Nineteen Degrees (Skiing at Campground

8:25

Friday at 2:30

A snow covered lake dominates the vista this morning, as I get up later and later, today after  7:00.  I am learning to go back to sleep after waking at 6:00 but don't know whether this is good or bad.  A light gray sky, with a hint of blue fills the horizon, no snow flurries predicted for today though it's going be cold, high in the low 20's, what looks like a perfect Saturday.

Skiing in the Campground

Yesterday, we tried to cross country ski on the lake, but the layer of slush beneath the snow made it impossible, as my skis froze, and I could get no glide.  And you could see a track of slush as I tried to ski.  I am sure beneath the slush, the ice is thick enough to hold me, as its been in the teens for a couple of days.  I did meet a fisherman down by the campground and he said the ice was four or five thick out about twenty yards.  Because the lake was not conducive to skiing, we decided to ski at the campground, a good choice, as the roads were groomed, no one was around, and we could bush whack, or head across virgin ground whenever we wanted.  We skied for at least an hour, working up a sweat despite the cold and Evie really enjoyed it, as she's beginning to get more confident on her skis.

Skiing in Campground

We had a really fun evening, going with Linda and Ron to the Southern Tier Brewery Pub for dinner.  We brought long Evie's homemade focaccia and Linda brought the fix ins, salami, ham, mustard and mayo.  We enjoyed a few Chautauqua brews, sat overlooking the huge vats of beer, in an otherwise crowded pub, which looks like something found in a ski resort out west, all wood and large beams, a neat looking place to drink beer.  You can even order of a jug of beer to go or drink, if you like.  It's open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.  It drew an interesting crowd of people, beer drinkers obviously, lots of guys in their 20's, some couples, a few tables of women, even a family with a child.  Everyone loved the bread, especially dipping it in the olive oil.  We were the only ones that had brought food and few seemed to be eating, though you could buy a pulled pork sandwich if you wanted.

Bill Ward at St. Susan Center in Jamestown

Around 7:30, we  drove to the St. Susan Center, in downtown Jamestown, a non profit group which functions as a soup kitchen for the needy and the center for Meals on Wheels.  They were putting on a benefit for the center.  For a ten dollar donation, you could two bowls of soup, a drink and a dessert, as well as live music, put on by folk music regulars Bill Ward and Amanda Barton, two musicians that are very popular in the area.  The center is in wonderfully renovated brick building on Water Street.  It used to be the General Hardware building, but now houses various non profit groups.  The center is basically large room, with tables, like a cafeteria, with a kitchen at one end. Most of the tables were filled with locals, I assume, certainly not the Jamestown cream.  Lots of guys with beards like me, mostly folk music fans, old hippies, young who love music, no blacks or Hispanics, which surprised me.  The center does an amazing job of feeding the needy, serving 95,000 meals last year.  We stayed till they closed, about 8:45, drove home on clear roads, and Ron and Linda came in for a night cap before heading home as the snow returned.

Evie's focaccia

We most have gotten two or three more inches last night, we we probably have a foot of snow in the yard at the moment.  Today, we have little on the agenda, perhaps making a soup, perhaps some cookies, I hope, as the snicker doodles are long gone.