A Darkened Morning Of Fog, Rain, And Clouds

6:41

6:00 

Up at 6:00 to utter darkness and it's hardly changed an hour later.  I can just make out Long Point through the rain and mist, the sky a vast bowl of gray, a line drawn across the lake where the rain begins, the flags flaccid, as nothing stirs inside or out.  Not a morning to engender excitement!

Yesterday was tiring, as I was headed to Erie by 7:30, for a doctor's appointment at 9:00.  It was an easy drive, 35 minutes door to door.  The office is next to St, Vincent's Hospital, so it's not hard to find.  I liked my new cardiologist, we talked about various actions, and decided I should see him once a year.  He wants me to get an MRI, just as a precaution and to set a baseline which makes sense.  I was out of there by 9:30 and drove to Presque Isle on a warm, humid morning.  I parked at the first parking area, already crowded with cars, mostly people walking, biking, skating, or pushing strollers. I hopped on my bike, and took off for an easy 13 mile round trip of the peninsula, stopping only once, at the Perry Monument and on the way back, to check out a couple of the beaches.  It's a great asphalted path, wide enough for three or four people, along the coast line on the easterly side, just off the beaches on the west side.   I prefer the east side because of the shade, riding often through woods, whereas the other side is often in open areas.  And most importantly for me, it's flat, no hills.

After riding, I drove over to the beaches on the west side, parked, and slipped on my bathing suit, still hot from the ride, and walked down to the beach, jumped in the water, refreshing and surprisingly warm.  I was the only one in the water, as most of the visitors, older folks like me, were sitting in chairs in the shade at the back of the beach.  I walked the beach some, sun bathed for a bit, had a piece of pizza and a root beer, before heading back to the car.  I stopped at Dick's on the way home, to see if there were any deals.  None.  Then drove home, the house empty at 2:00 because Evie was off shopping in Lakewood for the afternoon, picking up most of our staples from Sam's.

Evie was home by 3:00, and we mostly relaxed the rest of the afternoon, trying to enjoy the dock but it got so windy we adjourned to the porch, protected from the wind.  It was still quite warm and humid, even though the weather was starting to change, as storms and rains were coming into the area. I watched some of the France/Spain basketball game, did some pruning, before joining her on the porch for a preprandial glass of wine, with blue cheese dip and Utz potato chips.  It was so pleasant on the porch that we stayed out till about 7:15 before going inside for a dinner of rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes and coleslaw.  We missed not having The Killing to watch, stuck with Colbert and Stewart and watched the most recent episode of Masters of Sex.  This episode seemed to stall, little action, too much dialogue and we are not sure where it's going, as if the writer's  have lost their way. We will have to wait and see as their are three more episodes.  I am really enjoying the book Evie recommended, THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, about a retiree who decides to take a couple of hundred mile walk through Great Britain and in the process, he revisits the mistakes of his life, makes new acquaintances, and finds himself finally.  I think it would make a good movie, his adventures on the road, contrasted with flashbacks to a life 'not lived,' of 'quiet desperation.'