Overcast, A Morning of Mist

6:51

Not exactly a picturesque morning but there was an early beauty to it, like a black and white photo at 7:00 when I got up.  Now the vista is undefined, the opposing shoreline smudges of gray and white.  It's 66º, with showers and higher temperatures forecast for the day.  My sister, Ellen and her husband Wally, arrive later today, a fun weekend ahead.

Yesterday was uncomfortably warm and humid, with little breeze until later in the afternoon.  I did take in a yoga class at 10:00, crowded and warm, then took a tour of the new building, which Eight Limbs will move into in October.  It was a large abandoned building on Main Street in Lakewood, bought four years ago at an auction by Danielle, our teacher, and her husband.  It will become a number of health related studios, with a small gym for a couple of personal trainers, a Thai yoga therapy room, and a yoga studio.  It should be a positive for the village of Lakewood, which needs new businesses.

At 2:00, I went back to Jamestown, to get my teeth cleaned, picked up my car, with new rear brake pads and rotors, then came home to relax in the heat.  Evie was in the yard reading under our trees, as it was too warm on the dock and the water was not very pleasant because of the algae bloom.  She had already put together our anniversary dinner, portobellos with garlic spinach, and breaded chicken thighs.  We decided we preferred to celebrate here at the lake, with one of the best views around.

So, around 6:00, we sat on our porch and in honor of my parents, had a couple of Manhattans, my Mom's cocktail of choice.  We moved our Sonos speaker out on the porch, and Evie put on a mix of standards from our high school days,  and from our parents early years, songs by the likes of Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole.  It took both of us back to our teen years, to our parents, especially to my parents, Betts and Frank, who loved music and dancing.  And we remember them dancing, with us, on our front stoop to the sounds of Big Bands, back in the 1980's.  Those were fun days with the both of them.  We even found ourselves dancing to some of the Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra tunes, our neighbors, we hope, oblivious to our music and our dancing.  It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary, a trip down forty nine years of memories, I suppose, and looking back at the path our lives have taken, unimaginable to that young couple so many years ago.  And, we both understand how fortunate we have been, with our parents, siblings, children and grandchildren.

We devoured our dinner around 8:00, enough for a couple of more meals, no complaining, then we watched another episode of The Honorable Women, which we is still confusing and we may just give up on it.  The film maker assumes too much about the viewer's understanding of the plot, jumping from one character to another, with no explanation.  A memorable evening, after quite a few years together.

FORTY NINE YEARS AGO

Ah Youth--- August 21, 1965

6:14

6:43

I was up at 6:00 for some reason, light filtering through our bedroom blinds, so I came down, made the coffee, turned on Erie's NPR, and took a couple of pictures of the lake before and after the sun rose. The hum of lake flies greeted me when I walked out to the dock, a couple of weeks earlier than usual. Another bother!

Yesterday it was forecast to be cloudy, with heavy rains on and off during the day.  It did not happen, though it rained briefly in the morning, then looked overcast much of the day, clearing up around 3:00 for a couple of hours.  Strange day.  I went to yoga at 10:00, the most rigorous class of the week, with many new asanas, which I like.  After class,  I hurried home, had lunch because I had an appointment for my Pilot's NY State inspection at 1:00.  Evie was off at the dentist and shopping, so I was the only one home for lunch.  I dropped the car off at 1:00, and then went for an hour bike ride, through Lakewood, down to Celeron, to the edge of Jamestown and back, mostly along the lake road.  I stopped in Celeron and found that the restaurant on the marina, which closed earlier in the year, will reopen in a week or two The Main Dock.  No one has been very successful in this spot so I wish them well.  I rode back to the Johnson's Garage and found that I needed new rear brake pads and rotors, a result mostly of the winters here in Chautauqua county.  Ray offered to drive me home, throwing my bike in the back of his truck, if I wanted to leave my car because he could work on it that afternoon.  So I took up his ride, and he dropped me off at Victoria and I rode home from there.

I was home around 2:30 and Evie had just had the Joneses grandson, Ben, over to go through the treasure chest, fast becoming a yearly routine for the neighboring grandchildren.  He went home with numerous goodies, not only for him but for his grandmother as well, a good boy.  The rest of the afternoon we spent on the dock or in the house, taking advantage of the late afternoon sun before getting ready to go out to dinner with Ron and Linda.

At Rocco's

Wouldn't you know that the moment we stepped into the car to go pick up the McClures, it started to pour.  We drove over in a sporadic but heavy rain, stopped at their house for a beer, waiting for the rain to stop, then drove a half hour north to Fredonia, to eat at the local Italian gem, Rocco's, a simple bungalow set in a modest neighborhood.  We ate there last fall, loved it, especially the huge pieces of eggplant parmesan.  Linda and I got the shrimp pasta with artichokes, and Evie and Ron got the eggplant.  We all enjoyed our meals, especially the salad with the lemon asiago house dressing and we were the last to leave the dining room, about 8:30.  At the bar, however, there were six or seven guys, all enjoying a plate of pasta, a beer and a ball game on the TV, a real neighborhood spot.  We drove home in the dark, taking our time, fortunately in dry weather despite the lightning off in the distance.  We dropped off Ron and Linda and were home around 9:50, to read and watch a bit of TV.

The Return of Clouds and Rain

Blue Heron Hunting

6:55

It's almost 8:00 and I have been up for an hour, gray sky, lake, a bit of a breeze, some rain overnight and, unfortunately, the hum of what I assume are lake flies, hovering under the trees.  It's a humid morning, 63º, and will get up into the 70's later in the day.

We knew yesterday was going to be the last sunny day for awhile, so we wanted to take advantage of it.  Evie, for example, moved a dental appointment from Tuesday to Wednesday, just so she did not have to leave the lake.  I, however, went to yoga at 9:30, a class which started up again because Courtney was on her honeymoon.  She came back with purple hair so I assume it was a good time.  I did stop at Wegman's again because a good friend of ours from Hudson, Mike Cassell was stopping by around 6:00 and would be eating dinner with us before driving home to Hudson.

When I returned home, I put away the groceries, looked all over for Evie, in the house, the dock, couldn't find her until I looked out in the front yard and she was ensconced in the shade of our maples, in a chaise lounge, reading her book.  She had been on the dock but it had gotten too hot for her, so the shade was welcome.  For lunch, I had fish tacos, with leftover tilapia, a great way to use fish by the way, lots of cabbage, sauce, healthy and tasty.

Mid afternoon, Evie cut the grass and I worked some on weeding along the beds around our house.  It was easy in the shade, sweaty in the sunshine, as I assume temperatures were in the low 80's mid afternoon.  About 4:00, we both went out to relax on the dock, as a breeze had picked up and it was more pleasant to sit and read.

With Senior Golf Phenom, Mike Cassell

About 6:00, Mike drove in, from the Niagara Falls Country Club, in Lewiston, NY, where he had just won the area qualifier for the USGA Senior Amateur Golf Tournament, to be played at Big Canyon CC, in Newport Beach, CA, in mid September.  Needless to say, he was elated to be one of 144 golfers in the US to qualify. He had previously played this course a couple of times when he competed in the Porter Cup.  We enjoyed a beer on the front porch, as he regaled us with his win, news about his family, life in Hudson where we used to live.  Evie had put together an Italian sausage, mushroom, and zucchini pasta, with sherry, one of our favorite summer dishes.  Mike stayed until about 8:30, when he drove home.  It was a fun visit, as he always has some golfer jokes like 'What's the longest sentence in the English Language? I DO!

When he left, we made tin roofs, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and Spanish peanuts and watched the first confusing episode of The Honorable Woman on Sundance.  We will stick with it but for now, we are not sure what is happening, who is who other than its set in the Israeli/Palestinian world of spies, lies, and violence, a complicated political situation to begin with, let alone film and try to illuminate. Not much illumination so far.

Tonight we are going to Rocco's Italian Restaurant, in Fredonia, with the McClures, a real find, tucked in a neighborhood, just outside of downtown Fredonia.  We loved it the last time we were there.

A Clear Morning, A Blinding Sun

7:05

Same View, Six Months Ago

Up at 7:00, getting to be a habit, a sun so bright I could hardly look out our window at the lake. Another day of docking it, perhaps some yoga, then dinner with a friend from Hudson, before the rains arrive tomorrow.

Yesterday I got back in routine, went to yoga, a hard class because I certainly am out of shape, lots of new people and a few familiar faces.  I hope to continue till mid September when we will begin our hiking, perhaps take some trips, things like that. I also stopped at Ryders, Wegmans and Evans, the trifecta, coffee, food, and booze before heading home.  When I got back, Evie was busy as usual, finding that once she starts A, it leads to B and C.  Anyways, I talked her out of the house, so we could go on a long boat ride, up beyond the bridge, to the east coast of the lake, a perfect day for a ride.  We had lunch, Evie perched on the bow, and we took it easy. The lake, now, has pockets of algae, floating on the lake in various neighborhoods, some better than others. Fortunately, in front of our house, the lake looked better than most. We were back by 2:00, anxious to get back out on the dock.  Evie and I then spent the rest of the afternoon out on the dock, sunning, reading, swimming, eventually having a beer with salsa and chips, late afternoon.  Another delicious day on the lake, but who is counting.

Excitement On The Lake

Around 5:30, we went in to get dinner under way.  I helped prep, washed and dried the dishes as Evie breaded and fried tilapia, made home fries, corn and cole slaw for dinner.  We decided to eat outside because it was such a nice evening, something we have not done since the kids were here.  With a nice sauvignon blanc, we were happy, eating al fresco, with a view most restaurants would kill for.

We watched two more episodes of Masters of Sex, both more interesting and dramatic, as Libby, especially, draws us in with emotions.  A couple of the story lines seem unnecessary, both seemingly bowing to the need to include everyone, by this I mean people of color and the gay community.  I am not sure either were much of a concern to most people in the early 1950's other than to be ignored.

THE LAST DAYS OF CALIFORNIA: MARY MILLER

Recently published, this bildungsroman (coming of age), describes four days in the life of fifteen year old Jess Miller and her seventeen year old sister Elise, as they travel by car, from Alabama, to California, to participate in the Rapture which there born again father is convinced, will take place.

We are part of their family, as they travel West, handing out religious tracks about the end of the world, eating in diners, Mc Donald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and the like, staying at night in cheap hotels in Louisana, Texas and finally Arizona, where they stay at a Casino's Hotel, the night of the coming Rapture.

The eldest, Elise, is a skeptic, baits the father and his beliefs every chance she gets, in between texting her friends and boyfriends.  And she happens to be pregnant, but not sure by whom.  The narrator, Jess, wants to believe but is in doubt, wants to experience life, but is filled with guilt about her desires.  In the four days, the girls end up meeting numerous guys, at diners and motels, sneaking in to bars and finally, at the Casino hotel where Jess finally loses her virginity.  The dialogue is spot on, the characters seem real, the long suffering mom, the rebellious daughter, the out of touch nut case of a Dad, with a good and Jess, listening, not knowing who or what to believe, hungry for life, hoping the Rapture both happens and doesn't.  The ending falls a bit flat, though it's hard to come up with one if you are expecting to be raptured.  Let's just say things end in Arizona, at the Casino, no big bang, just a slow fizzle, the father reconciled to life, ironically having won a jackpot at the Casino, the daughters having gained knowledge, though experience, some suffering, but they survived to live another day, as did the family. Not a great book but worth reading.

Sittin' On The Dock All Day

6:50

A heavy fog this morning, as I was up by 6:50 and it may be even thicker at 7:35.  I did see a fishing boat motor out around 7:00, fade into the fog, a bit scary but there's probably few other fools on the lake this early.  It looks like another dock day, lots of sun, moderate  temperatures, in the 70's, before the rains come tomorrow.

A Morning Made For Kayaking

We started yesterday with a long kayak paddle, down to Whitney Bay and back. Unfortunately, the water was algae ridden much of the way though in front of our dock, we have been fortunate to have much clearer water, not sure why.  Anyways, it was a tough paddle, fighting the wind and waves, until we gained the protection from Prendergast Point.  We were back by noon, so Evie made breakfast of a bagel and menemen (Turkish omelet), and we ate it on the dock.  And, to be honest, Evie hardly left the dock the rest of the day, luxuriating in the fine weather, warm but not hot, a good book, occasionally jumping in the lake or fishing off the dock.

Evie With Her Record Setting Muskie

I would occasionally join her but took breaks from the sun, to kayak and fish down towards Wells Bay, again in gross algae filled water.  And, of course, I had no luck, not even a bite.  I wonder if the fish can see my lure through the floating algae.  And around 4:30,  I took a pre prandial walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, something  I have been doing every day this past week.  A brief walk in the woods acts like therapy, mellowing your mood.

Victoria Woods

Around 5:30, we sat on the porch, enjoying a beer, some left over triple cream Brie, thinking how lucky and grateful we are to live in such a picturesque spot on Lake Chautauqua.  We had brisket, baked potatoes and a salad for dinner, and continue to catch up on various TV series that we have missed over the past three weeks.  And Evie was eager to get back to her book, me to Bernie Gunther in Nazi Germany, so we went to bed around 10:00.

I am going to start once again with yoga for the next month.  It will be good to get back in a routine though I want to get some hikes in as well.  In fact, I have made a list of things I want to do over the next month, like spend a day at Presque Isle, an afternoon at Barcelona Beach, collecting rocks, even a day trip to Canada.  We will have to see if we do any of them.  I am optimistic.

SEPTUAGENARIAN AND WIFE GONE WILD (Rod and Gun Club)

7:00

Woodlawn,  Early Sunday Morning

It's almost 8:00 and I have been up for an hour listening to CSPAN Radio for the first time in years. Because of our new Sonos system, I can listen to any radio station in the US, perhaps the world if I wish. At this hour, they take calls from the democratic or republican line, and discuss a current problem, in this case, racism, arising from the shooting in Ferguson, MO.  It's 57º, warmer than yesterday, overcast, with patches of sun and clouds, a gentle wind, a seemingly quiet lake when I walked outside but I can now see three or four bass boats out fishing near the reeds.

Rock Paintings, Summer, 2014

Robin Mom and Babies

Saturday was a strange day, as we literally did nothing, a day of doing nothing for Evie especially.  My only chore was a visit to the Transfer Station, easy this week because there's just been the two of us for the week. And we did get a good middle morning kayaking in, off to Long Point, the bay, filled with algae and back home.  It always feels good to just be out on the lake.  Evie has gotten in to a book, THE DIVORCE PAPERS, which I had just read, so she spent a good part of the day out on the dock, reading, dozing, occasionally fishing.  I have not seen her spend a day like this in months.  I am worried...there must be something she could be doing in the house, cleaning a closet, organizing a drawer.  I hope she is not becoming like me!  Weather wise, it was also a strange day, as when the clouds hid the sun, you needed a fleece or blanket; when it came back out, you had to throw it off and were warm...the problems of sitting on the dock by the lake.

Dinner At Rod and Gun Club With Bill and Joyce Leonard

Around 5:00, we showered and got spiffed up, picked up our neighbors, the Leonards, to go out (our third night in a row) for dinner, this time at the Rod and Gun Club in Lakewood.  I cannot remember the last time we went out for dinner two nights in a row let alone three nights.  We have definitely 'gone wild.'  The Rod and Club was comfortably busy, not like a Friday night.  We were at the bar for only ten minutes, enough time to lose fifteen bucks between us, before they called us to dinner.  We all had the prime rib special, the queen's cut of course.  We had our favorite waitress, Cheryl,  always perky, a stellar Steelers fan.  Our beef was tasty, as usual, though the prices for a slab keep going up...this year it's 12.99 for the Queens cut.  For some reason, however, the club seemed noisier then usual, making it hard to hear each other when we talked.   I don't remember this being a problem though we were sitting in the middle of the dining room, not off in the far corner where they usually put us!

And just a reminder, this spree of eating out is over.  Evie's cooking tonight, whether she likes it or not. In fact, she has a cooked brisket in the freezer and all she needs to do is take it out, thaw it, and then put it in the oven and viola, dinner.  Life gone easy.