Way Too Early

Our 13-Month-Old Great-Grandson, Tommy, Off To Preschool

6:16

6:27

6:45

It’s 7:00, and I’ve been up since 6:00 because of the time change. The virtue of the earlier light is that I can kayak by 7:00 if I want. The downside is that driving to and from dinner out will often be in the dark. Right now there’s a light wind, and it’s 41º, with some sun early, then a cloudy afternoon with a high around 64º, perfect weather for football. It's just 9:00 as I finish this after a 70-minute paddle, past a duck blind near the Powerboat Club and out to Tom's Point and back, a long but refreshing paddle. 

Kayak Morning

Duck Blind

Bridge

Northern Sky

Saturday was typical: a nice paddle starting around 8:00, then writing the blog and a walk around Woodlawn as I enjoyed my breakfast in a bowl. We had no plans for the day, just the leisure of a Saturday. I, of course, wanted to “do something,” so around 10:30 I drove to Mayville, parked at the park, and biked one of my four usual trails. I began with two sections of Webb’s Trail along an abandoned railroad track, then took Mayville’s asphalt walkway to #430 and Mayville Cemetery, back to Sea Lion Drive for a bit, and then back to the car. It took close to an hour. Whenever I take this route, I pass the same guy out for a walk, and this time I stopped and talked with him. His name is Steve, and he lives in Mayville. He’s a former runner, now a daily walker, and he often drives to Presque Isle to bike. It was fun talking with him. On my way home, I stopped at Tops and picked up some goodies for our dinners this week.

Gathering Of Sea Gulls At Mayville Park

Webb's Trail

Leaves And Trees

Mayville Cemetery

Looking South From North End Of Lake

When I got home, Evie was enjoying her leisure after a busy week. For lunch, I had the last of the eggplant pasta and watched some TV, not sure what. I started a new book at my friend Ron’s suggestion, Damascus Station by David McCloskey, the first in a series of spy novels. So far, I’m enjoying it. I napped briefly but mostly read, then came downstairs feeling antsy and went outside to rake the leaves that had fallen around our red maple, even trimming some branches so I can walk under the tree when I mow. It felt good to be outside doing something rather than sitting inside watching football.

Evie had forgotten that I had the leftover eggplant for lunch and she fried up bacon for BLTs. Instead of a big Saturday night dinner, then, we had BLTs for dinner, loved them, and vowed to have them once a week. We watched the usual until Evie went up to bed. I then switched back and forth between the Ohio State loss to USC and the WNBA finals, won by Golden State. I timed it right and caught the last four minutes of the exciting Golden State victory. I ended the night with The Mayor of Kingston before going to bed.

Bright Sun Rising And 37º

7:47

8:01

8:01

9:33

It’s just after 8:00. Evie’s been up since 7:00 and I slept in until 7:30. It looks like a good morning for kayaking, with little if any breeze, just cold. It's 9:42 and I just returned from an amazingly beautiful forty-five-minute paddle, down to the Powerboat Club and back. What a morning!

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Long Point

Yesterday was a great day for Evie and a lazy one for me. We were up early because she needed to get to school early for Halloween. I wrote the blog, and she finished reading it just before 8:30 and left. I then went out for a paddle, but the wind and waves were such that I lasted only 25 minutes, if that. I came home, had breakfast, and took a walk around Woodlawn. I had in mind a hike around Dobbins Woods but surprised myself and bagged it because my legs were tired. Instead, I drove to Lakewood, stopped for coffee, talked with Dave for 15 minutes, then hit the bank and ended up at Wegmans to pick up a prescription and buy a few goodies for our dinner. I was tempted to buy a sub but resisted and came home.

Before lunch, I wanted to get the side yard mulched, so I fired up the Honda. It took me 20 minutes to ramble over dirt, rocks, and lawn, but at least I got it done. For lunch, I had one of the bargain chicken pot pies I bought at Walmart for a buck, and that’s all it was worth: a few veggies and questionable chicken. You get what you pay for, and I bought five bucks’ worth. I then watched an episode of American Primitive about the drive West to Utah, filled with violence and terrible conditions. I don’t think I would have the courage to take to the trail. When you think about what those people endured, our lives are so easy and comfortable.

I read and napped briefly before coming downstairs, where Evie regaled me with a few of her Halloween stories. Some of the kids even said they didn’t want any more candy because lots of parents in costume were handing it out in the parking lot. I then went out and mulched the leaf-strewn front yard, and for a couple of hours our lawn looked great.

Fading Colors Of Autumn

I read until 5:00, when we enjoyed a glass or two of wine and listened to the prognosticators discuss who will win the election. Will it be a blue wave or not? How tiring. For dinner, we had the leftover eggplant pasta, which was better the second night. We watched TV, and at 8:15 I watched some NBA before returning to a series I’ve been watching on Paramount+, Mayor of Kingstown, with Jeremy Renner, set in a Michigan town with seven prisons. I’d had enough by 10:00 and went up to bed to read and sleep. An easy day.

Autumn Skies

Presque Isle State Park

7:03

7:18

8:03

It’s 7:40 as I start this, and we’ve both been up since 7:00. Evie is going to kindergarten today because it’s Halloween dress-up day. I’m up because I’m usually up at this hour. My only plan so far is to kayak, if the northerly winds aren’t too strong. It's 9:15, and I paddled for only 20 minutes because of the wind and waves. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Paddling South

Yesterday was an amazing day. We were both up early. I had breakfast in Bemus at 8:00, then took a short paddle at 9:15. Evie finished the blog and left for school at 9:30, so it was a busy morning for both of us. After relaxing a bit, I was ready to drive forty-five minutes to Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula off the coast of Erie, PA. It’s one of my favorite places to ride my bike, and I try to go at least once in the fall and once in the spring. I left around 10:30, arrived at 11:20, and joined the other bikers and hikers on the trail, 13 miles of asphalt that circles the peninsula. As you can see from the photograph, the northwest side has some of the best inland beaches in the United States, and the east side is wooded and faces Erie and the bay. I rode for over an hour, stopping a couple of times at one of the great beaches and at the Perry Monument at the tip of the peninsula. Lots of people my age were out enjoying the day, biking or walking. It couldn’t have been a better day for a bike ride and was warm enough to wear a long-sleeve T-shirt. 

One Of The Inland Ponds

View Of The Bay Side

One Of Eleven Great Beaches

Biking On The Bay Side

On my way home, I stopped at Burger King for a Whopper meal and was home by 2:00. Evie was back from school too, enjoying some lunch and watching TV. I was really tired, especially my legs from the ride, so I read and tried to nap, to no avail. Around 4:00, we both showered and got dressed because we were going out to dinner with our neighbors, Jim and Barb. We left at 5:15 and enjoyed the fall colors on the half-hour ride to the Whiskey Hill Saloon in Cassadaga. 

Dining Room

The Bar

Scary Corner

Bench

Entrance

It’s famous for its Halloween decorations, and it didn’t disappoint. We found seats in the bar and ordered beers, appetizers, and their famous garbage wings. It wasn’t too busy, with just a few people at the bar and in the restaurant. Service was great, and we enjoyed our appetizers and wings. We drove home in the dark, and all four of us were tired from the day. Evie went to bed around 8:30, and I stayed up to watch some football and started a series called American Primitive.

Our Granddaughters in Anime

Orange Glow In The Morning

7:13

8:03

It’s 7:15, and we’re both up, alas, watching the skyline turn orange. It’s Thursday, so I have breakfast at 8:00 in Bemus, and Evie has school. My plan is to finish the blog when I get home, then drive forty-five minutes to Presque Isle and bike the perimeter of the peninsula, one of my favorite places to ride. It has great asphalt trails and some of the best inland beaches in the States. It's 10:00, and I did get in a short paddle, down to the reeds and back on another amazing lake morning. 

Kayak Morning

A Cloudless Northern Sky

Yesterday began with an early rise and a good but short paddle, since I had to leave for Physical Therapy just after 9:00. I was out for only 25 minutes, came in, finished the blog, then drove to Jamestown for a half hour of PT. It seems like a waste of time, at least for me, because I could easily do everything I did there at home. Afterwards, I stopped at Burger King, picked up two breakfast sandwiches, and brought them home. Evie was starving, so she devoured hers. Around 10:30, I decided I needed more exercise, so I drove to the Chautauqua Institution and rode my bike around the perimeter twice, about a 50-minute ride. As always, it’s a great place to ride this time of year, with only construction workers and vehicles on the tree-lined streets.

Thunder Bridge

Arboretum at CI

Lunch was easy: cooked a couple of hot dogs and watched more of my show, Lioness. One episode to go. While I read and napped, Evie drove to Mayville to drop off some packages and vote. She talked with the agent, who said lots of people are voting early. I’m going to wait until next Tuesday, just to see if there’s a problem. I’ll bring my passport and birth certificate like everyone else who wants to prove they’re a US citizen. Nobody I know ever does this, but people of color had better if they want to be sure they can vote. ICE will be picking them out.

After Evie returned home, we both enjoyed a leisurely afternoon as usual, although I kept eyeing the lawn and the falling leaves, wondering if I ought to get out there and mulch. Instead, I talked with my sister Ellen for a half hour, catching up on her days. 

Long Point

Long Point

By 5:00, the Long Point shoreline was highlighted by the setting sun, and it was time for a glass of wine, so the mulching will have to wait until today or tomorrow. Earlier, before 5:00, Evie put together one of my favorite easy dinners, eggplant pasta: eggplant baked in the air fryer, topped with tomato sauce, and served with rigatoni. Yum. And there’s enough left for another dinner or a couple of lunches. We watched TV, and by 8:15 I was watching some NBA action, but I ended the night with a disappointing finale to Lioness, obviously setting up another season. What BS.

Pink And Grays

7:16

7:54

7:54

It’s 7:30 and I have watched the sky paint swathes of pink on the gray as I enjoy my coffee. I was up at 7:00 and hope to be on the lake before 8:00. It’s 46º and one of the first gray mornings in a while. It’s 8:50, and I was out for only a half hour, down to Sandy Bottom and back. I have PT at 9:30 in Jamestown, so I cut my kayaking short.

Kayak Morning

Rising Sun And Clouds

North

Great Blue

Tuesday was a good day for both of us. We were up at 7:00, and by 9:30 Evie had showered, gotten ready for school, and helped me finish publishing the blog. I was in no hurry because I’d decided to skip yoga; it was too nice to be inside. After Evie left for school, I cleaned up the kitchen, hitched my bike to the Outback, and drove to the beginning of Riverwalk, just behind the Subaru dealer. The trail follows the Chadokoin River to McCrea Point, then winds through the city, down 3rd, to the walk along the Chadokoin and the dam. I stopped at Crown Street Coffee and relaxed with a cup for 20 minutes before biking the 25 minutes back to my car.

Jamestown

Chadokoln Rivers

River

Mc Crea Point

For lunch, I picked up a gyro at Arby’s and brought it home. I enjoyed it while watching some TV, then read and napped until 2:30, when I drove to Jamestown to meet Evie at our health care specialist, Jessica’s. After talking with her, we decided to stick with Aetna’s Medicare Advantage plan, the same as this past year. The shopping area is a mess because they’re putting down a new layer of asphalt, so it took a while to get home.

We had our wine at 5:00 as usual and put red potatoes in the oven at 5:15 for an hour. At 6:30, Evie breaded and air-fried the tilapia, and we had a tasty fish dinner while we watched our shows. I watched some NBA at 8:00, then finished the night with Lioness until 10:00, when I went up to bed.