EARLY RISING ON CHAUTAUQUA LAKE: A Beautiful Day on Lake Thompson, Maine

A daily journal of our lives (begun in October 2010), in photos (many taken by my wife, Evie) and words, mostly from our home on Chautauqua Lake, in Western New York, where my wife Evie and I live, after my having retired from teaching English for forty-five years in Hawaii, Turkey, and Ohio. We have three children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandson, as you will notice if you follow my blog since we often travel to visit them. Photo from our porch taken on 12/15/2024 at 6:46 PM

Monday, October 17, 2011

A Beautiful Day on Lake Thompson, Maine

At Hardej's

Up at 7:00 to sounds of Ellery and Christine packing, coffee brewing, just Vickie and me and Christine and Ellery. It’s a beautiful crisp morning, great view of the sunlit eastern side of the lake. Evie and Trout got up soon, as Christine and Ellery were heading back to Portland alas and Ben was taking off for northern Maine, to hunt grouse, courtesy of LL Beans policy to give employees time off to pursue outdoor, Bean-like, activities.

We had a great day yesterday, perfect for walking, crisp air, leaves crunching, and four dogs chasing through the woods as we walked in the morning. Linda and Hobart Hardej, friends from Reserve and neighbors of the Trouts, had us over for a lovely brunch. They live right on the lake, in the woods, a great house and view. We had brunch there last year as well so this trip east is becoming, we all hope, a tradition. Linda made an amazing pastry like borek of cheese and ham, along blueberry pancakes, fruit salad, and a huge plate of bacon. Hobart made the omelette, of cheese, meat, and other goodies, so we had a feast for the morning, as the dogs sat outside on the porch looking in. They live about a mile away so we walked over and back it was so nice outside.

We then spent the afternoon putzing around, Evie cut the lawn,Trout and I raked some leaves, some of us watched football, others took naps, while Christine and Ben got dinner ready. They had planned out this dinner way ahead, started shopping for it on Thursday, worked on it Friday afternoon as well as a good part of Saturday and it was worth it. Like last year, it was a five course feast, starting with appetizers around 5:30, as we sat around talking. It was the Trouts, Christine and Ben and Ellery, of course, the Hardej's, and friends from Groton, Jake and Sally Congleton, who also live on Lake Thompson, same group as last year. We literally sat and ate and drank from 6:30 until about 9:30, with one course outdoing the next. The coup de grace was grilled marinated rabbit, a cross between perhaps a turkey and pork, though it was hard to tell. Check out my pictures of the meal on the next blog.