Today used to be Evie's favorite weekend because it gave us an extra hour at the lake; now, since we are retired, living here full time, it's just another day. For me, it's a morning of dim light rather than darkness, as the clock has moved back an hour. When I got up, a bit before seven, the sky over the Power Boat Club had a brilliant slash of bright pink/orange just over the hills. A few minutes later, a beautiful mass of puffy pink clouds, gray clouds, just above that area. Now, an hour later, the sky is just a boring gray, no pink, little if any contrast, between the sky and lake, like a black and white photograph. It does amaze me how little we pay attention to the natural world when we are busy working. We get up, rush through the day, planning for work, getting to work, working, coming home, always in a rush, a hurry, with things to do. Now, that I have very little I 'must do," I pay attention to the world around me. For example, it's shocking how far south the sun rises at this time of year. It's being doing it since the beginning of time, but I have just noticed it in the last month, how extreme it is. And yet it has done this outside my lake house window since when we bought our house in 1981. And since we have a bird feeder, we have paid great attention to the wildlife at various seasons, how it changes, depending on the season. The same for the lake, as soon the bufflehead ducks will appear on the lake, rather than the mallards. They are black and a brilliant white, a sharp contrast to the drab mallard females. I feel lucky to have such a view out my window, as I am able to see for many unobstructed miles, across the lake, then the hillsides on the other side of the lake. In most suburban homes, you look out your front window at the street, the other three sides at your neighbors house, unless you are lucky enough to live in the woods, like the Albarrans, but their isolation from neighbors only holds true in the summer. Come fall and winter, neighbors' home sudden loom through the skeletons of trees, surprising us with their appearance, especially the first time it happens.
We went walking at the Institute about 11:00, a beautiful day, crisp and clear with very little wind. The CI seems really quiet, as we hardly saw a person as we walked, though the Hurlburt Church was crowded, or so it seemed from all the cars. Later, around 2:00, I went for a bike ride over at Bemus, starting around the bridge, riding down the lake road to Long Point Park's beginning, then back, a bit shorter than usual because it was windier than I thought. I am now home, it's warm and cosy in the house, and I'm ready to make some Turkish tea, perhaps read or watch a bit of football. Evie has been organizing, trying to decide where to put what, what to throw out, which is a never ending battle, especially since we have so little storage.
We finished the day, since it was still sunny and warm, with a kayak ride across to Long Point, along it's edge, then back to Wells Bay. As we came back, a gentlemen from a house we had always admired, came out of his house as we paddled his way, and yelled hi, have you come to visit. We paddled in closer, introduced ourselves, and found out he lived there full time with his wife, their names were Rollie and Jane Kidder. He's a life long resident, I think, a semi retired business man, seemingly very involved in Jamestown, especially the Robert Jackson Center. We had a fun talk, about grandchildren, living up here during the winter, and made a promise to get back in touch and get together. It would be neat to make friends with another couple, as we branch out with our acquaintances.
Pasta and meatballs for dinner, a two episodes of "The Good Wife," who, I don't think will be good for long.
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