Two Days with Linda and Rich

Linda and Rich came up on Tuesday, arriving around noon. Fortunately, the roads were fine so they had no trouble getting here. We did get snow, about 7 inches that night, but they did not leave till Thursday morning, when the roads were clear once again. At the same time we have had mild snow, both Washington and Pittsburgh have had massive snow storms, record setting in fact, so that Ellen and Wally have been housebound for four or five days, as has Linda and ron in Pittsburgh. And here we sit, in snow country, with very little snow over the last four weeks, just snow flurries on and off each day, though little build up. Evie made Thai coconut soup for lunch, with pot stickers, and we had rack of lamb for dinner, both excellent and easy to make, at least if you get some things done ahead of time. We did go for a walk at Bemus in late afternoon, sliding down the bank, to walk on the lake. We were out for only 20 minutes but at that hour, as the sun is beginning to set, the lake takes on an interesting hue of gray and white, and it just feels good to be out on the lake, breathing in the cold air, getting some exercise. We went to the Seezurh for a 75 cent beer, then went home to our lamb dinner. The next morning Evie made a German Apple Pancake for breakfast, along with eggs and bacon, and it was really quite good, especially if you put maple syrup on it. We then went for a walk in the Institution, and it was like walking through a cathedral, as all the trees were dripping with snow, creating neat ceilings as we walked. We went as far as the bookstore, going up and down streets, and again, it was great to get out in the cold air. We went back to the Seezurh for lunch, though it was disappointing, especailly the chili and beef on wick. At least the beer was cheap. We went hope, relaxed till about 4:00 and then went out to cross country ski for an hour. I think it wore Rich out because he woke up the next morning very sore. We made Chicken Kiev, and Rich helped Evie pound out the breasts, and put together the chicken. Unfortunately, most of the butter escaped so the Kiev was not as good as we had thought, though the pilav was really good. For dessert we had lemon coconut pie and baklava, both made by Evie before they came. Rich seemed really tired after dinner, perhaps because of a couple of mannies, and we all went to bed early. Evie and I were up early the next morning; Linda and Rich got up around 7:45 and by 8:30 they were off for Cleveland. I think they enjoyed their stay and we surprised a bit by the things we ended up doing. I think Rich thought they would be bored, just sitting around and staring out of the window. Most people think this because they don't really take advantage of the outdoors, treating it as verboten, be we, because we are 'irrationally happy,' revel in it. After they left, we went off toe Dobbins Woods, a preserve about ten minutes from our house. It was amazing, as a fresh snow had fallen, and the pines were weeping with lofts of snow, creating an amazing trail of trees, snow, and animal tracks. The sun came out, sparkling the snow, and we were out in about 40 minutes, though enough. We went home, worked on the slides, and later in the afternoon, I mailed them off to Fotobridge, returned in time to cross country ski for an hour, then we had cocktails, chicken parm, watched some tv and went to bed. This morning, Friday, we went off to Long Point, and again, it was really beautiful, as I skiied and Evie snow shoed through the woods. We went on a couple of new trails, Evie did some bush whacking, so we were out for over and hour. We came home to BLT's, a brief nap, then more skiing on the lake, this time we both had our ipods and it was fun. When you have a good song, you feel like you can really cruise. Unfortuantely, some of the tracks were wet, as the snow seems to insulate some of the lower layers, so they can be wet, which freezes on your skiis making it very difficult to slide. I had to clean off Evie's skiis at least once. Tonight we are going shopping, then eating at Taco Hut, before seeing the movie ON EDUCATION at the Rex Lenna theater on third street in downtown Jamestown. Finally, I just received an email from Ekber, thanking me for the kind words about their book; he said they liked it so much, it was so accurate, they may use it on the backcover of the next edition. That was nice.