SILESIAN STATION: DAVID DOWNING

This is the second in a series of Downing's five books, set in Nazi Germany.  This one takes places during the summer of 1939, just before WW II begins with Hitler's invasion of Poland.  John Russell, a British citizen with, however, an American passport has been living in Germany for eighteen years, fathered a son, Paul with Ilsa but is now divorced though he sees his son each weekend, part of his reason for remaining Berlin.  Like most the the books in the series, at least one of the subplots involves the Jews, in this case a young sixteen year old Jew named Marian Rosenfeld, sent to Berlin to live with her uncle.  Unfortunately, her uncle is arrested and she is never heard from again.  Russell finds out about her being missing from his brother in law, who employed the uncle.  Russell takes it upon himself to visit her villages in Silesian, then part of Poland. He finds that  the family has heard nothing from her and on his return, he is mistaken for a Jew lover and beaten up by local toughs.  So begins the novel, as Russell seeks to find out what happened to Marian (she's been kidnapped by the SS, used as a prostitute) and he manages towards the end of the novel to save her life and those of the other girls by pretending to be an ambulance driver during an Air Raid drill.  They take the girls away in an ambulance, supposedly from a bombed building, and end up fooling the SS with the plot.  This takes place towards the end of the novel.

Most of the book, however, charts his double or triple life as a spy for the Americans, Germans and Russians, supposedly giving false Germany information to the Russians.  Russell, however, has told the Russians its false, setting himself up as a double agent.  Because he is a journalist, he travels extensively during this novel, as the world waits with bated breath for Hitler to make his move and invade Poland. We are with Russell and all the Germans as well as Poles, week by week, until Ribbentrop finally ends up in Moscow,  signing the non aggression pact which virtually starts the war.

The novel ends in late September, 1939, as Russell returns to where Marian's family farm once stood.  Now its in ruins,  burned to the ground, and Poland is about to fall finally to the Nazis, as France and Great Britain do little to avoid their defeat.  Russell has played his cards well, playing one group against the other, and he has saved the life of German woman, Sarah Grostein, by asking the communists to smuggle her out of the country.  This along with his saving the lives of Marian and her fellow sex slaves, allows him to live with himself in this vile country, along with his son Paul and lover, Effi, who also aids in the defense of the Jews.  I am looking forward to the next book, STETTIN STATION, set in 1941, as the Nazis are fighting the Russians on the eastern front, just before the United States is brought into the war by Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

A Wet, Windy Halloween Thursday Morning

7:32

Up at 6:45 to the sound of rain on the roof, as predicted by the weatherman.  He's correct once in a while.  It's supposed to be that kind of day, rain on and off all day, heavy winds starting tonight, unseasonably warm during the day, a high of 68º. It's a good thing we got all our yard work done yesterday.  Just heard some gun shots so it must be duck hunting season on the lake.

Enjoying A Fall Walk

The Modern Hiker, On His Phone With His Broker!

The weather yesterday was fine, clear and sunny and cool, just the kind of fall day we love.  And to take advantage of it, we drove off to the Audubon Nature Preserve,  just outside of Frewsburg,  about a half hour drive.  We like to support it, are members, and walk their grounds four or five times a year.  It was a great day to hike the woods, cool and crisp in mid morning, especially in the first half of our walk through our favorite kind of trail, a forest full of pines, always dark and cool, no matter what time of the year.   If I did not live on a lake, I would want to live in a pine forest or with a mountain view.  It's an easy two plus mile circular walk, flat so it would be easy to cross country ski, which I have done a couple of years ago.  There's a huge pond, too, with a few water fowl.  The Sanctuary is well taken care of, with lots of blue bird houses, a perch for the resident eagle, and lots of plantings protected from deer by plastic tubes.  We ended up buying 50 pounds of sunflower seeds, which ought to get us through a few months of winter's hungry birds.  Right now, our feeder in the front window is besieged by sparrows, devouring the sunflower seeds in two or three days.  After our walk, we went to Wegman's, spending a wad, walking off with seemingly little, typical these days for a shopping trip. We also stopped at Raymour and Flanigan, a furniture store, to look at  their club chairs.  We are thinking of buying a couple of chairs to put around our fireplace but are finding most chairs seem too large for the area.

A Great Destination

The Audubon Sanctuary

We did not get back till after 1:00, so we had lunch, relaxed a bit, then went outside to work in the yard.  We were going to cut both yards but Evie got to them first, and cut both Leonard's and our yard, as I worked in the back yard, on the compost pile, and clearing the garage so I could put my Pilot in it tomorrow when we take off to visit Jill and family in Bristow, VA.  The entire time we worked outside, the lake was like glass, not a ripple, sun filled, a deep blue.  So, when we finished our work, we decided we had to go kayaking and as luck would have it, the wind picked up just as we started out, rippling the calm waters.  It was still great to be out on the lake on a late October day despite the fact that the lake was still algae filled and paddling in some parts was like being in pea soup.  We paddled across to Long Point, then to the far end of Wells Bay, where a new house had just been built.  We paddled close to shore and owner came out to talk.  His name is Glenn Johnson, and they will live there full time.  They tore down their old cottage because it was just not large enough for them.  A nice guy, we talked for about ten minutes, exchanged names, and then paddled home to our lake front.

Fall Kayaking

Starting Out

Heading Home, Late Afternoon

Around 5:30, we had a glass of wine and Evie made up a pasta sauce with mushrooms, white wine and cream.  When done, she tossed it with some of the leftover fresh pasta noodles from last night's dinner and we had a meal with salad and broccoli.  Earlier, we bought some maple syrup vinegar at the Busti Cider Mill, tried it on the salad, and it got average reviews, not my favorite.  We couldn't find much to watch on TV other than Stewart and Colbert, so we went to bed early, me to finish my book Silesian Station.

Today we get ready for our visit to Bristow, a good day to stay inside because of the weather, not so good if you are a trick or treater.  This kind of day reminds of the fall Chautauqua weekends in years past, when we would drive up for the weekend and it would be wet and cold and dark, though comforting because we were at the lake, in our home.  We would usually go out to dinner at Bud's Carriage House, return home through the drizzle, houses decked out in Halloween decorations.  Ah nostalgia.

Starry. Starry Morning

7:20

7:55

A Gaggle of Early Morning Honkers!

Up before 6:00, got the paper and was amazed by the star filled sky, a crescent moon, the big dipper hanging over the roof of our house, and a warmer morning than the past few days, 39º.  It's still dark as I begin this blog at 6:40, only a few house lights visible along the Bemus shore line.  Mornings and afternoons will change Saturday night with DST, more sun early, less light in the afternoon.

Once again, I ended up going to yoga a day early, at my teacher's request, so that I have become a regular on Tuesday's, though I signed up for Wednesday.  Class was much the same as the previous weeks, but I do enjoy learning more about each pose, and repeating certain poses week after week helps me to remember the little things that make a difference.  Class always seems to have a couple of walk ins.  I had to laugh at one women, who brought her over weight thirty something son last week. This week, she said she couldn't wake him up in time for our 10:00 class.  Must be nice.  One of the things I enjoy about class is the ride to Westfield and along Hardscrabble Road, set on a ridge, overlooking two or three miles of vineyards, leading down to Lake Erie.  I vow each time to bring my camera but always forget.  And this time, three huge trucks, with massive trailers were parked along side the narrow road, waiting to be filled with grapes.  On the way home, I stopped at Patterson Library, to pick up the fourth volume of David Downing's series set in Nazi Germany.  I am about to finish the second volume, start the third.  I also stopped at Tops to pick up some food stuff for dinner since we were having the McClures over for dinner.

Evie had most every thing ready for our pasta dinner when I got home around 1:00.  Mid afternoon, we had to drop my Accord off at Keystone because I need new rear brakes and rotors, something I have to get done every two years.  Not sure why but the brakes on both of my Honda's don't seem to last very long.  Around 4:00, we were all set for the McClures, so we decided to take a short kayak paddle because it was so nice out.  It was cool starting out, as we were still in the shade of the  trees but once we got out in the middle, the sun warmed us up, and when we headed home, we could barely make out the shore the sun was so bright.  The lake, unfortunately, was once again riddled with floating algae and a ribbon of green edged the shoreline.  The algae bloom seems arbitrary as the last time we paddled, we commented on the clarity of the water around Woodlawn.

Pasta Gals

McClure's arrived back to the lake late afternoon, unpacked and came over to our house for dinner around 6:15.  It was good to see them again as they had been in Murrysville for at least three weeks. We had Vodka pasta with shrimp, and Evie and Linda are becoming pros at making fresh fettuccine. Ron and I sat at the bar, enjoying our beers, watching the ladies make the fresh pasta while enjoying their own glass of wine.  Dinner was great, of course, and with home
made blue cheese dressing on our salads, we were a happy foursome.  For dessert, we had brownies with ice cream, no Mrs. Richardson's hot fudge sauce for Ron and me.  They left about 10:15, late for both of us, so we must have been having a good time.

Today looks like a nice day, perhaps a walk at the Audubon Nature Center, some shopping and home to enjoy the sunny afternoon, and the cutting of both Leonard's and our lawn.  We are driving to Bristow, VA, to visit Jill, Drew and the girls on Friday, so we want to chop the leaves at least once before we leave.

Steam Rising On A Cold Tuesday Morning (Eastside Overland Trail Hike)

7:00

7:32

Both Evie and I are up at 7:00, another picturesque morning sky, clouds, clear sky, reflections on the lake, as it gradually gets lighter.  I am always shocked at how late the sunrises this time of the year, how early it sets. 7:47 AM, 6:15 PM.  And before I know it, the sun is rising way over towards Tom's Point as it continues its fall journey south and I never tire of watching it.

Yesterday we got a late start but

Another Forest To Hike That We Have Never Heard Of

we stayed focused and drove off to Sinclairville, twenty miles away to walk another leg of the Eastside Overland Trail.  We drove east from Sinclairville, to RT. 62 and looked for trail heads P or Q but could find neither, perhaps because the trail seems to be on the road.  We finally drove to O, parked at a parking lot for the Boutwell Hill State Forest.  The trail head was poorly marked but we started on it, and immediately, we were climbing hills, trudging through muddy paths, what looked like runs for water coming off the hills.  It was wooded, however, since we were in the Boutwell Forest most of the time.  We had intended on walking all the way from O to M but the hiking was slow, because of the mud and uphill climb, so after an hour we finally made it to N, on Sanford Road.  It looks as though we would have had to walk along the road for a mile before getting to M.  So, we headed back and the going, for some reason, was much easier, at least for me, as I let Evie lead and I just meandered, with camera in hand, looking at things to photograph.  It makes me much more aware of the surroundings, more 'present' in yoga terms and I don't pay much attention to arriving, to a goal, which I tend to do when I lead.  Strange.  Anyways, we walked over 3 1/2 miles, just under two hours and it was another great hike, through woods still green in some parts, leafless in others, as we followed well marked paths, no bridges as I recall, despite the wetness.  It felt good to get to the trail head marked N, a goal no doubt, but also a sense of accomplishment.  We both like to tick off another leg of the trail.

Which Way?

The Leaves Have Fallen Here

Lots of Leaves Still

Our Goal Accomplished

We stopped at the Sinclairville Superette, bought some kidney beans for beans and potato soup, a submarine sandwich, and Evie found her favorite fudge sauce, Mrs. Richardson's, so  that too went in the bag.  We did not get home till around 2:00, late for us when we hike.  We ate the sub, watched some TV, then relaxed and read before Evie worked on the geraniums, trimming them, adding plastic trays to catch the water and I lugged them upstairs to the back bedroom, where they will spend the winter, watered as needed.  We have had some of the plants for three or four years.

For dinner, we had a traditional Slovenia dinner, beans and potato soup, with Slovenia sausage, from Azman's Meats in Euclid, Ohio.  Other butchers make Slovenia sausage but we have been eating Azmans since the 1950's and for us they are the best around.  We have started watching the new series on Showtime called Masters of Sex, at my sister Linda's recommendation.  It's based on a novel about the famous sexologists, Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson, who wrote the definitive study on Sexuality.  It's a compelling story, of his ambition, hang ups, with parents, women, and yes sex.  In between the narrative, we are presented with lots of naked bodies, with electrodes fastened to their bodies, as Masters and his aid, measured the bodies and brains responses through the various phases of coitus.  It seems like a strange story to tell on TV but we both like it enough to continue watching, like reading Playboy for the articles!!!!  That's a joke.  The sex in the film is never prurient, more clinical though Master's does seem to leer as he watches couples enjoying sex.

ZOO STATION: DAVID DOWNING

All of the John Russell novels are set in Nazi Germany, in 1939 so far, just before the annexing of Poland, which basically starts WWII.  Russell is a British citizen, with an American mother, who marries a German woman, has a son, Paul, divorces her, but stays in Berlin because of his son.  He makes his living as a journalist, has a famous actress girl friend, Effie, and because of his early Communist enthusiasms, his British and American connections, and his German wife and son, he is pulled in many directions.  In the first novel, he makes clear his dislike, even hatred of the Nazis and all they stand for.  It's also obvious that  this cannot be stated publicly, even among friends because you cannot trust anyone, a terrible world to live in.  He befriends a Jewish family, teaching their daughters English, because they hope to emigrate to Great Britain because all of the restrictions, the violence, and the threat of camps for the Jews.   He also becomes friends with a naive American journalist, who reminded me of Alden Pyle n Graham Greene's classic THE QUIET AMERICAN.  The American stumbles upon a story where the Nazi's have plans to liquidate all children with handicaps over the next few years.   Somehow, the Nazis are on to his story, and he ends up dying, supposedly committing suicide by jumping in front of a train.  Russell ends up with the story but is unsure what to do with it.

The other plot involves the Jewish family.  The father is arrested, taken to a camp, and murdered, making it imperative that the family leave as soon as possible.  Russell connects with the underground communists, offers his services, if they will help get the Jewish family out of the country.  They will arrange it for him if he will take a document (containing German Naval Plans) out of Germany to Poland, where a Soviet agent will meet him.  Russell also decides to take the American's article with him and mail it to the American Embassy when he gets to Poland.  If he is discovered carrying either of these documents, he knows he will be arrested, most likely killed.  His journey, of course, is filled with tension.   He makes it, connects with the Soviet source, tells him this is the last time he will help, they seemingly agree but actually set him up by putting a compromising document in his bag.  Fortunately, Russell finds it, flushes it down the train toilet, and when searched by the Nazis, obviously alerted by the Russians, he feigns innocence and is allowed to go on his way.

The novel paints a realistic and depressing picture of a country held slave to a belief, one of power and intolerance, a government who can act, like putting the Jews in camps, with impunity as the populace either refuses to see or lacks the moral courage to stand up and be heard. A good part of the novel is taken up with Russell's every day life, as well, taking his son to soccer games, going out to bars and dinners with Effie, meeting fellow journalists in bars, things like that which make life seem mundane and everyday at least from the outside.  I liked the book enough to get the next three novels in the series.

A Dazzling Monday Sunrise

Osprey with my 20X telephoto

Osprey Picture Cropped

Another Cropped Photo of Osprey

Up just before 7:00, the sky already pink/orange off towards Bemus.  It's 34º, typical for this time of the year.  Tonight they are forecasting a definite freeze.  When I looked out earlier, the windows on both cars are frozen, so it must have been fairly cold last night.  Action on the lake has diminished over the past couple of weeks, an occasional fishing boat, but that's about it other than our kayaks.

Yesterday morning we had an amazing morning kayak ride, starting out with gray skies as we headed towards Long Point then, on the way back, it started to sleet, then rain, and when we returned to Woodlawn, the sun popped out.  And, while we were kayaking close to the Victoria Creek Outlet, we heard this loud 'peep, peep,' which sounded almost like a song bird but it was too loud.  When we got closer, a large bird flew away but we could not tell what it was. We paddled down towards the campground, heard the same sound, 'peep, peep,' looked up in Corky Maitland's tree, and there was a huge, hooked beak bird, white chest and  head, perched on a branch, scouting the area for something to eat.  I thought it might be an osprey and when we got home, Evie checked out the birding app on her IPAD, played the sound of the osprey and it was just as we thought, a 'peep peep,' and the picture on the IPAD fit our photo perfectly.  It's our first clear, confirmed beyond sighting of an osprey.  A great morning kayak that was made more perfect by our Sunday breakfast, eggs, bacon, and toast.  Why does it taste so good?

Cloudy Start to Our Paddle

Sunny End To Kayak Morning

We spent the afternoon doing, what else, relaxing, catching up on phone calls for Evie, and making healthy oatmeal cookies, watching some football, listening to the Browns lose to the Kansas City Chiefs on the radio and reading.  Evie loves the enthusiasm of Jim Donovan, the Brown's announcer. We walked up the hill and back around 5:30, to shake off the lethargy of the leisurely afternoon. Dinner was roasted cauliflower, leftover pasta, salad and toast, simple but satisfying, as we caught up on the latest episodes of Homeland and The Good Wife.  I am still bored with Homeland though Evie liked this episode and The Good Wife was action packed, as Alicia finally was fired because she and Cary are starting their own firm.  I couldn't wait to get back to my book, SILESIAN STATION.

7:32

7:58

A Daguerreotype Photo Morning Sky

7:00

7:35

Up at 6:45, to darkness, of course, but the sky at the moment is something out of Brueghel's winter paintings, the sky an ominous, almost angry, gray and white off towards the southeast.  To the north, a threatening dark gray, not a good start to the day.

Yesterday was not a day to remember and both of us laughed last night as we went to bed that I would have little to say about our day because we went no where, did practically nothing, so I should just make up something exciting and interesting.  Well, the exciting part of the day was putting away our  summer clothes, getting out our winter things, for me long underwear, flannel shirts, ski pants, coats, more  fleeces, and winter boots, for Evie the same sort of things, including various winter hats, depending on her mood.  She likes winter hats! The interesting part of the day was Evie's wasting of the day, doing nothing but vegging out on the couch, unusual for her and of course, the guilt  that followed for having wasted the day.  Where does guilt come from?  Why feel guilty about wasting a day?  I never do.  Different upbringings? Religions? Probably both.

Around 4:30, I had to get outside so I went for a walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  It felt great, the cold air, the dampness of the woods, the wet leaves and trails, the fallen branches blocking the path.  I met up with the Johnson's, our neighbors, out  also to enjoy the afternoon and we talked, or rather I listened, as John is a talker.  Good people.

For dinner, we had Evie's version of chicken cacciatore, a great sauce, with mushrooms, over pasta and chicken.  We watched a movie neither one of us really liked though it was up for an Academy Award, The Life of Pi.  I read the books ages ago, liked it,  and though the cinematography was amazing, a movie has to be more than that.  For us, it was slow, predictable, and not much of a story.

I am reading the second book of David Downing's series set in Nazi Germany in 1939,  Silesian Station.  Obviously, I am in to the series, now five books I, but the setting upsets me as I read along, the strangulation hold the Nazis have on its people.  Gestapo and Kripo frighten the masses with their power to arrest and incarcerate, even dispose of, with impunity and the press, controlled, too, by the Nazis, only sings the praises of the regime.  The main protagonist, John Russell, an English/American journalist, however, feels he must stand up to this evil,  perhaps because he may only be deported but as a reader, we can sympathize with his plight, and wonder if something like that could even happen here in the US. It could.  And would we have the moral courage to stand up and protest? I doubt it.

ISTANBUL PASSAGE: JOSEPH KANON

I liked this novel for various reasons, most importantly, it instantly brought back memories of our life in Istanbul back in the 1970's though the novel is set earlier, just after WW II, as the various powers were drawing back their agents, for a time, just before the Cold War was to begin.

Leon Bauer, an American tobacco merchant and sometimes spy finds himself involved in a final escapade for Tommy, his CIA mentor, who soon will be leaving for the States.  Simply, he had to pick up a defector just below Rumeli Hisar, on the Bosphorus.  When he arrives in his car, to pick up the defector, he is shot at by a parked car; Leon returns the fire, kills the shooter and only later discovers Tommy is the shooter.  Thus begins the mystery of the novel, why did Tommy set up Leon, supposedly his friend, who is the defector, wanted by both the Russians, Americans and Turks.  Leon takes it upon himself as a point of honor to protect the defector despite the fact that he's a member of the Romanian Iron Guard, involved in the liquidating of the Jewish community.  Leon must juggle the three powers, hiding his defector, trying to find out why he is so important, and to whom should he give Alexie up. The story is also complicated by the fact that his Leon's wife suffers from depression, lies  unconscious in a Bebek clinic, having been overwhelmed by the treatment of the Jews by the three major powers after the war, sending boatloads back to Europe rather than allowing them to go to Palestine.

The novel is rich in Istanbul sights, which Kanon uses to his advantage.  Many of the scenes take place in the places with which I am familiar as might  a tourist, the Cicek Pasaj, both the Pera Palas and Park hotels, the Blue Mosque, the Galata Bridge, and various restaurants, even my favorite, Rejans, run by three white Russian sisters.  It takes a Turkish colonel to help Bauer sort things out, and in the end, Bauer realizes he's been used by the Turks as well but he can live with himself because he never gave up on Alexie, trying to save him to the bitter end.  A good story, with an accurate view of Istanbul after the war.

A Delightfully Sunny Morning

7:20

8:00

Both Evie and I were up around 7:15, to a partly cloudy sky, pinks and blues off towards Lakeside Drive, sunny and some clouds at the moment, 8:00.  It looks like a fine morning, perhaps a chance of rain in the afternoon, but with luck, we could have a good day.  High winds are forecast, however, up to fifty miles an hour, and the lake at the moment looks like it's moving north, rather than south towards Jamestown. No plans for the moment, perhaps a hike somewhere close after yesterday's debacle.

Yesterday morning was partly cloudy, some drizzle off and on but we decided to hike another section of the Eastside Overland Trail.  We knew where we had stopped, on Old Chautauqua Road, east of Sinclairville, so we drove back roads, through Ellery and Red Hawk, to the trail head but could not find the next trail head though we drove and drove.  Maps do not seem to match the roads and many street signs are missing on the back roads.  We gave up, decided we would start at Bates, a town east of Sinclairville the next time we are ambitious, then stopped at the Sinclairville Superette for gas and Evie loved the store, a deli, a sporting goods store, a  grocery store, all in one.  We eventually circled back to Bemus, parked our car in front of the Hare and Hounds and had a nice walk down to the end of Lakeside Drive and back, just over three miles, taking us an hour.  It was cold when we started and windy, but once you get out of Bemus, the wind always seems to die or blocked by Long Point, so it's easier to walk.

We didn't get home till after 1:00, had toasted cheese on onion rye and barley mushroom soup for lunch, just what we wanted to warm up a bit.  We decided to see an early movie which I had read good things about, ENOUGH SAID, with James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss from Seinfeld.  It was at the Chautauqua Mall and the theater was  not crowded, in fact, we were the only two there, not a good sign for the film.  ENOUGH SAID, however, was one of the better films we have seen in the past year, a romantic comedy, well written, with no violence, potty humor, or gratuitous sex.  No wonder the theater was empty.  A lovely story, two divorcees meet and struggle to connect after their past  failed marriages, marvelously acted by the two, a movie worth seeing again.  Understated, well developed characters, a good story, some humor, and often touching.  Go see it now before it leaves the theaters because there's no hype for it.

Friday Afternoon at the Movies

After the 4:40 movie, we went to Weggies to pick up a few things for tonight's dinner, and went to the Rod and Gun for a fish fry, which we like to do, as it reminds us both of our youth in Euclid, when everyone went out for a fish fry on Friday nights.  My parents used to take us to the Elks Club for the 2.50 fish fry, a lobster tail as I remember, was 4.00, the good old days.  The club was packed with people, as all of Jamestown seemed to have the same idea.  We had a couple of beers at the bar, waited only about a half hour, ordered two great 7.95 fish frys, and when we left, about 8:30, both the bar and restaurant were still packed.

Fish Fry at Rod and Gun Club

Early Light Drizzle, Mostly Overcast But Some Blue Sky

7:45

8:30

 Up at 7:00, went outside, and no snow, despite a 100% chance according to the weather forecast. Amazing, they were wrong.  And despite the 34º outside, it felt pleasant when I got the paper, not cold like the day before.  Perhaps the lack of a wind, or it's not as damp as yesterday.

We had an unusual day for us yesterday, a day trip to the Galleria Mall, in Buffalo.   We dislike going to malls generally but actually enjoyed the change of pace, the different scenery and, of course, we spent about 45 minutes at the Apple Store, our destination point.  I wanted my MacAir checked out, making sure it was firing on all cylinders since my Apple Care ends in three days.  All's well and I was able to clear lots of space on my hard drive so my computer is faster.  Evie spoke at length with a specialist about the new Ipad Mini, which comes out in late November and it seems to be changed enough to make it worth buying.  She is excited, no doubt, about the Mini, and we will probably not be able to buy it until Thanksgiving, when we are in Kansas City with our son Tom and his family.  Evie has a birthday gift certificate from him for an Apple product so it will work out well.

Other than the Apple store, the other highlight would have to be the fries and burgers at Five Guys, tucked in a corner of the Mall, hard to find but worth it.  Their fries are great as the burgers, well worth the hour and a half drive from the lake.  We also did some shopping at Urban Outfitters, a hip store for the high school, college, and twenty somethings, but we also like some of their clothes, especially their quirky, off beat  gift items, which make good Xmas or birthday presents.  We did pick up a couple of things for the girls, but all must wait till Xmas to find out what we bought.  We walked some, browsed a little after Five Guys, did a quick look through at Dick's, stopped at Pier One on the way home, picked out a couple of pillows for our TV room that ended up being too big (we have to return them),  and headed home, returning about 4:30.  We were both  super glad to be back in our cozy, warm, house, overcast and cold outside, but welcoming inside.

We relaxed with a glass of wine,  enjoying the end of day, and Evie made a salad, a soup out of the leftover pot roast, and we had a filling dinner though we were not that hungry after the burgers and fries at Five Guys.  We watched S & C, channel surfed, then went to bed to read.  I am immersed in Nazi Germany in my book, Zoo Station, a terrible time for humanity, especially the Jews but also for anyone who disagreed with the politics of that time.

Dusting Of Snow (UP ON THE ROOF)/Long Point State Park

7:30

Leonard's House

 Up at 6:20, turned on the porch light and viola, sections of the lawn are snow covered, most of the neighbors roofs though I doubt if it lasts long.  It sounds like Cleveland has two or more inches from reading Facebook posts.  It's exactly 31º outside, more snow expected this morning, then rain, then snow tonight.  Welcome to Chautauqua weather.

Long Point Trail Edged With Vinca

Tip of Long Point State Park

Yesterday's morning was wet and cold, not very inviting, but we braved the weather, decided to hike through Long Point Park, see what happens weather wise.  Fortunately, it drizzled the first ten minutes, then stopped, so we ended up walking  4.5 miles,  just under two hours, an interesting walk through the eastern wooded area of the park, down and around Sunset Bay, then back to the park, and out to Long Point, then back to the end of Lake Side Drive, through the pillars of Black Walnut trees at the southeastern edge of Long Point Park.  And, this is the second time we have witnessed the Allegheny Park System use prisoners to for park upkeep.  Last time they were cutting up trees, this time there were about 15 of them, bringing in the Long Point docks.  Dressed in green uniforms, all also wore bright orange life jackets, the guards, bright orange raincoats, bright and showy on a gray, overcast day.  Both times Evie has tried to say hello to the trustee, receiving only a scowl.  It was enervating to be out in the woods, wet though it was, feeling the cold on our faces though we both worked up a sweat.  We did see a guy, walking his dog, but that was about it for the morning.  Where  'are all the lonely people?'

Our Tax Dollars at Work

Van Con...Con Van?

Bringing In the Dock

Guards

We both enjoyed the afternoon, Evie doing what she does best, what she enjoys, baking more cookies to send to the granchildren, putting together a pot roast dinner and I read, took a nap, then went out and worked, once again, on getting the  garage ready for winter, bringing in all the window boxes, cleaning the pots, putting most of our summer things up in the garage attic, taking down, yes, the snow shovels, moving the sleds to the front of the attic for easy access.  I still have a ways to go, mostly organizing what's left so we can pull in the car next week but I am way ahead of last year.

Late Afternoon Sky

We had a glass of wine, as Evie put the finishing touches on our pot roast.  We enjoyed it, a meal that signals the beginning of cold weather for both of us, warming as well as filling.  We watched the last two episodes of the final season of Damages.  We both were into this year's story and the ending was apt -- no spoilers here but the last shot of Glenn Close at Patty Hewes was riveting.

Gray Skies and Cold, Brrrr

7:45

Hail Yesterday Morning

Both Evie and I woke up around 6:30, came down for coffee, and noticed the furnace was on for the first time this fall despite the fact our thermostat's set around 50º.  Surprise.  We quickly lit the gas fire place and within 15 minutes we were cozy, ensconced on our couches, waiting for the lake and sky to lighten to gun metal gray, the color option for this morning.  It's 36º out right now, the lake like a plate of glass, not a ripple, perfect for kayaking if you don't mind the cold.  We'll stay inside for now.

Yesterday was another yoga Tuesday, a day earlier than usual as my Wednesday class was cancelled and, flexible guy that I am, I went to Tuesday's class with a group of seven.  I am getting tired of saying but I seem unable to do a pose correctly except for savasana, a sleeping pose for 15 minutes.  I am good at that.  Still, I like the class because I feel like I am learning how to do poses correctly, if only I can remember.  That's the hard part.  Class has made me much more aware of sitting and standing postures, as well as walking, so I really do pay attention to walking and standing correctly, stacking my bones, walking as if I have a bowl on my head, tall and straight.  My ham strings often get in the way for various poses but walking, standing, and sitting correctly are no problem if I pay attention.

Evie's Decorated Halloween Cookies...Yum

It's a three hour morning when I go to yoga, leaving around 9:30, returning home around 12:30 if I don't stop somewhere.  When I got home, Evie had made more cookies, and had lunch ready, tuna sandwiches and mushroom barley soup. Wonder Woman.  We are still using the bread I made last week since Evie freezes it in three of four slice packets, pulls them out in the morning, and we have good bread for the day.  It was quite cool out yesterday, so I spent much of the afternoon inside reading and took a nice 45 minute nap...something I am quite able to do most afternoons.  As I napped, Evie worked, this time decorating the Halloween cookies she had baked in the morning.  Decorating them, as you can see from the picture, is time consuming but worth it in the end because they look so professional.

Pumpkin Display at Wegman's

Painted Pumpkins For Sale

We planned on going to a movie but at the last minute decided it was too nice out (the sun had just come out), so we did our shopping at Wegman's (5% off on Tuesday for seniors) and did the unthinkable, at least for us, stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken and picked up a bucket of classic, along with cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  At 5:00 the place was amazingly busy as others must have had the same idea.  We have laughed about  getting a bucket of chicken for years but haven't because it's so unhealthy.  We threw the health thing aside for a day, sinned against the healthy food Gods and 'loved it', just like the good old days in Euclid.  When we were first married, we would go to Kenny Kings for dinner.  They had the same kind of chicken, 'finger lickin good'.   Of course, we ate only two thighs a piece for dinner, so we have enough left for another dinner either tonight or tomorrow, a good deal in the end if you care about cost.

Before dinner, we did sit down and relax with a drink (like my parents, who had either a Manhattan or Martini every night before dinner for probably 50 years) and enjoyed the sunset, marred only my the sound of our neighbor Billy's pump motor, as he spent close to three hours next door in the dark, taking out poles.  Finally, all the docks, poles, and lifts seem to be in along Woodlawn, the lake wide once again.  I am currently reading two books, one long and labor intensive but I am to the section set in Istanbul, after a stint in 1990's Haiti and Yugoslavia just after WW II (you try to figure out the connection...I cannot at the moment).  And I am reading David Downings first Nazi Germany novel, Zoo Station, an easy read compared to the other.

Late Afternoon Sun on Long Point