Fog In Morning

Kayak December

Old Glory On A Lovely December Morning

7:17

I woke at 7:15 or so, not sure actually, to a fog bound lake.  No kayaking this morning, at least for awhile until the fog disappears.  It began last night, when we were driving home from Pine Junction, in Findley Lake.  On mornings like this, we are glad we don't have to drive to work though to be honest, for forty three of my forty five years of teaching, I was able to literally walk across the street to teach.

Swans A Swimming

Swans In Flight Near Whitney Bay

Yesterday was a beautiful day, blue skies, sunny, and cool, the high just around 40 degrees.  We had the idea of walking Findley Lake in the afternoon, but were not sure if we were up to it.  As we pondered early what to do, I  drove to the library to return a book, and by the time I got home, the lake was deliciously calm, so we got out our life jackets, boots, and paddles, and kayaked for an hour, down to Whitney Bay and back.  As we paddled, we noticed what looked like tiny sailboats off in the distance.  As we got closer, we realized it was a flock of at least 40 swans.  Unfortunately, they are quite skittish so before we could get close enough to get detailed and clear photographs, they flew off.  Once again, it was enervating to be out on the lake, in fact, the only one's on the lake other than wild life.  We saw only one person in their yard, our neighbor Corky Maitland, with his leaf blower, here for the holidays.

Lunch was delicious, the last of the chicken/black bean enchiladas; what would I do for lunch without leftovers.  A better question: why do some people hate leftovers.  They are often better the second, even third day.  Afterwards, I read, took a brief nap, then we both took showers, getting ready to drive to Findley Lake for our walk. We left about 2:45, hoping to finish by 5:15, just as it was getting too dangerous to walk because of darkness.  We drove through green fields, seemingly manicured, as the wealth of summer has been plowed under or cut, ready for next spring.  We are always soothed by the beauty of Chautauqua County once we get on the roads and start driving past farms.

Mud Flats Of Findley Lake

Evie Resting At Southern End Of Findley Lake

Late Fall, Findley Lake

We started our walk at 3:15 and almost to the minute, returned two hours later.  It was, to be honest, more than we bargained for.  Around mile four, we both would have liked to have been done; we marshaled on the final mile as the sun dropped, the sky darkened and the traffic on the east side of the lake increased.  Interestingly, residents on the lakeshore do not have to take in their docks in the winter because they partially drain the lake, so that the docks just sit in mud or sand and there are vast stretches of shoreline that remind me of low tide along the ocean.

Relaxing At Pine Jucntion's Bar

Fortunately, we had a goal at the end of our walk: a couple of beers and burgers at Pine Junction, one of our favorite eateries, about ten minutes away.  We walked in through the back door as they are renovating the entrance, at 5:30, and we were literally the first people in the restaurant/bar.  We sat down and groaned with pleasure after our walk.  Customers gradually dropped in but it was never crowded.  I order a burger, with sweet potato fries and Evie got the broasted half of chicken, which she loved.  We enjoyed just being there, sitting at the bar, relaxing and enjoying our meal.  We left around 6:45, driving home in dark along the steep hills of Bailey Road in Chautauqua County.

Stedman's Coffee Shop

It felt good to get home, to put on our comfortable sweats, and watch until we could stand it no longer, Donald Trump speaking in South Carolina who for some reason, was featured on all three of the cable news channels.  I understand why they were featuring him; his controversial remarks concerning keeping Muslims out of the States but they also gives him a platform for his hatespeak and platitudes. And I am slowly starting to appreciate  Republic Senator and Presidential Candidate Lindsay Graham when he calls Trump 'a xenophobic, race baiting bigot.'  If, however, Trump were to win the Republican primary, he would probably vote for him!!!  Craziness.  With relief, we turned to a couple of episodes of The Affair, on Showtime, one of our favorite series last year, not as compelling this year.