Dramatic Fall Sky

Off to the East, the sky looms over the hill, thick gray clouds, with slashes of light, as the sun tries to peak through these masses of gray.  The lake glimmers, with light flashing like static on the surface, various slicks of light and dark, with occasional birds flying by or passing by in the water.  I was surprised to awake to a darken lawn, expecting it to be covered by snow.  Probably because it was 34 when I got up at 6:00, the snow from last night melted over night.  Yet if I looked carefully, as the sky and opposite hills lightened, I could still snow on the farm to the East.

Last night, we drove to Fredonia, about 35 minutes, to experience our first Contra Dance.  We ate at the Ellicottville Brewery, literally next door to The Grange, where the dance was held.  The brewery was neat, very narrow, with an up and downstairs, a bar, an a bustling crowd of mostly students and local professors, or that's what it seemed to me.  About 8:00, we went next door to The Grange, a large restored building in the center of town.  It has a large room, with a stage, and a basement.  We were met by the leaders, who introduced themselves and assured us that we were not to worry about lacking experience.  Slowly, more dancers arrived, and we started.  Contra dancing seems to be a mix of square and folk dancing, though it did have some interesting variations, mainly that we were in lines much of the time, rather than small groups.  The caller would walk us through the dance before the music would begin, so we were fairly sure of our steps.  Most of the dance involved going in the right direction, either with your partner or neighbor, rather than elaborate steps or moves.  Mostly, we would do see do,  twirl our partner, of move in an out of groups of four, eight, then back to a line.  We started with maybe 16 people, but within a half hour, we had maybe 40 or 50 people, of all ages, from either high school or college, to 40-50 year olds, to a few our age.  We may have been the oldest, maybe not.  Many were new to the dance, like us, so we did not feel out of place, and because you were encouraged to dance with a partner who was experienced, it was easier to learn the right direction for your moves.  After we walked through the steps, the six piece band, from Erie, PA, would start and the caller would yell out directions, making it fairly easy to follow.  We danced for about 90 minutes, till 9:30, when I break was taken, basically half way through the night. In that time, we must have gone through about six different dances, some more complicated then others, but all involving at one time or another, the entire group,  You might start out in a group of three, then move to six, then to the entire group, as you would dance around the hall in a circle, or maybe a line of two or four.  By the end of the first half, we were tired and sweaty, ready to go home,  Since we had a long drive home, and it was snowing when we arrived, we decided to head back.  For those who stayed, there was food in the basement, then another hour of music.  We took our time driving home; it started out with rain till Westfield, but as we got closer to the lake, the snow increased and by the time we got to Mayville, we were driving through a blinding snow, though the roads were not slick, or so it seemed.  The roads were practically empty and as we drove though towns, they seemed like ghost towns, with nothing open, just occasional lights and signs.  We were relieved to get home...the first snowy drive is always a bit nerve wracking, especially for Evie.

About 11:00, after my weekly drop off of trash, we drove to Long Point Park and took an hour walk through the leave less woods, a very different feeling from the last time we walked, about three weeks ago.  Because of the snow/sleet from the previous night, the lanes were often wet or muddy, though we had patches of dry, even grassy areas.  In many places, we walked on blankets of dead leaves, recently fallen, a nice cushion as we walked.  It is eerie to look up, where leaves once were, and see only black tree branches against the blue sky.  The only green seems low lying, bushes about four or five feet tall, with black berries, ripe for the picking by birds.  And, of course, the bareness of the trees is often offset by the pines, tall and stately, squat and bushy.  There is a particular beauty in this late fall walk, brisk air, little breeze, silent, and stately, as you see the majesty of the trees, in all their leaf less splendor.  We shopped briefly in Bemus, came home for lunch, and watched The Girl with the Hair of Fire, or something like that, a first for us, as we often feel like watching a movie in the afternoon is sloth...o, well, bring it on,