It Looks Like A Fine Day On Chautauqua Lake (with the boys)

Niagara Falls Day Trip

Starting Their Morning With A Jump In The Lake

7:00

It's 7:30 and both Evie and I are up, listening to MSNBC's Conservative Republican talk show host, Joe Scarborough, talk about Donald Trump's most current lies, suggesting Obama's to blame for the Orlando attack, his ridiculous banning of Washington Post writers on his campaign, and his nutty conspiracy theories.  Just when you think he cannot say something more ridiculous, he topped it yesterday with some of the things he alleged about the Orlando massacre.   I just hope his voters are listening to him, to what he's really saying, using their reason, not emotion, putting aside his fear mongering.  That being said, what a contrast between the recent events in the world and the quiet, spectacular morning here at the lake.  It can only fill us with gratitude and unhappiness that so many others are denied this kind of morning, our good life.

It's a chilly 50º at the moment, a high later in the day of 73º, mostly sunny, a good day for boating, just hanging out at the lake.  The boys are still sleeping of course and we don't expect them up until 10:00 or later as they stayed up last night to watch the Cavs gutsy victory over Golden State.

KC Boys At The Falls

Going On Fifty One Years Together

Yesterday was a long day trip to Niagara Falls.  It started earlier than usual, as we got the boys up at 8:30 and they took a quick swim, and soaping and hair washing in the lake.  They have vowed to take their showers every day in the lake, keeping a final shower in the house for Friday.  Good boys.  Evie made them pancakes for breakfast, hoping to fill them up until lunch.  We left around 9:45 and Nick, Chris and Peyton played a word game most of the two hour ride to Niagara Falls.  The ride is scenic the first forty minutes, until we hit the New York Freeway, then interesting the last forty, as we drove through Buffalo, past vast vacant steel mills, then across bridges to Grand Island, then eventually to Niagara Falls.  As we drove into the park area, the boys were shocked by the tackiness of the area surrounding the falls, shops, hotels, most unattractive.  Such is the Niagara Falls of today.  We parked easily, stopped at the Visitors Center, got our map and then spent the next couple of hours hiking along the edge of  the falls, out to Goat Island, with hordes of tourists, the majority Asian.  It is a lovely area, park, great for walking, as we could get close to the strong currents of the Niagara River, as it rushed towards the two falls. The first glimpse of the falls is the best, a sense of awe, but as the day progresses, the water and falls become normal, the way it is and we soon got tired of it.  So we settled in the park, in the shade of a tree, overlooking the river and falls and had our lunch which Evie had packed.  Anything Evie seems to make the boys love, and they thought her salami, turkey, and ham sandwiches were the among the best they have ever had.

Pondering Nature's Beauty, Man's Experiments in Architectural Insignificance

Peace Bridge And Buds

Nick brought along a mini basketball, which they continued to play with, making me wonder how long it would be before they lost it to the falls or river.  They did have some fun after lunch bowling for pigeons before we walked in the other direction, past the falls, along the rim of the now seemingly quiet Niagara River.  We could have walked for miles along the rim, in fact, I have ridden it on my bike for miles a couple of years ago.  We walked far enough to attempt throwing the ball against the wall of the Peace Bridge, to see if it would bounce back to us.  It didn't and fell hundreds of feet down to the Niagara River, alas.  With the ball gone, it was time to go home with a final view from the long balcony, which hangs out from the Maid Of The Mist building, with a great view of the falls.  Both Evie and I were surprised at the boys showing no interest in taking the boat ride.  Perhaps if we had gone the first thing during our visit, they might have done it.  But by 2:00, they had enough and so we drove home, lucky to avoid the rush hour traffic.  We stopped in Fredonia at our favorite Italian deli to get some Italian bread and stretch our legs.  We got home around 4:30, and the three of them went immediately upstairs to their rooms, to talk or text to family, friends and girlfriends.  They were obviously tired as were Evie and I so we relaxed for an hour or so.  Luckily, Evie had a baked ziti frozen, had taken it out in the morning, so all she had to do was make a bechamel sauce for the top, put it in the oven for an hour, make some garlic bread, broccoli and a salad, and we had dinner.

Dinner, I have to admit, was great.  The boys devoured the baked ziti, the best Evie's ever made. Chris said it was the best pasta dish he's ever had, and Nick thinks Evie could be a five star chef.  I think they like her cooking.  We listened to a Jack Johnson album, a singer both Chris and Evie and I really like. The boys did up the dishes and then the four went out and played some competitive bean bag games until it got dark.  I relaxed inside, letting them have their fun because Peyton and I had played two games before dinner.  Our games were close but no cigar for Peyton!

Bean Baggers

We decided to watch an episode of My So Called Life and tape the Cavs game so we could rush through the commercials.  It's fun to sit with them as they watch this teen series, listening to them laugh with understanding of the angst of both Claire, a fifteen year old girl, with a crush on Jordan, as well as the difficulty of being a parent.  Clearly, this series still speaks to teenagers, even 20 years later.  Peyton then went up to bed, tired from his early run and the day.  Evie and I stayed up and watched the first half of the Cavs game, then went to bed, leaving Chris and Nick to finish up and bring home a winner.

It's 8:30 as I finish, Peyton's up and out for a run, the other two are sleeping. Evie's been busy, getting food organized for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And I am off to do some shopping before everyone is up and at'em.

A Gray And Overcast, Morning -- Perfect For A Day Trip To Niagara Falls

Nick, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK

Peyton, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas

Chris, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK

Both Evie and I are up just after 6:00, looking for sunshine but getting a gray, cloudy sky and lake. At least the wind has let up some.  It's supposed to be like this all day, a high of 65º and, fortunately, no rain.

Morning Clouds at 7:00

Yesterday began for Evie and me at our usual times, me up around 6:00, Evie around 7:00.  We enjoyed our coffee, listened to NPR, and waited for the guys to wake.  And waited, and waited, until about 10:30, we put on some Eminem, blasted it on our speakers, knocked on their doors and they easily got the message.  Time to get the heck up.  They trudged downstairs, slowly, and Evie had some bagels and orange juice ready, to juice them up.

Hall of Philosophy

Granny Walking The Chautauqua Institution With Her Boys

We then piled into our car and drove off to the Chautauqua Institution for a walk.  We wanted to take the boat but the wind was wild, with whitecaps on the lake.  We took a good hour walk around the grounds, explaining to the boys the unique nature of this small, summer village.  It was a beautiful day for our walk, and all the rhododendrons, the peonies, and lavender were in bloom. And though it was beginning to fill with residents, we met only a couple of families, like us, out for a walk.  By the time we were done, all of us were sweaty and ready for one of Evie's hearty breakfasts.

Breakfast Photo By Peyton Burlingame

The previous evening, Evie had baked some potatoes, so the boys cut them up into squares, and Evie fried them adding a Vidalia onion.  She then got out a couple more frying pans, started the pound of bacon, toasted some bagels in the oven, then sauteed some spinach, before cracking eggs with it, making one of our favorites, spinach with fried eggs.  How she juggled the three or four pans at once is a wonder.  Peyton was so impressed he took a photo of the eggs, spinach and home fries with his iPhone.  By 1:00, we were outside despite the wind, enjoying a 'hearty' breakfast.  The boys loved the spinach with eggs, devoured it, along with the home fries and bagels.  It was nice, too, to  be able to eat outside, on our side lawn, so we could avoid the worst of the wind.

A Great Morning For Breakfast Al Fresco

The rest of the afternoon, we did out own thing, whether relaxing in the house, watching some soccer on TV, sunbathing, even taking a nap.  It was too windy to boat most of the afternoon, too cool to swim.  Around 4:00, I washed my car, then did some work on the bare spots on our lawn.  While I was doing this, Evie and the three boys, started a very competitive game of bean bag, playing two sets of best of three.  All three of the boys are getting quite good and are discovering that even though you may be way behind, because it's so hard to go out, it's easy to come back and win.  I think Evie ended up winning the most, of course.  She's the pro as long as she has a beer.

Nick

My Lovely Wife

We debated whether to take the boat over to the Casino for chicken wings and Evie won out.  So we fought our way through the choppy lake, taking our time, getting somewhat wet though we were smart enough to bring lots of towels.  We were one of only three or four boats on the lake, and there was only one other boat docked at the Casino.  Because it was a Sunday, early in the season, the Casino was not packed with people, so we were waited on quickly.

Wings At The Casino

The kinds of wings have changed drastically over the years, so we now have a choice of ten or 15 varieties.  The most popular and still the best are the medium hot, which most ordered.  They were as good as ever, and with two baskets of fries, we had three happy boys, one happy wife, and me.  And, as Nick knows, it was de riguer to walk down to the shops to get an ice cream cone before going home.

Heading Home, Full of Wings And Ice Cream

Chris Staying Warm

Captain Biff, BHAH

Our trip back was even more choppy then going to Bemus, as Chris hunkered down on the floor, wrapped in a blanket to stay dry and warm.  When we got near our dock, we were protected somewhat from the wind, so I was able to dock the boat easily.

We then spent the rest of the night watching the end The Lives Of Others, the movie we had started the night before.  And we talked them into watching the first episode of a teen series from the 1990's which Evie and I both loved called My So Called Life, with Claire Danes and Jarret Leto (both major stars now), when they were teenagers.  And they seemed to really like it, and wanted to watch more. Around 10:30, as we were going to go up to bed, Nick and Chris got the bright idea that it would be fun to jump in the cold, dark, and windy lake.  So out they went, jumped in and immediately climbed out, laughing at their craziness, how cold it was out in the wind.  That more or less ended the night as Peyton, Evie and I went up to bed but Chris and Nick refreshed from the swim, stayed up watching a movie on Netflix.

It's only 8:30 as I finish this; Peyton is out for a run,  Nick and Chris are still sleeping and Evie's in the kitchen, getting our sandwiches ready for our trip and organizing the fixings for pancakes when they wake up.  We hope to be off by 9:30 at the latest.

Autumn Like For A Day Or Two

Kansas City Dudes

Well, I slept in till 7:00, came down to a living room full of sunlight, a cool, breezy morning reminiscent of our fall days here at the lake.  The only difference, everything is green.  It's 58º, the high should get into the 60's, after yesterday's 85º and humid day.  No wonder it's so windy this morning.

7:30

Yesterday, a glorious day of sun on the lake,  began as usual, with coffee, NPR's Only A Game, then a healthy breakfast with Evie.  By 9:30, the boys were still asleep, so I wanted to get some things done, so I drove off, dropping our trash off, picking up another dozen eggs at Ryder's Cup, then on to Home Depot, to pick up more soil and grass seed, as my efforts so far to grow grass on the bare spots has ended in mud, perhaps sludge might be a better word.  I couldn't pass by Wegman's, of course, so I picked up a half dozen fresh bagels and a dozen ears of sweet corn for dinner last night.

Nick

Nick

Chris

Chris

By the time I got home, the boys 'had arisen.' They were happily chatting with Evie, having just come in from a swim, all three, having just plunged into the cold waters, a la Evie.  They loved it, especially doing their flips as Evie took photos, so that was great.

Peyton

Peyton

Nick Running On Water

For breakfast, Evie made up some scrambled eggs, a la Turk, with tomatoes, feta cheese, Aleppo pepper, with a Mexican touch, avocado, and fresh bagels -- what could be better.  The boys loved it.

Breakfast

Afterwards, they helped clear the table, did some dishes, before going out to do some fishing.  That did not last long because they were using lures.  I volunteered to get out the worms, but they decided to go kayaking.  Our neighbors let them use one of their kayaks, and off they went, with their life jackets on, fortunately.  It was a bit windy, choppy, and when they got near Long Point, Chris reached into the kayak to get rid of a spider and tipped it over.  Nick and Peyton, along with another boater, helped him get it back to shore, where they were able to turn it over, get the water out, and continue on their way. Their first adventure on the lake.  They laughed about it, got on Chris's case, and I don't think they ever felt in any danger because all three are good swimmers and had lifejackets.

The Beginning Of A Kayaking Adventure

They decided for us whether to go out to dinner or stay home.  They wanted a good, home cooked meal as they had of eating out.  So I drove off to the Lighthouse, ordered seven inch thick pork chops. The butcher got out a side of ribs, and on his band saw, cut us seven prime chops.  Evie had the teriyaki marinade made, so when I got home, she dropped them in it for the rest of the afternoon.

Lunch Al Fresco

We had a late lunch, a Mexican tortilla soup, with chicken, avocados, cheese and tortilla chips.  Since we had a late breakfast, that was it for lunch and the boys loved it, getting seconds as we sat out under the trees, the wind blowing hard enough to knock napkins off the table.  We then took it easy till around 4:30, watching some soccer, playing bean bag, the boys playing games on their computers, Evie prepping some for dinner, and me taking a short nap.  Around 4:30, we took our first cruise to Bemus and back on a rough lake.  I made the boys my special drink, sparkling water, with cranberry juice and lime, and all three really like it.  Like most kids, they don't particularly like a slow cruise, sightseeing more or less, so by the time we got back, like our granddaughters, they wrapped themselves in towels and hunkered down on their seats, to avoid the wind.  We all were warm from the ride, so we went swimming, playing with the frisbee, as they would run and jump off the dock, as I would toss them the frisbee to catch.  We did this for a half hour, then went in and dried off, and started thinking about dinner.

Ah Shucks

I fired up the grill, the boys shucked a dozen ears of corn, Evie made a salad, and rice and when the pork chops were done, we again had dinner outside around 7:30, as the long day was beginning to wane. Dinner was fabulous, the boys loved the teriyaki chops (with applesauce ala Evie), even had seconds, and the Florida corn was a hit, as was the rice.  Afterwards, we sat around talking, planning our week, and decided we would go to Niagara Falls on Monday, staying on the States side but going on the Maid Of The Mist.  We will walk the Gorge on Wednesday, depending on the weather.  It was nice to just sit around the dinner table and talk with them.

Pork Chops, Rice, Corn, Salad, The Boys

After we cleared the table, Evie told us to go outside and play bean bag and she would clean up the kitchen.  We had a great game of bean bag, as Nick and Chris barely beat Peyton and me in three games.  We then came in and Evie made all of us large bowls of ice cream with strawberries , and we sat down to watch one of 'my movies,' The Lives Of Others, set in East Germany in 1984, as the Stasi, the Secret Police, spy on the lives of their citizens.  It's a great movie but was not the right choice for last night, as it was slow, sub titled and talky, not the kind of film the boys would enjoy.  It was the kind they might be required to watch in a modern history class, not on a vacation.  So, from now on, we will watch movies they want to see, not one's I think they should see.

Today is going to be cool, so it will be wings night at the Casino, a walk at the Chautauqua Institution late morning, perhaps some fishing, bean bag, and working in the yard, spreading top soil and grass seed.  They boys are happy to help.

Update:  We just had to wake the boys up, at 10:40, to Eminem's Lose Yourself.  It worked.

The Boys Have Arrived...The Fun Begins

Nick, Our Grandson, Arrives From A Day At Cedar Point

Nick's Buddy Since Kindergarten, Peyton

Chris, Also Bound, With Nick, For University of Arkansas

Unfortunately, despite staying up until midnight, I was up at 6:00, to a surprisingly warm morning (no need for a fleece), a partly cloudy sky, and a late sunrise (when it rose above the clouds).  Despite it being a beautiful, so far, Saturday morning, there's not much action on the lake, typical I suppose for the first few weeks in June.

6:04

6:05

6:25

Yesterday was a day of waiting, for our grandson, Nick, Chris, and Peyton to arrive.  So we kept busy much of the day, making time fly and, of course, making sure we were prepared for a week of teenage boys. Before we got busy, however, the lake was beckoning, so we knew if we wanted to get in a kayak paddle, we had better do it early, so off we went to Long Point, to Bemus Bay, where we happened upon a fairly tame blue heron, which allowed us to float within 15 or 20 feet of him.  We took lots of photos of course.

A Happy Kayaker

After the paddle, the fun began and for Evie, it was a day to catch up on the washing, making sure the house was ship shape for the boys.  While the clothes washed and dried, she made one of our favorite appetizers, hanky pankys, a family favorite over the past 40 years, a mixture of hot sausage and Velveeta cheese, on rye toast.  Then on to making tortilla soup in case the boys were hungry when they arrived (they were not).  I kept busy outside, edging the walk ways, and washing all three of our cars.  They, unfortunately, sit under trees, both pine and willow, both drip sap of a kind during late spring.  So the cars, despite a washing, always seem to have some kind of sludge on them.  Washing them makes me feel better, but within a day or two, they seem to be their old dirty selves.  We love our trees, but they do have their downsides.

Blue Heron with Barely Visible Fish

On The Lookout

Lunch was a bagel and sardines, then some Game Of Thrones, and then some reading and a nap.  It's gotten so I can hardly wait each afternoon to get to my couch, read some, then fall asleep.  I am one of those lucky people who seem to be able to fall asleep anywhere.  Evie, however, never can sleep during the day.

Around 4:00, Evie went out to give the lawn its final grooming, cutting it in less than an hour.  Our yard looks great, like a country club's lawn.  After the lawn was cut, we relaxed until 7:00, with a beer or two, wondering when the boys would arrive.  Finally, they texted to say they were leaving Cedar Point around 8:00 (obviously, they had a great day at the amusement park), so we knew their estimated time of arrival was 11:30.  Our dilemma, then, was how to stay up that late.  First, we had a dinner of leftover pizza, then watched some TV, DVRing the Cavs game until 10:00, when we then watched it, fast forwarding through the commercials.  This is the only way to watch a game...skip the commercials.  The boys arrived around 11:45, just as the Cavs were blowing a lead, their game stagnating into one on one, and losing to Golden State.  The boys were excited to get here, and went upstairs to pick out their bedrooms, then ran out on the dock, to see the lake.  They were in good spirits but tired, so after the Cavs game, we all went up to bed.  All was quiet by 12:30, and both Evie and I hoped we could get to sleep.  We did.

We are not sure what the day will bring because the weather report is so contradictory, predicting some rain, but it seems to change hourly.  So we will just go with the flow, hang out here at the house for sure, enjoying the lake, the dock, the yard, the games, bocce and bean bag, and no doubt, the card game Telefunky at night.  Our only dilemma, whether to stay home for teriyaki pork chops or go off to the Casino for wings.  I guess it depends on the weather, whether we are able to boat over to the Casino.

It's now 7:30 and I am the only one up.  I don't expect to see a boy surface until 10:30, perhaps later. Ah Youth.

13 Hours

5:58

6:15

It's 7:00 and both Evie and  are up, sipping coffee, listening to the pundits diss Trump, even the conservatives.  He continues, however, to dominate the media, for better or worse as 8 of the 10 most read articles in the NYTimes today are about Trump.  Unfortunately, I don't think the Trump voters are listening (or reading).  They don't care that he lies (70% of the time according to Fact Checker), is a racist, a scoundrel, a blow hard, a narcissist.  I could go on but it doesn't matter to his voters; facts don't matter, qualifications don't matter.  Their affection, if that's the right word, is visceral, not rational.  It speaks to their gut.  And nobody, especially not the media, is going to tell them who to vote for.  Enough.  I feel better now.

It's a lovely morning, calm lake, light blue skies with some cloud cover, a chilly 47º but it will get up to the 60's later in the day.  The boys should arrive about 8:00 or 9:00, approximately 13 hours from now.  Scary.  Three teenage boys for a week!

Yesterday flew by, and I can hardly think what we did.  I started the morning by washing the windows facing the lake.  Evie loves clean windows and now they are spanking clean.  Evie was busy in the kitchen, making lemon/ricotta cookies, getting the bedrooms and bathrooms ready, and making a final shopping list for Wegman's.  I put another buoy in the water, just to make sure our swimming area remains boat free.  And I then vacuumed all four bedrooms after Evie dusted.  And I cleaned out a closet in the small, back bedroom, so the boys will have room for their clothes.  So that was our fun morning here at the lake.  And this sort of exercise happens every time we have visitors.  I can't understand it.  Evie wants the house clean and neat for our guests. -- go figure.

For lunch, I had tuna salad on a bagel, watched some of the Cavs game, quickly got bored and finished lunch and then read and took a nap.  Evie took it easy for part of the afternoon and went out on the dock to get some sun.  I joined her but wore a fleece because of the wind and chilly air. Neither, however, stopped Evie from jumping in the lake for a refreshing swim.

Around 4:00, we took the final step in our preparation, the dreaded final grocery trip to Wegmans. Evie made up two lists, one for me, one for her, so once we arrived at the store, we went our separate ways. It saves time but I am always done before her, so I checked out my cartful, waited for her to finish her list, much longer than mine, checked her out and we then filled the car, both trunk and back seat.  We were exhausted by the end and thankfully, we had cancelled plans to go out to eat with friends.  We knew we would be out of gas by the end of the day.  So, for dinner, we picked up a mushroom man pizza at the Ashville General Store, then drove home and unloaded the car.  It took a good half hour putting things away and we still have a bunch of stuff sitting on our kitchen counters this morning.  We just said enough, sat down with a glass of wine, and relaxed until we got hungry.  The pizza was great, just what we wanted, and we relaxed and watched the final episode of The Americans, which left us, of course, wondering whether the family will flee to Russia or not.  No way and Philip's son showed up, so he will play a big part next year.

 I could not wait to get up to bed to read and Evie quickly followed.  Sleep, nothing like it when you are tired.

A Lazy But Sunny Morning

5:45

5:50

5:56

I was up in time to see the sunrise around 5:56.  I went out and sat on the dock so the view would be unobstructed by docks, boats, and trees.  Once the sun rises, it's so bright that a photograph does it little justice, especially on a cloudless morning like today.  It's chilly, 42º, but I have to say I like it. Warm days, cool nights and early mornings. Yep.

Yesterday morning we continued getting the little things done before the arrival of the boys, my grandson Nick and his two friends from Kansas City.  They should be on the road just about now, driving about 12 hours to Cedar Point today.  They will stay there overnight, spend Friday at the Park, then drive to the lake, leaving late afternoon, arriving here Friday night, mostly like around 9:00 or 10:00.  We cannot wait.

Even I was included in the cleaning up, as Evie gave me a much needed makeover, cutting my hair cut, trimming my beard, making sure I was presentable for the next few weeks.  The washing machine also seemed to be going most of the day, as all the beds needed clean sheets.  I had an eye doctor appointment at 11:00, so left early, stopping at Ryder's Cup to get some fresh eggs, then Walmart, the bank, Sam's Club, then an hour at the Spectrum Eye Care.  My eyes have changed slightly but I can get along with the current prescription and will think about getting new glasses in 2017 when my insurance kicks in once again.  I ended the shopping spree at Wegman's, picking up more essentials for the next week.  It seems as though we think of something else we need every day.  And Evie has yet to do the 'big shopping' for the week.

When I got home, Evie had been busy, putting together a Baked Ziti dish, freezing it along with sauce for a second Ziti whenever it's needed.  I made a fish taco for lunch, with coleslaw, and leftover baked potatoes, not bad.  The rest of the afternoon, I did some chores outside and Evie continued to work on thing inside, getting the house ready for the boys, for the summer actually.

a

 Late Afternoon Cloud Overload

We relaxed with a couple of glasses of wine around 5:30, enjoying the late afternoon sun play its tricks on the opposite shoreline.  And, of course, the clouds.  We never tire of looking at them. And for some reason, the barn swallows, who build their nests under the docks, were all in a tizzy, as at least 15 or 20 were skimming along the lake, then swooping into our yard, and back out to the lake.  It was the most activity we have seen on the lake.

Dinner was a rotisserie chicken, stuffing, and a salad.  We watched another Bill Maher Real Time, then the first half of the Cavs game.  For some reason, I have lost interest in the games even though it looked as though the Cavs were playing well.  Or maybe it's just I would rather read my book. Whatever, I went up stairs to read before half time and only found out this morning that the Cavs had won by 30 points.  Believe...maybe.

It's 7:15 and the barn swallows and some purple martins are both in a tizzy, swooping back and forth between their nests and houses.  What's up, fellows.

Clouds, More Clouds And Rain

6:40

7:45

I woke up to light rain, dark skies, an a 46º morning.  Can autumn be far behind, then winter?  A few streaks of light hover above the Bemus shoreline, as the sun tries to break through the darkening sky. It looks like a rainy day, something we need, have had for quite awhile. Let's see how accurate the weatherman is?

Yesterday was a strange day, some sun then, inexplicably, some showers for 15-20 minutes, then more sunshine.  I was up and out by 9:30, to Bemus, to return a book to the library and get a coffee at Wired, owned by our new friend, Lisa.  I chatted with her briefly, about our common interest, yoga, then I drove off to the Lighthouse, to look for some Pepperidge Farm Party Rye, which Evie needs to make Hanky Pankies.  Unfortunately, no one seems to have them.  I bought a chicken salad sub for lunch and drove through the Chautauqua Institution grounds to pick up a calendar of events and avoid the road work.

When I got home, Evie and I worked in the yard for an hour, trimming the privets, the red twig dogwoods, filling another barrel with twigs.  Our yard is starting to look really sharp, something the rain will only improve.  I love the green of spring, its richness and variation, which disappears as summer comes and wanes.  I then had my chicken salad sandwich, split it with Evie, and watched Game of Thrones, did some reading and took a nap.  Evie was ready to relax as well, having worked in the yard, house and cooking up ziti sauces for the boys, so we did not get much done the rest of the day.

Late Afternoon

Around 4:00, I became antsy, so unlike me, and drove off to the gravel pit to pick up another five bushels of #2 stones and some top soil.  I spread the stones on the wet spots on our driveway and road and saved the top soil for our compost pile

More Clouds

Dinner was easy, thank goodness, because neither of us had much mojo, just wanted to go to bed. Evie heated up the leftover spaghetti, made a salad, and we settled down comfortably on our couches and watched a interesting and well made film about the first rap group NWA (Niggers With Attitudes) called STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON. It was passed over as a nominee for best film which was joke, considering some of the films that made the list.  But the subject matter, blacks, rap music, street hoods most likely did not appeal to the judges, many who I am sure, never viewed the film.  We liked it and were moved by the sad ending, Eazy-E's death from AIDS.  It has the vibe of gangster rap and the police brutality scenes which seemed so common back in the 1980's and 1990's, are hard to watch.  With all the shootings of black youths today and the Black Lives Matters movement, we wonder if things have changed much.