An Ugly Fall Morning

7:52

9:02

It’s 8:30, and I’ve been up for an hour, a bit guilty because I don’t want to kayak on a windy, wet, gray morning on the lake. It’s a chilly 35º, and when I walked out to take a morning photo, it was drizzling. So here I sit, listening to NPR, skimming Facebook, and checking my email. It looks like the month of Indian summer days is over.

Yesterday was similar, although I did try to kayak. I lasted only 20 minutes because of the heavy north wind, so I had an extended coffee and media time with Evie. By 9:30, we had the blog published and I had breakfast. Before I left to hit the bank and Target, I changed the filter on our water system. It’s in the hot room and fairly easy to do, and we change it every two or three months. By 10:30, I was at KeyBank, taking out cash for both Evie and me. I then browsed Target for some reason, looking for a couple of deals but finding nothing, though the store looked better: no mess, and no products sitting in the aisles.

When I returned, Evie was finishing the deep cleaning of one of our bedrooms. Around 12:30, she made me a couple of fish sandwiches and heated up the last of the vegetable soup. I kept watching my series, then went upstairs to read a bit and take a good nap. I woke feeling refreshed, but it was still cloudy, wet, and windy outside, so I hunkered down in the living room until 3:30, when Evie gave me a haircut (got my ears lowered). I then showered and got dressed because we were meeting our good friends, Julie and Tom, for dinner at Brazil’s on Main in Westfield at 5:00.

An Enjoyable Night With Julie And Tom

We left at 4:40 and arrived just after 5:00 to a restaurant already packed with patrons. The draw seemed to be the advertised snow crab claws. Our friends were already seated at a great table in the corner by a window. Our waitress was prompt, and we ordered beers. Tom and Julia ordered a half-pound of snow crab claws; for forty bucks, they got three claws, a ripoff.  Dinners were good, and for dessert, Tom and Julie shared a pistachio cake, and Evie had cherry pie. It was a fun night, talking mostly about our roots in Poland, Slovenia, Great Britain, and Germany. Around 6:00, four of our Woodlawn neighbors walked in to enjoy the evening. We talked briefly with them when we left around 7:10 and were home by 7:30, nice and early. 

Evie went to bed when I turned on an NBA game. I watched the first half, which was enough, then watched two more episodes of my series before heading up to bed. It was a fun night, an OK day.

Dark Skies, Windy, Perhaps Some Flurries

7:12

8:37

It’s 7:40, and I’ve been up since 7:00, watching the flag wave and wondering whether to kayak on this 34º morning. The temperature doesn’t worry me, just the wind and waves. I decided to give it a try and got in a short paddle, maybe 20 minutes into the northern wind. On my way back, it started to snow, the first of the fall.

Kayak Morning

Paddling North Towards Falling Snow

Thursday was back to normal, at least in the morning. We were both up early, at 7:00. I skipped paddling because of the weather and was off to breakfast in Bemus at 7:40. When I returned, we finished up the blog, Evie left for school at 9:30, and I followed at 9:40 for yoga. It had been a couple of weeks since I’d gone, because I would rather ride my bike if it was pleasant out. Class was as usual, at least 20 of us, including a couple of guys. It was easy, but halfway through I started to feel off, with a bothersome stomach and chills. I didn’t stop for coffee after class and came straight home, deciding on some veggie soup for lunch. I didn’t feel awful, just a bit off. The soup tasted good, and I watched my show.

Around 1:00, I went upstairs to read but quickly got tired and napped for a good hour. I woke feeling better, came downstairs, and took it easy, reading and relaxing on the couch. I even felt like a glass of wine at 5:00, so I must have been feeling better. 

Windy Wine Time

Dinner was another packaged chicken and rice, decent, not great, but easy. We watched some TV, and at 8:15 I watched some of the Giants/Commanders game, followed by an episode of my series, Mayor of Kingstown. By bedtime, I was feeling practically normal, so I don’t know why I felt bad earlier in the day. I feel normal this morning.

Overcast, Windy And Rain

6:44

7:33

It’s 7:12, and I’ve been up since 6:30. The lake isn’t very inviting, and neither is the sky, with its drizzle, wind, and gray. So I’ll skip kayaking and have a leisurely morning before driving to Bemus for breakfast at 8:00. Evie’s up as well, waking slowly since she has kindergarten today. I feel guilty not getting in a paddle, especially since the rain, as predicted, hasn’t started yet. It’s strange to sit around for an hour and a half and not do something.

Yesterday was another fine day. I know I keep saying that, but these past three or four weeks have been some of the best in years, with lots of sun and light winds. I got in a 50-minute paddle down to Whitney Bay and back. Once I finished the blog, I took my morning walk around Woodlawn, planning the rest of my day. I wanted to get a bike ride in, so I drove to Lakewood, parked, and rode along Terrace Drive to Celeron and back. It’s mostly on roads, but they aren’t heavily traveled. It was chillier than I expected, especially biking into the wind. I was out for 50 minutes and was passed easily by an older guy, which made me feel like a wimp. At least I told myself I’d gotten out there and done something. I skipped coffee and came straight home because I wanted to pick up some leaves in the side yard.

North End Of Lake

View From Harbor Hotel

Hotel Walk Way

Winter Boat Yard In Celeron

While I was gone, Evie had been busy and had a good talk with our son Tom. For lunch, I had veggie soup and an egg salad sandwich on Dave’s Killer Bread, supposedly healthy with lots of seeds. After lunch, I realized I’d finished my book, and I started the first chapter of a new one that the publisher had included as a come-on. It had similar themes and characters, enough to easily fool the reader. So I started a different book instead: the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.

Around 3:00, I finally went out and decided to mow the rest of the yard, mostly the side and the front. I thought this would be the last mow of the year, since the leaves from our trees have mostly fallen, except for a few from the tulip tree. It took about 25 minutes, and the front yard still looks good this morning. By 5:00, I was really tired from biking and mowing, so it felt good to sit down and relax for an hour, listening to the news about Hegseth’s embarrassing performance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. What a doofus. Dinner was great, and Evie devoured it: tilapia fillets with baked potatoes and garlic spinach. Yum. We watched our shows until 8:00, when I turned on the Cavs game until halftime, then returned to my series, The Mayor of Kingstown, and went to bed.

What an eyesore: tear it down!

Overcast And Some Sun

7:15

7:15

8:54

It’s 8:57, and I just returned from a decent 46-minute paddle down to Whitney Bay and back. I chased off a heron twice without getting a photo, and also scattered a bevy of Canada geese and seagulls gathered in the shallows.

Kayak Morning

Canadian Geese

Kayaking Home

Tuesday was another amazing fall day, with temperatures in the 50s and lots of sun. We were both up at 7:00, and I was out kayaking by 7:35 for close to an hour. When I returned, Evie was showered and ready for school. We finished up the blog, and when Evie left, I walked the neighborhood while enjoying my breakfast.

We have always had trouble with our kitchen drawers crashing because a small plastic widget that holds the drawer in place keeps breaking. It’s poorly designed, and I usually drive over to see Larry at Chautauqua Brick for a new piece. So I drove across the bridge, only to find that Larry had retired and the shop was closed. Fortunately, one of the guys volunteered to open up his store, and the two of us looked through the rooms, opening all the drawers, hoping to find the plastic piece. Just as we were about to give up, he called me over and, voilà, he had found four pieces and gave them to me. What luck!

Long Point Trail

Walking To The Tip Of Long Point

Since I was close to Bemus Point, I had brought my bike, so I parked just beyond the bridge and rode for an hour down Lakeside Drive, out to Long Point and back. Again, no one was on the trails, but a couple of ladies were out on the tip of Long Point, and I ended up taking their photo. I rode back to the car and was home by 12:00. I reattached the plastic piece, tightened a few screws, and Mr. Fixit fixed it.

Fishing Off Of Long Point

Southwestern Sky

West From The Marina

Lunch was the last of the pizza and a bowl of veggie soup, and I watched the final episode of Season Two of Mayor of Kingstown. I saved the first episode of Season Three for the night. My afternoons don’t change much with the weather. I took a brief nap, read some, helped Evie bring groceries into the house, then went outside and trimmed the red twigs for a good forty-five minutes and took the debris up the hill. It was another sunny, cool afternoon, perfect for yard work. I was done by 5:00, in time to enjoy some wine and celebrate the good news that our daughter Beth was named her school’s Teacher of the Year.

Dinner was the last of the pork ribs heated up with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, plus a salad. We enjoyed it just as much as the day before and watched our shows. I watched Duke/Michigan State for ten minutes, then Celtics/Sixers for another ten or fifteen, and finally Kansas/Kentucky for ten minutes. I ended the night with the first episode of Season Three of Mayor of Kingstown.

Brief Morning Sun

7:03

7:17

8:25

It’s 8:30, and we’ve both been up for an hour and a half. I was out kayaking by 7:30 for 50 minutes, down to the Power Boat Club and back along Woodlawn. The lake was surprisingly calm after yesterday’s winds and heavy waves.

Kayak Morning

North

Mallarads

Bald Eagle

Monday was busy for both of us, probably because of the weather, my missing a morning paddle, and a full day with nothing planned. After a walk around Woodlawn, breakfast, and the blog, we both got busy. I decided to organize the attic, and Evie had a couple of projects she wanted to get done. I made a good start on the attic, but I still have a ways to go with all the toys we got out for Rhys’s visit. Evie made progress as well, both upstairs and downstairs, and she did the wash. Around 10:30, we finalized the document supporting a Green Card for our grandson Tyler’s wife, Renee, and I drove over to the North Harmony offices and got it notarized for the second time. We will send it off later today.

Kinney's Run

Bridge Over Creek

Woodlawn Woods

Woodlawn

I was home by noon, read some, and then had lunch: leftover pizza and Evie’s vegetable soup. I watched another episode of my series, then went upstairs to read and briefly nap. By 3:00, I was tired of reading, and Evie had seared some pork ribs, added sauerkraut and tomatoes, and put the dish in the oven for two hours. She was enjoying some leisure time watching TV. I decided to get a couple of things done that had been bothering me. First, I set up two bird feeders from last year to go along with the one Evie’s sister Claire sent us. I was out of black sunflower seeds, so I drove to Peterson’s Farm and picked up 40 pounds for 30 bucks. I came home, filled the feeders, and put the rest of the seed on the porch in a plastic bin. By the way, the feeders are already attracting birds. Finally, I cleaned out the garage and organized it so that when the snow comes, I can put the Outback away for the winter, taking it out only when needed.

By 5:00, we were done with our chores, and Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters for forty-five minutes. I read some, watched some news, and joined her in the living room at 5:45 until it was time for dinner. We had the ribs, sauerkraut, and tomatoes along with mashed potatoes, and we both loved it. The pork was fall-off-the-bone, and the sauerkraut was delicious. We watched our show until 8:15, when the Bills/Vikings game started. The first half was boring, as neither team did much until the last two minutes, when the Bills finally woke up and scored a touchdown. Neither team played well, but the Bills ended up winning because the Vikings’ quarterback had an atrocious game.

Windy And White Caps

7:19

8:09

It’s 7:42, and I’ve been up for an hour watching the waves roll in on a gray morning. It’s a chilly 43º, and we received a quarter inch of rain overnight, just enough to get the lawn wet. Because of the wind and waves, I won’t be kayaking this morning, alas, so I’ll have to find something else to do.

Sunday ended up being a good day: lots of leisure, kayaking, football, biking, and dinner out. It began with a great hour-long paddle, made better because I saw buffleheads and loons for the first time. After the paddle, I wrote the blog and had breakfast: a piece of pumpkin pie. We extended our coffee hour, but by 10:45 I was ready for a bike ride. I drove to Mayville, parked my car, and rode my usual route: two sections of Webb’s Trail, a section of Mayville’s Recreational Trail, then down Sea Lion Drive to the end and back to my car. I was out for close to an hour and fought a heavy wind over the last couple of hundred yards. I then stopped at Tops to pick up some Keurig coffee cups and pork chops, two for the price of one.

Webb's Trail

An Abundance Of Leaves

Looking South From North End Of Lake

When I got home, I read until 1:00. Evie started making me breakfast, frying up potatoes, but Beth called, so I finished it myself with a couple of fried eggs and watched the first half of the Kansas City Chiefs game. Evie talked with Beth for at least an hour, catching up on her busy life, school, and Tyler and Mitch, both of whom have new jobs, and Marisa, who is in her second year of med school. All are doing well. Around 2:00, I surprised myself by napping for a good half hour despite having slept well. Around 4:00, I went out and mulched the leaves from our Bradford pear tree in the backyard. It seems to be the last tree to lose its leaves.

Two Old Guys And Their Chicks

By 5:45, we were both showered and ready to be picked up by Ron and Linda, who were driving us to dinner at Pace’s Pizza in Jamestown, our favorite pizza restaurant. Unfortunately, it’s a 20-minute drive, and at this time of year it’s dark, so Ron stuck to the main roads to avoid deer. Pace’s was fairly busy with retirees like us, but we found a booth and were quickly served our beers and had our orders taken. We always get a large pizza and two large house salads. Ron always gets pizza, and Linda the meatball appetizer. We are not very adventurous and know what we like. The pizza was great, as were the salads, and we have enough left over for a lunch or two. We were home by 8:15, and Evie, tired, went up to bed. I watched the first half of the Chicago/Tampa Bay game, then went up to bed to read and sleep, tired from a busy day.

Morning Gray And A Calm Lake

A Pair Of Loons

Bald Eagle

7:29

8:62

It’s 7:06, and I’ve been up since 6:15. Outdoors, it’s absolutely quiet, not a whisper of wind, the lake like a mirror. The cold, however, has arrived with a 41º morning.

It’s now 9:00, and I just returned from a two-mile paddle on the lake. I spent much of the hour taking photos of loons, then buffleheads, then an eagle, and finally a heron. What a great morning for birding. It's 9:30, Evie's picking out photos, and I am enjoying breakfast, homemade pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

Chestnut Hill

Paddling Into The Sun

Looms

Loons

Loon

Buffleheads Return

Bald Eagle

A Great Blue Heron

Yesterday turned out to be a decent day, starting with a paddle in drizzle, then rain, and I loved it. After drying out, I finished up the blog and had breakfast. We were in no hurry, so we relaxed with another cup of coffee. Then I went for a walk around the neighborhood since the drizzle had stopped. Recently, I mentioned that our grandson Tyler had married Renee, who grew up in China. She is applying for a green card and asked us to write an Affidavit of Residency. Our daughter Beth was asked to write one as well. I wrote mine Wednesday, got it notarized Friday, and sent it to them, but a couple of things needed to be added or changed. After breakfast, I sat down, made the changes, and sent it back for them to read before we get it notarized again on Monday. While I was editing, Evie was busy making both a pumpkin pie and a big pot of vegetable soup for lunches. Yum. After I finished writing, we gathered the trash and drove to the Transfer Station in the rain. It’s always a busy place, but I was in and out quickly.

Around 1:00, Evie made me a couple of cheese sandwiches, along with a bowl of vegetable soup. I watched my show and a bit of college football, although I had little interest in any of the games. I’m now into my book, The Kind Worth Killing, so I was happy to go upstairs to read and briefly nap.

For some reason, I wanted to do more raking, so I grabbed a garbage pail and rake and did the rest of the side yard, filling another pail with wet leaves. When I returned, I took the pails up the hill to the woodpile, emptied them, and was happy to have three empty pails, ready, I suppose, for more leaves. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the couch, either reading or watching TV. It’s strange how I have a hard time relaxing and doing nothing, always wanting to go out and do something. By 5:00, we were doing something, enjoying a glass of wine and listening to the news.

Dinner was another ready-to-heat meal, Kevin's Thai Style Coconut Chicken. Basically, you heat the chicken for a minute, add the sauce and heat it for another two or three minutes, and it’s ready to serve over rice. It was actually pretty good, along with maple syrup-topped Brussels sprouts. For dessert, we had pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream. I had forgotten how good pumpkin pie is. We watched TV, and around 8:30, I put on some football for a few minutes but quickly went back to my series, The Mayor of Kingstown, before heading up to bed.