Winter Skies

7:21

What a difference each morning in sunrises, as anyone who follows this blog knows.  Yesterday, a brilliant, often changing sunrise, this morning, gray on gray with some black.  The lake, however, is calm, the outside temperature a temperate 40º.  I read yesterday that because of record setting El Nino, we are having a much warmer fall, perhaps winter than usual.

Yesterday was another brilliant fall day, lots of sunshine, crisp air, blue skies and lake, perfect for being outside.  So what did I do first?  I put together my Sunday Bean dish from Sam Sifton, of the NYTimes.  It's basically kidney beans with onion, garlic, cumin and coriander, added to orange juice and pineapple juice. And I pulled out the bread dough I had put together Tuesday morning, flattened it, and let it rise a second time.

Moss On Dead Fall

After this, we decided it was a good day to walk Long Point State Park since we haven't done it since our trip West.  It was a good choice though muddy in some spots.  As always, the woods are empty, only one fellow and his dog.  We took the trail less travelled, bushwhacking some through the naked trees, paths covered with wet leaves.  There's still some work going on around the Pavilion as they are putting in new sewers for the park; it's a muddy mess in some areas.

Walking West Shoreline Of Long Point

Fish Skeleton

And because the level of the lake is so low, we were able to walk from the Pavilion out to Long Point, along the shoreline instead of the path.  When we got to the tip, the easterly wind practically knocked us over, yet on our walk out, we hardly noticed it.  We were back at the car after an hour and a half, a slow walk of three miles.

Beach Walking

 We were home by 1:00 and because the Chautauqua Institution's Smith Library was having their annual party, basically lunch, I drove there and enjoyed the usual display of cold cuts, potato salad, green salad and dessert.  It's a really nice affair, well attended and I recognized only one person.  Who are these people or rather I should say what they are thinking: who is this bearded giant.  I obviously know the librarians, and Paul and Deborah were at the desk.  Anyways, it was a nice lunch, I got my book, so I was home, ready to read by 2:00.  When I got home, Evie had put the bread into a dutch oven and put it in the oven for about 40 minutes before taking it out, crusty and blackened.  She also pulled out some of our water buffalo butter, for late afternoon wine time.

We relaxed late afternoon, as the  sky darkened with wine, homemade bread and butter, and some English cheddar, Ivy's Vintage Reserve, and pears. This was more or less our meal, as dinner was simple, hot dogs and my Sunday beans, something I admit I will not make again.  I ate them but they were below average, certainly not something I would make on a Sunday for the family.  After dinner, we watched more of the pundits taking jabs at or supporting Trump who continues to be the only news story.  And we watched another bloody episode of Fargo, with one to go.  Bed felt good, both of us tired from our walks the past couple of days.

Just got home from breakfast and dropping my car of at Ziebart to get a remote starter put in, an early Christmas present for Evie.