Rain and More Rain

7:13

7:20

It's almost 7:00 and I have been up since before 6:00, in a darkened living room which, at the moment, is beginning to invite the light in from outdoors. The lake, sky are still mostly gray, a few light clouds moving north, the sun still hidden behind the coastline.  It looks like a cool, wet cloudy day, good for staying inside, snuggling up with a good book or because it's Sunday, watching one of many NFL games.

Yesterday started with drizzle but surprisingly, it cleared up midday and for the most part, we had a beautiful fall day, surprise.  Evie was busy in the morning with preparing dinner since our friends, the Barry's were stopping by for the night around 3:30.  They are on their way East, to visit their grandchildren and like us, they jump at any chance to enjoy them.  We of course straightened and vacuumed an already straightened and vacuumed house.  Dinner was done and the house spiffy by 1:00, so we took it easy until Evie realized she had time to also cut the lawn, which was covered with leaves even though she cut it yesterday.  So, out she went, cut the lawn, mulching the leaves, and finished just as Mary Lou and Joe arrived from Oxford, Ohio, a six hour drive.

Long Time Friends, Mary Lou and Joe Barry

We have been friends with the Barrys since college, in fact, Joe was my sophomore roommate, teammate on the basketball team, fraternity brother, and we were both in each others wedding party ages ago, the summer of 1965.  We have seen them off and on over the years, more often since we both are retired and have time to do what we want.  We sat and watched the sparkling lake for an hour, had some Turkish tea before we took them for a walk in the Chautauqua Institution.  It was perfect day to walk the Institution, which they have never visited.  The leaves were turning, falling, covering the roads and paths, two wedding were going on, so lots of cars and people were gathered around the Hall of Philosophy and Maple Inn.  We talked with some of the guests, all from Ohio, and found that two men, partners for thirty years, were just married in the woods, the area put aside for small talks on nature.  After walking for about forty minutes, we then did a quick drive around the circumference of the Chautauqua, so they could see all the homes, especially those on the lakefront.

 Dinner with a Hydrangea Centerpiece

Because both Mary Lou and Joe are oenophiles, I had two bottles of red airing when we got home. We quickly moved to the couches, with our wine and enjoyed a great cheese, Saint Andre, from Trader Joe's and crackers.  We have similar tastes in music, so we listened to various artists as we caught up on each others lives, especially grandchildren.  Evie showed them the book she put together on Shuttlerfly, of the summer of 2013, and they loved it.  We all are wine lovers, so we easily finished our first bottle before dinner.  Around 7:00, we sat down to another great dinner, pork tenderloin with a sauce, salad, applesauce and cabbage strudel, the hit of the night. We lingered at the table till about 9:00, reminiscing about the 'good old days', what else.  We then relaxed in the living room, having dessert, a tin roof or pumpkin pie, and we finished the evening off with a single malt Scotch, which Joe brought with him. We were in bed by 11:00, tired but happy, a result of good wine, food and friends.

It's now 7:30 and Evie has just gotten up but the Barry's are still sleeping.  Cool.  They are heading to Saratoga Springs this morning, before driving to New Jersey tomorrow, to stay with their son Jay and his family.  We have nothing on the agenda for today that I know of, perhaps a movie if it rains.