First Blue Heron Sighting Of Spring

Blue Heron In Spring

6:17

8:21

I was up at 6:00, to a quiet morning on the lake, the stillness, unnerving, not a ripple on the lake.  And as I begin this,  a loon shrieks a couple of times off in the distance.  It's 44º, the same as yesterday morning at this time and the clouds should dissipate by late morning,   It's 8:30 and I have been out on the lake for an hour.  I had my first glimpse and photo of a blue heron, really exciting.  I also followed a wood duck to the shore but he was able to camouflage himself so well I could not find him even with my binoculars.  And, unfortunately, I saw my first barn swallow, yet there still seem to be no purple martins. 

Kayak Morning

Migrating Ruddy Ducks

Female Red Breasted Merganser

Yesterday was a quiet Easter for us, as we hung out at home most of the day, missing our families in Virginia, Texas, and Missouri.  I wonder where they got the idea to move so far away from home!   I was up early, of course, and got a long paddle in before it started to rain (but it never did).  After breakfast and finishing the blog with Evie, I did little, watched some basketball saved from the night before.  Around 11:00, I decided to go a walk around the Chautauqua Institution.  Evie, unfortunately, was suffering from a headache that would not go away so she stayed home and went upstairs to bed to see if that might help. 

My walk around the CI was fine and as is the case this time of the year, it's like walking in a ghost town, as I met one person on my walk.  I circled the grounds, just about a three-mile walk, taking just about an hour. It felt good to get a walk in because I have not been out recently, mostly going to yoga. It is fun to watch the building that goes on in the CI during the Spring, Winter and Fall as invariably, there is a teardown and a new house going up. And it's rare that we can remember the looks of the house that was torn down. 

When I returned home, Evie was still napping so I made my breakfast, a menemen, basically a Turkish omelet with tomatoes and feta cheese.  It's easy and always good, reminding me of my days drinking beer with Turkish friends in the Cicek Pasaj, the flower passage.  We would always order a menemen and on my last visit there, the cook took me upstairs in his tiny kitchen and showed me how to make one. 

Evie felt better in the afternoon, relaxing and watching some basketball with me as I switched between three games saved from Saturday.  I soon got bored and returned to my book, to Evie's relief and she watched a movie we both had seen before,

Around 5:30 we garnered up enough mojo to make our dinner.  I pulled out the rack of lamb and Evie made a rub for it, with olive oil, parsley, and garlic.  It's an easy cut of meat to make, just brown the rack in a pan for three or four minutes, then put it in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 130º.  Evie made a salad, warmed up some bread and I heated up some leftover mashed potatoes.  So we had an easy Easter dinner and ate it while watching our new series, Rake, which we are really enjoying.  And since there was little else we wanted to watch on TV, we ended up watching four episodes, finishing season one. 

Color Easter Gray

7:54

9:40

It's 7:30 as I start my blog, having been up since 6:30.  It's overcast but not raining, a chilly 44º and may get up to 50º as days are cooling off for a bit.  No boats or waterfowl that I notice, just a gray, ruffled lake, with what look like rain clouds hanging over the Bemus shore.

Kayak Morning

It's 9:20 and I have been out kayaking for close to an hour, down to the Power Boat Club and back.  I scared off a raft of at least 20 mergansers, a few grebes, wood ducks, a kingfisher, and a pair of Canadian geese, sitting on the end of Joe and Betsy's dock.

A Honky Pair

Hooded Mergansers

Yesterday was not our typical Saturday, as we did not do much because of the weather early, laziness late.  My day began in a drizzle and a long kayak paddle, with amazing photos of wood ducks.  I was excited.  When I returned home, I wrote the blog, Evie picked out the photos and improved them and we then published the blog.  That done, it was time to get organized in the kitchen and Evie went through the refrigerator to see if anything needed to be thrown out.  I then drove to the Transfer Station to get rid of the trash and my work was done for the day, literally.

A Colorful Male Wood Duck

By the time I returned home, it was almost lunchtime.  Evie was getting ready to drive to the Y and do some shopping so I popped the leftover linguini and asparagus into the microwave and had a tasty dinner in three minutes.  I finished up my series, BAD BLOOD, surprised how quickly it ended.  I then read some of my new book, THE DIVIDED SPY, the third in the Thomas Kell thrillers from Charles Cummins.  I took my nap as the day began to clear.  After my nap, I decided to walk out on the dock and get in some zen fishing but ended up lying down and getting some sun for a half hour.  I walked back to the house just as Evie was returning, having stopped at Wegman's to pick up some prescriptions and a few items.

We then relaxed by watching some movies or reading until it was time for dinner.  Evie had earlier gotten half of a pizza out of the freezer, so all she needed to do was saute some mushrooms, heat up the pizza and make a salad.  The pizza tasted like it had just come from Coppola's, especially with the sauteed mushrooms to top it off.  We watched a Colbert, some of the news then finished the night with two more episodes of RAKE.

A Raft Of Wood Ducks

Wood Duck Gathering

Conferencing

Happy Together

It's 8:38 as I start my blog, having just returned from 50-minute kayaking.  It was overcast and cool though not raining, a boring paddle until I happened upon a raft of wood ducks, waddling along the shoreline next to the Victoria Creek.  Exciting.  I have been up since 6:30, to gray skies and rain which let up just as I went out to paddle.  We received over an inch of rain in the last 24 hours and it's supposed to rain both today as well as tomorrow, Easter Sunday.

7:03

7:21

Yesterday I was fortunate to get in a good paddle before the rains arrived.  After the kayaking, coffee, breakfast and finishing the blog, I left for yoga with Julie, always a good class.  We have become good friends since she began yoga with me seven years ago and interestingly, she grew up on Woodlawn, her family having a summer house.  After class, I was tempted by a coffee but twice a week seems enough so I came straight home.

Kayak Morning

When I returned home, Evie was relaxing, having had a bad night.  It's no fun when you can't get a good night's sleep.  Lunch was easy, ramen and a bagel with cream cheese and tomatoes and I watched another episode of BAD BLOOD, as Declan decides to undermine the Mafia Boss.  Maybe.  I then spent the afternoon reading, napping, reading, and listening to the rain.  I also have been saving the NBA playoff games so I watched the Golden State/Clippers game in the afternoon, always fun because of Stephen Curry's amazing shooting.

Around 5:00, Evie started prepping the vermouth/lemon sauce for our scallops.  Once that was done, we relaxed with a glass of wine, then put a pot of linguini on the stoved for ten minutes.  We combined the sauce and scallops with the linguini and romano cheese and we had a delicious dinner, with a salad and Portuguese roll.  We watched a Colbert or two, then two episodes of a series on Netflix called RAKE, recommended by Linda and Ron.   It follows a quirky lawyer, behind on his taxes, in debt to his bookies but he always seems to win his case.  Plus it's often funny and has lots of nudes scenes.  What more could we want?

Fog And Quiet On The Lake

6:46

Purple Martin House At 7:27

It's 7:00, the fog has disappeared and only the quiet remains.  I was up a half hour ago, watched a fishing boat cruise by but for now, it's only an occasional duck.  Although it's overcast, there is some color off to the south. Just a few minutes ago, I saw the first purple martin scout of Spring, alight on our house and view the apartments.  It's now 8:40 and I have just returned from kayaking in a light drizzle, and it's always a good paddle if I get a photo of a wood duck even though I missed one of a hawk.

Kayak Morning

Wood Duck Saileth

Yesterday I sensed the first whiff of summer, as the temperatures rose into the 70's and I was able to wear a tee shirt outside when working.  I did not kayak because it was a windy day, ruffling the lake, even blowing the leaves around while I raked.  I left for yoga at 9:40 and left class feeling good, one of the reasons for going I suppose.  I stopped at Sav A Lot and picked up some buttermilk for Evie then came home.  While was gone, Evie had been busy, my lunch was ready, a Rueben sandwich warming in the oven.  I knew that it was time to put the purple martin house up, so I got out my waders, fastened the house on a pole and carried it out to the lake's edge.  First, however, I had to pound a pipe into the lake's bottom with a sledgehammer, making sure it was straight and we could see the house easily from the kitchen. Once the pipe was in, I carried the house out, raised it in the air on the pole, and placed the pole into the pipe.  It fit perfectly and I raised the house to its maximum height and we now have 12 condos ready for purple martins.

Woodlawn/Victoria This Morning

I was done by 1:00 and came in and ate my lunch.  Evie left for the gym about 1:30 and was gone until 2:30, begrudgingly getting in a walk.  I read and briefly napped after lunch but wanted to get some things done in the yard, so I was out raking leaves, putting poles away, and taking leaves and twigs up the hill by 2:30.  I was out until 4:00.  Evie was busy, too, putting together a special salad because we were going to our neighbor's house for dinner.  Besides the greens and a special dressing with tahini, Evie tops it with onion rings.  She decided to make her own, so she first soaked the sliced onions in buttermilk for a couple of hours.  Then, dusted them with seasoned flour and deep fried them in hot oil, quite a project for a salad but worth it.

We went to Maryanne and John's house at 6:30 and walked into their house with a completely redone kitchen.  It was really neat, great cherry cupboards, granite, and really nicely arranged.  They both love it and we can see why.  For dinner, we were having Evie's favorite, eggplant parmesan with a side of edamame pasta, which was quite tasty.  Dinner was great and I went back for seconds despite two salads, one Evie's, the other a fruit cup and garlic bread.  We had not seen them since they visited their first grandchild in Maryland so we had lots to talk about.  We ended the night with Talenti gelato, topped with fresh raspberries.  I clearly made a pig of my self enjoying each spoonful of the raspberry/chocolate chip gelato with a raspberry.  We were home just after 10:00, the end to a great night out.

Clear Skies, Sun's Reflections On Water

6:42

6:55

6:55

I was up at 6:30, made the coffee, walked out the back door and grabbed the paper just as the sun was beginning to tip over the shoreline at 6:40.  lt's a windy morning, with a ruffled lake, the wind chimes singing, the loons shrieking off in the distance and, dam it, a leaf blower ruining the quiet of the morning as I write at 7:15. 

7:06

I hate to say it but I can hardly remember yesterday, probably because it's a carbon copy of the day before but I will try.  I know I had a great kayak, over to Long Point and back to Sandy Bottom and home.  And I photographed a young eagle.  Afterward, Evie went through the plethora of morning photographs, picked out the best and I put them on the blog once it was written.  I then drove to Lakewood, to Jen's class and we did more complicated backbends and I just hope my old back can take it.  I stopped for coffee, talked with the new barista, Jessica, about trying to make a living as a part-time adjunct chemistry prof at JCC and barista without health care or a good job.  It's a story too many can tell, especially around this area.  I then went to Aldi's, mostly to pick up the rack of lambs that were on sale but I can also always find something else to buy.  I was home by 12:15 and Evie was making me a sauteed mushroom hoagie to go along with the cheddar broccoli soup she made the day before.  We laughed about the sandwich because some pseudo-doctor on one of the major talk shows suggested that eating a couple of cups of mushrooms a week guaranteed you would never get dementia.  Let's hope so.

Evie left at 1:00 for an eye appointment and to do some shopping.  I ate my lunch, watched BAD BLOOD, read my new book, STONER, about an English prof at a college from the 1920s to the 1950s.  It's quite good.  After my nap, Evie returned, put away the groceries and I decided to get some things done outside, so I pulled the purple martin house out of the garage attic, and got it ready to put in the lake.  I also tidied up the lawn, raking up the abominable zebra mussel shells that I cleaned off our dock horses, two buckets full.  I like to do a chore when I want and not overdo it, taking a bite of the elephant one day at a time. 

We left for the Viking Club at 6:15 and we were meeting Linda and Ron there.  It was surprisingly busy because they were having drawings for the spaces on the dock for boats.  I would guess the members moor probably 50 to 75 boats at the docks.  Also, it was Rueben Sandwich night so that always draws a crowd.  Evie and I each had a Rueben, a beer or two, both enjoyable and we had fun talking with Linda and Ron about the latest news.  Neither of us can wait for the Mueller report.  Big deal.  We were home by 8:30, in time to watch the final episode, only three of them, of MANHUNT.  We ended the night with Colbert. 

A Hazy Spring Morning (Dock In)

Juvenile Bald Eagle Looking West

and East

6:31

6:32

6:45

I was up again at 6:00, to a pink and gray sky, the sound of a boat motor and the song of a distant loon.  Slowly, my morning photographs are beginning to change as the docks go in.  Ours was launched yesterday late afternoon, as early as it has ever been.  For now, only two docks are in the Woodlawn/Victoria neighborhoods and two martin houses are up.  Mine will go up in the next couple of days as the purple martin scouts tend to arrive sometime around the 15th of April although with the changes in weather patterns recently, they seem to come much later.  There were times when I would put up my house and martins would be circling it, waiting to claim an apartment.  I had an amazing paddle this morning, paddling within 20 feet of a juvenile bald eagle.  He was sitting on the Long Point fishing dock and I have never seen either an eagle or hawk perched on a dock.  Usually, they are up in the trees.  Stunning as was this morning's sunrise. 

6:53

7:20

Yesterday began with frost on the car windows but it did not discourage me from kayaking and getting some good photographs of the wood ducks, with its striking colors.  It was another wet and overcast day, keeping us inside but not the dock guys.  I decided to go to yoga since a walk was not very inviting and left just after 9:00.  The class was just the right size, six of us and I enjoyed it.  Since I stopped for coffee on Monday, I skipped it yesterday and came straight home, no need to do any shopping. 

Male Wood Duck

Wood Ducks

Female Wood Duck

Evie was busy in the kitchen, making up a cheesy broccoli soup for our lunches, and pork, tomatoes, and sauerkraut for our dinner if we stayed home.  If not, we would have it on Wednesday as it is always better sitting in the refrigerator for a day. I had soup and bagel with avocado, tomato, and hot sauce and watched my mafia series set in Montreal.  It's getting better.  Evie wanted to get in a walk so after making up a new song list, she left for Lakewood just as I finished my lunch.  My afternoon does not change much, reading, napping, and more reading especially when the weather is bad.  Evie was home around 3:30, having stopped at Wegman's to pick up a few things.

Putting In The Dock With The Guys

We decided around 4:00 we would go out for dinner but just as Evie was going to take a shower, the dock guys showed up so we decided to have dinner at home in case they needed our help with anything.  It could not have been pleasant putting in the dock in a light rain, and 40º temperatures but they did not complain and got in done by 7:00.  I walked out on it this morning and it's solid and straight.  We had our dinner just as the boys were finishing.  The pork was a bit dry unfortunately but it was still good, with the sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.  We started a new series on Amazon Prime, Manhunt, recommended by my sister Ellen, and we liked it, watching two episodes.  We ended the evening with Colbert and Vice News. 

"Gizmo" At Sunrise

A Day Of Extremes

6:27

6:28

6:37

6:44

6:45

7:03

I was up at 6:00 and was able to enjoy another magnificent morning sky as well as the sunrise above Bemus Bay at 6:43 to be exact.  It's a chilly morning, 31º with frost on the car windows. The living room is filled with sunshine and despite the cold, I cannot wait to launch my kayak after I finish writing this blog.

Kayak Morning # 1

Yesterday morning, we woke up to overcast skies and snow flurries but by cocktail hour, we were treated to blue skies, puffy clouds, and a stunning lapis lazuli lake.  Chautauqua doesn't get any more mercurial than this.  Because of the snow, I skipped kayaking and went to a yoga class at 9:15.  As usual, on Mondays and Thursday, I was sprinkled with rose water and massaged with China Gel and a long meditation before asanas.  I like, too, that we spend ten minutes of class with legs up the wall, a position I like as I know I've mentioned before.  After class, I stopped for coffee and ended up talking with Steve, not a regular but a guy I see occasionally and we always end up talking about our travels and love of nature since it wife is a biologist and teacher. 

Male Wood Duck

Female And Male Wood Duck

When I walked in the door, I could smell something really interesting as Evie had put together two burritos with scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, and avocadoes for my lunch.  I decided to try a new series, BAD BLOOD, about the mafia and drug wars in Montreal.  So far, so good.  Evie left at 1:00 and I finished up my book, THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE and started two others, STONER, about a young man who becomes a college professor in the 1920s and WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES, about a family that survives the Holocaust.  Both are good so I will have a hard time choosing which to pick up. 

Mallards

A Raft Of Grebes

Evie returned around 3:30 and we did not do much the rest of the afternoon.  About 5:30 we got out the Saint Andre cheese, some crackers, and I made us an icy Manhattan, to celebrate the changing weather, the beauty of a late afternoon blue sky.  Dinner was easy, leftovers again, the chicken tetrazine from the previous night served on a bed of garlic spinach.  We watched the coverage of the tragic burning of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, one of the architectural wonders of the world.  We also watched an episode of Amazon Prime's BOSCH, a series based on Michael Connelly novels.  We ended the night we the usual, a home improvement show before going up to bed. 

Squirrel Nut