A Gray, Overcast and Cool Wednesday

Evie And The Boys

6:04

7:43

I was awake at 5:00 but managed to stay in bed until 6:00. Ugh. I sat around for 15 or 20 minutes, then made my coffee, gathered my camera and phone, put on my life jacket, and went out for a 40-minute paddle in a light drizzle, down to Sandy Bottom and back. I spotted a lone heron but nothing else. I'm glad I made myself get out there because I really didn't want to. Just do something.

Kayak Morning

A Bit Of Light

Clouds

Great Blue

Same Guy

Tuesday was a strange day. After my morning paddle, which was mostly in sunshine, it began to cloud up. After I wrote the blog and had breakfast, it started to drizzle. We had made a Wegmans list of things we might need for our trip, so I drove off in the rain and stopped at Ryder's. I skipped coffee because the line was too long, but I talked with my friend John for about 15 minutes. By the time I got to Wegmans, it was pouring, though fortunately I had an umbrella. Wegmans was a madhouse. Every aisle in the produce section was swarming with shoppers. I didn't have much to buy and, fortunately, found a quick-moving checkout line. By the time I left, it had stopped raining in the parking lot, though it continued to rain on the drive home.

When I got back, Evie was starting to set things aside for our trip. I inflated a couple of portable beds just to make sure they still held air. We're going to need them because we may have as many as 16 people. We've been texting back and forth with everyone, making sure we know what to bring. Jill, who lives in Virginia, is going to do most of the Costco shopping, stocking up on the food and drinks we'll need for the week.

Around 1:00, I had lunch—a ham and cheese sandwich and some cauliflower soup. I started a new Spanish series, City of Shadows, and I think I'll stick with it. At 1:30, Evie had a playdate with our neighbors' grandsons, Arlo and Louie. They've been coming over for the past three or four years and love Evie—and all the treasures we still have in the attic from when our grandchildren were young.

I was feeling tired, so I went upstairs, read, took a nap, finished my book, and started another one, Flashlight, which has been getting a lot of praise. The boys left, reluctantly, around 3:30 and wanted to come back tomorrow or Thursday. Evie made no promises, so we'll have to wait and see.

Stormy Weather At 6:15

Heavy Downpour

Around 5:15, we sat on the front porch with a glass of wine and some appetizers, watching a storm move in. The sky was amazing—dark and threatening, then rainy, and by 7:00 the sun was back out under blue skies. We only received about an eighth of an inch of rain yesterday, but another half inch fell overnight.

Rain Lets Up Despite Cloud Bank

Sun Comes Out At 7:26

We had the leftover chicken, rice, and mushrooms for dinner and really enjoyed them, along with a great salad. Then we took a break and watched Hometown and some HGTV until Evie went upstairs to bed. After that, I watched another episode of City of Shadows.