World Cup Sunday

7:34

8:37

Weed Cutter

In Our Front Yard

It just turned 9:00, and I was up at 7:00, then out for a 50-minute paddle on a practically empty lake. I just returned from the dock, where I directed the weed cutters as they attempted to clear our area of weeds.

Kayak Morning

Paddling Toward Long Point

Yesterday, Sunday, was a good day to relax after the Fourth of July festivities. I got in my usual paddle before 8:00 and returned to write the blog, finishing just as Evie got up. Rain was predicted but, as usual, it was a false alarm — just like this morning, when thunderstorms were predicted and never showed. So after breakfast and the blog, and because the temperature was in the high 60s, 

Webb's Trail

I decided to ride my bike. I drove down to Mayville Park, rode Webb's Trail back, then took the Mayville walk to Chautauqua Street and the Mayville Cemetery. I lingered around the various veteran sites — the oldest monument was built in 1890, marking veterans of both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It always amazes me how many vets are buried in the cemeteries in this area. After paying my respects to those who died for the freedom and rights we enjoy, I rode back to my car and drove home.

1890 Memorial

Veteran Of War of 1812

.

Civil War Veteran

It was 12:30 when I got back, so I had lunch — the last of the sub from Wegmans — and started a new series on Paramount+ called Special Ops: Lioness, about a women's special ops group operating abroad. So far, I'm enjoying it. After lunch, I tried to nap but left my windows open, and it was too noisy next door to sleep. So I came downstairs and read until the Norway/Brazil match. It was the first time I watched an entire match, and Norway won by two goals, both from Erling Haaland, the blond giant who dominates the football world. It was an exciting game, and Norway deserved the win.

I forgot to mention one of the joys of watching football: what's come to be called flopping. A player gets bumped or bumped into and collapses in apparent agony, and you expect a stretcher any second. Then no foul is called, play continues, and miraculously the player who was moments from a hospital visit jumps up and rejoins the action. Flopping has been perfected over the years in football, but it hasn't become quite the staple in NBA basketball.

I read until 5:00, when Evie and I relaxed with a glass or two of wine. We realized that the bottle we'd opened and shared the day before was terrible, and yet Linda never said a word about it. We tossed it and wondered where we'd even gotten it. Dinner was great — leftovers from Linda and Ron: Lighthouse hot dogs, Linda's baked beans, and potato salad. Yum. We watched an hour of a great film, The Remains of the Day, starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Evie went to bed around 8:30, and I watched three-quarters of the World Cup game in Mexico between England and Mexico. England won 3-2, but I felt Mexico outplayed them and deserved the win. Still, it was another exciting match — England scored two goals in five minutes of the first half, and it looked like Mexico was doomed, but they answered quickly, to the crowd's roaring approval, and were right back in the game. I'll watch the last quarter today.