Rain And Thunder Overnight

Stages Of Evie's First Dahlia Bloom

8:33

We woke up to a refreshed morning after an inch of rain, the thunder waking both of us.  Right now it's 72º and the sun is out though the glare makes it difficult to read on my computer.  It's 9:00 as I finish this after a half-hour paddle, a sighting of a heron. Today is the first of a couple of exciting days as our daughter Beth and her daughter Marisa arrive this afternoon at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. 

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron Morning

Yesterday was not as busy as we thought as most things were done in preparation for our kids.  After kayaking and writing the blog, I wanted to get things done before it became too hot so I washed the front windows once again and sprayed the foundation of our house for spiders.  Once that was done, I had worked up quite a sweat even though it was 9:30 in the morning.  Evie did some watering from the lake thinking it had not rained in a few days.  Little did she know we would get an inch Tuesday night.  Around 11:00, I drove to Mayville, stopping at the Lighthouse, a hardware store, and checking on my kayak.  It's still not ready. 

For lunch, I cut up the leftover dogs in the baked beans, heated it up in the microwave and I had a good old-fashioned lunch of wieners and beans.  I watched my show, then took a good nap before getting a few more things done both in the house and outside like getting rid of the last of the lake weeds from my cutting.  I left for a final eye appointment at 3:00, stopped to get the car washed, and fill up my extra propane tank.  My appointment went well; my vision has improved with the surgery immensely but I will still need glasses.  The eye doctor asked me where I lived and when I told him the Woodlawn neighborhood, he laughed because that's where he grew up, a small world.

When I returned home, we walked over to Barb and Jim's house for beers and appetizers and sat on their front porch until almost 8:00, talking, visiting with Jim's sister, Diane, enjoying a few beers and some great appetizers.  We had no need for dinner after vegetable sliders with artichoke hearts, cheese, roasted red peppers, and pepperoncini.  Yum

We ended the night, as usual, watching a Jeopardy and a couple more episodes of Working Wives.

A Sultry Lake Morning

6:26

8:33

It's 8:30 and I already worked up a sweat, kayaking for forty-five minutes, Evie, too, busy in the garden and the house.  It's been in the'80s the last few days, alas, more like Florida than Chautauqua.  I guess we had better get used to it.

Kayak Morning

Where's The Heron

Yesterday was a day of recovery, from the fun weekend, cleaning up, getting everything ready for our family's arrival starting tomorrow.  Yippee.  We finally finished a few more projects so we are ready for our kids.  Evie took me to pick up my Honda, which unfortunately is on its last legs, too expensive to fix once again.  So we may be down to one car in a few weeks.  Anyone want a 2000 Honda Accord which needs some work? 

When we returned home, I wanted to get more weeds cut, so I put on my suit, Evie sprayed me with sunscreen and I was out for an hour, in the only cool place around, up to my neck in water.  As I have mentioned before, it's a neverending task but for now, our lake area looks and feels pretty good.  I came in and Evie had lunch ready, a couple of chicken sandwiches with pickles and mayo.  I am still watching Queen of The South for some reason, probably because I am too lazy to look for something else.

It was surprisingly cool in our house because we closed it up around 8:00 so I was able to get in a nap and read comfortably on a couch.  Evie was able to relax some as well but joined me later in the afternoon when I went back out to the lake, to cool off and cut more weeds.  It's addictive.

Around 5:30, we relaxed on the front porch, still warm but with a light breeze.  Evie had a lemonade and I had a light vodka tonic, a good drink in this heat.  I imagined I was back in India, in their heat and humidity.  We had, what else, leftovers from Sunday for dinner, burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw.  Evie thought it was even better than the day before.  We realized there were new episodes of Working Wives on Netflix so we went through four or five episodes before going up to bed early.

Post 4th Blues

6:49

Well,  the celebrations are over and it's back to normal for a couple of days, not that we aren't looking forward to our kid's arrival towards the end of the week.  After a busy day both on the lake and in all the cottages, the empty, quiet lake is a bit strange.  Where did everyone go? Sleeping maybe or on their way home like we used to be before we retired up here in 2010.  It's 9:00 as we finish this.  I did get in a paddle, over to Long Point, across to Sandy Bottom, and home along Woodlawn on a quiet, mostly deserted lake. I love it.  

Kayak Morning

Sunday was a fun day, starting basically at 5:00 when our next-door neighbors and Linda and Ron arrived for a picnic, bean bag, and fireworks.  Up till then, we were semi-busy although most of the prep had been done and everyone was bringing something to the picnic for burgers and dogs, potato salad, beans, and blueberry crumble for dessert.  We were busy, however, much of the morning, with Evie cutting the grass, and me doing some edging around the bushes, getting the yard ready for later in the day.  My big project was to get back in the water and cut the weeds, some six feet high, in front of our dock. At least when I was done, I felt I had accomplished something.  

Evie rewarded my hard work with a great breakfast, a couple of avocado toasts with eggs, Yum.  I watched the Bucks clinch a place in the NBA finals before reading and taking a nap. We took it easy until 4:00 when Evie prepped the burgers and coleslaw and we both showered to get our mojo back.

Picnicking

We sat in the yard until 7:00 with our friends, enjoying appetizers and libations, playing some competitive games of bean bag or corn hole to be more modern.  At 7:00, I fired up the grill and Ron and I cooked burgers and hotdogs to perfection of course. We had more than enough food even though all of us had seconds, some thirds, at least the young un's did. It was a perfect meal for the 4th, traditional and good, the kind we have been having for many years, since the 1950s with my grandparents.

Neighbor's Fireworks

Light The Lake

We sat around in the yard until 10:00, the night cooling, watching fireworks from neighbors and various communities, then lighting flares for "Light The Lake", a tradition of surrounding the lake with flares. It's an impressive sight, the most celebratory night on the lake each year.  Once the flares died, everyone was ready to head home.  We quickly cleaned up the kitchen, putting the dishes in our new dishwasher, starting it up, then going up to bed, the end of another good day.

A Glorious 4th Of July Morning

5:51

8:24

It's 8:30, with a light breeze and a blinding sun's reflection on the lake, making it impossible to look out our front windows. I kayaked for over an hour, to Tom's Point and home, and caught a pair of eagles, perched in a tree along with a solitary eagle, perched in another tree about twenty yards away. Cool beans.

Kayak Morning

A Tall Guy

Mom Or Pop Bald Eagle With Juvenile 

At Least A Five-Year-Old Eagle

Mallards Preening

Saturday was busier than usual for some reason, probably because I had some mojo and felt like getting things done,  First, I fixed our dock, putting in a new board on our end piece.  It's not that difficult but as always, I made it so, not having the right drill bit, then finding the board was too wide, necessitating getting help with a neighbor and his pry bar.  Anyways, I did it. After that, I drove to Mayville to pick up ground chuck for tonight's dinner as well as a rotisserie chicken for last night's dinner. I also stopped at Tops to pick up some goodies for later in the week and reluctantly stopped at the Kayak place to find out my kayak has yet to be fixed.  It's only been three months.  

When I got home, I relaxed some, had a great lunch of a Turkish omelet with feta cheese and tomatoes, a menemen in Turkish, then tried to nap without any luck.  So I gathered up all the trash from the week and took it to the Transfer Station and then stopped at a very busy Hogan's for gas and to pick up some flares for tonight's Light Up the Lake at 10:00.  When I got home, I talked with my buddy Ron and I drove down to his house to pick up a couple of portable beds for the next week when our kids arrive.  It's really helpful to have good friends!

When I returned home, I was tempted to cut weeds but ran out of energy, so I grabbed a beer and sat outside with my next-door neighbor, enjoying the late afternoon on the lake.  Around 6:30, Evie got busy in the kitchen, making parslied potatoes, a salad, and cutting up the rotisserie chicken.  I microwaved three ears of corn and we had a tasty dinner. And I am still struggling with how to use our dishwasher efficiently, as I want to rinse everything and what do I do with the pots or the large salad bowl? Or the two coffee cups we use each morning.  Problems, problems.  We watched Real Time With Bill Maher, then the last two episodes of Ted Lasso which we now highly recommend.  And that was it for the day.

Bald Eagles 

A Deluge On Friday

Bald Eagle Morning

9:08

It's 8:50 and I just returned from kayaking for forty minutes, my usual route, down to Sandy Bottom and back along Woodlawn and home. It's the first time I have been on the water since Wednesday because of the rains. Today and tomorrow, however, both look like pleasant days, some sun and temperatures in the '70s. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a day to remember, from being shocked off my couch at 6:00 by thunder and lightning to the four and a half inches of rain during the day.  I cannot remember a day like Friday in years. Needless to say, there was no kayaking and nothing of note to do outside.  Inside, however, there is always things to do so we kept busy much of the morning, cleaning out cupboards, throwing away lots of things, making space in all the bedroom closets for our kids.  We also tried out our new dishwasher, making sure it works and is quiet.  So far, so good. 

Enjoying The Puddles

After a lunch of chili from the freezer and some TV, I took a good nap, falling asleep to the sound of rain and dark skies.  It reminded me of a fall day.  Both of us were able to take it easy the rest of the afternoon, only making lists of things to do the next couple of days and get organized for our fourth of July picnic at our house with friends.  

After The Deluge

8:02 PM

The rain stopped late afternoon, so we decided to reward ourselves with a Manhattan evening, with dip and pretzels, listening to a new playlist Evie has made up for our kids, mostly tunes from Alt Nation on Sirius Radio. Dinner was great, a salad and the leftover pizza from Paces.  We watched Colbert and Ted Lasso before going up to the bed, ready for the next few days. 

It's Raining, No Pouring!

5:37

5:56

6:43

It' 6:45 and both of us are up.  I was awakened at 5:30 by rain, Evie at 6:00 by an ear-deafening thunderclap seemingly above our house.  I was sitting on the front porch and when the thunder cracked, I literally jumped up off the couch, knocking my computer off my lap onto the ground. Wowser! It's quieted down for the moment but it's supposed to rain off and on the rest of the day. I just checked our rain gauge and we got another two-plus inch of rain this morning.

Yesterday I was unable to kayak because of the rain and the same goes for this morning because of the thunder and lighting although I am tempted to get out there. I did not leave for yoga until 9:30 so I got a few things done besides the blog before I left.  Yoga class was packed, 21 of us, with one other guy.  It was a relaxing Yin class, nothing too rigorous which might be why it's so popular. We rarely get off the mat.  I stopped for coffee, talked with Dave for almost the first time in a year then drove home. Evie of course had been busy, mostly because the guys were putting in our new dishwasher finally after waiting a week for a long enough hose.  I am hereby relieved of dishwashing duty. 

Once the guys were finished, I heated up soup for lunch along with a half of burger and Evie gathered all the shopping bags and took off for Wegmans and another big day of shopping. By the time our kids arrive, we will have enough food for a week or so it seems.  I watched Phoenix clinch a place in the NBA finals and then napped until Evie got home.  I helped unload the car the went out an spent an hour cutting weeds with a neigbhor's weed cutter, a V shaped blade attached to rope.  It worked pretty well but I have to gather up the cut weeds once they float to the top.  

Excited For Pizza Night

I came in at 5:15, took a quick shower and we then picked up our neighbors, Ken and Majorie at 6:00 because we were driving into Jamestown to Pace Pizza for dinner.  We were lucky to find a parking spot on the street and a table inside because it was surprisingly busy for a Thursday night.  We ordered the 17 incher with pepperoni and mushrooms, loved it, and have enough for either another dinner or a couple of lunches.  Both Ken and Majorie liked it too, reminding them of their favorite pizza place in Pittsburgh.  We were home by 8:30, in time to watch some TV, Colbert and Ted Lasso, a series which we were slow to like it but we really enjoy it now.   

Sitting On 'the Porch, Listening To It Rain

5:35

7:18

7:35

It's 6:00, just started to rain and I have been awake since 5:30, enjoying the quiet of the morning.  Gray skies, no wind, and not a boat in sight as July begins, summer is well underway. It's now 6;45 and I was about to kayak but it then looked like rain so I sit here, waiting for the rain that never seems to come, especially if forecast to by a weather app.  Well, now it's pouring so maybe it's a good thing I did not get in the water. And now, at 9:00, it's finally stopped and we received close to two and a half inches in an hour. 

Wednesday was another busy day as Evie had a list of things that needed to be done as we get ready for our kid's arrival next week. So after a long paddle and breakfast, we got busy or so it seemed.  First, we worked outside on our pine trees which tend to droop, making it difficult to park our car. So I tied the branches to the trunk, raising them a couple of feet and out of the way.  I think we did at least five or six hanging branches and it is not only easier to park but it looks better. We then went in and worked on the last two bedrooms that needed to get ready, putting in air conditioners, moving furniture, vacuuming, moving clothes, things like that which will make it easier for our kids.  This took a good part of the morning which may be hard to believe but Evie was happy to get these things done.  Cross a couple of ore things off of her list.  

Evie rewarded my hard work with a couple of BLT's (what a gal) before she hit the trail for Mike's Nursery and TJ Maxx while I ate, watched TV, and napped.  She was going to meet me at my mechanic's as I have an appointment today for my annual inspection but we got our signals crossed and she had to wait 20 minutes because I did not get her text.  Anyways, I dropped the car off and she drove me home. She had good luck at Mike, getting a flat of wave petunias for a flower box because the geraniums were not doing well.  I filled the wheelbarrow with compost, got a window box out of the garage attic and she filled the box with petunias and I hung it and we were basically done for the day.  We ended the afternoon with drinks on the dock as it was cool enough to sit outside and enjoy the late afternoon.  

Late Afternoon

For dinner, Evie pulled some hash browns out of the freezer, heated them up, and fried up a couple of burgers for our dinner, something we both were hungry for. With pickles, onions, and Trader Joe's Magnifisauce, we were happy, watching Colbert interview 90-year-old Robert Duvall who is still acting. We ended the night with Jeopardy and a couple more episodes of Ted Lasso which we are starting to like more and more.