What Else? A Sunny Morning

6:19

6:44

It's just after 8:00 and I was out for forty minutes, a short paddle and nothing to photograph other than the morning sun,  It's 68º, will get up into the '80s as we move towards what feels like the end of summer, the end of August for sure.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday when I was young, just kidding, we had another beach like day except that we have no beach, just a dock on the lake.  I took a long paddle, down to Snug Harbor, kibitzed with neighbors for a bit, then came home, ate breakfast on the dock, tossed in my fishing line for a few minutes, then was ready for the day. 

My Trophy Large Mouth Bass

We had no real plans because it was a Sunday, the weekend, a day of rest from all the lack of plans during the week.  I had a hankering for peaches and it's that time of the year when they are great, so I drove off to Peterson's Farms and bought four quarts of peaches, sweet corn and cauliflower, all grown in the area.  I then stopped at Tops Market to pick up a few items, like Marzetti's Cole Slaw dressing which Wegman's no longer seems to carry.  I bought the last bottle so maybe it's a hot item.

When I returned home, I did some yoga with Adrienne for forty-five minutes, working up an appetite.  It was time for our favorite meal of the week, a big breakfast, fried eggs, Trader Joe's apple smoked bacon, and a sesame seed bagel, the closest thing we can find to a Turkish simit.  We ate it on the front porch, wondering why we don't do it more often.  Once I did up the breakfast dishes, Evie quickly put together a peach crisp for our dessert and then it was dock time for her, a nap, some reading, and some NBA basketball for me.  I finally finished my Tana French.  She has a tendency to overwrite, to include too much detail, to belabor a scene when all I want is to find out is who done it.  Still, she can write and is good at keeping the reader guessing. 

I joined Evie on the dock, having started a new book that I think I am going to like called The Garden of Evening Mists,  by Tan Wang Eng.  It's set in Malaya in 1951, where Yun Ling Teoh, a survivor of the Japanese wartime camps, has just retired as a judge.  I immediately liked it and loved some of her images.

We lasted on the dock until about 5:00 when the lake began to settle and adjourned to our porch for a glass of wine and some appetizers. It was another fine evening to sit on our porch and enjoy the waning of the day.  We never tire of the view and yesterday hundreds of gulls floated back and forth in front of the trees of Long Point, like snowflakes on a summer day. Dinner was something I had been wanting, hot dogs covered with coleslaw and sweet corn.  So that was an easy dinner, the best kind.  We watched 60 Minutes, some of the news programs, then some junk TV until Evie was too tired and went up to bed.  

I stayed down and watched the last 50 seconds of the Dallas Maverick game where Luka Doncic, the Slovenian superstar, made a three-pointer with less than a second left to beat the LA Clippers and establish himself as a rightful heir to the likes of Magic, Bird, Kobe, and Lebron.  He is amazing and worth watching.  He had another triple-double despite a bad ankle, 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists.  And he's only twenty-one years old.  

An Unpredictable Morning

6:07

6:42

Clear skies when I got up and started to paddle down to Snug Harbor.  After a lake coffee clatch with four neighbors also on the lake, it began to cloud up and as I neared home, it started to rain, just enough to get me slightly wet, not enough for the garden or shrubs.  I was out over an hour and spotted a heron just as I was paddling to Woodlawn.

Kayak Morning

Hiding In Plain Sight

Yesterday was back to heat and humidity.  Early, however, it was pleasant enough to kayak and enjoy some working in the garden for Evie.  While Evie was busy, I got in a good yoga class with Adrienne.  It felt good to get back on the mat and I felt much better after the class.  I wonder why I don't do it more often.  After yoga, I took the trash to the Transfer Station, as usual, a busy place with all the residents of North Harmony and then some.  We are supposed to have a sticker on our car to show we live in North Harmony but no one ever checks, not that I care.

We were looking forward to a leisurely Saturday afternoon.  Before going out on the dock, Evie made me a quesadilla.  I continued with my show, enjoyed lunch, watched some basketball before taking a nap for a good half hour.  Love it.  I then joined Evie on the dock despite the heat and humidity and was happy to find that there was a nice breeze so it was pleasant out there, sitting under the umbrella, watching the busy lake of weekenders cruising,  We wanted to go for a boat ride and waited until 5:30, hoping the lake would be settled down.  It did some but it was still choppy as we cruised to Bemus and back, enjoying vodka tonics.  We then relaxed on the dock until it was time to think about dinner.

Evie made it easy, grilling a steak and mushrooms, heating up macaroni and cheese in the microwave, and making a salad.  The steak we didn't want the night before was good and easy.  We watched a boring Real Time With Bill Maher then junk TV until it was time to go to bed. 

 

Super, Primo, Extra

6:01

6:41

Another morning of marvelous weather, cool, sunny, a placid lake and a good hour plus paddle, down to Stow and back home.  I caught a couple of herons with my camera but no bald eagles or osprey.  Still, it was a good morning to be on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Great Blue At Tom's Point

Great Blue At Sandy Bottom

We had a good anniversary although we didn't do anything special, just what we felt like doing.  After the kayaking, blog, breakfast, and a good hour of Evie working in the yard, I decided to get in a bike ride although I did not feel much like doing it.  I suppose guilt at having not done much biking in the last week made me go.  I biked my favorite route, to Bemus, Lakeside Drive, and Long Point State Park, a good hour on a late warming Friday morning.  I left about 11:30 and did not get home until 1:00.

Biking Black Walnut Trail

I was not sure what to have for lunch but realized I stay had some of my Havana Shakedown Burrito left from Wednesday and had that for lunch as I watched my show. Because I had an early morning, I could not wait to take my usual afternoon nap,. Sometimes there's nothing better than falling asleep early afternoon and waking up refreshed,  

Chicory Blossom

Coneflowers Profusion

We spent the afternoon either in the side yard, on the porch, or out on the dock, enjoying the afternoon,  Around 5:00, Chris, our boat mechanic, stopped by and fixed our throttle by taking it apart, unsticking it and spraying in some WD40, saving us mucho bucks.  What a good guy.  Once he was done, we quickly grabbed a cooler with a couple of beers and some pretzels and went for a cruise over to the Bridge and back home along Lakeside Drive.  On the lake, there we are free!  

Anniversary Cruise

We didn't get back until 6:30, ready for dinner.  Last week, I had picked up a couple of great looking Delmonico steaks, thinking they would be perfect for our anniversary dinner.  Neither of us, however, felt like a big steak so we settled on leftovers, our chicken dinner, and leftover pasta and meatballs.  Not quite a "celebratory repast" but just what we wanted and it tasted great.  We decided to watch a movie and made the mistake of watching new arrival on Amazon Prime called Chemical Hearts, a predictable and silly teenage romance.  We stuck with it because there was nothing else we wanted to watch.  Don't watch it unless you want to laugh.  We ended the night with Colbert, his interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton,  Boy, are we glad she did not get elected President; she's too smart, experienced, and articulate.

FIFTY FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY

Better Together

Yep, Evie and I were married fifty-five years ago today, and, yes, it seems like only a few years ago, not yesterday. What do we have to show for it?  Three great children, seven grandchildren, and a life well lived and hoping for more of the same.  

6:20

Kayak Morning

Fishing At Long Point Fishing Dock

Long Point Morning

This morning I got in a paddle over to Warner Bay and back and it's 9:00, a late start my blog. It looks like another fine day on the lake and it seems like I say this most morning.  Both of us, however, think this has been the best summer weatherwise in years, lots of sunny days and blue skies.

Chautauqua's Thunder Bridge

Yesterday morning went quickly, the afternoon slower,  I paddled, wrote the blog and had breakfast and then we both decided to go for a walk around the Chautauqua Institution.  We got there around 10:30, showed our passes and spent an hour walking, admiring the gardens, looking at trees because we are thinking of putting in another in Evie's garden.  Evie's able to take a photo of a tree leaf and then her Google app will tell her the name of the tree.  Cool beans.

When we returned home, I was tired and not very hungry so I had a bagel with peanut butter for lunch and watched my show although all I wanted to do was go upstairs and nap because I was up at 5:00, awakened by the Canadian geese's honking.  Evie was busy cutting the lawn, taking timeouts in between cuttings, When I got up, the lake was inviting so we decided let's go for a boat ride,  Well, I have been having trouble with the boat throttle control.  I couldn't get into either forward or reverse so we had to forget a cruise, cover the boat, and hope Chris, our boat guy, can help us out sooner rather than later.  Bummer,

Ken And Majorie

We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, depressed about our boat but perked up around 5:00 when our neighborhood friends, Marjorie and Ken, came over for a glass of wine and appetizers.  It was a fun wine time, as we both have lots in common, mostly grandchildren and teaching,  They stayed until 7:00, worried that they had overstayed their visit.  It's funny because whenever we are invited somewhere for a glass of wine and appetizers, we always worry about overstaying our visit.

I was looking forward to dinner because Evie made a new recipe called Man Pleasing Chicken.  What a wife, always trying to please the Big Guy.  And surprise, it was really tasty, reminiscent of the teriyaki chicken I used to have in Honolulu.  Basically, Evie made a marinade of Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and vinegar, coated the chicken thighs with it and baked it for 40 minutes and voila, dinner.  We watched the final episode of Twelve and I liked it enough to recommend it.  The ending was both a surprise and interesting as we found out how the trial affected the jurors' lives.  We then watched some of the Democratic Convention before bed, excited by the past four days without lying, bullying and whining.  And I am anxious for the Republican Convention next week because I cannot wait to see which Republicans politicians have the gall to go on stage singing the praises of Trump.  They can't hide behind silence or ignorance any longer.

Get Our The Sweats...It's 48º

6:07

6:39

6:40

6:50

Another bright sunny morning, the sun's reflection on the lake invading our living room.  I was out on the lake for a good hour, running into our neighbors, Jim and Tina, and braving the early morning fog, obscuring the lakefront at times.  

Kayak Morning

Heading Towards The Fog

A Neighboring Heron

A Fierce Looking Bald Eagle

Yesterday morning was not much fun as I spent a couple of hours in the dentist's chair, trying to figure out what to do with a couple of crowns that needed to be replaced.  The morning, however, started out well with a great paddle, the blog, and breakfast.  By 9:00, I was sitting in a dentist's chair, dreading the next couple of hours. By 11:00, I was parked outside my favorite coffee shop and vegetarian restaurant, the Labrinth Press which had just reopened.  I stood outside, ordered online, and within ten minutes I had my burrito and was driving home, with a quick stop at the bank to deposit a check.  Yet, I still get checks from some organizations, usually because I overpaid a bill.  

A Stocking Cap Morning On The Lake

When I got home, it looked like a whirlwind had hit it, as Evie got her mojo back and did some spring cleaning most of the morning, hit both the downstairs and upstairs, especially our bedroom, with clean sheets, love it.  I heated up the last of the corn chowder, halved my burrito and watched my series and a few minutes of basketball.  I then returned to my Tana French and I am now really into it, having difficulty putting it down.  Only sleep could do it.  So, after my nap, I joined Evie in the breezy, even cool side yard until it just became too cool in the shade.  I went in and sat on the front porch reading, out of the wind, until I decided to get in a walk before wine time.  I did the loop, up our road, along 394 to Victoria, down it to the lake and home, one mile but just enough to make me feel better about myself.

Dinner was exciting as we were having 25 ounces of Tomato Magic, wondering if it would be any good after all the hype.  Evie added meatballs and mushrooms, to the tomato sauce and our dinner was quite good, the sauce sweet rather than acidic so we did well.  We are back to our viewing routine, a Colbert, hometown, and Twelve before switching to the Democratic Convention. After three nights, it's clear that we are no longer in the 20th century but in the 21st Century, one that trumpets diversity, a new America of multiculturalism, dismaying I suppose to many Trumpers who long for the whiteness of the 1950s. It ain't returning so get used to it.  I wonder if having the likes of admired Republican Conservatives like Colin Powell, John Kasich, and Christy Whitman speak at the Convention give Trump's voters a pause.  Probably not.

A Morning Sky Of Clouds

6:12

6:35

6:38

6:45

It's 8:00 and I just returned from a paddle under a spectacular morning sky.  In fact, ever since I got up at 5:30, the sky has been amazing to see and photograph.  It's been difficult to pick out the bests photos because there are so many.  And best of all, I shot three different herons, a good morning on the lake

Kayaking North

Kayak Morning

Hunting Along Woodlawn Creelk

On A Dock

Victoria Creek

Yesterday was another easy day for us, with not much we had to do.  I did finally get back in the lake, kayaking for a good hour.  When I returned, neither of us were in any hurry to finish the blog, so we took it easy and I had my breakfast on the dock.  Since it looked as if we were having sunny skies for the next four or five days, I took the cover off the boat, gassed it up using a siphon, hoping to go for a cruise.  Unfortunately, the wind picked up and it was a good day to sail, not a cruise.   I had a hankering for Evie's breaded pork chops for dinner, so I drove off to the Lighthouse, ordered four huge pork chops, a beef on wick for lunch, and bought six more ears of corn for dinner. It was lunchtime when I got home, so I warmed up the corn chowder, heated up my beef on wick (a Chautauqua classic) and watched another episode of my Japanese detective series. 

Fragrant Hosta Bloom

While I was gone, Evie was in the lake, gathering more lake weeds; if it's not weeding in her garden, she's cutting weeds in the lake, leaving it on the dock to dry.  Once she had enough, she spent a good part of the afternoon on the dock, wrapped in a towel because of the 70º weather and wind, a reminder of a fall-like day.  I napped, of course, read more of my Tana French and am now into it; it took a while.  And I watched a few minutes of an NBA game, two teams with players I hardly know.  

Lucky Number Dahlia

At 5:00, Evie and her sisters in Chicago, Dallas, and Gilbert AZ, spent a good hour on a Zoom call while I sat on the porch reading, enjoying a glass of wine,  Around 6:30, Evie put the already browned pork chops in the oven, already warm from the baked potatoes and made a salad, with fresh sweet corn,  The pork chops were juicy and the sweet corn made the salad.  We watched a Colbert, a Hometown, an episode of Twelve, then some of the Democratic Convention until bedtime.  

Once More On The Lake

6:53

It's 8:40 and I got in a good hour of paddling, my usual along Woodlawn, across to Long Point, then Sandy Bottom and home,  When I returned, the weed cutters were out, cutting weeds between docks, clearing them out in front of the house for the last time this summer.    

Kayak Morning

Kayaking Towards The Fog

Blue Skies Looking North

Heron On A Dock

Yesterday was a day of sameness, with the blog and breakfast and Evie spent a good part of the day watering because no rain was expected (what a joke).  I decided to get in a walk so I drove over to Bemus and walked along Lakeside drive, getting in two and a half miles, just right.  It was warmer and sunnier than I remembered so I worked up quite a sweat along with other bikers and walkers. 

View Along Lakeside Drive

I didn't get home until around noon and Evie had made me both my granola and a pot of corn chowder for lunches, what a girl, super, primo, extra, gardener, and cook!  Mid-afternoon, a 6 pound can of Tomato Magic arrived, a sauce many raved about on Facebook. 

It Better Be Magic!

I had the soup and the last of the pizza and started a new Japanese cop show called Giri/Haij on Netflix.  So far, so good.  I started another Tana French novel, The Trespasser, and fell asleep of course while reading.  I then watched some of the NBA playoffs on TV, one of four games, the first starting at 1:30, the last at 9:00.  And it looks like that will be the program for the next week or two or three.  Evie spent a good amount of time on the dock while I read on the porch until 5:00 when we got ready to meet Linda and Ron in Bemus Point, at the Ellicottville Brewery.  

Curbside Dining

We found a nice isolated table outside, next to the hydrangea bushes.  It's not a cheap place to eat so we shared two appetizers, Bavarian pretzels, and a beer cheese dip and hot and spicy chicken thighs.  The pretzel was great, the chicken thighs mediocre.  We should have just stuck with the pretzels and it would have been enough for us.  

Evening Sky

We left about 8:30 and drove home to a darkening sky.  Remember, no rain was predicted for the day.  About 9:30, as we were watching the Democratic Convention, it started to thunder and lighting and poured an inch of rain in probably 15 minutes.  That was it for the night as the storm moved on.  The convention, so far, was better than we thought it would be and Michelle Obama's speech was pitch-perfect.  We can see why she is the most admired woman in the United States.