Halloween Sunday in Darien

Well, we hit the secular church this morning, Costco,  I think I could be come a believer.  We arrived at 10:00 and it was already crowded with early worshipers of the Church of Consumption, myself included, though we bought very little.  I think, after my buying a Mac Air yesterday, I am all bought out.  Rami helped me a great deal this morning with my Air, answering simple questions that would have taken me hours to figure out and we are in the process of transferring all my pictures and documents from my Netbook to a hard drive, to my new Air.  It's going to take two or three hours easily.  I also figured out how to add a picture to my blog, finally, so that's kind of cool. It just shows how stupid I can be, or unobservant, as the image is on the screen as I type, but when you edit, it disappears.  I was always looking for the image when I was editing, not composing.  We are helping Beth to get ready for their annual Halloween party for the neighborhood, from 4:30-6:00, although I am not being much help as I write on this blog.  She will have pizza and drinks for parents and kids, and then they will head off trick or treating around 6:00.  It's a good idea, as most families are around, and getting a dinner ready the night of Halloween is always a problem.  Well, better go and see if I can make myself useful...I doubt it. We, or I should say Beth, Rami, and Evie have spent a good part of the afternoon getting ready, though I have bothered Rami quite a bit, as we are downloading all of my pictures from Picasa as well as Itunes which takes quite awhile.  How nice to have someone around who knows what they are doing.  The house is starting to look really amazing, with Halloween decorations in every room, from hanging skeltons, to pumpkins, to skulls, to scary music.  It's going to be very kid friendly, as well as fun for the adults, with pomegranite margaritas, wine, and beer, to take the edge off the kiddy chaos which no doubt happens when you get 20 or more kids in one room.  It should be fun and I look forward to meeting some of Beth and Ram's neighbors, a few whom we already know.  Fortunately, it looks like its going to be a cool, but sunny day, perfect for the party, as the kids will be able to play outside, after Ramiro blew most of the leaves off the lawn, and we straightened up the patio and outdoors, or mostly he did.  Marisa disappeared early in the afternoon and Evie found her upstairs reading a book, with her feet up on a pillow, while Mitch played a computer game with a buddy from school.  Lettie mostly kept her eyes on the dog s and scanned Facebook, literally for hours...there is not that much to see, at least for me.  A quick scan and I am done with it.  For her, it's a way to keep in touch with many who also are dog lovers like her, mostly her group in Central Park.

Mac Air Saturday

We started the day off we Marisa's soccer game at 8:30, at Middlesex Middle School. It was a brisk but sunny morning, just right for soccer though Marisa insisted on not wearing a jacket. She scored at least one goal, assisted on another, and her team wond 7-6 although that does not seem to matter that much to little girls, which is nice to see, Wait till they get older, their coaches more ambitious and they will woofing at the other team. After the game, we came back, and Rami and I took off to Stamford Mall, where I picked up my Mac Air Book, a 1700.00 purchase that I hope I will not regret. I decided on the warranty as well, just to make sure it works, which is a bit of a rip off, of course, though the salesman really thought it was a good idea, Is he on commission on warranties? Probably. We go home and Rami helped me set it up, with Word, and I was off though I have quite a bit to learn, as it's much different from my PC. After playing with the Mac, we went off to REI, then Sports Authority, to buy a shirt for Tyler, some things for Mitch and I picked up a warm stocking hat for the winter. When we got home, Rami was able to set up my emails, calendar, contacts, the things that would have taken forever for me to do. Beth and Rami went off to dinner; they asked to go but I thought it would be more fun for them to go off on their own(you knew this, right Beth). And I was tired, to be honest, and wanted to spend time with Mitch and Marisa. We had Chinese food for dinner, lots of it, though we ended up eating quite a bit, and Lettie brought two boxes of cupcakes from Magnolia, after we brought some home on Wednesday, so we are living quite 'rich', with those cupcakes. Right now, I am sitting here typing, Mitch is playing a game on tv, Lettie is on her computer, Evie is finishing up some food, and Marisa is already in bed. She read for a half hour tonight, effortlessly and seems to really like her books. It so much fun to see her enjoy it. Mitch worked on his vocabulary words after dinner for about ten minutes; they seemed very hard and not necessarily the ones he might use very often. Teachers all have their own ideas of how to teach vocabulary, and what words are appropriate.

A Day in NYC

We were up by 6:00,as Mitch popped out of bed, as usual, and into the shower,the first one up, other than Rami. I took Rami to the train a bit before 7:00, Tyler twenty minutes later, and walked Marisa to the bus at 8:00...an easy morning, actually, as Evie made egg bagels, and Beth seems to be feeling a bit better after her gum surgery. We decided to go into the city, since it's supposed to be a nice day, and just walk around, see where we want to go, live spontaneously. If we don't want to go to the MOMA, we won't. There are a few stops that are a must, Etaly among them, perhaps a Turkish restaurant, but it depends on how we feel, where we are walking. Anyways, our train doesn't leave till 10:06, so we have lots of time to get ready and for me to plan.

It cost 24.00 bucks for both of us, non peak, to go into Grand Central. It was a really nice day to visit the city, but the train ride never seems that interesting, as it's hard to see much as you go, though it gets better once you get to the city, especially to Harlem, where there are lots of public housing, and interesting streets. We looked around Grand Central, as I had heard a Turkish restaurant was opening down there, but we could not find it; a myth, I guess. We decided to walk to a Turkish patisserie, Gulloglu's, on 53/2nd Street. It was quite modern, a few what seem to be Turks were inside, but it was authentic Turkish sweets...we had sutlac and a simit, as well as Turkish tea. There were lots of various other sweets, and I wish I had gotten something with kaymak, perhaps some sahlep, but I didn't read the menu carefully until after we ordered. After the simits, we headed to the spice store, Kalyustans', on Lexington and 29th street. It is an amazing store, just about anything you want from most of the world, in terms of spices and sauces. We got some hot bean sauce, chilis, sweet chili sauce,before heading to Eataly.

Eataly is an amazing idea and store, though it was so crowded that i am not sure it's an enjoyable place to eat. If you brose or shop, it seems fine, as all you have to do is wade your way through the various lines, for paninis, things like that, or to get a table at one of the restaurants or bars, where you can sip a glass of wine and order a dinner. It's really lively and filled with delectables, from all over Italy, at a often unpleasant price. It's the kind of place I might shop at seriously once a year, not giving a dam at how much something costs. But for every day shopping, it would break the bank. I remember reading an article, but I don't remember what they were criticizing but it was a bit over the top,with everything at a high end, nothing really practical for the everyday cook like me. If it were more natural, authentic, part of an Italian town, rather than something that is created to look like a market in Italy, it would be nicer. I guess I would prefer an old style Italian deli, run down and beat up, with salamis hanging from the ceiling, like the Greek deli in Cleveland's West Side Market. Not chic, not modern, just lots of good food at a sensible price.

A Wet Morning in Darien, CT

We had a easy drive yesterday, from Trout's house on Lake Thompson,Maine, to the Albarran's in Darien, CT. Fortunately, the day cleared up by the time we hit Portland, and until we got to Hartford, it was a beautiful fall day, of golds and reds, surprising us because we had thought the peak foliage season was over. It's not certainly, in Darien and surrounding areas. We did stop at Cabela's, just outside of Portland, but ended up not buying anything, despite all the good stuff. We then hit Trout's NH liquor store, just before you enter Mass, and bought a case of wine, La Vielle Ferme, which Trout recommended, for 6.99 a bottle. We got to Beth's around 3:00, just in time to pick Mitch up on the street, as he was walking home from school and we were able to then walk to pick up Marisa, at her school, as she did cart wheels almost the entire way home. What a happy girl! Beth was recovering from gum surgery, so we tried to help out, picking up Tyler, taking him to physical therapy. We ended up with a couple of rotisserie chickens, garlic/oil pasta, and garlic bread. Rami got home about 8:00, after taking the train to Boston early in the morning, and returning late, a long day for him. We ended up watching the Celts bare defeat the Miami Heat, in Lebron's first game in a Heat uniform. Before bed, we had to arrange Marisa's animals on her bed, part of the routine when we arrive. As I sit here this morning, writing this and watching MSNBC, it's strange, since we have not watched any news in a week. All the kids are off to school, and it's quiet, a strange feeling, as it's usually quite busy with all the kids here. It's more fun when they are here, no doubt, though we may hit Stu Leonard's later today, which is the one place we 'have' to visit while we are here.

Stew Leonard's, as usual, was delight, crowded, filled with all kinds of interesting foods, lots of free appetizers, it makes shopping fun for us, at least we try to go their once a visit at minimum. It seemed more crowded than usual, though it was lunch hour. I am not sure you save money there, because like Trader's Joe's, you end up buying extra goodies because everything looks so good, the advantage of an attractive looking store, lots of fresh looking meats, cheese, vegetables, and fish. And if you buy enough, you get a free ice cream cone, in fact, we were able to get two because of the size of the bill. Later, we took Marisa to dance class, spent most of the time talking to Beth's good friend Nancy. Unfortunately, we were unable to watch her dance, as, according to the enforcer, it takes a way from the girl's concentration. It's a busy day around here, as after we brought Marisa home, Beth went off to art class with Mitch for a couple of hours and we were to pick up Tyler at 6:50, but his train was cancelled so another parent brought him home around 7:20, to meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and cupcakes. Tyler watched a bit of TV, then went off to study, if like last night for three or four hours. I feel sorry for him, for the time he has to put in, with little leisure, other than an hour to so of telly. I guess I shouldn't complain about his working so hard, as he is just being a good boy, responsible and hard working, the way you expect all your children to be. Mitch,too, puts in at least an hour a night, and really seems to enjoy reading on his own as well. He really seems to be in to art, and brought home a couple of his abstract pieces, geometric in nature, like a Paul Klee.

Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Revisited

MAINE: The beauty of the East coast stays with the traveler and one has to be impressed by the foliage, the forests that covered almost all of the area, the mountains, both the Green Mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire, and the White Mountains of Maine. It’s also clear that Vermont, at least around Woodstock, and New Hampshire, seem more s

Lake Thompson, Maine to Darien, CT

I am up early, around 5:30 and the wireless network, from Trout’s neighbors is down, alas, and I don’t have anything to read nearby without waking up Evie so I guess I will make do with what I have, my computer and word processor, to catch up on yesterday. Because it was a rainy day, we more or less relaxed yesterday afternoon, after our brunch with Hobart, and a walk that Trout and I took to the camp. When we got back from the walk, everyone had gone to take a nap, but Ellery soon awoke, in a bad mood, so everyone was up trying to placate her. Eventually, Christine took her back downstairs to the bedroom, settled her down for about 15 minutes, and brought her back up. We sat around and talked, admired Ellery, and eventually Christine got packed and headed off to Portland, alas, leaving us four adults alone. The last thing Els said was Good by Bob, her nickname for me, and gave me a hug. We decided to go out for dinner, so we took Vic and Trout out to Da Vinci’s Italian restaurant in Auburn/Lewiston, an old mill town about 30 minutes east and a bit north, I think, home of Bates College. The restaurant was in a converted textile mill, and it looks as though they are trying to resurrect the town and mills, by renovating the huge old mill buildings and turning them into offices, shopping areas, and restaurants. I wonder if there will be enough clientel to keep them open, as it’s not really on the Maine tourist hot line. I had a seafood pasta, which was fair, nothing special and Evie had eggplant parm, of which she ate only half. It was nice to see the area of bit, though it was dark, though riding home in Big Red, Trout’s Ford Pickup was a trip, with its narrow backseat cab for the girls, and the twin glass packs mufflers. It felt like we were back in high school. We got home about 9:00 stayed up till about ten, talking about dogs, especially the Trout’s three labs, beautiful dogs and well behaved I might add, though they are like three children, needy for affection, always sticking their nose or snout into your lap to be petted, or face to be nuzzled. They certainly end up being a responsibility but Trout and Vic don’t seem to mind, in fact revel in their dogs antics and affection. They sleep in their bedroom, one on Vic’s feet according to Trout, so they are one big happy family. It is fun to walk the woods with them, as they are so energetic, alive, running ahead, back and forth, grabbing sticks, sometimes all three mouthing the same stick as they run, or two will pick on the third, forcing her in obeyance. When we came back from the walk, we went down to the lake, and threw sticks into the water, as all three dove into the lake, chasing the stick or each other, coming out, shaking off the water, rolling in the sand, then going in again to fetch the stick. Trout certainly has his water dogs, quite a difference from Cassie who was afraid of the water. Trout and I ended up talking politics, agreeing on practically everything, especially the fact that everything was screwed up, with seemingly no hope in sight, a result mostly of the Republicans concerted effort to fight anything proposed by Obama, as well as his mindset that thought he could work with them for the betterment of the country. I think he is beginning to see how impossible that is, that his ability to work on an accommodation, something he has excelled at all his life, in various arenas, from the streets of Chicago, to Harvard Law, have met their match with the Republicans. One wonders if they truly do love their country, if they are so adamant in their refusal to jump on board ‘anything’ Obama proposes, though it may not be in agreement with their program, of enriching the white elites, and keeping down the poor. Trout mentioned a writer of thrillers named Lee Childs, so I will have to look him up in the local library, as I am sure he has written many novels, around his major hero, a kind of roustabout whose name I forget.

Gray and Rainy Morning on Lake Thompson, Maine

I work about 7:00 and Christine was already up with Ellery, who had been up since 4:00. Vic told her to go back to bed, and we took care of a unhappy Els, until she got her bottle and food in her. Evie got up around 8:00 and Ellery smiled at her and said Evie. Today, we go to Hobart and Linda's for brunch, and depending on the weather, we may just drive around and look at the Oxford area with the Trouts. Our dinner was great last night, of course, and Christine and Ben took care of everything, making the courses as they were needed, clearing the table, pouring the wine, filling the wine glasses. It was like being in a restaurant, and yet, they seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, despite their having to do all the work. It was fun to catch up with Hobart and Linda, and Jake and Sally are always fun to talk with. We must have sat for at least three hours, enjoying one course after another, starting with deviled eggs with lobster, salad, duck breast,rack of lamb, and a lemon curd cake with razzberries, all delicious and nicely plated. After everyone left, we sat up and talked about our trip to
Turkey, giving them some idea of how great it was. People seem interested but only for awhile, and I tend to drone one, I think, thinking they are interested, which they are, for awhile. I have to figure out how much is 'a while.' It's lightening up a little, and hopefully we will be able to walk to Hobart and Linda's. Ben also hopes to go hunting, for a few hours, but I am not sure he will go out in this kind of weather, though it's not that cold, and just getting away to the woods sounds appealing, as long as it's not too cold.

We just back from a brunch at Hobart and Linda's cabin/camp. It's a lovely spot, set up 140 feed from the lake, up on a plauteau, so it's most pine woods and oaks down to the lake. There living space up stairs is fairly tight, a living room, dining room, and kitchen, two bedrooms in the back, and a basement that opens out to the grounds, finished, with a game room, and two bedrooms an bath in back. They have a great deck around the house, an amazing garage in the back, and four acres of woods and 200 feet of lake frontage. He has a beautiful view, across the lake, even when it's misty and gray. I got the entire history of the house an area, during our brunch of blue berry pancakes, sticky buns, bacon, and a ham and cheese omelet. They were great hosts, fun to talk to as usual. We looked at our pictures of Turkey for about 15 minutes, and everyone seemed to enjoy them. We walked outside, to see the grounds, and left about 12:15 as Ellery had to be back for a nap. Trout and I took the dogs for a walk, walking up to a summercamp about 15 minutes away, also on the lake. It was empty obviously, but quite nice, with a newly built dining hall/meeting room, surrounded by cabins, and other out houses. Lots of lake frontage for boating, Hobart's property used to belong to the camp before they sold off a few lots 25 years ago. It's been a lazy afternoon, as we are all a bit tired, Vickie and the baby taking a nap, while Trout and I walked. Ellery woke quite out of sorts, and poor Christine has to get her ready for the drive back to Portland, as Ben is out hunting for the day, and will just go home to Portland.

Oxford, Maine, Lake Thompson

We are now at Trout's beautiful house, on Lake Thompson, and I have been up since 6::30, a darkened lake, then Vic and Ellery got up, and Els and I looked at pictures of our grandchildren on the computer, which she seemed to love. She has really warmed up to Evie and I, seems happy to sit on our lap and be with us. We had a great breakfast of bagels, cream cheese,lox, and capers. We then went for an hour walk, through the woods, looking at all the lovely homes along the lake, many more than what one would think just looking at the lake from Trout's house. We walked out to two islands, Black and Mc Guire,both which you get to by a cause way. We ended up talking with the owner of the final property on McGuire, who owns this entire peninsula, a lovely sight. It's a great place to walk, with the four dogs racing ahead, exploring the woods and property, as we walked and talked. Ellery went with us, not a peep, enjoyed the walk, never cried nor seemed unhappy. I am sitting in a rocker, looking out at the lake, as everyone else is in the kitchen getting lunch and dinner ready. Christine is reducing the cherry/vinegar sauce for the duck, ricing potatoes, as Vickie puts the corn chowder on the stove top. It's become a bit overcast, though Trout and I hope to kayak after our lunch. Ben just returned from shopping, and he is helping out as well, getting ready for our five course extraganza of a dinner, caviar/lobster stuffed eggs, salad with walnuts, etc, then duck breasts appetizer, maincourse of Icelandic racks of lamb, finished off with dessert. It sounds amazing, and I am sure it well be. I have forgot to mention the four dogs, three labs and a spaniel which is Christine and Ben's. They are just like big children, lounging on the couches, digging their heads into you lap to be petted, and paid attention to. They sleep in the Trouts bedroom, and are well behaved, not hyper at all, just when you get up to take them out side. Then, there's commotion, as they jump to attention, rush to the door, and wag their tails, ready to go out. Yesterday, as I was sitting drinking a beer, one of them walked by my table, and with their tail, knocked over my beer. They are sleek, thin, and great dogs but you need a large house to accomodate them.  Great dogs.

Lake Sunapee, NH to Thompson Lake, Maine

It's a beautiful morning at Dale and Jeanne's house, as I sit here in their quiet living room, looking out at the shimering lake, the orange sky above the pine trees on the far side. It's a view similar but different from Chautauqua, the opposing shore a bit nearer, the sides of the lake encroaching more where there house sits. It is an amazingly beautiful spot. isolated, a couple hundred feet of frontage, woods to the side, a huge garage, and a house sitting about 40 feet from the lake if that. And best of all, the water is clear, the bottom sandy, few if any weeds, and they have volunteers to check boats that our launched for millefoil and other critters. The nicest part is there are few houses on the lake, unlike Chautauqua, which is surrounded by cottages, some a few feet from each other, making this a special place. Plus most of the property within their view is state owned, so it will never be developed. They also have what was a small pavillion on the left side of their property, right on the lake, which Dale renovated, so that now its a bunk house/play room for the grandchildren when they come, a great idea. He is really handy, so much of the inside of the house has been reworked by both of them, Dale doing the carpentry, Jeanne the painting. They have a family room, kithcen, dining room, with a den off it, and a guest bedroom with a bathroom. Upstairs their is one large master bedroom, overlooking the lake, with a large bathroom and a large walkin closet. Also, there is a large, narrow enclosed porch off the dining room, where Dale spends most of his mornings in warm weather, with a panoramic view of the lake, as its all windows. We sat and talked till about ten, about the old days at school, people we knew, changes we had seen, and watched a bit of the Yankees and Rangers World Series game, then off to bed. Unfortunately, my heart went out of rhythm about 10:30, reconverting around 4:30, so it was a rough night. We are going off to breakfast to a local spot, then back, as Dale and Jeanne have a gardener/horticulturalist coming as they are redoing their backyard, tearing up some asphalt, adding green areas, plants and trees. Dale showed me the plans that had to be drawn and passed by the state, just to make his yard more green, more sustainable and healthy for the lake. Lots of hoops for those who would want an unhealthy development but lots, too, for those like Dale, who are trying to preserve and encourage the health of the area. As I sit here typing, I have a great view out their sliding doors, in the family room/living room, with lots of b irds flying to the bird feeder, and landing on the ground to get the seeds that have fallen. Two ducks have just alighted, and are wadling around the yard looking for food. There is not a cloud in the sky, just light blue and sunshine so bright you cannot look at it, so it must be cold outside, perhaps as low as in the 20's but I am just guessing. We did have traces of snow yesterday. It's 7:40 and Dale just got up, an hour after me, so it was nice to have some time to myself, and for them, to have a leisurely wake up. They are great hosts. We took off for Trout's about 10:30, after a great breakfast at Dale and Jeanne's favorite breakfast place, with freshly made English muffins. We took the long way, winding our way to Lake Windapistakie, and stopped in Wolfeboro, a neat little town on the lake. We stopped there for lunch, had a nice bowl of clam chowder and panini, before heading over the White Mountains, on Rt. 16 to Conway, then Bridgton, Maine, before heading down to Trout's in Oxford. The drive was beautiful, windy and mountainous, but not scary for Evie, like some of the roads in Colorado. The towns seemed more picturesque around Dale and Jeanne's and as we got closer to Maine, after Wolfeboro, they became more like those in New York, run down and empty. Maine seems much more desolate, undeveloped, and poor, but has a rugged beauty compared with the more picturesque in New Hampshire.

Woodstock, Vermont

I awoke about 7:30, to a quiet house, though it was a rough night, as I was up on and off during the night, like the night before, and Evie had a tummy ache after her dinner, and severe diarheaa, though she seems better this morning. We had a great meal last night, despite the tummy aches, at the Prince and Pauper, Mac's favorite restaurant, where he eats a couple times a week. I had ribs, and Evie and Mac split a salmon dish and a steak, all nicely done. The restaurant has atmosphere, though the best part is that everyone knows and likes Mac, from the waiting staff, to the maitre de, to the bar tender. It reminds us a lot of Bud's, even inside, dark but nicely furnished. I was surprised at how crowded it was on a Thursday night, and when we left, around 8:30, couples were still arriving, both local and tourist. It is obviously the most popular place in Woodstock, the place to go. They have a prix fixe meal for 49.00 but also a bistro menu where most of the prices are in the 18 or 19 range, including salad, not bad. We came home, Evie went straight to bed, and I stayed up and talked with Mac. We are sitting here in Mac's living room, watching Morning Joe, waiting for Evie to get up. We are sitting in the Conly's living room, after a marvelous dinner of beef bourgionne, wine, snickedooles, and good company. We started the morning with Mac, visiting the farmer's market for a coffee and bagel, before heading over to Shackleton's to see the works. It was really interesting as Mac us through the shop, showing us hte various stages of the furniture making business. We talked with various furniture makers but we really enjoyed Chris, Mac's young friend Chris, who was really charming and fun to talk to, as he explained lots of the process. We got the bowl he made out of the car, which Mac hadn't given us, and it was fun to listen to him, as he said he remembered it, bowl 23, as it was etched. We went to the potters, to the store, met various people, and it was fun to see Mac in his element, with all his friends at the shop. We then did the same thing at the library, where we met various women, all who talked about him fondly, and we got the grand tour. Mac seemed in a bit of a hurry to get to work, so we bid him an aloha, and headed off to King Arthur in Norwich, NH, where we shopped but didn't really buy anything but a cuban sandwich and a dough scraper and sour dough starter

Chautuaqua to Woodstock, Vermont

It's 5:30, pitch black and rainy, about 42 degrees, as I sit her with my coffee, thinking about our 8+ ride today to Woodstock. It would seem we are going to be cursed once again by bad weather for our trip, like our trip to Bristow two weeks ago, rain the entire time. Let's hope it lets up a bit as it could be a beautiful drive as the leaves around here are at their peak. I had a bad night, waking up every hour, to see if it was time to arise. Finally, I did.

Dock Blind

Unfortunately, we woke to a new dock configuration, one that blocks our view of the lake more than usual, and will entail getting Billy and friend back to put it back the way it was last year. Why he put it the way he did, I am not sure, but I should have been more observant and stopped him when he got it started. We were upset with his later arrival, something I get uptight about for some reason, and I decided not to watch them take it out, as it upsets me with their carelessness and inefficiency, and I paid for it with the way they stored it. So, I will have to call him this morning, and get him back to set it right. Maybe it will cost me more money, maybe not if he is empathetic. We woke to a sunny morning with temperatures in the low 40's and it is supposed to get up to the 60's today, though tomorrow they are predicting the possibility of snow, making it difficult to decide which care to take East, the Accord with good mileage, the Pilot with four wheel drive. As usual, I will go with what Evie wants.

Autumn Rains

Now I get it, as it was gray yesterday morning, rained last night, this morning, and, as a result, the morning is gray, threatening gray clouds hanging over a gray lake, and Bemus Bay(44 degrees). Although it may clear up this afternoon for a bit, it looks like another gray,rainy day. Barry is stopping by in about 15 minutes, to check out our fire logs, which seem to be shutting off for no reason. Today, our dock is supposedly coming in, if Billy and Chris Kent make it over, which is often questionable, but we take off for Vermont and Maine on Thursday morning, so we want it done before we leave.

Evie had a good time last night at Roberta McKibben's home, her first meeting of ladies of the night. It sounds like they have a good time, playing various games, kinds that revolve around personal stories (like your best Halloween costumes). She knew almost all the people their, Anne Marshaus and her Mom, Jane, Roberta, and met Charlie Heinz's wife, and another women who runs the local 800 number company.

A New Living Room

A gray, gray morning, gray lake, gray sky, with a glimmer on light gray on lake, the far sky, as I was up by 6:00, after a restless night, the kind you seem to keep waking up every 15 minutes and going back to sleep, or not. It was 41 degrees as I got up, pitch black, and I came down to a new living room configuration, our first since we moved in. Ron and Linda came over last night and Linda had ideas about to reconfigure our living space to take advantage of our new fire logs, so we moved the love seat opposite the couch, and moved the swivel chairs towards the fireplace, so now we have two sitting areas, one geared towards the lake, one towards the fireplace, and because of the swivel chairs, one can also see the lake. My morris chair is in such a place that I can see the fire as well as the lake, so I may end up using it alot more. I started listening to Thich Knat Hahn live from Bangkok but it was just the introduction, a singing of breathing out and in, so I will go back in a bit and see if it's interesting. Our dock did not come out yesterday, as we had thought. In fact, we missed brats and beer at the Southern Tier Brewery because Billy said they would be here about 4:30. They were here, at Woodlawn, but took out the public dock and Maryanne's, not ours. C'est la vie. They are coming Tuesday afternoon. The lake now has various shades of darkness and shimmery gray, matched by the cloud sky, another view I have never seen in this never ending spectacle of water...always changing,never the same.

Because the lake was so placid, we decided to kayak, despite the gray, and it was a marvelous paddle, across to Long Point, along the Marina, where what seemed to be 'inmates' were bringing in the park's dock. We then headed back across to Wells Bay, then skirted the coast back to the house. Evie then spent the rest of the day fine tuning our new living room, polishing furniture, cleaning the books and book shelves, vacuaming, and making it as perfect as she can get it. I went to Snug's, to pick up a lost drain plus for my boat, went up to check it was the right size, then came home, for lunch, and TV and a cat nap. While Evie got ready for her gathering with the Ladies of the Night, I took a nice walk through Victorian, saw the new house being built just beyond Giarizzo's, walked up to 394 then back down through Victoria, Aultz's, and home. Evie leaves at 7:00 tonight, so I am having left over pizza; she's taking deviled eggs for her pupus and has mixed emotions about going. I am sure she will enjoy getting to know the various women, though Roberta seems to be in such poor health that we were afraid she would have to cancel it.

Sunday! Sunday!

A clear morning, as the sky has gradually changed from gray to varying shades of pink and light blue as the gets lighter and lighter, until the sun has risen literally over Bemus and Tom's Point, as it moves more south each morning. It's strange that I have not really paid attention to where the sun rises until this fall, when I decided to take a snapshot of the sun rise each month, but as near to the four equinoxes as I can. It looks like another beautiful fall day, 44 degrees when I awoke and 6:40 and as of now, 7:50, I have yet to see a boat on the lake. Last night we tried to watch the first of the Inspector Lynnley mystery series, but it was too slow and hard to understand(British English)and not worth the effort.

Fall Saturday

Woke a bit late, around 7:20 and it was already 43 degrees outside, sunny, and not quite as windy as yesterday, which had winds of 30-40 miles most of the day. My new Slovenian flag is still flying despite the wild winds. I wonder how long it will last this winter. Evie is in the kitchen, getting ready for the arrival of Shortens and friends, making a spinach borek. Yesterday she made her homemade tomato soup and lemon squares, so we will be ready for them Last night, we went to the Seezurh with Ron and Linda, saw the Jones, Johnsons, and Mike Giarizzo. It must had been a good night to head to Bemus. The bar was not that crowded when we arrived, though it ebbed and flowed, and when we left, about 8:30, it was beginning to get more crowded, especially around the bar. We heard all about Ron and Linda's hike in California, around the Point Reyes state park, which is set on the ocean, about an hour north of San Francisco. It sounds like an amazing place to hike, with hundreds of trails, some along the ocean, others into the hills. It was not an inexpensive trip, obviously, and they seemed to eat at great restaurants each night. Why not if you have the money. I think I would find it difficult to spend 500 a day or so, which might be close to what they spent, my guess. We agreed to meet Sunday afternoon, at the Southern Tier Brewery, which is having a mini Octoberfest to benefit a local charity. It's nice to have the sun out, after all the rain, and I can hardly write here, at my couch, as it's so bright. Time to wash the windows, with my special mix of corn starch, ammonia, and water...much better than windex. We had Scott and Michelle and two of their friends stop by for lunch, otheir way to see Andy place at Cornell. It was a beautiful day, and a good time, homemade tomato/carrot soup,spinach borek, and hot dogs, plus lemons squares for dessert,as well as pears and Turkish tea. They stayed until about 2:00, then headed off. Fortunately, all of us were liberals, hate Glenn Beck and W, so we had lots to talk about. I wondered what it would be like if they had brought along a Republican couple? I am sure it would stifle conversation. Michelle mentioned how her entire group of physicians are all republican, which certainly upsets and dismays her. I then took the boat from Snugs out to Joe's garage, only to find the plug was missing. Another thing I have to do next week, get another one from Snugs. We basically wasted the rest of the afternoon, Evie watching tv, me reading and taking brief cat naps. We then walked through the campground, as the wood were filled with leaves. We are about to sit down to mannies and brie, a typical Saturday night.

No electricity!

I awoke about 4:30,heard a strange noise, and all the dials in our bedroom went off---no electricity. I stayed in bed, thus, fortunately going back to sleep, awaking around 7:20 to light in the bedroom but no electricity. I headed off to Hogans, which was closed, went across the bridge to the Bridge store, and was able to get coffee. I brought it home, to a just awakened Evie, and we read the paper, drank our coffee, and about 9:00 the electricity went back on. It made me think about having an emergency kit ready, in case of a prolonged black out. So, I got out my Coleman stove, made sure it worked, and we began to think more seriously about setting up an emergency kit of food, batteries, flashlights, radios, things we might need. Fortunately, we just put gas logs in our fireplace and that would work even if the electricity is off. It was around 37 when I awoke, a combination of sun and clouds, and now as I write, the sun is out, and it's a fall day, breezy and puffy clouds, the lake ruffled, the wind blowing from the north. We had another half inch of rain last night, so it's been an amazing two weeks for rain, at least 6-7 inches. The lack of electricity though off our routine, if we have one, and I am not sure what we have planned for the day, other than dinner at Seezurh House with Ron and Linda. It's been a windy day, lake filled with white caps, Slovenian flag fly horizonally, leaves falling, and Evie cutting the lawn for the third time in a week, trying to keep up with the leaves. I went shopping, got a map, some groceries for the next week, so we may not have to shop again for our trip. Like yesterday, the far hills, are lit by the sun, the lake in shadows, so it's really spectacular, the kind of day we jump in our kayaks and go, but because of the wind we cannot. Evie made lemons squares, the tomato soup is ready for the arrival of the Shortens, tommorrow, for lunch, and just needs to make a spinach borek in the morning. We are starting to think winter, to things are getting stored, the dock comes in on Sunday, the hobie, benches, all that stuff gets hidden, either on the hillside or up in the attic. Lots of little things to do to get ready for winter.

Gray Morning With A Smudge Of Pink

Although it was dark when I got up, about 6:30, I decided to write as the sky to the East is cloudy but the rising sun gives sky just above the hills a pink tinge, the line just above bright pink, the sky above lighter, a combination of pink and gray, and the sky a tinge of pink in gray, colors one could never imagine on a palet. It signals, I assume, a rainy day. Even the lake, dark as I arose, is now a gray with a surface of pink, just visible, and the sky turns more gray, less pink, as the sun rises and is obscured by the clouds. It's 46 outside, so not as cold as yesterday and we have yet to have a frost here at the lake, though in some areas, they have had frost. As I finished this sentence, the pink has all but disappeared, and all is gray. Two herons landed on the lawn but took flight when I moved to the window; I have also seen many King Fishers the past week or two, though I would assume they would have headed south by now. We walked in the Institute just before lunch, a crisp, invigorating walk in between spells of rain. We timed it well for once; we are going on kayaking for a half hour before sitting down to mannies, dinner, and a movie, the good life. We have had perhaps a half inch of rain over the past 24 hours, and the lawn, once again, is completely covered by golden leaves. Our trees are losing their covering more quickly than others.

SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY: Gary Shteyngart

A wild read, my first attempt at Shteyngart's fiction and I found it interesting and imaginative, a bit like 1984, but recognizable, with his take on now degraded USA, no longer admired, mired in debt, governed by fear and Big Brother, as China and India take over the world. The hero Lenny Abramov works for a ridiculous company called Post Human Services, a group that attempts to sell immortality to the super-rich. The thought police, called the American Restorative Authority, generally hassles the poor, the 'other,' any immigrant, thought there are not many who want to come to the US anymore. The story opens with Lenny in Italy, selling his goods, and just before heads back to the US, he falls in love with a young Korean girl named Eunice Park. We learn about Lenny through his diary, about Eunice by his emails home to a friend, her mother, and sister. There are certainly anti Republican touches, as the major new channel is Fox Liberty Prime and Fox Liberty-Ultra. The country is run by Rubenstein, a martinet, and every carries an apparat box, a small computer which gathers information of the wearer, I think, and also allows the wearer to search. Everyone carries one, as books are frowned upon, though Lenny has a huge library. Eunice ends up coming back to New York, with its empty buildings, mobs of poor, Central Park filled with vagrants, doctors on the dole because Medicare is bankrupt, as is the government, a one party dictatorship calling itself the Bipartisans, it's a wonder she returns, and to Lenny. I enjoy the texting between Eunice and her friend Grillbitch, totally uncensored and pragmatic, with little sense of conventional morality, just consuming, the latest sexy clothes from AssLuxury. It's a dismal look at at the future, but unfortunately, with my pessimism, believable. Still, the major characters, like the upper middle class, somehow manage to overlook the 'other', live, and consume. By the way, the military has been involved in an excursion into Venezuela, and the returning soldiers, denied their combat pay, are marching on the capital, for their money, which the government no longer has because of the dwindling dollar. The word they use for getting rid of the undesirables, is Harm Reduction. And everywhere one moves, their are National Guard, checking apparats, making sure one is not part of the Harm Reduction. As Lenny and Eunice hit Cervix, the hot club, helicopters descend on Central Park, killing blacks and hispanics, or "low net worth individuals," which makes those who are not one of them feel pretty dam good. When China's Central Bank comes to the US, he describes the country as 'an unstable, barely governable country presenting grave risk to the international system of corporate governance and exchange mechanisms,", in other words, a third world country, run by a racism one party system, call the bipartisans, with mottos like "a flag featuring a tiger pawing at a miniature globe and athe words 'America is back! Grrr...Dont' write us off. Ain't no stopping on now. Together we will surprise the world."

As the novel progresses, Lenny and all the elderly are thrown out of their apartment, as the undesirables are shuffled off to various low rent areas, as high rises will be built in their old areas for the wealthy, the Chinese, Norwegian, and Indian...Americans as such have become second or third world citizens, nothing works, the roads, services, everything is in shambles. And what's worst, Lenny's boss, Joshie Goldman, cuckholds Lenny, gradually wooing away Eunice, with promises of taking care of her parents, bringing them into safe desirable apartments in the city, and taking care of her sister. Lenny finally finds his parents after the Rampage, when the National Guard and police wiped out any of the undesirables who dared to challenge the status quo. His parents are barely surviving, practically starving, so Lenny takes care of them, buys them food, and generally empathizes finally with their predictment, growing up so to speak, when he realizes his parents life is 'not all about him." After Eunice leaves Lenny, we find he leaves the US, moves to Canada, then Italy, and becomes famous, as his Diary is published, and becomes a hit world-wide, mostly because it's a novelty, a BOOK. Even Eunice becomes well known, runs off with a younger man. leaving Joshie behind, and his business, Post Human Services, proves to be a charade, as all kinds of unexpected consequences follow their supposed 'miracle cure,' bankrupting the company, as it becomes a high class spa. The novel ends with a whimper, with Lenny, not Larry Abraham, in Italy, living out his life, in a rural, environment, as it becomes clear, that because of humans, the world as they know will come to an end in a generation or two, because of pollution, like of care of the environment, global warming, all the ideas that the right makes fun of. Lenny's last scene is to meet two young women, who are playing the Italian roles of his Diary. He can hardly stand them, literally shuts them off, and the novel ends in quietness and darkness,'black and complete.'

Foggy Morning on the Lake

I awoke about 6:15, came downstairs, put on the coffee, heated my milk, before sitting down to absolute darkness with a beginning blue of fog, as light made clear it was foggy. As it lightened, I began to make out the outline of the dock, but little else out towards the lake, though the trees and Leonard's dock pieces are clear, thus one can see perhaps 50 feet ahead, much to foggy to kayak. It was also 36 degrees when I woke, so there may or may not have been a frost. Sundial of the Seasons spoke about the old fashioned idea of bundling, where farmers would build a wall of sticks and leaves around their homes to keep out the draft, a first form of insulation. I could probably do the same thing with bales of hay, or more modern, a wall of plastic, held up by stakes. This morning I go off for physical therapy on my knee, at 9:00, and I think it will be my last time as the knee is getting better, and the help there is negligible.

For the most part, we led a lazy day; Evie did her usual things in the kitchen, organizing but neither of us felt that energetic, so we took advantage of the beautiful, cool day and read on the dock for an hour or so, serenaded, unfortunately by the pneumatic roofer hammer at Joe's and Dan's infernal leaf blower. We swear he is posssessed. About 4:00, the wind calmed down, and we went kayaking on a glassy lake, over to Long Point, along to Warner Bay and back, a great way to end the afternoon. We went over the Fred and Judy Gregory's for a cocktail; he made me a perfect manhattan, two ounzes of BV, a ounce of Bianco vermouth, a bit of bitters, a splash of water, and a slice of lemon...quite nice. We met the Mc Kibbens, Jack and Roberta, who ironically have a house in Euclid, as well as Chautauqua Shores. The second marriage for both, Jack is in his 80's, as he roomed with Bob Matthias, the decathalon champ, at Kiski Prep in 1948 and Roberta graduated from Willoughby North in 1960. Both have somewhat serious illnesses, unfortunately, so all was no happy. She particularly, is very talkative, perhaps because of her meds. He less forth coming but amusing. He and Fred play lots of golf, and she is a great fan of Judy's art. As we left, Judy gave us some Swedish Ivy, a plant that blooms year round, just place it in water. We ate at Bellino's in the Hotel in Mayville, empty as usual except for us. Fred had heard the owner had lost a million the past year, every believable. We did not feel left out but the Mc Kibbens did most of the talking. Fred and Judy leave for Davidson on Sunday, which is too bad as we will not see them again till Spring when Judy has a show and lecture at SUNY Fredonia, in the Rockfeller Art Center. We got home around 10:00 and I quickly got back into Super Bad True Love Story.

Waiting for Dawn

It's that time of year where I am up by 6:00 and strangely, I look forward to the dark, especially to watching the sky slowly come alight and alive, though some mornings are much more spectacular than others. Usually, a clear morning leads to a line of light on the hills above Bemus Point, which gradually becomes lighter and lighter. A cloudy sky brings no line, just a gradually lighting of the entire sky. The sun, too, depends on the amount of clouds, hidden if cloudy, spectacularly bright and blinding, if clear. For now, I just see the blinking lights across the lake on Lake Drive, and a moving green light, obviously a fisherman, out to take advantage of the early morning. I like being in my mind at this hour, reading the papers on line, checking both email and Facebook, as I get ready for the day. I am not sure what today will bring; it depends on the weather, our mood, what we want to have for dinner, how energetic we feel. Last evening, we ended up enjoying our pot roast, especially the biscuits Evie made, soaked in gravy. We watched Mad Men and the The Good Wife, before I headed off to read, take a bath, and go to bed. As I finish this brief entry, the sky is beginning to lighten, as, instead of darkness, I can begin to make out the shapes of trees, leaves, Long
Point, to other shore. We decided to head to Erie, as the day was cloudy and did not bode well for working in the yard. Evie wanted to get a portable Sirius radio player and I wanted a watch; I got my watch, but the player is out of stock, unfortunately. By the time we were through at TJ's, Best Buy, and Target, the sun was out so we headed home through Westfield, stopping at the nursery to buy four new plants, Stokes something, which bloom in the late summer. We also got a huge basket of concord grapes, Evie's favorite. For dinner, Evie made chicken picada, with rice and veggies, quite yummy. We watched The Good Wife, two shows, some Cheers, an Office, and I went up to bed to read...a good day overall.

A Pink Morning

I got up at bit late, about 7:20, as I was awake from 4:00 until at least 5:30 for some reason. Fortunately, I got back to sleep. I do this about once a week, and am not sure of the reason why, other than the fact that as you get older, you sleep less restfully. Perhaps the increase of guilt, though I don't feel that guilty. I do end up worrying about things that arent' worth thinking about, especially in the middle of the night: will I have enough to retire, how much of a problem will it be to take my boat out of the water, silly things like that. As to this morning, there was a slight pink glow over the lake when I woke, which increased as the sun rose, but now as it gets higher, the pink has turned more and more to white, tinged with blue as the morning progresses. The lake is like a mirror, and though its after 8:00, I just saw the first boat. It's a perfect morning for kayaking, so when Evie rises and has her coffee, I assume we will be off. We want to take advantage of this good weather while we can and it's supposed to rain later this afternoon. It's dinner time, we have the pot roast warming in the slow cooker, the buttermilk biscuits are warm, the bread is rising, and we are settling down to mannies and guacamole. We did kayak early, out to Tom's Point, across to Long Point and then back. We then dug the Japanese willows out of the ground, put in three privets, and Evie cut the lawn. Because it was supposed to rain, we sat out on the dock and read, as Evie finished Toast, Roger Rosenblatt's story of living with his grandchildren after the death of their mother and his daughter. Evie loved it, as it's filled with insights and touching moments. By the way, the boat went out yesterday, so all we have left is the dock. Billy stopped over, and I gave him two TV's that we hoped to get rid of, so it was nice to have some one want them. It's Columbus Day, though the lake is not very busy, which surprised us. Kayaking was amazing, being surrounded by an irregular bowl of browns, golds, and yellows, with just a touch of red. Our yard just began to change a couple of days ago, awfully late, as we have had too much rain, at least that's our theory. Lots of leaves though, as Evie cut the front yard this morning, though this evening, it looks as though it was never cut, the leaves never mulched.

Sundial of the Seasons: Hal Borland

I heard about this book while listening to our local radio station, WJTN. A call in mentioned a book about nature, a must have she called it, that had a short essay for each day of the year. The essays were Borland's observations of the changing natural world as he observed it from his CT. home. Over his life, he wrote thousands for the newspaper or magazine, and chose the 365 best and put them into his book. So each morning, I try to read one of the essays, to start my day. Yesterdays was entitled Autumn Rain, not that appropriate for yesterday, as it was a beautiful day, but apt for the previous week when we had rain non stop for almost a week. He describes it thus: "There is a persistent generosity to an Autumn rain that breeds monotony and then slow irritation. The earth needs rain but does it need so much without pause? The wearer of soggy shoes and a constantly dripping raincoat wonders if there isn't some means of distributing the weather, particularly the wet weather. And still it rains." Today's essay is called "Let it Frost," and aptly, we had our first frost in the areas yesterday morning though it only got down to 38 degrees here at the lake, as we tend to be protected somewhat by the lake.

A beautiful fall weekend

Both Dale and Mac were with us Thursday and Friday, before heading off to Hudson Saturday morning. Fortunately, the week of rain, almost 5 inches in less than a week, stopped and we had a beautiful Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We took both to the Institute on Friday, walked the perimeter, visited the library, then head up to Westfield because I wanted Mac to see the Patterson Library, a marvelous rotunda built in the early 20th century. We then headed back on back roads, around the East side of the lake, had lunch of hot dogs and cauliflower soup, played bean bag, then had a fish fry at the Seezurh House, crowded as usual but we found a table fortunately. They left early so we had the weekend to ourselves, doing a bit of work, but mostly enjoying a kayak ride each morning on the lake, a walk along Lakeside Drive on Saturday, one through Long Point on Sunday after kayaking over to the marina, and reading on the dock in the delicious sun of Autumn, warm but not hot, so unlike the summer months. Evie finally finished her first Amanda George mystery and is now in to Toast, by Rodger Rosenblatt, the story of a couple like us, whose daughter died with two very young children, and how they ended up taking care of them for a couple of years along with their son in law. I hope to read it next, as I really like him, from his talks at CI last summer. He also has a weekly commment/essay on PBS.

Sundays are our favorite day, as we luxuriate in the ability to stay at the lake, rather than head home as we did for 30 years because of school. So now, we toast each other we a glass of wine, enjoy the afternoon, sun set, dinner, and an evening at the lake. Though we have really been here at year, because of the sabbatical, it's still special for us and we cannot quite believe we are here for good.

By the way, last weekend we spent in Bristow with the Bissell's, a great stay; we arrived on Thursday, left on Monday, which seemed about right. We don't want to overstay our welcome. Hayden had a great party on Friday for the girls in her class, and it cleared up so they could play outside. Evie brought the treasure chest, a big hit, and the girls enjoyed the pizza, the trampoline, and the fun together. Saturday we went to Hayden and Halle's soccer games, and were going to have Ellen and Wally over for dinner but Ellen was sick with the flu, so we had tenderloins to ourselves. On Sunday, we went into DC by car and metro, and spent a couple of hours at the Turkish Festival, at Freedom Square, a combination of Turkish dancing, music, food kiosks, and Turkish goods, like rugs,evil eyes, jewelry, and knick knacks. It was not as much fun as we expected, as it was crowded, the food lines were long, and the music and dance was not as good as we expected, plus we never saw anyone we knew, which we had expected. Ironically, much of the weekend was taken up with Coco, the new puppy, who was creating quite a stir in the household, as he was having a difficult time being house trained. I don't envy his masters, as he is still young, and he needs constant and consistent care to learn. Most of it seems to fall on Jill's shoulders, of course, the downside, I guess of owning a new puppy if you are the Mom. You do it all. We left around 8:30 Monday morning, drove home, just as we drove to Bristow, in constant rain. It took us close to eight hours, as we took our time, tried to enjoy the journey but it was not much to see, mostly grays, little color, alas.