Morning Haze

5:57

9:08

It's 8:45, and I am back from an hour paddle, over to Tom's Point, across to the southern end of Long Point State Park and back.  Evie's been out watering, thinking of things to do.  I did not see much on a paddle, just a family of wood ducks sitting on a log. 

Kayak Morning

Wood Ducks Sun Bathing

Yesterday was back to window washing, after kayaking, writing the blog and breakfast.  Evie worked inside and I washed outside, giving them a double wash because they really needed it.  I shudder to think of what I missed when I get up in the morning and see the sun on them.  They never look clean from that angle.  We both worked up quite a sweat from washing, so I suggested a boat ride to cool off.  It was a good idea, a nice wind, the bimini top protecting us from the sun, a calm lake.  We went over to Bemus and home, out for forty-five minutes, just right.

Maroon Coreopsis

When we returned home, it was time for lunch and I finished up the leftovers, the beans, the coleslaw, the potato salad.  I started a new show call Hinterland, a Welsh detective series, which I started before but stopped for some reason. It was too hot to do much after our morning, so we spent most of the afternoon out on the dock under the umbrella, reading, fishing, just enjoying the occasional breeze.  I took a brief nap before joining Evie.  Surprisingly, the lake remains quite busy despite Covid 19 as people just want to get out and enjoy the water, fishing, and boating. I not sure how much safe distancing is being practiced, however, as groups seem to mingle.

By wine time, we decided to sit on the porch and Evie started our dinner.  We were having a Middle Eastern salad called Tabouleh, cracked wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, mint and lemon juice, and olive oil. She also grilled asparagus and chicken thighs.  I had forgotten how fresh and healthy the tabouleh tasted and the asparagus and chicken thighs were just right.  We had no leftovers.  We watched another Hometown, some news, then two more episodes of Money Heist, which ranges from tension-filled to silly.

 

After The Fourth

A Thing Of Beauty (Evie's Catch This Morning)

5:58

A quiet morning after a busy weekend, as weekenders and vacationers have gone home.  Not much action on the lake this morning during my paddle, over to Tom's Point and back.  I saw a couple of bald eagles, perched high in pines and Great Blue perched on a dock and in a tree along Tom's Point. As I paddled home, Evie was on the dock, excited because she had just caught a huge bass.  She's becoming quite the fisherwoman. 

Kayak Morning

Morning Sky

For some reason, perhaps because I was up at 4:30, we were both tired much of Sunday, fortunately, a day of rest.  Because I was up so early, I was out on the lake earlier than usual, a good thing because I avoided the crowd.  We did the blog and I had breakfast by 9:00.  Our neighbors were busy out in their yard, clearing much of the fallen tree. So I got my gloves and went over and helped them for an hour, gathering branches, loading them on his trailer, and taking them up the hill to the woodpile.  It took a couple of trips but we cleaned it up pretty well.  He's decided to have the tree taken down since much of its trunk is rotten but their tree guy cannot get to it for a couple of weeks because he is so busy.

Great Blue Heron In Tree

Great Blue On Dock

Bald Eagle

Another Bad Boy

When I got home, I was whooped, relaxed on the couch, and fell asleep for an hour.  I guess I was tired,  Evie had done some watering while I napped, then came in and made us a Turkish omelet, toasted a bagel and we ate on the front porch, watching the action on the lake pick up.  I read some after breakfast, then tried to nap to no avail.  So I joined Evie in our front yard, in the shade, and we stayed their much of the afternoon, having no desire to sit on the dock. 

Annabelle Hydrangea

Around 5:00, we adjourned to the porch for a beer, relaxing before dinner after relaxing most of the afternoon.  Dinner was easy, heat up the burgers and dogs from Saturday and get out the potato salad and coleslaw.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning as we enjoyed our picnic dinner then decided it was too nice outside, so we fished out on the dock for a while, then walked down our street, ending up talking with neighbors at the north end.  It was great to see Jackie, our nonagenarian neighbor was up for the weekend.  Her father built their house in 1911 so she had been coming up to the lake each summer for quite a few years. When we walked back home, we noticed three or four bunnies running around Evie's garden, looking for something to munch on,  So we got out our fix,  plastic bottle of castor oil.  We hooked it up to the hose, sprayed the garden area and supposedly, moles, voles, other animals hate the smell and avoid the area. It''s also safe to use.  We ended the night with a Hometown and another episode of Money Heist.

Lights Around The Lake

5:20

5:57

6:07

6:14

8:06

I woke at 4:30 to a crash, not sure as to what.  I stayed in bed til 5:15, looked out our window, and our neighbor's tree, two doors down, lost a huge branch.  Fortunately, it fell into the lake, missing his dock and boat.  I paddled by an hour later and could see that that the tree was scorched and there had been a fire, most likely started by fireworks or bonfire from the night before.  It was still smoking and Bud was out watering it down.  I did get in my usual paddle, on another calm summer morning, as the temperature begins to rise from a pleasant 57º early morning. 

Tree Down

Kayak Morning

Bald Eagle

Yesterday ended up being an almost perfect Fourth Of July, as it cooled off late afternoon and by 9:00, we needed a fleece.  We had a busy morning, getting ready for our picnic with Linda and Ron late afternoon.  I of course had to take the trash to the Transfer Station, busy a usual.  Evie was making a special Israeli/Palestinian dessert called Murtabbaq, basically a baklava with a ricotta and goat cheese filling. She put it together in the morning and did not have to bake it till late afternoon,
We got the yard ready, table set, dishes out, so that by noon, we could relax the rest of the afternoon.

I made myself some lunch, warming up the bean dish, and having a bagel with cream cheese and tomato.  I finished my series, Baltazar, so I will looking for something new. I am into my new book, which alternates chapters between a black family and a Korean family in LA in the 1990's.  I am not yet sure how they fit together but I know somehow they will intersect.  I went out on the dock and joined Evie and we both went for a swim to cool off around 5:00.  I went to Hogan's to pick up a bag of ice, filled the cooler with beer so we were ready for the evening.

Together Distancing

Linda and Ron arrived at 6:00 and we sat out in the yard until almost 8:00 as the air-cooled.  We enjoyed ta triple cream brie and pistachios with our beer and played a couple of games of bean bag, which Linda and I won, to Ron and Evie's dismay.  I grilled burgers and hotdogs, Linda made her famous potato salad, Evie put together coleslaw and I contributed my twice baked beans.  Everything tasted so good that I figured we all must have been really hungry.  We had dessert on the porch, then moved to the yard to watch the extensive fireworks. 

Buck Moon

Moon And Bon Fire

Because Bemus canceled their fireworks, many homes around the lake had their own private display.  They were enhanced by a Buck Moon, hanging in the southern sky. We lit our flares at 10:00, a tradition as lake residents light flares, surrounding the lake, benefiting the Chautauqua Lake Association.  Linda and Ron left about 10:30 and we did a quick clean up although we left most of the dishes for this morning.  It was a really nice Fourth!

Fire Works, Flares, And Moon

The Heat, The Heat,

6:05

6:05

8:50

It's 8:15, starting to warm up, and we are both sitting here, drinking our coffee, viewing the haze of a summer morning.  I paddled for an hour, talked with Tina and Jim, got a single shot of am eagle before he spotted me, and took off, thus the saying, 'eagle eye.' Because of the holiday, the lake was busy, lots of fishermen and ski boats, taking advantage of the calm lake. 

Kayaking Morning

 Yesterday was the first day that the heat really got to us so that we really felt it.  I was sweating on my way back from a paddle, should have cooled off in the lake.  Evie was out watering her garden when I returned.  We are starting to think about the fourth when we are having just one couple over, Linda and Ron.  I decided to make a Turkish dish, kuru fasulye,  basically white beans with onions and tomato paste.  I used the pressure cooker for the beans, sauteed the onions and celery, and paste.  While I was doing this, Evie was mowing half of the yard because we were going for a boat ride once she was finished   It was so hot and she was so sweaty that she had to take a quick shower to cool off.  So around 11:00, we took off for a cruise over to Bemus Point and back, a great way to keep cool on a warm day.  When we returned, Evie realized that I did not turn the burner off completely so that the onions, celery, and tomato paste were blackened.  She cleaned out the pan and I started over with the dish.  Finally, by 12:30, I added the beans to the vegetables, some Turkish pepper and let it simmer.  Unfortunately, later in the day, Evie felt it was too soupy, the beans not quite done, so she put it in the oven and forgot about it so that the beans are now dry, lacking any liquid.  I think it was a mistake to make this dish. 

Having Fun

Just before lunch, our neighbor's kids invited us over to a talent show.  They were great, confident and funny, reminding us when our grandchildren used to present similar shows.  I had a bagel and the beans for lunch, soupy but decent, and a few pieces of sourdough bread.  I watched my show while Evie finished cutting the lawn. That was it as far as work goes for the rest of the day.  It was actually comfortable out on the dock because the wind had picked up, keeping us cool.  And whenever we got to warm, we just jumped in the lake.  We spent a good part of the afternoon reading and enjoying the sun.  By 5:30, we had enough so Evie came in and fried up some eggplant to make us a French sandwich called a pan bagnat.  It's basically a vegetable sandwich on sourdough bread.  You can add anything to it, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, hummus, in this case, eggplant, and treat it like a salad by adding vinegar and oil.  Once its done, you let it sit, the vinegar and oil penetrate the bread and you have a tasty sandwich. 

Once that was done, we decided to have a Manhattan a day early since Saturday was the Fourth.  It was actually cool on our front porch, thanks to our ceiling fan.  We enjoyed hummus and pistachios for a snack.  Around 7:30, we had our sandwiches and watched another episode of Hometown, some of the Trump extravaganza and a Money Heist before bed.  Thank goodness we have an air conditioner in our bedroom window, cooling off the room.

Beginning To Feel Like Groundhog Day

6:01

It's 8:50, a warm morning already and I kayaked for close to an hour, my usual route, along Woodlawn, stopping to talk with neighbors, across to the Boat House and Long Point, back to Sandy Bottom and home.  And I admit to getting bored with my morning routine, its sameness, lack of variety, morning coffee, kayak, write the blog, and eat breakfast.  I also cannot break it and even though I don't always feel like kayaking, I feel I have to get out there and been out almost every morning since early March, missing only if the wind makes the lake dangerous.

Kayak Morning

Fishing Dogs

Yesterday, then, was not much different from the previous 120 days, at least the mornings.  When we finished the blog and had breakfast on the dock and it was so pleasant, we decided to go for a boat ride before the wind picked up, the crowds arrived.  We cruised down to the Viking Club and back, on a lovely morning.  We were out for forty-five minutes, enough to pick up our spirits.  We closed up the house when we returned, hoping to keep it cool during the hot afternoon.

First Daisy

For lunch, I finished up the Cuban sandwich, watched my show, finally finished my book Manhattan Beach, and took a nap.  Because of the heat, neither one of us felt like doing much, even sitting outside.  So we tried to keep cool either on the porch with a fan or inside. Ken and Marjorie stopped by and we chatted for a while sharing "stories." Evie had put together our shopping list for the weekend and we were going to go this morning.  I suggested going yesterday afternoon and getting it over with figuring most people would have shopped earlier in the day, leaving the store less busy late afternoon.  Wrong.  The store was filled with idiots like me, shopping late afternoon.  I saw only one guy without a mask and everyone seemed to have that hurried look on their face, wanting to get their shopping over with.  Surprisingly, I was in and out fairly quickly and only forgot two things, ice cream bars, and Marzetti's Avocado dressing.

We put things away quickly and were on the dock with a beer by 6:00, as the afternoon began to cool as a breeze picked up.  We had leftovers for dinner, what else, Wienerschnitzel sandwiches, on sourdough bread, with mayo and tomatoes. We also had roasted cauliflower and a salad, so we were more than happy.  We watched a Home Town which featured their favorite porches from past shows and another episode of Money Heist.  Cheers left Netflix at the end of June so that's no longer an option for us.  I started a new book by Steph Cha called YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY.

Florida Weather

Distance Drinks With Dick And Caran

6:07

9:14

Well,  it feels and looks like we are living in Florida if you check the weather forecast, sunny, and in the high '80s for the next eight to ten days.  I am not complaining but it would be nice to get a thunderstorm in there somewhere.  I paddled over to Tom's Point, briefly glimpsed a bald eagle, then focused on a kingfisher, as he dove two or three times in the water before settling on aa branch.

Bald Eagle At Tom's Point

Kingfisher

Yesterday seemed to race by even though we did little, at least it felt that way.  I paddled, wrote the blog, and had my usual breakfast of yogurt, granola, bananas, and blueberries.  We then did a few things, nothing big.  We hung blackout curtains in our other big bedroom, making it nicer for someone to sleep in there.  We worked on the attic again and finally hung a Turkish tablecloth over the window, so it does not look like an abandoned house from the road.

A Delicate Astilbe In Bloom

Around 10:00 we had a visit from our financial advisor, a new guy who happens to have just bought a house across the lake on Sunset Bay.  We got acquainted with him, talked about saving tax money returning some of the money taken out of IRA each month.  Sounds like a good idea.  He left about 11:30 and will be staying up at the lake through the weekend.l He seems like a nice guy and grew up in the Cleveland area.

Dahlia

ConeFlower 

Double Scoop Bubblegum Coneflower

For some reason, by the time he left, we lost our mojo.  So I heated up the leftover chicken enchiladas for lunch and watched my show.  Evie, meanwhile, did some touch-up painting, both in the house, on doors, things like that, and on the metal chairs, so they will be ready for the weekend if only we had family here.  I am getting a bit bored with my book, want to move on but will stick with it.  I fell asleep reading, always enjoyable in the afternoon. We then enjoyed some dock or porch time until 4:00, when we both showered because we were going to friends, Dick and `Caran's house at 5:00 for Distance Drinks and appetizers.  We sat on their grand front porch, at least ten feet apart, and caught up on their lives since we had not seen them since October.  They are being very careful to wear masks and practice social distancing, like us, only more so  I think.  It was good to see them and we went home with a bag of lettuce from Dick's amazing garden.

We stopped at the Ashville General store for a couple of Cuban sandwiches and had to wait close to a half-hour because they lost our order.  Perfect.  We were home by 7:30 and enjoyed our sandwiches with a big bag of Hartley chips and a Pepsi.  We watched another episode of Hometown, then Money Heist thinking we were watching the final episode only to find our there are 'Four Seasons, not four episodes,  each having multiple episodes. We may be watching it until September.

Clouding Up And Windy

5:31 

6:00

8:30

It's 8:30, the sun's behind the clouds and wind has picked up, making me happy to be back from an hour paddle.  Just as I headed home, I noticed a young heron along the shoreline, blending in with its surroundings so that it was difficult to see but I took a few photos and left, leaving him behind undisturbed.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron Among The Rocks

Yesterday was a stellar sun day, lots of time out on the dock and in the water.  I paddled early, then after the blog and lunch and doing a few things around the house, I drove over to Bemus and rode my bike for an hour through Bemus, Long Point State Park, and back, my favorite ride.  I was home by 11:15 and decided to cool off in the lake and while I was in, I might as well cut weeds.  I did so until I filled up my bucket and came in for lunch.  While I was doing this, Evie was working in her garden, mostly pulling weeds, a result of last week's rain. Lunch was the leftover spaghetti and meatballs from Sunday night's dinner, thankfully I like leftovers. 

Almost There

I watched my show, napped, and read then joined Evie on the dock until it became too windy and we both came in, Evie to prep the Wienerschnitzel and me to read on the porch.  When I walked in the house from the front porch, I stubbed my toe on the metal divider, thinking nothing of it until I realized it was bleeding on our new carpet.  I quickly put pressure on it with a paper towel and Evie got out the Oxyclean, water, brush, and worked at getting the blood out. What a ridiculous bummer. I had to work at stopping the bleeding until Evie put a few bandaids on it and it stopped.

Fortunately, dinner was great, Wienerschnitzel, baked potatoes, roasted cauliflower, and salad so it took our mind off the bloody carpet and my bummed up toe.  We decided to watch the most streamed series on Netflix, Money Heist, a Spanish thriller.  We watched the first three episodes, saved the ending for tonight.  It's a bit far fetched but fun, so European.