Another Sunny, Windy, Hazy Morning

The Petkovsek Sisters And Two Guys

6:40

6:40

It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast, after having a five forty-five-minute paddle. So its been a busy morning for me. At the moment, I am sitting on the front porch with Evie and her three sisters.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue

We were lucky with yesterday's weather, lots of sun, a nice breeze, making the 80º day comfortable. Henry and I were up early, as Elaine had been out walking before we got up. The others woke, enjoyed their coffee or tea and assorted breakfast. By 10:0, three of us went over to Bemus and walked in Long Point State Park. It was a fine morning, lovely in the woods, and we were out for over an hour, having walked three miles. We were home around noon, and all six of us were hungry, so Evie got out Tuesday night's leftovers, and we had a feast of steak sandwiches or salad. We moved the table under the trees to avoid the sun so it was comfortable to eat outside.

The Woods

Elaine On The Point

The rest of the afternoon we did our own thing, some napping, others on their devices or reading, or talking on the front porch. Evie brought out an appetizer at 4:00, red pepper jelly, cream cheese and crackers. By 5:45, we were gussied up and ready to drive to the Bemus Casino for chicken wings. It was surprisingly empty when we walked in, so we quickly found a table and were waited on. We struggled to determine how many wings to order, as well as the level of spiciness. We finally made a decision but ended up bringing back at least a dozen wings. We enjoyed the wings, along with beer, a pretzel and beer cheese, fries, and zucchini fries. After wings, we walked to the main street in Bemus and waited in line for ice cream cones for at least ten minutes it was so busy. 

Evie's Crazy Sisters

Wings At The Bemus Casino

We didn't get home until close to 9:00, and one after another went up to bed by 9:45, tired from our day. Evie was first, followed by Henry and the sisters, then me at 10:00.

Overcast And 64º

Evie And Her Baby Sisters

8:31

It's 8:43 and I just returned from a 45-minute paddle, shooting both an osprey and a couple of herons. At the moment, I am sitting on the front porch with Evie, Henry, her sister's husband, and Elaine and Claire, her other sisters. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn Osprey

Above The Reeds

Heron On Boat Cover

Monday was an exciting day because of the arrival of her three sisters and Claire's husband, Henry. Until they arrived at 2:00, we were busy, of course, getting things ready, such as changing sheets, vacuuming, sweeping both porches,  and so forth. Fortunately, Evie had dinners ready as well as lunches, so we were able to stay out of the kitchen. No matter how much we have prepared for the family, there is always something else to do. At noon, Evie made me lunch, after I drove to Hogan's for ice and some beer.

Boat Full Of Amish Fishing This Morning

After lunch, we both showered and were able to take it easy until the sisters arrived from Cleveland. One is from Gilbert, AZ, another from Oak Park, IL, and the third from Colorado Springs, CO. It's been ten to 15 years since they have all been here. We quickly got them situated in bedrooms, then spent the next couple of hours on the front porch, laughing and catching up on our lives, especially those of our grandchildren. 

Evie had most of dinner already made, except for the salad and she had to reheat the twice-baked potatoes. Henry and I then went out and grilled three nice big New York strips, let them rest for ten minutes, then sliced them, making them easier to serve. It was a beautiful night on the lake, so we ate outside, although we had to move the table to get in the shade. It was a perfect night for eating out, and we all loved it. 

Henry And The Sisters

Around 7:30, we went inside, and the sisters did up the dishes while Henry and I talked about football and basketball. He lived much of his life on Long Island, so he was an avid Knicks and Giants fan. Once dinner was done, Evie whipped some cream, served it on top of Atlantic City pie, a delicious way to end our dinner. The gang was tired from their flights to Cleveland, their stay at a motel on Monday, so we went to bed early, all of us by 10:00. 

A Bright Shiny Morning

6:58

8:06

It's a bright, sunny morning, the sun blinding in fact when I paddled, and now as I sit in my living room, with hardly a whisper of wind. The smoke from Canadian fires alters the air quality and gives the sky a hazy appearance. I paddled for close to an hour, chasing off both an osprey and a heron just as I got out my camera, but I was able to shoot a couple of them. 

Kayak Morning

Along The Shore

On A Boat Cover

Yesterday was a bad day for me, two doctor's appointments but fine other than that. I got in a good paddle, with lots of shots of herons and a single osprey. We both had lots of things to do since Evie's sisters are arriving today around noon. My first appointment was with a dental surgeon and left after an hour with the need, probably for an implant and bridge. He took X-rays, explained the problem and I left with a $450.00 bill. Crazy. After that, I did some last-minute shopping for Evie at Wegmans, and even though it was a Monday, the aisles and checkout lines were crowded.

I was home just after noon, and Evie looked hassled, mostly because she avoided doing what she knew she had to do and did things that she didn't have to do. Does that make sense? Anyways, she got lots done getting the house ready for her sisters and even made me lunch, a couple of BLT sandwiches, so good! She wanted me to take it easy because of my annoying cough but I had to drive to Jamestown for an appointment at 1:30 with my gastroenterologist's assistant. It was a waste of time and I left with her advice that I see if I am lactose intolerant by avoiding milk products for a week. We will see how that goes. I was home by 2:30, briefly tried to nap, but wanted to get something done. So I powered up the electric lawn mower and mowed the lawn even though Evie wanted to do it herself. I took a couple of timeouts because it was in the 80s and I worked up a sweat. It was done by 5:00 so we could both enjoy a glass of wine and the late afternoon sky.

Dinner was easy, the leftover chicken and orzo, along with a salad and corn on the cob. We watched three episodes of our show, The Resident, before Evie went to bed and I then watched another episode of Cape Town before joining her. Our nightly routine, from 5:00 on, does not change much. That's the way we like it. 

A Dense Fog Morning.

7:05

8:12

9:13

It's almost 8:00, and I have been up since 7:00, looking out at a heavy fog, so dense I can hardly see beyond our dock. It was even worse 15 minutes ago. It's 61º and I doubt if I will be kayaking this morning. It's 8:10, beginning to clear up, so I am going to get out on the lake. I was out kayaking for 50 minutes, a striking morning with hardly a boat on the lake. 

Monday Morning At 8:20

Kayak Morning

Into The Sun

Northern Sky

In The Reeds

Osprey Above Campground

Same Guy

Neighbors Dock

Sunday was a busy day for Evie, but not so much for me, as I was fighting an annoying cough. I felt decent, just not energetic, so I didn't do much after a nice, long hour-and-a-half paddle over to Tom's Point and back. In fact, I mostly read or relaxed on the couch most of the morning while Evie was busy in the kitchen and generally getting ready for her sister's visit. Late morning, I felt like doing something, mostly bored, so I helped clean up the kitchen. 

Evie made me scrambled eggs and a bagel for lunch, my usual Sunday fare, and I started a new series on Prime called Cape Town, set in South Africa. Although I spent six weeks in Cape Town back in 1995, I hardly recognized the city except for the shots of the ocean. It's decent, so I will stick with it. I  finally finished my book, Big Breath In, finally, because I did not much like it. We both relaxed for much of the afternoon. By 4:00, however, I set up the sump pump in the lake and spent a good half hour watering Evie's garden, which was becoming parched. The zinnias are looking well, but we both miss the dahlias from years past. 

We enjoyed a happy hour, just as the lake traffic was settling down, and fortunately, Evie had made our dinner, chicken with orzo, earlier in the day so all she had to do was heat it up in the microwave. We watched our show, two episodes, before Evie had enough and went up to bed and I then watched an episode of Cape Town before going up and starting my new novel, Fates And Furies, by Lauren Goff. 

Another Good One

7:24

Woke up around 7:15 to another cool, sunny, blue-sky morning. How lucky we are. It's 9:10 and I just returned from an hour and twenty-minute paddle, across the lake to Tom's Point, then along Bemus to the bridge and back home.  Lots of herons were hanging out along the Bemus side of Tom's Point, making my day.

Kayak Morning

Bemus Bridge

The Bridge

One Of Four Herons This Morning

Stalking The Shoreline

Osprey

Saturday began as usual, with a good long paddle on a cool and sunny morning. I was home by 8:30 and finished up the blog with Evie's help, and then had my healthy breakfast of yogurt and goodies. I was not sure what to do with my morning when Evie suggested she was getting short on gummies and wondered if I might be willing to drive to Jametowns and pick some up for her. By 10:30, we had gathered the trash and I drove to the transfer station and dropped it off. Then, I drove to Jametown and stopped at Lifted and picked up Evie's gummies. I then couldn't pass up stopping at Wegmans with a short list on a very crowded Saturday late morning. Just as I was buying goodies for Saturday night's dinner, Ron called and wondered if we wanted to meet them at the Viking for dinner. Of course, I said yes and didn't worry anymore about Saturday night's dinner.

When I got home, Evie had just finished up getting a few things done and was ready to relax the rest of the afternoon, well deserved, either on the dock or side yard. Before getting out there, she made me a quesadilla for lunch, and I finished up the corn chowder. Since I finished Quarterback, I was at a loss as to what to watch and decided on the first episode of Fauda, a series I have watched at least twice if not three times. After lunch and the rest of the afternoon, I either read, napped, or sat outside with Evie, enjoying the afternoon, with no worry about dinner.

We were both showered and ready to head to the Viking at 6:00 and were surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot. We wondered if we would be able to find a seat, but were lucky to find a table on the front porch, overlooking the lake and setting sun. We hadn't seen Linda and Ron for a couple of weeks so it was fun to catch up on their lives. We ordered the steak dinner with sides and split it at Ron's recommendation. Despite the size of the crowd, we were able to order both our beers and dinners easily and did not have to wait long for our dinner. We stayed until 8:15 and drove home as the sun was setting over the lake. We watched an episode of The Resident before Evie went to bed, and I watched another episode of Fauda before joining her for another good day.

A Chilly Blue Heron Morning Paddle

 

Osprey

Our Son, Tom (screenshot)

9:15

It's 9:20 and both Evie and I are sitting here, listening to CNN and Michael Smerconish on a bright, sunny morning. I was up later than usual, 7:20 and was out on the lake by 7:30 for an hour. It was a good morning for a paddle, and I shot four different herons and an osprey, making my morning. We were just Facetiming with my son Tom from Kansas City, a fun way to start our day. All is well in Kansas City with our kids, grandkids, and great-grandson Rhys.

Kayak Morning

North

Great Blue Heron # 1

Heron # 2

Heron # 3

Heron # 4

Friday was let's get the yard and garden back in shape since there was no yoga. It was a chilly, 54º morning like today. I returned with a couple of photos of herons, then finished up the blog by 9:30. I had my usual breakfast and it was strange not to have a yoga class or a bike ride on my morning agenda. Instead, I went outside, grabbed various weeding tools, and set to work on the zinnia garden, overgrown and replete with weeds. Fortunately, because of Thursday's rain, it was easy to pull the weeds out by their roots and turn the soil. Once weeds are gone, there's always a good feeling because you can see you have made a difference. While I was working in the yard, Evie was creating her usual mess in the kitchen, cooking a few dishes. After I finished with the zinnia garden, I got out the weed wacker and went around all the bushes surrounding the house, as well as the garden and the walks, which took quite a while. I also weeded around our maple and tulip trees, then weed-wacked around them. By noon, I was ready to take a break, and Evie made me a couple of tomato sandwiches for my lunch. 

After lunch, I read and tried to nap to no avail. So, I went outside and trimmed our rhododendrons and Pieris japonica, as well as deadheaded numerous daisies. By 2:30, I had a pail overflowing with weeds and deadfall, so I took another trip up the road to the woodpile and disposed of the debris. It also feels good to empty to get rid of yard waste, similar to my weekly trip to the Transfer Station, a euphemism for a garbage truck. By 3:00, I had had enough and joined Evie, who was also tired from working in the kitchen. 

We had our usual glass of wine and sat inside because of the wind, which blew much of the day, cooling our living room, making it difficult to sit out on the porch. Dinner was easy:  leftover spaghetti and meatballs and a salad. We watched our show, three episodes before Evie went up to bed, and I cannot remember what I watched after she went up. I went upstairs to read at 10:00, but was tired, so I read only a couple of pages. 

Sunny And Cool

7:35

8:56

I woke to a 54º morning, quite a contrast to the past few days. I paddled for close to an hour as the wind began to pick up when I paddled home. I was fortunate to shoot a couple of herons, but unfortunately, there were no ospreys or eagles.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Disheveled Looking Heron

Another Guy

Same Guy

Yep

Yesterday was an anomaly as it rained on and off much of the day. I skipped a paddle because of the rain and went to Bemus for breakfast. I was home by 9:00, finished up the blog, then drove to Lakewood for Yin Yoga at 10:00. The Class was crowded with ladies but  I was able to find a place for my mat next to Tara, our teacher. I know many of the group, but there are always a couple of new faces, which is great for the studio. There was no need to shop because Evie was shopping at Wegmans later in the afternoon, gearing up for her sister's arrival on Tuesday. 

I was home by noon, had a tomato sandwich and corn chowder for lunch, and watched my show. Evie was in no hurry to shop, in fact, she was tempted to put it off for a day, but by 2:00, she was on her way. WhiIe she was gone, I  read some and then took a brief nap. Not only did she shop at Wegmans, but also went to TJ's and returned Amazon items at Michaels, and didn't get home until 4:15. I helped unload the car and put things away, and by 5:30,  Evie had our dinner made, spahghetti and meatballs, and we were enjoying a glass of wine as the day turned sunny, the rain had stopped. 

The spaghetti and meatballs hit the spot, and best of all, we have enough left for tonight's dinner. We are to the point where we admit to enjoying The Resident and look forward to watching a couple of new episodes. We had nutty buddies for dessert, Evie's favorite, and after she went up to bed, I watched another episode of Quarterback, which I am enjoying.