good, and I'm struggling to find a show I like. I was looking forward, however, to reading in my air-conditioned bedroom and taking a nap but was downstairs and reading by 2:30.  Around 3:00, I went out on the dock, grabbed the ladder, and took it to my Iron Works guy. It's not long enough because of the depth so he's going to jerryrig two more steps for me to make it easier for the family to get out of the water. Nothing is easy anymore, the ladders too short, the new dock shakes. 

When I got home, I finished cleaning out my garage and despite the fact the floor is still damp, I put everything back. I then went out on the dock, jumped in, did some cutting of weeds and then swam for a few minutes, surprised at how the lake has warmed up in the last few days. When I got dressed, Evie was on a Zoom call with her sisters but by 6:00, we were enjoying some sushi and a glass of wine. Dinner was haddock from Wegmans, just pop it in the airfryer, Mac N cheese, and a salad. We watched a  couple more epsidoes of Penille but its getting boring but we will stick with it. Once Evie went to bed, I watched the news and started a new series but I cannot remember the name. And so it goes.

We were supposed to go on a boat trip around Buffalo's Harbor yesterday afternoon or so we thought. It was on my calendar, June 24th. Fortunately, I saw our neighbors yesterday morning, asked what time they were leaving, and after some confusion, I realized the boat trip was July 24th, not June 24th. 

More Sun, More Heat

6:35

7:47

It's 8:00 and 77º, the sun already beating down on the lake. I paddled for close to an hour on a calm lake, little breeze, and only saw an osprey, no herons, alas. Today's high should be in the high 80s, but it's not much of a bother now that we have air conditioning and stay indoors. 

Kayak Morning

The Sun

Osprey's Eyes

Above The Victoria Reeds

Yesterday was a productive day, as we both accomplished our tasks. I had a long paddle, finished the blog, had breakfast, then went for coffee with the guys at 9:20. There was enough breeze to sit outside on the porch, which was nice. Around 10:45, I hit the bank, pulled out some cash, then drove to Jamestown and picked up some gummies from Lifted Dispensary on Main Street. I then headed home, filled up the Kia just in case gas prices increase, then arrived home around noon. I wanted to get some weeds out so from 12:00 to 1:00, I cut weeds in the lake and put them on the dock to dry. They are the worst I have seen and it's that way everywhere, from talking to people. Once I had had enough, I went for a swim to cool off, then came in and Evie had lunch ready for me, the rest of the salami and cheese on a bagel. She had been busy most of the morning with a couple of projects in the house. 

My afternoons don't change much. I turned on the air conditioner in my room and read and then napped since I supposedly got only three and a half hours of sleep the night before (I don't think my watch was accurate). We both relaxed for much of the afternoon, but when Evie started putting together our dinner, chicken and orzo, I went out and put the cover on my boat, working up quite a sweat and then cut more weeds and swam until it was wine time at 5:00. We sat inside, enjoying the coolness, then had a great dinner around 6:30, grilled chicken and lemony orzo. We started watching Penille but then noticed that Chris was out on the dock, putting on the straps to steady it so I joined him and helped out for close to an hour. When he left, we watched some TV until 8:30, when Evie went to bed, and I scrounged around looking for something to watch until going up to bed. 

Sunny, Hot, And Humid

6:29

7:53

It's 8:00 and I have been out kayaking since 6:35, down to Bootey Bay and back on a fairly pleasant 73º morning. It was a heron morning, too, as I shot three different herons, no osprey.

Heron #1 In Tree

#2 Along the shoreline

#3 on Woodlawn Dock

Northern Sky

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was too hot to do much but I did get a few things done, like take the cover off the boat for the first time and I went swimming twice, once in the late morning, and then in the late afternoon after a cruise over to Bemus. I started the day with a long paddle, over an hour and saw nothing worth shooting. I came home, had breakfast, and then drove off to Home Depot to pick up a few items needed for the yard and house. As usual, on Sundays, the parking lot was busy. 

I was home by noon and by 12:30, I was enjoying a salami and cheese sandwich on a bagel and I finally finished up my series, Boston Murder and I will miss it. Now I am looking for something else to watch during lunchtime. I went upstairs after lunch, turned on the air conditioner and read and napped for an hour, then went out and took everything out of my garage, hoping it would dry out, fat chance with this humidity. We also watched Caitlin Clark's team lose again, and she had a mediocre game, the third in a row where she did not dominate. Around 5;00, we went for a boat ride over to Bemus and joined many others with the same idea, to take a late afternoon cruise. It felt good to be back out there and the boat and motor handled well. When we returned, I jumped in the lake and took a brief swim around the weeds. I am going to get back out there today and start cutting the weeds, which are numerous all around the lake. Before dinner, we talked on FaceTime with our granddaughter Marisa for half an hour. She is starting Med School today and moved into her apartment this past weekend. She's excited, especially because she adopted two kittens, brothers, on Saturday. 

For dinner, Evie put together a delicious shrimp stir fry and we watched some of the news, then a couple more episodes of Penille before Evie went up to bed and I started watching the NBA finals. I stayed up for the first half, then went up to bed, thinking the Thunder would eventually prevail because of the injury to the Pacers best player, Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles.