The Lake Came to Carl

The Boy stayed over to do his weekly lawn mowing job, and so it was that there were four of us who made the much anticipated trip to the beach so that Carl could get to the water.  Idlewood replaced the stairs on the south access beach this spring, and the new steps are wider and deeper than the old ones. Carl is still a strong man, and with some help with his balance, had very little difficulty navigating the stairs.  The wooden slats that make up the path most of the way from the bottom of the stairs to the water's edge provided quite a bit of stability, and the last stretch of sand proved no match for Carl's determination to get to the lake.  (No photos, because all hands on deck was the rule for this one.)  Shoes and socks came off and Carl walked up to the edge of the water and waited for the lake to come to him.  It obliged, and the four of us stood ankle deep in the cold, clear water for quite a while.  We had the beach pretty much to ourselves, and it was nice to be there.  The return trip up to the top of the stairs was uneventful, and we sat on the deck and enjoyed a cool lake breeze before heading back to the house for what felt like a well earned lunch.

Pearl got in some quality beach time during the afternoon, and after supper there was one last thing to do to celebrate a good vacation, and quality family time.  Yep, a second trip to Captain Sundae.  Their time here has flown by, and we're very pleased they could spend some time here with us this summer.

The Weekend

Yesterday was a quiet day here, with no photos taken to document it.  Even the sunset was kinda boring, with no clouds in the sky at all.  Today made up for it, though.  We checked off two of the items on Carl's to-do list, including numbers 1 and 2.  The number one item on his list was to visit OSLO's house, something he'd never done in all the times they have visited here.  Pearl and I loaded up the Blue Bomber (his walker) and headed north.

Photographic evidence (above) of a plan that worked.  On the way back to the beach, the second item on his list got checked off -- a stop at Bowerman's blueberry farm.  Once a year Carl has a few blueberry donuts from there, and he picked up his supply today.  OSLO and the Boy followed us back to the beach for some swimming and lawn mowing activities.  We Skyped with the British Intern for a while a little later on, getting caught up on her adventures.  Supper was eclectic, but pretty good.  Shrimp and tomato sheet pan supper, and kielbasa?  With Asian vegetables?  OSLO and Son and I got in a walk around the neighborhood before OSLO headed home, and Carl and Pearl are watching a much more interesting sunset tonight.

Day Two, Checking Off Two Things on the List

Day two of Carl and Pearl's visit here included checking off two pretty traditional items.  First a trip to Tunnel Park, where the people watching was pretty good and Carl got to get some beach sand beneath his toes.

Pearl and I took a walk around the neighborhood before she headed down for some sun time on the beach.  Later OSLO and Son arrived to spend the evening and before they headed home, we all went to Captain Sundae's -- also traditional --for ice cream.  Carl had a Captain Apple, probably the first time that specific concoction has been ordered by anyone I know.  He declared it to be good.

Pearl and OSLO ordered  the specialty of the house, the Little Tommy.  Totally Jammin' stuck with his favorite hot fudge shake.  OSLO and Son headed for home after the ice cream and Carl, Pearl and I went back to the lake to watch another sunset.

It wasn't quite as spectacular as the one last night, but it was pretty dang nice.  Tomorrow?  We'll have to wait and see.  Today was pretty good.

Guests from the West

We are happy to have Carl and Pearl here with us for a few days, and since blueberry season is in full swing here, their timing couldn't be better.  No trips to the beach yet, but there's been a nice walk in the neighborhood and some time spent on the deck around sunset.  OSLO and Son will visit tomorrow evening for a while, and we hope to Skype with the College Girl at some point this weekend.

I'll try to maintain a decent record of their visit here on the blog, but I knew that some of you would like to see evidence that they have arrived safe and sound, and I will do my best to make sure they're well fed and at least minimally entertained.  Stay tuned.

What comes next ...

I had my yearly meeting with my primary care physician yesterday.  She asked how much I was biking, and I confessed that it was very little, though I have been walking a fair amount.  She frowned.  Walking isn't endurance exercise, she explained, and if I want to manage my chronic health conditions with exercise, I actually need to exercise.  Endurance exercise, to be specific.  On a regular basis.  So..... today I took a bike ride.  It will take some time to tell if I am too old for this or not, but my bike will let me know, of that I am fairly sure.

Benches for Jimi.

I've driven past Bowerman's a couple of times this week and noticed that "local" blueberries are for sale there now.  It was on my route today, and I bought a pint of the Duke's.  They are a tad disappointing.  I tasted the Spartan's, and they seemed tart.  I should have gone with the blue crop, I suppose.  

This Sad Day

The date: June 24, 2015.

But he's not in the picture, you say.  Yes, he is, I say.  He took the picture.  (From an even older family story.)

Tunnel Park --

Morning Bike Ride

It's been feeling like Florida here -- sure, I do mean winter in Florida, but with a hot sun and high humidity, even the short bike rides I've taken have not been a ton of fun.  This morning I skipped the morning walking group, pumped the tires on my bicycle and was out the door by 9:30.  Easily the best ride I've taken in quite a while.

A storm went through our area earlier this morning, and I had to dodge more than a few branches on my way north, but this was the only tree that completely blocked the bike path.  If you look at the bottom, center left of the photo, you can see what looks like an automobile part.

As I was working my way around the tree a car pulled up.  The driver had a story to tell.  Around 5 am his son was returning from a night fishing trip on Pigeon Lake, having given up because of the storm.  As he drove south on Butternut he was blinded by a flash of lightening, and a tree fell directly onto his car.  The story teller had photos on his cell phone of the damage to the car -- the driver was not hurt, but the car was totaled.  The tree has burn marks on it, so the lightening story holds up, in my opinion.

This was the turn around point -- not an epic ride by historical standards, but my longest since some time in May.

It's the time of year for black eyed susans and tiger lilies.  Too soon for cardinal flowers, I assume --

Time Marches On

Traditions.  We have a lot of them, which is probably a good thing, since they morph and change with the times.  The Idlewood Parade has been a part of our July 4th celebrations for about 22 years, and OSLO and I have pushed strollers, decorated tiny bicycles and walked the parade route around the neighborhood many, many times.  We moved on from participation to spectating a number of years ago, but the band plays on.  Today I watched the parade from the end of my driveway with neighbors, took a few photos, and emailed the photos to the College Girl interning in the UK.

Our post parade tradition involves a driveway brunch that gets more elaborate every year.  Diane and Steve host it -- and many of those who "march" in the parade never make it past their house.  No one seems to mind.  Later TJ arrived with his family's contribution to our holiday dinner -- watermelon and desserts.  OSLO and her partner arrived shortly thereafter and we spent an hour or so floating in the (reasonably cold) water of our lake.  (Oslo had to shoo off interlopers from our bit of sand, but she was up to the task.)  During our dinner of home fried chicken and fixings, the missing family member called from London to wish us a happy 4th of July.  I guess FaceTime is the equivalent of a call?  She told the tale of her work mates asking her how she would have spent this day if she had been at home.  She replied that "the 4th of July is one of our brisket holidays."  I felt kind of bad for having ducked my brisket responsibilities.  I promised to try for the brisket on Labor Day.  Fireworks over the beach are still a possibility, though the activities of the day thus far seem like plenty, and I may well not make it upright and walking until dark.  (Well after ten here on the water.)

Two other photos -- one each from two short bike rides taken since returning from abroad.  The first is obviously the blueberry farm, which is open, but blueberries are still a few weeks off.  The second picture is the dreaded chip and seal, which has been applied to my favorite route heading north, 168th Street.  The loose gravel starts at Riley and goes all the way north to the Ventura Cemetery.  Boo.