Hazy and Warm on the Lake

5:48

6:03

Climbing clematis, Sea wave petunias, Chinese Seven Son's Tree, Garnet Japanese maple, and Spring Anemones

Up at 5:45 to a warm morning, 66 degrees, more heat to come!  A few fishermen are out, casting under the docks, for bass, and the lake is a pale gray, the sky overcast, though the sun burned through for a few minutes around 6:15.  High in the 80's today, perhaps higher tomorrow, with a chance of thunder storms.

Not much to say about yesterday, a lost day as far as I was concerned.  I went to Akron General Hospital for an MRI, some thing I have every few years to make sure my enlarged aorta remains stabilized.  It took up most of the day, as I left about 11:00, stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few items before the MRI.  Funny story...my daughter Beth told me about how good Himalayan salt is for you...put it on your food just before eating it.  Well, I went to TJ's in Darien...they were out of it, but it was coming in tomorrow.  Unfortunately, we were leaving town.  So I didn't get any.  When I went to TJ's on Chagrin, I asked one of the workers for it,  and he said, o, yea, it's over here.  Well the shelf was empty.  He went back to check and said the trucks were late, and it was coming in later in the  day.  Thus, no Himalayan salt again.  Rats.


The MRI was easy, much quicker then other times, in and out in less than an hour, and less claustrophobic,  as  I listened to Glenn Hansard on Pandora, who wrote the song track and starred in one of my favorite movies, ONCE .  Three hours later, about 7:00,  I was back at the lake.  What a  wasted day.  How good to be back.  

Overcast and Humid, Heat to Come

6:00

More Sea Wave Petunias

Happy Birthday on Lenhart Porch

Linda and Evie

It's 5:25 and I am up to an overcast sky, gray on gray on the lake, no boats  that I can see.  Perhaps everyone has gone home.  It's 64 degrees outside, still bearable, though it's getting into the 80's later today, in the 90's on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  How terrible to have this kind of heat just around the summer solstice.  We did have a gentle rain last night. about 1/10th of an inch according to my rain gauge.

Sunday was another day, like most of the others.  We started with an early walk around the CI, before it got too warm.  The CI is buzzing with activity, even on a Sunday, as there was a National Sailboat Regatta going on as well as the arrival of all of the residents.  Yards are getting ship shape, as all the local nurseries seem to be on the grounds, grooming the yards, adding the annuals and of course, the ubiquitous mulch.  Lots of flowers and shrubs are in bloom, so it's a delight to walk the grounds.

We worked some in the yard the rest of the day but mostly relaxed, me especially, as it was Father's Day!  For breakfast, I worked on perfecting my hash browns, grated potatoes with onions, salt and pepper, and cayenne.  They were a bit underdone, as I took them off the burner too early, about 7 minutes a side.  My goal is to match the amazing hash browns from the Diamond Grill, which they serve with their steak.  We had eggs and salt rising toast, not steak, but it was all good.  Later, I watched some of the soccer match, Germany defeating Denmark, and some of the U. S. Open though everyone seemed to be struggling.

At 6:00, the Mc Clures picked us up and we went to Bemus to celebrate Linda Mc Clure's birthday.  We walked lake road first, to work up a thirst and appetite, then went to the Lenhart Hotel, to enjoy a beer on their front porch, a perfect night to sit in their rocking chairs, as most of the weekenders had gone home.  We then went to an empty Seezurh House for dinner.  There were lots of cars on the streets but we were practically the only one's in the Seezurh.  When they found out it was Linda's birthday, we got free onion rings, from Robin, the manager, and they let us get their ribeye special even though it was Sunday.  We are special.  The ribeye was the best I have had in awhile and everyone's meal was fine, quite a contrast to our last meal at the Hadley House.  No special desserts as we were all full and tired, ready to go home.  Evie and I watched some of the golf and NBA finals when we got home, but were tired and disinterested enough to go to bed early, leaving the results up to the fickle Gods.

Another Warm Sunday on the Lake

Marisa's Irish Dance Recital(photo by Bella Luna)

6:00

Some of the Ladies of Woodlawn

Some of the Woodlawn Boys

Appetizers

Woodlawn's President...Four More Years

Debi Kinney and Evie

Woodlawn Meeting

Up early. 5:50, to a clear sky, breezy, with a muddled lake.  Not much action on the lake; I wonder where the Bass Tournament went?  Perhaps it was only on Saturday.  A chance of rain later today, high in the low 80's.  Later today, we head over to Bemus to celebrate Linda Mc Clure's birthday, with drinks on the Lenhart Porch, then dinner at the Seezurh House.

Saturday was an easy day, with not much we had to do.  I hit the Transfer Station early, then went in to Lakewood, to the bank, a nursery and Ryder's Cup for coffee.  When I returned home, Evie was already on the dock reading Rodger Rosenblatt's Kayak Morining, the sequel to his Making Toast, the story about his daughter's shocking death and her children coming to live with him and his wife.  I decided I needed some exercise so I went to the CI for a bike ride.  I rode around the grounds twice, staying on the outer edge as it's getting crowded because it opens in a week.  I also went to the library and picked up the next two Kurt Wallander novels, my fourth and fifth. The rest of the afternoon we spent on the dock (Evie finished Kayak Morning on the Kindle) and I slogged through The White Lioness.

At 5:30, we walked down to the Woodlawn picnic and enjoyed seeing all the neighbors, especially those we had not seen since the fall.  These picnics are always congenial.  No pressure to come or stay, everyone seemingly happy to stop by for fifteen minutes or two hours.  It's an easy and nice way to stay connected with neighbors, catch up and yet not ruin the day.  It lasts from 5:00 to 7:00.  Everyone brings a dish.  If you have friends up, they are invited, as our any relatives hanging around the house.  And if you still want to do something that evening, you have time to do so,

After the gathering, we walked over to the campground because they were having a chicken barbecue. We thought we might be able to pick up a dinner but we were too late.  We did talk with Mark Anderson, the owner, who recognized us from past meetings.  I mentioned that I heard him on WJTN, the local radio station this morning and he laughed, saying this was always good publicity for the campground.  It was a busy campground, but Mark mentioned it was because it was half price weekend.  It's that way every year.

We went home to hot dogs and attempts to watch two movies, neither one we stayed with for long, Affliction and Adaptation.  We were happy to 'cop some zees' by 10:30, another college term.

My Dad Enjoying the Lake

Happy Father's day to my Dad, Frank Davis.  We all miss him.  He died on March 31st, 2006 and was  born on July 27th, 1914.  A good guy.

And Happy Father's Day to my father in law, Ed Petkovsek, ninety three years old and still kicking.

Fast Eddie

Summer Begins: Bass Boats Blast Off at 6:00 (Yassou Festival)

6:00

Greek Festival

Evie and Barb Cassell enjoying the Yazzou Festival

Baklava Cometh

This Gentleman Made Fifty Three  18X24 inch Trays of Baklava for the Festival

Enjoying the Festival

 Up just before six to hear and see at least sixteen bass boats roar out of the Long Point Marina and head either north or south on the lake, no doubt to their sweet spot.  I had forgotten the sounds of early morning boats since I heard them last, probably sometime in October.  It makes me giggle to see them race off to 'catch that fish' as if it's their waiting for them.  Actually, I think it's a macho thing, like goosing your motor cycles as you head off, especially if there are people around to watch.  Anyways, it's a warm 57, going up to the 80's and supposed to be sunny all weekend, another great day to enjoy.

Friday was an almost perfect day, if I hadn't had to drop my Honda off at the glass shop to get a new windshield.  Not that it was that time consuming, but neither of us wanted to leave the lake, even for a 15 minute ride to get there.  And that was about it for what I did for the day.  It's strange to think back and wonder what you did yesterday and not remember a thing.  It must mean I did not do much!

I know I sat on the dock, 'copping rays', as we used to say in college, reading the third Kurt Wallander novel, The White Lioness.  It was a perfect day, warm, with a cool breeze, puffy clouds floating in the blue sky.  Nothing like a June day.  O, yea, we did try some weeding with the boat, Evie driving slowly, me sitting on the back, dragging a rake, to little success.  We must look strange to other boaters, wondering what in the world we are doing.  A good question.  I did, however, cut lake weeds for about an hour, filling up a rubber tub.  I pull the lake rake along the bottom, gather the weeds, and put them in the floating tub, which I tie around my waist with a rope so it does not float away.  Like weeding in the yard which I like to do, there is a sense of accomplishment when you gather a huge swath of weeds and fill your basket.  I try to fill at least one tub a day.  The tubs add up and I can see progress!

Around 6:00, we drove into Jamestown to the Yazzou Festival, to enjoy the Greek food and dancing and see our good friend Barb Cassell, from Hudson.  She grew up in Jamestown comes back every year to the festival to see family and friends.  In fact, her father, Terry Jonethis, started the festival thirty years ago.  When we got there, it was impossible to find a place to park, as all the side streets were occupied.  Finally, a visitor pulled out about a quarter of a mile a way and we parked our car.  When we got there, at least fifty people were waiting to get in to the tent and church yard.  Obviously, it's a very popular event in Jamestown and it seemed like everyone in Jamestown was there.  Once inside, long lines led to the food tables where we could get almost anything Greek, gyros, spinach or cheese boreks, baklava, ravani, pastitisio, and of course, Greek beer called OPA.  People either sat at tables, under the tent eating and listening to the Greek music and watching the dancers, or socialized outside the tend, around the bar, in the yard surrounding the church.  It was a good night for the festival, not to hot, lots of food and drink, what more could we ask for.

We spent most of the evening catching up with Barb, about her family and the news from Hudson.  All her boys are doing well.  It was fun being with her as she seems to know everyone, either friends from high school, the church, camp, or family.  This seems to be a big deal for her family, as relatives come from as far away as Washington, just to be part of this festival, a family tradition obviously.  In fact, her grandparents used to live in the house across the street from the church and she remembers lots of parties there when she was younger.  We had a great time, watched her dance with friends later in the evening, and headed home around 9:30.  A great night at the Yazzou Festival.

Another Spectacular Morning on the Lake

6:21

Spring Anemones

Sea Wave Petunias

I never get tired of waking up to the lake, its changing shapes, day by day, season by season.  June mornings, like late September mornings, may be my favorite.  The green of June is so rich, the variations of it vibrant and fecund.  Fall, of course, is the colors of changing leaves, the browns, reds, yellows, and its variation.  A bit warmer this morning, about 56, as the days get warmer towards the weekend and, of  course, longer as we head to the summer solstice in a week.  Yesterday morning was the first in awhile where I was up before the sun.  It rises at 5:40 so I better get up early to see it.

I had my final breakfast we the boys yesterday at the Bemus Point Inn, as we suspend our breakfast for the summer because most of us are busy with families, or the CI.  We even seemed to run out of things to say, which is unusual so maybe its good to take a respite.  Joe is heading off to Jerusalem for two weeks, an exciting trip.  His son works in the Consulate there, so he will have a guide making all the difference.  After breakfast, instead of heading home, I parked my bike and rode Bemus and Long Point like the day before.  It was a perfect morning for a ride, cool and breezy, as I hardly worked up a sweat.  Unfortunately, I took the back trail through the woods and forgot how hilly it was, so I ended up having to walk my bike for about five minutes, as it was too much.  The ride down was wild, though, as  I hit my breaks constantly to avoid breaking my neck on a tree root.  It's a lovely ride through the woods and the past two days, I have been the only one in the woods, on the park trails for that matter.

I then headed over to Ron's to help him with his dock.  Heavy winds had created problems with a head board, so we had to pry it off and re nail it, an easy job for the two of us, together we are about 1/16th of a handy man.  I then stopped at the Lighthouse, picked up a hoagie and rotisserie chicken for dinner, and headed back to the lake.  It was such a beautiful day that neither Evie nor I did much other than relax on the dock.  Evie did some lake weeding early, when I was biking, and cut the lawn, again, in early afternoon.  And I did some lake weeding, after working up a sweat reading on the dock.  But that was about it for the day.  Today may be similar, though I have to drop my car off this morning at a glass company.  We picked up a stone on our windshield coming back from Darien.  It spread overnight to a two foot crack, so I have to get a new windshield.  Fortunately, it's covered by insurance.

An easy dinner of chicken, salad, and roasted corn and cauliflower finished off the day.  Another cool night for sleeping made it perfect.

Tonight, we are heading to the Yazzou Festival, at the local Albanian Orthodox Church.  Greek dancing and gyros on a cool Jamestown evening sounds good.  We hope to see our good friends, the Cassells from Hudson, there.

Fog Rising on a Crisp, Cool Morning (Heinz's)

5:01

5:15

5:42

Dinner at Wendy and Charlie Heinz's home

Up at 4:50 to an waking sky, touches of cream, then orange, some red above Long Point.  Not a sound except for an occasional bird, then a rumble---some fishermen dragging their coolers out to their boats on the Pine Hill dock.  It's now 5:49, the sun has risen but is still obscured by clouds above Long Point and the entire north end of the lake is obscured by a heavy fog though in front of our house we still have steam rising.  It's 47 degrees, a sunny day to come, high in the 70's.

Yesterday was a perfect day at the lake, crisp and cool in the morning, warm enough to sit outside in the afternoon, to enjoy the sun and sky, just being alive.  I took off for Bemus around 10:00 for a bike ride while Evie stayed home and continued with the organizing of our house, getting ready for the grandchildren.  It was a great day for a bike ride.  I parked my car at the Bridge, rode through Bemus, down the lake road, through Long Point, to Warner Bay, then cut back along the shore, to the tip of Long Point, then back through the park, down the lake road and back to my car.  I ran into the Mc Clure's as they were out walking the lake road.  It took me just about an hour, not overly strenuous, just enjoyable, with few hills, my bane.

It was actually too cool to swim, so I read, watched some soccer, Germany vs. The Netherlands, and worked in the yard.  Evie cut the grass and worked on the north side of our house, clearing out the weeds, trimming the rhododendrons, as they seem to flourish there.  Our yard looks great, as does the garden, and the flower boxes are overwhelming, filled with flowing petunias.

We went to Wendy and Charlie Heinz's for dinner, along with the Grices and Gregory's, both couples good friends of ours.  The Heinz's live in Chautauqua Shores, about five houses from Jane and Jerry Grice.  Fred and Judy Gregory live in the CI.  Fred and I played basketball together about 15 years ago in a tournament.  He still plays three on three tournaments and his team just won the medal for the over 65 group in New York state.  He has played in tournaments all over the state.  Judy is a well recognized artist and we attended her showing at Fredonia State a year ago spring.

We sat on the Heinz's porch, high up over the trees, looking at the lake, enjoying our drinks.  Every one seemed happy to be there, a congenial group, and the Heinz's are great hosts.  Jane and Jerry just returned from a river trip in Europe; the Gregory's spend the winter in Davidson, NC, so we had lots to talk about.  We, of course, shared our stories of our boat trip from London to Montreal in 1977 on the Polish liner the Stefan Batory when we braved a hurricane in mid Atlantic.  It would be interesting to chart the conversation at dinner, how it moves from one topic, say our travels, to another, perhaps books we have read, to children, but never politics or religion.  It was a  good night.  We stayed till about 10:15 then headed home, to finish my second Henning Mankell book, The Dogs of Riga.  Wallander has just returned to Riga, secretly, to solve a case, risking his life and career.  What a guy and all for a women.

A Fall Like Morining (Get Out The Fleece)

6:15

7:50

Monday Morning Storm

Monday morning

Up at 6:25, brilliant sunshine in our living room, a choppy lake and a delicious 50 degrees outside.  A good day for a hike/walk, perhaps doing Bemus and Long Point.  We have yet to really take a ride in our boat so maybe we'll that, too.  So many choices when you are retired and don't have to go to work.

Well, we are back in our routine, quickly, as we both were out in the lake, cutting weeds, getting our lakefront ready for the grandchildren.  The weeds are spotty, heavy in some areas, hardly any in others. I am afraid most of the taller weeds, out in front of our dock for example, are the kind that die off in late June, then the millefoil takes over.  We both worked for about an hour, getting a tasty crop for drying out.  The Chautauqua Lake Association will start pick up next week, so we will have plenty for them.  The water was amazing, clear and cool, refreshing and salubrious (sort of).  This is the best time of the year on the lake, the month of June, cool nights, warm but not hot days, a healthy lake, at least that's the way it used to be until the last couple of years of fickle weather.

We also spent a good part of the morning organizing upstairs, getting closets in order, clothes ready for summer and the arrival of our kids, putting away winter clothes, shoes, etc, getting our the summer gadgets and water toys.  Evie went off to return various items at the stores in Lakewood and came home with lots of goodies, cool clothes and shoes for her, a new skillet for making grandchildren pancakes, a successful shopping day.  I stayed home and watched European soccer on TV, the best soccer other than the World Cup.  For some reason, I enjoy watching national teams play more than I do club teams.

At 6:30,  Ron and Linda came over for a beer on our porch, the official start of summer, or so it felt.  We then went  to dinner at the new Hadley Bay restaurant and we had disappointing meals.  My pizza was great but Ron's Cuban, Linda's Beef on Wick, and Evie's Taco salad were all mediorce and that's being nice.  The service was fair, Ron was charged for Evie's Taco Salad, so it was not the best of nights out on the town of Stow.  We like the idea of a restaurant nearby but have determined that we will go only if we want a beer and  pizza, leaving the rest of the menu to others.  We ran in to a number of people, Joe Johnson, my breakfast buddy, Dan and  Connie Evans, owners of Alfies and Evans Liquors, our druggist friend from Lakewood apothecary, and Diedre Lauere and Preston Buchtel, neighbors.  We are getting to be 'locals with friends.'