Closing Down The Casino (Hiking Dobbins Woods)

6:45

7:30

Up at 6:20, some color off to the east though the sun will not rise for another forty five minutes.  It's definitely warmer this morning, 52º and we may have some rain later, which we need.  Right now, as I write, it's 7:30 and the sun is a huge orb rising over Lakeside Drive, no longer cloud bound, making it difficult to see in our living room.

We were wild and crazy yesterday morning, hiking Bly Hill Road and the loop of Dobbins Woods, rather than take our usual walk around the Chautauqua Institution.  The loop takes only 35 minutes though it's a pleasant walk through a forest, with lots of pine trees.  It was hard to follow the trail as it's clear that the trail has seen little use this summer, probably because of the heat and mosquitoes.  But yesterday, Dobbins Woods was cool and inviting and we were the only ones there.  Bly Hill is mostly uphill going, a fairly steep grade which surprised us.  We walked a total of three and a half miles, out about an hour and a half, not as far as we wanted but good enough.  We went home and whipped up  our Sunday breakfast of eggs, bacon, home fries and toast and watched CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.  What a good show.

Hiking Dobbins Woods

Bly Hill Road

By the way, we did not realize that  our short hike on Friday in the Allegheny State Park  is a tiny part of the 4,600 mile North Country National Scenic Trail, stretching from the New York/Vermont border through seven states, to it's western terminus in North Dakota.  It is the longest hiking trail in the United States...only 4,5981/2 miles to go.

We spent another afternoon relaxing either on the dock, reading or fishing, alternately wrapping ourselves in blankets and towels when the wind picked up, taking them off when it stopped.  I also did some kayaking, catching a few perch, and Evie cut both Leonards and our lawn.  I did watch Buffalo win another NFL game, so both the Browns and Bills won on the same weekend.  Miracles.

Final Night of Wings At Casino

Half Price Ice Cream Cones

We found out Saturday, when we walked Long Point, that Sunday was to be the last night at the Bemus Point Casino.  We had not had wings since our kids were here, so we decided to close down the place and asked the Mc Clures to come along.  What a great decision.  We were able to sit outside, no breeze, a lovely sunset, as we had our last batch of wings, with blue cheese, of course,  and a couple of Blue Moons.  We sat outside talking until dark, the last ones in the Casino as the staff yelled, as we left, "We will see you next year."  Sad making.

Dusk From Casino Porch

We got home around 8:30, and waited to watch Breaking Bad at 9:00, with the rest of America, or so it seemed.  We both predicted much of the ending, Walt's getting back at Jack and his bad ass buddies, rescuing Jessie.  The best scene, however, was his final meeting with Skylar, his wife.  When she said she did not want to hear him say once again that he did this for the family, he responded: " No Skylar, I did it for myself.  I liked it.  It made me feel alive for once," honest and powerful.  And so the series ends, Walt dead, Jesse on the road somewhere, the family taken care of by Walt's early partners in a business proposition, the only surprise of the evening, his forcing them to turn over 9 million dollars to his son Flynn.  A nice touch  and the couple, especially the husband, were amazingly cast,  unattractive, nerd like, people you immediately did not like. And they screwed Walt early on in their business, so they got what they deserved.   What series will take it's place.  Certainly not the hyped, The Blacklist, a rip off of Silence of The Lambs.

A Brief Sunrise On A Partly Cloudy Sunday

7:25

Up at 7:00 ( I know, who cares), to a streak of pink just above the hills to the east, a I wait for the sun to rise above it.  Finally it appears, flashing the day, about 7:30, twenty minutes after the supposedly sunrise in this area.  It briefly lights up the lake, then hides again behind the clouds and I am too late to get a picture of it rising upwards into the clouds.  No fog this morning, the first time in five days, and it's still a chilly 48º.  Another stellar day forecast; what have we done right to have such an exceptional week of weather.  And what lays in wait if you believe like the Greeks that everything levels out, the good and bad.  Get out the snow shovels.

My morning started with this 'ordinary poem' from The Writer's Almanac, and I liked it enough to include it below: Enjoy.

Ordinary Life

by Barbara Crooker

This was a day when nothing happened,
the children went off to school
without a murmur, remembering
their books, lunches, gloves.
All morning, the baby and I built block stacks
in the squares of light on the floor.
And lunch blended into naptime,
I cleaned out kitchen cupboards,
one of those jobs that never gets done,
then sat in a circle of sunlight
and drank ginger tea,
watched the birds at the feeder
jostle over lunch's little scraps.
A pheasant strutted from the hedgerow,
preened and flashed his jeweled head.
Now a chicken roasts in the pan,
and the children return,
the murmur of their stories dappling the air.
I peel carrots and potatoes without paring my thumb.
We listen together for your wheels on the drive.
Grace before bread.
And at the table, actual conversation,
no bickering or pokes.
And then, the drift into homework.
The baby goes to his cars, drives them
along the sofa's ridges and hills.
Leaning by the counter, we steal a long slow kiss,
tasting of coffee and cream.
The chicken's diminished to skin & skeleton,
the moon to a comma, a sliver of white,
but this has been a day of grace
in the dead of winter,
the hard knuckle of the year,
a day that unwrapped itself
like an unexpected gift,
and the stars turn on,
order themselves
into the winter night.

Yesterday was another grand fall day.  We decided to limit our driving, so we drove over to the entrance to Long Point Park, at the end of Lakeside Road.  We hiked through the park, to Sunset Bay, around the Sunset Bay neighborhood, back to the park, out to the tip of Long Point and back to our parked car, through the arcade of Black Walnut trees, my favorite part of the walk.  The walk was just over four miles, took us about two hours, a great way to start a Saturday.  Surprisingly, we saw only one couple on our walk, with two huge Newfoundland's.

Trail At Long Point Park

A Typical Cottage From The 1960's

We returned up to enjoy the afternoon, mostly outside, doing odd jobs in the yard and garage.  We planted some Jerusalem artichokes, late summer bloomers,  for next year, tore out the huge flowerless Jack in the Beanstalk like stems that had been growing by our back porch, hoping to plant them some where else this morning.  Evie was busy potting some of the geraniums left by our neighbors, cut the Leonard's lawn, getting it ready for the dock removal, and I worked on putting away some of the summer toys in the garage attic, cleaning it out as well, throwing away items that have been sitting up there for twenty years.  Why is it so hard to throw away something that is really useless?

Changing Colors Towards Long Point

"Alcohol is a wonderful thing."  Quoting My Grandfather Camplejohn

We had everything done by 5:30 and adjourned to our living room, turned on Garrison Keillor, and treated ourselves to a couple of Manhattans, our favorite drink though we rarely have them these days, preferring a glass of wine or a beer.  We had a easy but good dinner of the leftover Turkish kofte's, with tomato sauce, on toasted pita bread, and we were happy.  Evie had started up our subscription to the Showtime channel so we could watch the first episode of Homeland tonight and we found out we could also watch the past season of Nurse Jackie, so we watched three episodes, keeping up with her life, as she recovers from an addiction to pain killers.  And it looks like she may have a new love interest.  Surprise.  I commented to Evie that it was the first time I remember seeing Jackie really smile  in five years of episodes.  Ah romance.

Hiking North Country Trail (Allegheny Reservoir)

6:40

Kinzua Dam 

I was up at 6:40, surprised again by how dark it was.  I better get used to it, especially as the winter months approach.  We are not as fog bound this morning, as I can see across the lake to Long Point as the rising steam slowly moves up the lake.  It's now 7:45 and the sun has just appeared, fairly high in the eastern sky, just above the fog bank, forcing me to move to another chair.  The lake is still a slate like gray, no color yet,  the water glistening, from the sun's rays.

We were just about ready yesterday morning to take a paddle when I had the bright idea of driving to the Kinzua Dam and Reservoir Area for another hike.  So, we gathered all our gear, back packs, Nano, cameras, water, bananas, compasses, bear bell, and pepper spray, like the good boy scouts, be prepared. It was 35 miles on #86 to the exit for the Kinzua Dam area, another 14 miles to the Willow Bay campground, the beginning of the North Ridge Trail.  It took us 55 minutes to get there.  We parked the car in a turn off, along with a couple of other cars, crossed the road, stepped over the rail, and started our hike along the trail.  Most of the trail was through wooded areas, the first half in the shade of the many pine trees, till we reached an area where the pines seemed to end, and it became more sunny and warm.  Much of the going was an uphill, though not rigorous, and we crossed many dry beds.  We were both surprised by the number of leaves that had fallen though the forests are just beginning to change colors.  After about forty five minutes, we had had enough, never getting far enough to see the Reservoir, and we were a bit bored with the sameness of the trail, perhaps because we knew we would have to return on the same trail.  We were out for just under two hours, walking over 3 miles.  By the way, the trail also winds its way east, through the heart of the Allegheny Forest so next time we may head that way.  On the way back, we stopped in Steamboat to get cheap gas (no taxes because its in Seneca territory), and arrived home around 1:30.

Old Man In The Woods

North Country Trail

Spider Web

We quickly made lunch, veggie soup and pizza, and took it out on the dock to enjoy the warm afternoon sun.  We stayed out their reading and napping, a beautiful afternoon, with almost no breeze, the lake silent and calm. It was so inviting that Evie could not resist jumping in for a brief swim. Around 3:30, we decided to kayak it was so inviting, got our life jackets, fishing rods and paddles, and by the time we got out on the lake, the wind had picked up appreciably, so that it made our paddle difficult.  We stayed out about a half hour before heading home discouraged by the winds and waves.

Bemus Point at Night With The Mc Clures

Around 6:15, Mc Clures picked us up for another final beer of the summer (or first beer of the fall), on the porch of the Lenhart Hotel  It was open  because of a wedding this weekend.  The porch was full and the waiting line for a drink at the bar was long as everyone wanted to enjoy the final sunset on the Lenhart's porch.  We then went to the Seezurh House for our Friday night fish fry.  It was packed, making it fun but difficult to hear because of the noise.  Still, we like it that way.  Two nights dining out in a row!  Wow! We are getting to like it, especially Evie, who has the night off from cooking.  When we returned home, we watched the first episode of the new season of Parenthood; it was strange to be back in the world of this family after a hiatus of five months.

Hiking The Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail By Day: Dining at Brazil By Night

7:18

7:19

Up early again, 6:20, some fog and cool but a swath of light off towards Tom's Point, strange because the sun still rises just off of Long Point. NPR keeps talking about what a great weekend of weather lies ahead and I would add the past four days as well.  This has been the best week of weather in 2013, an exaggeration perhaps but close.  I cannot wait to get up, to see the foggy morning, then the sun rise,  and finally, a hike, the good life.

Yesterday, as I may have mentioned we waited till about 10:00 to head out for our hike because of the heavy fog.  Even as we crossed the bridge, as we were driving to Gerry, the hills were still obscured by fog, making us wonder if the woods would be as well.  Fortunately, all the fog was burned off as we arrived at the trail head for the Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trial, just outside of Gerry.  The first couple of legs cut through the Harris Hill State Forest, which neither of us had ever heard of. Anyways, we have hiked most of the Fred J. Cusimano Westside Trail(24 miles long) because it's on our side of the lake. This time we decided to begin hiking parts of the Eastside Trail, nineteen miles long.  We walked from V to U if you pay attention to the map, hoping eventually to  get to A, nineteen miles from A.  It was a super day for a hike, cool and sunny, and all of the hike was in a heavily wooded forest, canopies of leaves filtering the sunlight most of the way.  It's well taken care of, many bridges over streams and rivulets, some gravel in wet areas, the path often framed by ferns, creating an attractive green way.  We walked out only 1.5 miles, thinking we had gone farther but according to the map, it was not so.  We returned the same way and the round trip took close to 1.5 hours, not as long as we wanted but good enough.  One leg down, twenty two more to go.  We have never been in the Gerry area before, so it was a nice ride to the Trail Head, around twenty miles.

Evie Dwarfed by Forest

Crossing One Of The Many Bridges

Me

Harris Hill State Forest

Ferns

We got home just after 1:00, had a lunch of BLT's and soup on the dock, and relaxed the rest of the day on the dock, though Evie had to drive to Jamestown for a doctor's appointment, mid afternoon, a bummer. Earlier in the day, our neighbor, Mary Ann Miller, asked us if we wanted to go out to dinner with her and the Scholtz's, so we picked them up at 6:15,  then stopped by to pick up their friend Charlie T. in Katawka, then drove to Westfield to have dinner at the newly opened Brazil, a restaurant which is getting high marks from our friends.  One of my breakfast buddies, Jack Voelker was there enjoying a meal, and mid way through or meal, other friends from the CI, Fred and Judy Gregory walked in, a popular place.  We all liked our meals, thought they were about the best we have had in the area, high praise I would say.  I had beer braised short ribs with noodles, tender and juicy, and almost everyone else had the maple glazed salmon, also a good choice.  We had raspberry pie for dessert, talked to the owner for a bit, as well as our waitress, a local high school girl, who was learning how to serve, as the summer staff have left for college.  We didn't get home till around 9:30, watched some TV before going to bed to read.  It was full and balanced day, a morning  hike complemented by dining out with  friends, the best.

Enjoying Dinner with Friends at Brazil's On Main, Westfield, NY

Tired of Foggy Mornings

7:00

9:45 As Fog Burns Off

Fall Crocus

Up at 6:45, another heavy fog obscuring most of the lake and like yesterday, I can just make out our dock.  No kayaking early, just breakfast in Bemus with the guys, then a hike on the Eastside Overland Trail, starting in Gerry.  It's quite cool out, 37º but the wonderfully sunny weather will continue through the weekend it sounds like.

Yesterday, we could not make up our mind what to do so we finally decided to visit Sandy's, a women who has an amazing perennial garden.  We had not been to see her since last year and we have bought most of our perennials from her over the past twenty years .  She's a real character and not only does she garden, but she paints, collects all kinds of chotskies, filling her yard and garden with all kinds of hand made knick knacks.  Although we did not buy anything, she took us for a walk around her garden/farm.  Most of the perennials were finished, waiting for next year.  She seems like a throw back to the pioneer women of the 1900's, independent and of the earth.  We then drove to Sugar Grove, to visit David Miller, an Amish tailor of boat covers and porch curtains.  He was a neat guy as well, very personable with a great sense of humor.  We ordered a porch curtain for the south side of our front porch, to keep out the rain during the summer, perhaps keep it up all winter if we think we need it.  It will be ready in a week. Another talented guy and like Sandy, good at making things.

Hand Made Garden Chimes

Garden  Chotsky

Our final stop was in Sugar Grove, a quick visit to the local grocery to pick up  bratwurst and a pot belly of Pot of Gold chocolate milk, which we finished on the way home.   We took advantage of the afternoon sun once again by enjoying the dock, reading and doing some fishing.  The perch seem to be biting as we each caught a few with just a couple of casts.  Around 4:30, we went for a long kayak paddle, our usual to Long Point, then Wells Bay and home.  The lake was empty and smooth, no wind and warm enough to be in short sleeves.

An Ingenious Amish Clothes Dryer (a pulley attached to the silo)

When we got home, Evie started chopping up the goodies for our Basil Curried Chicken, a recipe I found on the Web. I got out the spices, Evie braised the chicken, added the spices and coconut milk, put it in the oven for an hour.  We had it over the leftover rice, and it was quite good, of course, just the right bite to it.  We watched S and C, then a movie called JEFF STILL LIVES AT HOME.  It had gotten pretty good reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes website, so we tried it.  Jeff, Jason Siegel, still lives at home at thirty, waiting for life to come to him, believing in synchronicity, the idea that all things are connected, have meaning.  His brother, Ed Helms, has a seemingly good job but his marriage is falling apart.  And their mother, Susan Sarandon, dislikes them both, probably because her own life lacks meaning and love interest.  So, it was touching and thoughtful in some scenes, pulling us  in, wanting more, but other scenes were silly and coarse,  infantile slap stick, which made you want to turn it off.  Where is the film editor because this could have been a much better movie.  Jeff eventually saves a couple of drowning children, following the signs, and all end up reconnecting and living happily.  What this means I am not sure, perhaps just sit and wait for things to happen.

Late Afternoon kayaking

The best part of the day was a text we received last night from our granddaughter, Hayden, announcing she had made her Middle School Dance Team.  If you ever remember what it was like to try out for a team at that age, making the  team is a very big deal.  Last year she tried out and didn't make it, but she attended two or three dance classes during the past year, improved and gained confidence and viola, she made the team this year.  Life is good this morning for a certain twelve year old girl .

Lovely Hayden

The  Dancer

NEVER GO BACK: LEE CHILDS

A typical Reacher book, this time he's arrested by the Army for what prove to be two phony charges.  Of course, Jack's the only one who knows he is innocent and after being briefly incarcerated, he figures out a way to lock up his guards, free the woman he has come to visit, who also happens to have been incarcerated for a phony charge.  They both flee, by car, then plane, to LA to clear up Reacher's charges as well as the woman's.  Gradually, they narrow down the suspects to a couple of higher ups in the government, out to bring heroin into the country, get rich, and make sure they can supply their friends, mostly Congressmen.  Sound familiar.  I laughed out loud when Jack broke the fingers of a guy on a plane to get information; a few minutes later, he broke his partners arms in the toilet of the plane, to get more answers.  What a guy.  Unfortunately, the two government slime bags commit suicide before Jack can wreak his revenge on their bodies, a smart move.  Not as satisfying an ending as usual, where Jack disposes of five to ten gangsters all by himself.  Still, an enjoyable read, one I finished easily in twenty four hours, like eating a box of chocolate turtles. Yum.

SUSPECT: ROBERT CRAIS

This Crais novel for once  does not have Elvis Cole and Joe Pike as the main protagonist.  Instead, we have a dog, Maggie, trained to sniff bombs in Afghanistan and a young, rookie cop, Scott James.  Both are mangled in the line of duty, thus the cop after recuperating trains with the dog after both have recovered from injuries.  Both are suffering from the traumas of their duty, the dog losing its leader, the cop his partner, a young woman.  Their tragedies bring them together, as the dog fills the void in the cop's life, giving him something to care about.  As he trains the dog and works with him, he is also secretly gathering info about who it was that shot both him and his partner.  That's the major two threads of the story, the building relationship between man and dog, and the search for the killers.  Spoiler...he avenges the killing of his partner, with the help of Maggie.  And after reading this, I told my wife I wanted a dog.  She just laughed.  Ah men and their dogs.

Dripping Trees From Heavy Morning Fog

7:20

7:20

Up at 7:00 to another foggy morning as I can just make out the end of the dock.  And when I went outside to take the photograph of the morning sunrise, I thought it was raining but realized it was just the moisture from this morning's fog.  It's 42º, another fine day to come.

Yesterday was foggy early, so much so that we couldn't kayak or walk till it burned off around 10:00. We debated where to walk and decided to combine a walk with shopping at Wegman's.  So we drove to Jamestown, parked on Lakeside Drive, next to the Lakeside Cemetery.  We decided to walk Lakeside because it's the street most famous for it's older homes, many restored, some falling apart, especially as you get closer to downtown.  We walked along it as far as 6th Street, where downtown really begins, then back, on a lovely morning.  Work is being done on the tree lawns, or devil's strip as they call them in Akron, Ohio.  The city is paying for the digging up and reseeding, helping to make the area more attractive, a good idea.  I have added a number of photos of the homes along Lakeside to give you some idea of the wealth in Jamestown in the 20th century.  Not quite Shake Heights, Ohio, but still pretty cool.

2nd and 3rd Floor Facade of a Moroccan Style Home

Sheldon House,  Now Owned by JCC

After our walk, we drove into Jamestown, to Fresh Cut Meats and More, 621 Newland Avenue, a meat market recommended by our neighbor, Pat Jones.  It's in the middle of a neighborhood, just outside of the city, clean and neat, with a butcher, ready to take care of your needs.  It had a great looking display, a place we would like to support, like the Lighthouse in Mayville.  They are known for their veal, order ahead, city chicken, and ham loaf.  We will go back.  We then stopped at Wegman's, upset with them for rearranging their store once again so we cannot find anything.  And they don't yet have a store map.  WE DON'T LIKE CHANGE!  Sound like old farts.

We came home, had Evie's vegetable soup and a sandwich for lunch, and we then spent the afternoon the the dock reading, Evie wrapped, in a towel and blanket, me braving it with a single fleece, a tough guy. It was lovely on the lake, a bit windy but mostly, warm and enjoyable, as we worked through our books, Evie finishing LOVING FRANK, upset with the silly, unprepared for ending.  Endings are rarely satisfying, like life.

I had a hankering for Turkish koftes, spicy, egg shaped ground meat, so Evie made them up around 5:30, along with a sumac and garlic laden yogurt sauce to put over them.  I like these koftes because they remind me of team dinners in Turkey, when we would get mixed grill, and I would have these spiced burgers, along with other organ meats, including to my teammates enjoyment, my shock when I realized I was eating mountain oysters (the testicles of a lamb).  Hey, most cultures eat every part of the animal unlike us Americans, who are picky and wealthy enough to throw away parts of the animal because it's gross.  I grilled the koftes and we had them with rice and a salad, a satisfying meal, just what I wanted.  We watched a movie I have been wanting to see, District Nine, a sci-fi flick set in South Africa, about a space ship of aliens who land on the earth and are treated like the blacks in South Africa during the apartheid era.  The aliens are cordoned off from the public, then moved as a group out of the city to a Homeland, much like what South Africa did to its black populations in the 1970's and 80's.  The superintendent in charge of this dislocation accidentally is sprayed with a alien liquid, and he begins to metamorphose into an alien.   He is captured by his comrades and they decide to harvest his organs, hoping to make a super creature.  He flees, ends up fighting for his life, is saved and taken in by the aliens ironically and, I assume a sequel will be on the way in the next few years.  Elysium, a movie now in theaters, made by the same film maker, resembles District Nine somewhat, set in 2056 where two classes exist, the super wealthy who live in a pristine, man made space station, and the rest of us, living on a desecrated Earth, trying to survive.  Sound familiar?