50º

6:45

6:46

8:11

It's 6:30, and a vast, dark gray and pink cloud hovers ominously over an otherwise clear morning sky. It's 8:00 and I just returned from a 50-minute paddle, as the sun slowly hid behind the cloud bank, definitely darkening the morning. I listened to the podcast China Decoded, always interesting and alarming, as it's clear China has become the dominant power of the 21st century. As I mentioned, robots build a car every 76 seconds, amazing, and they have basically taken over the Southern Hemisphere, Africa, and South America with development dollars. Finally, world powers are beginning to look more favorably towards China than the US. 

Kayak Morning

Southern Sky

Eastern Sky Darkens

Bald Eagle

Great Blue

Heron On Victoria Dock

Monday was a busy day. I woke way too early, sat around waiting for the sun to rise, then kayaked for forty-five minutes on a rough lake, with winds from the north up to 17 mph. After kayaking, Evie and I wrote and published the blog but forgot to put photos on from my hike yesterday. I realized it around 11:30 and added them if you want to see a photo of Jim and Ripley. Mr Fixit then tackled the shelf under the kitchen counter, and as of this morning, it has not fallen. Although I was lacking mojo, I made myself, with the help of Evie, go for a bike ride around the Chautauqua Institution. I was out for forty-five minutes, and the grounds were quieting down except for workmen. On the way home, I stopped for a chicken salad sub at the Lighthouse Grocery and was home by noon. 

Brick Walk

Boat House

Evie was busy getting the living room ready for our grandson's arrival in ten days. Books were removed from shelves and toys were arranged for easy access. I had my sub around 12:30 and returned to my Harlan Coben thriller, The Stranger. Because I was awake at 5:00 and finally up at 6:00, I went upstairs hoping for a nap, and I think I did for a half hour. While I was napping, Evie mowed the garden and started getting ready for the arrival of her sister Elaine, who will get her around 8:30 tonight for a few days. When I came downstairs, I took over the mower from Evie and cut the front and side yard, then did some raking of stones. My neighbor, John, arrived mid-afternoon, and we both decided to put off seeding our side yards, dug up for sewers, and wait until spring, giving the dirt time to settle. Having to fill sinkholes last week made us rethink doing it this fall. 

Evie's Sister Elaine, Hiking Presque Isle

We were both sweaty and tired by 4:00, so we took showers and were done in time for Evie to have a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00. Around 6:30, I grilled burgers outside for dinner, along with corn and potatoes. We watched a couple more episodes of ER until Elaine arrived around 8:30, having stopped at Presque Isle in Pennsvylvania for a walk. We got caught up on her life and her kids, both of whom are doing well. After Evie went up to bed, Elaine and I talked and watched some football until 10:00, when we both went up to bed.