A Moment Of Sun, Mostly Clouds

6:11

6:14

6:24

I was up at 6:10, some bird calls on the lake, a pink band along the horizon, as I waited for the sunrise.  It was brief, as clouds quickly enveloped it, the sky now, at 6:50 a wall of gray.  It's seems to be warming up each day, 45º at the moment, with a slight drizzle. And, finally, the first martin appeared on the porch of our purple martin house.  Exciting.

Dawn At The Lake

Yesterday was a wasted day, not sure why though the fact that we had a plumber her a good part of the day may be the reason.  I did make it to yoga at 10:00, three guys, two gals, a rare combination. When I got home, Evie had finished packing cookies for our three grandchildren, so I drove off to the post office and mailed them.

Cookies For The Grandchildren

When I returned,  Marcus, our new plumber was over, to do a simple job, put in a whole house water filter.  After 34 years of drinking water from our well, we have finally decided to put in a filter.  Why?  Anyways, Murphy's law took over and in the process of putting on the filter, he found the bladder in the holding tank had a small leak, forcing our pump to work overtime.  Thus, it needed to be replaced.  So this large tank had to be extricated from a narrow space and after a great effort, Marcus finally got it out without dropping it on our boiler.  It was touch and go for a moment.  So, he had to drive back to his warehouse, pick up a new holding tank, set it in place, then solder the various connections, for the tank, for the whole house filter.  He was finally done about 4:00 and we spent most of the afternoon, in our living room, listening and watching him struggle with the job.  The good news, Evie finished her book, THE LOVESONG OF QUEENIE HENNESSY by Rachel Joyce, and once I finish THE ALIENIST,  I can read it.  We had good intentions, to get outside, work in the garden, get some yard work done, but we never got to it, too busy doing nothing in the house.  And the lake was choppy, tempting but we never did kayak because of the wind.

Ancient Willows At Viking Club

We had planned to eat out on Wednesday, so we put on our Wednesday best and drove over to the Viking Club on a sunny late afternoon.  The Viking bar was packed, as if, like spring flowers, the warm air and sun brought out the members.  We were lucky to find two seats at the bar, and recognized the regulars, those who like us, brave the cold and snowy roads, to come on Wednesday evenings. Because of the crowd, the bar lacked the intimacy of winter, when there are only ten or twelve of us, sitting  around, getting to know each other, chewing the fat.  We still had fun, enjoyed a couple of beers, and I enjoyed my beef on wick, Evie her Viking burger.  We were home by 7:45, to watch another episode of Bosch, before racing through American Idol.  We got a bit testy with the panel who criticized the one singer we thought was by far the best.  Evie is convinced it's rigged.

First Martin

We both have a number of errands to run today, before Billy and Chris come by at 6:00 to put in our dock.  And we are also going to our neighbors, Mary Ann Miller, for pizza.  It should be a busy but fun day.

A Sunny But Hazy Wednesday Morning

7:40

It's 7:00 and I have been up early enough to watch the sunrise, blinding at the moment, filling our living room with bright light.  A clean, well lighted lake is active with rafts of ducks, groups of 10-15, diving and bobbing, before flying northward.  It's 36º out, sun scheduled by the weatherman for most of the day.  A few duck wakes pencil the otherwise smooth lake surface.

Wind's Picking Up, Wrinkling The Lake's Surface

Yesterday was a really good day despite the fact that I woke up with the blahs, not wanting to do much but sit around and drink coffee.  But, the beauty of the lake seduced me early, so I went kayaking around 8:30 for a half hour and observed a bald eagle, to make my morning.  So, I came home energized enough to go to yoga, enjoy the class, stop at Ryder's Cup before driving home.

An Erect Martin House Overlooks Long Point

Evie was busy, as usual, and like yesterday, she was making more cookies, time consuming because not only do they need to be made but decorated, which takes hours, especially if the cookies are in various shapes like ice cream cones, feet, hearts, etc.  The first batch was finished by 12:30, so there was enough time for me to take them to the Post Office before it closed.

For lunch, I had leftover fried rice and we watched The Daily show before Evie went back to finishing up the cookies.  I have to admit they taste and look great, more than worth the effort.  We then relaxed, read some but by mid afternoon, Evie was back in the kitchen putting together the makings for a pot roast dinner.  Nothing like an afternoon filled with the aroma of a pot roast slow cooking in the oven.  I decided to complete my version of a triathlon (kayaking, yoga, biking) by driving over to Bemus and biking my usual route, Lakeside Drive, Long Point Park, and back to the car, about an hour.

Around 5:30, Evie took time off from the kitchen to relax with a glass of wine, a beautiful late afternoon sky.  I peeled some potatoes for dinner, love them mashed, and around 7:00 we had just what I wanted, pot roast, gravy and mashed potatoes.  There may be enough left for another meal, too.  We watched a new series on Amazon Prime called Bosch, based on the Michael Connelly novels.  So far, it seems 'ok' but will give it some time.  We also watched another episode of Rita, where she finally consents to become serious with her school principal, Tom.  I don't think this is going to end well.

And The Sun Also Rises On A Kayak Morning

7:45

Kayak Morning

I thought I would start the day with a fun poem from yesterday's Writer's Almanac...for anyone who, like me, has taken a yoga class!

First Yoga Lesson

from Mary Oliver's new book Blue Horses

"Be a lotus in the pond," she said, "opening
slowly, no single energy tugging
against another but peacefully,
all together."

I couldn't even touch my toes.
"Feel your quadriceps stretching?" she asked.
Well, something was certainly stretching.

Standing impressively upright, she
raised one leg and placed it against
the other, then lifted her arms and
shook her hands like leaves. "Be a tree," she said.

I lay on the floor, exhausted.
But to be a lotus in the pond
opening slowly, and very slowly rising--
that I could do.

Up at 6:15, a cloudless sky, a few ripples on the lake, an occasional raft of ducks, a single muskrat paddling by our bank, leaving a small wake, like a miniature speed boat.  The sun finally peaked over the horizon at 6:27, ten minutes later then weather channel's actual time for this area.  I assume if we were at sea level, it would rise at 6:17 but here, at 1306 feet above sea level, we don't observe the rise until ten minutes later, at least that's my assumption.  It's 36º out, warmer today, a high of 58º, and it will be partly cloudy.

Bald Eagle

Yesterday was like too many days lately, a good start with yoga, lots of ladies, then home for lunch, but then another trip to the dentist, something that has seemingly become routine for us.  This time for a cleaning, but soon I will be back, as they always find something wrong, more drilling, more money.  Why didn't I pay more attention to my dentist's warnings when I was young. After the dentist, I did what most of us do when depressed...go shopping, this time at Sam's, where I picked up a pot roast because I have been hankering for pot roast tacos for some reason.  I resisted the urge to shop around, buying just what was on Evie's list but I did find a bargain, butter at $1.71 a pound. Then, I stopped at Wegmans to pick up the things that I could not get at Sam's.

Photo From A Rocky Kayak

When I got home, around 4:00, the kitchen was a mess.  Evie had spent the afternoon making cookies for our grandchildren and Dot, her step mother.  Lots of great shapes, hearts, feet, ice cream cones and they are now ready to be decorated.  When I told her about the butter from Sam's, she was ecstatic because so much is used when making cookies.  I helped clean up the kitchen,  then she prepped dinner, pounding out the pork tenderloin, then dipping it in egg and bread crumbs, ready for frying after we had a relaxing hour, sipping wine, enjoying some crackers and blue cheese.  It was not a very attractive dusk, mostly gray on gray, but it felt good to relax and enjoy the later afternoon.

The Estate, Early Morning

Dinner then was schnitzel, with potatoes and a salad and we watched Sunday night's episode of Mad Men.  Neither one of us are much taken with this season though it seems to get good reviews from the critics.  To us, it seems silly, like a final curtain call, bringing back various characters from the past episodes, none of which have much to do with the story line.  We also watched another Real Time with Bill Mather because there is not much on TV on Monday's unless you like Dancing with the Stars.  I don't!  We were both tired so we went to bed around 10:30, to read and then sleep, hopefully.

Sea Gull Island (Woodlawn Creek)

It's now 7:37 and I am finished writing my blog.  Evie is still asleep and I sit here bored, waiting to drive to yoga in an hour and a half.  I don't feel much like reading my book in the morning, so I guess I will peruse both the Washington Post and The New York Times, to see what will depress me, like the riots going on in Baltimore, reminding me of the 1960's Hough riots in Cleveland.  But, hey, racism is over according to the Supreme Court's decision to gut The Voters Rights Act.  I guess they don't read the newspapers.  

Well, I got bored with the papers, looked outside, saw the lake was inviting, so I put on my life jacket, grabbed my paddle, jumped in my kayak, and went out for a half hour paddle, down to Sandy Bottom and back, hoping to see a heron nest or bald eagle.  And, amazingly, I saw the bald eagle, perched up above the reeds at Victoria, on the tree top.  Although my kayaking was not steady because of the waves, I managed to get a couple of photographs.  What a great morning.  Now, it's time to head off to yoga.

Gray, Wet, And Cool...Spring (A Muddy Westside Trail Hike)

6:38

Merganser Among The Raindrops 

It's 7:30 and I have been up for forty five minutes, not much of a morning sky, no colors, no obvious sunrise, just a gray blanket of a sky, a gray wrinkled lake surface.  It's 36º out, the yard and walk, damp not wet.  It looks like rain off and on for the day, the rest of the week looks sunny.

A Not So Subtle Request

We did not get outside early enough yesterday to kayak as the wind picked up around 9:30, and we were still sitting here drinking coffee, listening to NPR, reading the paper (spoiler alert...more drug busts in Jamestown).  Because we missed our walk Saturday afternoon, we wanted to get one in on Sunday, so with drove off to the Mt. Pleasant Trail head for the Westside Trail, just this side of Sherman, a quick 15 minute drive.  On the way, we saw our first red winged blackbirds of the spring.

A Touch Of Green

We have been on this trail in all seasons, so we know it pretty well but not well enough, as it was quite muddy in some sections, making it difficult to walk without sinking in.  It had not rained recently, in fact, it snowed about five days ago, so it was a bit of a surprise to find it so wet. The woods are still bare of leaves, though they have buds and, for some reason, we noticed bright orange spray paint on lots of seemingly healthy trees, for what we are not sure.

A Marked Forest

We persevered, walking as far as the Lean To, a covered shed for hikers to spend the night.  Unfortunately, it was a mess, riddled with plastic bottles, beer cans, and trash, the result of pigs who hike!  I am not sure why/how anyone who hikes this trail, enjoys the outdoors, would leave litter like this behind.  We were out for about and hour and a half, slow going because of the mud.  At least the temperature was fine, high 40's, perfect for a long walk.

An Explicit Request

Trash Left Behind By Hikers

We got home around 12:30 and Evie made breakfast, of fresh eggs from the Ryder's Cup and home fries with onions, a good way to start the rest of the day.  It's still too early around here to do much in the yard other than pick up twigs, and Evie's garden is still too wet to work in.  So, we stayed inside the rest of the afternoon, Evie reading her book, and I watched the Cavs beat the Celtics to move to the next round.  Not much action around Woodlawn, nor was there much on the lake.  Perhaps it was too windy.  We relaxed with a glass of wine around 5:00, enjoying the beginning of dusk here on the lake.

About 6:30, we both went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, fried rice.  This time Evie was the sous chef, I was the cook.  I had bought some ground pork on Saturday, so I flash cooked it in the wok, adding hot bean sauce and garlic.  I took it out, then steamed the bok choy, celery, carrots, broccoli and cabbage (we like vegetables), then added the cooked pork and rice, some sauces, and we had a pretty good rendition of fried rice.  It was a good night for TV, so we started with Bill Maher, switched to Nurse Jackie at 9:00, and finished the night off with The Good Wife, before going up to bed to read before sleeping.  I am not sure what we would do if we did not have something good to watch each night...read more I guess which would not be so bad.

Sunny Sunday

Dawn: 6:38

Dusk: 8:58

It's bright and sunny morning, blue skies, blue lake, a cold 32º outside, a warm house, a latte and I am listening to a TED talk by the writer Andrew Solomon who talks about 'how the worst moments in our life make us who we are.'   As as a child/teen, he was bullied for his homosexuality and hated himself until he was able to  'forge meaning, build idendity', his mantra. He also quoted the Biblical verse "When I am weak, then I am strong, "the Buddhist idea: "Nirvana is when you find in your sorrow the seeds of your joy." And finally, he ended with: "Love no matter what, " love whether an individual is gay, black, transgender, autistic, etc.  How sensible yet so difficult for so many people.

Yesterday was a typical Saturday, one if you have been reading my blog at all, you know: yoga at 9:00, this time, however, led by Woodlawn native and good friend, Julie Lescynski, who is just beginning her career as a yoga teacher, having taken the rigorous two hundred hour course at Studio Panterra in Westfield.  It was a good class, and she will do well.  Afterwards, I went to Ryders Cup, and Joyce had a dozen fresh free range chicken eggs for me. They are quite a dozen, various sizes and colors, from different hens I presume.  Then home, to a calm lake, making us want to kayak but we decided to gather the trash so I could take it to the Transfer Station.

Purple Martin House Ready For Families

Evie's Nemesis:  The Red Squirrel

When I returned from the Transfer Station, the lake was still calm, the air a pleasant 50º, perfect for putting in my Purple Martin house.  So I donned my waders, got out my sledge hammer, and waded into the cold waters to pound the pipe at least a foot into the bottom, which would then hold my purple martin house.  Once the pipe was in, I carried the house, perched on a pole, out to the pipe, but the orifice, having been battered by my hammering with the sledge, was too small.  So I had to take the house back to the shore, get a file from the garage, and walk back out to the lake and file the inner circle until the orifice was wide enough for the martin pole.  And it was, as I launched the house, on its perch, and now it sits strong and straight about fifty feet from shore, ready for the martin scouts to arrive, then the families a few weeks later.  We have had martin houses for close to thirty years I would guess.  It's a spring ritual here along Woodlawn, as my neighbors and I put our martin houses in sometime in mid to late April.

After I finished, we had lunch of lentil soup, which Evie made while I was at yoga, and grilled cheese sandwiches and watched The Nightly Show.  We then intended to kayak but the wind picked up (this time before we set out), so we decided to put it off until the wind calmed down.  It never did alas.  So we had another afternoon like most others, enjoying a good book (Evie is really loving hers: THE LOVE SONG OF QUEENIE HENNESEY).  I read some, watched some of the NBA games, and late afternoon we intended on driving to Findlay Lake, take a walk, then go to Pine Junction for dinner.

Elizabeth and Mary Marshaus

Just as I was about to shower, however, our good friend Stan Marshaus stopped over with his daughters, so we spent a good hour with them which was fine.  When girls came in, they went immediately to a couple of toys that they remember from the last time they were here and asked, finally, if Evie still had a treasure chest.  So they then went through the usual ritual, taking out all the toys, then trying to make up their mind which treasure to take.  It's fun to watch them agonize over their decisions; how well I know having just come off a couple of weeks of trying to pick colors for the bedroom.  They left about 5:30, so we nixed a walk but went to the Pine Junction anyways.  It was a beautiful night for the 17 mile drive to Pine Junction, past now green hills and farms, the occasional cows.  As we approached Pine Junction, usually difficult to find, we were shocked by what looked like a vast parking lot, filled with cars. Because its spring, we were able to see the restaurant and its parking lot through leafless trees.  I have to say I have never seen so many cars at Pine Junction and we were worried if we would find a place to sit.

A Happy Woman

Cheers

Fortunately, there were two seats at at the bar, though we had to sit across from each other.  The bar/restaurant and outdoor patio with a fire pit were filled with happy people, all seemingly excited by the joy of spring, sunlight, and the warm air. We both ordered sandwiches, the bourbon burger for me, a chicken sandwich for Evie and both were stellar, worth coming back for, especially the sweet potato fries.  We drove home in the fading light, touching the farm lands and pastures with the sun's dying rays.

Dusk In Amish Country

Setting Sun Photo Through Evie's Rearview Mirror

We were looking forward to watching the White House's Correspondent's dinner, covered by C-Span but it was running close to forty five minutes late, so the President did not start his speech, usually funny, until around 10:30.  That's a long time to sit around and watch people walk into a hotel, sit down to a four course dinner, with little if any comment by C-Span.  I gave up and went up to read, deciding to watch the speeches this morning, a good choice.  Evie, however, stayed up and watched before going to bed.

It's now7:46 and we both hope to kayak in the next hour.  Let's see if the wind cooperates and holds off till 10:00 or 11:00. It's 8:30 and windy.  I guess we will hike rather than kayak this morning.

Saturday Redux

6:08

6:30

When you are retired, like us, Saturday mornings, like Sundays through Fridays, are pretty much the same.  So I am up early, 6:10, another chilly morning, 28º, a sky of pink, later gray, with the lake like a mirror, reflecting the clouds.

Yesterday was cold, bone chilling cold, mostly because of the winter wind.  It was, however, sunny most of the day, making it seem as if it were pleasantly warm, not so I can attest.  I went to yoga at 9:30, seven of us, two guys who I call Ball Cap, always five or ten minutes late, and Asymmetrical, because he always puts his mat at a 45º angle to everyone else.  Breathe.  Stopped for coffee afterwards, no fresh eggs, but they will have some for me tomorrow.  Nothing like a coffee shop that also has fresh eggs.  After coffee, on to Wegmans for more water (we disinfected our well recently), some goodies for the weekend, nothing exciting.

For lunch I had something different...luncheon meat from Wegman's on sourdough bread, a toasted swiss and pastrami sandwich.  I prefer toasted cheese with jam.  The rest of the afternoon was a waste for me, as I watched the Cavs beat Boston, then read some, took a nap.

July, 2014

Evie, however, was busy, putting together family portraits from the past 15 years, figuring out how to frame them, where to put them once we figure out which one's we want.  It's fun to go back and look at old photos and amazing how young everyone looked just a few years ago.  The grandchildren, obviously, have changed the most and we forget how adorable they were (still are) when toddlers.

July, 2006

We were invited for dinner at the McClures, for a spring picnic, but Ron called about 4:00 to say his sister had fallen, broke her hip, so they had to head home late afternoon but (the good news), they were bringing over our dinner which, when  they stopped by, proved to be steaks, potatoes ready to roast, salad, dressing, everything we would want for dinner, plus a few other items from their refrigerator which would spoil. We tried (hardly) to get them to freeze things, but Linda would not hear of it.  So,  I grilled the steaks, Evie baked the potatoes, tossed the salad, and we had a marvelous dinner, sans Linda and Ron, but we toughed it out, eating up everything.  We owe them one!

After dinner, we watched the much admired THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, about the life of the physicist, Stephen Hawking, with an amazing Oscar winning performance by Eddie Redmayne. Surprisingly, it was a love story, an unusual one to say the least.  And a sad, tragic one, as Stephen is stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease at twenty one, is given two years to live, but marries, has three children, and becomes famous.  His wife, however, is also admirable, staying with him, having his children, nursing him until he becomes enamoured with his caretaker.  They part amiably and both continue with their lives.  The ending was a perfect antidote to the sadness of film, a winding backward at their lives together, ending with the beginning shot, of them dancing under the moonlight, starstruck with each other, innocence personified. Rivals the final minutes of the film CINEMA PARADISO.  It made me think of a Jewish proverb I came across recently: "I ask not for a lighter burden but for broader shoulders." Both Stephen and his wife exhibit 'broad shoulders.'

Sunny But Cold

6:24

6:34

It's 7:30 and I have been up for an hour, to a very cold morning, 28º, a dusting of snow on the lawn, my car windshield frozen.   It's nice to have  coffee this morning, see the sun, the blue sky, a few puffy clouds, and a raft of at least twenty ducks flying south.

Spring Snow

Yesterday, as I mentioned, began at 5:30 but I was home by 8:30, with a good breakfast in hand, appreciating the fact that my life was back to normal.  I  no longer had to fast, could eat and  drink what I wanted, do what I wanted, which was not much, just enjoy the day.  I was told to take it easy, could not drive, so I was stuck at home.  Evie was busy, though tired and it was one of those days where everything she did was difficult, just out of sync or tired from getting up early with me.

A Finch?

Pensive 

She got her mojo back, however,  late morning and decided to invite our neighbor, Mary Ann Miller, over for dinner.  She just arrived for the season this past weekend, lives alone, so Evie thought it would be nice to have her over.  She was happy to come.  We were having salmon and spinach  but I came up with the brilliant idea of also having Higbee's muffins.  When Evie and I were dating, back in the early 1960's, we used to go downtown to shop at Higbee's, one of Cleveland's three major department stores.  We would always have lunch at their Silver Grille, a huge dining area open only for luncheon shoppers.  We would order the same lunch each visit, the Chef Maurice Salad Bowl, and they always included two muffins.  Both were amazing and we missed them once the store closed. Well, a few years ago I found the recipe for both on the Internet, saved them, so Evie made them yesterday afternoon, and they were just as good as I remember.  In fact,  I had two mid afternoon, just to make sure they were right.  Yum.

Silver Grille in the 1960's

Silver Grille Today, Part of the Horseshoe Casino...Progress

We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, read, watched some TV, napped.  I started a new book, Caleb Carr's THE ALIENIST, a novel I began a few years ago, had to stop for some reason but always wanted to read it.   So I am into it, cannot wait to get back to it.

Evie picked Mary Ann up in the car even though she lives a few houses away as it was cold and icy out and we did not want her to fall.  We sat around and talked before dinner, finding out about her life this past winter at State College, PA, then had a nice dinner. She seemed to enjoy the meal as well as getting out of the house.  It can be lonely up her in spring, especially if you live alone.  After dinner, she seemed tired, so Evie took her home earlier than expected, around 7:30.  It was a nice evening for her, and we also enjoyed having her over.

We then watched the finale to our current favorite TV show, THE AMERICANS.  For some reason, it did not tape Wednesday evening so I had to buy it from Apple TV for three bucks, annoying but we wanted to see it.  It was a teaser of an ending, as we not cannot wait for next season to see what happens between Paige, the daughter, Pastor Tim, her mentor/friend, and her parents, Russian spies, Elizabeth and Phillip.  We then raced through American Idol, a show we are tiring of but nothing else was on so we ended up watching it.

Snow On A Spring Morning

9:40 

Beaching It On A Snow Day

We are up at 5:00 because I am having my 'procedure' at 7:00, first on the list!  I will be glad when I can eat again.

Yesterday was not much of a day for either one of us.  I was not allowed to eat all day, just liquids which limited things.  We forget how much we enjoy food until we are not allowed to have any.  I did go to yoga, thought it would be a good way to start my day of fasting, a spiritual/physical cleanse so to speak.  I enjoyed class, as usual, and there were even a couple of other fellows there.  I obviously did not stop for coffee, just came straight home to spend the day doing little.

Two Buffleheads and  ?

While I spent the afternoon doing little but watch a couple of DVRed NBA playoff games, Evie went into Lakewood, to take back some things and do some shopping.  I have not watched much of the NBA in years, but it was enjoyable, as one of the games was a hard fought Cavs win against the Celtics, the other Houston defeating Dallas.  I also took a nap, then read more of THE DAWN PATROL, my surfing/murder thriller.  Boone's just about ready to catch the bad guys as Sunny, his off and on girl friend is about to catch the wave of her life, changing it forever, as she becomes the first female surf stud.  What synchronicity!  Evie did not get back until around 6:30, arms full of stuff from T. J.'s and the Mall.

Dinner was easy for Evie, a sub sandwich from Subway and I got to have jello and broth and water. Yum.  Not much on TV, so we watched Jon Stewart and other junk TV until we both went to bed around 10:30, ready for an early rise.

I just walked outside, it's snowing, the ground is covered.  I had to clean off my windows, even scrape the front wind shield which was frozen.  Ah Chautauqua, you fickle beast.  Some snow is forecast for the next couple of days.

Waiting For Breakfast t At the Ashville General Store

It's now 10:30, and I am back from Jamestown, happy to be at home and eat something. Our  drive to Jamestown at 5:45, however, was white knuckle most of the way, a blur of snow flurries, icy roads, and trucks passing us, splashing our wind shield.  What the heck?  This is April 23rd.

On the way home, we stopped at the Ashville General Store to pick up breakfast, their 'Fixins', with bacon, mushrooms, green onions, eggs, and pita bread, tasty I might add and Evie made me a pot of espresso coffee.  Finally, I am a happy boy.

Overcast And Almost Cold

7:24

Tuesday Morning at 11:34 

I was up just before 7:00, a chilly 37º outside and a smooth, gray lake, a gray sky.  Lots of birds at the feeders, various water life float by as I sit here enjoying my coffee, listening to NPR.  It's not  going to be much fun today as I will be fasting for one of those 'uncomfortable' every five years medical procedures.  I will leave it to your imagination to figure out what it is.

So, yesterday morning was typical, my going to yoga and nothing like coming home, walking in the door, seeing our living room, clean and neat, the view of the lake, perhaps some sun and blue clouds, like a picture from a museum.

A Touch Of Spring Color

Anyways, we were thinking of driving to Buffalo, to the Walden Galleria, to visit the Apple Store before I left for yoga. So, when I got home from yoga, we both felt like getting out of here for a few hours, so we took the 75 mile trip to the Mall, getting there just after 1:00. We were ready for lunch so we went to the Food Court, interesting in that their were no major fast food outlets, no Mc Donalds or Burger King, mostly no name ethic food spots.  I did get a great gyro, the best I have had in a couple of years, with authentic gyro meat on a vertical spit.  Evie had fries from a place that sold mostly fries, but with all kinds of toppings.  They were, unfortunately, just average.  We ate with people mostly our age, teenagers still in school.  We then went to the Apple Store, to check out the new Mac Book Pro, smaller and thinner than my Mac Air.  I wanted to compare my computer to the Mac Book, and the newest version of my Mac Air.  My Air Mac was almost the equal of its newest version and that the new Mac Book though amazingly thin was smaller than my Air.  And it did not fit my needs as it has only one port.   So, I am sticking with the computer.  After Apple, we browsed a few other stores and Evie picked up some Shea Butter from The Body Shoppe, and a couple of cute serving bowls, from Williams Sonoma.  It amazes us that all these stores are able to survive the lack of business during the week.

6:11 p.m.

We got home around 4:00 wondering why we wasted our day in a car and mall, so unlike us.  It cured my desire to travel for a while as I was bored and tired by the time we got home and we were only in the car for three hours total.  Luckily, we had dinner already made, leftovers from Sunday night, so we were able to relax with a glass of wine, pretzels and dip, and enjoy the changing weather and sky. Within an hour, it was sunny, clouded up, started to rain, then became sunny again, then clouded up, much like the morning pictures from our  Tuesday morning blog.

Tom's Point Shore at 6:24 p.m.

We ate dinner watching more of Jon Stewart, then another Rita episode, as there was not much else on TV worth watching.  We are going to have to begin using our Amazon Prime which has a number of series we like which are not on Netflix and they are also free.  Evie pulls the show up on her iPad and then Apple TV is able to pick it up and put it on our TV screen, amazing technology.  We were both tired from our adventure in Buffalo so we went to bed early.