An Early, Early Morning

Celebrating My 75th With Rich And Linda 

It's beginning to get light at 6:30 and I have been sitting here in darkness since 5:30, waiting for something to happen.  So far, only clouds, a streak of color just above Long Point.  I can hear some fishermen, getting ready to head out as well as the screech of an occasional seagull.  Otherwise, it's a quiet morning on an empty lake.  It's 8:00 and I just returned from a forty-five-minute paddle.  I watched a couple of crows chase off an osprey and as I paddled into my lakefront, a heron flew off from our wall, about twenty feet in front of me and I never saw him standing there hunting.

Kayak Morning

Osprey

On Our Dock

Yesterday was a fun 75th birthday as my sister Linda and brother in law Rich, came out to the lake to spend the day and evening with us.  They didn't arrive until noon so we had the morning to get a few things done.  I got in my paddle before breakfast, then drove off to Lakewood for yoga, then to the Lighthouse to pick up some corn and peameal bacon.  I was home by noon and  Linda and Rich arrived at 12:30.  It's an easy two-hour drive for them from Euclid.  My sister is involved in both local, state and national garden clubs, so the first thing she did is go with Evie to look at her garden.  Rich and I unloaded the car and all of us sat on the front porch, a pleasant day finally to be outside as the heat and humidity had diminished.

Lunch Al Fresco

It was nice enough to have lunch outside, chicken enchiladas, sweet corn and strawberry lemonade.  We had not gotten together in a while so it was fun to catch up on their family, their four children and, thirteen grandchildren, a number now in college.  Tempus Fugit.

All four of us relaxed after lunch, some on the porch, others inside reading or napping until 3:30 when three of us drove off to Celeron to see the new Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.  When we arrived, the parking lot was packed to our amazement as the hotel had just opened a week ago.  We figured out why when we walked in.  They were having a ribbon cutting ceremony, the grand opening of the hotel.  Everyone was dressed up, so we felt a bit out of place but were able to tour the grounds, the inside bar, and dining room.

Linda And Rich At Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Lake Front

It is really first class, especially the outdoor patio, Carousel Bar, pool, and lakefront.  It certainly will be a destination spot, especially in the summer when the outdoor area can be used.  We then took a long way home, through Lakewood, past all my hangouts, Ryder's Cup and Eight Limbs Yoga, and were home by 5:30.

Dinner At Ellicottville Brewery

We relaxed on the front porch with a drink for an hour before driving over to Bemus,  to the Ellicottville Brewery on Lakeside Drive.  Because it was Thursday night, it was not very busy and we easily found a seat inside.  We had a good waitress, ordered beers, and a pretzel with beer cheese for an appetizer, our favorite.  Everyone ordered something different for dinner, from burgers to ahi tuna, to shrimp tacos to a salad.  It was a nice way to celebrate my birthday.  We were home by 9:00 and sat out on the front porch talking until 10:30 when we all went up to bed. No late night carousing or drinking for this crew.

That Morning Sky

6:00

6:50 Kayak

Another spectacular morning sky, lots of clouds and color here early, at 6:00, the advantage of waking up at 5:30.  It has cooled off, a welcome relief, with the high today in the 70's, perhaps some rain.  I welcome it.  It's 6:35 as I finish this.  I have breakfast at 8:00 and I want to get in some kayaking before so I better get in the water soon.  Thursday's are a busy morning for me, with writing my blog, paddling, breakfast in Bemus, then yoga.

Kayak Morning

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was about as hot and humid as it's ever been here at the lake, with the temperatures near 90 if not above.  I was smart to paddle early and head off to yoga at 9:30, escaping the heat in our yoga class.  I did, however, work up a sweat even there, in the air-conditioned studio.  When I returned home, Evie was taking it easy for once and was contemplating cutting the lawn, something she should avoid with her back problems.  So I gassed up the power, took off my shirt, put on my baseball cap and cut half the yard, working up a nice sweat, so that I could take a cooling swim before lunch.

Lunch was leftover teriyaki steak and potato salad, the last of both and I watched THE CODE, nearing the end I think.  It was too hot for either of us to go outside and enjoy the dock, so we hunkered down in the house, windows closed, fans on and either read, napped or watched some TV. About 3:00, I decided to gas up the boat since we might be taking some cruises over the next day or two because my sister Linda and her husband Rich are coming today, Thursday, and spending the night.  So I drove off to Hogan's, filled up two five-gallon cans and came home and emptied them in my boat.  It should last me another week or two.  I then finished the lawn, took another swim and sat down and talked with our neighbors for a bit, under the shade of their maple.  Occasionally, we had a cooling breeze.  While I was cutting the lawn, Evie put together some chicken enchiladas for Wednesday night's dinner, making enough for today's lunch.

Heron In The Afternoon, On Our Dock

By 5:30, we were both uncomfortable so we put on our suits, grabbed a beer and went out and sat on the dock, as the day began to ebb, the sun hid behind our trees, leaving us in the shade at the end of the dock.  We went for a swim, the third time for me, then came in and Evie started to prep dinner.

We had the enchiladas, loaded with goodies, and no need for a salad because of the goodies and watched two more episodes of SHARP OBJECTS.  It is becoming riveting and we had to discipline ourselves to not watch another episode.  Evie went up to bed early and I watched some tennis until I too got tired and went up to read before falling asleep.

BREAKING NEWS from The Contributing Editor:

Happy 75th Birthday to My Editor-In-Chief!

A Rosy Fingered Dawn

6:15

6:54

6:54

6:55

6:56

Cormorants

It's 6:35 and I have been up since 5:50.   I am still surprised at how dark it is when I wake but I enjoy the awakening of the day and waiting for the sun to rise above the horizon.  It's already a close morning, 70º and humid but the weather should begin to change later tonight.  I had a good paddle, with lots of photos of both a heron and osprey.

Heron

Osprey

Osprey

Yesterday was a different day for us.  No yoga for me although I did get in a paddle in the fog before breakfast and finishing up the blog.  We decided to drive to Erie and do some shopping because Tuesday was supposed to be another disgustingly hot and humid day.  So we took our time getting ready, even packed a bathing suit in case we wanted to go to Presque Isle (we didn't).  Evie has been looking for a fall clematis so we researched nursery's in Erie and found one that sounded good called Stan's.  It's 35 minutes away and it is an extraordinary nursery and rivals Merrifield Nursery in Virginia, my sister Ellen's go to nursery.  We found our clematis as well as many other plants we liked and wanted but have no room for.  We did end up finding some tchotchke two brass/turquoise herons for either our garden or porch.  We liked them immediately and thought 'dam the price' and bought them.

Our  New Herons

We browsed for a half hour before driving to Wegman's in Erie, to pick up a few things and have lunch.  By the time we were finished, it was 1:30, too late and too hot to hit the Presque Isle beaches.  So we ended the day at Sam's Club, browsing the aisles but buying little as Evie displayed great discipline.

A Kingfisher Perched On Our Neighbor'sWhiriligig

We were home by 4:00, tired from shopping and driving.  Evie went out to the dock but lasted only a half hour as it was too hot.  I stayed in, fan on, reading my book and lying on the couch, likely taking a cat nap.  Around 5:30, we enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch as the heat of the day was beginning to dissipate.  Dinner was easy, heating up the leftover teriyaki steak from Sunday, pulling Linda's leftover potato salad out of the refrigerator, and making a salad.  We were not sure what to watch but ended up viewing HBO's SHARP OBJECTS, a series we had started a couple of weeks ago but stopped when our cousins arrived.  It's a riveting series once you begin to understand what's happening. At first, it's very confusing, made so by many flashbacks in Camille's life.  And at times, it's confusing whether you are in the past or present.  Still, it's worth sticking with and we ended up watching two episodes.

Foggy Morning

6:40

6:41

9:20, Fog Lifts

I woke around 6:30 and to my surprise, the house was surrounded by fog, the dock and boat barely visible.  The humidity seems palpable this morning, a 93%. There will be no kayaking or boating until it burns off.  The last time I paddled in the fog this heavy I lost my way, thinking I was going towards Tom's Point but ended up in Wells Bay.  It's 8:00 as we finish the blog and the fog is so heavy I can hardly see the end of the dock. Well, I returned from an amazing paddle, starting in fog, returning in sunshine.  And I ran across the geese decoys and the hunter once again.  He looks comfortable.

Kayaking In The Fog

Canadian Geese Decoys

A Relaxed Geese Hunter

Monday continued the hot and humid days here at the lake, typical for Labor Day and the start of school for many.  It was a last gasp for the weekenders and vacationers as the lake and cottages slowly emptied so that this morning, there will be few if any fishing boats out early.  I will have the lake to myself once the fog rises.  I decided to go to yoga even though it was Labor Day, so I had a short paddle but did get a few interesting photos of either mallards or wood ducks. We had a substitute teacher, a gal who has taught a few times.  She is enthusiastic, loves teaching and is the only one who rubs an analgesic on your back and neck at the beginning of class, a spray of rose water at the end, including a brief foot massage during Savasana.  It's different and most don't mind being touched or massaged or sprayed.

Magnificent In Mauve

After class, there was no need to shop since we were going to the Viking mid-afternoon for a chicken barbecue and raffle to benefit the club.  So I came straight home and Evie was taking it easy for, after all, yesterday was a holiday, a day to enjoy and put labor aside.  We were leaving for the Viking at 2:30, so we skipped lunch, and Evie enjoyed some sun and swimming while I read and watched some of the US Open tennis.

Barb And Jim With Winning Ticket

At 2:30, we walked down to our neighbors, Jim and Barb's, and they drove over to the Viking Club, the parking lot packed with people.  It was a busy place and we even had to wait in line to get a beer.  We found a table outside with an umbrella, it was cool enough to enjoy the outdoors.  The chicken was compliments of the Fire Department and it was really good although it looked burnt.  I wish I knew how they did it because it was tender and juicy.  Because it was a benefit for the club, they were selling tickets for a drawing for various prizes.  A few years ago Barb had won a cooler filled with shrimp and steaks.  So both she and Evie bought tickets and Barb said she was going to win.  And she did, a large cooler with steaks, shrimp and lobster tails.  Because both she and Jim are vegetarians, we got the steaks (actually a tenderloin) so everyone was happy.  We left around 5:00 and came home to a warm house.

A Winner!

Evie sat on the front porch while I watched the end of the PGA, something I rarely do.  Around 7:00, it was still uncomfortably warm in the house, so Evie went for a swim and I joined her on the dock, enjoying the cool air.  When she came in, we watched another episode of A PLACE TO CALL HOME, lots of problems and enjoyed a peach crisp with ice cream.  We ended the night watching two episodes of CHEERS before going up to bed.

Sun Setting At 7:40

A Brilliant Morning Sun

6:54

7:05

It's 7:05 and the sun is filling the living room, blinding me if I sat on the loveseat.  It seems like quite a while since it has been this bright in the morning.  I was up at 6:40 to a clear blue sky and an empty, quiet lake.  That's changed now as the bass boats are emerging from their docks and marinas.  It's 8:45 and I just returned from a short paddle.  I missed an osprey, took photos of a raft of ducks, before paddling home in the sun and heat and humidity.  Another hot one today

Mallard

A Family Of Ducks

A Trio

Yesterday morning was a bit different from the usual Sunday.  I did get in a good, long paddle, getting home just before the seemingly blue skies started to disappear and the dark clouds moved in.  Around 10:00, we were sitting on the front porch, watching the rain pelt the lake, our chaise lounge fly into the lake, our yards flood with two inches of rain in forty-five minutes.  And the weather app forecast a slight chance of rain, with their usual accuracy!

After the deluge, it cleared up and the boats reappeared, and it was a typical Labor Day Sunday, where everyone who had a boat was one the lake except us.  We tend to avoid days like this and prefer sitting on the dock enjoying the traffic.  We then spent our morning getting ready for our picnic with our good friends, Bill and Joyce and Linda and Ron.  It was a fairly easy prep.  Evie made a teriyaki marinade for ribeye steaks, a salad dressing, and wrapped the corn in tin foil after I husked it.  I forgot that after the storm, I put on my bathing suit and jumped in the lake to retrieve our chaise lounge.  Fortunately, it does not float so I was able to find it near our dock.

We were then able to relax the rest of the afternoon.  Evie swam occasionally to cool off as the day turned hot and humid, just what we hoped to avoid for the picnic.  I read and am really enjoying Silva's THE OTHER WOMAN.  Linda and Ron arrived at 4:15 and we headed right out to the dock, enjoying a beer, appetizers, and the lake.  It was warm but bearable, the lake traffic heavy but mostly on the far side of the lake.  Bill and Joyce joined us at 5:00 on our porch and we sat there talking until 6:00 when I fired up the grill and roasted the corn for 20 minutes, turning it every few minutes.  Once that was done, Evie got things ready in the kitchen and Ron and I grilled the teriyaki steak.  Because I had it cut in quarter-inch slices, it took only a few minutes to grill each slice and we were done quickly.

Dinner 

 Dinner was inside, alas, as it was too hot outside.  Everyone loved the steak and Linda's famous potato salad, with mucho hard boiled eggs.  The corn was a bit overdone but still flavorful.  We ended the evening on the porch, with a peach crisp topped with ice cream, as the sky filled with fireworks, the neighborhood occasionally rocked by an earth-shattering boom.  It was not your usual cherry bomb...more like a bomb.  Everyone was tired and ready to head home by 9:00, so we said aloha and returned to the kitchen, washing and drying the dishes so we would not have to face the mess this morning.  For some reason, I was really tired and went up to bed early but Evie stayed up to watch some TV and relax before coming up.

A Fickle Morning Sky

6:24

7:08

I was up at 6:20, a surprisingly quiet Labor Day weekend at least this early.  The sky is opening up now, at 7:00, as the morning gray is beginning to be taken over by the sun and clear skies.

Rising Through The Clouds

In fact, I just saw the sun momentarily peak through the clouds on its rise. I took a long paddle down to Whitney Bay, the entrance to Snug Harbor Marina and back, a good hour and a half.  It's 9:40 as we finish up the blog and we can hear thunder in the distance. 

Stormy Weather

And now, at 10:00, the storm and winds have arrived and we just watched out chaise lounge fly up in the air and into the lake.

Kayak Morning

Fishing From A Ski Boat

Wood Ducks On A Tree Limb

Yesterday ended up being a pleasant day despite the temperature in the 80's.  I was up and out on the lake early, wrote my blog, transferred my photographs before Evie woke at 9:00, lucky girl to have slept in for once.  Once she was awake, we published the blog and I gathered all the trash for my trip to the Transfer Station, a bag including all my old tee shirts.  Sad making.  After the visit to the Transfer Station, I drove to just beyond the bridge to buy corn from Jeremy, a guy I have been buying corn from for years.  He's quite an entrepreneur, planting and selling his and other people's corn as well as putting docks both in and out.  I then drove to the Lighthouse Grocery to pick up some ribeye for our teriyaki steak dinner tonight.  Finally, I returned home just after noon and Evie had been busy while I was gone and was now ready to enjoy the dock.  So she quickly made me avocado and tomato sandwiches, then put on her bathing suit, gathered up her things and went out to enjoy the sun and nice breeze under the umbrella.  I watched my show, THE CODE, some football, Ohio State, read some, napped, then joined Evie on the dock around 3:00 for an hour before we both jumped in for a swim, to cool off.

Raindrops On A Nasturtium Blossom (thanks, Joyce)

We were going out to dinner at 6:00, so we showered and for once, I got gussied up (Evie always looks good). By that I mean I wore a long-sleeved button-down shirt and slacks instead of Bermuda shorts and a tee shirt. We had reservations at the bar at Brazil's in Westfield but did not need them because when we arrived, there was only one other couple at the bar.  It felt 'grown up' to go out to a restaurant rather than a bar for dinner. It reminded me of when we were dating and would go to Jim's Steak House in the Cleveland Flats.  No burgers or wings, but a real meal, like short ribs with mashed potatoes for me, a maple flavored pork chop for Evie.  We struck up a conversation with a couple from Connecticut who had just dropped off their son at Oberlin College and had happened across Brazil's, obviously a good choice.

We drove home around 8:15 and just as we were nearing the lake, it started to pour and continued as we drove into our parking area.  We quickly ran in the house, barely getting wet.  We ended the night watching the first episode of Season Six of A PLACE TO CALL HOME.  I had forgotten how melodramatic it was, an Australian soap opera but we will watch it to the end, no doubt.

Cloudy And Getting Warm

6:14

I was up at 5:45, to darkness, made the coffee, walked outside to see if we got any rain.  We didn't.  Sat down with my computer and waited for some color to show in the sky.  And now, at 6:47, whatever color there was is gone, just gray clouds and lake. And because it's Saturday, the beginning of a Labor Day weekend, boats are out, savoring the last weekend of summer for many weekenders. It's 9:00 and I just returned from a long paddle, over to Warner Bay, to Long Point, to Sandy Bottom and home.  And the strangest thing happened.  As I paddled along Long Point, I scared off a bevy of Canadian geese.  A bit later, I came across another bevy but as I came closer, they did not move until I passed within three feet of one and realized they were decoys, the blind was five yards away to my left. 

Geese Blind On Long Point

As far as I know, there have never been Canadian geese hunters on the lake until this morning.  In fact, I thought it was illegal to shoot them but when I looked it up, they have been moved from Schedule One to Schedule Five of the Wildlife Species Act, which means anyone can shoot them any time of the year without a license.  Fire on!

Kayak Morning South

Kayak Morning North

Friday began as usual, with a paddle, then a good yoga class with Julie.  She is always bringing something new to the class which I like. I stopped at Sav A Lot to pick up some libations for the weekend, then home.  I also joined Evie's labors on cleaning out closets.   I have mounds of tee shirts on dressers and tables, ones I want to throw away, ones for work, ones for yoga or going out.  It both feels good and is sad to throw out my John Kerry tee shirt.

Our Neighbor

Lunch was a salami and tomato sandwich and another episode of THE CODE, an import from Australia.  I then took it easy until 3:00 when I drove into Jamestown to pick up some CDs for Evie from WCA.  I stopped at Peterson's Fruit and Vegetable stand and picked up a basket of peaches, hoping for a peach crisp this weekend.  On my way out of Jamestown, I passed the Farm Fresh Foods store, with their in-house bakery. I wanted to get a couple of glazed donuts for Evie but they were out so I bought a couple of cake donuts instead and two cannolis for me. Health food.

Dahlia Among The Hydrageas

When I returned, Evie wanted to go for a boat ride before the weekenders arrived and the lake was calm, so we drove over to Bemus Point which was already hopping, The Fish's floating bar already filled with people.  We were home by 6:30 and hungry so Evie made a big salad, with chicken and hard boiled eggs, boiled a couple of ears of corn and we had an easy and tasty dinner.  We should eat this way more often.  And, we finally finished THE HANDMAID'S TALE although we did not realize we had two not one episode to go.  Evie called the ending, ready made for Season Three. Perfect timing because A PLACE TO CALL HOME, Season Six, just started streaming on ACORN TV.

One Of Many Nasturiums

We ended the night watching the new Prime Video series JACK RYAN, with Jim, from THE OFFICE.  It's pretty cheesy so far but I was stick with it.  Not much else to watch.  And I was happy to get back to THE OTHER WOMAN, by David Silva.