A Southwestern Sky Morning

6:21

6:49

6:50

7:09

I was up at 6:00, listening to the news about the Category Two Hurricane.  It sounds like flooding is going to be the big problem.  I have been outside three or four times already as each time I look up from my computer, the sky is more spectacular.  At the moment, the sun has yet to arise yet its rays are coloring the clouds orange.  It should arise in about ten minutes, around 7:05 so I will be out in the yard, capturing its peaking over the shoreline.  It's 9:15 and I have just returned from an hour and a half paddle, taking my time, even watching a heron for ten minutes, hoping to get a photo of him diving.  His patience was greater than mine so I paddled off without a good photograph. It was, however, a good morning for great blue herons as I took photos of four.

Kayak Morning

Spotted Sandpiper

Great Blue Heron

Poised To Strike

Yesterday morning was busy, as I mentioned, with a paddle, breakfast and helping a friend move a heavy workbench from one side of the lake to the other.  When I returned home at 10:00, Evie was busy in the kitchen putting together our dinner, a ratatouille, a mixture of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.  The key is to roast vegetable separately, then mix them together, so they still have some tenderness.  Because I am taking a hiatus from yoga for a week or two, I went for a walk at the Chautauqua Institution, surprisingly empty and warm.  It was a sticky walk although the beauty of the Institution was still at its summer peak, as fall had yet to arrive and all was green.  Afterward, I drove to the Lighthouse Grocery and picked up lunch, a sub sandwich.

Walking The Chautauqua Institution

Thunder Bridge

Lunch, then, was easy, heat up some more of the cauliflower soup and grab half of the sub, saving the other half for Friday.  The rest of the day was a waste as neither of us got much done.  Evie took it easy on the couch, watching the Weather Channel downgrade the storm from four to three to two, a good thing.  It makes us laugh to see the announcer's dramatic standing in water or rain, telling us what is happening in the storm's path at the moment.  For some reason, neither of us went out to enjoy the sun on the dock, perhaps because it was warm and humid once again.  The lake is getting busy as lots of fishing boats have arrived.

We had a glass of wine as Evie made dinner, heating up the ratatouille, slicing the leftover chicken breasts and making a salad.  The ratatouille was great, especially topped with a dollop or two of yogurt.  We watched a couple of episodes of Stephen Colbert and really enjoyed his interview with Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas.  Why anyone would vote for Ted Cruz, the most disliked man in the Senate, instead of Beto is a mystery.  We ended the night with some Vice News and a few minutes of NFL football.