Quiet And Overcast

Dazzling

Pretty In Pink

I was up around 6:20 to a flawless morning on the lake, not a ripple, breeze, or boat, the only sound, NPR.  It may clear up later although we may get a few showers early.

Kayaking At 7:30

Stately

Osprey

Yesterday was a full day, also a spectacular day to be out on the lake, lots of puffy clouds, temperatures in the 80's and a nice breeze.  I got in my paddle, had breakfast with the guys in Bemus, then came home and both Evie and I got ready for a cruise down the Chadakoin River at the south end of the lake.  We have tried to do this at least once every other year.  We had hoped to do it earlier in the summer but could not find a good day until yesterday.  Linda and Ron arrived at 11:00 bearing lunch, sub sandwiches from the Lighthouse Market and we supplied the beverages.  We took our time getting down the lake, enjoying looking at the homes until we arrived in Celeron, where the new hotel is going up.

Chautauqua Harbor Hotel In Celeron

It looks pretty nice from the lake although we had a tough time navigating through the weeds.  We had an easy time cruising down the river, staying in the middle and met three boats, enjoying the fine day like us.  We also marveled at how ferry boats in the old days navigated this narrow river, often having to pass each other.

The Gals

We parked at McCrea Park for a rest stop, then cruised back to Celeron, enjoying our lunch and the scenery.  We then took our time riding along the eastern shoreline, to Bemus, along Lakeside Drive, then Victoria and Woodlawn before arriving home around 3:30.  We then gathered our drinks and sat out on the dock for another hour, swimming and enjoying the beautiful afternoon. We could not have picked a better day for our cruise.

Ready To Lunch On Chadakoin River

Ron and Linda left at 4:15 and Evie stayed out to enjoy the afternoon until 5:00 when we both took swims and got ready for another night of dining out.  We walked over to Ken and Marjorie's house at 6:00 and had a glass of wine or two and appetizers as we decided where to eat.

Enjoying Our Dinners At Taste Of India

We decided on Taste of India, in Jamestown, as we wanted to try something different.  We had second thoughts when we saw the empty parking lot.  There was only one table with patrons when we walked in.  It turned out to be a really fun, memorable night, mostly because our waiter had a dry sense of humor, often saying no when he met yes.  Because they did not have a liquor license, he said I could buy beer across the street at Farm Fresh Foods.  So I ran across the street, bought a six-pack of Yingling brought it back and the waiter said we weren't allowed to drink.  When I said you told us we could, he smiled and laughed, then brought us glasses.  That was his sense of humor the rest of the night.  Our meals were really great and they were able to make a fried flatbread called pourri which I love.  We ended up talking with the owner and cook because he used to have an Indian restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls where we used to patronize when we lived in Hudson.  In fact, his family still lives in the area and his kids go to Walsh, a Catholic school in Stow, Ohio.  He told us all about family, especially his children who seem to be doing well, winning scholarships to college.  Both the owner the waiter Mintu are from the Punjab area in India, an area in the Himalayas, where I spent a week on a houseboat in 1974.  We ended the night with a selfie, vowing to return and support them. And as we were leaving, Mintu said to Evie, "I like you. you're not crabby."  Priceless

We did not get home until 9:15, too late to watch an episode of The Handmaid's Tale, so we sat on our front porch before going up to bed, the end of a busy and fun day.

A Gray, Overcast And Foggy Morning

6:09

I was up at 6:00, to a dreary, gray morning sky.  It's still humid, 66º, and may get up to 80º later in the day.  The lake is smooth, hardly a ripple, with no boats to mar the surface.  I cannot wait to get out there and kayak.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday we took it easy, maybe because we received more rain on and off during the day.  I did kayak early, came home to get organized for a trip with multiple stops to Jamestown and Lakewood.  It felt good, though, to have my life back to normal, normal wake up times, coffee, good food, no fasting, the good life.  One forgets how good the simple routine of our days are until they are changed.  So I took off around 10:30, after a couple of long phone calls.  One to Panasonic about my year old Lumix which was refusing to extend the telephoto lens.  So I packed it up and am sending it to its repair/replacement office in Texas.  So my first stop was at the post office to send my camera and insure it for 400 bucks.  I then drove to Jamestown, to Spectrum's office, our internet providers to return their remote and DVR since we have gotten rid of cable.  It will be interesting to see what my next bill will be.  I then stopped at Auto Zone and picked up spark plugs for both our Honda Mower and Mariner Outboard motor.  My next stop was at Sears in our seemingly neverending quest to replace our Microwave.  We had decided on an LG model finally, one we had looked at last week at Sears.  It was out of stock, however, and we would not be able to get it until October. Typical.  So I looked around, found a Samsung which was similar and twenty bucks cheaper and ordered it. We will get it in a week.  Finally, that's done.  I then mailed another package at the Car Wash, which takes UPS packages for Amazon, bought some gas, and finally headed home.

First Budding Yellow Dahlia

Fragrant Gardenia-likeHosta

Evie was on the front porch, talking with United Healthcare, making sure everything was in order for her back surgery in September.  Unfortunately, she spoke with an agent who knew practically nothing about our insurance, so it was a frustrating phone call and Evie was ready to cancel everything until she talked to someone who knew what she was talking about and could reassure her that insurance would cover her surgery, at least Medicare would kick in as well as United Healthcare.  It's unbelievable how some people still have jobs when they are so incompetent.

Lunch was delish, a meatloaf sandwich with ketchup, of course, and a pickle.  And I watched another exciting episode of FAUDA before taking a cat nap.  Both of us relaxed then as it looked like rain and read or played on our devices.  Around 4:00, I went out to make sure our boat was in tip top shape because we are taking a trip down to the Chadakoin River, Mc Crea Point and back with our friends, Ron and Linda.  Well, I discovered the reason why my boat seemed slower than usual.  Thousands of zebra mussells were attached to the boat bottom.  I got out my ice scraper for windshields and worked on scraping them off for a half hour until the clouds, thunder and rain came in.  So I took a half hour hiatus until it cleared up again and I went out and scraped for another half hour until the boat's bottom was clean.  Now I know why everyone but me has a boat lift. 

Dinner At Rocco's With Joyce And Bill

At 5:45, we drove off to Rocco's, our favorite Italian restaurant with our good friends and neighbors, Bill and Joyce. It's about a forty-five minute drive through mostly farmlands, hills, and corn fields.  We were lucky to get a table because Rocco's was really hopping.  We ordered our usual, Evie and Joyce the eggplant parmesan, piled high and Bill and I ordered chicken parmesan.  All four of our meals were great, much more than we could eat so we all took home doggy bags or in this case styrofoan containers (not good).  It was an exceptional night out, with good neighbors, good food, and a fine country drive.

We were home in time to watch another episode of THE HANDMAIDS TALE.  It surprises us in how it moves from Alfred/June to her husband, Luke, and lover, Max's lives, giving us the background for both of them. 

A Bit Of Nostalgia: Evie with our good friend, Dick Allen on the right, and Battal on the left, a BJK teammate and good friend who sadly passed away yesterday in Istanbul.

Probably 1974

A Welcome Rainy And Cloudy Morning

 

6:05

It's a sticky morning, as the humidity has dipped like the 90º temperatures of the weekend.  We got a half inch of rain yesterday in perhaps a half hour, heavy enough that we sat out on the porch to enjoy it. It was also good to get out on the lake early morning, catch a photo of a heron in the reeds, and return home, along Woodlawn, accompanied by a flock of hystrical barn swallows.

Kayak Morning

Among The Reeds

Yesterday's procedure was over and done with by 8:30 and I was home eating my first meal in 24 hours, an omelet and toast. Yum.  Both of us were tired from early rising, so we did not do much during the rest of the morning.  And this lack of getting anything done was helped by the rain showers which precluded any work out in the garden for Evie. 

Around 11:00 however, I bid Evie aloha as she drove off to Lakewood, to do some heavy shopping, both grocery and retail, at TJ Maxx's.  I did not envy her and was happy to stay home, eat tuna sandwiches for lunch, watch another episode of FAUDA, read my new Daniel Silva novel, THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN and take a long nap.  That, for me, is a good afternoon.  Evie did not get back until around 2:00 with not nearly as much as I expected.  I think she is getting fed up with shopping like me. 

Because we then did not have anything we had to do and neither of us felt like doing something productive because we were tired from the early morning, it seemed like a long, boring afternoon, especially our waiting for wine time at 5:00.  Around 3:30, however, I was seduced by the beauty of a placid, gray sky and lake and got in my kayak for a half hour paddle. 

An Overcast Afternoon Paddle

While I paddled,  Evie took her daily swim, then put together our dinner, something I actually woke up thinking about, a meatloaf.  I know it's usually a winter dinner but for some reason it sounded good to me, Evie, too. So, after our wine time, sitting out on our dock, enjoying the break in the cloudy afternoon, we had a dinner of meatloaf, macaroni and cheese (Bob Evan's), salad and corn on the cob.  It tasted just as good as I hoped and we have enough left for another meal. 

Our neighbors stopped over around 8:00 and we sat on the porch talking about getting together for a dinner in the next couple of days, and where we wanted to dine, most likely somewhere new.  After they left, we watched two more episodes of THE HANDMAID'S TALE and by the time it was finished, we were tired enough to go up to bed early for us at 10:00. 

Not Much Of A Day (for me)

5:56

It's 9:15 as I start my blog and I did not just get back from kayaking.  Instead, I just returned from a clinic in Jamestown where I had a colonoscopy.  I had to be there at 6:30, so we were up at 5:30 and left by 6:00.  Not the most pleasant way to start the day, but I am home now, enjoying a cup of coffee, scrambled eggs, and toast. 

A Heron In The Afternoon

Yesterday was long and boring for me because of the prep. So I won't say much more about that other than I am ready for some good food.  Evie in contrast to me sitting around and reading and watching TV, worked most of the day outside despite the fact that the temperature was in the 90's.  She spent a good part of the morning watering her garden from the lake and weeding and trimming bushes, a neverending tale. 

In the afternoon, she continued with some gardening but mostly took her time cutting our lawn, mowing for 15 minutes then taking a timeout, then mowing again, in no hurry to finish, just eventually get it done.  It was a smart way to get it done as the heat and humidity were terrible, a high of 91º mid-afternoon.  I did not envy her and was happy to sit in the TV room watching another episode of  FAUDA. 

For dinner, Evie had a salad and scrambled eggs and I had chicken broth and jello, yum.  We did not start eating until 7:00 because Chris came over to clean the plugs on our boat and I sat out there with him, watching so I will be able to do it next time.  We watched a couple of more episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and are finally getting into it more although the violence is shocking and often unexpected.  Elisabeth Moss is amazing, however, and her Emmy was well deserved.  We both were in bed by 10:00 because we were getting up so early. 

A Bit Of Nostalgia: Our daughter Beth's sixth birthday party in 1972, on the patio behind our house in Istanbul.

The Girls (and Tommy) Are Standing In Europe And That's Asia  In the Background, The Other Side Of The  Bosphorus

Sunny And Too Warm

6:24

6:27

6:28

6:29

I slept in some until 6:25, just up in time to see the sunrise over Long Point on another hot, hazy morning on the lake.  We can expect another day in the high 80's, perhaps some thundershowers later in the day.   It's almost 9:00 and I just finished a long paddle on a calm deserted lake.  Love it like this, just me and the herons.

Kayak Morning

Composed

Flustered

Ruffled

Yesterday was a hot one but it did not deter us from getting things done outside.  I got my paddle in and had breakfast.  By 9:30, we were both outside working in Evie's garden despite the heat.  The garden had been neglected for the past few weeks because we were busy with family.  So the weeds were lush, needed digging out by Evie and I spent a good amount of time edging, pulling weeds, giving the garden a finished look.  We were out there until noon when I had enough, went for a swim to cool off and Evie made me an omelet for breakfast.  I then read, took a brief nap while Evie puttered around until 2:00 when she, too, took a swim. 

Budding Dahlia In Front Of A Fading Dahlia

The Beauty Of Whiteness

We both then got dressed up casual and drove for an hour to Gowanda, New York, for the annual Gowanda Slovenia Club picnic.  It's a beautiful drive, through Amish country, mostly green fields, lush forests, occasional farms.  And, unfortunately, run down, abandoned buildings in one small town after another with names like Persia, Markham, Leon, and Conewango.  The picnic is set just outside of Gowanda at the Collins Conservation Club.  We arrived just after 4:00, to a crowded parking lot and polka music.  There's a pavilion to sit under and lots of tents, all crowded with residents from the town of Gowanda.  We paid only twenty bucks because Evie is a member of the club which entitled us to all the food and beer we wanted.  We had hot dogs, corn dipped in a crockpot of butter, beef on wick, sausage and sauerkraut, beans, tomato and cucumber salad, and watermelon for dessert. We were a bit disappointed as like last year, few people danced to the music except for one woman, who danced by herself, just like last year.

An Uninspired Polka Band

It was hot, in the 80's, so after eating and listening to music and walking the grounds, we decided we had enough, heading home after an hour and a half.  Last year we were able to talk with the band, with some of the locals, but this year we did not get much of a chance so that's why we left early.

We drove home around 6:00, again, a beautiful drive and decided to stop at  Big Shots, a bar/music venue in Kennedy because they often have bands we would have liked to hear.  It was practically empty, two locals,  regulars, smokers and drinkers, thin as rails, retired truck drivers, occasionally walking outside for a smoke.  We ended up talking with them and the bartender, a friendly gal who is a single Mom working a couple of jobs.  The guys ended up talking about Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, all of which they believed in with no evidence to support their theories.  We kept quiet when it came to politics, the presidential elections and one of the guys mentioned he could care less because he was a convicted felon and could not vote.  We had a beer, tried to order french fries but the kitchen was closed.  We then headed home and as we were laughing and talking about our experience, I took a left then right on to what I thought was #86 West but soon figured out was #86 East, heading towards Binghamton, New York.  Idiot!  We got off at the Steamburg exit which had cheap gas and a gas station called The Turtle Pit, which our barkeep mentioned as having great food, cheap gas, and interesting gifts.  So we drove the extra mile to get gas at The Turtle Pit, wanted a hoagie, the best around according to our barkeep but the deli was closed, so we got two pieces of pizza, for the price of one because it was late in the day.

Sunset

We finally got back on #86 West, the right direction as the sun was setting and arrived home around 8:30, the end to an eventful day.  We settled in our TV room, me with pizza, Evie with some naan and watched another episode of THE HANDMAID'S TALE, surprisingly violent and depressing.  One episode was enough before we watched something else before going up to bed.

A Lazy, Hazy, Day Of Summer

Dahlia A Day

6:30 (Heron Photobombing))

6:36

 I was up at 5:30 to a hazy morning sunrise, the sun a muted orange globe hanging over Long Point.  It's already 70º and is going to be a hot one, with temperatures in the high 80's if not 90's.  Lazy, hazy days of summer.  I was out paddling for an hour, over to Tom's Point and along the shoreline home, snapping a photo of both a kingfisher and heron, a good morning.

Kingfisher On A Bad Hair Morning

Henry, perhaps

Yesterday was a great day to be on the water or dock, lots of sun, a wind to keep you cool, and no rain forecast.  So what did we do?  We worked on getting the house back in order during much of the morning.  And, as usual, I took a couple of trips to the Transfer Station.  My second trip, the guy asked me if I had been there earlier?  I had to say yes, lots of trash this week.  So what does a normal person do on a day like this?  Not go shopping for a microwave but that's what we did, hitting two stores, ACME appliance, a local store we like to frequent.  And best of all, they were serving free hot dogs and drinks, so it was worth the trip.  We ended up at Sears, yep it's still open, looked at their stock, a lot more choices then ACME but could not make up our mind, not unusual.  So we will have to go back this week and make a choice. 

We were home around 2:30, so I had a sandwich, watched the end of Season 1 of FAUDA and started Season 2.  Evie quickly put on her bathing suit, gathered up her stuff and went out on the dock to enjoy the afternoon while I read and took a great nap.  I joined her around 3:30 and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon watching the activity on the lake.  We had a beer around 5:30, decided not to swim, too lazy, nor boat, too windy.  We ended up on the porch until 7:00, having another beer, two is usually our limit, and some chips, pretzels, and dip.  We had the leftover chicken, mushrooms, and marsala sauce for dinner, with naan and a salad, and it was just as good as the night before.  We finally got around to watching THE HANDMAID'S TALE since we subscribed to HULU.  It certainly is not a 'pick me upper'! Tres depressing but a series we will probably end up binging watching.  We watched the first two episodes and then decided to look for something more upbeat.  We were both in bed by 10:30, looking forward to our Sunday. 

Cold Turkey

6:28

6:32

Hydrangeas and Jerusalem Artichokes Hugging Our Porch

A beautiful morning sunrise over Long Point on a cloudless sky of pink and light blue.  It's 65º, should be a day filled with sunshine, no rain, and high near 80. A perfect day for our grandchildren...too bad they left for home yesterday.  It's 7:00 as I finish writing the blog, time to go kayaking and let Evie sleep in.  It's now 9:30 and I had a good paddle and a photograph of a heron, sitting high up in a tree, overlooking the lake and reeds.

Kayaking Along The Shore

Where's Henry?

And yes, it feels like cold turkey this morning, as suddenly, the house is quiet, empty, neat, because our traditional two/three weeks with our three kids and seven grandchildren ended yesterday morning at 8:30, when they left for the Buffalo Airport.  It was a nightmare of a morning for them, as their flight from Baltimore to Dallas was canceled.  They were able to book a flight this morning at 11:00 to Dallas, assumed they would take the flight from Buffalo to Baltimore, stay with Jill in Virginia, then fly out the next day.  The trouble began when their driver got a speeding ticket on the highway, getting them late to the Buffalo airport.  Once they were in the airport, they found out their tickets on the first leg of their trip, to Baltimore, five of them were canceled when their flight to Dallas was canceled.  Fortunately, they were able to get tickets back on the flight to Baltimore and arrived at the gate just as they were boarding.  All's well that ends well.  They arrived in Baltimore, Friday, at 12:30 where Jill picked them up and drove them back to her house in Bristow, VA, for the night. 

The Results Of Two Weeks Of Coloring

Meanwhile, we were somewhat at a loss here at the lake, with seemingly nothing to look forward to until next summer.  That's not true but it's the way we felt.  Our solution, always, to their departure is to fill our morning and afternoon with work.  So we had lots to keep us busy to get the house back to its old self.  I stripped the beds upstairs, then starting putting away blankets, quilts, extra things like that in the attic.  Meanwhile, Evie went through the cupboards, getting rid of all the leftover snacks, bread, and other foodstuffs we no longer wanted.  We also gave the living room a  good cleaning and vacuuming and took the leaves out of the dining room table.  Evie also gave the kitchen a good cleaning and I straightened and vacuuming the TV room.  By noon, we were ready to take it easy and had accomplished our goal, to put the fact that our vacation with family was over for another year. 

We did a few things in the afternoon, nothing substantial although Evie made our dinner,  chicken, mushrooms, and broccoli with a Marsala sauce.  I  did some reading, tried to nap but couldn't, watched some TV and neither of us put in any dock time.  No granddaughters to swim and play with.

Around 6:00, we took the leftover brie out of the refrigerator,  found some crackers, to drown our sorrows with a couple of Manhattans on the porch.  Our daughter Beth knows us well, texting us at 6:30 to see if we were having Manhattans on the porch. We were.  We had dinner around 7:30 and it was just what 'the doctor ordered,' seemingly healthy and tasty, especially with dollops of yogurt on top.  We watched a couple of saved Stephen Colbert's but had trouble fast-forwarding through the commercials with our new remote or commander as my parents called it.  We cut the cable, as I may have mentioned earlier in a blog, so we are relearning how our new DirectTV NOW with Apple TV works.  All I know about it, for now, is four months of service is costing me about the same as one month of Spectrum TV.