After The Storm

6:35

6:41

6:42

6:44

It's a cool, clear morning on the lake, hardly a cloud in the sky and a pleasant 59º.  What a difference from yesterday's sticky 82º in the morning.  The difference was the storm that came through yesterday afternoon, clearing out the hot, moist air, whipping through our willow tree, knocking down a few branches, lots of twigs covering our yard.

Six Foot Tall Jerusalem Artichoke Window Art

Yesterday started out sunny and warm, so I got in a paddle before driving off to yoga at 9:30 another good class with Julie.  On the way home, I stopped at Save A Lot, picked up some black beans for making soup, a Goya 16 bean soup mix (I have always wanted to try it) and some grapes for Evie. When I drove in, the folding cargo carrier I had ordered from Sam's Club was sitting on our back porch.   We took apart the carrier, to see what it looked like but it was so heavy we could hardly pick it up and it would be a real chore to put it on the hitch on the back of my Outback.  So I will be taking it back to Sam's Club, probably today.  It was a good idea, a carrier to take the place of my Honda Pilot but it's not going to work.

Evie made me an omelet for lunch, with tomatoes and pita and I watched more of Friday Night Lights while Evie did some things around the house.  She ended up talking with her step Mom Dot who lives in Scottsdale catching up.  Around 1:30, I drove through threatening skies to Westfield, where I was having my annual echo cardiogram done.  It ended up taking close to an hour, mostly because of the technician and I hit it off and we talked a good part of the time.  While the procedure was getting done, we both heard lots of thunder but could not see if it rained.  When I left, it was obvious that it rained pretty hard.

Should I Stop?

Yep

Rolling Out The Pie Crusts

 I stopped at Portage Pie in Westfield, picked up a cherry pie for Evie then headed home, hoping to stop at the Lighthouse Grocery to pick up some chips and dip.  Unfortunately, the Lighthouse was closed, as the power was off.  I could see why as a tree had fallen on the power lines, across the street from The Artist's Loft.  I was able to get through as the fire department was organizing traffic.

When I got home, I was shocked to see a couple of large willow branches down in our parking area and both our yard and our neighbor's yard littered with mostly small branches from the tree.  Evie and our neighbors were out cleaning up the mess.  So I took the pie in, changed my clothes and went out to help.  It took Evie and me almost an hour to clean up the yard and take the branches up the hill.  And we have yet to tackle the large downed branches in the parking area.  That will be today or tomorrow's chore.

7:18 pm

7:31 pm

7:57

We decided to have an easy dinner and a long wine time, so we got out the brie laced blue cheese, some crackers and sat listening to the news, then music, wondering if we would have another storm as predicted.  It was amazing to watch the sky slowly change from blue to threatening.  Just before 8:00, the wind picked up, it started to pour and we picked up wine and appetizers and rushed off the porch.  Fortunately, most of the storm passed around us and it rained for only a few minutes.

 We had the leftover Cuban sandwiches for dinner and watched the final episode of THE TUNNEL  It's a good series, worth watching.  We then waited up until 10:00, waiting for the Trump Circus to begin in Phoenix.  I could only take about 15 minutes of his vitriol, the crowd's cheering and jeering before going up to read.  Evie, unfortunately, stayed up watching the entire hate speech, the pundits that followed and could not get to sleep until 1:00 she was so worked up and upset by both Trump and the reaction of his supporters, reminding both of us of something out of a Hitleresque rally.

Better Together

6:38

6:39

6:40

6:41

6:47

I slept in if you call getting up at 6:20 sleeping in.  A partly pink sky welcomed me and by 6:40, the orange sphere, similar to yesterday's sun during the eclipse, rose over Long Point, literally directly across from our front door.  I could look at it because of the light cloud cover or haze, which gives it the orange glow rather than blinding light.  It's already a sticky and warm 71º, a harbinger of another hot one.  And the predicted rain will only make it more humid.  It's almost 9:00 and I just returned from a quick kayak paddle.  As I returned, flocks of both purple martins and barn swallows swooped over my head, our dock, both still hanging around until the babies fledge before heading South.  They seem much later this year, perhaps two or three weeks behind.

Morning Paddle To Long Point

Yesterday, despite being the beginning of year 53 together, was fairly normal.  I got in an early kayak then off to Yin yoga with the gang of gals.  Class size is slowly lessening, as the summer wanes.  I had no plans to stop anywhere, unusual, so I came straight home.  And what was Evie going when I got home to celebrate this special day?  Giving the downstairs bathroom a deep cleaning.  Love that girl.

It was a hot and humid day, so much so that neither of us was too keen on going out on our dock to enjoy the afternoon.  As Evie finished cleaning, I heated up my lunch, some leftover garlic spinach, and a kofte, just enough to hold off my hunger.  And I began to watch another episode of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  I think I may have close to 60 episodes to go to finish the series.  It will keep me occupied during lunch for the next month.  I then started to read but quickly fell asleep just after 1:00 since I was up at 5:00.  I was awakened by my phone.  It was my buddy Ron to say that their eclipse glasses had arrived from Amazon and they had a couple of extra pairs if we wanted them.  We did so Evie drove over to their house and picked them up and brought them home.  We then spent the next hour and a half either outside, looking up at the sky and Evie even went out in the kayak to see if she had a better view.  I also watched the eclipse from Oregon which was amazing to view even on TV.  We were a bit disappointed because we hardly noticed any change in the afternoon light during the partial eclipse, as you have to be in the path of the eclipse if it turns to night. Anyways, it gave us something fun to do during the afternoon rather than hit the dock.  And mid afternoon, Evie got to do one of her favorite things, mow the lawn in the sweltering afternoon heat. She did, intelligently, take a break before finishing.

Boating Home After A Celebratory Dinner At The Viking Club

Since we were having our six course anniversary dinner at the Viking Club, we wanted to leave early by boat because it is not always easy to find a spot to dock our boat.  So we were in our boat by 5:30 and took an easy cruise over to the club, getting there just before 6:00. And as predicted, we got the last spot to dock our boat, as others were also there early to get a spot.  When we walked in, we were lucky to get the last two seats at the bar and best of all, it was next to a couple we have become friends with over the past two years, Dana and Barb who live in Bemus Point on the lake.  We talked with them for a good half hour despite the fact they were ready to leave when we arrived.  After they left, we ordered our Cubans, a classic Chautauqua Lake sandwich.  I kidded Evie about taking her out for a six-course anniversary dinner: beer, popcorn, Cuban, chips, pickle, and Turtle lasagna for dessert.  And to be honest, we both prefer boating to the club, having a Cuban, sitting at the bar with friends, to an expensive restaurant, our blue collar roots I suppose.  We left about 7:30 and as we walked out on the dock, we ran into one of my yoga friends, Sunny, and her husband, as well as Pete, another Thursday morning breakfast guy.  Small world.  We took a nice slow cruise home, in no hurry to dock on a particularly pleasant evening on the lake.

When we got back, I  put the cover on our boat (it's supposed to rain today), and Evie got our dessert, the chocolate turtle lasagna ready.  We ate our almost too rich dessert as we watched two more episodes of THE TUNNEL, with one more to go tonight.  We can't wait.

Fifty Two Years (In A Blur)

This Is Us...Friends For 57 Years

6:04

6:17

7:39

 It was an interesting way to start the morning, with our fire alarm going off, once, at 5:00 for some unknown reason.  It happened a month or two ago as well, one alert, then it stopped.  That was it for me although I tried to get back to sleep.  The unexpected thunder and lightning did not help.  So I came downstairs at 5:15, turned on the coffee and laid down on our porch's couch, to watch the lightning show and listen to the 30 seconds of rain if that.  I finally came in, turned on my computer, Sonos radio, got my coffee and my morning began.  I did get a photo of a heron, then took a half hour paddle to Long Point and back, always a good way to start the day.

A Stately Blue Heron

The Most Recent Dahlia

Yesterday was another nice lake day, lots of sun, a cooling breeze and as a result, a very busy lake as everyone seemed to be out in their boat, including us.  Saturday late we had received an email from our friend Charlie, telling us that his Jazz Band would be playing Dixieland music at the Chautauqua Institution's Firehouse, during their weekly barbecued chicken sale.  So we decided to take the boat over to the CI, leaving around 10:30, after a leisurely Sunday morning coffee and perusing of the New York Times and the local paper.  It was a super day to be on the lake, blue skies, deep blue lake.

At CI, Chance Meeting With Our Neighbor, Bill

We docked the boat among the weeds at the CI dock, then walked up and listened to the Chautauqua choir sing in the magnificent new amphitheater which looks just like the old one, though newly built and structurally sound with all the technology and new space necessary for the orchestra and the bands that perform.  We walked through Bestor Plaza, filled with tents getting ready a Food Festival because this week's theme is AT THE TABLE: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD. In fact, famous chef Jacques Pepin will be speaking this morning at 10:45 to start the week.

The Dixieland Band

We were able to easily find a seat at the table in the Fire Hall and listened for the next hour to Dixieland music.   Two good friends played in the band, Charlie, the leader, who invited us and Fred, the tuba player and basketball friend.  There were maybe 25 people listening as well as people walking by.  The group is made up of guys mostly in their 70's, some in their 80's, all accomplished musicians and they clearly have great fun playing together.  We stayed till the end, talked briefly with both Fred and Charlie before walking back down to the dock and cruising home, marveling at the number of boats and kayaks out on the lake.

Charlie Playing the Fogle Horn

Fred And His Tuba

I was hungry, of course, when we got home so Evie made me a menemen, a Turkish omelet with tomatoes and feta cheese along with a toasted bagel.  I ate and watched the end of the movie THE FRENCH CONNECTION which I had started yesterday and Evie went out on the dock, taking advantage of another great dock day.  After the movie, I read some of CHURCHHILL AND ORWELL, fell asleep for a half hour then joined Evie on the dock.  Once again we were treated to a seaplane taking off and landing.

Taking Off

Another Parked On The Shore

It was parked about a quarter of a mile away at a rental place called Chestnut Hill, a huge estate that used to be a bed and breakfast but is now a rental property for up to 25 people at 500 bucks a day (or so we've heard), not a bad price for lots of people.

7:05 PM

Before we took another booze cruise over to Bemus, we put together some Turkish lamb meatballs, spicing them up nicely with various Turkish peppers.  We then mosied over to Bemus and back, as the lake boats were beginning to thin out as the weekenders were heading home.  It was a good way to end the afternoon.  When we got home, I browned some pita and grilled the koftes outside and Evie made a salad and sauteed some garlic spinach to go with our dinner.  We watched two more episodes of THE TUNNEL and both of us are really into it.  We have three episodes to go.  We had peaches and ice cream for dessert before heading up to bed.

Tonight, to celebrate our 52nd anniversary, I am taking my bride out to the Viking Club, for a beer and a Cuban sandwich. What a guy.

Leisurely Sunday

6:35

6:42

6:43

6:44

6:48

6:55

A muted sunrise at 6:37, the sun an orange ball over Long Point but now, at 8:00, it's bright and shiny, above the clouds, making it difficult to look out at the lake.  It's a quiet morning on the lake, a few boats but no action.

Our Most Recent Arrival

Yesterday, a Saturday, is a blur, mostly because neither of us did much.  We had a long, leisurely coffee, trying to decide what to do with ourselves when to get up and start moving.  Finally, we decided to move and Evie cleaned up the kitchen dishes from the previous evening and I got the trash ready to take to the Transfer Station. When I got back, we pumped ourselves up and went kayaking over to Long Point Bay and back despite the threatening skies, arriving home just as it was about to rain, good timing. That was about it for the day.  Around 12:30, Evie asked if I might want a BLT for lunch, a wonderful suggestion as it's about my favorite sandwich, especially with good tomatoes.  So I had one and a half sandwiches, Evie the other quarter and we sat down and started watching another episode of Friday Night Lights, which we had started a month ago with our granddaughter Halle but stopped when the gang arrived.  It's a trip back in time, to a seeming simpler life, when all we had to worry about was the football game on Friday night.  Nostalgia is a dangerous emotion.

Seaplane Landing

After lunch and the TV show, Evie decided that her days on the dock are numbered, summer's waning and it was unusually quiet on the lake, so she gathered her iPhone, book, water, towels, and went out to enjoy the afternoon.  I read for a bit, took a nice nap, again, and then joined her for an hour. We were entertained by a couple of seaplanes, landing and taking off literally in front of our neighborhood.  I soon get bored and wanted something to do, thought of riding my bike but since I got rid of my Pilot, I have no way to take my bike over to Bemus unless I get a bike rack.  So I settled on the couch in the TV room around 4:00 and watched a classic cop show from the 1970's, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, with Gene Hackman and Roy Schneider.  It's still pretty good though dated and probably a film that could not be made today because it's not politically correct.  I got through the famous endless car chase and then had to shower because we were going out to dinner in Jamestown.

Celebrating Our Anniversaries at Brazils

Linda and Ron picked us up just after 6:00, as both of us were celebrating anniversaries and we wanted to do it up right.  So we stopped first at Brazil's Craft Beer And Wine Bar on 4th street, for a beer and a bowl of pretzels, a buck fifty surcharge which miffed me.  They used to be gratis.  We enjoyed our beers, sitting at the bar, before walking over to Forte, Jamestown's best restaurant and got seats at the window in the bar, our usual.  We had the same waitress we have had over the past few years and everyone ordered the bar special, a steak, beer, potato and salad for 14 bucks but me.  I had Stuffed Pork Chop Saltimbocca, with prosciutto, fontina cheese, and sage stuffing.  It looked amazing and was pretty darn good.  I was the envy of the table.   We were home by 9:30, happy with our special night out on 'the town.'

Another Good Day At The Lake!

6:13

7:13

7:56

I was up just after 6:00, to a partly cloudy sky, a cooler 63º.  I looked out the window to see another blue heron feeding in our neighbor's shallows.  I knew if he noticed any movement, he would take off so I was careful to walk out into the side yard to take a couple of photos until I made one move too many and he flew off.

Early Morning Heron Watch

For some reason, yesterday for both of us felt like Saturday, go figure.  It's often that way when you are retired and one day is not much different from the next and the weekend is all week long.  I skipped yoga because I had pulled something in my lower back doing something stupid and wanted to rest it for a few days. So the morning seemed longer and more relaxed because I did not have to be on my way by 9:30.  Our first decision most mornings, after writing the blog, is what to have for dinner and did I need to go shopping?  Well, we both hit upon one of our favorites and were in agreement that scallops would hit the spot.  We had most of the makings but I needed to go to Home Depot to pick up a few things, so I might as well stop at Wegman's next door and pick up a few other things.

I was off by 10:30 on a sticky morning, and stopped at Ryder's Cup in Lakewood for a coffee and picked up a couple of dozen eggs and I stopped in the book store and bought a book by a neighbor and acquaintance Rollie Kidder called BACKTRACKING IN BROWN WATER, about his experiences in returning to Vietnam 40 years after having been deployed.  I then headed to Home Depot with a stop at Evans, to pick up a bottle of booze and some wine then onto Home Depot where I am getting to know the greeter because I seem to go there once a week and he is always helpful, sending me to the right aisle this time to pick up some anti vole/mole granules. I also checked out the perennials but none were on sale.  I then did a quick run through Wegman's and once again picked the wrong line.  Cest la vie when shopping.  On the way home I stopped at Harbor Freight to look at a cargo carrier which connects to the hitch on the back of my Outback.  Lots of choices, of course, and I am not even sure if I need one.

When I got back, Evie was ready to hit the dock, after all, we thought it was Saturday, a day of large leisure.  I had lunch, finishing up the matzo ball soup and leftover chicken sausage from the night before and watched the final episode of OZARK which ended as I thought, without an ending, more a trailer for the next season which I assume will come.  I started a recent book called CHURCHILL & ORWELL and it has much relevance to today's world of anti-liberal democracies.  I am liking it because both are beacons of individual rights, with an emphasis on freedom and democracy.  One of Orwell's quotations seemed particularly relevant: "When a man has a black faee, suspicion is proof,"

Neighbors: Sue, Kurt, Their Sons, Zack and Luke

After reading and my nap, I joined Evie, just as the heavy winds blew our umbrella off its perch into the water, forcing Evie to jump in and swim after it.  We then relaxed in the mixture of sun, when we needed shade, and shade when we needed a towel to keep warm.  Our neighbors, Kurt and Sue, pulled up with their two teenage sons and we talked with them for a half hour.  One son, Zack, lives now in Euclid, our hometown, where he's in a coop program where he works a half day and goes to school half day, paid for by his company, a good deal.  And  Luke, their 16-year-old son, is a junior and plays basketball for St. Francis in Hamburg, New York.  It was fun catching up with them since they rarely get down to the lake these days because they are so busy.  We hope to catch one of Luke's basketball games.

The Chautauqua Belle Cruises By Our Dock

After they pulled away, I scrubbed my boat's hull, trying to get all the algae and dirt off.  We both then went for a swim, went in and put on dry clothes, grabbed a glass of wine and some pita chips and back out to the dock and spent forty-five minutes enjoying the late afternoon until it was time to go in and put together dinner.  It was a lovely evening and the weekenders had yet to arrive so the lake was quiet.

Around 7:00, Evie got dinner going, boiling the linguine, searing the scallops, then sauteeing shallots and garlic, then added vermouth, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice.  Once the noodles were done, Evie added the scallops, sauce, and parmesan cheese.  In between preparing the scallops and boiling the noodles, Evie put together a salad and heated up some sourdough rolls, to compliment our scallops.  Quite a dinner and it's no wonder it's a favorite.  We watched two more episodes of THE TUNNEL and like it more and more especially since we found how to put on sub titles, making it easier to understand the British accents.  We ended the evening with peaches and ice cream, a great way to end the day.

Half Inch Rain

6:21

6:32

6:33

6:38

7:10

7:22

Rising too early lately, at 5:45 this morning to a mottled sky of gray.  And the sky kept beckoning me, with its changing canvas until it turned to gray and overcast around 7:15.  But now, at 7:50, the sun has risen above the clouds, its reflection spreading on the lake.  It's a sticky 72º already but should not get much warmer as the day progresses.

Early Morning Skiing 

Yesterday was a sad, depressing day for me as I had to retire (junk) by 2004 Honda Pilot.  We thought it just needed new tie rods but further, inspection showed the entire sub frame was rusted through and could not be fixed.  I have been dreading this day as I use the Pilot like a truck, hauling dirt, stones, weeds, sea weed, etc, and I did not have to worry about getting it dirty.  So today, I drive down to my mechanic, hand over the title and he will give me a measly 250 bucks.  I suppose I might be able to get more from it but I don't want the hassle and I certainly don't want to drive it.  So we are down to two cars like most families I guess or most privileged white families like us.

After I found this out, I went to yoga class, a crowded one but had to leave early because I was getting two tires put on my 2000 Honda Accord.  That took about forty-five minutes but it enabled me to go through the Pilot and see if I had left anything of usefulness in its various pukas, Hawaiian for holes or pouches.  Before I got home, I stopped at Reverie Creamery and picked up a nice buttery blue cheese,  soft like a brie and a baguette to assuage my depression.  Now I am ready to marshall on like a good boy.

I had the leftover matzo ball soup for lunch and watched the rest of the penultimate episode of Ozark, a grisly episode, as a couple of rednecks get their comeuppance.  I have one episode to go and have no idea how the series can pull everything thing together for a sense of closure.  Perhaps it will end with the idea that the series will continue next year, a cop out actually.  The rest of the afternoon I read and napped, then did some work in the yard, helping Evie and carting weeds up the hill.

We were looking forward to wine time because we had the blue cheese and baguette for an appetizer and we hoped when we sat on our porch, that it would rain.  And it did, reluctantly, as we waited there,  the sky darkening, the rain occasionally pelting the lake.  We listened to the news, then music, until it started to get dark and we got hungry.  Evie browned a couple of chicken sausages and leftover potatoes.  And we had a couple ears of corn a piece to complete our dinner.  We watched a couple of Vice News as well as the major channel's coverage of the tragic terrorist attack in Barcelona.  What a world we are bequeathing to our grandchildren.