A Welcome Rainy Night And Morning

7:17

8:15 As Leaves Fall

It's been beautiful here at the lake the last month but exceedingly dry so last night's rain (a half inch so far) was welcome as will be today's, if it happens.  At the moment it's overcast, dark clouds in the distance, Long Point visible, the lake smooth, like slate.  It's mild outside, 60º, rain forecast for much of the day but clearing tomorrow, good news because we will be going in to my sister's house in Euclid for a clambake, a Davis tradition started by my Dad back in the 1950's.

I cannot even remember what we did yesterday morning, probably little since Evie had a bad night with little sleep.  I did have breakfast with the guys at 8:00, always fun, as we spent the morning comparing our new cars.  All three of us recently purchased new cars, my Subaru versus their new Volvo's, which has the most bells and whistles.  One of the Volvo's won, my Subaru coming in second.  I did not get home until 9:30 and neither of us felt like kayaking or going for a hike.  Evie decided to get going in the kitchen, since our neighbor's, the Leonard's, are leaving this morning for the winter.  First, she went over to the Leonard's and helped Joyce with a few things and brought home leftover goodies from her refrigerator and pantry.  Then, she started prepping mid morning for the dinner, knowing she would run out of gas early, a smart plan, so that by noon, she was able to get out on the  dock, finish her book, and relax a bit.

Meanwhile, I had lunch, leftover spaghetti and watched Longmire.  Around 2:00, I drove into Lakewood, got a coffee at Ryder's and stopped at Auto Zone and picked up some cleaner for my car...don't like to see it get dirty unlike my other two cars.  Am I  going to become one of those husbands that washes his car every weekend?  I doubt it but for now, I want it clean.  At 2:30, I had an appointment for a safety/emissions check for my 'new car,' senseless, unnecessary but required by New York laws.  It took about ten minutes, and they mounted my front license plate and charged me ten bucks total, a deal.  On the way home, I stopped at Art Sample's, the local tree guy, and he had some Red Sunset Maples on sale which looked pretty nice.  We are tempted to get one to put in our yard where we lost one of our tress this past spring.  We need to find out how much it will cost to have it transported and put in, whether we have to dig the hole, supply the dirt, things like that.

A Cool Autumn Swim

I returned home at 4:30 and Evie and just about everything ready for our dinner but she definitely needed a pick me up.  The solution, to put on her suit, and jump in the lake, refreshing and shocking, just what she needed.  She always is the last to swim in the lake and I am sure she and perhaps me will have a final swim next week before our dock comes in.  Late afternoon, the lake calmed down and because there was an hour before our neighbors came over, I went for a nice kayak ride, down Woodlawn, across to Long Point and home, about  forty five minutes.  Just sitting out in the middle of the lake was settling, calming, enjoyable, being surrounded by water and sky, nothing else.  We are so lucky to live near water, to be able to get out on the lake everyday if we like.

Long Point at 6:00 PM

Bill and Joyce came over at 6:00 and we enjoyed appetizers and wine, talking about their dismay at having to leave the lake for another winter.  We can sympathize.  Dinner was great, pork schnitzel, twice baked potatoes, salad and broccoli and Higbee's muffins, Joyce' favorite.  For dessert, we had a healthy chocolate mousse, of almond milk, honey, unsweetened chocolate and an avocado, recipe courtesy of Linda Hepp.  Both Leonard's were tired from packing, getting things ready, so went home after dinner, as they still had things to do.  We are going to miss them.

Dinner With Our Neighbor's, Bill and Joyce

We then watched a couple of Stephen Colbert's show and both of us are beginning to like it more, as he seems to be finding himself, often reverting to the Stephen Colbert skits with loved on Comedy Central.  He needs to keep some of that persona as well as create a new one to be successful.

It's now 8:00, Evie's still sleeping, and the rain is pounding on the roof, the lake and sky gray, a good day to stay inside and read, make Turkish tea, and listen to Sonos.