CALEB'S CROSSING: GERALDINE BROOKS

This book has some basis in history, especially the life of Caleb, a Native American who did matriculate to Cambridge, in the late 1670's, to study along with other scholars.  Brooks, of course, takes liberties with the story, but Caleb's crossing, of religion and cultures, is the crux of the story.  It's narrated by Bethia (to serve) Mayfield, aptly named as women are denied almost all rights, religious as well as secular, and must kowtow to the men of society.  Bethia is a rebel, certainly in her mind, as she dares to befriend Caleb, when they are teenagers, and through coincidence, she ends up following him to Cambridge, literally as an indentured servant, to pay for her brother, Makepeace's tuition at a prep school for ambitious students.  Much more than her brother, she covets knowledge, has learned Latin on her own, as well as the Native American language of Caleb, mostly by listening in the background as others talked.  She grows up on what is now Martha's Vineyard, a seeming idylic childhood until her mother, then infant sister, Solace, die, her introduction to the hardness and vagaries of life.  Her father, too, dies, a result of a shipwreck, living her at the mercy of her stiif, conservative and religious brother and grandfather.

Unbeknowest to all, she has developed a relationship with Caleb, before he becomes Christianized, and she gains respect, as a result, for his culture and religion, something that no one else in the story manifests, as the Native Americans and their beliefs are deemed savage and ignorant.  In the face of this myth of Native ignorance is the success of Caleb and Joe, both Native Americans who matriculate to Cambridge, MA, a result of a society in England which hopes to inculcate both Christianity and learning among the Native Americans.  Both men face huge obstacles, religious and physical, in their quest to be successful in a white man's society.  We see their struggles through Bethia's eyes, as she becomes a scullery maid/cook, to not only stay close to her friends, but also to absorb as much learning as she can, listening to lectures and conversations of the scholars.  She ends up befriending her master's son, a scholar in his own right at the College.  He falls in love with Bethia, and she must choose between her love for life on Martha's Vineyard or life in the city, unattractive and urban though filled with learning and ideas.  She ultimately chooses marriage.

The novel then jumps ahead thirty years and Bethia is dying, a mother and grandmother, looking back at her life.  We learn what happens to both her and the two Native Americans in the past thirty years.  Just before graduation and after marrying his love, Anne, Joe is lost in another storm at sea.  And Caleb, just after graduating, comes down with consumption and dies.  Thus, both Native Americans, though successful and capable, die, one by accident, the other by disease.  This ends the Harvard experiment, with educating the Native Americans and the Indian Wars begin.  Through most of violence,  Bethia spared, as she and her husband end up returning to and living on Martha's Vineyard, having a family, living a typical family life.

The text juxtaposes the severity of the Puritan society, its intolerance, sexism, and disdain toward Native Americans,  with its results, lives never lived to their fullest, mostly Bethia, because she is a woman, but also Caleb and Joe, because they are Native Americans.  Brooks depiction of this period of history seems accurate though she does sympathize with the Native American dilemma,  The Puritans, though often intolerant and inflexible, do have virtues: they want to educate the Native Americans and many of them fought against the intolerance of the majority of their fellows.  In the end, though, its Bethia who we most admire and have sympathy for, as she, more than any of the other characters, deserves a better life.  Unfortunately, she is a woman.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book because I had little interest in America in the 1670's.  But I read with interest and enjoyment, savoring the plot changes, and saddened when it ended.

April in February: Drizzle and Gray, More to Come

A Great Day in the Woods

Hiking the Trails

A depressing morning, as I am up at 7:00, to sleet but mostly rain.  No fishermen out today, most likely because of the rain.  This seems to be the forecast for the next few days, as it warms up to the 50's on Friday, alas.  On a day like this, I miss the gym, as it does not look very inviting out side for a walk or hike.  Yoga is not until tomorrow, so we will have to find something to do for exercise, perhaps walking the CI.

Yesterday was a glorious day, sunny and cool, so we went off to walk a part of the Overland Trail we had not been on before, heading north from the Mt. Pleasant Rd parking area, just a mile or two outside of Sherman.  We walked about three miles total, through snow covered trails, lots of sun, blue skies, how invigorating to be outside on a day like this.  We walked past the Lean To we had walked to early in November, on our six mile hike with the Chautauqua Hiking Group.  So, we are slowly covering a good part of the trail, our goal, to walk it all by June.  Weather permitting, it should not be a problem.  Our next segment will be from the Mayville parking area to Hannum Road and the Chautauqua Gorge.  We got home around 1:00, Evie put the Adama Bread into the oven, and we finished up the cauliflower soup, with cheese sandwiches.  I like mine with jam spread on the bread as well.

Elizabeth David's English Loaf

Bernard Clayton's Sour Dough Adama Bread (with corn meal)

Around 5:00, we drove off to Lakewood, to pick up photographs at Walmart, then headed over to the Jamestown Community College gym to watch the local team, Maple Grove, play it's second tournament game.  It was a good game, they won, and the  gym was packed though the crowds are nothing like college crowds, not much into the games, or so it seems.  A small group of students do cheer, but that's about it.  And cheerleaders seem an anomaly; no one pays much attention to them.  After the game, we went to Guppy's, for their wings special, split 15 wings between us, with a beer, and headed home to watch Mad Men (two more episodes to go), and a bit of the election returns.  I finished Geraldine Brooks Caleb's Crossing just before turning off the lights.  I liked it.

From Vickie:  I love this.

Early Morning Sun and Cold, For Now

v

Our Village of Arnavutkoy, in Istanbul, 1973

7:07

The downstairs was filled with light when I got up at 7:05, a surprise, as usually I am up before it rises.  A couple of fisherman were on the ice, about 100 yards off of Victoria, the sun silhouetting their figures, the ice shimmery behind them.  Evie and I sit here, listening to Morning Joe, their take on the nuttiness of the Republican candidates talk this past week.  Even Joe thinks the candidates have lost it and he's a Republican.  It doesn't matter though; almost half of America will vote for whoever wins the Republican nomination, regardless of his beliefs, and just a few independents will decide who wins.  Scary.  Not sure why I am thinking about politics this early, as it only upsets my zen/yoga like calm.

Not much happening these days, this week, this month, so we are looking for things to do.  Yesterday was Yoga/YMCA day, my last day unless I decide on another month.  I had a difficult time as my various body parts would cramp as I tried a pose, from my toes, to calves, to thighs, making it not much fun as I had to sit out quite bit.  This is the first time it's been so severe, perhaps I need to eat more bananas.  I did talk to a women, a retired teacher from Falconer, who lives in the cluster of homes at the end of Lake Side Drive, contiguous with Long Point Park.  Her house is the Arts and Craft home which was moved about 1000 yards, from it's spot on the lake, back into the woods.  Evie and I have always admired it, thinking it more attractive than the new house that went up in its place.

Later in the afternoon, I went to the CI, walked a bit, picked up a couple of books and videos, talked with Deborah, the librarians for a bit.  She always envies the freedom of Evie and me to do what we like while she is stuck inside.  I did walk down to the Bell Tower, a ferocious wind pounding waves against the shoreline, the entire south basin open and filled with white caps.  There also appeared to be a large beach, a sign the lake may be at an all time low.

We had left over chicken and noodles for dinner, salad, and watched a couple more episodes of Mad Men and a bit of the Kansas/Oklahoma State game.  I also talked with Tommy; he is in Palm Springs for a couple of days for a conference.  Beth and Rami also returned home last night from Big Sky.  I have not talked with them yet but I am sure they had a good time.  Lots of snow it looked like.

We also have been making bread the last two mornings; yesterday, it was Elizabeth David's English loaf and we started the sponge for Sour Dough Adama Bread, from Bernard Clayton.  We just put it  together this morning, will bake it after our hike.  Yesterday's English Loaf was great, especially with 'ample butter.'  Yum.

Spring or Winter?

6:38

Up at 7:00, to a partly cloudy sky, though streaks of pink/orange lie off to the east, over Tom's Point.  It's 26 degrees at the moment but the high will be in the mid forties, again, very un-winter like for this time of year.  Spring is only 23 days away, so I would like to see some winter, in winter, and not wait for spring to spring it (winter)on us.  A couple of fisherman are out to my right, in front of Victoria, and they keep drilling holes in the lake, looking for that perfect spot I assume or they keep hitting weeds, who knows for sure.

7:05

Yesterday afternoon, I did go out cross country skiing on the lake, despite the temperature then, about 45 degrees.  There was a bit of slush on the top layer of the lake, but my skis slid easily enough and much of the lake was iced over, so it was almost like skating on skis.  I went as far as Wells Bay and back, taking about an hour.  A good workout, as the sun was setting behind the trees, creating immense shadows on the lake.  Earlier in the day, we walked the CI and the roads were covered with snow, so we needed our clamp-ons on our shoes, insuring our footing on ice.  It was a great day for a walk, blue skies and amazingly, the entire north end of the lake, from Prendergast Bay north is open water, unlike the frozen lake in front of our house.  I am surprised there were no fishing boats in the lake because it would have been easy to have launched a boat at a ramp in Mayville.  The south end of the lake, towards Lakewood, is also open water for the most part so for some reason, we are living on the only part of the lake that remains frozen enough to fish or ski on, inshallah.

Sunday Afternoon at 12:30

Last night, Evie made a chicken dinner in the clay Romertopf cookware we bought recently in Sherman and it turned out well, reminding me of the chicken paprikash  my Mom used to make, a combination of sour cream and paprika.  Evie served it on noodles and it took me back and who would not like a sour cream gravy with chicken and noodles.  We then watched a couple more episodes of Mad Man before staying up for the Academy Awards, a bit disappointing we thought.  Interestingly, I have seen only one of the nominated films, mostly because they have not yet been released on DVD or were out of the local theaters before I had a chance to see them.

This morning we head to Lakewood, for Yoga and the Y, then this evening we are thinking of going to the Maple Grove boys' basketball game at the Jamestown Community College gym, there second tournament game.

THE LITIGATORS: JOHN GRISHAM

Pure fluff but delicious,  Grisham takes us once again into the world of law in Chicago, this time into the seedy low life practice of Finley and Figg, ambulance chasers and divorce lawyers, though not very good at either.  Enter David Zinc, successful, high powered lawyer, who just happens to hate his job, his colleagues despite his huge salary.  After  quitting his job and  going on a bender, David ends up at Finley and Figg, a mismatch made only in fiction.  Polar opposites, David's honest, hard working, organized, wanting to do good; Figg, of course, wants to get rich quick, by any means, is divorced four times, constantly in debt.  When Figg jumps on a law suit about a cholesterol drug which supposedly causes heart attacks, Zinc is carried along with him, in a minor role.  As the plot continues, Figg's case begins to fall apart; he ends up going on a  bender as well, and David is left holding the cards, a law suit he cannot win, cannot even defend.  He holds his own, of course, to his surprise and though he loses, he gains confidence and the respect of his opponents.  And he just happened to come across a family whose son has suffered brain injuries from lead poisoning.  Taking up their case on his own, with mostly their interests in mind, he ends up suing a huge toy maker at the end of the book, making millions, saving the firm of Finley and Figg from bankruptcy and starting out on his own.  Through out it all, he remains steady, caring about his clients, disdaining money (though he gets his fair share), and loyal to his colleagues.  We wait most of the book for David to arise, Phoenix like, and save the day, which he does sort of.  A quick easy read, not up to the standards of his earlier fiction.

A Lazy Sunday Ahead

7:35

One Year Ago Today

Up later than usual, about 7:30, to a well lit house, cloudy skies, lots of white outside, on both the lake and lawn, though just a dusting.  I am sitting here listening to the Sunday Edition puzzle with Will Short, something my Mom used to enjoy when she was out here at the lake.  Evie's working on Words With Friends, I have my bowl of yogurt, granola, chia seeds, and blue berries, so all is well with the world

Yesterday, I went to yoga, Evie to the Y.  Unfortunately, I thought yoga was at 10:00 but it really started at 9:30, so I interrupted the group (bad boy), and though I joined in, I did not enjoy it much.  The teacher was new, not very patient or interested, the other three were all new, so he took little time or interest in them.  I think he teaches master yoga classes, so we were a bit beneath him.  And I don't think he liked my barging in, though I meant no wrong.  He also allowed me do some of the exercises in the wrong way without correcting me.  Having an empathetic and interested teacher is so important, whether in the classroom or yoga session or life.

We did have enough snow, mostly drifts yesterday, that we had to shovel our parking area.  It actually felt good to be outside shoveling, something we have not done much of this winter.  We then walked up the hill, to get a little exercise before going out to dinner with Ron and Linda.  We took them to the Rod and Gun Club for the first time, and we all enjoyed it quite a bit.  We had fun at the bar, gambling a bit, losing about ten bucks I think, then we all went in and had the prime rib special, the girls' the queen's cut, the guy's the king's cut.  Neither of us had had prime rib in quite awhile, so we really enjoyed our meals though we both took home doggy bags.  We stayed long enough, till 9:00, to listen to the band, as the Club has entertainment every Friday and Saturday night.  We were surprised when about twenty people jumped up and went to the dance floor, many of them around our age.  We sat through three or four numbers, danced once (that was enough), and went home for the night.  Evie and I watched another episode of Mad Men before going to bed, a good day.

Hiigh Winds, Blizzard Like Snow, Little Accumulation Yet

Saturday at 8:00

Thinking Summer with the Granddaughters

Friday afternoon at 5:00

Up in time to listen to Only A Game.  Last night the wind howled most of the night, continues to do so this morning.  At times, it's hard to see across the lake because of the wind blowing the snow off of the lake, roofs, and yards, thus there's little snow ground cover yet, though more is forecast for today.  It's 30 degrees at 8:00, gray and white, Arctic looking on the lake. Few fisherman yet, most likely because of the high winds.

Yesterday was one of those lost days, where you did almost nothing.  We stopped at Bon Ton's in Lakewood Mall, to look at their sales and I came away with three shirts, all Polo, for less than 15 dollars.  They were 85% off of their regular price.  We also picked up stuff for the girls, as this time of year, the sales are amazing.  We are thinking of going back today to look for Christmas presents.  How's that for thinking ahead.

For dinner, we had salmon a la Ellen, with garlic spinach and home fries, watched three episodes of Mad Men and we are now on episode 43, easily finishing before the March 10th beginning of the new season.

Today does not look like a very good day to enjoy the outdoors because of the blustery winds, thus we will head to Lakewood, Evie to the Y, me to Yoga.  Tonight we are going to the Rod and Gun Club with Linda and Ron because they have not been there before.  I am really enjoying CALEB'S CROSSING, which surprised me as a novel set in 17th century New England had little appeal.  Brooks contrasts the certainty and righteousness of the pious New Englanders with the supposed Satan inspired culture of the native Americans.  Her bias lies no doubt with the Native Americans, subtly mocking the foolishness of the Puritans, with their strict code, 'no fun' attitude, and disdain for the 'other.' Yet they are motivated to do good, it's just that their religion often gets in the way.

More Gray, Little Snow

7:04

Hiking with the Bissells

Up early, 6:00, to a crack of light off to the east; now, at 7:00, the sky and lake are both heavy with gray, though the lake has pockets of white, as patches of snow dot its surface.  About 35 degrees, the forecast was for a couple on inches of snow, more to come, but it's been mostly rain or sleet, as the yard has just a dusting of wet snow.  It does look threatening but it's too warm to snow, at least this early.

Yesterday, we got back to our routine, Evie working out at the YMCA, and I went to Yoga where the last week of the month, we emphasize restorative yoga.  Basically, we worked on three positions, two lying on one's back, with various pillows for back, legs or head, and one in the child pose, lying forward on a pillow, knees bent sitting on the buttocks.  We held each pose for about 20 minutes, with slight variations, like turning your head to the other side on the child's pose.  The key is to relax, fall into the pose, empty your mind of thinking, and just be.  What, I am not sure.  Our instructor was good about making sure we were doing each pose correctly and emphasized that we should change positions if it began to bother us. Today I was the only male in the company of about 12 women, of all ages.  We are supposed to feel reenergized by these poses.  I am not sure how I felt though it was an easy session.

I went off to Mayville shopping in the afternoon, finished the lastest Grisham book, THE LITIGATORS, and started Geraldine Brooks CALEB'S CROSSING.  Grisham's book was fluff but I had been unable to find something I liked, so at least it kept me going.  For dinner, we had left over lamb couscous, courtesy of the Mc Clure's, watched another episode of Smash (it's becoming very predictable, a grown up version of Glee), and then watched the first half of the Knicks and Heat game.  I was curious to see both Lebron and Jeremy Lin play.  In this instance, Lebron dominated and Lin looked like a rookie, struggling to make it in the big time.  It was the most I've watched of an NBA game this year.  Lebron is a monster, so strong, fast, and competitive and fun to watch, no doubt.

Surprise, A White Morning, With a Dusting of Snow

8:25

Enjoying the Seezurh House

It was strange to wake up to a white yard, tree limbs weighed down by this frosting.  It actually feels like a late October or early November day, with the first snow of the year, not late February.  I am sure it will be melted by the time I get out for a walk but it's nice to see the white instead of the green of a yard, a spring like day, wet, muddy, and warm.  It's 29 degrees, high in the 30's, with more snow/rain predicted later in the day.  As usual, a couple of fishermen are out on the ice, off of the Long Point peninsula and have been for the past couple of weeks.

Hiking in Woods Behind Warner Bay

Yesterday, overcast most of the day, we took a long walk, through Long Point, to Warner and Sunset Bays, then back through Long Point and to the car. It rained some, more like a mist, though it did not bother us.  There's a different beauty to each day, a result of the changing weather.  Now, it's being able to see through the woods, no leaves on trees, though they cover the ground.  In the summer, you can usually see ten or twenty feet, then the undergrowth obscures everything.  Now, you see all the downed trees, the rocks, into the distance, through the trees, verticals, framing your view.   Both of us are always thrilled to walk in a woods, wherever it is, so much more enjoyable than a street.

We went out for dinner with Ron and Linda, to our favorite, the Seezurh House where I got the special, a 12 oz rib eye, with salad and potato for  $9.99.  It's hard to beat the price.  Evie got her usual, the chicken sandwich platter, Ron and Linda both had fish. Unfortunately, we were the only customers eating dinner, with only two people at the bar, so the ambiance was that of an empty room.  February is usually the slowest month around here but because of the lack of snow, it's even worst.  We walked outside to a snow covered car, went home, and watched the first hour of the Republican debate.

Warner Bay Out Door Hot Tub Dwelling

Later Afternoon Fog on Lake

 It's like watching a Nascar race, waiting for a car wreck.  The candidates  have already made clear their beliefs, so all that's left is to see who can mock or undercut who.  Ron Paul seems to be the most able, knifing, with his words, the other three candidates' hypocrisy at every turn.  Romney, to me, held his own, so he remains the most electable in my mind.  Newt still looks like a self righteous know it all;  Santorum's constantly defending his extreme views on minor issues, at least to me, like birth control, and Ron Paul's completely off the wall on some issues (foreign affairs), though sensible on things like the idiocy of Congress and it's confabulations.

Some Sun But Mostly Overcast and Hiking Overland Trail

7:38

Mt Pleasant Rd Parking Area

Climbing Over Barbed Wire Fence

Up later than usual, sun blinding in the living room, though there's a cloud cover just above the tree line. It's around 35 degrees already, so the snow is beginning to melt in the yard, the gutters drip, so I am wondering what to do this morning, if the lake is good enough to ski or should we hike somewhere else though I ground may also be sof and muddy in the woods. Decisions, Decisions.

Yesterday, we drove off to Sherman, to walk an area of the Western Overland Trail, which we had not hiked before.  We parked at the designated parking area, just of Mt. Pleasant Rd, about a mile or two east of Sherman.  We then walked south through fields, woods, lowlands, to the Sherman Rd (426), about 35 minutes one way and back.  It felt good to be out in the woods, the ground for the most part was snow covered and crunched when we walked.  It was hilly, surprisingly so, giving interesting vistas at times.  We did have to climb over a barbed wire fence twice going, twice coming back, but the trail guides had built a ladder, two sided, so you walked up one side, down the other, to get you over the wire.  Interesting.  There were no downed tress on this section of the trail though about two weeks ago, I had walked the other end and encountered lots of them.

We got home around 12:30, just in time to put the onion rye bread Evie had made into the oven.  This is an old recipe, from the wife of an old Robert College faculty member's wife, Gene Higgins, and it was one of our favorites.  It makes two great loaves, one which we gave to our neighbor, John Johnston because he had lent us a pair of skates for the girls to use this past weekend.

For dinner, we had spaghetti and meatballs and watched the rest of Downton Abbey.  It was the final show of the season, so lots of knots were tied, the most important being the imprisoning of Bates for murdering his wife, and Matthew and Mary finally declaring their love for each other.  If only they had done this in the initial episode we would not have had a series.  I was getting tired of their mooning over each other, yet denying that they should love each other.  The casting and the minor characters all seem very real to me, one of the reasons I really enjoyed the show.  And the half hour look at how the series was made also was interesting as we got to see the various characters as they are in real life, quite a shock to see them in modern clothing and hairdos.

Awakening to A Morning Without Hayden and Halle, Alas

6:45

Halle Lovin It

Granny's Helper

Off to The Bookstore with Their Purses

Coco Chases Halle,  Pulls Granny

A Beauty 

Up about 6:00, to a fisherman's light already out on the lake, obviously a die hard type.  It's 29 degrees out, warmer than yesterday, and though the lawn has no snow, the lake remains frozen with a dusting of snow.  The sky is  blue gray, now, though just above the eastern coast line, it's brilliant pink, as the sun struggles to rise, at 7:03.  The wind is howling early, not a good sign for the day.  Either rain or snow is forecast for later in the day, depending on how warm it gets.  Let's hope for snow.

Yesterday, after the Bissell's left at 8:00, Evie and I did our usual routine after the family leaves; we went into a high intensity cleaning mode, to take our mind off of the emptiness and quiet of the house.  I got out the vacuum cleaner, did the entire downstairs, as Evie worked on dusting and cleaning the kitchen.  We worked for about an hour until I left for Yoga at 10:00.  Evie stayed behind and continued with the clean up.  Yoga was a group of six of us and it felt good to do some stretching and get in touch with my body, center myself as it were.  Don't I sound like the typical yuppie yoga enthusiast!

After lunch, we went out to cross country ski, not sure how good it would be.  To our delight, it was perfect for skiing,  a light snow on the lake, perfect for sliding, a blue sky, bright sun, little breeze, an amazing afternoon to be on the lake.  Too bad the girls were not there to enjoy it.  We skied all the way to the tip of Tom's Point, staying close enough to shore in case the ice was weak.  We did pass two snow mobiles, racing across the lake, a couple of brave, more likely stupid souls.  Lots of people were out fishing off of  Long Point as well.  We were out for at least an hour or more and I  am sure we both got sun burn, as the sun was blinding as we skied home.  It was similar to the last time we skied, about ten days ago, when were ended up skiing beyond Tom's Point.

Last evening, we went over to Ron and Linda's for a dinner of lamb couscous, which brought back great memories from our life in Turkey.  We had not had lamb in quite a while so it really tasted good to both of us.  Linda used a lamb shoulder, rather than the leg, which is what most middle eastern cookbooks call for, as it's a great cut for braising and cooking for a long period of time.  As you can see, I made a friend with their cat, Poochie, as she fell asleep on my lap as we had cocktails and appetizers.  After dinner, we watched the documentary on Bill Clinton on PBS until 11:00.  It was interesting to go back over events that we should have remembered but didn't.  And he certainly had a lot of falls, but his gift was always being able to pick himself up and not only rise but triumph.  Flawed but also Great.

Today looks like it will be in the thirties, another good day for a walk or more skiing depending on our mood.  Other than exercise, we have nothing on the agenda, no 'program' as my good friend Ates would say.

With Poochie

A Sad Day As The Bissells Head Home

Evie and Halle at Red's

Pancakes at Red's Pancake House in Sherman, NY

Enjoying Skating

The Gang

Both Evie and I are up early, around 6:00, the house is quiet and we are waiting for the girls to get up as Jill wants to get an early start for their drive to Virginia, leaving by 8:00.  It's going to be a very quiet house in a couple of hours, not something we are looking forward to.  It's been a fun but short visit and despite the lack of snow, we could not have had more fun outside.

Drew and Coco Racing Hayden

We did go to Red's Pancake House yesterday, a run down looking cabin, with ten or so large barrels sitting outside the front door, not a very inviting looking place.  But the cars were gathered around the place, and along  both sides of the road, so it looked very popular.  Once inside, we had to wait to be seated, as lots of families were there enjoying the all you can eat pancakes, with sausage, juice, and coffee for eight dollars a person.  It's rustic but cosy and warm, with wonderful hospitality and service.  Everyone there was enjoying themselves, mostly locals I would think, with occasional visitors like us.  Just off the entrance was the maple syrup making room, with a huge wood fired boiler taking the sap and turning it into syrup. It's been a good year for syrup making, as they are up over 1000 gallons so far, hopes to reach 3000 by April.  We were seated quickly, and local high school girls bring your food, usually within five or ten minutes, so there's little wait.  The pancakes were about as good as I have had, very hot and I think they used buckwheat flour.  The syrup was not as thick as you get in a bottle but tasted great.  The girls enjoyed it as well, as did all of us and we will definitely come back.  It's a great place for breakfast on the  weekend, about 30 minutes drive.

Halle Crusing

A good part of the afternoon was spent outside, chairs on ice, all of us bundled and the girls skating till they could hardly walk.  It was a wonderful day on the ice, as everyone seemed to be out enjoying it.  Neighbors, fisherman, hikers, even a few snowmobiles were out, enjoying the weather and the frozen lake.  Like the day before, we cleared a huge loop for the girls to skate on and both Halle and Hayden were able to skate fairly well and by the end of the day, they were getting pretty good.  I even got out my skates and enjoyed.  I was very tentative a first and Halle exclaimed to Evie:  "Poor Baba, look at him trying to skate."  But later, as I felt more comfortable, she said again, to Evie: "Look at Baba. He's really improving."  She hit my prowess on the head: I did at first feel like a doddering old man taking his first few steps, but by the end, I was able to glide pretty well, as I gained confidence.  Drew even put on my pair of twelves with three pair of socks and was able to skate as well.

Hayden and Mom

Later in the afternoon, Evie and I took the girls to the CI for a walk and a browse through the bookstore and both girls got books  We also went to the library, the girls met the librarian Deborah though we did not stay long.   Hayden really liked looking at the various houses and churches; I guess we had never taken them there before.

We got home about 5:00 and went out skating for the last time for about a half an hour as it was starting to get cold.  There were still lots of people on the lake, some out in the middle fishing, others just seemed to  be walking, either along or across the lake.

I had made ciabatta bread earlier in the day, so we had that for dinner along with spaghetti and meatballs, a perfect meal after a day spent out side.  After dinner we played LCR( Left Center Right), a fun game for the girls.  They went to bed by 9:00 and Jill and Drew went up at 9:30, tired and wanting to get a good sleep for their ride tomorrow.  Evie and I stayed up and watched The Good Wife, then went to bed.

Sunday at Red's Pancake House with the Bissells

Hiking Long Point

Hayden Wearing The Scarf Knit By Grandma Gigi

What a Cutie

Granny and Halle

Bissells at Long Point

A cloudy morning, 27 degrees, Drew, Halle and Evie are up, enjoying the morning as it begins to get light.  The lake has a thin dusting of snow on it, though the yard has hardly any snow to speak of.  No snow forecast but it should remain in the low 30's, so it should be good for going out side and playing on the ice.

Racing on the Woodlawn Rink

Yesterday despite the weather was a fun day.  It snowed a bit but never rained, so we spent much of the day outside.  We first went to Long Point, for a hike, and walked through the woods, down to the tip of Long Point, back to our car and it took us about an hour and a half, with a bitter wind at times hitting our faces, especially by the Pavilion.  The kids were great, playing in the woods, looking for moss, walking on downed trees and Coco, the dog, ran and sniffed to his heart's content.  We came home around 1:00, threw Coco in the tub and Jill gave him a bath. We had a lunch of left over burgers, soup, and the girls played inside for a bit.

Keeping Warm

We then went outside and enjoyed the ice for a couple of hours, as Hayden really became good at ice skating.  I cleared a six foot wide oval, out in front of Woodlawn, about 100 yards in length, so Drew and Hayden would race around the rink. We had lawn chairs out as well, and our neighbors, the Bergens and Kinney's came out in front of their house, brought out the bean bag game, and played it with beers, a great spectacle on the lake even though we had little snow.  We had only one pair of skates, but Hayden let Halle use hers and with Evie's help, Halle was able to take off on her own.  We went in around 6:00 and just as we got in, our neighbor John Johnson came over, brought an extra pair of skates, so hopefully both girls can have skates today.  I am pretty sure we will spend most of the day on the ice.

For dinner, we had a family favorite fondue bourguignonne, and everyone loved it. It brought back memories of Turkey because this was always our favorite dinner for holidays and company.  We had twice baked potatoes, salad, and pumpkin rolls, quite a feast.  The girls were really tired, so they went right to bed.  Jill and Drew have gotten into the series Homeland, which we had saved on the DVR for them, so they watched three episodes after dinner.

This morning we are off to Red's Pancake House in Sherman, a local oddity.  It's open for only two months, when the maple syrup flows, on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9:00 to 2:00.  We have never been but the locals talk about it as a fun place to  go.  So we will give it a try.

THE DROP: MICHAEL CONNELLY

A typical thriller by Michael Connelly though this time he returns to his old stand by, Harry Bosch, now in his sixties, facing 'the drop', the last few years of his career.  He is a widower, with a teenage daughter and he's intense as ever in solving cold cases.  This time it involves the death of the son of a nemesis, Irving Irving, disgraced cop turned councilman.  He, of course, hates Harry but asks for him to be put on this case.  Simultaneously, Harry is looking back at an early case, where a young woman was raped and killed back in 1984.  The DNA leads him to a suspect, who just happened to be eight years old when the murder took place.  Harry ends up finding the kid, also a rapist but he remembers living with a man, his mother's lover, who beat and abused him when he was a child.  This is the lead Harry needs, of course, and he solves both cases, the first not necessarily to satisfaction of the councilman, as he sees it as the usual city politics.  In the second case,  Harry discovers the murder of this young woman is also a serial killer, with 37 notches on his belt, living in disguise as his deceased father. Bizarre.

Harry also discovers a friend, a older woman who works with 'returning pedophiles,' and they end up having a relationship when Harry proves to her he has some sympathy for these people, raising the nature/nurture question.  A quick read, fun, with the usual wham bam thank you Michael ending.

A Bissell Saturday, Light Snow in the 30's

Evie and Hayden and Halle

Halle relaxing

Speed skating and sliding

We are all up except for Hayden who just sent an text message to Evie saying she did not want to get up, ah technology.  What a brat.  We are all sitting in the living room, the Bissell's on an IPAD, and three on ITOUCHES,  and Evie's on her IPAD as well, the modern family in the morning.  Little talk unless something goes awry with the devices.  Hayden just called me on Face Time from her bed upstairs, what a kid.  So here I sit, talking with her as she lays in bed upstairs, trying to get up enough energy to come down.  She just texted Granny that she is coming down.  What a different morning

Figure Skating

Drew and Jill

We had a great day yesterday, mostly because it was fairly sunny outside and though we did not have snow, the lake was frozen and smooth, so we were able to all go outside, take out some lawn chairs, and enjoy the lake, playing around on it, with a sled or two, just sliding, though both Hayden and I went ice skating.  She had never skated before but because of her familiarity with roller blading, she made an easy transition and really had fun on the ice.  We did take the augur and drill a hole in the lake to see how thick the ice was, about four inches, so it was safe.  Lots of fisherman off of Long Point, perhaps 30 or 40 sitting out on the ice most of the day.  After a lunch of two soups and hot dogs, Evie took the girls over to the campground to visit the animals in the petting zoo.  I went to the Lighthouse to pick up meat for our juicy lucys, the rest just relaxed at home.

Dinner with Bissells and Mc Clures

Around 6:30, Ron and Linda came over for dinner.  We had beers and appetizers outside on the ice, in the dark.  We sat in lawn chairs while Evie and the girls played on the ice.  Hayden, of course, was skating and we sat out for about  a half an hour.  It felt good to be outside in the twilight, with no wind, but after awhile, it was time to come in.  We had a great dinner of Juicy Lucys, sweet potato fries, green beans, with ginger bread and ice cream for dessert.  We sat around after dinner talking until about 10:00 when Ron and Linda went home.  It was a fun day, for the girls especially, as they loved being out side as well as playing inside, up in their room, with the playhouse we brought out of the attic.  It always amazes me how they can play by themselves, with just their imaginations.