Pink Sky In The Morning

6:33

6:40

7:21

7:22

Despite the fine sunrise, it's a sad morning for our family as our son Tom's mother in law, Rose, passed away last evening.  She was an original, fun, crazy, loving, talented woman and she will be greatly missed.  So it's difficult to write anything about our day as everything is eclipsed by Rose's passing and our families' sorrow.  I will perhaps have more to say in a couple of days.

"Let There Be Light"

6:46

7:12

7:15

7:16

7:44

7:49

It 9:20 and I sit down to begin my blog.  I decided to get in a paddle before driving off to Bemus Point for breakfast.  When I woke, at 6:30,  the morning sky was gray, with a slash of light over the eastern coast.  Soon, however, as I kayaked out on the lake, the sun peaked out from the sky, its reflection bright on the lake.  During my paddle, I saw no herons,  a couple of cormorants, the same two as yesterday.  When I returned, the sun had disappeared, a cloud bank moved in, and all was gray once again.  And driving across the bridge to Bemus at 8:00, the south end of the lake was fogged in. 

Kayak Morning

A Cormorant Perched

Yesterday went quickly for some reason.  We finished the blog, I kayaked, with talked and watched some TV and before we knew it, it was 11:30.  And it was another fine late summer day, lots of sunshine and warm but uncomfortably so.  I had lunch, the leftover sub sandwich, watched another LUTHER and Evie decided to take advantage of the day and went out on the dock.  I finished my lunch, started a new, old Daniel Silva, THE CONFESSOR,  napped briefly, then woke, ready to get something done.  So I fired up the lawn mower and cut the lawn, at a diagonal this time, the way the lawn lovers in the 1960's used to cut their lawns. I have to admit it looks great, not the usual checkboard patttern. I was done by 4:00, in time to enjoy some sun before we decided to get ready and go out to the Viking Club for dinner.

We got there at 6:30 and it was quite busy for a Wednesday night.  We found seats at the bar and Evie ended up talking with our good friend Barb for at least a half hour.  I ordered our dinner, a Rueben with onion rings, a burger with fries.  When I went up to the kitchen to get our dinner, we said aloha to Barb and her husband Dana, as they had driven up in the boat to pick up their wings.  Neither one of us finished up our dinners for some reason and Evie brought half of a Reuben home for lunches. 

We were home by 8:30, watched some Stephen Colbert, another couple of episodes of CHEERS before going up to bed.  It was not the best of birthdays for Evie but good enough, as she was able to enjoy the dock and go out for dinner. 

A Special Day of Birthdays

Evie and Baby Tommy,  Honolulu, 1969

Tom and Mom, Chautauqua, 2015

A quiet, gray morning as my wife, Evie, celebrates her 74th birthday, our son Tommy, his 50th. It's amazing to think we have two children in their 50's, one more to follow next year. O, yea, and seven grandchildren, three grandsons in their 20's, four granddaughters in their teens, the good life.  Here at the lake, it's a  cool morning 61º, with the possibility of rain.  At the moment, it's overcast and looks as though it could rain on my paddle.  It didn't as I paddled for forty-five minutes on a choppy lake, making it difficult to use my binoculars and camera. I did watch a cormorant flapping his wings for five minutes, drying off I assume.  And, we are continually amazed at the beauty and singularity of our dahlias which is why we keep taking photographs of them. 

Kayak Morning

Cormorant Up Close

Yesterday was sunny and warm, a perfect September day, lots of sun and blue skies, a cooling breeze.  I got in an early paddle before we sat down and made up a shopping list for Wegman's.  I took off around 10:00, with my bike, parked it in Lakewood and took a forty-five-minute bike ride, to Celeron and back, cruising the Harbor Hotel grounds, before heading back to Lakewood.  I then went to Wegman's, a busy Tuesday because of the 5% discount for us seniors.  It always surprises me when Wegman's runs out of something; yesterday it was cabbage.  It makes me wonder if there is a run on cabbage or a late delivery.  Either way, I won't be having coleslaw with my fish this week unless I find it somewhere else.

I was home around noon, in time to watch a show and have lunch, a sub sandwich I picked up at Wegman's, making it an easy lunch, no hassle, just grab a quarter of the sandwich and put it on a plate.  Even I can do that.  I then read some, finished my book and started a couple of others but not sure which I will stick with.

We took it easy, what else, in the afternoon, sitting outside in our side yard some, enjoying the sun and breeze.  We also, of course, followed the never-ending brouhaha over the Supreme Court nominee and his accuser of attempted rape.  Enough is enough so we turned it off and went to FoxNews where they were talking about the four personality types.  Interesting.  I had a glass of wine as Evie got dinner ready.  She breaded and fried up some eggplant slices, then made sandwiches, with tomatoes, mayo and mozzarella cheese and put them in the oven.  We ate dinner around 6:30 and I had three sandwiches they were so tasty and Evie's salad was just right, with Gala apple slices and red cabbage, for a first this fall.  We watched a decent movie on Netflix called THE LAND OF STEADY HABITS.  It's decent, not great, with no violence or serial killers.  We then watched a couple of episodes of Cheers from the 1st season and they hold up well, as we filled the room with our laughter.  What great writing, pitch-perfect acting.

Overcast With Hints Of Blue

6:42

8:28

It's 8:12 as I start this, having just returned from a half hour paddle.  I scared off two herons, one on the water's edge, the other hidden in the reeds.  So I have no good photographs, just a couple of cormorants. Still, it was a still, meditative morning on the lake, me alone, no boats.

Kayay Morning

Cormorant

Yesterday was not the best of days.  We did have a wonderful sunrise and I got in a good paddle with a couple of good photos.  We then spent the morning finishing up the blog and getting ready to drive to Erie because both Evie and I had doctor's appointments, increasingly the case as we get older alas.

Evie saw a pain specialist for her back at 1:15.  She has about a month until her surgery so she was hoping for some relief from the morning pain.   He was sympathetic and gave her more pills, what else is there, right.  We hope they help some or she will have to start taking some hydrocodone pills which we hope to avoid.  We then stopped at my doctor's office and I received a long explanation of an autoimmune disease I supposedly have but I no longer have the symptoms.  Anyways, I like him and we had a good conversation and I hope to never see him again.  We ended the day shopping at Wegman's and picking up Evie's prescription in Erie, then stopped at Shoefly, an interesting shoe store on Peach Street, close to Route 90.  She tried on various comfortable shoes but ended up with a pair of Oofos sandals, easy to put on and take off.

We were home by 5:00 and we happy to be back in our living room.  I relaxed with a glass of wine and Evie put together our dinner, heating up the leftover stuffed eggplant and making a salad while I shucked the corn.  Dinner, then, was easy and good as we watched the end of two shows which we had started but stopped because we were too tired to finish.  One was Real Time With Bill Maher, always funny and the other A Place To Call Home, so we also watched the fourth episode. It is getting even more silly and soap opera-like than ever if that is possible.  We then watched some of the Emmy's before going to bed.

Another Amazing Morning Sky

6:36

6:39

6:45

I was up, fortunately, at 6:30, in time to see the sky change colors seemingly every five or ten minutes as I waited for the sun to rise.  The lake has returned to normal, few if any boats out, a perfect morning for a paddle.  And it was, no boats to speak of, a calm lake, a heron on a dock, an hour paddle to the Bathhouse, across to Wells Bay and home. 

Kayak Morning

Morning Sky Over Long Point

Heron On A Boat Lift

Yesterday, a Sunday, was another busy day on the lake, lots of bass boats out, perhaps the final tournament of the year.  We had a good Sunday, doing little but looking forward to dinner at our friends', Linda and Ron's house.  I actually did something mid-morning, putting my bike rack on the car, fastening my bike to it and driving to the Chautauqua Institution for an easy ride.  It's only a couple of miles around but I went up and down various roads, so it took me close to forty minutes before I stopped at the library to pick up a couple of books.  It was a warm outing and it looked like most people had a similar idea, get out and enjoy the day.  The CI was busy as were the roads to and from. 

Dahlia

Dahlia

When I returned home, Evie made us a big breakfast, fried eggs, bacon and bagels and for the first time in a while, we watched CBS Sunday Morning.  And it was a good program, little if any politics, just interesting and fun look at the world like the cats of Molokai or the crazy American obsession with microbrews, especially ones 'tainted' with other substances, like fruit.  As he said, 'I want a beer that tastes like, well, a beer." 

Ever Blooming Geraniums

After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon either watching some TV, probably football, listening to the Browns lose on Sirius Radio, reading, or playing a game on the computer.  Around 5:00, we got ready to drive over to Linda and Ron's for dinner.  It's always fun to go to their new house and once there, we have a hard time leaving the kitchen, as we sit around talking and having a beer.  We did sit some on their front porch because it was a fine evening, the sky a soft rouge, the lake calm. 

Together Again

Dinner was eggplant stuffed with lamb, pine nuts, tomatoes, and spices and it took us right back to Havuzlu, our favorite restaurant in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar.  They always had five or six different eggplant dishes for lunch.  We loved Linda's stuffed eggplant and Linda made plenty so both of us had enough for another dinner.  We finished dinner with a chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream, a sweet way to end the evening. We didn't get home until 10:00 and the roads were empty, as always on a Sunday night.

Sun Rise, Fog Rise

7:01

7:06

7:07

7:20

7"31

I was up just before 7:00, just before the roar of bass boats but in time to see a glorious sunrise. Now at 7:40, however, the sun is hidden behind clouds and banks of fog are rolling in on the lake.  When I checked the weather, they had a heavy fog alert but I thought they were just wrong as usual.  Maybe not.  I also should mention that when I walked outside, I was met by the hum of lake flies, back for their annual visit and the air was filled with their hum. It's 9:20 and I had a good paddle, shot a couple of photographs of a heron, so it was a good morning.

Looking For Breakfast

Mallards Among The Reeds

Yesterday was a wasted day for some reason so I don't have much to say.  We knew we were going out to dinner so there was no need to shop or doing any prepping.  So after my paddle, finishing up the blog, we took it easy before we realized that the one thing we had to do was gather the trash.  So Evie cleaned out the refrigerator, I gathered the trash and took it to the Transfer Station where they were checking stickers to make sure people were from North Harmony.

And that was about it for the day as for as anything productive.  Neither of us felt like boating or enjoying the sun on the dock, maybe because the temperature was in the 80's.  So we watched more weather news, then I had lunch, the leftover chicken with mushroom and artichokes and rice.  O, yea, Evie knew I liked rice with it so she thoughtfully made some for me, the nice wife.  I watched another Luther before taking a nap and doing some reading.  When I got up, I watched some football or whatever on TV, read, and both of us more or less waited around it was time to shower and get spiffed up for dinner.

Neighbors

Our neighbor from Houston, Pat, had invited us and our next door neighbors, Bill and Joyce over for dinner.  We got there at 6:00 and it was just the five of us since Pat's husband, David, is out of town on business.  We settled down in Pat's living room, with her great view of the lake, had a glass of wine and some appetizers.  Dinner was delicious, ham balls, with roasted veggies and mac and cheese.  We had ham balls once before so we knew they were good, a combination of ground ham, pork, probably some breadcrumbs that are then baked with a sweet sauce.  Yummy.  Dessert was a German apple cake as we finished up the night at the dinner table, talking about fall, the winter, when both of them would be closing up and heading home to Houston and Philadelphia respectively.  We, of course, will be staying, left alone on Woodlawn, with a couple of other hearty families like us who like or can put up with the winter.

Bass Boats Cometh

7:46

7:03

7:10 

It's 7:00 and the roar of bass boats is filling the lake, as boats fly back and forth in front of Long Point.  The once quiet, peaceful, calm morning on the lake has disappeared.  Fortunately, it last only two days and Monday, the lake will be back to normal.  And now, at 7;10, the quiet is deafening as the boats have blasted off to sweet spots up and down the lake. I did get in a paddle, photographed a couple of blue herons, ran into our neighbors, Tina and Jim, out for their weekend paddle.

Elegance

Yesterday was hot and humid, the high just about 80º, warm enough for us to get in some dock time and I even went for a swim.  Early, I took a long, leisurely paddle and since I am taking a hiatus from yoga, I could take my time and not worry about class.  It makes a difference in how I enjoy my paddle, no worry about time, just dawdle along if I wish.  When I returned, we decided on dinner, chicken, mushrooms and artichoke hearts.  So Evie made me a list and I drove off to Lakewood, stopping for a coffee at Ryder's Cup of course.  Wegman's is always crowded on Fridays but I made it through check out quickly and was soon out in the hot asphalt parking lot, always shocking.  

Nobility

When I came home, Evie was watching the weather channel, as one station vied with another to make the weather look more dramatic.  The guy who practically was knocked over by the wind obviously was the winner.  He made it to YouTube.  Lunch was easy, more cauliflower soup and a leftover sub sandwich from the Lighthouse.  And I am sticking with the British series, LUTHER.  It's a typical cop show, with more of a psychological bent, Luther being the brainy detective.  I am reading THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER WEB, a take-off on the Liz Salander novels.  I fell asleep reading, as Evie put together our dinner, browning the chicken thighs and mushrooms, then putting the casserole in the oven to bake.  And when I got up, she was out on the dock, enjoying some sun.  

I felt energetic after my nap, so I powered up the lawn mower and cut the grass, to Evie's specifications of course.  It took me all of forty-five minutes to  get the grass cut and work up a sweat.  I joined Evie on the dock, took a swim to cool off, and did some sunbathing of my own.  

New Glass

We decided to break out the brie and crackers for our cocktail hour and I used my new glasses for the first time, with a couple of Manhattans.  They sure worked well.  We watched the lake slowly quiet, the sun light up the eastern shore, the puffy clouds roll in and out.

Spectacular Clouds

Dinner was mostly made, as all Evie had to do was make a salad and cook the rice.  We have been making this dinner since our days in Honolulu back in the 1960's when this was our go-to dinner for company.  It's still great. and there's enough leftover for my lunches.  We watched Stephen Colbert, some Vice News before going up to bed early, tired from our day.