Threatening Skies

 

6:55

8:25

It's 7:00 as I start this on a 59º morning, a darkened sky to the east and a slight breeze. Overnight, it rained quite a bit, over an inch and a half.  Kayaking this morning was different, as it started out windy and by the time I returned, the lake and wind had calmed down, making for an easy paddle home.  It looks like a decent day with some sun and blue skies before the rain moves in later tonight. 

Kayak Morning

Looking Northward

The Reeds Looking North

Looking Towards The Sun

A Great Blue Heron

Ready To Fish

Yesterday was a bore of a day since I had a doctor's appointment in Ohio, an hour and a half away.  Fortunately, I was able to get in a paddle before it began to rain so all was not lost. Neither of us did much in the morning mostly because I was leaving at 11:30. Evie of course was busy while I was in Ohio, with projects around the house. I had an appointment at 1:20 and did not see the doctor, as usual until 2:00.  It's never a good experience as he does not seem to know me very well. Everything is fine, no problems, the good news.  The bad news, I wasted most of the day.  On the way home, I was a bad boy, rewarding myself with a quarter-pounder meal around 2:45. It tasted great.

Dahlias Through The Screened Window

Evie was finished with her chores when I returned and was relaxing in the living room. I fell asleep while reading on the couch, obviously missing my nap, like a child.  For dinner, Evie experimented with a vegetarian meal, a zucchini/basil paste with pasta and cheese. It was tasty along with a salad and roll and we liked it enough to make it again.  We were anxious to continue watching Switchbait but put it off by watching a Colbert and Jeopardy.  Finally, around 8:30, we turned on Clickbait and watched two more episodes, both really interesting and different, as each episode focuses on a new character. It's nice to have a show to look forward to watching each night.

Autumn Solstice In Gray

7:07

It's 8:48 and just starting to rain again. For once, the weather gods were correct and I was able to kayak for forty-five minutes in between showers. Evie just got up on a rainy morning, good for sleeping in.  We are going to have a couple of days of rain, overcast skies, and temperatures in the 60s. The cool weather is sneaking upon us.

Kayak Morning

Into The Gray

Woodlawn Dock

An Old Boy

In The Reeds

We were lucky with Tuesday because it started terribly, with winds and rain, bad enough so I didn't get in a paddle. But by the time I returned from yoga class and shopping, it had cleared up and Evie was out mowing the lawn.  Yoga class was fun because we had Courtney as a sub and like all teachers, she does things differently from Julie.  I like change, sometimes. I then went to Home Depot to pick up a few things, and Wegman's on a busy shopping day. Less than half of the people are wearing masks despite the high number of Covid cases in Chautauqua County and I was the only one in yoga class to wear a mask. It's disturbing how many just seem oblivious to the dangers.

Lunch was the same as Monday, more pizza, and Evie made me a great salad to go with my pizza, with lots of arugula. I, fortunately, napped just as Evie was finished with mowing and started a new book, The Mermaid's Sing by Val Mc Dermid. So far, I like it more than Rachel Cusk's Outline which I also started. We took it easy much of the afternoon although I worked in my garage for a half-hour, getting things ready for winter, like bringing down the snow shovels from the garage attic and putting away summer things. Sad making.

Evie had her Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 while she roasted the cauliflower and heated up the leftover Santa Fe Chicken.  We had dinner at 6:30, with a salad, and the chicken was even better than the night before and I am becoming a big fan of roasted cauliflower.  Why didn't we roast it back in the 50s and 60s rather than just boil it?  We watched our two standbys, Colbert and Jeopardy then started a series on Netflix which my sister Ellen recommended called Clickbait which we are really into.  After two episodes we highly recommend it.

Gray With Pink Highlights

6:42

6:53

6:59

A colorful morning sky, as gray and pink dominate at 6:50, reminding me of sunsets in Arizona. It's 64º, breezy with rain forecast for the next hour or so which means I might skip kayaking. I will probably get out there and then it will start raining. It's 7:20 as I finish writing this and was about to head out to kayak and noticed raindrops on the window. Should I or shouldn't I? I tried, was out for ten minutes but the wind was too much some I came in. 

Looking For Breakfast

See It !

Got It !

Monday was sunny and warmer than anticipated.  We thought the fall weather had arrived but in midafternoon the temperature was an uncomfortable 80º. I did get in a good paddle early, lots of bird photos for the blog. After breakfast, I decided to drive to Jamestown because I needed to get a blood test and there are only two clinics nearby, the closest in Jamestown.  Everyone was masked and I signed in but realized it was going to be at least an hour wait.  Fortunately, I planned for it and brought my bike around. So I left my phone number with the office and went for a 50-minute bike ride around parts of Jamestown unfamiliar to me.  It was a sad ride as I passed brick building after brick building, all abandoned, empty and falling apart.  Once they were part of a thriving Jamestown business community now gone.  I tried to follow the Chadakoin River which snakes its way through Jamestown but most of it is hidden by woods and buildings.  After my ride, I was called within ten minutes, and on my way home.

Chadakoin River In Jamestown

Evie had been busy while I was gone and the aroma of our dinner, Santa Fe Chicken filled the house as I entered.  She had leftover pizza heating up in a pan so my lunch was ready.  I watched my show, enjoying the pizza from Sunday night's dinner.  Neither of us had much energy the rest of the day so we did little.  Evie drove to Mayville around 4:00 to get some fruit and mail a return to Fed Ex dropoff at Dollar General but it was in the process of renovating and could not take the Fed Ex package.  By the way, I am returning my new camera to B & H Photo because it's too bulky and the telephoto lens is useless because the photos are blurry.  

Harvest Moon

Around 5:30, after putting the cover on the boat because of lake flies, we enjoyed a glass of rose as the lake settled down. Dinner was great, just what we wanted, something healthy and stew-like after a few days of fried foods. Santa Fe Chicken is a combination of hominy, sweet potatoes, green chiles and chicken thighs, nice and soupy and tasty. We watched a couple of episodes of The Flight Attendant but tired of it and tried Offspring again.  Neither grabs us, however, so we may look for something else to fill out the evening. 

What A Morning

The Birthday Girl Out For A Paddle

Fog Lifting Sunday Morning

6:46

7:12

It's 9:00 and Evie, lucky gal, just got up.  I have been up since 6:40, out on the lake by 8:00, on a glorious morning, with temperatures in the 50's as I kayaked, lots of sun and blue skies, and even better, on an empty lake.  I did not see a boat or kayak the entire time I was out there. Glorious!

Sunday Morning Kayak As Fog Hovers Over Bemus

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Osprey # 1

Heron Along Woodlawn

Osprey #2 in Woodlawn Tree

Osprey Along Long Point Bay

Yesterday we celebrated Evie's birthday and it was I hope a special day for her.  Because of the fog early, I was unable to kayak early.  So after the blog and breakfast, the fog cleared up and both Evie and I went out for forty-five minutes, kayaking down to Sandy Bottom and back.  The fog had cleared, leaving blue skies and lots of sunshine.  We loved it. Around 11:30, Evie put together the makings for scones, baked them and we sat on the front porch with our breakfast of eggs and scones.  Evie then opened a couple of presents and then we both spent the rest of the early afternoon either outside reading or inside watching some Bill's football and reading.  We tired of both around 3:30 and decided to take another boat ride up north, along the eastern shore and back.  It was a good choice, the lake fairly calm, a slight breeze and warming sun. 

Dining Al Fresco With Linda And Ron

Linda and Ron picked us up at 5:30 and we drove into Jamestown for dinner at Paces Pizza, Evie's choice. The outdoor patio was full so we sat inside with a beer for 20 minutes, then went outside to enjoy our pizza, wine, and appetizers al fresco.  It could not have been a better night to sit outside, reminding both of us of dining in Europe.  We had a meatball and sauce appetizers, pizza, and a nice bottle of red wine, compliments of Linda and Ron.  We sat out enjoying our meal until dark, then drove home happy with our night out.  We were home in time to watch the first half of the Chiefs/Ravens game which KC unfortunately lost.  We stayed up to watch only the first half. 

"Our house is a very, very, very fine house"

A Foggy, Birthday Morning

My Birthday Girl, Fifty Years Ago

Also The Birthday Boy, 50 Years Ago

8:05

It's 7:50 and I have been up for an hour and the fog is still so thick that I cannot see past the dock.  So far, no bass boats roaring because of the fog. It's now 9:15, still foggy so it looks like no kayaking this morning, alas. 

Saturday went quickly for some reason.  I was up early, out for an hour in my kayak before Evie got up.  We did not do much after all the gardening on Friday which was fine.  As usual, the one chore the trip to the Transfer Station and the gathering of trash was the only accomplishment for me in the morning.  I decided I needed some exercise so I drove to Mayville, rode Webb's Trail and Sea Lion Drive for 50 minutes, just enough to make me feel as if I accomplished something.

And that was about it for the day.  Evie did make me lunch, a great salad with avocados and tomatoes and I watched my show.  Evie spent the afternoon moving her lounge around, either on the dock or in the side yard, reading "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner,  one of my favorite books.  I, too, read and napped and joined her briefly before we both decided to go for a cruise despite the wind. Lots of boats were out because of the sun and blue skies and we took our time, paying no attention to the wind and waves.  

7:21

7:32

Around 6:00, we settled down on the front porch with a Manhattan, to enjoy the end of the afternoon, the beginning of the night.  It starts getting dark here around 7:00 to 7:15 so we finished up our drinks and appetizers around 7:30 and Evie heated up dinner, the leftover Peruvian chicken from Wednesday night.  We watched the usual, Colbert and Jeopardy and a Hometown before going up to read some before sleep. It was a day of little accomplishment other than enjoying it. 

Bass Boats Rising

 

6:34

7:12

7:12

I was up just after 6:00, drinking my coffee when the bass boats started to roar out of the Long Point Marina, filling the air for a good ten minutes with their roar.  Quite a way for neighbors to wake up.  I kayaked for over an hour, my usual route, ran into both our neighbors, Kathy and David and,  of course, Tina and Jim, the weekend paddlers.

Kayak Morning

California Dreaming

Kayak Junction

Heron In Black And White

Friday was a gardening day for both Evie and me.  I first got in a paddle and it was great to be back on the lake after skipping kayaking on Thursday because of the heavy fog.  I have a new camera with a 60X telephoto and am having fun working with it although when I use the telephoto to the max, the photos are blurry.  Either I am doing something wrong or the camera is going back to B & H Photo.  I know that at that extension, I need lots of light and the ability to not move the camera.  Unfortunately, I am usually in a kayak, rocking a bit and it's been cloudy both mornings. It's a learning process and I have watched a couple of classes on Youtube which explains the camera in detail.

After the kayaking and blog, we worked in the garden until noon, mostly doing weeding and edging around the plants, the rocks, and ending up weed whacking some to make it look orderly.  It was warm so that we both worked up a sweat and I was tempted to swim but had lunch instead, a couple of cheese sandwiches, and an ear of corn.  I then read and napped and was serenaded by the sounds of both Evie and our next-door neighbor mowing the lawns.  Around 3:30, I drove to Hogan's and filled up two-five gallons cans and our car with gas.  When I got home, I gassed up the boat, using a siphon, so it's ready for another couple of cruises. 

We both showered and got gussied up because we were going out to dinner with our neighbors.  Pat and David picked us up at 5:30 and we drove to Cockcaigne for the fish fry, a 15-mile drive.  We met Joyce and Bill there, with their two kids, David and Kathy so there were eight of us. Our waiter was inexperienced but tried hard to please us so we had a good time.  Everyone ordered the fish fry and we started with the onion rings, more batter, and grease! It was a fun night, and we enjoyed our dinners.  We drove home in the dark, took a wrong turn like the last time we were there when I drove, adding only a few minutes onto our drive.  We had time to watch Jeopardy and Colbert before going up to read some and sleep.