last week

Michael.....I have no way of contacting you so, to answer your question - the new refrigerator runs off the inverter (a relatively new modified sine wave) when we are not plugged into shore power.   So far so good!


We're down to our last week at the lake.  We're getting in a few more visits with friends and organizing the house and motorhome. 

   Last night we had dinner at our favorite restaurant, the Rabbit Room, with Robin and Tom.   It was a celebratory dinner of sorts.    Through Tom's contacts we were able to sell my car, my sweet Mercedes convertible.   It went with mixed feelings.   I loved that car, a 50th birthday present from Dave, but it became very clear to me this summer that it doesn't fit into our lifestyle anymore.   It sits in storage most of the time and that isn't good for a beautiful machine (or our pocketbook!).    So now it will be driven and loved and we have one less thing to take care of.    In the "its a small world department", it turned out that the gentleman buying my car had been to our farm years ago to buy Corvette parts from Dave.   He remembered the house and Dave from those visits and they had a good chat about the all the 'vettes Dave bought and rebuilt through the years.

Monday and Tuesday our friend Judi came for a sleep over.  We always enjoy her company and we all had a good time watching the new Dancing With The Stars on Monday night. 

 


We took the boat out for one last tour around the lake in the afternoon.   It was a beautiful, warm day and we enjoyed the quiet lake.   As I said in my previous post, boat traffic all but stops after labor day, something we very much enjoy.    Mostly.     Monday, not so much.     The three of us were deep in conversation as we motored along when Dave shut off the engine so he could hear what we were saying without the hum of the motor.   That's what Judi and I thought.    What really happened is that the engine just stopped....no bucking or chugging, just stopped.    And - it wouldn't restart no matter what Dave tried.    Now what do we do.   Nice quiet lake with no one else around, no other boats in sight.   

Finally, we sighted one party boat (pontoon boat) in the middle of the lake and Dave waved his arms and flagged it down.   The man was happy to tow us home so we finished our boat ride at the end of a rope.

Ah well, all's well that ends well, right?    The next problem we had was that Jerry was coming to pull the boat out and take it to his barn for the winter, the very next day.    Without an engine, how would we get it to the boat launch to meet Jerry and the trailer?      Once again, the multi-talented Mr. David's Disabled Marine Delivery Service sent his strongest worker to us and he used an oar to do the job.    We all thought he would have to jump in the lake and pull the boat along, but he was much too clever for that.....

Lewis wondered what was happening.   He stood on the dock and watched until they were out of sight.

So, that's what has been going on here this week.   I was at a different grocery store yesterday and I got a little "tingle".......I was walking the aisles, seeing different products than our local Wegman's carries and I felt like I was somewhere else, somewhere on the road and I got that familiar little tingle!   Sunday's the day!


In the last post I talked about the signs of fall here at the lake.   Lewis reminded me that I forgot one very important indicator of fall.....woolly caterpillars are on the move!

BCA - Catch up

Friends have been asking if we're OK, they haven't heard from us in awhile.   We're fine and happy and not doing anything very interesting or blog worthy.

We've been enjoying second cup on the dock, and happy hour there too.   We've been visiting a little, and boating a little and working around a little.  Dave got in a round of golf with Fred yesterday.   You've all seen pictures of those things so I won't show you any more.

Lewis  has been helping, he's been playing in the yard, retrieving green walnut husks that have dropped into the lake from overhanging trees (he thinks they are errant tennis balls),  fishing, greeting company and taking his afternoon rest in the ivy.    As I said, nothing exciting.

We're on schedule for an end of September departure.   We've decided to head directly to Denver for a few weeks and then move either west or south, depending on what the weather has in store for us.

Signs of fall's imminent arrival are beginning.   Traffic on the lake has all but stopped.  The water is calm and quiet, a thick layer of fog blankets it most mornings. 

Sumac and maple have begun to color and summer's humidity is gone.  Beautiful yellow Goldenrod is showing up, causing me to sneeze and snork most mornings.

 College students mob our local Wegman's (grocery store) and parking in Geneseo is not as easy as it was in the summer.

 Crows are raucous in the tree tops, geese are forming noisy v's in the air heading south, murmurations of starlings fill the trees and blacken the sky.   The Genesee Valley Hunt Parade  (think 80 or so horseback riders accompanied by a large pack of very keen Fox hounds) will move down main street next Saturday, marking the beginning of the Genesee Valley Hunt's 141st fox hunting season.   I may, or may not, be awake and present.   If I am, I'll show you pictures.

So, that's all that has been happening here at the lake.   We're both getting the "itch" to move on, sorry summer's over but excited to hit the road.

what we've been doing

Dave is continuing his summer of work, this week in Denver.  Jesse and Erin's house was damaged by a hail "death storm" earlier this summer and they are having the siding and roof replaced next week.    In the meantime he is making some profile changes so he and Dave are spending time figuring angles, pounding nails and consuming copious amounts of water.    With temperatures in the 90's, the roof is a hot place to be.

do you see Dave up there?

I have spent the time, the longest time we've ever been apart, cooking and baking to stock Beluga's freezer in preparation for our departure at the end of the month.
The weather here has been cool, fallish really,  and rainy.   A few days of strong south east wind has kept the boat in a constant state of agitation.   It's been yanking against its tethers and has managed to twist one of the dock stanchions in it's efforts to escape.   So far so good, there is nothing I can do about it so I watch.    The wind is changing today so there will be rest for it.

Last weekend Dave and I were invited to dear friend's lovely home for dinner and a bonfire (bonfire is an extreme understatement).   We became friends when we were both raising dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and have enjoyed each other's company for many years now.  Neither of us is "doing" guide dogs anymore, but Barb and Bob still have a house full of Labs and Goldens (all rescues), so our visit had a definite  deja vu component...

this old Goldie knows I have a big soft spot for that face......

Dave is a sucker for a black Lab.

and kitties!

We sat outside and enjoyed happy hour amid the fragrance of ripening peaches.

Bob cooked a huge prime rib on his outside grill we enjoyed a delicious meal complete with Barb's soft, home made rolls and a plethora of her garden veggies.
She sent us home with a box of beets, edamame, zucchini, tomatoes, cukes, etc. and the rest of those heavenly rolls.

don't drop it Bob!

Barb is a fantastic baker and she knows that Dave has a weakness for her chocolate chip cookies (my favorites are her lemon sugar cookies - she brought them for our 3rd of July party), so a huge pan of them, straight from the oven, was our desert.

We took them outside to eat by the fire.    Oh....the fire.   Bob outdid himself on that huge bonfire.    We had to sit a half mile away from it to avoid melting our sneakers!

After a while, and a few more cookies, we were able to move in closer and enjoy its warmth.

It was so good being with them again.   We send best and loving thoughts their way.

the week

Dave continues to fiddle around with the myriad of jobs he has set for himself.  He enjoys being busy and keeping his skills sharp and, as a result, everything is looking good and working well in the cottage and in Beluga.

under Beluga he goes

His most recent job is replacing Beluga's slide motor, something he's been talking about for awhile now.    It should be a simple job he says, but it hasn't turned out that way.   He has the new motor, but getting the telescoping drive shaft off was another story all together.   It was so rusted that he had to hack saw it off and now begins the journey of finding another one.     To do the job he has been sliding around on the sharp stones under Beluga and consequently has a number of interestingly colored bruises everywhere.   He thinks this is fun!

I have every confidence that he'll prevail and we're not leaving until the end of September so he has plenty of time......

On a more relaxing note, Dave's former business partner and friend, Jerry, offered us the use of one of his boats for the rest of the season (and, if we play our cards right, perhaps next summer also!)  We've been having a ball with it, I didn't realize how much I'd missed our old boat.

what a great boat....thanks Jerry!

Last week our niece Lisa came down, delicious lunch in hand, and spent the afternoon with us.    We boated around the lake, floated in the lake, and had a little happy hour on the dock.   It was really good to spend some quiet time with her.

Dave's cousin, Dianna, and her family rented a cottage three south of us and we enjoyed a bit of time with them also.   One afternoon, when most of the other cousins (her siblings) were still in town after the wedding, they took us all for a laugh filled boat ride.

Cousins from Rochester, Phoenix and Virginia together on the lake

Last Thursday Dave and I drove over to nearby Silver Lake for a hot dog and an ice cream cone and to wander around the classic cars gathered at the Charcoal Corral's Super Cruise Night.    Afterward, we drove around the small lake, a trip down memory lane for Dave.  He spent much of his youth at his Uncle and Aunt's cottage there, boating, waterskiing, and just hanging around with the younger cousins (the ones renting practically next door to us last week).   We love the quaint little boat houses that line part of the East side.

The hot dogs (Sahlen's of course) were good, the ice cream yummy (sponge candy ice cream) and the cars went from the sublime to the ridiculous.

The eclipse was sort of a non-event here at our house.   It was to be only 70 percent but Dave made a little viewing contraption and we dutifully stood in the back yard and stared at it.   meh....

The atmosphere did dim somewhat, more like the way things look when there is a forest fire somewhere in the state....meh.    We enjoyed looking at other people's pictures.

The next one will be better, we'll be right in the path of totality (if we're still here then.....)

Yesterday we had exciting weather all day long.   Sunshine, hot and muggy.   Then a terrific storm would roll through with heavy rain, thunder/lightening and tornado watch warnings scrolling across the tv screen.   And....repeat three or four times throughout the day.    There was a tornado in the Dansville/Naples area, just south of us.

The bright spot in our day came at dinner time when new friends came by laden with pizza, wings and wine.    They wanted to pick our brains about the rv lifestyle having just sold their cottage and moved into their new gas motor home.  They didn't realize they didn't need to ply us with food and drink, we love to talk and share our experience with newcomers and will do so at the drop of a hat!
They came with lists in hand and I think we answered most of their questions.   Such fun to contemplate all the wonderful things they're getting ready to discover.

And then it rained all night long.

at least someone seems to enjoy this weather

work and play

The summer seems to be flying by.  Since Nina and Paul left, Dave has been working on the final installation of the refrigerator and building the cupboard/pantry unit to fit beside it.

we're keeping Lowes in business these days

sizing the tray cubbies

He's tailoring the shelves to my specifications.    There are a few things we use often that just don't fit nicely in Beluga's original cupboards and these are the things I'll put into the new one.   Platters, my cookbook/binder, our gin bottle, etc.    Now they'll have a spot made just for them!

preliminary fitting before the door is attached

If Dave had a solid block of time to work, it would be in and installed by now but other things interfere.    Some pleasant things, friends visiting, a family wedding, and some things not as pleasant.

We evidently have a sewer pump alarm in the basement.   It goes off more than we'd like.   Sometimes with reason, sometimes just for the fun of it.   Working on a sewer pump is not high on Dave's list, but he finally had to get into it.    The joys of homeownership he reminds all of you contemplating buying a home.

Dave's nephew's only daughter got married last Friday and we were invited.   The reception was held in a fabulous old barn in Scottsville, New York.    It turns
out we'd been to this barn before.....It, and the beautiful cobblestone home on the property, used to belong to our old equine Veterinarian, Dr. Pierson.    Needless to say, it looks much different nowadays.

niece Lisa and her husband Chris

I didn't take any pictures of the interior of this barn I really should have.  It was stunning.   As a matter of fact, I really didn't take many pictures at all.    I did manage to capture the sweet Polish tradition of Oczepiny or "unveiling".   It symbolizes the rite of passage from a young woman to a married one.   Her veil is removed and replaced with a small lace cap while everyone stands around singing Sosnie Trawka.    This song is usually sung in Polish (song sheets are passed around so everyone can sing along) but this day we all sang it in English.  Everyone sings and sways around the couple, a really emotional ceremony.

To lighten the mood a bit, the groom gets a hat too.   It reminds the couple to laugh and have fun in their marriage.   Lisa made this hat for Andrew.   I think a fertility "reminder" is always included.   Look closely at the back of his hat when they're dancing.    Often that "reminder" hangs in the front, right down in front of his face, but Lisa was a bit more restrained by adding a cucumber and two walnuts to the back of the hat this time!    An old friend of ours, Norm K, had a hat placed on his head (some 47 years ago) with a very large piece of polish sausage and two hard boiled eggs dangling in front of his eyes.

Lisa places the grooms hat

On Sunday afternoon Judi (from Buffalo) and Barb (from Webster) came down for a sleep over.    We've been friends with these two for more years than we can count and we always have a really great time together.    Sunday was no exception.

Dave sets the table

I love a good low country boil but have never made one myself.   The girls volunteered to be guinea pigs.

Oooooh it looks so good says Barb

They each made a contribution to the meal and it turned out very well.   We all sat around the newspaper covered table and ate and ate til we ate it all up.    I noticed that Barb had the paper's crossword puzzle next to her plate so we decided to work it after we ate.

We laughed and laughed!    After a ridiculously long time we successfully completed it.   As we looked over the table we discovered 3 or 4 more puzzles but decided one was enough for the day.

In the morning we all shared the peanut stick donuts that Judi brought and they were on their separate ways after lunch.     Barb is off to England later this week. I think we'll recreate our meal and game night when she returns.

Back to work for Dave.   Lewis likes entertaining company much more than woodworking so he's bored today.

routing the door trim makes chips fly!

sigh

What we've been up to lately

Dave and Paul drove to LeRoy to pick up the new residential refrigerator and washer/dryer that were ordered and delivered to our old company there. (AIM Co.).

Dave's brother, Mike, met them there and used AIM's forklift to get the appliances inside through Beluga's side window.

With everyone's help it was a piece of cake!   They were strapped in and settled in time for a quick lunch with the rest of the guys.

The refrigerator is a little narrower than our original one because it was really the only one that would work with our not-to-be changed height requirements.    Dave is busy designing and building a narrow pantry cupboard that he will install next to the refrigerator using every inch of new space!

I've been deciding which pantry items I want to have in the new cupboard so that Dave can make the shelves exactly the right size for my needs.    Nice to have such a handy man in the house.

Nina and Paul are still away so Polly is enjoying her time here with us.   She and Lewis do most things together.

It's always more fun to play with someone else's toys says sweet Polly.....

Mr. Lobster tries to sneak away while she is occupied with the 747

too late!

help me!

Before Paul left he made us a delicious dinner of his famous saffron risotto and Cuban pork tenderloin.    He enjoyed cooking in the cottage's full size kitchen and we enjoyed his wonderful effort (AND, we had left overs for 2 more meals!),   Thanks again Paul....

master chef

the saffron risotto

Since my last post,  Dave and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary.

were we ever that young?

It seems like just yesterday.....and it seems like we've been together forever.

Jesse and Erin sent us some beautiful flowers and Cindy P and Walter send a box of love our way.  

Although our weather has given us some very dramatic skies lately, we're getting tired of the rain.

I'll say goodbye for now with a totally gratuitous picture of a poodle puddling on pillows....I know someone who will appreciate it.