Hi, everyone! Just when we’re getting the projects completed that will help us enjoy the summer, it’s turning into fall! The leaves are starting to drop and school starts tomorrow for James and Thomas! The end of August, Grandpa finished installing the new parts of the marine railway. I got to ride in the powerboat for its first trip into the boathouse this year!
Grandma and I helped Grandpa install a new header for the boathouse door. I liked sunning on one of the catamaran skids. They’ve haven’t been used in years, but Grandpa said he had a plan to use them very soon!
Grandma decided she wanted to celebrate the last day of August by inviting Uncle Steven’s family for dinner! I helped her make pizza dough.
When it was ready to shape, we put the toppings that James and Thomas like on one pizza, and Grandma’s special toppings on the other one! They were both yummy! We made wild blackberry ice cream for dessert, too! After dinner, everybody watched a video of a rocket launch. One of the engines didn’t work at takeoff, so the rocket went sideways until it was light enough to go up, instead!
We were supposed to go to a birthday party for Grandma and Grandpa’s semi-great-grandchild, but Bina was sick and the party was canceled. I made friends with Bina’s lion before her father picked up the present. Grandma said she was driving past Wegman’s when she decided to look for a pork shoulder to make pulled pork for Labor Day weekend. When she got in the store, there was a pork shoulder at reduced price because it needed to be used right away! Grandma brought it home and I helped her get it ready to cook. After dinner, when it was done, I helped pull the pork. I’m getting very good at pulling pork!
Uncle Steven’s family came out to the bay for Labor Day weekend. James and Thomas and their Dad had the place to themselves on Thursday evening. Grandma and Grandpa and I went out on Friday afternoon. Aunt Kara had to work on Friday, so she came on Saturday. Uncle Steven and Thomas went hunting for crayfish in the creek and found one! Thomas made a habitat for his crayfish and fed it, but it escaped overnight.
Grandma and I played Connect Four with James. He was more interested in reading and electronics than being outside, but he did take some boat rides with Uncle Steven and Thomas.
Grandpa used the catamaran skids to make a work platform just inside the boathouse front wall. That let him finish framing the wall above the boathouse door. After that was done, Uncle Steven helped Grandpa move the work platform to the outside of the boathouse wall. Of course, Grandpa made sure the boat was out of the boathouse and tied up on the dock before he blocked the doorway!
Saturday night, we had a fire and toasted marshmallows for s’mores. Sunday, Grandpa started cutting pieces of plywood to shape to attach as sheathing on the wall he had just framed.
Uncle Steven made some final adjustments to the jet skis. He said they were both running perfectly! While Grandpa and Uncle Steven were both working next to the water, Thomas enjoyed climbing on the armor stones.
On Monday, Grandpa finished putting the sheathing on the front of the boathouse.
Uncle Steven took some more rides on his jet skis. He offered Thomas another ride on the Waveblaster, but Thomas decided to take a nap on the powerboat, instead. Uncle Steven hauled the Waveblaster out of the water when he was done.
On our way back to town, we watched sunset at Sodus Point. The waves were washing over the lighthouse pier! It’s the time of year when the sun starts setting over land, instead of over the water. The sunset was very pretty!
Yesterday, Grandma and I made biscotti. Her friend Rita-san is going to be in town soon, and she REALLY loves biscotti! First we made honey biscotti. I mixed up the honey and fruit peels, then the dry ingredients, then stirred the dough together. Grandma wouldn’t let me get my paws in the dough to shape the logs, but I did paint the logs with egg yolk before we baked them.
Then we made chocolate almond biscotti. This dough gets mixed in the mixer! I helped cut the slices from the logs after they were baked. The two glazes are very gooey, so Grandma did the final decorating. I hope Rita-san likes them!
Love,
Lion-san