It's A Beautiful Morning At Chautauqua Lake

6:47

7:02

7:11

I was awake early, at 5:15, but stayed in bed, most likely going in and out of sleep until 6:00 when I got up and came downstairs to a sky beginning to turn orange, a lake just visible. When I walked outside, I could hear birds singing.  How lucky I am to wake up to this each morning.

Canoe, Motor, Gun, Duck Hunter: Hope He Stays Afloat

Yesterday was a typical morning for both of us, coffee, listening  to the radio, and by 9:30, I was off to a really good yoga class, as it was easy to lose oneself in the present and block out everything else, the virtue and aim of yoga in a sense: empty and marvelous.  It was a class of ten, just right for the morning.  Afterwards, it was coffee, then home again, to an empty house because Evie had a busy day.  She had a doctor's appointment in Mayville and had to get her flu shot, then planned on a mega shopping day, a kind of retail therapy.  She had left lunch out for me, sitting on the counter, but I did not see it so I made a cheese sandwich and some ramen for lunch and watched Sports Center.  I then adjourned to my waiting couch to read and nap but I soon rose, unable to nap and wanting to do something to fill my day.

Barcelona, NY, Beach On Lake Erie

So I jumped in my car, drove north to Westfield, stopped at Portage Pie, still open and bought a mix berry pie for dessert, something we both had been wanting.  I then drove down to Barcelona beach and collected a couple of buckets of stones as I want to make a cool cairn to welcome friends to our house and I needed more rocks. A few people were walking the windy beach, with gray skies like me, looking for that perfect stone.

Chautauqua Creek

Chautauqua Creek Outlet To Lake Erie

After I gathered my rocks, I drove down RT 5 a mile and parked at the parking spot for Chautauqua Creek, along with three or four guys who were fishing for steelheads.  i walked the path along the creek to the outlet into Lake Erie.  It was still cloudy but a nice walk, along the creek, on a wooded path strewn with leaves.  I got to the beach easily, walked it for awhile, enjoying just being on it.  This part of Lake Erie does have a beach of a couple of miles which you can walk along.

View Of Lake Erie From Noble Winery

I then meandered home though back roads, through rusting vineyards, green pastures, brown and gold woods until I arrived back in the village of Mayville and then headed straight home.

Looking Towards Hardscrabble Road

Noble Winery Vineyards

Evie was back when I arrived, with a bushel of goodies, some from Sam's, T. J. Maxx, some waiting for her from Amazon.  She was especially happy with our new cozy bedspread which will comfort us during our coming winter nights.  I showed her the pie and she was ecstatic.  We settled down around 5:30 to a glass of wine and some cheese, after Evie had put together our dinner, chicken, mushrooms, with a Indian sauce from Trader Joe's.  We relaxed for an hour as dark took over the day, then had our dinner, quite good but both of us were looking forward to the mixed berry pie.  And it was worth it, the best of Portage Pie, I think.  We watched junk TV, nothing serious until we got tired and went up to bed to read and sleep, the end of another busy but good day.