Rain or Snow and Warming Up

Fishing at Dusk off of Tom's Point

Yoga Studio at Panterra, in Westfield

Dusk from Lake Drive in Bemus

Victoria at 8: 35 AM

8:25

Dusk sky on Thursday, around 5:00 PM

Both Evie and I are up later than usual, after 7:00, to a 'thousands shades of gray' sky, that is, the lake, various colors, some pink, the same with the far off sky, gray clouds with a light pink background, and  open areas of the lake, shiny and dark, with puddles of ice.  It's 39º so I am wondering why snow is forecast.  Tomorrow, like most of the Midwest, it's supposed to get in to the 50's, melting much of the snow before it cools off again next week.  Perhaps a kayak weekend!

Yesterday morning, I went to a two hour flow yoga class at the Studio at Panterra in Westfield, about a twenty five minute drive.  It's on Hardscrabble Road, on a ridge above Lake Erie and as you drive along it, west from Westfield, you look down on all the grape fields and Lake Erie.  The Studio is about a quarter of mile before the Noble Winery, if you are familiar with it.  There's a small sign, indicating a rough road down into a valley where the studio is set.  The teacher, Dariel Woltz, lives there with her husband.  They have a house set back, along a small  creek or stream and a separate two story barn/studio.   It looks as though it was built as a yoga studio, so it has skylights and windows overlooking the woods and stream and a great open space, with wood floor, to practice.  I met Dariel because I was one of the first to arrive and she was welcoming, took my email, to send me info on her programs.  I was one of two males in a class of about twenty, almost too many, as I was lodged close to a wall.  It was a flow class, with little instruction, very different from her usual classes Dariel mentioned, though I had little trouble keeping up as most of the poses were familiar.  I was more aware of time then I wanted to be though the two hours went quickly enough.  We did do more breathing exercises than I am used to but most of the poses were held for thirty seconds, not much longer.  It was fun being in a new setting, listening to a new teacher, and I would like to go back to a few of her classes, if she encourages walk ins.  I am not sure I would want to go weekly as it is quite a distance to drive.  She seems to be the expert in the  area, as all yoga practitioners know Dariel and as I mentioned yesterday, she lived and taught at Kripalu Yoga center, which is the Cadillac of yoga centers on the East coast.

While I was at yoga, Evie noticed two coyotes out on the ice, making their way along the slippery pathway, and up into the Victoria woods.  We assume the dog we saw on the ice a couple of days ago was also a coyote.  Not sure why they were on the ice, either chasing or being chased I would assume.

Late afternoon, Evie and I got a bit stir crazy, sitting in the house all afternoon, so we went for a walk along Lake Drive in Bemus.  It was mostly overcast though the setting sun was trying to peak through the clouds.  We had not taken this walk in awhile so it was fun to stroll it, to feel the cold air, to just be outside at this time of the day.  We were surprised to see fishermen off of both Stow and Tom's Point because the ice is definitely melting in some areas.  Intrepid or Stupid,  I am not sure which.

For dinner, Evie made some thing different, a pizza of mushrooms, onions and sausage on a puff pastry crust, almost like a brioche and it was tasty, a different crust from a normal pizza, richer and more buttery I would say.  It would make a great appetizer for a party as well.  She bought the crust, rolled it out, put on the ingredients, put it in the oven, and it puffed up as it baked for approximately 30 minutes.  I am looking forward to having it for lunch today.

And the birds are back in full force, pigging out on the large feeder at the front window.  They are nestled in the rhododendrons beneath the window, or up in the tree branches, and as I look right now, there are six of them at the feeder.  At this pace, I am filling it every two days.