The End of An 'Endless Summer'

6:50

Marisa Flies

Up at 6:50, the sun higher in the sky than I remember for this early in the morning, burning its way through the morning fog. It's an eerie feeling, to be sitting alone in an almost empty house, as the gang are now home, Bristow, Darien and Kansas City, no doubt still sleeping in their own beds. Marisa, however, is still with us, to keep us alert and active for a few more days.  And Beth is at a three day workshop at the Lily Dale Assembly, the spiritualist community nearby, founded 135 years ago.

Hayden's Dance Pose

When it is over, it's over.  One moment we were a house of eleven to fifteen, the next moment, there's just three of us, the end of our summer of family, shocking in its quietness, solitariness, and stillness, especially this morning.  No Drew, Rami, Beth, or the girls, just me, hoping that Evie sleeps in for the first time in weeks.  It's 7:45 so I am hopeful.  And I cannot wait for our granddaughter, Marisa, to wake, as we get her to ourselves, to spoil, for two whole days.

Mitch and Rami Dueling Over Water

Rami and Tyler Caught In Mid Air By Evie's Camera

No one was in any great hurry to leave yesterday, so we sat around sipping coffee, as the kids gathered their clothes, toys, sundry items and packed the car.  After egg bagels, coffee, and orange juice, both cars were ready for the road and headed home around 10:00 leaving four of us.  And, like always, when the kids leave, Evie and I fill the vacuum in the house by working to put the house back in order, which we did, with Beth's help, for a couple of hours.  Evie worked on our bedroom and bathrooms, and I did the downstairs, vacuuming, picking up and organizing, though the kitchen was spotless, thanks to Beth and Jill the previous night.  By noon, we were pooped, ready to relax, so we had lunch, BLT's on the front porch, and did little the rest of the day.  Beth and I did some more rock painting, while Marisa and Evie played a new card game they learned from Hayden called Speed, quick and fun, somewhat like a competitive solitaire.  Then Evie introduced Marisa to another card game called Pounce -- a little like Speed but many more steps.  Just after lunch, Marisa and Evie went for a long kayak paddle, Marisa in her own boat this time.  They paddled down to the  reeds, found some floating treasures, to bring back to the house, both excited by their finds.

Lake Lost and Found

Beth left for Cassadaga Lake and Lily Dale around 5:45, after a snack of koftes in tomato sauce.  Evie, Marisa and I then went for a swim, as the algae seemed to have dispersed, the lake looked much more swimmable.  I moved some of the floats in, so that I could easily bring them in next week when all are gone.  Dinner was simple, a flat bread pizza for Marisa, leftover koftes and salad for Evie and I.  It seemed like a luxury to do almost nothing for dinner after feeding mega family for a couple of weeks.  We then watched a movie with Marisa, about a young women who ventures to the wilds of the West to teach.  Amateurish and predictable but Marisa seemed to enjoy it.  We were all upstairs by 9:30, to read and then sleep.

Family Exodus

Hugs

More  Jill Hugs For Halle

6:45

It's now 7:30 and I have been up for forty five minutes, to another morning of heavy fog, as I can hardly see the end of the dock.  It's a chilly 54ª outside, fleece weather inside.  Evie and I are sitting here having our coffee, as we hear stirrings upstairs, no doubt adults first, then the grandchildren.  Both families head for home today, alas, but Marisa and Beth will be staying until Tuesday, Beth to attend a  three day workshop at Lily Dale, Marisa to be spoiled by her Granny and Baba for a couple of days.

Relaxing

Yesterday was another glorious day at the lake, a busy one, as usual but a fun one.  We did not get started too early, which is nice in some ways, but half of the morning is gone before we actually get into gear and start enjoying the outside. Ramiro was off early, however, for a bike ride through the hills of Chautauqua County, and Drew took a run, while the rest of us sat around sipping coffee.  About 9:30, the boys had a hankering for sour cream/buttermilk waffles so Tyler drove to Hogan's for sour cream, ice, and picked up some corn from Jeremy's.  Evie and Tyler then made to huge batches of waffle batter, and we were then sated with syrup and waffles, with only two left.  A great morning breakfast for all since Drew and Rami were both back in time to partake of them.

Mitchell on Halle's Lap

Around 11:00, Beth and Jill went off to get hamburger for dinner, from the Lighthouse and some baloney, then off to Tops as well to pick up a few other things for the final family dinner of the Summer of 2014.  They were back in time for lunch, of various sorts.  I made fried baloney for the guys, the girls unwilling to try it.  With pickles and mayo on white toasted bread, the best, a trip back to a 1950's lunch.  The girls had P and J sandwiches, or toasted cheese, or turkey, and Beth made a quesadilla, a typical lunch around here, like Evie's diner, where everyone gets what they want.

The Rough House Gang

Marisa and Hayden

By 2:00, the algae in the lake had all but disappeared, so the gang went swimming for about forty five minutes, rough housing, playing around on the tubes, having a great time because the adults were all in this time.  It was surprisingly chilly, perhaps from the wind, but all came out, wrapping themselves in towels, hurrying inside to warm up.  For some reason, we didn't boat at all, perhaps because of the chop but everyone was happy to just enjoy a leisurely afternoon in the house, porch or yard.  Drew spent a couple of hours downloading pictures, Beth, Evie and I and the girls did some rock painting.  I am actually getting in to it.  See if you can tell which one's are mine and you win a prize, a free night at Chautauqua, a meal at Evie's Diner.

A Table Of Painted Rocks

Around 4:30, we started gearing up for dinner, for thirteen this time, as the Mc Clure's were coming over so the kids could see them.  It's always surprising how much time it takes just to get things set up outside, chairs washed and arranged, bean bags set up, fire pit ready, tables aligned for dinner, grill ready.  I even worked up a sweat.  On the inside, Evie and Beth had put together close to fifty koftes.  Evie then made the girls a chocolate chip birthday cake.  Then, Evie and Tyler made a banana cream pie to compliment the cake for dessert. And the boys shucked the corn.  Everything was ready for the Mc Clure's at 6:15, sort of.  We sat outside and played bean bag, Mitch having set up a tournament, pairing adults with kids.  Tyler and Jill, one of the two adult teams won, however, and even Evie and Drew got knocked out in the first round, an afternoon of upsets, reminiscent of Brazil's loss to Germany in the World Cup!  Mitch and I started cooking the koftes around 7:15, Evie steamed the corn, and Beth made a salad.  We had hoped to eat outside but by 7:45 it was too chilly, so we had to eat inside but it was fine.  We devoured the pita bread, koftes, tomato sauce, and yogurt, a Turkish specialty.

Bean Bagging It

Feeding The Ducks

Baba And His Oldest Grandchild, Tyler

Marisa and Uncle Ursula (aka Jill)

After dinner, Drew built a fire, Tyler and Evie whipped the cream for the top of the banana cream pie, and we all sat outside, around the fire, having both chocolate chip cookie cake and banana cream pie.  Yum. We sang happy birthday to both Marisa and Hayden, whose birthdays are next week.  The party broke up around 10:00, as the kids said goodbyes to the Mc Clures, and then most of us relaxed a bit, or cleaned up the kitchen, before going up to bed, tired from another great day.

Dinner for Thirteen

It's now 8:00, Beth and Drew are up, Mitch is taking a shower, so things are starting to move around here.   I assume the boys will want a breakfast egg and bagel sandwich before they leave and Evie's always accommodating to their wishes.  By 10:30, the house will seem ghostly silent even though Beth and Marisa will remain.  And then the clean up will being, starting with our bedroom.

A Dense Fog Hangs Over The Lake

Granny And The Swim Team

 Halle...Up Close And Personal

Marisa's Angelina Lips

I cannot believe it, but I was the third one up this morning, as both Drew and Ramiro were up drinking coffee and talking at 6:40 when I got up.  Since then, the fog has slowly crept in, thicker than ever, a result of the cool 54º morning air.  It looks like another sunny day, the last day for the Bissells as they head back to Bristow tomorrow.

We had another beach day, life outside and on the dock or in the water, lots of sun, no rain, unusual for the past couple of weeks.  A the moment, I cannot think of anything we did yesterday different from the other days.  O, yea, we did lots of fishing yesterday.  For some reason, Marisa was hot to fish, wanted to go get worms early, which Drew did.  So, all three of them were out on the dock around 10:30, early for them, as they tend to enjoy laying around in bed together, talking and playing games, before getting up.

Colonel Bissell, Retired

Unfortunately, the fish were not biting like they have in the past, not sure why.  Evie and I have not had much luck off the dock all summer.  The girls did catch six or seven perch, but nothing like the past years when they would catch them faster than I could put on a worm.

Jill and Tyler, Mellowing Out, For Once

The Terminator

A Buff Mitchell

Around noon, we decided to go for a lunch cruise, so Drew and I made lunch, pork sandwiches for the boys, hot dogs for everyone else.  We cruised for about an hour, off towards and around Bemus Bay because it was windy and wavy off towards Chautauqua.  It's good fun to get every one in a small area, interacting in ways they don't do in the house except at meals.  When we got back, all the grandchildren went swimming, playing hide and seek, wipe out, with the neighbor's grandchildren as well.  I sat on the dock, madly trying to finish my digital book, Fourth of July Creek, because my loan was expiring later in the day.  I finished it around 3:30.  Midafternoon, Hayden wanted to go for a boat ride with her Dad, so they took off for an hour while the rest of us swam, sunned, painted or read, a nice leisurely afternoon of doing what we wanted.  Evie and Tyler did bake a couple of pie crusts, getting them ready for tonight's farewell extravaganza of two banana cream pies.

Enjoying The Casino

Bissell's Rock

Beth and Her Mom

Just Beth 

We waited around till 6:00 because Tyler had gone for a long bike ride, to Sherman, then Mayville, then home.  We then climbed in the boat, took beers, and slowly boated over to the Casino, so the Bissells could get their wing fix.  We, fortunately, had a perky waitress though we had to wait 15 minutes to get service, and our wings were just out of the fryer, so we all really enjoyed our meal.  One out of three times is not a bad batting average, in baseball.  We went out so the girls could play on the playground and Rami drove in, having left Baltimore by plane at 5:00, arriving at the Casino after driving in from the Buffalo airport at 8:00.

The Gang At Dusk

Pals

Boating Home In The Dark

We walked to the ice cream stand next to the Seezurh as we cannot get wings without an ice cream cone.  We then boated home on a lovely night, a partial moon and inexplicably, the smell of a skunk a good part of the way home.  Why would a skunk' smell be in the middle of the lake?  We were home by 9:45, time for the girls to get to bed after a long day.

Jill and Her Favorite Nemeses, Ding and Dong

It's now 8:00, the fog is still heavy, as a barely visible paddle board just went by.  Rami is off on a bike ride, and Evie and Beth are up now with Drew is out running. A good start to the day.

A Foggy Morning (Hiking Panama Rocks)

Climbing Panama Rocks

6:52

It's now 7:30 and I am sitting here by myself, listening to NPR, but I hear some rustling upstairs so someone else must be getting up.  The fog is gently lifting, so I can see most of the shorelines, but as if through a curtain of gauge.  I check out the weather for the next five days and we have five sunny days ahead of us, no rain.  Amazing since the last ten days have always forecast thunder showers and rain.

Jill at Lily Dale

Hand Made Stained Glass Coffee Shop Window at Lily Dale

Yesterday's weather forecast proved, unfortunately, to be correct, with thunderstorms and rains arriving around noon.  Beth and Jill were up early, as they were going to spend the day at the Lily Dale Assembly, World’s Largest Center for the Science Philosophy and Religion of Spiritualism, , on Cassadaga Lake, about a half hour from us. http://www.lilydaleassembly.com/  Evie and I kayaked the lake, visited the place a few years ago but not in season.  They left about 9:30, leaving the rest of us eating breakfast, planning our day.  Evie decided she would take the girls swimming, then if it stayed nice (which it did not), take them to the Chautauqua Institution, particularly the bookstore which they love.  The guys decided to hike the Panama Rocks (http://www.panamarocks.com/ . As we began our hike, we noticed the sky darkening off to the west but paid little attention to it.  Drew, Tyler and Mitchell loved climbing the rocks, the boys like a couple of monkeys, exploring the crevasses, the caves, the various outcroppings which, if you are not careful, could lead to a dangerous fall.  We hiked and climbed for about 45 minutes before it started to rain.  We hung out under trees, then in caves when it started to pour, hoping it would let up but in vain.  After about forty five minutes of heavy to moderate rain, we gave up waiting and getting soaked, and took off for our car, getting soaked and finding our car was the only one left in the lot.  Obviously, the others were a bit smarter than us.

Avoiding The Rain

We got home around 2:00, to pouring rain at the lake.  Evie was inside with the girls and our neighbors grandchildren playing Apples to Apples, then Speed, then Uno, taking up a good part of the afternoon as it rained and rained.

Playing Speed with Drew

About 4:00, it let up some, so the kids had the bright idea of jumping in the lake.  They all got on their suits and with Evie, pranced out on the dock and jumped in, no hesitation.  They must have played in the gentle rain for at least a half hour before getting cold, coming out, wrapping themselves in towels and hurrying in, to play more Speed, a card game Hayden taught the girls.

Dinner With The Fam

Jill and Beth returned from Lily Dale around 5:30, having enjoyed their visit and Jill even was given a reading from a medium.  They enjoyed it enough to go back.  While we then sat around, talking about their visit with a glass of wine, Evie and Mitchell breaded the pork schnitzel, and Mitch and I peeled and cut up potatoes.  Once the potatoes were cooked, Tyler beat them with a hand mixer, Evie fried the schnitzel and Jill and Evie made the salad.  Dinner was great, a comfort food of sorts, pork schnitzel, mashed potatoes, with gravy and salad.  Everyone cleaned their plate, with most having seconds.  The girls then cleared the table, Tyler and Hayden washed the dishes, and girls even swept the floor.  Drew did NOTHING except getting harassed and picked which everyone enjoys.

After dinner, Jill and I drove the kids up to Addies Ice Cream Shack, two miles away, across the street from the Stedman Coffee Shop.  It's been open now for two years but we have never stopped.  The ice cream is homemade, no name brand, and we all liked our cones, except for Tyler who continually moaned that he prefers Boxcar Barneys.  By the time we got home, it was after 9:00, so the girls went upstairs, played more cards, until I told them another bad boy story from my childhood, a tradition that has gone on for years but is losing its take as the girls grow up and lose their wonder.  Still, they beg for them.  Around 10:30, we were all in bed, a good day despite the rain.  And we look forward to the next five days of sun.  Yippee as my buddy Mac used to say.

We All Miss Marlena So Much!

"Roll Out Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer/Those Days Of Pretzels and Sodas And Beer"(Nat King Cole)

Hayden Mellowing Out

A Happy Evie, On The Way To The Viking Club

Tyler

6:48

Slept in till 6:45, whoopee, to haze, a sky with slashes of pink as the sun has risen but is hidden behind what I assume is a cloud cover.  It's 61º, some sun early, then supposedly clouding up, but we could also miss the thunderstorms because they are scattered.

Monday Morning Haze at 7:25

Monday was a astoundingly fine day, of sun, quiet lake, clear skies, sun, temperatures in the high 70's, warm enough to make you want to jump in the lake but not depressingly hot and humid.  We took full advantage of it, spending most of the day in the lake, on the dock, in the house only to get refueled with food, sweets, drinks, or an occasional rest on bed or couch, for the girls and adults.  Our only trip of the day was to Hogan's, to get ice, fill up gas cans for the boat.  No Wegmans needed for once.

Lunch With Linda and Rich

Around 12:30, my sister Linda and her husband Rich stopped by on their way home from Saratoga Springs.  They have done this the last couple of years, allowing them to see some of our scattered kids and grandchildren.  They had a great weekend at the races, lots of food and drink, with Rich's college buddies.  We had Linda's famous sloppy joes, dill pickles, and Jill made a great corn, tomato, onion and avocado salad, enough for an army but it was quickly gone.  We caught up on their trip to Saranac where their kids vacation every summer.  They like us, however, don't much like to leave their house on Lake Erie during the summer because it is so pleasant.  No need to travel in summers when you live on a lake!

Bathing Beauty

Jill, Marisa, and Halle

They left about 2:30, heading home to Euclid, and we then scurried back out to the dock, the girls spending a good part of the afternoon in the water with their Granny.  Drew and Jill took the boat out for a cruise down to the CI and back, on a surprisingly quiet lake. When they got back, Evie and Drew took out the kayaks, with the girls, either sitting or standing on the bows, practicing their balance, often falling in the water.  This is their new game; it's fun to see them come up with new and fun things to do on water.  Who would have thought that a kayak becomes a balance beam.

Drew and Jill

Captain Biff And Grandson Mitchell

Cubans and Ruben's At The Viking Club

Around 6:30, we cleaned up, sort of, took some cheese, crackers, a beers on to the boat, and slowly cruised over to the Viking Club, just beyond Maple Springs. A great night to be on the lake, and to visit the Club because it was Ruben's and Cubans night.  There were ten of us, so we ordered four Cubans, four Rubens, and ended up going home with one full Ruben for lunch.  Everyone loved the sandwiches, and they went quickly, with a side of chips.  We have been there in past years but the sandwiches never tasted so good, especially the toasted bread.   So, along with pop for the kids, beer and wine for the adults, it was a fine choice for a dinner outing. We cruised slowly back at dusk, getting home just before 9:00.

We were all tired, perhaps from spending the day in the sun, so the girls were happy to go up to bed around 9:30, after their ice cream cones dripping with chocolate sauce and sprinkles.  All of us but the boys were upstairs reading by 10:15.

Today, because it's supposed to cloud up, Beth and Jill are going to spend much of the day at Lily Dale, a venue both have wanted to visit but never gone.