Late Evening Thunder And Lightning

6:10

6:24

7:38

It's 6:28 and I am waiting for it to get a bit lighter before I kayak. The sky is gorgeous, mostly heavy clouds with a vast streak of light over the eastern shore. Late last night, it rained an inch, but the thunder and lightning were amazing.

Kayak Morning

South

North

Looking Towards Woodlawn

North

Some Blue

Great Blue Heron

Same Guy

Yesterday began with a whimper because it rained much of the morning so I never got out for a paddle. It was strange to sit in my living room for a couple of early-morning hours without getting out on the lake. Evie and I listened to the radio, wrote the blog, and got ready to do something. Evie had an appointment with a hearing aid specialist in Falconer, and I made up a reason to go into Lakewood to pick up prescriptions at Wegmans. Evie left at 10:00, and I didn't leave until 10:30 because I wanted to get a few things done around the house. Fortunately, when I stopped at Ryder's Cup, three of my friends were sitting on the front porch and I was able to pull up a chair and talk with them for a good half hour. They are all retired like me and have nothing better to do in the morning than get a coffee.

The Regulars 

After coffee, I stopped at Ollie's, a store that discounts just about anything, to check on prices for coffee pods for a Keurig but left without getting anything. I wanted to see what the mall looked like, so I walked through the Samurai restaurant, still open, and walked down the practically empty mall, with only one or two stores left. Sad making. I then drove to Wegmans, picked up my prescription and a few other things, and drove home, pulling into our park area just as Evie returned from her appointment.

She was frustrated because they were unable to help her adjust her hearing aids and told her they weren't what she needed, but they had a pair that would fit her for 4500 bucks. I had a chicken pot pie for lunch, easy, and watched a show. Then I read and napped, and neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon. Around 4:30, however, Evie put together our dinner: salmon, spinach, and rice. We then had a glass or two of wine, and when we were hungry, dinner was already done. It hit the spot, as my Mom used to say, and we watched a couple of shows. 

Stormy Weather

Last Night's Lightning at 10:30

Around 10:30, I sat out on our front porch for a half hour and watched the lightning light up the sky every five seconds. It was amazing to watch as well as hear, the occasional thunder and rain hitting the roof. I finally went to bed at 11:00, and it was still lighting up the sky.

As of September 2, 2026, CBS News identifies at least 20 senior military and civilian defense leaders who have been fired, forced out, or departed since former Fox News Host Pete Hegseth became defense secretary.

Senior military leaders

Leader	Position	What happened
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.	Chairman, Joint Chiefs	Fired by Trump in Feb. 2025
Adm. Lisa Franchetti	Chief of Naval Operations	Relieved by Hegseth Feb. 2025
Gen. James Slife	Air Force Vice Chief	Pushed out by Hegseth Feb. 2025
Gen. Timothy Haugh	NSA Director/CYBERCOM commander	Fired Apr. 2025
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse	Defense Intelligence Agency director	Ousted Aug. 2025
Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield	U.S. representative to NATO Military Committee	Relieved Apr. 2025
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore	Navy Reserve chief	Relieved Aug. 2025
Rear Adm. Milton Sands	Naval Special Warfare commander	Relieved Aug. 2025
Gen. David Hodne	Army Transformation & Training commander	Removed Apr. 2026
Maj. Gen. William Green	Army chief of Chaplains	Removed Apr. 2026
Gen. Randy George	Army Chief of Staff	Asked to retire immediately Apr. 2026
Gen. James Mingus	Army Vice Chief of Staff	Forced into early retirement
Gen. Christopher Donahue	Army Europe & Africa commander	Forced into early retirement
Gen. David Allvin	Air Force Chief of Staff	Retired early; Pentagon reportedly planned to ask him to leave
Adm. Alvin Holsey	Southern Command commander	Retired early
Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short	Senior military assistant to Defense Secretary	Left position Feb. 2025
Lt. Gen. Joseph Berger III	Army Judge Advocate General	Fired Feb. 2025
Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer	Air Force Judge Advocate General	Fired Feb. 2025

Rain And 71º

7:03

7:54

I am sitting out on our front porch, listening to thunder, lightning, and rain at 7:30. It's been raining since I woke at 7:00, having slept in again. . It looks like today will be a warm one, with highs in the mid-80s. I just looked at the map, and it may keep raining for the next hour or two, so no kayaking. It's 8:06 and still raining, but off to the north the sky is clearing. Sitting on my porch, I look due east, toward Long Point. 

Tuesday was a good day, and as always, if I have a good paddle, it's a good day. I was out for close to an hour, with four other paddlers and no fishing boats. I got a couple of great shots of an eagle enjoying a fish dinner in our maple tree. When I finished, Evie was up and feeling good, which was a relief after a bad day or two. After the blog and breakfast, I decided to skip yoga and go for a walk in Dobbins Woods, about a ten-minute drive. It's been one of our favorite walks, but not yesterday. First, the humidity was at 89%, so I was uncomfortable before I even started. I had forgotten that at least a quarter of the trail is boardwalks, and the rest often involves navigating tree roots, so most of the time I had to keep my head down and watch where I was walking, oblivious to the woods. I was out for just over a half hour and was happy to finish and get home. When I walked in, I did a thorough tick check, then took a shower since I was so sweaty.

A Good Walk Spoiled

Trying To Keep My Balance On Boardwalks

Lots Of Leaves

Navigating Tree Roots

While I was gone, Evie was in the attic, going through all the toys we've accumulated over the years for our grandchildren's visits. Since our great-grandson Rhys will be visiting in late September, she wants to have lots of toys available for him. Right now, I'd say she has enough toys for four or five kids! She took time off to make me a salami and tomato sandwich, and with some chicken noodle soup, I was happy. I'm watching the third season of Goliath and am not taken with it, but I'll stick with it.

Our Neighbor, Joe, Out For A Sail

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, reading, napping, and occasionally checking in on the guys doing the sewer hookups in our neighbors' yards. They're good guys and fun to talk with. Evie finished organizing her Toys "R" Us by 3:00 and took a shower at 4:00, since we were meeting two couples for dinner at Steeners at 5:30. We were fortunate to find a place to park, and Tom and Julie were already there, saving a table for the six of us. Jane and Jerry joined soon after; four of us ordered the steak special — a filet or Delmonico with fries — for forty bucks. They were great, and so were the fries. Because both Tom and Jerry have lived and worked in the area, it was like old home week for them, with numerous friends sitting at the bar.

Oldies But Goodies

We were home by 7:15 and sat in the living room, enjoying the early evening, reading or on our devices. After Evie went up to bed, I watched an episode of Reacher, then another episode of Goliath, before heading up myself.

And So Much More!

Humid And Mostly Gray Morning Skies

John And Maryanne On Their Scull

Kurt, Friend From Pine Hill

6:43

For some reason, I slept in until 6:30, came downstairs and relaxed, made my coffee, gathered my kayaking gear, and was out on an amazingly calm lake. I paddled down to the Power Boat Club and back and had luck photographing eagles and herons. It was also amazing because four kayaks and a scull were the only action on the lake for most of my paddle — no fishing boats!

6:43

Cormorant

Heron Fishing

Regal Heron

Bald Eagle In Our Tree

Feasting

Monday was typical: an early rise, then a paddle in drizzle for a good forty-five minutes. I returned around 7:30, wrote the blog, and waited for Evie to get up and pick out the photos. We talked and made a list for a trip to both the can man and Wegmans, giving me something to do since I wasn't ready to go for a bike ride. So I was off about 10:30, dropped my recyclable cans off at the can man, and made five bucks. I then stopped at Ryder's Cup, but the line was too long, so I left and went to Wegmans. Evie was still a bit off, so I picked up some chicken soup for her and Rice Krispies, which sounded good to her. I was home by noon and looked forward to spending a leisurely afternoon with Evie since we had nothing to do. I made a salami sandwich for lunch with the soup.

After lunch, I read for a while and napped as usual, then came downstairs refreshed and ready to do something. So I grabbed a saw and cut down some small trees that were growing among our red twigs and lilac tree, hoping it would help both grow. I had such a mess of branches that I packed them up in my Outback, left the liftgate open, and took them up to the wood pile. When I returned, I was still antsy and decided to ride my bike around the Chautauqua Institution. The gates are now open for the rest of the year, so I rode around the grounds for forty-five minutes. The gardens and front yards are at their peak, so it was fun to ride slowly and take them all in.

Thunder Bridge

The Atheneum Hotel

When I got home, Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters, so I read on the front porch, and she joined me after the call was over. I suggested an easy dinner — tomato and mayo sandwiches and corn — so that was my dinner; Evie enjoyed a bowl of Rice Krispies. We watched a show, but I noticed the lake was amazing, sunlit and calm, and I had to go for a half-hour paddle, stopping to talk with our neighbors Jim and Barb, who were sitting on their dock enjoying the view. 

Barb, Jim, And Ripley

7:20 PM

Setting Sun 

When I returned, Evie went up to bed, and I watched my show and feasted on a couple of nut horns, our neighbor Pat's gift to us since they're leaving in a day or two. I was in bed reading by 10:00.

Wendell Berry, an essayist,  novelist, poet, and conservationist, died yesterday. This is one of my favorite poems, so relevant in today's world.

The Peace of Wild Things

 Wendell Berry, 1934 - 2026

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Early Morning Rain

6:04

6:29

7:59

It's 6:30, and I have been up since 6:00, listening to the rain. The rain is supposed to let up soon, then start again later, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get in a paddle. It looks like we've received a half inch of rain so far, with more to come.

It's 8:10, and I just returned from a forty-minute paddle, occasionally in the rain.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Some Light

More Clouds

Sunday began as usual: with a good, long paddle and a few photos of birds. Evie was up when I returned around 8:15, and I wrote the blog; Evie picked out photos before we published it. After breakfast, I got a few things done, cleaning both porches and spraying for spiders. Once I was done, I decided to go for a bike ride. If I could get into the Chautauqua Institution, I would ride there, but the gates were still closed, so I decided to drive to Mayville and park. I rode two sections of Webb's Trail, through the woods, a three-mile round trip. I then rode Sea Lion Drive to the end and back, and was out for 50 minutes, the last 20 minutes in drizzle.

Webb's Trail

When I returned home, I was ready to take it easy and join Evie in the living room, where she was relaxing after being busy in the morning. Around 12:45, I had another quarter of my sub from Wegmans and some corn chowder and watched Goliath. By 1:30, I was ready to start my new book, Heather, another detective thriller. I was able to take a brief nap, then came downstairs and did some work in the yard — weed whacking various beds, things like that.

By 5:00, the lake had quieted down, and I had a glass of wine; Evie was still feeling a bit off and decided to skip wine. For dinner, we had soup and sandwiches, easy and good, and watched a couple more episodes of ER. When Evie was ready for bed, I watched a couple more episodes of Goliath before going up to read and sleep.

Sunday, Sunday

6:10

8:26

Kayak Morning: Barb Our Neighbor

We are both up as the sun just popped out at 8:25. I was up at 6:00, of course, but didn't get out on the lake until 6:30 because it was too dark. It was a quiet morning on the lake for me despite the Cleveland Bass Tournament — they must be fishing in other parts of the lake. I paddled across to Long Point, then back to Bootey Bay and home, a good 90-minute paddle.

Kayak Morning

Southeastern Sky

Some Blue

Looking South

Osprey

Heron

Ducks

Heron

Yesterday was not my favorite Saturday. It began well, with a good paddle, out for an hour and a couple of photos of great blue herons. When I returned, Evie and I finished up the blog and published it, and I got busy making my bed, something I do each morning, thanks to General McRaven, then gathering the trash to take to the Transfer Station. I was on my way by 10:30, dropped my trash off at a crowded Transfer Station, picked up corn for corn fritters, and filled up my Outback with gas (sixty-five bucks). I needed string trimmer line for my weed whacker, so I stopped at Home Depot, then at Wegmans to pick up a few things but forgot to get milk. My last stop was at Evans for wine, another fifty bucks. It was an expensive morning jaunt.

When I returned home, I wasn't feeling well — a stomachache for some reason — so I told Evie and went upstairs to read on my bed. I took a couple of Tums and felt a bit better, so I came downstairs. Evie thought it might help if I ate, so she made me scrambled eggs and toast, and I watched another episode of Goliath, Season Two. I felt better after eating and decided to take a nap and read. In the mid-afternoon, I took a shower because we had our local Woodlawn neighborhood meeting at 5:00. We usually bring an appetizer, so Evie made corn fritters. This was our third meeting of the summer, and it was poorly attended because many weekenders weren't here. Nevertheless, it was fun to see our neighbors, enjoy a libation and appetizers, and find out that our Treasury needs more money to help finance the snow plowing of our road.

Woodlawn Guys

Woodlawn Gals

We were home by 6:30, and each of us had a quarter of a sub from Wegmans and watched two more episodes of ER. When Evie went up to bed, I watched a couple of episodes of Goliath, then went up to bed. Our evenings don't seem to change much.

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