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. 

Clouds Are All

6:24

7:54

8:26

It's just after 8:00 and I was awake at 6:00, sat around until 7:00 with coffee, and then went out and fought the northern wind and waves for 40 minutes. The clouds were amazing, the kind we usually get during the fall, so I couldn't stop taking photos. Because of the wind and waves, though, it was difficult to take photos, as I had a hard time steadying the camera. Today feels like a fall day, 54º when I woke with a high around 64º. We love it.

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising

Southern  Clouds

Paddling North

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Along Woodlawn Creek

Sunday was another Joey Bimbo afternoon. The morning, however, was busy. It started with a good paddle, out for over an hour. When I returned, we finished the blog and published it. Around 9:30, Jim, our neighbor, asked if I wanted to go for a hike. Of course, I was up for it, so we left at 10:00 for a hike around Bentley Preserve in Ellicott, 20 minutes away. He warned me it might be wet, so I wore my bean boots. It wasn't too bad — a couple of muddy spots, but for the most part it was fine. Jim brought Ripley, his dog, along, so it was fun watching him disappear, then reappear after Jim's whistle. Much of the hike followed a creek, green with algae. It was, however, wilder than most hikes — overgrown, with lots of mature trees. We were out for just over a half hour. On the way home, we stopped at Outlet Greenway Preserve, a hike I was unaware existed. It's a short walk to a creek with no bridge, so it's difficult to continue to the lake unless you can ford the stream. I was surprised at how tired I got after the hike, and felt a bit nauseous. I figured out why on the way home — I'd forgotten to have breakfast.

Bentley Preserve

Creek

Algae Filled Creek

New Hiking Area

So Evie made us breakfast around 12:00: scrambled eggs and toast, and I felt much better. I tried to nap for a half hour but was up by 1:00 when the Buffalo Bills game started. They were underdogs but defeated a very good Houston team, so western New Yorkers were happy. After the game, I had to save the women's World Cup game in Berlin and watched the first half. 

Sunday Afternoon 

By then we'd had enough TV, so we sat on the front porch, enjoying a glass of wine and the empty lake. We ate around 6:30: the leftover mushroom and meatball pasta, salad, and rolls. Evie wasn't that interested in the basketball game, so we watched another episode of ER. After Evie went up to bed, I watched the US team completely outmatch France, and despite being behind at halftime, they won 97–79. By then, I'd had enough sports, so I watched the first half of Sunday Night Football as the Giants beat Dallas. I was in bed reading by 10:00, having had enough television for the day.

I checked to see if this meme is accurate on ChatGPT and it is.  

A Joey Bimbo Kind Of Day

6:36

8:13

Joey Bimbo was a character from a cartoon we loved in the 1960s. It pictured an overweight guy sitting in a lounge chair, watching TV, with a couple of empty six-packs of beer strewn around his chair. So a day like yesterday, given up to eight or nine hours of TV watching, reminds me of the Joey Bimbo cartoon.

Today's a totally gray morning, sky and lake, with no hint of the sun. The lake, however, is absolutely flat — perfect for skiing or paddleboarding. I was up at 6:30, out on the lake for 75 minutes, paddling across to Long Point, then back to Bootey Bay and home.

Kayak Morning

Nancy And Jeff Skiing Early

Northern Gray

A Rare Photo Of Two Herons

Great Blue

A Leisurely Morning Paddle

Scrunchy

On Neighbor's Dock

Saturday morning was the usual; the afternoon and evening were given up to watching TV. The morning began with a good paddle, a few shots of birds, then the blog and breakfast. Evie announced that she wanted to do a good cleaning downstairs. Before we started, though, we gathered the trash, and I headed to the Transfer Station, then to Hogan's to fill two five-gallon cans with gas for my boat at $4.39 a gallon. When I returned home, my first chore was to fix a shelf in our kitchen that always seemed to fall. The plastic holders kept failing, so I used super glue to keep them in their holes. Once I was done, Evie checked it out and noticed one side was lower than the other. I said it was going to stay that way—just as the whole shelf collapsed. My supportive wife laughed and called me Mr. Fixit! Needless to say, Mr. Fixit will be at it again today.

After that disastrous result, we tackled the north windows in our living room. I went outside, crawled below the rhododendrons, cleaned off the spiders and their droppings, then washed the windows. It's a pain to get back there, especially with a small ladder. Evie used the small vacuum on the couches while I vacuumed the entire living room and family room.

We were done by 12:30, and Evie made us fried potatoes and fried eggs for lunch. I took a brief nap but made sure to get downstairs by 2:00 to watch the US women defeat Spain on their way to the Finals against France. After the game, I switched to women's tennis, where upstart Elena Rybakina won her second major and defeated favored Aryna Sabalenka. I then took a break from TV to enjoy a glass of wine with Evie before dinner. Around 7:00, we had pasta with mushrooms and sausage, along with a salad and rolls. We watched two amazingly tense episodes of ER — so much better than the much-ballyhooed The Pitt. Around 8:30, I watched the first half of the Ohio State/Texas game until 10:00, confident Ohio State would win with a 20-3 halftime lead. Well, this morning I found out they lost, 24-23.

Today looks like another Joey Bimbo kind of day with the Buffalo Bills/Houston game at 1:00, the Women's World Cup Ball game at 2:00, the US Open Final also at 2:00,  and more NFL games at 4:30 and 8:30. 

President Bone Spurs

Saturday Morning Sunshine

Enjoying A Beer At The Rod And Gun Club

6:23

8:13

It's 8:30, and I've been up since 5:30, taking it easy with a cup of coffee for over an hour before I ventured out on the lake, the sky a fantastic collage of clouds and blue. Eventually, just after 7:00, as I approached Tom's Point, the sun began to rise, lighting up the shoreline. I paddled around the tip, with a view of the bridge, then headed back toward Woodlawn, occasionally passing a fishing boat, since there's a tournament today. I was out for close to 80 minutes, with a light wind and an occasional bird sighting.

Morning Sky

Sun Rising At 7:02

Kayaking Toward Tom's Point

The Bridge

Kickin Back

Victoria/Woodlawn

Amazing Morning Sky

Heron Along Tom's Point

Eagle Above Powerboat Club

Cormorant

Friday was busy, starting with a long paddle, as always. Evie helped with the blog and had a bit of trouble with the photos but figured it out, so we published by 9:00. I wasn't sure what to do with my morning, as usual, but decided on a bike ride on Jamestown's Riverwalk and through the city. First I stopped at Peterson's and bought tomatoes and peaches. Then I parked behind the Subaru dealer, where the Riverwalk begins, and rode into the city, stopping briefly at McCrea Park. I rode the path along the Chadakoin River and eventually ended up at Labyrinth Press Coffee, where I sat outside in their covered seating along the walk with a coffee. 

Bridge Over Chadakoin River

Boat Launch

A Shady Spot Along Chadakoin Where The Homeless Hang Out

I then rode back to my car, stopped at Arby's for a couple of Greek gyros for our lunch, and was home by 12:30. Evie and I sat on the front porch and ate our gyros. After lunch, Evie went out on the dock to get some sun, and I read and took a brief nap. Afterward, I joined Evie briefly on the dock, then came in and did some more raking of stones in our side yard — still a mess.

We both showered, and by 5:30 we were on our way to the Rod and Gun Club in Lakewood for a fish fry. The parking lot was packed, but I squeezed into a spot. I'd dropped Evie off, so when I went in she was already seated at the bar and had saved me a seat. We had a beer and struck up a fun conversation with a couple who have a cottage on Loomis Bay but live in Buffalo. We had about a half-hour wait for our table, which was fine, since the dining room and bar were crowded — the club must serve a couple hundred dinners on a Friday night. I ordered the haddock fish fry and Evie the walleye, served with baked potatoes, rolls, and coleslaw. The place is so efficient that we had our dinners in ten minutes, finished in fifteen, and paid and were out of there by 7:30, home by 7:45 — in time to watch another episode of ER. Once Evie went to bed, I watched a Reacher episode, then the tennis match, won by Ben Shelton in four sets over Francis Tiafoe, both Americans. Shelton will face #1 seed A. Zverev in the final on Sunday morning. I went to bed around 10:30, read a bit, then slept.

A Quotation From A Video from the recent Republican Convention: 

"And on June 14, 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ' I need a caretaker, so God gave us Trump."