Almost Snowed

7:10

7:44

7:55

7:55

8:00

I was up at 6:00, literally on the dot.  Utter darkness till around 7::00 when streaks of orange and pink began to appear over Tom's Point, gradually encompassing a good part of the lake until the sun rose around 8:00.  I was out on the lake by 8:00 as the sun, it's rising over the lake was too inviting to ignore despite the 36º weather.

Kayak Morning

I just put on my stocking hat, gloves, and an extra fleece and I was off, hoping to photograph some birds but the sun soon hid behind the clouds, making it difficult to pick out any birds along the shoreline.  I did pass a raft of probably 70 coots, some mallards and one cormorant sitting atop of buoy. 

Coots

A Perched Cormorant

Yesterday morning was busy for me, as I wanted to get things done this week early, so I don't have to worry about them before we leave on our trip.  So I drove to Falconer, just beyond Jamestown, to Acme Appliance where we bought our washer and dryer last April.  The manager said to put off buying our warranty until November and he would not start it until the new year, adding close to six months on our warranty.  So that's what I got out of the way before stopping at Sam's to pick up a rotisserie chicken and a few other things, then on to Wegman's to make sure we have enough for dinner the next few nights. 

I was home by noon and expected to see Evie out cutting the lawn because our yard was once again covered with leaves but she decided to wait till later in the day, giving the lawn a chance to dry out.  I was excited because I had read about a special soup on the NewYork Times.  So I got out my homemade vegetable soup, heated it up, toasted some of my homemade bread, placed it in the bottom of a soup bowl, added soup, let it sit for three minutes, then added olive oil and parmesan cheese.  It was quite tasty, like eating a vegetable stew and quite filling.  And I watched another NARCOS, only have a few left.

Veggie Soup With Bread, Olive Oil, and Parmesan Cheese

I then read some, napped, under a new, soft turquoise fleece I picked up at Sam's to my wife's dismay.  She calls me grandpa every time I wrapped myself in it.  Well, I am a grandpa.  I woke to the sound of Evie's lawn mower and I felt like helping so I fired up the other mower and between us, we mulched the leaves in a light rain as we waited too long for the yard to dry.  And by the time we had finished, the lawn was already beginning to be covered with more leaves.

Around 5:00, we got out a bottle of sauvignon blanc, poured ourselves a glass and Evie started putting together our dinner, the rotisserie chicken, with mashed potatoes, gravy, salad and a scrumptious cheesy cauliflower.  It was a Sunday dinner on Monday, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.  I loved it.  We watched some of a Lady Gaga documentary but soon got bored and watched a couple of more episdoes of Master Of None, funny and relevant.  We ended the night watching CNN and MSNBC talk about the Russian connection with Trump, then switched to FOX and watched them talk about the Russian connection to Hilary and Obama.  Perfect. 

A Wild, Windy Morning

8:02

8:05

It's 7:00, I have been up for an hour listening to the wind whip the trees, at times sounding like a freight train.  It's still pitch black outside, only a few house lights stand out in the dark morning sky.  I am not going kayaking this morning, for sure!

Yesterday I beat the wind and rain by kayaking early, my only activity of the day.  We both snuggled down in our living room, like Saturday, and enjoyed the gray, wet windy day.  We played with the idea of going out to breakfast to Red's Pancake House, on the Sherman/Clymer road, about a twenty-five-minute drive but we were too comfortable in our house or just lazy.

Late morning I got tired of sitting around, listening to the Sunday morning news programs repeat the same thing over and over again, so I decided to make a vegetable soup for my lunches this week.  We had just enough veggies, both carrots and celery to start the base which I sauteed for a good half hour before adding the chicken stock, tomatoes, garlic, black and white beans, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.  I let it simmer for a good hour, tasting occasionally to make sure it had a pleasant taste.  It's always difficult for me to get the flavor of a soup just right.  I think simmering it for a good amount of times allows all the veggies and beans to release some of the flavor in an otherwise often bland soup. Around 3:00, we both ran outside with our cameras because we noticed two bald eagles swooping down in front of our house, hoping to catch a prey.  They circled around Woodlawn for a view minutes before flying off. 

Bald Eagle Soaring

Swooping

Neither one of us did much the rest of the afternoon.  I watched some football, read, napped and Evie listened to music, played Words With Friends, and watched an old movie mid-afternoon.  We decided on skipping our typical Sunday breakfast and eat an early dinner.  So around 4:00, Evie breaded a couple of pork chops, fried up some leftover baked potatoes with onions, roasted a cauliflower, and made a salad.  We ate at 5:30, early for us but we were both hungry since we had not eaten since breakfast.  The chops were the kind we love, breaded, fried, then baked and with applesauce, we were happy.

We watched the latest This Is Us, some news, a few minutes of football and a new program, at least for us, a British talk show with Graham Norton.  I have watched it a couple of times over the past year but last week, I watched him interview Hilary and it was really good.  And last night he had Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Brian Cranston, Colin Farrell and Matt Lucas.  It's been a regular in Great Britain since 2007.  It's on the BBC channel.

A Rainy Day/Week

8:30

Well, I slept in until 7:15, perhaps because of the gray skies, lack of color other than gray.  When I got up, it was still dark, a 41º.  The wind has already picked up so I probably will not get to kayak unless it lets up some but the lake at least for now does not look very inviting.  And the duck hunters are out, so they might limit my paddle.  It didn't as I have become obsessed with kayaking in the morning and went out in the light rain.  I was conscious of duck hunters but missed a  guy standing along the shoreline until he yelled out to me and waved.

Kayaking In The Rain

Yesterday it rained practically the entire day, something that has not happened in a long time, perhaps last spring.  It was gentle, no heavy showers, just a steady sprinkling and this morning I checked the rain gauge and we got an inch and a half in close to 24 hours.  Since I knew the rain was coming yesterday, I got a paddle in just before the rain began.  When I returned, Evie was up and we relaxed with our coffee, listening to the radio and finishing the blog until 10:00 as the weather was such that we were happy to stay in the house.  And we did, most of the day.

Amish Buggy From Friday's Drive

Around 10:30, we started gathering the trash and doing a quick look at the pantry and other closets to make sure there was not something we could throw away.  I drove off to the Transfer Station in a drizzle, getting rid of the trash.  And I took a couple of trash cans of leaves and twigs up the hill just after I kayaked, just before it rained.  So by 11:00, we were firmly ensconced in our home, ready for a day of leisure, of gray skies, light rain, just the way we like it.   In fact, Evie was excited for the day, so much so that she put together an apple pie in the morning, using up the apples from our friend Dick's tree.  There's nothing like the aroma of an apple pie baking in the oven.

I had the last of the white bean stew for lunch, along with something I had been wanting, my homemade bread toasted, with jam and feta cheese, a typical Turkish breakfast or lunch.  Yum...the crispness of the toast, the sweet of the jam, the saltiness of the cheese.  We pretty much wasted or enjoyed the leisure of the afternoon, depending on your point of view.  I read, tried to nap and Evie loved just sitting in the living room, listening to Apple Music, making up playlists for our trip West in a week.  Around 3:30, I made us some Turkish tea, a sure sign of the coming winter and we enjoyed watching a raft of coots feed in front of our house for a good part of the afternoon.

A Raft Of Coots

I was looking forward to the Ohio State/Penn State game, taped it and watched the first half quickly, fast forwarding through commercials.  I almost turned it off after the first play, a touchdown on a kickoff return.  By 5:30, the second half was just starting so I decided to watch it later because we were about to begin our cocktail hour, with cheese, crackers, chips, and dip.  It was our kind of evening, gray and wet and we enjoyed our Manhattans, listening to music, missing Prarie Home Companion, our usual accompaniment to our Saturday night at the lake.  Dinner was easy, leftover potato salad and bratwurst from our Octoberfest dinner on Thursday night.  Mostly, though, we were looking forward to a piece of warmed up apple pie with ice cream.  We watched Bill Maher who had one of Evie's faves,  Joy Behar on as a  guest.  It was his typical show, lots of arguments, with the liberals winning of course because of Maher.  We did not watch the baseball game and I feel guilty about that, for not really caring or interested in the sport.  I guess I could say that about most sports these days as after ten for fifteen minutes of watching, I am ready to do something else.

Waiting For A Storm (Amish Trail/Gowanda)

7:14

7:15

7:37

7:38

I was up at 6:20, thinking it would have already started to rain.  I was treated, however, to a morning sky worthy of photographing, first, Venus, the Morning Star, then lots of clouds and light as a mass of dark clouds began to obtrude.  Then at 7:20, as I walked outside, I was shocked by gunshots, most likely a shotgun, as hunters are on the lake, hunting ducks.

7:58 Paddle

Kayak Morning

Well, it's 8:50 and I just got back from kayaking, my usual circle but I ran into duck blinds set back among the reeds where I usually am able to photograph some blue herons.  I did not see the blind until I paddled into the reeds to take a photo of a couple of mallards and realized they were decoys.  I quickly backed out and went on my way home, just as some raindrops were beginning to fall. 

Duck Blind

Decoys

Yesterday was a busy day, a good day for a drive and boy, did we.  First, we drove to our Amish upholstery guy and picked out a fabric for our boat covers, as well as new covers for cushions for our porch furniture.  We got home about 10:00 and I had just enough time to drive back to Jamestown for a quick checkup from the dentist on my new crown.   I was home around 11:15 and we both decided it would be a nice day for a ride on the Amish Trail, RT # 62 which goes from Warren to Buffalo via Gowanda, our goal.  So we drove off, stopping along the way at an Ellington fruit/vegetable stand we have liked called Sun-Dance-Kids-Farm and talked with the owner. 

Goats

Red Headed

He raises a couple hundred goats, for fudge and lotion (Evie bought four small jars), chickens, as well as other animals, even reindeer, which he takes to various kids parties during the Christmas season and to Musky Mall in Bemus.

Chicken Houses

A Pair Of Beauties

We also stopped at an Antique Store, Good As New in Conewango Valley.  We have been there before and liked it and ended up buying junk, what else, a Deep Eddy's Vodka sign (it lights up!) for our back porch, a bowl with a cover which Evie has wanted since it was broken years ago. 

Destined For The Attic

We ended up in Gowanda, hoping to have a lunch at the Greek Diner.  Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations so we ended up at a dark and gloomy bar called the Wicked Glen.  It was fine, we sat at the bar, had an order of great homemade fries and french onion soup.  Not what we expected but not bad.  We had hoped the Slovenian Club would be open but not till 4:00 and we did not want to wait that long. 

We went home from Gowanda a different way, though Sinclairville, stopping at the Superette before driving home, a round trip of close to 95 miles.  We were obviously tired, so we relaxed, I napped but around 5:00, we both were outside mowing the lawns because we knew it was supposed to rain all day on Saturday.  We had decided earlier to go out to dinner so we drove to Mayville, picked up some groceries at Tops, then drove to Stockton, another 17 miles from our house, for a fish fry at the Stockton Hotel.  We ate at a table in the bar because the restaurant was so crowded.  And when we left about 8:30, people were still coming in.  We both had great fish fries, a couple of beers and were happy to be home by 9:00, tired from our day.  We watched some TV until 10:30 then went to bed, the end of another good day, perhaps the last colorful day of fall. 

37º

7:28

7:41

7:42

7:50

The sky is just beginning to wake at 7:00, streaks of color along the horizon, cloud banks and lake finally visible as we move towards a sunrise.  It's windy, the lake's ruffled, so I probably will skip an early morning kayaking.

Thursday Morning Sun

Yesterday was basically a wasted day for me, a busy one for Evie.  My day started with a doctor's appointment, some blood taking, the getting of a pneumonia vaccine and a stop at the Board of Elections to pick up an absentee ballot.  When I got home, we drove to our Amish upholstery guy, to pick out the cloth for our boat cushions.  Since Amish do not have phones, sometimes it's hard to connect.  Yesterday was one of those days as he said he would be there but was out gathering logs with his brother in law.  So our half hour drive out to his business was a waste of time.  We did make an appointment for this morning at 9:00 and his wife guaranteed he will be there.  Let's hope so.

Long Point, Thursday Morning at 10:10

When we got home, Evie started on our bedroom, washing the windows, the screens, and we took out our air conditioner, a sure sign of winter's arrival.  I had a cheese sandwich for lunch, with homemade (Linda's) blueberry jam and another bowl of white beans with tomato paste and onions.  Sound good?

I tried to nap but couldn't, so I read some then decided I wanted to do something outside.  So I jumped in my kayak so that I could scare away the hundreds of Canadian geese feeding in front of our homes along Woodlawn and Victoria.  For some reason, they like to feed here.  I did manage to get them to fly away but they were back a couple of hours later.  Our front yard was once again covered with leaves, so I powered up the mower and took over Evie's job for once and mulched the leaves, a stop gap no doubt as the lawn will be covered with leaves again by Saturday.

We were looking forward to dinner because we were going to our friend's house, Linda and Ron's, for an Oktoberfest dinner.  We were greeted with Octoberfest beers even before we sat down.  We then had some German specialties, a pretzel with beer cheese, smoked gouda cheese and a bowl of goulash soup before dinner.  Ron then grilled some bratwurst outside and we sat down to a great dinner of brats, German potato salad, Evie's cole slaw, and a salad.  We, of course, had more Octoberfest beer with dinner.  And for dessert we had a pumpkin flan, topped with ice cream.  It was a great way to bid the final week of October adieu.

We got home till 9:40 so we were able to relax for an hour watching some TV before bed.

A Whiff Of Winter

7:13

7:28

7:46

7:47

I was up at 6:15 and I am getting used to a pitch black morning until after 7:00 when sometimes color appears in the sky.  And then I wait for the sunrise, around 7:50 nowadays.  Right now at 7:15, there's a vast cloud bank off to the east but some light above the trees.  It's a chilly 38º and may not get above the 40's later in the day.  At the moment, steam is rising from the lake, as the cold air meets the warm lake...cool beans.  

Buddha  In The Garden

Yesterday began with a paddle, as I hoped to get out before the wind picked up on a gray morning.  I was surprised at how cold it was and I wished I had put on another layer of clothing.  At least I had a pair of gloves but by the time I got home, even my hands were cold.  I had forgotten what it was like to be cold.  When I got home, Evie had a list of things she wanted to get done.  So, together, we worked at tackling it although I have to admit I often ended up doing things that were not on her list, like cleaning out a couple of drawers where I keep all my stuff that I might need during the day, like wallet, stamps, maps, receipts, bills, cords, in other words, a mess of stuff.  I did get around to washing the front windows, again, as we struggle to get them clean.  This time I did not use the magic cloth but a squeegee with a solution of cornstarch and white vinegar.  I am not sure they are any cleaner and we will have to wait for some morning sunshine to tell.  O, yea, I did a deep cleaning of my toolbox, too.  

Autumn Coneflower

Lunch was another bowl of white beans and my homemade bread toasted, perfecto, and I watched another episode of Narcos.  Meanwhile, Evie was busy, doing her thing, straightening and cleaning another area of the house.  I have to admit it makes a big difference whether it's a bookcase or storage closet.  

Fall In The Neighborhood

Around 3:00, the Subaru dealer called and my car was ready after 36 hours.  I got it ready for our trip West, new tires, new differential, and brake fluids, safety check, all those sorts of things that shouldn't cost that much but do these days.  A new car's service is not cheap.  When we got back, Evie relaxed and I went for a hike through the Victoria/Woodlawn woods for the first time in a couple of weeks.  The trail is leaf covered but there still remains lots of leaves on many of the trees.  

Victoria Woods

It was good to be back out there, on a familiar trail, a 35-minute hike.  When I got home, I had a good hour before we were going out to dinner, so I did forty-five minutes of yoga, listening to yoga music on Apple Music.  I felt righteous after yoga, took a quick shower and was ready to drive to the Viking Club for dinner.

It was Kids Halloween Night at the Viking.  Lots of families brought their kids dressed in various costumes.  Around 7:00 the kids in costumes parade through the restaurant/bar, with prizes for best costumes.  It's a big deal, fun for everyone and well attended.  We sat with our friends, Doug and Dawn, ordered the wings and a burger and stayed until 9:00, later than usual.  We got home in time to watch a Vice News and a bit of the World Series, the end of a productive day.  

Overcast And Cold....An Autumn Day For Sure

Tuesday Afternoon's Rainbow

7:27

7:51

I was up at 6:45, surprised by how cold it felt even though the outside temperature was 44º.  Becuase of the heavy cloud cover, there will not be much of a sunrise this morning, just as a gradually lightening sky.  For some reason, our lakefront seems to attract either ducks or Canadian geese.  At the moment a gaggle of geese our just off our wall, diving for weeds, white bottoms up in the air.  And when I went out to get a morning photograph, I scared off a blue heron, also feeding in front of our home.  It's 9:00 and I have just returned from a cold paddle, across the lake and back, my first whiff of winter.

Mallard Couple

Tuesday was an easy day for us, not a lot to do, no have to do's.  So I kayaked early, came home for another cup of coffee and breakfast and we enjoyed the morning, trying to decide what we were going to do with our day.  Finally, we made up our minds to walk Lakeside Drive in Bemus, a walk we used to take every weekend when we drove up from Hudson, just part of our routine.  Since we retired, we prefer to walk Long Point State Park rather than a road.  So we looked forward to our walk, leaving around 11:00.  Unfortunately, as we walked, the wind picked up to such an extent that it made us cut our walk short, so we probably walked less than two miles.  We stopped at a Bemus shop so Evie could do some browsing but she ended up empty handed alas.

Tom's Point From Bemus Point's Lakeside Drive

We were home by 1:00, in time for a lunch of kuru fasulye, white bean stew and another episode of NARCOS on Netflix. Evie was excited to cook something up for dinner and decided upon her chicken pot pie recipe.  So while I napped, she poached the chicken, added the veggies and made the buttermilk biscuit dough for the top of the pot pie.  We did little the rest of the afternoon, no walking or kayaking, just enjoying the coziness of our house, listening over and over again, the speech by Jeff Flake, one three courageous Republican senators willing to speak out against Trump.  Around 4:45, it clouded up and a partial rainbow appeared over Tom's Point but we never got any rain. 

Tom's Point, Late Afternoon

Rainbow Over Ellery Farm

Around 5:30, we got out the wine and Evie put together the pot pie and put it in the oven for a half hour, just long enough to make sure the biscuits were done.  I loved it, nothing like biscuits and chicken. We struggled to find something to watch, finally settling on a Netflix original comedy, MASTER OF NONE.  It was a nice respite from the usual cops chasing serial killer series.  We ended the night we a depressing Vice News, just more evidence that the world is really screwed up.