A Saturday Of Clam Bakes

Anna, Her Parents, Grandparents, And Uncle

7:08

7:12

It's almost 7:00 as the sky is just starting to lighten, the darkness ebb.  I was up unusually early, at 5:30 so I have been sitting here, reading the New York Times and Washington Post online, both fake news outlets, of course.  I am not sure what today will bring but not the balmy 80º weather of yesterday for sure.  I decided since I was up so early, to go for a spin in my kayak and it was great to be back out there despite the gray, overcast sky.

Julia And Anna

Grandma Els And Anna

A Happy Anna

Walt And Ellen, Proud Grandparents

Saturday was a busy day for both of us.  We got busy early, getting the trash ready for my trip to the Transfer Station and since I was leaving for Euclid at noon, we both took showers and I got ready for the drive.  I was going in for a clambake at my sister Linda's house and Evie, because of the long ride, was staying here at the lake but was also going to a clambake at our neighbors' house, a two clambake weekend so to speak.  On my way to Cleveland, I stopped for gas at the Ohio line, had lunch at Mc Donalds, then drove to Euclid, stopping both at Azman Meats for four six packs of Slovenian sausages and Dave's Grocery for Stadium Mustard.  I arrived early for the clambake because my niece, Julia and her husband, Hampton, were there with their baby daughter, Anna, and I wanted to see them, as well as my sister Ellen, her husband, Walt and son Brooks, all in from the DC area.  Anna was a delight, happy and comfortable with family,  and I got to hold her a couple of times as everyone took turns waiting to hold her.

Lake Erie Sky

Firing Up The Coals In The Rain

It was a strange fall afternoon for a clambake, temperatures in the 80's so all of us were working up a sweat as we set up the bake. And just as the fire was lit, it poured rain for about 20 minutes so the guys had to stand outside, over the fire with umbrellas.  Fortunately, it stopped, the sun came out and it felt like a New Orleans clambake because of the heat and humidity but it was better than rain.  Slowly, the nieces and nephews and grandchildren arrived so that by the time the chowder, clam broth, and bake, were ready to eat, there were 30 of us, quite a gathering.

Clam Bake Boys

Lobsters

More Lobsters With Pat, Danny, And Rich

Clambakes have always been a tradition in my family as my Dad always put them on, starting in the 1950's and my sister Linda and brother in law Rich have continued this traditional over the years. The bake was great, clams, corn, potatoes, chicken and even lobsters this year, with the Mayor's cheesecake for dessert, but seeing all the family once again was the best part.

Anna, The Center Of Attention

Sun's Out

Our Nephew, Pat And His Daughter, Grace

The Happy New Parents

We were able to get dinner in but by 7:30, as the storm clouds were beginning to gather and a few drops of rain were felt, so as everyone started to gather things, I decided I better head home, hoping to avoid the storm.  I hurriedly said my thank yous and goodbyes and drove back to the lake, missing the rain, stopping once at Love's just to stretch my legs.  I was home around 9:30.

While I was in Cleveland, Evie had a nice afternoon, getting rained on a couple of times as she was out for a walk (we got over an inch).

Chautauqua Lake Clambake Crazies

And she went to the Fox/Kinney clambake, our Woodlawn neighbors, for an hour, enjoying their company before going to Joyce and Bill's house, next door, for dinner with them.  Kathy Leonard was here for a visit with her friend Medio so Evie had a fun time getting to know Medio and visit with the family.  So it was a busy Saturday for both of us, two clambakes, lots of rain, family, and friends, the best part of Saturday.

Dinner With The Neighbors

Fortunately, I left Euclid with some of the Mayor's cheesecake, so I ate that as we watched a show before going up to bed,

Coming Rains

7:15

8:20

I have been up for close to an hour and it has just gotten darker, as the clouds and rains have moved in on an uncomfortably warm morning here at the lake.  When I woke, I came downstairs to what I would call an unhealthy sky, gray with a yellow tinge so I knew something was coming, most likely rain and thunderstorms.  And it looks like that's what we will have on and off most of the day.

Friday turned out to be a classic fall day, lots of sun, moderate temperatures, a few falling leaves, a crispness in the air, the kind of weather that makes us want to get outside and work in the yard.  I skipped kayaking and yoga but ended up driving down to Ryder's Cup in Lakewood because the Internet was down from North Harmony all the way to Mayville.  Friends who went out to eat could not use their credit cards, nor the banks ATM's to pay for their meal.  And we were without it through the morning and early afternoon.  We felt at loss without it, no news, TV, music, or pundits.  So we went outside and enjoyed the day.

Dahlias Gone Wild

I didn't get back from Ryder's Cup until 11:30 and Evie already had plans to get the windows washed, again, set up the bird feeders, and mow the lawn.  So I helped wash windows and set up the feeders until lunch time when I had more beans and rice.  And watched LUTHER, finished my Robert Crias novel and started another, MANHATTAN BEACH.  After my nap, I helped Evie with the lawn, edging and weed whacking and I washed off algae on our buoys with a mix of water and bleach using a brush.  And I started thinking about organizing the garage attic, getting ready to put away summer things, creating space by taking out some of the winter stuff, like snow shovels.  Yep, I took down the snow shovels.  As Evie was finishing up, it started to drizzle so I powered up the other mower to get the yard done but the rain stopped as quickly as it started.

6:11 pm

Earlier in the day, Evie had put together a pasta sauce of mushrooms, Italian sausage, and fresh tomatoes so dinner was easy, just boil up some pasta noodles and make a salad.  We decided to sit on the front porch with our wine and appetizers and enjoy the late afternoon.  The sun happened to come out during our wine time, lighting up the colors of Long Point and the Bemus shoreline.  We could see that the trees are just now starting to change colors as fall begins in earnest.  Dinner was perfect, a sausage and mushroom sauce on spaghetti with a salad.  And we watched another Stephen, some news, and a few episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, always fun.

A Chilly, Windy And Gray Morning

7:13

7:52

A strong, cool southerly wind greeted me this 47º morning when I walked outside.  Usually, the southernly wind brings warm weather but not this morning, as the flag waves wildly, the wind howls, the lake ruffles. As I finish this blog, I am sitting in the Ryder's Cup coffee shop since our internet at home has been down since 7:30 for some unknown reason.

Finally, Some Sun And Blue Skies at 4:00

Yesterday was cloudy and humid until midafternoon when the sun finally came out and the blue skies reigned.  I was able to get to breakfast in Bemus before it began to rain and by the time we were finished eating, the rain had stopped.  I had one more thing to do hanging over me, a blood test, so when I returned home from breakfast, I finished up the blog then drove to Mayville for my test, then stopped at Tops to pick up a few things.  I was home by 10:30, with a whole day ahead of me and nothing I had to do.  Yippee.  Evie was up and enjoying the morning, knowing too that since we were going out dinner, she too did not have anything she 'had to do.'

Victoria Creek

It felt good to take it easy, have a lunch of kuru fasulye and rice and watch LUTHER.  The rest of the afternoon went quickly, a nap and some reading.  When the sun came out mid-afternoon, I was ready to take a walk, so I roused myself from the couch, grabbed my hiking poles, and walked our Victoria/Woodlawn woods.  I was surprised by all the fallen leaves, covering the path, many more than in our yards.  It felt good to be back in the woods and made me wonder why I don't get out there more often.  I have been too lazy lately.

View From Victoria, Looking West

Leaf Strewn Path

We drove to the Bemus Point Golf Club & Tap House at 6:15 and easily found a table.  It's a fairly new addition to the Bemus Point restaurant scene.  We were surprised by the great view out the window, of the golf course, its trees, green fairways, and gentle hills.  The menu was interesting, lots of different choices, so the four of us ordered different dinners, from burgers, to tacos, to salads, to Sheperd's Pie.

Dinner With Linda And Ron

Our only criticism would be the same we had when we sat at the bar opening night.  It's noisy and even though it was not crowded, we had some difficulty hearing each other.  We stayed until 8:00 and were home in time to watch Stephen and One Dollar.

An Artistic Rendering Of US:

Waiting For A Storm

7:04

7:05

7:05

7:06

9:26

 It's 7:35 and I have been up since 7:00, watching a spectacular morning sky disappear as the heavy storm clouds move into the lake.  The south end is still light, the north end dark with clouds.  I have breakfast at 8:00 but the weather may get in the way.

Yesterday was atypical at least for me as I passed on both yoga and kayaking.  So it was strange not to be in a rush, getting in a paddle, breakfast, the blog, then yoga, all in the morning.  By 10:00, I was ready to get my major chore of the day done, taking my boat to my Amish canvas maker.  My boat needs a new cover, a bimini, and boot.  So I drove to where my boat is stored, hooked it up to my Outback and pulled it about ten bumpy miles, on some rough roads to the Amish area where my canvas maker lives.  I talked with him about what I wanted, and he said it should be done in a couple of weeks.  He had a number of friends over because there were three or four wagons there with horses, so they were having a gathering.  It's beautiful country, lots of trees and grazing lands, where he has numerous sheep grazing.  It's always a relief to get my boat out of the water and ready to be stored, so I was happy and no longer anxious on my way home.  Trailering my boat always makes me nervous, probably because I do it only twice a year.

When I returned home, it was starting to clear up and the sun came out, a surprise because we thought we might have rain.  I guess the weather gods were saving it for this morning.  I was ready for lunch so Evie made me a couple of pork schnitzel sandwiches, with mayo and tomatoes and I watched another episode of LUTHER.  I like him, the side story but the major story is always about some deranged psycho killer which I find uninteresting and unnecessarily violent.  I guess that's what people like.

We had another leisurely, what else, afternoon, as Evie took advantage of the sun and lounged outside, moving her chair each time the sun moved behind the trees.  I got in my nap, did some reading, but never made it outside, most likely tired out from my morning job, not really, just lazy.

We had another easy dinner, leftover moussaka, salad, and garlic bread and if possible, the moussaka was even better last night.  We watched a movie that we loved, based on a novel with a strange title, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.  It's a romance, set just after WW II on the island of Guernsey which was occupied by the Nazis during the war.  It's a delight to watch if that can ever be said about a Nazi occupation.  It's been called a mini Downton Abbey, and the director, Mike Newell, also directed the hilarious FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL.  After the movie, we watched another Colbert before bed.

A Bit Of Nostalgia:

Our Return To Istanbul, Fall, 2009

Fall, Finally

7:34

It's after 8:00 as I start my blog.  I was up at 6:30 and have been sitting here watching the dark turn gray and for the first time this year, I noticed a spattering of leaves under our trees.  Autumn has begun.  It's 57º and it has finally stopped raining.  We received an inch and a half in the last twenty-four hours.  And I did not kayak yesterday, nor today because I strained my back Monday afternoon bringing in the buoys from our lakefront.

So yesterday I woke up with a sore back, a surprise because all seemed fine Monday.  Obviously, it tightened up overnight, so I bagged kayaking and yoga.  I did have a consultation with a dentist in Jamestown, so I drove there at 9:00, sat in the chair, and we decided to be conservative and see if my discomfort goes away on its own.  It's called putting off the inevitable and expense!  I was able to walk around with minimal discomfort so I stopped at Wegman's and picked up a few more things for last night's dinner.  When I walked in with the groceries, Evie was busy putting together our dinner, a Turkish/Greek/ moussaka recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook.  Much of the prep was done on Monday but there is always lots to do.  I was little if any help because I was soon ensconced on the couch with a heating pad on my back, watching the boob tube for a while.  For lunch, Evie heated up the leftover rice and white bean stew so I was happy.  I left her to her work around 1:00 and took a nap upstairs with a heating pad.  And I started a new book after finishing David Silva's A DEATH IN VENICE.  I picked up another Robert Crais thriller, THE SENTRY, always fun following Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

Dinner was ready to be put in the oven, dessert was made as well as the appetizers, so Evie was able to enjoy some of the afternoon.  And best of all, her back seemed better yesterday, inshallah.  Our neighbor's, Marjorie and Ken arrived at 6:15 and we were able to sit outside on the porch for our wine and appetizers, shrimp cocktails and spiced cashews.

A Moussaka Dinner With Marjorie and Ken

It was pleasant despite the overcast sky and we were loathe to head inside for dinner but glad we did.  The moussaka would be the envy of any Turk or Greek, the lamb, eggplant and white sauce melting in your mouth.  It was the best I have ever had.  Everyone loved it, and Ken and I had seconds.  Dessert also was delish, lemon curd and raspberries sandwiched between sheets of phyllo dough.  It was a good fall night, with neighbors who soon will be closing up their cottage and heading home until Spring.  They left around 9:30 and we had just enough time to watch the most recent Stephen Colbert.

A Morning Light Show

7:23

7:36

7:51

7:52

It's 7:00 as I sit here in darkness still, listening to the increasing drumbeat of rain.  I woke at 5:45 to lightning, thunder, and a short downpour.  By the time I walked downstairs, the rain had abated but the light show continued, so I sat out on the front porch to enjoy it.  The rain has just increased, no sign of a sunrise, utter darkness. I decided to bag paddling this morning, too much rain (an inch so far) and thunder and lightning. 

A Bouquet Of Dahlias

Yesterday was a busy fall day for both of us.  I kayaked early, left the house around 9:00, just as Evie was getting up.  The class was me and 15 women/ladies/gals, whatever is politically correct these days.  I felt refreshed after class, ready to hit Wegman's for an extensive buying spree, as Evie sent me her list on Wegman's app.  I wonder what people think as I go around Wegman's with my phone in hand, seemingly on an app while shopping.  I have to admit I have never seen anyone else using their phone and Wegman's app.  I actually found everything on the list although I had trouble finding the garlic which they moved a month or two ago and moved again this past week.  I guess if that's the only hitch in my day I am doing fine. 

When I  returned home, Evie was ready to get cooking, as she was going to put together a moussaka for tonight's dinner with friends.  It takes time, to roast the eggplants, make the sauces, sauteed the lamb, so that kept her busy for part of the afternoon.  It was nice to see her busy, happy to be in the kitchen.  I decided to get another fall chore out of the way, so I bailed out my rowboat and rowed out and brought in the various buoys that I put in the lake back in May.  They are attached to cement blocks and I have to pull them up, with the seaweed and zebra mussels, over the side of the boat.  I feel it this morning as my back aches.  But I got it done, put away the blocks for next year and cleaned the moss off the buoys.  It always feels good to get this done.  I looked forward to lunch, the white bean stew I made on Saturday and a part of a leftover meatball sandwich from Friday night's dinner.  I like leftovers. 

Evie took a long walk with our neighbor Joyce in the afternoon, through the campground and was gone for almost an hour (does that count talking to neighbors).  I finished my lunch, watched Luther, read and took a nap. When I woke, Evie was finishing up in the kitchen and since the sun had just appeared, she went out to enjoy it on the dock, bringing along a blanket but lasted just a short time.  Around 5:00 Evie prepped our salmon and spinach dinner so we could enjoy a glass of wine on the porch as the fog rolled in, slowly obscuring the Long Point side of the lake.  It was a strange early evening, as the fog usually arrives in the morning.

Long Point In Early Evening Fog

We had the salmon, done perfectly, with garlic spinach and brown rice and watched the next episode of A PLACE TO CALL HOME.  For some reason, we could not get on the regular and cable channels because Direct TV Now was having problems seemingly all over the Eastern part of the United States.  So we stuck to Netflix and Hulu which were available.  I guess DirectTVNOW is still in its beta stage. 

Totally Gray

Our Neighbor's Yard Fishing

7:12

It's just after 7:00 and the lake has a few ripples, both sky and lake are dull, unhealthy looking gray, the kind that suggests storms.  It's 54º, warmer than yesterday and it looks like it might rain on my paddle.

A Gray Kayak Morning  

 Yesterday was a typical Sunday for us.  It started for me with kayaking, then coming home to finish the blog with Evie.  We started to listen to the morning politic programs but soon turned them off, already sick of the sameness of the news, the internecine fighting between democrats and republicans.  It's difficult to stay involved, to keep up with things, when both sides are so tribal, the news anchors as well.  We were looking forward to watching some NFL football and for once, the Browns would be on TV here in New York at 4:00.  Before breakfast, we went for a walk in our neighborhood, therapy for Evie.  We ended up running into our next door neighbor Joyce and talking with her for a while.  When we returned home, it was time for breakfast, so Evie pulled out the bacon, fried it up, along with some potatoes and eggs.  Add a bagel and we had a great breakfast as we watched the SNL, with Matt Damon playing Bret Kavanaugh.  It was hilarious unless you were a Kavanaugh fan.  It was a good start for SNL other than the fact that Kanye West was the musical guest, wearing his Make America Great Again hat, to tweak the audience.  How and why he's so famous is a mystery to me.  I guess being controversial is enough to sell music.  I know, I sound like the 75-year-old man that I am. 

Still Mostly Green

We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, other than Evie prepping our dinner of pork schnitzel.  I was looking forward to watching some of the Buffalo Bills game but they fell back into their old pattern of playing poorly so I was happy to get to take a nap, get back to my book and make myself some Turkish tea.

Turkish Tea

We both settled in the TV room and watched the first half of the Browns game, as they looked pretty good.  At halftime, we decided to take a stroll down our street again and ended up sitting in our neighbor's Ken and Majorie's living room, having a glass of wine, enjoying some cheese and crackers and watching some of the second half. We left around the end of the third quarter, ready to head home and have dinner.  As we walked by Bud ad Debi's home, they yelled out the door and invited us in to watch the end of the Browns game.  Our other neighbors, Barb and Jim, were also there and all six of us our Clevelanders.  So most of us had another glass of wine or beer and watched the Browns blow a lead and end up with a tie, an eventual loss in overtime.  Like most Cleveland fans, we were philosophical about the loss, given the past decade of Brown's ineptitude.

Watching The Browns With Bud And Jim

We didn't' get home until around 8:00 and though neither of us was in the mood to make dinner, Evie quickly browned the schnitzel and, fortunately, the potatoes had already been baking in the oven. We also had a salad and homemade applesauce, so dinner was late but good, as we watched something on TV but I cannot remember what.  It must have been riveting.