Just Another Saturday Morning in the Violent USA

6:49

7:24

Up at 6:45, to large streaks of orange, over Long Point, and to the south, above Wells Bay.  It's cold outside, though no frost that I could see, twenty five degrees, and no rain forecast for the day but increasing cloudiness as the day continues.

Kayak Morning On Woodlawn

Another Mc Mansion on Whitney Bay

Burning Downed Trees at Telkins on Victoria

No yoga on Fridays, at least Friday mornings so I took a nice long kayak ride down to Snug Harbor, the Whitney Bay area, and back home.  Not a boat on the lake, in fact, other than Woodlawn, I noticed only one lake front home that seemed to be year round, amazing, all that real estate empty for a good part of the year, like Florida or any other snow bird destinations, in the summer.  Even in winter, I was always amazed at the condos that stood empty during the winter months on the Florida coast.  Perhaps this has changed in the last couple of years but I doubt it.  Most successful Americans want a second house, either on water, in the mountains, or the woods, on plenty of acreage.

Lunch at Smith Library

Evie, unfortunately, was still not feeling well yesterday, her cough still bothersome.  So, for lunch, I went to the Smith Library luncheon, at the Chautauqua Institution.  I have never seen the library so crowded.  All the tables were filled with people lunching, the steps up stairs packed, even the Children's Room was standing room only.  They had a large table of cold cuts, bread, potato salad, another of salad, pickles, punch, and cookies.  I ran into the Mc Clures, a couple other people I knew but for the most part, I had never seen any of the free baggers like me.  June, one of the librarians mentioned that someone has even driven up from Pittsburgh.  Now that's desire.  This  luncheon happens every year but this was the first time I remembered to attend.  Cannot wait till next year.

Late afternoon,  I walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, as the sun was going down, lots of long shadows on the paths.  It's a good time for a short walk, building an appetite, so I can hardly wait to get home to a glass of wine.  For dinner, we had a cheese omelet, fried potatoes and salad  and watched a movie called Outsourced, at times fun, but by no means a great film.  I would give it a C but worth watching if you want something predictable but amusing.  I finally finished BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALF TIME WALK.   I really liked the book though I slowed down the last twenty five pages or so, either because I was losing interest or just had no time to finish it.  I do recommend it highly.

Naked Big Trees In Front of the Davis's Mc Mansion

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, thinking of the parents in Newtown.  What they have gone though, will have to go through, is unimaginable, something no one should have to contemplate.  As Obama said, it makes you want to go home and hug your kids and realize how lucky you are because this could have happened at any primary school in the US.  The parents at Newtown were just unfortunate, unlucky, to have settled in this town.  Three things bother me the most about the aftermath, the frenzy of the politicians to pontificate, the journalists to get information, to be the first to interview a bereaved parent or neighbor, to get the story.  Second, the idiots who try to explain killing, like former Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, who said "We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we have systematically removed God from our schools," "Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?" What an idiot!  Finally, any rational person would think our gun laws need to be amended but I am not optimistic.  After all, guns don't kill people, people do argues the NRA. We have created a society which thinks it needs guns, it's our God given right, mostly out of fear I suppose, out of irrationality, and out of a gun culture, nurtured and embolden by the Gun Lobby and NRA. It's sad but I think inevitable that these sort of things happen, as the past few years have shown us with other incidents like Aurora, Colorado, just a few months ago.  We are the most violent nation in the world.