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.