The Morning Roar Of Bass Boats

Porch Party!

6:09

It's 6:52 and I have been sitting on the front porch, watching the morning wake.  First, a bright morning sunrise and quiet, now a heavy cloud cover and the roar of boats.  It's a pleasant 60º and should cool off some, with highs in the low 70's and I am listening to a Bill Simmons podcast as he discusses the NBA playoffs.  It's 9:25 as we finish the blog.  I took an hour and a half paddle, over to Bemus Bay and back, hugging the shoreline looking for birds.  It started out calm, then as I turned the point, it became windy, then settled down as I came home.

Kayaking Bemus Bay

Enjoying Long Point In The Morning

A Hungry Spotted Sandpiper

Yesterday was excruciatingly hot by midafternoon, with an 84º high, making me sympathize with those who live in Arizona and Florida where the heat gets even worst.  It was, however, bearable in the morning, so we were outside getting things done before the heat.  Evie had been busy the past few days clearing out some of the unwanted junk from our attic, so I had to make two trips to the Transfer Station, getting rid of the trash.  I also have to admit to a guilty pleasure in throwing away things that we no longer want, clearing up space, putting things in semi-order, in other words, downsizing.

Around 11:00, it was heating up and I was working up a sweat just walking around in the yard so I decided to get in the water and rework the ropes holding my boat in place.  I wasn't sure I could do it because the lake temperature is still in the 40's.  I went slowly, first to my knees, then waist, then chest so I could work on my boat which took about 10 minutes.

First Swim

By then, I was either used to the water or numb so I decided to go all the way and dove under water.  Honestly, it felt great, energizing but I did not linger.  I came out and lay on the dock, warming up with the sun, drying quickly.  Evie and l lingered until we decided to go back to the house.  Evie put on her suit and went back out to enjoy the sun.  I heated up the leftover chicken marsala with rice, watched another Bosch and wrapped a blanket around me because my body was still cold from my swim.

Our Yard On A Saturday Afternoon

I am reading one of Don Winslow's earlier novels and fell asleep reading it till 2:30 when I went out to join Evie on the dock.  The heat was oppressive so I lasted only a half hour and both of us came in, having had enough of the 84º afternoon.  Fortunately, we had closed up the house late morning so the house felt nice and cool.

Betsy And The Birthday Girl, Barb

Our neighbors, Barb and Jim, were having their annual porch party so Evie put together both our dinner, portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach for dinner, and guacamole to take to the porch party.  We walked over at 5:30, with our appetizer and beers.

Neighbors

It was fun to get together with some neighbors who we have not seen since last fall.  We sat around talking, enjoying the appetizers since everyone brought something, as dark clouds, heavy winds came in and left, with hardly a drizzle.  The highlight was the 72 bottles of homebrewed beer, given to Jim by his brother in law Chris for his birthday.  We didn't get home until 8:00.  Evie quickly heated the mushrooms with spinach for our dinner although neither of us was that hungry.  All I really wanted was the last piece of cheesecake with strawberries. We watched the end of a Colbert, a boring Barry, then started a movie we have both seen a couple of times, THE HELP.  I was happy to get back to my book.  

First Swim

First Swim

5:40

6:20

 A partly cloudy morning, with a nice breeze, some sun, some clouds.  I have been up since 5:30, surprised by the first light off towards the northeast end of the lake.  It's 57º and once again, should get in the 70's later today before the rain arrives overnight and tomorrow.   It's 8:20 and I just got back from a paddle on a breeze but sunny morning on the lake. At 9:00, I pick up a buddy, Stan and drive to Erie to meet some old basketball buddies from Ohio for breakfast at Bob Evans.

Yesterday was a busy day for both Evie and me.  I decided to skip yoga despite the guilt and just enjoy the morning here at the lake.  Once one gets used to something, like yoga each morning, it is strangely liberating to skip it.  We had made a to do list Wednesday night, so once we had our coffee, finished the blog, we got busy.  First, we changed the water filter, an easy job although we forgot to turn off the water so we got a quick shower before we could turn the knob.  Live and learn.  Once that was done,  Evie put together our dinner, by searing country ribs and putting them in a crockpot with sauerkraut and tomatoes, and I washed the front windows, as they are constantly dirty from the bird feeders.  I suppose I could do it every day if I really wanted spic n span windows.  The rest of the morning we spent outside, getting furniture out of the garage and wheel barreling it out on to the dock.  This is the second time I have taken out the Adirondack chairs, alas, but now they are there until fall when we take in the dock.  Evie did some potting of the wave petunias and worked some in the garden before we decided it was too nice on the lake so we decided to take a cruise and have lunch.

Spring Perfection

It was the perfect day on the lake; I do not exaggerate.  We were one of maybe two or three boats on the lake and there was hardly a ripple, other than our wake.  We cruised slowly down to Prendergast Point, over to Sunset Bay and home, enjoying the sun, the lake, and lunch.  It reminded us of those few fall days when there's not a whisper of wind, the lake like glass, the sun warm.  We hated to come back to the dock.  After our cruise, we took it easy until 3:00 when we both went back outside and got busy.  I drove to Tri James and filled a couple of buckets with topsoil for our garden and yard.

The Beauty Of A Spring Hosta

When I  got back, I skimmed the sod off an area where we were going to transplant some hostas and took the sod and put it in low areas near the garden.  We then split the hostas, dug holes, filled them with good topsoil and planted them.  They look pretty healthy this morning, so we are hopeful that they will thrive.

Empty And Marvelous

It took about twenty minutes to clean up everything, put away the tools, the wheel barrel, the buckets and by the time I was finished, I had worked up a good sweat.  Evie suggested I take a shower or go for a swim, so I put on my trunks and we went out on the dock to enjoy some sun and perhaps swim.  I stepped down the ladder and thought there's no way I am going into this cold water.  Soon, however, I stepped down another step or two and it did not seem that bad.  So I stepped down to the bottom, waist deep, then neck, and finally, I dove underwater.  It felt amazing.  I do not lie.  Afterward,  I just reclined on the dock and drip dried as Evie enjoyed the sun.  We were not sure whether to take another boat ride or not but the wind picked up so I decided to put the cover on the boat.  Why does a boat cover go on easily one time, but is difficult the next time.  Well, yesterday was the next time so I ended up working up another sweat just getting to all the snaps.  Once it was done, I decided to take another dip.  This time it was easier and quicker although I admit to not lingering in the water.

Second Swim

After my swim, we went to the house and took some beers and appetizers back out on the dock to enjoy the late afternoon, the blue skies, light breeze, and sun.  We came in around 6:45 and dinner was ready.  All Evie had to do was make a salad and because I like mashed potatoes, we decided to try Bob Evans mashed potatoes.  Microwave them for five minutes and they are done.  Dinner was great, another favorite, fall apart pork ribs, sauerkraut, tomatoes on top of mashed potatoes.  It was a good evening for TV, as we watched THE AMERICANS, then SAFE, and finished the night with Colbert.  We were proud of ourselves for having done most of the 'to do list' for once.

Another Fine Autumn Morning (Wood Ducks, Cormorants, Geese, And Blue Herons)

A Pair Of Wood Ducks

7:23

7:24

8:59

It's 7:15 and the sun should be rising in ten minutes.  The sky has a few clouds off in the distance and the lake is empty and shimmering, on a 56º morning.  I have been up since 6:15, listening to the latest gossip concerning Trump, that his Secretary Of State is alleged to have called Trump a 'moron' and threatened to quit this past summer. In response, Trump tweeted it's all 'fake news.'

Hiding Blue Heron

Full Frontal

Just got back from photographing wildlife in my kayak, a fun way to start my morning.  I seem to see the same Great Blue Heron in the reeds each morning.  At the south end of the reeds, I barely glimpse his head until he sees me, rises up squawking and flies away to the north end of the reeds, where I get a better photo of him until I scare him away. Great Blues stand about four feet tall, weigh 4.5 pounds with a wing span of seven feet. I was so busy looking for another heron in the reeds that I took a photo of a reed that looked like a heron and was totally unaware of a heron sitting on a dock twenty feet away.  So goes my morning.

Canadian Geese

Cormorant

Yesterday would have been a fine day if I hadn't spent an hour and fifteen minutes in a dentist chair getting a root canal on the crown which was replaced a month ago. Fortunately, there seems to be no residual pain and I was home by noon, after stopping at Tops and Peterson Farms, to pick up some things for the pantry.  I was not sure if I could have lunch after the dentist but the leftover curry tasted good as did the lentil soup.  And I am finally getting into The Five as I am beginning to understand what is going on.  It takes me awhile these days.

We both knew that yesterday might be our last sunny and warm day on the dock so we both took full advantage of it, not worrying much of what needed to be done in the house, just enjoying being outside on a cloudless blue sky kind of day.  The temperature got up to 75º,  perfect for the dock and we stayed out until late afternoon, ending our sunbathing with a swim in the chilly waters of Chautauqua Lake.  It felt good, as always, once I was in and totally submerged, not before.

Old Man Poseidon Rising

Around 5:30, we cracked open a beer, jumped in our boat and took another long boat ride over to the Bemus Point Casino and back along Lakeside Drive, our favorite cruise.  We did not want to go home so extended our cruise via Bootey Bay, finally docking around 6:30.  Evie went in to put the leftover enchiladas in the oven while I put the cover on the boat because rain is expected over the next few days.

We watched more of the coverage of Las Vegas, the pundits at a loss to come up with something new to say about the shooting.  We then watched a couple of shows. One, Wisdom Of The Crowd, a new show is written and produced I realized by one of my former students, Ted Humphrey. It was not bad and we will have to wait and see if it catches on.  I am reading the latest Michael Connelly novel, THE LATE SHOW.   It's decent, typical Connelly and very readable.

A Good Day For A Road Trip

6:24

6:25

I slept in some, until 6:20 and came downstairs to a gray morning but one that's beginning to cool off although 72º may not seem that cool.  We are driving to Columbus later today for the weekend because my Ohio University basketball team, 1963-65, is being inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall Of Fame.  It looks like hot and humid weather, with a strong possibility of rain, alas, but it will be fun to see my teammates.

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Swimming In May

We spent much of yesterday like always on the day before a road trip, thinking and organizing about what we want to take with us for a weekend.  We know we always over pack so we are trying to be more frugal with our clothes.  It's much easier for guys as we don't have as much of a choice, jeans and a shirt for casual wear, a coat and tie for formal.  Not so for Evie so she had our bedroom covered with possible outfits before finally deciding, with my help, on two, one for Friday, one for Saturday night.  It's always relaxing to have finally made up your mind and stop worrying about what to take, what to wear. 

I did get in a yoga class, which was not as crowded as usual. Clearly, the 90º weather takes its toll on class size.  For me, yoga loses its appeal on sunny and hot days, like most of the summer.  I stopped at Ryder's Cup and was congratulated by the barrista on my team's induction into the Basketball Hall Of Fame.  It surprised me until she mentioned one of my friends had been in earlier in the morning, knew that I would be in for a coffee and told her.  Funny.

When I got home, Evie was finishing up cutting the lawn and asked me to do some trimming. So I got out my old weed wacker, plugged it in and started trimming around trees and our lake wall.  As I was finishing, I began to smell something burning and realized it was the weed wacker.  I set it aside for an hour, hoping that I had overdone it but when I tried it later, it would not start up.  So now I have to get a new one or continue to hand shears.

Afterwards, I changed shirts because I had worked up a sweat weed wacking, not exactly an arduous task and then had lunch, pizza and a banana with peanut butter for dessert.  The rest of the afternoon we both took it easy, getting things organized for our trip, the car, our devices, what shoes we needed, things like that.  Around 5:00, we took a couple of  beers out to the dock to enjoy the late afternoon. It was uncomfortably warm at times, with a warm, even hot southeasterly wind,

We had leftovers for dinner, chicken and noodles, and finished up the German movie we had started on Wednesday, Toni Erdmann.   I can't say we liked it much but stayed with it to the end, if only to see how it ended.  It didn't, just stopped.  We finished the night with FARGO, a series we are losing interest in and ended the night with a comedy, Keifer Sutherland in DESIGNATED SURVIVOR.