A Clear And Cold Sunday Morning

7:09

7:23

7:55

8:21

9:06

It's just after 7:00, the sky a pink and light blue, as at least ten fishing tents are already out on the lake.  When I walked outside this morning, I was greeted by roar of a augur, drilling a hole in the lake and the sounds of the lake ice cracking.  I also heard it last night when I went out to take a photo of the full moon.  It echoes up and down the lake, unsettling I assume for the fishermen.  It's 9:50 as I finish this blog and it feels as if we have run through the gamut of possible morning skies in a couple of hours.

Our Saturdays are special even in retirement; we still think of them as a day off even though most days are 'days off.'  The snow has mostly disappeared, with only a few drifts left from the snow plow.  So we decided to get in a hike/walk and decided that Long Point would be a good choice.  So I first gathered out trash, fired up the Pilot, now no longer snowed in, and drove to the Transfer Station to get rid of trash and recyclables from the week.  We then put on a few layers because it was still chilly outside with a bitter wind at times and drove to the end of Lakeside Drive and parked.

Evie Redux

We were not sure what to expect as we hiked the park, so we wore our traks, to avoid slipping on ice.  I was surprised to see most of the trails were still snow covered and crunchy when we walked, making it safer and easier to walk.  We had our poles as well, for safety and physical reasons, as they work our arms along with our legs.  We walked out to the tip of Long Point and were surprised to see at least 25 tents out on Bemus Bay, just around the corner of Long Point if you are sitting on our front porch.  It looked like fun, and we saw some guys fooling around, skating, throwing things at each other, as others fell on their way out or were catching fish, a busy morning on the lake.

The Red Tent

Having Fun?

Done For The Day

We were out for over an hour, crunching a path in the snow before driving home.  I then had lunch, leftover pasta and meatballs and soup and Evie got ready to drive to the mall to get her hair trimmed, stopping at the Y, and do some shopping.   I ate and watched some basketball before the doorbell rang, and Mike, a good friend of ours stopped by for an hour.  He had been skiing in Ellicottville but the slopes had turned to ice, so he was heading home to Hudson.  He stayed for an hour, filling me in on what was happening in Hudson, in their lives and his upcoming 36 hour drive to Jackson Hole, where he and his wife Barb have rented a cabin for a month.  It's 15 miles from town and they will have a half mile cross country ski trip to their cabin, pulling a sled by the way, with all their food. Sounds like an adventure.

Evie returned home around 4:30, just as I started to watch the first of the four NFL football games this weekend, a viewing paradise for America's rabid football fans.  I can only take so much, so I watched for awhile, then read some before taking a shower and getting ready to go out to dinner with friends.

Enjoying Another Fine Meal At Brazil's in Westfield

We picked Linda and Ron up just after 6:00 and drove to Westfield, to Brazil's for dinner.  It was their last night to be open until St. Patrick's Day, so we were happy to be there.  The ambiance is part of the draw, as well as the friendly staff, the good food and of course, the variety of beers.  All of us enjoyed our meals.  I had the short ribs with mashed potatoes but I think it was more like a pot roast then short ribs.  Whatever, I enjoyed it.  Evie had the salmon, her favorite, so we both made good choices.  The restaurant was not overly crowded which surprised me but then, it's mid January and most restaurants find this to be a slow time which is why some close for a couple of months.  No doubt it's very difficult to make it as a restaurateur in this area unless you have a regular local following.  And even then, it's tough.

Groupie

We were home just after 9:00 and I watched, what else, more football before going up to be to finish Springsteen's BORN TO RUN.

We have an exciting day ahead of us as the Viking Club is having a Cornhole tournament at 1:00 and we are already signed up along with Doug and Dawn and excited to participate.  There's a ten dollar entrance fee and the money goes towards the childrens' playground.  We hope we are able to make the transition from our bean bag board and bags to the those of the Cornhole.  It should be fun.