THE EDUCATION OF AN AMERICAN DREAMER: PETER G. PETERSON

For some reason I bought this book a couple of years ago, at the recommendation of conservative pundits, suggesting this was a story that everyone should read, one of a rags to extraordinary riches and power, a founder of financial powerhouse, The Blackstone Group, and friend to various Presidents.  And it is an Horatio Alger story of sorts, the kind that probably no longer can happen in the US.  The son of Greek immigrants, who ran a diner in Kearney, Nebraska, Peterson learned early what it was like to work hard, excelled in school, was admitted to MIT, to a world of privilege and wealth, was thrown out for plagiarizing, transferred to Northwestern, and he flourished.  He began his career, in retail, then advertising, and he worked his way up through various businesses, with an emphasis on analysis, on data driven decision making, ending up as the youngest CEO at Bell and Howell by the time he was in his early thirties.  From there, he began his steep climb into power, both business and government, working in the Nixon White House, as Commerce Secretary, but fortunately, was fired just before Watergate burst into the news.  From there, he went to Lehmann Brothers, eventually becoming CEO before he was again, let go, willingly, by his co CEO.  It was the best thing to happen to him, as he left with lots of stock options and the company, through mismanagement, had to be sold three years later.  He then along with Stephen Schwarzman, founded Blackstone Group, which by the early part of the 21st century, was one of the largest financial institutions in the United States.

He admits to letting his work destroy two marriages,  and he spent huge amounts of time heading Foundations, many quite well known, and was tireless in his work for them.  He established his own Foundation in the early 2000's, dedicated to helping the US come to terms with fiscal responsibility.  As an analyst at heart, he believes passionately in curbing our debt, through fiscal responsibility, both by cutting entitlements like Medicare and Social Security (financed on the backs of our grandchildren), as well as raising taxes, making them more fair and reasonable, especially for the poor and middle class, which he bemoans its disappearance.

He seems to have know just about everyone by the time he reaches eighty, in government, business, and the media, as well as the power brokers both in the East and Europe.  Toward the end, I got tired of him talking about all the foundations, committees, and all the groups he was part of, all the famous people who made them up, all political and rich and powerful, a big club as it were, with ideas on how to save the world, the US, capitalism, whatever.  The last five pages he summarizes what he has learned over the past eighyt years.  Nothing earth shaking...be yourself, work hard, stick to your beliefs, and hope you are lucky enough to live in a great country like the US where something like this can happen.  I like him more than most Republicans, probably because he wasn't a nut like today's conservative Republicans.  Today, he would almost be a Democrat, with his way of thinking.

I don't think I learned any great lessons, other than he did not take himself too seriously, and seems to have been easy to work with, someone who cared about his team, his workers, their jobs and salaries, and wished them the best.  He worked hard for them, hated the back biting and cut throat attitudes at Lehmann Brothers and made sure Blackstone Group did not follow that pattern.  A real American story of ONE.

Thursday Thursday

7:35

Back Yard Snow Fall

Up at 6:45, a light gray sky, 30º outside, with a dusting of snow last night.  The snow keeps melting so there's just a six inch layer of crunch when I walk on it.  A couple of fishermen are out on the lake already, hardy souls, and have been out every day for the past few weeks.

The days are beginning to have a sameness to them, so I must be getting bored.  We went to Lakewood at 10:00, for yoga and Evie worked out at the gym, no surprises.  Evie also went to Walmart and picked up a couple of photos to send to our niece and nephew in Las Vegas.  I got my coffee at Ryder's, talked some with Donna Nelson at the bookstore, and Evie picked me up and we went home.  The last of the lentil soup for lunch, with a tuna wrap, as we watched Stewart and Colbert.

Mid afternoon, I drove to the Mayville Library, to pick up 'the best book you will read this year,' according to the NYTimes book reviewers, a series of short stories by George Saunders called TENTH OF DECEMBER.  I read the first story, liked it enough, despite the violence, to continue.   As relief, I also picked up a Carl Hiassen Florida novel, easy reading and satirical, no doubt fluff, but I will stick with it as well.  You can see, I am not sure what I want to read, what I want to do.  Must be the continuation of the post grandchildren blues.

We ate the spicy chicken for dinner, watched Smash, then some of Idol.  Both of us were appalled by the choice of Zonette.  She clearly cannot sing but has a compelling story, an immigrant from Liberia, struggling to make it.  The show's judges must be liberals!

A Gray, Foggy, Messy Morning

7:05

Up at 6:30, to a 34º morning, some rain, a slick lake as the snow on it has mostly melted. The driveway was just slush, though the yard is still snow covered.  More of the same today, it looks like---no hiking in the woods.

Yesterday was just like this morning, gray and wet, not very inspiring weather, the bane of this area at times.  We did go to Lakewood, me for Yoga, Evie to work out and get some pictures printed at Walmart but that was about it for most of the day.  Neither of us have had much mojo the past few days, or if we do, it's in the morning, afternoons are a bust.

At 6:00, however, we gathered ourselves together, sucked it up, and jumped in the car and went over to the Seezuhr House for a  burger and a beer.  It was not very busy but we struck up a conversation with a couple, Ken and Beth Hunter, who had commented on my Big Sky hat. They may be a bit younger than us but like us, they moved here full time a couple of years ago.  They bought an older house in Maple Springs, two down towards the lake from the Post Office(same side) and spent nine months renovating it.  Ken's business is Whiteside Construction so he did most of the work himself.  We only talked for about ten minutes but it was enough to make us want to see them again. They also mentioned how much they enjoyed Tom's Tavern, near Maple Springs, mostly for the atmosphere (shoddy and run down), not the food and they often have good bands.  We exchanged names, and Ken gave us his card, so we will have to see if you get together.

It was a miserable night, but we braved the slush and rain and drove to Jamestown Community College after dinner to watch Maple Grove play Portville in the State basketball tournament.  Our neighbors, the Soffels' grandsons play for Maple Grove and they were the only bright spot in Maple Grove's play as the team lost handily to Portville, 67-39.  It was a sad way for them to end the season, in a packed gymnasium.  The ride home was terrible, a couple of inches of slush on #86, blinding snow, and trucks racing by, splashing your car and windshield with a combination of snow and slush.  It was the worst drive we have had in a number of years.  We feared for all the fans, especially kids driving home after the game but so far, we have not heard of any major problems.  I don't envy the Portville fans who did have a long drive home.

Will Soffel, Senior and Captain

Graham Soffel,  Sophomore

We were home by 9:30, watched some TV and read before going to bed at 11:00.

And it's actually snowing at the moment, large wet fluffy snow flakes.  Maybe the day will be better than I thought.

Spectacular Morning Sky Heralds A Good Day (Hiking Overland from Eggleston Rd)

6:45

Starting Our Hike

Hiking Through The Verticals

Hiking Out To Bridge

Same Bridge, November, 2011

Up at 6:15, to a pink glow over Bemus, which slowly  turned into a spectacular pink, then orange sunrise, a result of a clear sky.  It's now 7:05, the sun has yet to rise, the sky has clouded up some, as I wait for it to peek over the horizon, just to to the left of Tom's Point.  It's cold out, 21º but the high will get into the upper 30's later in the day, with rain predicted.  The sun is just now fighting its way through the clouds, at 7:09, and the first fisherman is dragging his sled behind him off of Victoria.

Yesterday began badly with yoga cancelled, the yoga wimp had a bad tummy, again.  But we made up for it by snow shoeing a new section of the Westside Overland Trail.  We were able to park our car on Eggleston Hill Road, a few miles north of Panama, which bisects Wall and Stebbins Roads, about eight miles from our house.  We entered the trail at this point and walked south towards Panama, through leafless woods, and discovered, on our way back, that our first half was mostly downhill.  The way back, thus, was more taxing.  We walked as far as a bridge, spanning a babbling brook, forgive the cliche.  This was the same bridge we had hiked to from Panama, the fall of 2011, so we have now walked almost the entire trail.  This particular walk was not very picturesque, as it was new forests for the most part, with a intriguing, inviting, pine forest just off to the east, the path never quite leading through it.  We snow shoed out about 35 minutes, and it took us 40 minutes to return, after doing some bushwhacking, to work up a sweat.

We were home by 1:00, for a lunch of lentil soup and sandwiches.  Mid afternoon, I went in to Lakewood, stopped at Wegman's to pick up some staples, getting home around 4:30.  We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, a wasted day unless you consider leisure a positive, which I do!  The sun came out late afternoon, bringing out the fishermen as you can see.

Fishing In Front of Fox's Home

Towards Tom's Point

We had leftover pork and chicken for dinner, both still quite good, and could not find much to watch on TV which interested us.  And we cannot get our Apple TV to work, so we went back to Netflix and watched a couple more episodes of a trashy series called Revenge, which I have to admit I am beginning to get hooked on, like an afternoon soap.  There's no figuring taste.

By the way, there was an amazing full moon last night, straight across from our house, hanging out over Bemus's Lake Side Drive.  I could not get a very good picture of it, alas. It was shocking because we rarely see a full moon this time of year and it's rarely straight east from our home.

Straight Across the Lake From Our Porch

Another Week Begins Without Yoga

One Week Ago!

Barb and Mike Cassell

6:45

Up at 6:45, with streaks of pink off in the sky above Bemus Point.  Mostly cloudy other wise, no snow in the past twenty four hours, a typical 24º degrees outside, though it will get in the 30's later in the day.  No plans so far for the day, perhaps a hike in the woods late morning.

Yesterday was a nice, easy, relaxing Sunday, not a lot we had to do, so we (mostly me), did nothing.  Evie made a bread recipe from the past, an Italian country bread, with a biga which she started yesterday morning.  It's fairly easy to make, but you have to let it rise for a number of times.  It turned out well, tasty and crusty, unlike mine.  She also put together a dish of chicken thighs, with the tomatoes she roasted last fall, jalapenos, hominy, onions, assorted spices.  She put it in the oven, let it slow cook, filling the kitchen with good smells most of the day.

Our good friends from Hudson, Mike and Barb Cassell, stopped over around noon.  They had spent the weekend at Holiday Valley, in Ellicottville, and visiting relatives because Barb grew up in Jamestown.  We had not seen them since the fall, perhaps summer, so we had lots to catch up on, both about Hudson and Reserve, and their two sons, one at junior at NYU, the other a sophomore at Reserve.  They are both the same, fun to talk with, making us laugh because Mike always has good stories. We miss not seeing them more often.  They stayed till abut 1:30, then drove back to Hudson. I watched Ohio State beat Michigan State late afternoon, rather than going for a walk, a bad boy.

We had the chicken for dinner, with the great sauce, the most difficult part of a dish I think,  and Evie's bread for dipping as we watched the painful 'red carpet' interviews before the Oscars, then the Oscar's themselves.  No real surprises, I suppose.  I felt Zero Dark Thirty was a much better film then Argo, but Argo was the hot film the last few weeks.  And I preferred Jessica Chastain to Jennifer Lawrence for best actress, but what do I know. One thing I would like to know is how to see some of the short films and documentaries that they talked about.  They never appear in theaters, and only a few seem to pop up on Netflix.   The musical number from Les Miserables was great, as was Adele and Barbara Streisand.  Like most of us, I was bored with all the technological and cinematographic awards, mostly interested in the actor awards. I have to admit to not staying up for the entire show, preferring my book.

HOUSE OF CARDS: MICHAEL DOBBS

This is the novel that both the British and American TV series was based on.  Dobbs worked for years in British politics, advising Mrs. Thatcher and many other leading British politicians.  I assume this is his 'kiss and tell' novel, as he seems to have been peremptorily dismissed, took time off, and wrote this novel.  It follow a few months in the life of Party Whip Francis Urquhart, an unscrupulous, power hungry, Machiavelli, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, the Prime Minister's seat.  Lying, cheating, blackmailing, even murder are tools he uses in this novel to rise to power.  The counter point to Urquhart is a young, innocent reporter, Mattie Storin, who bulldog like, refuses to be told 'no', by her editor, by the powers that be, as she unravels the real truth about Urquhart's unsettling yet realistic rise.  Politicians are not very like able in this book, in either TV versions and it would make anyone wonder why people go in to politics.  Is it a flaw in their character, the need to be someone important, to seek power, to be ambitious, and to do almost anything, even Urquhart's case, murder to get what one likes.  The book was somewhat ruined by the fact that I had watched the series on TV though I was not sure how it would end. I would have liked it more if Urquhart had succeeded, become Prime Minister, rather than halted, morality play like, by Mattie Storin and her story.  We do  get a picture of British politics, so different from that here in the States, but the actors, their flaws and ambitions, are the same, whether in  Great Britain, the United States, or India...the rich and powerful control all, the rest of us suck hind teat, to be profane.

A Quiet Sunday Morning At The Lake

At Mc Clure's Home

Prepping Dinner

Linda and Ron

I was up around 6:30, a couple of ice fishing lights already out on the lake, 24º, and now, at 7:30, the lake has unhealthy yellow cast to it, a result of the melting lake, gray sky, rising sun I think.  It's a color no artist could capture, though a Brueghel's might, as I recall some of his wintry scenes.

7:25

Yesterday was a typical Saturday for us, starting for me with yoga at 9:00, then coffee at Ryder's Cup, and finally, a stop at the Transfer Station, with a car full of trash and garbage from a week of family.  Too many wine bottles, too, a good sign I suppose.  Evie, mean while, kept busy a good part of the day getting the house back in shape, mostly each upstairs bedroom, vacuuming, changing the beds, giving each a spring cleaning, ready for our next guests, a lot of work. She also found time to make lentil soup, and put together some bread dough.  It was not the kind of day either that made you want to rush outside, get your snow shoes, and hike the woods.  Either we are still tired from the past week, or just happy to relax some, so we did not do anything exciting though  I did get a short walk in through the campground, not much fun as it was very icy, so I could not relax much on my walk, for fear of slipping and falling.  Too many recent stories of friends and acquaintances falling has made both of us more careful, especially of heights, ladders, stairs, and slippery walks.

Dinner Menu At Mc Clure's

We spent the night at Mc Clure's, a great way to end the week.  Ron had a great fire going in their fireplace, and it was cosy to sit in their living room, enjoy our soup appetizer, as we laughed and enjoyed each others company.  Linda always has a great dinner planned, and as the board shows, this was no exception.  We left around 9:45, happy and full, with left overs, as they are driving back to Pittsburgh tomorrow; we usually get what's left over in their refrigerator when they leave, though Ron would not part with the beer. Scrooge! It was a well lit night, full moon I believe though cloudy, so was a strangely illuminated night as we drove home.  We stayed up some, to watch TV, read, and play games, before going to bed tired from a semi busy day.

Ice Fishing in Front of Our House

I just saw two snow mobiles roar by the tip of Long Point, scary.  I did walk out on the ice yesterday, but there was an inch or two of slush, making it difficult to walk and dangerous somewhat or so I thought. Obviously, these  guys did not think so and there are now lots of fishermen out on the lake, in fact, one sits about half way out the lake, straight off from our house.  Let's hope the ice remains safe.

Post Grandchildren Blues

Marisa

Hayden

Halle

Tyler and Mitch Making Fries

7:15

Early Birds Get The Fish---7:15

Up at 5:55, total darkness, not as cold, 29º, some melting today for sure.  "Click and Clack" are on NPR as I wait for "Only a Game."  A solitary light, mid way out on the lake, indicates the fishermen are already out.

Yesterday was a sad day, a day where neither of us had much mojo, though Evie did manage to get quite a bit done, with very little help from me, as usual.  Beth and the grandchildren left about 7:15, made good time, no snow or ice, and arrived in Darien around 3:00.  Mitch kept us updated on their progress via texts to Granny.  When families leave the lake, we usually have a burst of energy or we attempt to fill up the vacuum of an empty house with labor.  Anyways, Evie worked on the kitchen, I cleaned the living room, took all the sheets off the beds, though I was done with my job by 9:00, ready to lie down and take a nap.  Evie continued cleaning, on and off most of the day, and must have done ten loads of wash, mostly sheets and towels from the past week.  Neither of us had much energy; I spent a good amount of time on the couch and finally finished my book, House of Cards, the British novel from 1989 which both the British and American TV series was based on.  My only activity was going to Smith Library, to return a couple of books and look for something else to read.  No sense at the moment as to what I feel like reading, again, a symptom of lack of grandchildren.

Fortunately, we did not have to make dinner, as we had left over Shrimp with Vodka sauce, from Wednesday night's dinner.  It was still great, though we added a bit more cream when we reheated it.  Along with a salad and green beans with mushrooms, we were happy.  We got caught up on Downton Abbey.  I knew something bad was going to happen and neither of us were taken with this episode for some reason whereas we had really like the previous episode.  We will miss Matthew; I assume he died in the car accident and we wondered if it was the writer's choice or Matthew's, who may have wanted to leave the series.  I assume the writer's since it's such a popular series.  Setting it in Scotland, with new characters and the tensions that involved seemed forced.  We did enjoy The Good Wife, as the new partners banded together briefly when the firm reneged on their partnership.  It created some tension, a rebellion, that was ruined when Alicia, questioning Will on the firms attempt to renege, kisses him.  What a joke.  And then Alicia, who we tend to  admire, decides to take a partnership, throwing fellow lawyer, Carrie, aside.  I wonder what the writer's are thinking?  Is interest in the show waning so they want to reheat it with a Will and Alicia affair, once again?

Gule Gule Albarrans, Back To Our Routine...Boring!

6:45

Snow Board Kid

Cruising on Woodlawn

Long Point State Park

Beth

The Cross Country Ski Guys at Long Point

Loving It

Four of us are up at 6:15, as Beth and her family are leaving for home this morning, hoping to be off by 7:30 at the latest.  It looks like the drive to Darien for her will be fine, as it's clear here at the lake, in fact, most of the way, and a light pink haze is starting to fill the eastern sky.

Yesterday was just like the others, filled with outdoor play but the sun was out most of the afternoon---what a joy to have a blue sky after a couple of days of gray.  We had a lazy morning, letting the boys sleep in, as Evie made Belgium waffles for all, a good way to start the day.  I went out and cleared the driveway, the cars of almost a foot of snow since we had not driven them in a couple of days.   Around 11:00, we drove over to Long Point State Park, and the boys and I cross country skied, the girls snow shoed or walked for about an hour.  We had to blaze trails though untouched snow in some areas, but others had cross country ski tracks, making it easier to ski.  Marisa was exhausted by the time we returned to the cars, as were the boys, I fear.  It was a bit too far, too long for all.  After skiing, we went to the Ashville Country Store for lunch, a favorite lunch spot for Beth and the boys.  We all had great subs, salads, or wraps.  I tried the Vickers, a combination of capricola, ham, salami, tomatoes, banana peppers, mushrooms, and dressing, then heated.  Yum.  The kids loved the various pops, birch beer tending to be the favorite.  And they filled their pockets with various candies that only this store seems to have.

Mid afternoon, the kids went off for one more time to sled and snow board on Woodlawn hill.  It was still good, lots of tumbles along with rides, as another cheap disk of a sled bit the dust.  After sledding, Beth and I went shopping in Mayville, picking up the requisite, for Beth, goat's milk fudge and chocolate frogs at Webb's for some of her friends.  We also stopped at the Lighthouse, for steaks and mushrooms, and Beth had Norm slice up three and a half pounds of pea meal bacon to take home to Darien, to freeze and pull out as needed.

Keep Your Hands Off My Fries

For dinner, Mitch, Tyler and Evie had cut up french fries, so they were frying them as we walked on to the back porch, as it was filled with the smell of cooking oil.  I grilled the steaks outside, the boys fried the french fries a second time, and Evie made a Utah fry sauce, a combination of mayo and ketchup, which was devoured by all as we ate our steaks, mushrooms, and green beans.  A great final meal for all of us.

Everyone went to bed earlier than usual, as they knew they were going to leave early for Darien this morning.

Well, it's 7:30, the house empty, deafeningly quiet, the mass of shoes, skates, boots, by the front door, has diminished so much so that we can make it to the washing machine without tripping.  It's been an amazing week with our children and grandchildren, busy everyday both indoors and out, lots of fun, great meals, and the weather cooperated.  We could not have asked for more.  And five fishermen have just walked out from Victoria, ready for the day.

Mass of Shoes/Boots/Skates

A FINE BALANCE: ROHINTON MISTRY

Mistry's book received much praise, rightly so, as its picture of the 'underclass' in India in the early 1970's is moving, frighteningly realistic.  But if you want a feel good book, this is not for you.  Life for the underclass in India is not easy, a life of driscrimation, poverty, and government 'good intentions,' all leading to chaos and often tragedy.  That being said, it's a powerful read, even a great book about India.

The novel follows the intersection of four characters, two from the lower middle class, the forty something widow, Dina Dalal, her lodger, a twenty year old student named Maneck, and the two tailors who work for Dina, both born to the class of 'untouchabables, Omprakash and his Uncle, Ishvar.  Dina, constantly badgered by the landlord, often short of money, decides to take in a boarder and start a business of tailoring for a large company.  Thus, her very sheltered and lonely life, slowly changes, as does her attitude, as she must not only work with but often eat and talk with Om and Ish, both beneath her, as they are the lowest of the low.  Early on, both tailors end up sleeping each night in an alley, in the city, where they meet other poor, forging friendships with a beggar, legless on a wheeled cart, and a collector of hair.  All four end up losing their sleeping spaces, and as a necessity, Dina reluctantly lets them sleep out on her veranda.  Slowly, all four lives change, as the three males become fast friends, despite their differences, and Dina also begins to change, allows the four to eat their meals on the veranda, eventually inviting them into her kitchen and house.  The four become friends, Dina especially enjoying the friendship and lost of solitude.  Maneck, though middle class, is the most unhappy of the four, with grudges against his father, his being forced to leave home and go off to college, away from the life he loved.

Things change when Ish and Om decide to go back to their village, to find a wife for Om, an important step in a young man's life.  This is the period of what was called The Emergency in India in the 1970's, where government proclamations were the law and forced sterilisations took place. These forced sterilization's remind me of a favorite quotations by C. S. Lewis:

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own consciencee.

Both Ish and Om were caught up in this net, Ish losing his legs as a result of a botched operation, and Om became impotent and overweight.   As a result, they did not return to Dina's, leaving her alone once again.  Maneck decides to go to Dubai, for work.  Seven years pass before Maneck returns home, looks up Dina, finds her house was taken and turned into wealthy condos, and she is leaving off of her brother's family, greatly aged and unhappy.  Maneck is shocked when he here's of her plight and the fact that both Ish and Om, are beggars, who depend on Dina for food early each morning.  Both Maneck and the two beggars glimpse each other after Maneck speaks with Dina but neither acknowledges the fact, both ashamed of their plight, their fear.

The novel ends with Mancek, after returning home to bury his father, walking to a train station, and as the train speeds by, jumps in front of it, a shocking though not unexpected end.  The most thoughtful and philosophical, he continually fought against the sadness of the lives of his friends but eventually he is overwhelmed by the scale of poverty and suffering of his fellow man and ends it all.

Lots of Snow, Cold, A Good Day For Play With The Albarrans

Enjoying A Hike In Woodlawn

Marisa

Beth and Marisa

Frolicking

Mitch

7:30

Up around 7:00, Marisa and Evie followed around 7:15.  A gentle snow, an inch overnight, though little if any forecast for the next couple of days.  Some fishermen are out on the ice off of Long Point, it's overcast, lots of birds fluttering around our feeder, mostly sparrows who live in our rhododendrons.

Yesterday was a snowy, cold day; however, it did not deter us from enjoying the outdoors, though the lake was not good for ice skating, too much snow, nor cross country skiing, slush that turned to ice on our skis, making it impossible to slide.  So, we went for a long hike, Evie and I leading the way in our snow shoes, through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  We had a great time, snow flakes falling, kids like a couple of puppies, running off the trails, into the woods,, throwing themselves into snow drifts.  It was fun to watch them frolic, enjoy the cold and snow, as we made a circular path back to our house.

Dough Rising

Fresh, Hot Sticky Buns

Before we left, Evie and Marisa had put together the makings for sticky buns, and when we returned the dough had, as you can see, clearly doubled in size.  Evie then made the rolls, popped them in the oven, and we had hot sticky buns after our hike.  Amazingly delicious, especially when warm, the kids loved them of course.  She also made a few with cream cheese and lemon filling; they tasted like warm cheese cake.

After lunch, we went sledding on the Woodlawn hill again and because of the ten new inches of snow, it was really good.  Mitch made small jumps with the snow, so he could get in to the air on his snow board, trying to turn a 180º.  Tyler and Marisa did most of the sledding, and I even went down a couple of times, no tears or thorns this time.

Around 5:00, Mitch and I went out to try cross country skiing on the lake but our skis froze, so we decided to go bushwhacking (making our own path) through the woods to the campground, to the zoo, where their were only a flock of deer, then back across the frozen, snow covered tundra of Kinney's field to the path that led down along the creek and home.  As we skied down a hill on the path, Mitch ran into a tree, I ran into him, and we both fell into a pile of snow, skis, and poles, fortunately, neither of us were hurt.  We just laughed, as we tried to extricate ourselves from the mass of poles and skis and eventually stood up and made our way home.  Great fun and we want to do more of it today.

Making fettuccine

Vodka Sauce with Shrimp

For dinner, Evie and the grand kids made fresh pasta on our new pasta machine, which hooks on to our large mixer.  My son Tom and his wife Mary gave us the attachments for Christmas.  We had a an interesting time experimenting with thicknesses, making fettuccine noodles, in batches, and decided after cooking, that they needed to be a bit thinner the next time though they were still good.  While we made the noodles, Beth made a wonderful vodka and cream pasta sauce with shrimp, which we put over the fresh pasta noodles.  Quite a feast after a cold day in the outdoors.

We all stayed up till about 9:30, playing games, watching TV and reading, before Marisa went off to bed.  The rest of us went off as we tired, but the boys stayed up watching TV.  No wonder they sleep in, the rest of us are up so early.

Mitch on the Frozen Tundra During a Snow Storm

One more day of outdoor fun we the family before they head home to Darien tomorrow, Friday, morning, alas.