36 Hours In Cleveland

6:25

6:36

We are up earlier than usual because we have to be on our way to Cleveland for some routine testing at the Cleveland Clinic. My first appointment is at 11:15 so we have to be off by 8:15 to make sure we get there on time. The good part is we are staying with my sister Linda and her husband Rich Monday night. As we were enjoying our coffee, we were shocked to see a red orb hanging over Long Point this morning, a peachy orange, a result supposedly of the smoke from wildfires out West. 

6:25

6:36

Yesterday was a perfect Spring day, sunny with temperatures in the 60s, great for working outside or just getting some sun. After a paddle and blog, we were in no hurry to get outside despite the nice day and just enjoyed it through our window with another cup of coffee. By 10:30, we finally got enough gumption to get out and start working in the yard. I did some edging around the beds and turned over the weeds in parts of the garden while Evie continue with the weeding after watering at least 30 dahlias in pots. They are beginning to sprout, green tendrils peeking up through the soil.

After working for a good hour or so we both relaxed in the shade in our chaise lounges until it was time for lunch. I finished off the kuru falsuye which I made a week ago if I remember. It lasted that long. While I was eating and watching basketball, Evie put together another pot of her vegetable soup and left it to simmer while she went outside to start working again. Before I napped, I began to mow a section of our neighbor's yard which needed it because the lawn guy never showed up. I finished my book, then fell asleep for maybe twenty minutes. I was refreshed, sort of, and went back out and finished up mowing the lawn just about the same time that Evie finished cutting ours. I then went out on the dock and tossed the fishing line in for ten minutes; it's what I call zen fishing, goalless, because I never catch a fish. 

We enjoyed the late afternoon on the porch with a glass of wine until Evie decided she was hungry and went in the kitchen and put together our dinner, for me, the leftover Weiner schnitzel from last night's dinner, for her, eggs, and home fries. We decided to stick with the tried and true, and watched an episode of both ER and The Americans, ending the night with me staying up and watching basketball. 

O What A Beautiful Morning

6:27

I woke at 6:15 with the light already filling the living room, a nice way to wake up. It's 49º out, and will stay in the 60s most of the day. It's 8:50 as I finish this blog.  I got in a 55-minute paddle on a choppy, windy lake, tough paddling on the way home. 

Kayak Morning

An Osprey Above The Reeds

Yesterday we finally received some rain, maybe an inch off and on during the morning. I was able to get in a paddle just before it started to rain. And because it was Saturday, after breakfast and the blog, Evie cleaned out the refrigerator and I gathered the trash and was off to the Transfer Station in the rain about 10:30. For some reason, I felt like going shopping, so Evie made a small list for Wegmans and I was off by 11:00, stopping to fill up the Kia for our trip to Cleveland on Monday. And I did a quick run through an empty Wegmans, probably because of the rain. 

We Love Hostas

I was home by 12:30, had another bowl of kuru fasulye for lunch along with a couple of potato rolls, compliments of Evie, and watched the Celtics lose another game to Miami. The rest of the afternoon went quickly although neither of us did much outside because of the rain. It felt good to just do nothing. Our new American flag arrived around 3:30, so my one chore was to switch it with the Turkish flag which was up most of the winter and Spring. 

Evie's Garden In Spring Green

We both showered and got gussied up because Ron and Linda were picking us up at 6:10. We have not seen them in close to a month because of my cold so we were excited to see them. We were going to one of the better restaurants, Stellas, in Lakewood and Linda had made reservations a week ago. We had a great table in a busy dining room, caught up on our lives of the past four weeks, and had a delicious calamari for an appetizer. We enjoyed a beer to start, and a bottle of Malbec with our dinners, and were extremely happy to be out together again, enjoying good food and libations. 

 Together Again

We didn't get home until close to 9:00, just as it as getting dark. We had enough time to watch some TV and the first half of the Lakers/Nuggets game before bed.  It was another good day. 

Overcast And Hopefully Some Rain

8:35

It's a gray morning at 7:15, a slight southerly wind and 55º. We have not had rain in at least a couple of weeks so we hope we might get some today. It's 8:45 and I paddled for forty minutes, returning home just as it started to drizzle. I chased three ospreys off their perches, never getting close enough to take a photograph. 

Kayak Morning

Storms Coming

Yesterday was a productive day even though I spent much of the afternoon as usual, relaxing, reading, and napping. I did get in a good paddle, saw a couple of ospreys, and finished the blog by 9:30. Then, our friend and handyman stopped over, with a hundred and sixty dollars worth of lumber for fixing our dock. He cut the boards down to the size needed, and then we went out and tried to find boards that needed to be changed out. We spent a couple of hours making the dock more sturdy, as well as screwing down all of the existing boards. We then worked on the ladder; I went into the cold, cold water with the ladder and fixed it in place so that Austin could fasten it to the end dock piece, and viola, we are ready for summer and the family. He ended the morning doing some caulking and we then had lunch on the front porch before he left, no doubt to work somewhere else. He's a busy guy.

While this was going, on Evie was in her garden, working with her dahlias, making sure they were not too dry, and weeding in various areas of the garden. It looks great, still all green, but ready for the warm summer sun. She must have at least 30 dahlias in pots ready to be planted once we are sure there will be no frost.  I watched the second half of the Nuggets/Lakers game, then read some after a late afternoon nap. I was tired from getting up so early, at 5:00. 

Fortunately, we were going out to dinner with Tina and Jim, my kayak buddies, at 6:30 so Evie had a leisurely afternoon as well. Jim volunteered to drive and picked us up in his nifty new Toyota Tundra truck, what a beast. The Rod and Gun was busy as usual, and we even had to wait for a table in the bar. And of course, once we got a table, our beers, and pretzel bites, our table in the dining room was ready. The four of us ordered the fish fry, always tasty, and we caught up on our lives, especially their fiftieth-anniversary trip to Maui. It sounded a bit different from when we were there in 1968. We were home by 9:00, in time to relax and watched some TV, mostly basketball. I have to admit I am getting tired of watching one on one basketball, and the lack of passing and teamwork in the NBA. Still, it was a good day.

Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Rain

6:25

6:42

It's 6:22 and I have been up for an hour, unfortunately, watching the wind pick up on a partly cloudy morning. Now, it's 6:42 and the sun just popped up above the clouds, filling the living room with its light. I was out close to an hour, paddling down to the Power Boat Club and back, shooting a couple of ospreys. It was good to see our neighbors, Tina and Jim were out kayaking as well. They love an early morning paddle as much as me. 

Kayak Morning

Osprey At Sandy Bottom

Mallard

Yesterday felt like normal because I started the day with a good paddle, came home and had breakfast and wrote the blog but then took off for a Yin Yoga class for the first time in three weeks. It felt good to get back, to bend and stretch for an hour, to see many of my fellow friends again. I was a bit uncomfortable trying to control my cough but other than that, I enjoyed class. Afterward, I stopped in at Ryder's Cup, talked briefly with Dave, then stopped at SavALot to pick up a few things for our dinner. 

Evie was busy while I was gone, cleaning out the linen closet, organizing all our junk, and throwing lots away. I had the leftover lemon chicken for lunch and watched the second half of the Celtics/Heat game before relaxing, doing some reading, and taking a brief nap. Evie was able to enjoy reading in the side yard during much of the afternoon, taking time off from her garden. I spent an hour getting the buoys ready to be put in the lake when it's calm, something I do every Spring and take out every Fall. It just takes time to get them ready with cement block anchors. 

We enjoyed a wine time before our dinner, then Evie got busy in the kitchen, grilling a couple of steaks, baking potatoes, roasting cauliflower, sauteeing mushrooms,  and making a salad. We had a feast and we decided to watch The Americans (2013-2018), a series we loved. We ended up watching two episodes, then ER before Evie went up to bed and I watched the first half of the Lakes/Nuggets game. 

Sunny And A Chilly 37º

6:40

7:40

It's a bit overcast on this chilly morning; we even had a frost on our car windows. A light wind from the south makes for a good morning paddle as long as it does not pick up. It's after 9:00 and I got in a good paddle, 50 minutes, down to Bootey Bay and home, chasing off at least two or three herons and getting a good photo of an osprey, a chilly but good morning on the lake

Kayak Morning

Blue Northern Sky

Osprey

Yesterday was a day much like Tuesday, with me taking off and doing some shopping while Evie stayed home to work some in the garden and mow the lawn. It was too windy to kayak so I had a long morning coffee and breakfast, not moving until 10:30. I then drove into Lakewood, stopping at both Tractor Supply and then Walmart to pick up some things for dinner as well as the garden, a new rake, and fertilizer for plants and trees. As always, Walmart is packed with shoppers, making me wonder who works around here during the day, certainly not me!

I was home around 12:15 and Evie had already started on mowing the lawn. I warmed up my white bean stew for lunch and enjoyed it along with some hummus and crackers. I watched the second half of the Lakes/Nuggets game during lunch, then read and napped briefly before going outside and helping Evie some by trimming our privets which needed it once again. At 4:00, I drove over to Joe's for a gathering of the breakfast guys. We sat around his garage for over an hour, talking about what else, our health and travels recently. It was good to see them after missing our gatherings for three weeks. 

When I got home and walked in the house, I could smell Evie's cooking, one of my favorites, Greek lemon chicken. We had that along with rice, zucchini, and a salad and it seemed like we were back to normal, like life before I got a cold, in other words, we were back to routine. We watched some ER, then tried The Diplomat again but it got so confusing and silly that we had enough and went back to Jeopardy Masters. I ended the night watching the first half of the Celtics/Heat game, then went up to bed to read some. 

Lots Of Clouds And Windy

7:23

7:53

It's just after 8:00 as I begin this and I have been up for less than an hour. It's too windy to kayak, alas, so I have to satisfy myself by looking at the rough lake. Evie's up and just as she came down, a heron flew onto our dock, paused for a couple of minutes, and then was chased away by another heron. Cool beans.

Heron On Our Dock

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, just what we needed after a busy weekend road trip. I got in a great paddle, then had breakfast and finished the blog, in no hurry because I am not yet ready to continue with yoga. I decided to make some kuru fasulye (white bean stew). I pressure-cooked a pound of great northern beans, and sauteed onions, pancetta, tomato paste, tomatoes, and spices. Once it was ready, I added the beans and chicken stock, simmered it for a half hour and I had my lunch for the next few days.

Around 11:00, I drove off to Westfield for a blood test and made it just as the clinic was closing for lunch. I had a fun talk with the nurse who is an avid kayaker but stays on creeks and rivers so she gave me some suggestions as to where else to kayak. I was home by noon and enjoying my kuru fasulye by 12:30 and watching Sports Center on TV as they discussed the Lakers/Nuggets match-up. By 1:30, I was briefly napping, having finished my book, John D, Mc Donald's The Deep Blue Good Bye, and started The Angel Maker by Alex North. By 3:00, we were both out working in the garden, weeding, moving plants, trimming, and things like that but none were too arduous. 

"Our House Is A Very, Very, Very Fine House"

We ended up relaxing on chaise lounges, enjoying the beauty of a late afternoon on the lake. Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 and after, we had our first Manhattan in a couple of weeks to celebrate both of us feeling better. Dinner was lamb chops roasted in the air fryer, along with a salad and lentils, cooked quickly in a microwave. We are back to our normal TV, of Jeopardy Masters and ER and once Evie went up to bed, I watched the first half of the Lakers/Nuggets game. It was a good day, a good day to be home again. 

Back To Routine

Happy Twenty-Fifth Birthday To Our Grandson, Mitchell (Venice Beach, CA)

6:38

8:58

It's just 7:00 and I have been up for a half hour, the sun waking me up in my bedroom. It's 47º. a slight haze and little if any wind, perfect for a morning paddle. It's 9:00, Evie's still sleeping and I just returned from an hour on the lake, a gorgeous morning for a paddle, down to Bootey Bay, across to Long Point, and home. I felt pretty good. 

Kayak Morning

North

Yesterday was a tough day as neither of us had much energy. I am still recovering from a cold/sinus infection and Evie had been fighting a cough. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy our two nights in Morgantown and our granddaughter Hayden's graduation. It, however, took its toll so that yesterday we did little but rest. We said our goodbyes to Jill and family around 9:30 and drove home the quickest way, no back roads,  taking #79 all the way to Erie, then home on #90 and #86. It still took us close to four hours even though we didn't stop. The highway was surprisingly busy, all the way from Morgantown to Erie, so we just took our time and shared the driving. 

We arrived home just before 2:00 and were hungry because we had not really eaten, and never stopped for fast food, Evie made us egg and cheese bagels after we unloaded the car. It was just what we needed and after eating, I took a great nap and even Evie napped some in the afternoon, unusual for her. We just relaxed on the couches the rest of the day and neither of us was very hungry so I made myself some Pho and finished off the leftover bagel and egg for dinner. 

Monday Afternoon

We watched our usual show and could hardly stay up until 10:00 before we both went up to bed, hoping for a good night's sleep. What a busy couple of days but fun. A college graduation is a special occasion and we were fortunate to be there for Hayden.