Rib Fest at Lucille Ball Park in Celeron

Waiting in Line for Ribs

Barbecue

Blooming Onion

A somewhat overcast morning, much cooler than yesterday, 59 degrees, but it's supposed to be a nice day, in the 70's, so the heat seems to be gone for the near future, with a high in the 60's on Sunday.  Another day of carting gravel, pulling weeds, working outside, perhaps another cutting of the lawn, as it may rain tomorrow, with maybe a boat ride thrown in for good measure, a day to look forward to.

Last night, as I mentioned, we headed off to the Rib Fest on the spur of the moment.  It's in the town of Celeron, on the lake, just beyond Lakewood/Wegmans.  I was surprised how many people were there for a Thursday night, and it was much more than a rib fest, more like a carnival without the rides.  There were various food booths, probably four or five specializing in ribs, then others selling more traditional food like pizza or lemonade, things like that.  No rides but many booths with tee shirts, crazy hats, cutlery, army surplus, engraved stones, all of it pretty tawdry, what I might call trashy kitsch.  I cannot image anyone buying this detritus  but they must.  We bought our ribs at Bulldogs, a local place, and we got a full rack with two sides for 24 bucks, not cheap.  It was, however, the best ribs we have had in awhile, meaty, great sauce, and filling, worth the money.  We talked with the people who own it,  and he's a Jamestown policeman, whose passion is cooking ribs, which he does on weekends, or for special events or catering.  He also will be across from Tim Horton's in Lakewood this summer, on Fridays and Saturdays.  Yum.  We walked around for about a half hour and I have to say, for the most part, I felt I was in Appalachia or on the set of the movie WINTERBONE.  The people, men, women, or kids, dressed really poorly, beat up tee shirts, jeans with holes, nothing seemed to fit, and faces that looked old beyond their years, a result of a hard life perhaps, lack of nutrition, I am not sure but they certainly fit a type, the kind you find in Jamestown, in the poorer sections of town.  I know I am not being politically correct by stereotyping the Jamestown underclass, but they are real, sad and depressing, even though I am generalizing by appearance, not looking beyond the clothes and face.

The park itself, dedicated to Lucille Ball, who was born and raised in Celeron, was fairly attractive, once you got away from the mash of booths, food stalls, and noise, as it was set on the lake, with a wooded, shady area, with picnic tables and a great view of the lake, a nice quiet place for a family to picnic if there were no Rib Fest.

Filled the driveway and parking space up with four loads of gravel, so hopefully, we will have a dry place to park.  It was a nice day to work outside and as I thought, Evie cut the lawn again.  Unfortunately, the wheel fell of, from over use probably, ha ha, so I took it into Honda to replace a broken part.  I also went over to the Mc Clure's and played with their cats for about 30 minutes, as they were worried they would not get enough affection, so I said I would go over.  Both of them were starved for affection, so I got them purring before I left.  We ended up having fish for dinner, with coleslaw, and watched a slow movie called Junebug, with Amy Adams.  We had hoped for something better, since she was up for an academy award for it, but to no avail.  Slow, boring, and it did not get much better though she was great.

Haze and Thunderstorms a Coming

Blue Star, Spider Wort, Chives, Lupine

It was so hazy this morning that I could hardly see the sun rising off over Long Point.  It's still pretty warm though the thunderstorms predicted are supposed to bring cooler temperatures.  Yesterdays highs were around 89, almost record setting for this time of the year.  It looks like we have missed spring and jumped right into summer, as expected.  Few birds this morning as they were drowned out my lawn mowers, as Billy Deault is out cutting, either early morning of often in the dark, as he works during the day for the Sheriff's department.

Anemones

Finally Some Color

Evie's out weeding early, hoping to the beat the rains, and it's not as hot as yesterday.  She did manage to cut the lawn twice yesterday, despite the heat, and it looks amazing, as the water has receded for the most part, and though soggy in spots, it was easy to cut, finally.  Lots of action next door, as the dock is filled with fishing boats, which is unusual for this time of the year.  You have to wonder if they are out of work, thus up here, enjoying the lake. in early June.

A busy day though no rain fortunately.  I put the boat in the water this morning, around 10:00 while Evie worked in the yard.  It's now docked, filled with gas and ready to go.  I then went to Mayville, where it cost be 107 bucks to register my boat in NY for the next three years.  I stopped at Topp's for some veggies, the hardware store for some wood screws for our new/old table from Claire, and finally went to the library to get Evie a book.

I forgot to mention that I stopped by the blueberry farm near our house for some free range eggs yesterday and talked with the couple who own the place.  They said, because of the rain, they won't have as many blueberries as usual because they got a fungus from the rain and it was too wet to mow with the tractor.  He took me to look at his  garden, just put in, with plastic wrap over it to keep out the weeds.  They also mentioned they might be getting rid of their cows and cattle because it's become so expensive to feed them that they were not really making any money out of it.  They are really nice people, so I would like to support them more if I can.

We ended up sitting on the dock until 6:30 and I had been reading about the Rib Festival in Celeron so instead of making dinner, we jumped in the car around 7:30 and went for ribs.  More about that tomorrow.

Hazy and Warm on Lake Chautauqua

Breakfast Al Fresco

Well, back to the routine, awake around 4:00, up at 6:00, open the windows so I can hear the birds, turn on NPR, too much static, switch to Sirius and Morning Joe, and settle down with coffee, my AirMac and two old newspapers.  It's supposed to be around 88 today, with possibilities of thunderstorms, but at the moment, it's 67 outside.  We better get our work done in the morning, if we want to do anything arduous like get more gravel.  Fortunately, the lake level is down but our yard is still soggy and puddles still fill Leonard's side yard though we only had a half inch of rain since we left last Thursday.

We had a great visit with Claire and Henry though it was short. There home, pool, woods, outdoor bar make it so pleasant and enjoyable to spend time with them.  It's really beautiful at all times of the day and I was up and outside having my coffee yesterday morning, enjoying the sunrise. They are great hosts, took care of our every need, and we had a good time visiting, catching up on their lives and those of their kids.  Scott is struggling to make it in the world of video media though he has some possibilities on the line.  It's a tough field.  And David seems really happy working with Henry, a perfect job for a young guy, traveling the world, living in an apartment in Hoboken, just twenty minutes from his office.  He was on the road when we were there, which seems usual for him.  Henry thinks he's a natural for this job and I know how charming he can be and competent.  It's nice to see kids doing well.

Relaxing by the Pool

We left yesterday about 9:30, to warnings about the traffic.  It was unbelieveable on the 495 which takes you to NYC, all three major lines were backed up and hardly moving for at least ten miles if not more,  Luckily, Henry told us about the HOV lanes, and we were abe to sail past most of the traffic until we got to the Cross Island Expressway, when the HOV lanes ended and we had to get back in traffic.  We edged along for about 20 minutes before things opened up and we headed to NYC.  Unfortunatley, the GPS directed us through the city, not across the Tappan Zee, so we ended up on the Bronx Freeway I think, eventually hitting Interstate 80, which took us to PA, eventually sending us up # 81 to Scranton and Binghamton, where we got on #86 for Chautauqua.  I think it was longer then if I had taken 95 to 287 through White Plains, eventually hitting #87 north to #86, my usual way.  It was a long trip as we didn't get home till about 6:30, the major reason being a detour of about an extra 45 minutes around Salamanca, as they are redoing the road and sent you on backroads, not a very pleasant way to end your trip.  But it was good to get home, as always, though we had a great stay with the Albarrans and Kartageners.

A Beautiful Day at Claire and Henry's As We Head to Chautauqua

The Pool Boy

Scrabbling

The Boys

Ready to Eat

I have been up since 5:45, sitting outside by the pool, dappled light in the trees, surrounded by green, the only sounds birds chirping and occasional car sounds from the 495 I assume.  It's going to be another beautiful day on Long Island, a bit warmer than yesterday, and a good day to drive home I think, as our past trips seem to have been mostly in the rain or cloudy days.  Evie and Claire have just come down, gotten their coffee and have come outside to chat.

On the Road: Darien, CT, to Dix Hills, NY (Long Island)

Roywayton Marina

Marisa and Granny on 'The Sweet Pea'

We are off this morning to spend the day and  with Clair and Henry Kartagener, Evie's sister and brother in law.  It should be about a two hour drive, in through NYC and then out to Long Island.  We have not been there since Tommy was playing lacrosse at Bucknell , and we stayed with them for a night because he was playing a team nearby, perhaps Fordham.

Ready for Exam Week

It looks like another beautiful day, sunny and warm, and the morning so far, has been quiet, Mitch up first, then Evie and Rami, then Beth, Marisa, and Tyler just got up.  He's been studying all weekend for his exams in Asian History and Math, really impressive how hard he works, how seriously he takes his studies.  He wants to do well, is willing to put in the time to get his subject learned.  I know I never studied this hard till maybe graduate school, maybe not even then.

Ready to Cruise the Long Island Sound

It took us about 90 minutes to get from Darien to Claire and Henry's home on Long Island, a fairly easy drive because we did not leave until 10:00, so traffic wasn't bad at that hour.  Claire and Henry have a great house, set back in the woods, but it opens up in their backyard to a pool, a pool house/bar, a couple of patios for sitting and a nice grassy yard for wiffle ball.  We had a lunch outside under an umbrella, then relaxed the rest of the day, Evie and Claire playing scrabble outside in the yard, and Henry and I relaxed on lounges and talked for much of the afternoon.  We did go swimming, as it was close to 80.  Then, about 6:30 Henry grilled an English cut, a couple of chicken breasts and we had a great dinner, with mushrooms, green beans, and roasted potatoes.  We sat around afterwards talking, and Henry got out the Johny Walker Blue, a single malt scotch which was quite good.  

Scott was also home, but was recovering from a bad back, so he spent most of his time in his room.  He was able to come down for dinner, but you could tell he was still in pain.

Leisurely Sunday in Darien

Lacrosse Game Over

A leisurely morning, as it's 9:30 and Tyler and Beth's still sleeping, Evie and Rami are sitting here playing Words with Friends, and I have been to the bagel shop already to pick up and dozen bagels, then back out again to hit Trader Joe's and get gassed up for our trip tomorrow to Long Island to visit Claire and Henry. Mitch is in the dining room with his math tutor, and I am watching the Wimbledon Finals on TV as I write the blog.

Marisa Helps Dad with His Next Word

Marisa had her Dance Rectal yesterday afternoon, to a packed house,  and when it was all over, she got a  bouquet of flowers and a treat from the ice cream truck.  What an afternoon; Beth, Evie and Marisa left at 1:30 and did not return till 5:00, as it took that long to get home.  Lettie came out for the festivities and stayed and had pizza with the kids and Evie and I as Beth and Rami went out to a dinner and movie with friends.  Lettie headed back to the city by train around 8:30 the rest of us watched THE GREAT SANTINI on Apple TV, a movie that's a  bit dates, 1979, but still quite moving, especially the tension between the son and his macho father, played by Robert Duvall.

So far it's been beautiful outside, cooler today, in the 60's, and should be that way most of the day.  Just got back from a long walk with Cody, and Mitch and Ramiro skateboarded a good part of the way,  The roads here at nice and smooth with some nice gentle hills, ripe for riding,  I think.  While we were out Evie and Beth packed up a lunch, and we are going boating out in the bay.  We'll stay out a couple of hours, have some lunch, soak in some sun but it's probably too cold to swim...maybe.

We just got back from our picnic on the Long Island Sound in Rami's boat.  We started out in warm, sunny weather, but it soon changed to overcast with a bit of wind, so we went to the usual cove, anchored and had our lunch.  A couple with their two kids were unable to get the motor on their dinghy started, so we ended up towing them back to the harbor.  It turns out they have a sailboat docked about 10 meters from Rami's slip.  Earlier, Rami and I went to a couple of marinas, looking for a new anchor, which we found, but when we tried to hook it up, we found it was just a bit too small, so we had to return it after our ride. The kids act just as they do when we go for a ride in Chautauqua; they bundle up in towels, and lay down either on the seats or floor, and don't give a twit about the view, the ocean, other boats.  I guess, unlike adults, they don't like just cruising, in fact, it must be a bit of a bore for them, just sitting there, watching the ocean and shoreline go by.  After the kids left,  Rami and I spent a half hour cleaning up his boat, an easy job as you just soap it down inside or out, and then spray it with a hose.  Tyler spent the afternoon studying; Beth is currently tutoring a good friends son in Spanish, while  Evie parboils the chicken, for out evening barbecue.  Marisa's amusing herself with FunFusion, a jar full of colored pieces of plastic, which you place next to each other, in a design of your choice or follow a template, place a special cloth over it, iron it, and voila, you have a square or triangle.  Mitch has spent most of the past two days playing with six sets of Nano Dots, magnetized balls that allow you to shape them in to various designs.

Marisa's Recital, Mitch's Games, and Chicken Wings for Dinner

Shopping at Stew Leonards

Another beautiful morning in Darien, sunny and not too hot, as we are all up but Rami.  I dropped Tyler off at the high school for the SAT subject exams in physics and math.  He has studied pretty hard for both, taking practice tests and going over some of the books on taking the exams.  He's a very serious student, wants to do well, and is not afraid to study and work hard.  The girls are playing Words with Friends, as Evie has corrupted Beth who is now enjoying the IPAD version of Scrabble.  Mornings are different these days, with me on my Mac, Evie and Beth on their IPADS, Mitch on his IPhone, and Marisa watching one of her programs.  We might occasional say something!

Mitch' game is at 10:30 so we will have to start moving soon, me to take a shower and take Cody for a walk, the rest to get ready for the day.  Marisa's recital is not till 2:00, so we will have a few hours between Mitch's game and the recital.  I have seen her group dance the past two days at rehearsal, so I may skip most of it, just driving over for Marisa's performance.

Hip Hopper in Costume

We had a great dinner last night, thin rib eyes marinated in teriyaki, cooked quickly on the grill.  They were about as good as I have had them, with rice, corn on the cob, and fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil salad.  Beth's favorite dinner as well as Tyler's and mine, I  think.

We just got back from Mitch's lacrosse game, behind the high school, and Tyler's back too with his buddy Brian after taking the SAT.  Mitch played about half the game; he could be pretty good but he doesn't much like the game.  Lots of parents, all on their blackberries or Iphones, watching their kids play.