The Fun's Almost Over!

With Chautauqua Institution's Featured Speaker, Trevor Potter

7:46

It' 7:00 and a cloudy and rainy morning, the lake, however, is amazing, with shadows of the shoreline skirting its edges, and fog rising from the hills over Bemus.  It's warm, too, 67º, wet out as it rained some overnight, finally.  It looks like a nice day except for the fact that our families are leaving late morning, my sister back to Virginia, our niece and her husband, to Niagara Falls for an early afternoon visit, then a 6:00 flight back to their home in Denver, Colorado.

Baskets On Chautauqua Grounds

Porches Of Chautauqua

Yesterday was classic Fourth of July, with everyone enjoying the warm weather, the sun and each other, celebrating Independence Day.  Our neighbors' yards were filled with family and friends, playing games, sitting around tables eating and drinking, taking in the day.  My day began early, writing the blog and then heading off to Lakewood to pick up a few things for our picnic.  I was back by 9:30, however, with ice, packed the cooler and then had some scrambled eggs and bagels and jam as everyone was finally up.  Some then went swimming, to wake up fully and by 10:15, we were boating once again to the Chautauqua Institution to listen to Monday's speaker, Trevor Potter.  A renowned election and political guru, having worked for both Bushes and John McCain, he spoke on the theme of the week, "Money in Politics."  He regaled the audience with facts, explaining how money and power poisons the political system, leading to deadlock.  He was, however,  a bit windy as there was little time for questions.  We all enjoyed hearing him, being part of the pageant of the 4th on the Chautauqua grounds, and we stopped by to talk with him briefly afterwards, as he's a friend of our nieces husband's family.  He recognized Hampton, said a quick hello to all of us, and we moved on.  We briefly walked through the flag strewn streets of red, white and  blue, then boated back to Woodlawn, ready to jump in the lake because of the heat.

Lunch

The rest of the day we did our usual, playing bean bag, sunbathing, swimming, reading or taking a nap with a break around 2:30 for some loaded tortilla chips.  Yum.  They hit the spot and with a couple of beers, we were happy the rest of the afternoon.  Our friends Ron and Linda were coming around 5:00, so all of us went swimming and washed our hair in the lake, getting ready for our picnic.

The Old Man And The Gals

Happy Family

Tradition

Cuties Enjoying The Lake

They arrived on time, and we sat around kibitzing until Julia pulled out the bean bag tournament line ups.  So for the next hour, we played some competitive bean bag, enjoyed hanky pankies, endaname, chips and dip, drank beers, as we played.  Julia and I were the winners of course!  Evie and Walt were second, as the homies dominated the boards.  We made them of course.

Hanging Out With Ron And Linda

Watcha Lookin At!

Father And Son In Law

 The guys then grilled some burgers and dogs as the gals got things ready for our picnic dinner.  It was still nice out though it looked threatening and we ate outside, a typical 4th picnic, potato salad, beans, dogs and burgers.  All was good except for the fact I undercooked the burgers.  Idiot!  We then waited for 10:00, when the flares are lit around the lake.  To while away the time, we built a fire in my portable fire pit and roasted marshmallows and made smores.  Julia was happy, happy.  Lots of fireworks were lighting the skies from 9:00 on, in all directions, some from villages, some just locals on their docks.  It was amazing, the amount of money some must have spent on their displays.  The flares went on at 10:00 and we sat ogling them and the fireworks until 10:30 when Ron and Linda drove home.  We quickly cleaned up the yard and all of us, tired from the day, went up to bed early, for us, with no games.

I hear stirring upstairs, so some are getting up.  Both families will be leaving late morning I suspect, in no hurry to get home.  It's been a great five days.  We should make it a tradition.

It's now 8:30 and everyone's up and the newlyweds,  Julia and Hampton, are in the kitchen, making a special breakfast for us, Shakshuka, a Tunisian dish of eggs set atop sauteed tomatoes, spices, and feta cheese.  Double yum.

Celebrating, With Gratitude, Independence Day

The Captain

The Niece

The Son In Law

The Brother In Law

The Sister

Portrait Credit:  by Evie

7:03

It's early, what else, and I am the only one up. It's 6:14 as I begin my blog.  I was just out sitting on the front porch waiting for the sun to rise above the horizon.  At 6:05, it began its journey, its reflection blinding, as the steam rose on the lake.  It's a chilly 49º, with lots of sun later, a slight chance of rain, the highs getting into the low 80's.  It should be a fun but busy day, as we are off to hear Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Committee, speak at the Chautauqua Institution.  We learned about him when he helped Stephen Colbert set up his Super PAC called 'Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.'  He was so knowledgeable and funny that he came back to Stephen's show a couple of times.

Ellen And Walt

The Loving Couple

Yesterday began with a good hour to myself, so I wrote the blog, read some of the NYTimes and watered the lawn's bare spots before most got up, around 8:00.  We had coffee, said our goodbye's to my sister Linda and her husband, Rich, who were here for one night; they had to get home for their own Fourth of July picnic on Lake Erie.  They left about 9:30 and Evie got busy making egg bagel sandwiches and packing drinks for our cruise to the Chautauqua Institution around 10:15.  It was a fine morning, blue skies and lake, so we docked there around 10:30 and had a picnic breakfast on our boat.  We then spent the next couple of hours walking the grounds, listening to the choir and speaker briefly in the Amphitheater, walking the loop, visiting the Art In the Park, then spending our last 15 minutes at the Clock Tower area, listening to a great three piece Klezmer Band, made up of three Hasidic Jews, with long side burns.  They were great and made us want to dance.

Klezmer Music

We quickly boated home because we wanted to jump in the lake and cool off some.  I had a few chores, so I drove off to Hogan's Hut, for ice and gas for my boat.  When I got back, I packed the cooler with drinks and ice, then went out and put 10 more gallons in my boat so I would have no worries about gas over the next few days.  We then relaxed the rest of the afternoon, enjoying some light snacks like hummus on the dock, tired so it seemed from our adventure at the Chautauqua Institution.

Heading To Bemus Point's Casino

Everyone was anxious for our wings dinner, so after a couple of more games of bean bag, we changed and got a beer and cruised over to the Casino in Bemus Point and were lucky to get a docking spot at the Casino, as all of Bemus was overflowing with people.  We got a table right away, ordered a couple of pitchers of Yuengling and lots of wing and fries.  Julia and Hampton went off to play some of the games, coming back with a cheap stuffed animal, making Julia happy.

A Winner

The wings were as good as we can remember, and they got a thumbs up from Hampton, a wing gourmet.  Because it was such a nice night, we walked the short distance into town, stopping to tour the inside of the grand old Lenhart Hotel.  The street was closed off to traffic and the hillside and walks were packed with people waiting to hear music.  We wanted an ice cream cone so we waited for at least 20 minutes in line for a cone.  Obviously, a few other people had the same idea.  I have never seen Bemus Point so crowded. We then took the slow stroll home, past at least fifty boats docked in front of the floating dock, there to hear a Journey Cover Band.

Hot Wings At The Village Casino

Finished

We were home and cosy by 9:00 and were not sure what to do.  So Evie and Julia got out Bananagrams and we played that until bedtime.  Our games were briefly interrupted  by the fireworks from neighbors on both sides, as well as some shows up and down the lake.  We walked out on the dock to watch and enjoy the noise and light snow.  Our neighbors' grandkids would cheer every time their grandfather would off a set of fireworks which was fun.  We eventually headed up to bed around 11:00 and read some before falling asleep.

Sunset

Another Groovy Day On The Lake

7:16

No surprise, I was up at 6:16, to a brilliant sunrise, the lake exploding with its reflection.  It's now 7:00, the house is still quiet, as is the lake, and it's a chilly 54º out, good sleeping weather.  We have a fun day ahead of us and the weather looks as if its going to cooperate.

Scrambled Egg Baskets

Breakfast With The Bottinys and Barclays

Linda And Rich Arrive

Saturday was a bit different from usual, no 'It's Only A Game,' as the gang slept in till 8:30 or later.  I was up early, of course, had my coffee, wrote my blog, downloaded some photographs, set up the sump pump, and watered the lawn for a half hour before anyone was up.  Lucky dogs.  Everyone slowly rose and by 10:00, all were up and ready for breakfast.  Evie and Julia made one of Julia's favorites, scrambled egg baskets, where you put bread in cup cake tins, toast it, top it with scrambled eggs and cheese and bake it in the oven.  They are great looking and tasty as well.  Just as we were finishing breakfast, my sister and her husband arrived from Euclid.  So our day began in earnest.

Show Off

Show Off, Two

As family caught up with their lives, I took Hampton off for a Saturday morning Chautauqua experience, a trip to the Transfer Station to get rid of our trash.  We then stopped at Hogan's Hut for ice and came home and loaded up the cooler with drinks and ice, ready for a big day.  Evie was prepping dinner somewhat, so my sister Ellen and I drove off to the Lighthouse to pick up some pork chops for dinner.  It was as busy as I have seen it, with five guys behind the counter busy cutting and wrapping meat, getting orders and making sub sandwiches.

Best Adversaries

Bean Bag Spectating

We then enjoyed some sun but by 1:30, we were hungry again and Evie put together her special Chautauqua eggplant sandwiches.  Earlier in the week, she breaded and fried eggplant slices, splice them together with ricotta cheese and baked them, before freezing them.  So yesterday, she heated them up, and with bacon and tomatoes and lettuce, made sandwiches fit for a king.  Nothing like good eggplant, cheese, tomatoes and of course bacon.  None were left by the end of lunch.

After lunch, a few of us took a short cruise up the lake towards Whitney Bay, then over to Long Point Bay to swim in the deep waters, an idea that at least fifty other boaters had, as they were parked along the Long Point Bay, standing in the water, blasting their music, drinking beer and having a good time. We then relaxed until 5:30, either sun bathing, playing bean bag, swimming, napping, reading or watching some TV.

Sisters

The Girls

At 6:00, we decided it was a perfect afternoon for a booze cruise, so we filled up the cooler with wine and beer and cruised slowly over to Bemus Point, along Lakeside Drive and back.  It was a lovely late afternoon to be on the lake as boats were heading home, the sun beginning to hide behind the trees.  When we got back, we had a number of hot games of bean bag, and I am not even sure who won although I know I lost.  I think Evie and Julia where the winners of the various twosomes.  I cannot believe I lost.

Chillin And Grillin With The Guys

Dinner

Around 7:30, hunger set in so Evie started putting together her Japanese vegetable pancakes and the four guys went out to the Weber and grilled 10 1-inch thick pork chaps, which had been marinating in teriyaki sauce for a couple of hours.  We the settled around the dinner table for the feast of chops, pancakes, rice and salad.  The pancakes were the hit of the night, however, as the group devoured them as quickly as Evie could make them.  By the end of dinner, none of us could eat  another bite.

Telefunky For Ever

And, after much discussion and push back from me, we played another rousing game of Telefunky (a game brought to South American by the Nazis after WW II according to Hampton).  We ended earlier than Friday night by 15 minutes, finishing up around 11:45, with my sister Linda and Julia the winners.  Rich wanted to stay up and talk but had no takers so we all went up to bed, hoping to get a good night's sleep, readying us for another day at the lake.

It's 7:30 and I can hear scurrying upstairs so I had better finish this off before others intrude on my quiet time and I have to be a good host and talk (although most don't want to talk much either after getting up).  It's a delicate balance and depends on who comes down first.  Some, like Walt, needed 15 minutes of quiet time before we started talking politics.  My brother in law, Rich, however, is ready for bear the minute he gets up.

O What A Beautiful Morning!

6:50

7:03

My Sister Ellen And Her Husband, Walt

I been up since 6:15 and it's now almost 7:00 and everyone is luckily still sleeping.  We stayed up last night until 12:30 playing a card game my Mom taught all of us called Telefunky, a gin rummy like game with partners, so it was a fun, late night.  It's a chilly 50º, great sleeping weather and the next three days should be perfect for the 4th of July, with highs in the 70's, perhaps 80's by Monday.

Evie's Sour Cream Pancakes

Mother And Daughter Porching It

Yesterday was surprisingly cool most of day, with a wind that even brought along a chill, brought out the fleeces for most of us.  It threatened to rain a couple of times but the storms and hail passed us by so we got little more than a wetting.  All six of us were up by 9:00, in time to enjoy Evie's sour cream pancakes outside.  Everyone who has ever been to Chautauqua has had and loved her pancakes.  We had them with syrup from Vermont, brought to us as a gift from Julia and Hampton.  As luck would have it, the few raindrops began to fall as we were eating breakfast, so we grabbed our plates and finished up on the porch.  The rain stopped, of course, by the time we were finished eating.

The Newlyweds

Father And Daughter

After breakfast, Julia, Hampton and I drove to Hogan's Hut, always a stop for most visitors, and picked up some ice and worms, just in case we decided to fish. Because of the clouds and the possibility of rain, we all  decided to drive to Bemus Point and check out the local shops.  We started with coffee at Wired, browsing their neat gift shop, then on to the Art Loft Too, a walk down to the Lenhart Hotel, past the new Ellicottvllle Brewery Restaurant, with a stop at Skillman and Wright.  We ended the visit, like we always seem to, tradition I guess, with a beer on the front porch of the Seezurh House, a bar/restaurant we have been frequenting since we bought our home in 1981.  It's changed owners once but is still a good place for a burger or a fish fry and, of course, a beer.

Seezurh House Porch

First Time On Seezurh House Porch

By the time we came back, it was 1:30 and we were all hungry.  Evie had made up a tuna/macaroni salad the day before, so we had that along with chicken tortilla soup and spinach artichoke quesadillas.  We were able to eat outside as the clouds disappeared and the sun finally came out for the rest of the day.  Afterwards, we all went our own way until around 4:30, reading, sunbathing on the dock or taking a nap.  I watched some soccer, read, and took a nap, my routine not varying much even with family.  Around 4:00, we were all groggy, so four of us jumped in the lake, washed our hair and got refreshed.  Since it was still cool and the lake was choppy, we decided to go to the Southern Tier Brewery, 15 minutes a way, for a couple of microbrews.  Julia and Hampton, who live in Denver, really like Southern Tier beers, so we thought it was a good time to go.  We found a table outside at a very busy BrewPub and had a tangerine ale and Julia ordered a salted caramel beer, a bit sweet, more apt for after dinner.  We enjoyed our beers, the sun, the happy tables of people enjoying the start to the weekend.

Enjoying Southern Tier's Pub and Microbrew

We got home around 6:30 and since no one was hungry yet, we had appetizers, sat on the porch and the finally decided to play some competitive games of bean bag.  Julia and I beat Walt and Evie a couple of times, just the beginning of Julia's string of victories, counting scrabble with Hampton a few days ago (she kept the score card), and Telefunky later last night.  She's just a 'little bit' competitive.  Around 8:00, I fired up  the barbecue and with the help of the guys, we grilled about 30 koftes (egg shaped hamburger patties) for our favorite Turkish dish, Iskender Kebab.  It's basically toasted pita bread, with three or four grilled koftes, topped with Evie's homemade tomato sauce and lots of yogurt to finish it off.  Along with a salad, that was our dinner.  We ate inside because it was getting dark and was cool out.

Turkish Dinner

We finished the night, as I mentioned playing cards until around 12:30.  It was a competitive game and Evie and I were ahead until the last hand when Julia and her Dad took the lead.  Sad making.  It was a fun way to end a very busy day.  Today looks to be just as busy and my sister Linda and her husband Rich are coming for the day from Euclid.  Siblings Day!

And The Fun July 4th Weekend Begins

6:38

8:00

Sleeping in until 6:30, as the fourth of July weekend begins.  A cloudy start, with some rain predicted this morning, perhaps this afternoon but then its clear sailing through the holiday weekend, with sun and warm weather.

Yesterday was a madcap kind of day, as we worked hard to get ready for my sister and family. There's always something else to do to get ready.  I started the day with breakfast, however, at the Bemus Inn, a good way to start the day, for me, poached eggs on hash with wheat toast.  When I got home, it was time to wash the windows, just those on the lake side so it didn't take very long or because it did not take very long, they were streaky.  I  tried.  It was then time for a marathon trip to Lakewood, to get a few last things we need at three different stores, including Home Depot, a marina and a coffee shop.  I was gone for close to two hours and came home in a foul mood.  I had had enough shopping for awhile.

Evie was finishing cutting the lawn twice when I got home, and she stopped briefly to help put things away in their proper place.  I had soup and a sandwich for lunch and watched the end of the Iceland victory over England.  We then both put the finishing touches on both the house and yard, making sure both were ship shape and ready for my sister Ellen and her family.  We both relaxed, then, as I watched the soccer match between Portugal and Poland, before going out to join Evie on the dock for a bit.  Around 4:30, Ellen and her husband Walt arrived from Virginia and our weekend fun began.

Dinner With Walt And Ellen

We decided the best way to start the weekend was to take a booze cruise, so we filled up the cooler, Evie got out some appetizers and we were off to Bemus on a blue sky and lake afternoon.  It was fun for both of them to be out on the lake again, as they have been coming up to visit most summers ever since we bought our house in 1981.  When we got back, it was wine time on the front porch and Evie heated up the chicken tortilla soup and she made up quesadillas to go with it, stuffed with artichoke hearts, spinach and cheese.  It was a fine evening to eat out side so Ellen set the table and we enjoyed our dinner, as the long day waned.

Our Niece, Julia, In The Morning

We were expecting Ellen's daughter Julia and her husband Hampton to arrive around 8:00 from Boston but their flight was delayed twice, so they ended up driving in just after 11:00, alas.  They were in good spirits, however, Julia especially was happy to be back at the lake.  We stayed up till midnight talking, catching up on their lives before we finally all went to bed.

We are looking forward to the next four days, filled with booze cruises, bean bag, and great meals.