Feast, Now Famine...We Are Two

Painting Rocks

Our Results

The Maestro

Maestro's Work

I was up at 5:20 which seems to have become my regular wake up time.  It was dark when I woke and now, at 6:00, it's beginning to get light, the sky gray and cloudy and it's still warm outside 65º.  Today is a sad-making, as Beth and five grandchildren head home and we may not see them again until Thanksgiving or Christmas, our life for the past twenty-two years since none of our children live nearby.  Well, Murphy's Law again, as Beth was notified around 7:00 that her flight from Baltimore to Dallas was canceled.  This necessitated a call to Rami who hustled to get them on a flight but none were available until Saturday morning.  So the gang will fly the first leg, to Baltimore, get picked up by Jill and stay with her family tonight, then fly out of Dulles, Saturday morning at 11:00.  It could have been worst.

Halle And Marlena

We did have a busy and fun final day, however, and it was a result of the usual, a partly cloudy sky with lots of dock time and swimming, little baking or prepping for dinner, more a day of leisure, enjoying the la Familia. I was up early, home from a paddle before anyone else was up.  The girls were tired from their previous late night, so they slept in until 10:30.  Breakfast was easy, bagels and cream cheese, with jam, or Honey Nut Cheerios.  No one was ready for bear until noon when the girls went for a paddle, then all of us went out on the dock to sunbathe and swim.

Paddling To The Reeds

The water was really nice, clear and cool, so the girls loved spending time in it with their Granny, taking photographs of their jumps.

I did some reading before coming in for an early lunch of leftover egg noodles, topped with an egg, thanks to Beth.

I took an hour nap, obviously needing it from getting up early most mornings.  The girls hung out inside after their swim, playing games on their phones and coloring our tablecloth.  It's about 65% done so we will have lots to do next year.  Evie and Beth had made a short list for Wegman's since we did not want to fuss with dinner.  So I drove to Lakewood around 3:30 and picked up three rotisserie chickens, sweet corn, Italian bread and salad for dinner.  I was home by 4:30, in time to sit down with the girls, Evie, and Beth and do some more rock painting.  I think I lost my inspiration because my colored rocks seem to be the same.  The girls and Mitch were, however, quite imaginative, in fact, Mitchell wants to take his home to Dallas.  Just before dinner, Evie and the girls started fooling around in the backyard with the Reddi Whip.  I do not think she is a good example.

Catching Ready Whip

Around 6:30, I cleared off the picnic table, the girls set it for dinner, Evie cut up the chicken, boiled the corn, while Beth made the salad.

Dinner

Our final dinner was alfresco and it did not rain which was nice.  Afterward, the girls got out the balloons and pump and amused themselves chasing deflating balloons as the night crept in.

Balloons Ready

Halle Deflated

By 8:30, we were in the TV room watching Queer Eye and enjoying the last of the baklava and peach/blueberry crisp.  It was a subdued evening as we knew it would be our last together for quite a while.  All of us went up to bed early, around 10:00 but as I fell asleep, I could still hear the girls giggling in their bedroom.  I love the sound of them, cousins loving being with each other.

Gun Metal Gray Morning

Heron And A Bench

Grace In Flight

6:40

I was up at 5:20, to a still darkened sky.  It's 6:15 now, all is gray, a special beauty to the lake and sky, as mist rises over the opposite hillside, the lake, various shades of gray, with hardly a ripple.  The sky mostly gray, with a tinge of pink.  And it's close 66º, with 90% humidity.  It's still a thrill to get out on the kayak early morning and be the only boat on the calm lake.  Cool beans.  I also took a photo of a heron in flight and had a sighting of an osprey, sitting on top of a tree but he flew away before I could get a photograph.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was another gray day, threatening but never raining so we were able to enjoy the outdoors, swim when we wanted, and get in some dock time.  I got in a paddle before anyone was up and the girls must have been really tired because two did not get up until 10:00 and one slept in until 11:30.  It was difficult as a result to plan anything in the morning for them to do.  So we hung out, thinking of chores to do and more importantly, food to make, especially desserts.  Because of late rising, we did not get around to doing much until the afternoon.

Chip Dippers

Three Is Not Enough

Triple Trouble

I brought in our big float from the water and needed help from the girls to get it out of the water, from Beth to help fold it, from Mitch to carry it upstairs to store in the attic.  It's nice to have that out of the way.  The girls and Evie went out to enjoy the water, as the weed cutters had done a great job of clearing out our swimming area, going over our lakefront two or three times.  And the lake was crystal clear, no algae to speak of.  Halle could not get over how refreshing and clear it was.  Evie took more photos, the girls hung out on the dock until they got hungry.  Lunch was whatever you could find in the refrigerator.  Beth and I shared the leftover vodka pasta, the girls had sandwiches and leftover barbecue chicken.

Baklava Girls

And then the baking began.  Since Halle had been vacationing in Greece, on Santorini in June, she had become an aficionado of baklava and wanted to make it herself, having watched them make it in Greece.  Evie is an expert at it, so she and Halle, with Marlena's help, layered the phyllo dough, brushed it with butter, spread the chopped walnuts, baked it, then covered it with sugar syrup.  Marisa, not to be outdone, put together a peach and blueberry crisp in an hour so by 4:00, we had two great desserts ready to go.

Peach And Blueberry Crisp Girl

The Results

We relaxed on the front porch around 5:30, sipping wine or soft drinks and devouring a bag of Utz chips with dip.  We played a number of rousing games of bean bag and Mitch and Halle ended up the eventual winners as Halle got her groove back.

Marisa And Her Baba

Aunt And Niece

The Champs, Halle And Mitch

The girls wanted to eat outside despite the threatening sky, so they set the table just as dinner was ready,  a potpourri of foods, burgers, Slovenian sausage, baked potatoes and a great salad with fresh corn, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados, tossed by Beth.  We were able to just finish eating before it started to drizzle and the girls tore in.  Beth, Evie and I sat out a bit longer but the rain picked up so we too had to go in on the porch.  By the time we got settled, it had stopped raining, of course, hardly wetting the ground.

Dinner Before The Rain

Dishes were done quickly because the girls wanted to watch a fairly recent movie, A QUIET PLACE. Both Evie and I had watched it before as had one of the girls but it was still enjoyable, especially during timeouts when we helped ourselves to numerous helpings of baklava or peach/blueberry crisp, topped with ice cream.  I think Halle and Marlena may have finished off the entire pan of baklava.  The girls went up to bed after the movie but I am not sure what time they went to sleep, hopefully not too late.

A few flowers to brighten the day.

Just The Seven Of Us

Five In The Garden

6:40

Coneflower Hot Pink

I missed the sunrise for the first time in quite a while, having slept into the unheard of time of 6:40.  A bit of color in the sky but mostly cloudy, as it's been the last couple of days and will be for the next couple.  I did get in a paddle, an hour later than usual but did catch a few shots of a blue heron.

Kayak Morning

No dramatics yesterday on Tyler, our eldest grandson's final day at the lake. I went for a heronless paddle around 7:00 and returned to a still sleeping house.  Evie was soon up as well as Beth who decided to make Tyler's favorite for breakfast, peameal bacon.  So she drove to the Lighthouse Point Grocery in Mayville and picked up a pound as well as some other goodies.
 

Making ButtermilkBiscuits

By the time she was back, # 2 son, Mitchell was up making buttermilk biscuits to go with the peameal bacon and eggs.

Around 11:00, the gang was up so Beth fried up the bacon, made the eggs, and Mitch's biscuits were done so we had a first rate breakfast.  I was happy to have a couple of honey glazed biscuits with a slice of ham between the halves although most had eggs as well. Breakfast was late enough for most of us to be a brunch. 

Too Comfortable

Beth and Tyler drove over to Bemus to shop around 12:30.  Evie fired up the lawn mower and cut the grass while the girls and Mitch played a game on their iPhones.  I am not sure what the game involves other than violence, competition, and is addicting.  It's hard to get the girls attention when they are playing. 

Halle Selfie With Llama

Marlena And Friend

They tired, however, and at Evie's suggestion, they walked over to the campground, with corn cobs, to feed the animals at the Petting Zoo.  Once the lawn was cut, and the girls returned with ice cream from the campground store, six of us went out on the dock to swim and play on the surfboard.  It felt good to be in the water again and the sun even peaked out occasionally. 

 Shower in the Lake

Beth pulled out the paints and set up the picnic table for some rock painting, but the girls were scared away by a bee, so it was Beth and me out on a threatening late afternoon, painting rocks.   Mine tend to be the same, a lack of imagination, although Beth's are always interesting and I love her quick take of a great blue heron.

Heron By Beth

Aloha Tyler

Tyler was supposedly taking an Uber to the airport and 6:00 but as I predicted (to myself thinking of Murphy's Law), no drivers were interested so Beth had to take him and miss dinner out at Steeners Irish Pub, now one of the girls favorite spots.  So six of us bid Tyler adieu and piled into the Honda Accord, with Halle sitting on Marlena's lap and drove to Greenhurst.

Steak And Salad At Steeners

 Four of us had the steak special, two steaks for twenty bucks and Halle and Marisa had salads.  Dinner was great, lots of fries, as well as steaks and we were home by 8:00, in time to sit out as it got dark.  Evie pulled out the balloons and pump, a game we played when the girls were younger but still love.  They blow up a large hot dog shaped balloon, set free in the sky and chase it, trying to catch it before it hits the ground.  In most cases, the balloons ended up in the trees, bushes or on our roof.  Still, they loved it. 

Blowing Up Balloons

Trying To Catch A Balloon

We then watched a movie I thought the girls would really like called SING STREET.  We still had Tyler's mattress on the floor of the TV room, so a couple of the girls laid on it, the rest sat on couches to watch the movie.  I don't think the movie will be a favorite but they seemed to like it.  After the film,  Evie and I went up to bed, leaving the rest to hang out until they became tired.