Looks Like Another Nice Day

6:14

6:26

I woke to clouds off to the East, hiding the rising sun but a few minutes ago, the sun burst above the clouds, filling the lake, our living room with its light. It's 57º, a bit of a chill but should get up a cool mid 70s later in the day with sun most of the day. It's 7:35 and I took a short paddle, out for only 20+ minutes, down to Sandy Bottom and home. I am off to breakfast in Bemus at 8:00 and will be home to finish the blog at 9:15 before heading off to yoga. 

Kayak Morning

Victoria/Woodlawn

Yesterday was a typical Wednesday for me except for the brief deluge mid-afternoon. I paddled for forty-five minutes, wrote the blog, and was on my way to yoga by 9:10. There were only two of us in class and I felt bad our our new teacher, Grace. I overcame the temptation to stop for a coffee and came straight home to a sweating wife who was mowing the lawn before it was supposed to rain. Red-faced, with sweat dripping down her face, Evie was a sight to behold. I volunteered to help mow but she was adamant, wanting to finish it herself. Around 12:30, she finished and came in and made me a couple of goose liver sandwiches for my lunch and I watched my show.

I went upstairs, thinking I might nap and I was able to lie down, read, and take a brief nap before the rain. Around 2:30 the rains began with flashes of lightning and thunder that seemed to rock the house. We were sitting on the porch enjoying the rain but the lightening sent us inside.  The storm lasted only 15-20 minutes and we received a half inch of rain before it cleared up and became nice again. We were vacillating about going out to dinner but decided to join the neighbors at the Viking Club like we have the past month, hoping to win the Queen Of Hearts drawing which has to be worth at least 10,000. Unfortunately, no one won again so we will probably be back next Wednesday, blowing twenty bucks on tickets hoping to win. The best part is enjoying camaraderie with our neighbors, seven of us last night. We were home by 8:15 and watched Stephen Colbert interview Billie Ellish which was interesting. At twenty-two, she's been a pop star since thirteen and I was impressed by her combination of quirkiness in dress and thoughtfulness as a grown up. Her new album was just released, Hit Me Hard And Soft and she sang the lead single, Lunch, which I am sure will be controversial. The night ended with some basketball for me, the first half of Dallas/Minnesota which Dallas eventually won. 

Our Grandson Nick, Great Granson Rhys, And Billy, The Pup

A Fun Night With Friends

6:29

8:46

It's another exceptionally striking morning, brilliant sun, a light breeze and 65º. What more could I ask for? It's now 8:30 and I paddled for forty-five minutes for the first time since last year. I wore shorts, a tee shirt and used sunscreen. And unfortunately, no wildlife today. I have four or five spots where great blue herons tend to hang out but not so far this year and I am not sure why. 

Kayak Morning

Kicking Back

Yesterday was back to normal in many ways. It started with a good paddle for forty-five minutes and a shot of an osprey along Sandy Bottom. After breakfast, we finished the blog with Evie who was up early as well because it was her day to visit the kindergarten class. Getting up early on Tuesday and Thursday for class reminds her of those working days when she was up every morning around 6:00. Yoga class was different because my back bothered me on and off which doesn't usually happen. It was six regulars, all gals, and me as usual. Where did the guys go? After class, I did not linger and came straight home because I was tired out, probably from getting only six hours of sleep.

Evie was not home, out enjoying her kindergarteners, so I was on my own for lunch. I decided on fried baloney sandwiches, with a pickle and mayo and I watched another episode of my series, Prey on Hulu. I was still really tired and didn't want to do anything but lie down, read, and hopefully nap. And that's what I did the rest of the afternoon. Evie was home by 2:30 and she, too, was whooped from her kids and spent most of the afternoon on the porch. 

A Night Out With Nina

We did rally, however, by 6:00, having showered and were on our way the Jamestown for dinner at Brazil Craft Beer & Wine Lounge. We met Linda and Ron, there, along with their niece, Nina, in town from Barcelona, Spain. We had fun talking with Nina about her experiences, living and working in Barcelona for the past 17 years. We shared a couple of appetizers, numerous craft beers, and veggie dinners, all tasty and filling. We were able to sit inside at the bar, our favorite place, and had it mostly to ourselves. We headed home around 8:30, watching some TV, and ended the night watching a quarter of the Celtics/Pacers game before bed. It ended up being a good day. 

"Don't Let The Old Man In"

6:40

8:40

I just came across this quotation from 94-year-old Clint Eastwood and liked it enough to make it the heading for today. Forget the tiredness, the aching bones, the lack of sleep, the desire to just lie down: just get out there and do something, anything, walking, hiking, gardening, mowing the lawn, yoga, working out. Enough. 

Osprey This Morning

It's 7:24 and the blazing sun of an hour ago has been diminished by a light cloud cover, like yesterday. It's still warm, 61º and will get up to the 80s. Yesterday afternoon it was 85º, unusual for this time of year. I was able to paddle for just a half hour but was rewarded with a shot of an osprey, sitting on a tree limb along Sandy Bottom

Kayak Morning

Paddling North

Monday was a busy morning for me, and an afternoon for Evie. By 9:00, I had kayaked, taken my row boat out and placed seven buoys in the lake, then came in and spread grass seed on the bare spot where we keep our dock over the winter. Evie didn't get up until 9:30, after I had breakfast, and wrote the blog. By 10:00, I was on my way to Ryders Cup for coffee, then a quick run through Aldi's for the makings of a recipe Evie found in The Week magazine, Japanese meatballs with sauce. I also filled two five-gallon cans with gas for my boat which Chris should be bringing by in the next few days. I was home by 11:30, ready to relax for a bit. 

Lunch was the leftover casserole from the previous night and I started a new series called Prey on PBS which seems pretty good. I started a new book by Tana French, The Hunter, a sequel to The Searcher, then napped and took it easy. Evie, meanwhile drove to Mike's Nursery to pick a couple of bags of potting soil, She came home and worked some in her garden but spent much of the afternoon replanting her dahlias which got too wet from the rain showers a couple of days ago. Once that was done, she wanted to cut the lawn despite the 85º weather and started it around 4:00 but I could see she needed help so we traded off the mowing and got the front yard done by Happy Hour, a much-needed one. Around 6:00, we both worked on dinner, the Japanese meatballs with a sauce, served over rice. It was easy and quick so by 6:40, we were enjoying dinner and watching a film on Netflix, A Simple Favor, decent but not great. We then watched Caitlin Clark play for a quarter before going up to bed. 

Getting Warmer

6:07

8:51

The morning began with a striking sunrise but now, it's hazy and 59º. It looks like a warm week, with little if any precipitation with highs all week in the 80s, not our kind of weather.  Well, it's just about 9:00 and I paddled for forty-five minutes, then got in my row boat and set the buoys out in front of our dock, all this done before 8:30, a superman! That's what happens when you get up at 6:00 and are tired out by 9:00. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Bemus Bay

Sunday began with a decent paddle although I was surprised at the lack of wildlife, no ducks, geese, eagles, or osprey, just martins. We were both anxious to get busy in the yard, as we always have things to do, however, we also lacked energy, motivation, whatever. So we forced ourselves to get out there. Evie was working planting the perrenials she bought as well as weeding some which seems to never end. I worked on setting up the buoys that we set out from our dock, to discourage boaters from cutting in front of our swimming area. It's something I do every year and in October, I pull them in for the winter. So that was basically our morning drill as the day got warmer and it seemed like summer.

Lunch was easy, the leftover quesadillas from Saturday night's dinner. And I finally finished my book by Tana French, Broken Harbor. It was a tough book to stick with, as her writing is dense and often complicated, more so than say a Jack Reacher. I may start another by her, The Hunter, or take a week or two off and start something else. I also tried to nap both because I had the windows open, I was kept awake by the noise from neighbors, jet skis, and boats, racing up and down the lake, just like summertime. By 3:30, I was back out in the garden, helping Evie, by spreading our good topsoil over the entire garden. We were out until 5:30 when I finally went in and took a much-needed shower.

We were looking forward to happy hour, with a slice of good cheese, drinks, and a lovely evening on the lake. The weather cooperated as the boat traffic lessened, the lake quieted down, and the sun emphasized the greening of Long Point. Dinner was a casserole Evie put together, with chicken and broccoli and it was delish. We watched our usual shows on a Sunday night like Hometown but both of us went to bed early, tired from our busy day. 

Waking To Heavy Fog

 

7:32

9:37

It's 8:25 and the fog is beginning to dissipate and I can now make out Long Point. It's still foggy, just not as heavy. It looks like a nice day, high in the 70s with lots of sunshine once the fog burns off. It's 9:40 and I was out for only a half hour and saw nary a duck, osprey or eagle, just heard purple martins singing. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a busy day for both of us. I was up early for a paddle and was back by 8:30. I finished the blog, had breakfast as usual, and then decided to get busy. I got out the wheelbarrow and took chairs and benches out onto the dock, one by one to make it easier. I was looking for our table, couldn't find it, and realized it was under a tarp for the winter on the side of our house. Once that was done, we gathered the trash and I was off to the Transfer Station, always a busy place. Meanwhile, Evie was working on her dahlias and plants. I helped by planting some of the perrenials we bought last week, a knock-out rose, and a couple of Russian sages. We have not had much luck with the sage over the years but hope this year is different. Evie promised me a fried bologna sandwich if I helped her in the garden so by 12:45, I was one happy boy, enjoying my sandwich and the last of the black bean soup. I watched the first quarter of Caitlin Clark's WNBA game before adjourning to the couch to read and nap. 

By 3:00, I was out again, helping Evie who was cleaning and weeding her garden, a never-ending task. I cut out quite a few dead wood in our Lilac tree which is worrisome. We hope it's healthy even though a good part of the north side was dead. By 4:30, Evie had it and I put away all the tools and plants and a couple barrels of weeds and dead wood in the garage. It was a productive day for both of us. 

Prom Night

Dusk

We then relaxed some, showered, and were off to the Chautauqua Institution, to have drinks and dinner at the  Atheneum Hotels bar with Linda and Ron. It was a busy place because local schools were having their prom so the porch and front lawn were packed with kids and families. We were lucky to find four seats at the bar and were happy to stay there, enjoying our beers, and then ordering quesadillas and salads from their bar menu. The bartenders were great and Linda and Ron had become friends with them earlier so they took good care of us. We closed up the place which had emptied out by 9:00 and drove home in the dark. We were both tired from our day and evening, so Evie went up to bed and watched some basketball before joining her. 

Another Saturday Bar Night

Brilliant Sunshine And Now Fog

6:49

7:28

Well, the beauty of a sunrise has slowly disappeared as the fog has moved in. I can hardly see beyond the dock on a 59º morning. Here I thought I would need sunglasses and sun tan lotion for my paddle. It's 7:50 and my paddle in the sunshine has become a paddle in fog if I dare to get out there as now I cannot see beyond the dock. Well, I just noticed Tina and Jim are out kayaking and the fog literally just lifted and I can see Long Point. It's 8:40 and I kayaked for 15 minutes and that was enough because of the fog and chop which made it difficult to take a clear photo. 

Yesterday was a wasted day for me. I was able to get in a good paddle, fortunately, and after breakfast and the blog, Evie and I worked outside, cutting and raking the high grass where we stored our dock and Evie mowed the lawn. By 11:00, we were done and Evie gave me a much-needed haircut and I took a quick shower. I was getting my annual CT scan of my aorta in Cleveland Clinics Ashtabula Hospital. I had to wait a good half hour before they called me and then the fun began. After much probing, the technician finally got an IV in my arm but it wasn't working correctly so she pulled it out, went to my other arm but couldn't find a vein. She left and brought another nurse who easily found a vein and put in the IV. The technician then attached leads to my chest but couldn't get them to work, changing them three or four times before calling another technician to help her. I then waited forever to get the CT scan, from the same technician, and finally, I was done. I am expecting to get a call that I need to have it done again next week. The only happy part of my hour-and-a-half ride was stopping for a whopper meal at the Ohio border and devouring it on the way home because I had not eaten since 9:30. And because I am not allowed to get a whopper without bringing Evie one home, I bought her two junior whoppers which she enjoyed for a late afternoon snack. 

So by wine time, we were both still full from our whoppers and really didn't want dinner although Evie had made a chicken casserole for dinner. We put it in the refrigerator for another night and watched some TV, finally settling on a new film called The Last Stop In Yuma County on Prime. It was decent, kept us interested despite the violence. When Evie went up to bed, I watched the third quarter of the Pacers win over the Knicks, necessitating game seven. 

Overcast With Light Winds

6:41

8:43

Looking at the forecast, it's beginning to warm up, maybe getting into the 80s next week, alas. Let's keep a high in the 70s, please. It's 59º as I start this at 7:37 and I have been up for over an hour. It's almost 9:00 and we are both up, enjoying the morning. I paddled for forty minutes, across to Long Point, back to Sandy Bottom and home in some chop and wind but it was not too bad. 

Kayak Morning

Sun Hiding Behind Clouds

Loon

Yesterday was a strange day for a couple of reasons. I did get in a brief paddle before driving off to Bemus for breakfast. When I returned home, I was going to go to yoga but then realized our dock guys were putting in a dock next door and would be putting ours in when they finished with our neighbors. So I decided to skip yoga because I wanted to be home when they put in our dock. Well, it took them close to three hours to put in the neighbors' dock so I knew I had quite a bit of time before they were ready to put in ours. So I drove off to Lakewood, had coffee with Paul and Bob, and then drove to Aldis to pick up a few essentials. I was home by 11:30 and the guys didn't get to our dock until 1:15. Meanwhile, Evie was off to spend four hours with her kindergarten class, a disaster because one of the little girls vomited, another wet her pants and Evie helped both clean up. At least she came home with a couple of love notes from the kids. 

For lunch, I made avocado and tomato sandwiches to go with a bowl of black bean soup. After lunch, I helped supervise the putting in of the dock, making sure it was straight and sturdy. It took the guys close to two hours. Evie was home to watch them put it in and was exhausted from her morning so she relaxed in the TV room. I volunteered to get a pizza for dinner since she was tired and had to leave at 5:00 to take our neighbor to an appointment with our Town Court, not fun. So I drove over to Bemus to get our pizza while she was in court. Once she returned home, we sat on our front porch with a glass of wine, thankful for such a fine evening on the lake. Pizza was a good choice and with a salad we were happy. We watched a series on Prime called Appropriate Adult. In it, Dominic West played a serial killer and Emily Watson was the appropriate adult. It was decent enough that we watched a couple of episodes before Evie went up to bed early. I then watched the first half of the Nuggets/Timberwolves game in which the Nuggets were ultimately destroyed by 40 points, a playoff record.