Another Good Day For A Hike And A Paddle

7:33

7:41

7:40

8:07

The sun has finally risen, over Bemus Point, on its trip south.  Both Evie and I have been up since 7:00, a late rising for me, an early one for her.  We both have gotten up off the couch numerous times to take a photo of the wakening sky.  It's a never ending photo shoot.  It's a chilly 39º and should get up into the mid 50's later in the day before the winds and rain arrive tonight.  We had better enjoy today because the next couple of days look bleak for kayaking and hiking.

We both sat around yesterday morning, enjoying the leisure, trying to figure out what to do with our day.  We felt a strange freedom, not having to worry about dinner because Linda Hepp and her husband, Ron, were having us over for dinner.  I had read somewhere that to be truly alive, you should do something you don't want to do each day.  So I picked getting our flu shots, so off we went to Mayville, to get our shots, quite an adventure.  Actually, we were in and out in ten minutes.

Paul And Nadine Webb Trail Head

Compliments Of Our Health Center, A Great Idea

We then parked our car next to the closed Box Car Barney's ice cream parlor and walked the Webb Trail, one we have not been on since last spring.  It's a great walking trail, a slight, unnoticeable rise going out, a dip coming back.  The trees were just starting to lose there color, so it was still an amazing walk, a pathway of over hanging trees, of browns, yellows, greens and red.

The Wonder Of A Path In The Woods

Evie In The Woods

 There's something soothing and wonderful, at least for me, about a path through a heavily wooded area, strewn with leaves.  The colors, the sounds, even the smells of the coming winter are palpable.  We walked from #394 to Morris Road, then to #430 and back, close to four miles, taking us an hour and a half.  It was the perfect choice for our morning even though we did not get home until 1:00.

A Turkish Comfort Food, Kuru Fasulye

I was anxious to get home, to lunch, the kuru fasulye I had made on Sunday afternoon, a simple stew of beans, tomato paste and red pepper.  I loved it, of course, probably because I made it; it's like a thick bean soup.  While I ate, Evie could not stay inside, so she was out doing some raking of the flower beds, a never ending task in the fall.  At least, for a moment, there is some sense of satisfaction, of having gotten something done.  Of course, all you work disappears by the next day when more leaves have fallen.  The one consolation, both of our trees in the front yard are practically naked, so we are almost there, to the end of chopping leaves.  No way....it never ends.

Evie On The Lake

Around 3:30, we noticed the lake had settled down, the surface smooth, the reflection of the trees visible on its surface.  We were off in minutes, over to Long Point, to the Marina, paddling or just sitting in the middle of this enormous bowl of water, feeling almost dizzy if we looked up at the blue sky, written on by the various jets.  We were out for an hour before returning and getting ready to go over to our  friend's home for dinner.

An Autumn Dinner With Linda And Ron

We were at the McClures by 6:15, in time for a couple of Sam Adams Oktoberfest beers and some German cheese with apples, an apt fall like appetizer.  For dinner, we had a pork loin braised in apples and onions. Yum and to go with it, we had sweet potato latkes, a perfect complement to our pork.  A salad, a good bottle of pinot noir, and we were all happy campers.  We left about 9:30, a full moon lighting our way.  It was the end to another 'good day.'