A Warm and Wet Fall Morning

7:05

Up at 6:15 to a surprisingly warm morning, 63º outside, dripping trees, a wet garden and lawn, covered with fallen leaves, a calm morning on the lake, as the sky slowly illuminates the day.  It sounds like rain off and on during the day, a high in the 70's, not my kind of day as I am already uncomfortable because of the humidity.  It feels unusually good this morning to not have anything we have to do other than attend an opening of an Kathryn Harris's works at the Dykeman Young  Gallery in Jamestown this evening at 6:30.

I began yesterday with breakfast with the guys in Bemus, five of us discussing the world, our old jobs, our travels.  Dick Redington had just returned from a trip to Munich, Prague, and Saltsburg, so we spent most of breakfast the listening to his description of his trip.  And, another buddy, Joe Johnson, is heading to Munich today for a week, one of the perks of retirement,  the means and ability to travel in off season. We rarely talk politics, instead lots of talk about food, micro beers, our kayaks, sailboats, and farms and fishing.  And I learned lots of the local history and gossip of both the Chautauqua Institution and Jamestown, as all of them have lived in the area for at least the past thirty years.  It's a good way to start the day as I always enjoy the conversation and camaraderie.  When I got home, Evie was already busy getting things ready for tonight's dinner, when we were having the Gregory's over for dinner, a couple we always enjoy but rarely see because they are busy in the CI all summer, winter in Davidson, NC, for half of the year.

Stedman Road

Fall Cat Tails the Last of Wild Flowers

Hay Field

Neither one of us wanted to walk much but we forced ourselves to head up to the Stedman Corners Cafe, three miles round trip if we park at the top of the road.  We were a bit bored walking, so we started counting the number of Wooly Bear caterpillars crossing the road, fifteen by the time we arrived at the coffee shop.  They are black, with a brown stripe in the middle and "according to legend, the wider the middle brown section,(the more brown sections they have) the milder the coming winter will be.  Conversely, a narrow band is said to predict a harsh winter."  If this is true we are in for a harsh winter.  For now, they are searching for a safe place to hibernate for the winter, in the bark of a tree or a crack somewhere, before hatching in the spring into a moth. That's why we saw them crossing the road---they are searching for a winter home.  Anyways, we ordered a latte to go,  kind of funny because they barista behind the counter was obviously new and had no idea how to make a latte, so he had to find someone to help him.  After a search for the owner, we finally got our coffee, sat on the front porch for ten minutes before walking home, proud of  ourselves for getting a walk in.

Wooly Bear Crossing the Yellow Line

Evie spent part of the afternoon prepping for our dinner of shrimp with vodka pasta sauce.  In her spare time, she made baklava and cut the lawn.  I cleaned up, read, and helped when I could, like taking our the garbage, or emptying the scraps of vegetables in the compost pile, a big help. I also washed and dried the glasses, both wine and water, making sure they sparkled for our company.

Making Pasta with Judy and Fred Gregory

Fred and Judy Gregory arrived at 6:00, Fred a basketball buddy, Judy an acclaimed artist.  We sat out on the front porch for cocktails and appetizers since it was warm enough though a storm was brewing, as just before we went in, it started to thunder and lightning off to the south.  We adjourned to the kitchen, and the three of us watched and 'tried' to help Evie make homemade fettuccine, always fun but also funny as something always goes wrong.  This time I dropped some of the pasta on the floor, Judy spilled her wine trying to help Evie find a place to put the pasta, but in the end, the noodles always turn on fine.  The Gregory's really seemed to enjoy seeing how fresh pasta is made, as both enjoy cooking. We dropped the noodles in boiling water for two or three minutes,  Evie covered them with the shrimp and vodka sauce, letting them marinate for about ten minutes while she put together the salad.  We then sat down to dinner and enjoyed both the pasta and conversation.  Both Fred and I had seconds it was so good, finishing it up alas.   We had Turkish tea and baklava in the living room, to complement the dinner, and the Gregory's left about 9:30, inviting us to stop by their home in North Carolina if we ever head their way.... good people.

Evie's Baklava

We washed up the dishes, cleaned the kitchen before watching a quarter of the Browns/Bills football game, then went upstairs to read. Another good day.