Sunday, June 06, 2010
Quiet weekend
It was a quiet weekend at Sidetrack. I drove up there on Friday afternoon. After the nearly "full house" on East Little Blake Lane last weekend, there were only 4 places occupied Friday night.
I did a fair amount of work and started a really good new mystery by Thomas Perry, an author recommended by Dr. Loomis. I'll get Ken to write about it on the ReadingBlog.
I got to watch a blue heron hunting for breakfast early Saturday morning. It was under Skip's willow tree and then it waded along the shore toward our dock. Patient thing, that bird.
I distributed information about the road work that had been done along with requests that everybody kick in $20 to pay for it.
Around 10:30am on Saturday, it started raining and kept raining until dinner time. A muskrat provided some entertainment by playing in the lake and the rain by the dock during the afternoon.
More work and more reading kept me busy and out of the rain. Last night the rain returned, but I slept through most of it.
Breakfasts again at Cafe Wren. It's not so important when I'm only at Sidetrack for a couple days, but it's good to get out and get online for a bit. I just wish it was a little closer. Sank over on Big Blake has been online with his new Verizon phone, and I did some thinking about that while driving back and forth to Luck. Convenient online service; pretty expensive; too inviting?; not being out and about and talking to people in Luck? Still thinking...
Drove home this afternoon. Great sunny weather most of the way. Rain for the last 10 miles. What's up with that?
Next weekend? We'll see how much work I get done this week.
I did a fair amount of work and started a really good new mystery by Thomas Perry, an author recommended by Dr. Loomis. I'll get Ken to write about it on the ReadingBlog.
I got to watch a blue heron hunting for breakfast early Saturday morning. It was under Skip's willow tree and then it waded along the shore toward our dock. Patient thing, that bird.
I distributed information about the road work that had been done along with requests that everybody kick in $20 to pay for it.
Around 10:30am on Saturday, it started raining and kept raining until dinner time. A muskrat provided some entertainment by playing in the lake and the rain by the dock during the afternoon.
More work and more reading kept me busy and out of the rain. Last night the rain returned, but I slept through most of it.
Breakfasts again at Cafe Wren. It's not so important when I'm only at Sidetrack for a couple days, but it's good to get out and get online for a bit. I just wish it was a little closer. Sank over on Big Blake has been online with his new Verizon phone, and I did some thinking about that while driving back and forth to Luck. Convenient online service; pretty expensive; too inviting?; not being out and about and talking to people in Luck? Still thinking...
Drove home this afternoon. Great sunny weather most of the way. Rain for the last 10 miles. What's up with that?
Next weekend? We'll see how much work I get done this week.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Road repairs
Yesterday morning, I sent Jeff Traynor at LSU an e-mail about going ahead on the pothole repairs. A couple hours later, he sent back a note saying that the job was on the schedule for Friday or Monday.
This morning, he wrote again saying that because of a "spot of rain," he'd sent the crew over to Little Blake with some gravel and had them fill potholes. Jill sent the bill shortly after that.
I prepared bills to hand out up at the lake. Now to collect.
This morning, he wrote again saying that because of a "spot of rain," he'd sent the crew over to Little Blake with some gravel and had them fill potholes. Jill sent the bill shortly after that.
I prepared bills to hand out up at the lake. Now to collect.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
A great long weekend
We got here on Friday of Memorial Day weekend.
The weather was summery. Sidetrack was beautiful. We were busy with work. But work in a place as beautiful as this is easier to do. I also took breaks from preparing for the class I'll teach by reading three books.
Since nearly everyone was here, it was also the weekend to canvas the neighborhood to see if fixing the potholes on the road was a good idea. I talked to nearly everyone who thought it was. (Now, to order the work.)
Saturday was really warm and breezy. My early morning canoe trip around the lake took me to the underside of Polk County. Racist graffiti adorns the bridge over the channel between the little and the big lakes.
Sunday was cooler and more pleasant. The sunset was a most unusual yellow color. Perhaps the result of the incredible yellow pollen coming from the pine trees in the neighborhood?
Monday was a nearly perfect day. It was so gorgeous that I had trouble sticking to my work schedule. I kept wanting to go outside.
Loons, eagles, and an osprey entertained at least me. A dead 18-inch muskie washed up against the shore near the dock. I hope one of the big birds finds it soon.
I'm beginning to think that something died and started stinking under the lake room. It's not pleasant to walk in there. Near sunset I looked under the house from the front, but I didn't see anything. I think I'll leave some windows cracked open when I leave.
Hope we get back soon.
The weather was summery. Sidetrack was beautiful. We were busy with work. But work in a place as beautiful as this is easier to do. I also took breaks from preparing for the class I'll teach by reading three books.
Since nearly everyone was here, it was also the weekend to canvas the neighborhood to see if fixing the potholes on the road was a good idea. I talked to nearly everyone who thought it was. (Now, to order the work.)Saturday was really warm and breezy. My early morning canoe trip around the lake took me to the underside of Polk County. Racist graffiti adorns the bridge over the channel between the little and the big lakes.
Sunday was cooler and more pleasant. The sunset was a most unusual yellow color. Perhaps the result of the incredible yellow pollen coming from the pine trees in the neighborhood?Monday was a nearly perfect day. It was so gorgeous that I had trouble sticking to my work schedule. I kept wanting to go outside.
Loons, eagles, and an osprey entertained at least me. A dead 18-inch muskie washed up against the shore near the dock. I hope one of the big birds finds it soon.
I'm beginning to think that something died and started stinking under the lake room. It's not pleasant to walk in there. Near sunset I looked under the house from the front, but I didn't see anything. I think I'll leave some windows cracked open when I leave.
Hope we get back soon.
