Post Grandson And Buddies Blues

Chris, Peyton, And NicK: On The Road Again, To Kansas City

8:13

8:14

It's just about 8:00 and I have been out watering the lawn; I have been up since 6:00, not early enough to see the sunrise, as when I walked downstairs, the entire living room was drenched in sunlight.  And the bass boats were taking off, their roar heard up and down the lake.  It's another great morning, the lake a sparkling blue, a few wrinkles and at the moment, a pleasant 60º although it will get up into the mid 80's later in the day.

Sticky Buns By Nick, Chris And Peyton

Yesterday began with sadness, as the boys were up around 8:00, Peyton earlier to take a run, the other two, to swim and then pack their car.  Evie had another big breakfast ready for them and had packed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the road.  Before they left, Evie checked the room to see if they left anything behind, found Peyton's power cord for his computer but that was about it for then. Later, we found water shoes, a few other things they left behind.  So they drove off, leaving us bereft, seemingly out of gas, with nothing fun to do, nothing on our plate for the day.  So when we feel this way, especially when Evie feels this emptiness, she deals with it by getting right to work on cleaning up the house, the kitchen, the bedrooms, etc, to keep her mind off the boys hitting the road for KC.  By noon, sheets were off the beds, in the washing machine, comforters were in the yard, being aired, windows washed, and I was washing screens, straightening the yard, paddling the wake board back to our neighbors, straightening up the yard, doing some weeding and finally, taking a swim to cool off.  So that was our morning.

Blue Heron Fishing

We tended to relax some in the afternoon, though Evie always found something to do, to keep her mind busy.  I made my lunch and ate it by myself, no boys to harass or kid, and watched the Turkey/ Spain soccer game.  I also took a delicious nap, catching up a bit on sleep, talked with my good friend Ron, who is recovering from back surgery in Oxford, Maine.  And both Evie and I got some sun bathing in on the dock, though neither one of us seemed good at relaxing.  We wanted to doing something, playing bean bag, hiking the Gorge, visiting Niagara Falls.

Our Panacea

We were going to make a wok dinner of leftovers but said the heck with it.  Neither of us felt like fussing in the kitchen so I ordered a pizza from Coppola's and drove over to Bemus Point and picked it up.  We did relax on the front porch with a Manhattan, some cheese and crackers, and Evie heated up some stuffed eggplant rounds she had made earlier in the summer, to see if they were good heated up after being frozen.  They were.

Late Afternoon Shadows As Seen From Our Porch

And we noted the irony of the day, the afternoon, perhaps the nicest day in a week and the boys were not here to enjoy it.  We had our pizza, watched the seven part O. J. series on ESPN, but were not much into it though I assume we will stick with it.  By 9:30, we were both extraordinarily tired, and went up to bed, after getting a text from the boys to say they were five minutes from home.  

A happy ending to a busy and fun week with Nick, Chris, and Peyton, three extraordinary young men, ready for college, and a tribute to their parents for having raised such curious, thoughtful, gentlemen.  We hear adults our age complaining about the youth of today, wondering 'why can't they be like we were.'  Well, these guys are a welcome antidote to that way of thinking.  And thank goodness they are not like 'we were.'  They are much better than we were (at least I was)!

A final thought: we both commented on the fact that not once did we think 'isn't it about time for them to hit the road.' It was that kind of week.

Their Bags Are Packed, They're Ready To Go, Alas, (Panama Rocks)

Aloha!

5:47

5:50

An awesome morning here on the lake, a crispness in the air, most likely from the long awaited rain yesterday afternoon.  The lake is calm, a whisper of a breeze, the sun hangs in the East, behind a few clouds and the mostly blue sky.  I can hear the birds singing over NPR.  All's right in the world except the boys are leaving for home today, the end of a great week.

Famished

Our mornings have become a routine since the boys arrival.  I am up around 6:00, Evie around 6:30, then Peyton around 8:30, and he's off for a run. Yesterday, however, I went to breakfast in Bemus with the guys, then headed into Lakewood, to do some final shopping at Wegmans.  When I got home, around 10:00,  the other two were up and took a dip in the lake to wake up.  By the time they came in, Peyton was back, and breakfast was ready and we sat down to enjoy eggs, bagels, and orange juice.

Enjoying The Climb

On Top Of The World

Yesterday rain was predicted for most of the day.  Fat chance.  We decided to hike/climb the Panama Rocks, an amazing out cropping of rocks and crevasses about twenty five minutes from here.  It looked threatening out and I am sure it rained somewhere in the area but Panama Rocks was fine. The boys were not sure what to expect but once they got there, they loved it, climbing like monkeys up the rocks, in between the crevasses, some just wide enough for a single person.  The trail is circular, leading you around the bottom of the seemingly random pile of rocks, begging the hikers to climb.  Halfway through, we are on the top of the rocks, looking down at where we climbed and we had to be careful to avoid holes/crevasses, some 30 or 40 feet deep.  I am sure people have been injured and when we walked in, we had to sign a waiver that we knew the rocks could be dangerous.  We climbed for over an hour, actually working up a sweat before heading out of the woods to the car.  It was a fun way to spend a cloudy morning.

Hello

We then drove to Bemus Point, to do some shopping for souvenirs and presents.  The boys bought Evie a pair of earrings, to thank her for all her efforts this past week, especially those in the kitchen. They all seemed to have good luck finding things.

Rolling Out The Dough For Evie's Sticky Buns

When we got home, we had a quick lunch of guacamole, chips and Evie's hanky pankys.  Then it was time to make sticky buns.  All three boys were involved in flattening out of the dough, putting the cinnamon sugar on it, rolling it into a jelly roll, then cutting it and putting it in to cup cake pans. They quickly got the knack of it and each made a pan of sticky buns.

Pouring The Carmel Sauce In The Tins

While the buns were rising they went outside and played some more bean bag with Evie and I cleaned up the mess, about the only thing I am good at.  Around 4:30, they were driven in by rain.  And the first batch of rolls, Nick's, were ready to bake so Evie put them in the oven and we went into the TV room to watch some videos, one from this winter of guys kayaking down the Chautauqua Gorge in the middle of winter.  We had just hiked it the day before so it was fun for them to see it in the winter, when much of the creek was frozen, the walls covered with ice.  We waited patiently for the sticky buns to finish and were rewarded with sticky, hot buns.  Yum.  The boys loved them what else, especially since they had made them.

The Boys Are Ready For The Drive To Pine Junction

We left for Pine Junction, one of our favorite restaurants, about twenty five minutes away, set in the middle of Amish Country.  To celebrate our final dinner together, I got out my aloha shirts and both Nick and Peyton picked out one to wear.  Chris already brought a nifty one with him.  Since it was mid week, it was not very crowded, so we easily found a table, ordered drinks, onion rings for an appetizer, and all of us had burgers with either curly fries or sweet potato fries.

High Chic In Their (my) Aloha Shirts

The burgers were huge, the fries hot and good, and despite having had a couple of sticky buns an hour or two ago, all plates were empty.  We were home by 8:30, in time to see the run up to the Cavs game.  And we all stayed up to the bitter end, enjoying the Cavs victory (except for Chris, who is a Golden State fan), and awed by the spectacular performance by Lebron.  Maybe he is a God.  We went to bed tired but happy.

Pine Junction's Outdoor Patio

Its now 7:15 and the boys are still asleep.  We will give them another hour and then get them up because they want to off for KC by 9:00.  They may drive all the way, about 14 hours or, if they are tired, stay somewhere for the night.  My guess is they will drive all the way, getting home around 11:00 as long as they don't run into any traffic jams.

A Parting Shot

Winding Down (Chautauqua Gorge: Lyon/Hannah Road)

Hiking Chautauqua Gorge

Well, I just changed channels, from MSNBC to NPR to listen to something other than the pundits talk about Trump.  What a relief.  It's overcast, 61º, and perhaps the rain will come later in the day but I have my doubts.

6:00

Yesterday began like always, with Evie and me up early, too early actually, listening to the depressing news on the radio.  The virtue of radio...we don't have to look at the pundits spew their opinions. The boys and I were going off to hike the Chautauqua Gorge, so I got a few chores done before they got up, roughing up the soil after spreading grass seed (again).  Now all we need is some rain.  I cannot remember a spring this dry.  I woke the boys up around 9:30 and they jumped up out of bed (just kidding) and eventually made it downstairs to the smell of breakfast, scrambled egg sandwiches on bagels.  A good way to start their day.  Evie made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our lunch, made sure we had everything we needed for our hike, and we were off in two cars.

Da Boyz

We dropped Nick's car off at the parking lot for the Chautauqua Gorge State Park, on Hannah Road, about twenty minutes away.  We then drove my car a couple of miles south, to Lyons Road, which dead ends at the Gorge, with easy access to the creek.  We parked out car, donned our backpacks, laden with water, sandwiches and towels, and off we went.  The boys, immediately, made a game of it, trying to avoid getting wet by stepping or jumping from one rock to another.  Within five minutes, Nick took a spill on to his derriere, more embarrassed than hurt.

Before The Fall

That was the last fall of the day.  It was a good day to hike the Gorge, occasional sunshine, not too hot, the creek lower than usual, making it easier to hike along its banks.  The Gorge empties into Lake Erie, about 18 miles from where we started.  We were walking about two miles, from Lyon to Hannah Road.

Stepping Carefully

This was the first time walking this part of the creek for me, so I was excited to do it.  We took our time, enjoying the walk, the beauty of the gorge, the rushing of water, the variety of rocks, and occasional minnows, no large fish, a bird or two.  We met one person, who was walking in the opposite direction; other than him, we had the Gorge to ourselves.

Yep

We Got Rocks

It took us about an hour and a half to get to the path which led up to our car, the area we usually picnic and swim at.  The boys were quick to take off their shirts to swim, but slow to get into the 'very' cold water.  Eventually, egging each other on, they submersed themselves, swam for about 30 seconds and jumped out.  I eventually jumped in as well.  It was cold.

Seals

It's Cold

We then enjoyed our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sitting on the rocks, in the warm sun.  After lunch, the boys had had enough, so we hiked up a quarter of a mile up the Gorge to Nick's car, drove it back to Lyons Road to pick up my car, then to Mayville, where we stopped at Tops to get corn, and home.

Crossing The Creek

I was tired by the time we got home but the boys were still ready for bear and because I had mentioned that the beaches of Presque Isle, in Erie, PA, were voted Best Freshwater Beaches in the US, they decided to spend their afternoon at Presque Isle, about an hours drive.  After they left, both Evie and I collapsed, like the air being let out of a balloon, mostly because we had no one to play and enjoy after five days packed with action.  The boys texted that they would be home around 6:45, so I barbecued the chicken around 6:30, Evie cooked the noodles in chicken broth and steamed the corn and made coleslaw.  Just as I brought the chicken in, the boys drove in, perfect timing.  They were famished, having eaten only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and few snacks before dinner. Barbecued chicken, noodles, and corn is another typical summer dinner for us and the boys devoured it.  The noodles, in chicken broth, are always a favorite.

Barbecued Chicken And Noodles

After dinner, I volunteered to clean up the kitchen, so Evie and the boys went out to continue their hot games of bean bag (corn hole to those new to the game). The boys and Evie are competitive so they had many spirited games.

Early Evening Competition

Rain and darkness finally drove them inside, about 8:30, and we all settled down in the TV room and watched and old movie with Eddie Murphy called Trading Places.  We had seen it a couple of times, liked it, but it showed its age and was not as funny or interesting as we thought.  We stuck with it, had dessert mid way through, ice box pudding or ice cream.  It's too bad we didn't watch something else.  After the movie, Evie and I went up to bed, the boys stayed up watching another Fast and Furious film until?

No firm plans for today, as it depends on the weather.

It's Only WEDNESDAY?!

Kayak Krazy

5:45

6:07

Right now, it's an overcast morning although when I got up at 5:30, there was a brief sunrise, so bright that I had to leave the porch and go inside.  At the moment, the sky off to the east is mottled, a gray and cream, like a Pollock, dripping colors on a canvas.  It's 49º and will warm up considerably by the end of the day.  Today, Wednesday, we walk the Chautauqua Gorge, something we have been planning since the boys arrived because 'it was supposed to be sunny all day.'  It isn't, of course, and there's a slight chance of rain later in the day.  We should be fine.

Tuesday was another spectacular day on the lake, smooth and calm early, a light breeze during the afternoon, then settling down around 6:00, just in time for our cruise.  As usual, Evie and I were up early, and I drove off to both Home Depot and the grocery store to get things done before the boys woke up.  When I got back, they had just come in from a morning swim and were ready for another big breakfast.  They set the table outside and Evie brought out the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese, along with bagels.  They devoured every bit of the dozen eggs and bagels and were ready for bear.

Paddling To Snug Harbor

We saddled four kayaks around 10:45 and paddled off to Snug Harbor and Prendergast Creek.  The creek winds it way for miles, first past a marina, then a few homes, and finally mostly farmlands. The boys thought it was something out of a Florida swamp; it reminded me of the movie DELIVERANCE.   It was sunny and warm so the boys were shirtless, wanting to get savage tans. We paddled out for an hour, crossing under the bridge at #394 and paddling until the water became too shallow.  I then let the boys head back on their own, as they were like puppies, racing and splashing each other much of the way. I took my time winding out of the creek, as they forged ahead.  As I was paddling out, I noticed a duck, paddling madly ahead of me, as if she could not fly.  This went on for about 30 yards until we paddled around a corner, then she flew back over my head.  I realized, then, she was just leading me away from her babies.  When I finally glided out of the creek, the boys were out in the middle of the lake, jumping in the lake to cool off, not understanding how difficult it is to get back in a kayak without filling it with water. They finally realized they had to help each other by holding the kayak so it would not tip.  We were home by 1:00, not quite a two hour paddle.

Nick's Got It

Acrobatics

The Old Man Ain't Got It

They were hot to try wind surfing and paddle boarding (our neighbors let us borrow their board), so we set up the windsurfer, with some effort, as I had forgotten at first how to rig it.  And Chris went down and paddled the paddle board back to our dock.  And for the next three or four hours, with a break for a lunch of hot dogs, soup, and sandwiches, the boys struggled with learning how to windsurf.  I have to say they showed extraordinary patience, as each would stand up, start out and fall, and repeat this over and over, for at least 20 or 30 minutes, then let the next one try it.  The wind was changeable though not too strong,  but it made it difficult to stay up.  The worst part was they always ended up floating down a couple of docks, and it's an onerous task to paddle it back to our dock.  In years past, other neophytes have ended up a quarter of a mile away, in the reeds, and I would have to rescue them in my boat.

Chris Almost Has It

Go Peyton

Chris...Hand Standing or Grand Standing 

We did take a brief break, as mentioned for lunch around 2:30, and I was able to make some time to spread more soil, getting the areas ready for grass seed.  We then went back out on the dock, as all three tried wind surfing again until Nick and Chris decided to go in and play bean bag. I stayed out with Peyton, as he worked and worked it, for at least forty five minutes, finally getting some sea legs. These struggles reminded me of my first summer with a wind surfer, probably back in the early 1980's.  My neighbors remember me struggling all summer, often in the middle of the lake, standing and falling, until I finally learned how to sail it.

Chris And Nick, Competitors

Peyton Wind Surfs, Chris And Nick Bean Bag It

We were having juicy lucys and homemade french fries for dinner, so Evie had gotten the burgers ready while we were kayaking.  And the boys were happy to cut the fries, using our handy Jumbo Potato Cutter.  So after an afternoon of bean bag and windsurfing, we decided to take a cruise down the lake, to Prendergast Point, across to the Viking Club and home.  It was a bit choppy and windy going but settled down on the way back.  The boys, like us, seem to enjoy a slow going on the lake, just enjoying being on the water, the sun, and talking.  They sure are easy and fun to be with, always game, enthusiastic and helpful.

Can't Wait For Juicy Lucys And Fries

We didn't get back until 7:30, time for Evie to put a final fry on the potatoes while Nick and I grilled the hamburgers.  By 8:00, everyone was starved and we sat down under the trees, to a real American dinner, burgers and fries.  The guys filled their plates with fries, leaving just enough room for their burger and all three went back for a second burger, more fries so by the time we were finished, only three of twelve burgers were left and a smattering of five pounds of potatoes.  We then spent about 15 minutes cleaning up the yard, putting away the wind surfer, the bean bag boards, and straightening the yard.

Juicy Lucy, Up Close And Personal

We were all anxious to get back to My So Called Life, so we watched the next episode until 10:00 and then had a time out for dessert, Evie's ice box pudding which she had made while we were kayaking.  It was great of course, with chocolate mousse, angel food cake and whipped cream, a family favorite.  We then watched another episode until 11:00 when Evie and I were ready to fall over so we went up to bed.  As we were trying to fall asleep, the last thing we heard were a couple of splashes in the lake, as Nick and Chris took their nightly constitutional, a quick dip in the lake.  A nice way for them to end the day.

It Looks Like A Fine Day On Chautauqua Lake (with the boys)

Niagara Falls Day Trip

Starting Their Morning With A Jump In The Lake

7:00

It's 7:30 and both Evie and I are up, listening to MSNBC's Conservative Republican talk show host, Joe Scarborough, talk about Donald Trump's most current lies, suggesting Obama's to blame for the Orlando attack, his ridiculous banning of Washington Post writers on his campaign, and his nutty conspiracy theories.  Just when you think he cannot say something more ridiculous, he topped it yesterday with some of the things he alleged about the Orlando massacre.   I just hope his voters are listening to him, to what he's really saying, using their reason, not emotion, putting aside his fear mongering.  That being said, what a contrast between the recent events in the world and the quiet, spectacular morning here at the lake.  It can only fill us with gratitude and unhappiness that so many others are denied this kind of morning, our good life.

It's a chilly 50º at the moment, a high later in the day of 73º, mostly sunny, a good day for boating, just hanging out at the lake.  The boys are still sleeping of course and we don't expect them up until 10:00 or later as they stayed up last night to watch the Cavs gutsy victory over Golden State.

KC Boys At The Falls

Going On Fifty One Years Together

Yesterday was a long day trip to Niagara Falls.  It started earlier than usual, as we got the boys up at 8:30 and they took a quick swim, and soaping and hair washing in the lake.  They have vowed to take their showers every day in the lake, keeping a final shower in the house for Friday.  Good boys.  Evie made them pancakes for breakfast, hoping to fill them up until lunch.  We left around 9:45 and Nick, Chris and Peyton played a word game most of the two hour ride to Niagara Falls.  The ride is scenic the first forty minutes, until we hit the New York Freeway, then interesting the last forty, as we drove through Buffalo, past vast vacant steel mills, then across bridges to Grand Island, then eventually to Niagara Falls.  As we drove into the park area, the boys were shocked by the tackiness of the area surrounding the falls, shops, hotels, most unattractive.  Such is the Niagara Falls of today.  We parked easily, stopped at the Visitors Center, got our map and then spent the next couple of hours hiking along the edge of  the falls, out to Goat Island, with hordes of tourists, the majority Asian.  It is a lovely area, park, great for walking, as we could get close to the strong currents of the Niagara River, as it rushed towards the two falls. The first glimpse of the falls is the best, a sense of awe, but as the day progresses, the water and falls become normal, the way it is and we soon got tired of it.  So we settled in the park, in the shade of a tree, overlooking the river and falls and had our lunch which Evie had packed.  Anything Evie seems to make the boys love, and they thought her salami, turkey, and ham sandwiches were the among the best they have ever had.

Pondering Nature's Beauty, Man's Experiments in Architectural Insignificance

Peace Bridge And Buds

Nick brought along a mini basketball, which they continued to play with, making me wonder how long it would be before they lost it to the falls or river.  They did have some fun after lunch bowling for pigeons before we walked in the other direction, past the falls, along the rim of the now seemingly quiet Niagara River.  We could have walked for miles along the rim, in fact, I have ridden it on my bike for miles a couple of years ago.  We walked far enough to attempt throwing the ball against the wall of the Peace Bridge, to see if it would bounce back to us.  It didn't and fell hundreds of feet down to the Niagara River, alas.  With the ball gone, it was time to go home with a final view from the long balcony, which hangs out from the Maid Of The Mist building, with a great view of the falls.  Both Evie and I were surprised at the boys showing no interest in taking the boat ride.  Perhaps if we had gone the first thing during our visit, they might have done it.  But by 2:00, they had enough and so we drove home, lucky to avoid the rush hour traffic.  We stopped in Fredonia at our favorite Italian deli to get some Italian bread and stretch our legs.  We got home around 4:30, and the three of them went immediately upstairs to their rooms, to talk or text to family, friends and girlfriends.  They were obviously tired as were Evie and I so we relaxed for an hour or so.  Luckily, Evie had a baked ziti frozen, had taken it out in the morning, so all she had to do was make a bechamel sauce for the top, put it in the oven for an hour, make some garlic bread, broccoli and a salad, and we had dinner.

Dinner, I have to admit, was great.  The boys devoured the baked ziti, the best Evie's ever made. Chris said it was the best pasta dish he's ever had, and Nick thinks Evie could be a five star chef.  I think they like her cooking.  We listened to a Jack Johnson album, a singer both Chris and Evie and I really like. The boys did up the dishes and then the four went out and played some competitive bean bag games until it got dark.  I relaxed inside, letting them have their fun because Peyton and I had played two games before dinner.  Our games were close but no cigar for Peyton!

Bean Baggers

We decided to watch an episode of My So Called Life and tape the Cavs game so we could rush through the commercials.  It's fun to sit with them as they watch this teen series, listening to them laugh with understanding of the angst of both Claire, a fifteen year old girl, with a crush on Jordan, as well as the difficulty of being a parent.  Clearly, this series still speaks to teenagers, even 20 years later.  Peyton then went up to bed, tired from his early run and the day.  Evie and I stayed up and watched the first half of the Cavs game, then went to bed, leaving Chris and Nick to finish up and bring home a winner.

It's 8:30 as I finish, Peyton's up and out for a run, the other two are sleeping. Evie's been busy, getting food organized for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And I am off to do some shopping before everyone is up and at'em.