A Cold, Snowy Morning On Chautauqua Lake

Walking A Frozen Lake Erie Shore

7:00

I was up just before 7:00. just as the sun was rising behind the clouds and falling snow.  It's a whiteout morning, as a wet snow fell as I walked outside to get my paper.  We are under another Winter Weather Advisory which means it's going to be cold and snow today, somewhere between 4 and 8 inches.

Long Point During A Morning Snowfall

Yesterday was cloudy and overcast but a good day overall, surprising both of us.  We started the day as usual, with coffee and the blog and my deciding to go to yoga despite the weather.  I cleaned off the car, scraped ice off the windows and drove to Lakewood for class.  Before going, Evie mentioned it might be fun to drive up to Barcelona on Lake Erie to see the frozen peaks of ice.  I had a good class, then stopped for a coffee and picked up some organic eggs before coming home.  While I was gone, Evie made a batch of peanut butter cookies, so I had something sweet to enjoy with my glass of Turkish tea in the afternoons.  What a gal.  Around 11:45, we pulled on our boots and winter gear and drove 16 miles up the Portage Trail to Barcelona's beach.

Chautauqua Creek

The Mouth Of Chautauqua Creek As It Debouches Into Lake Erie

We pulled into the parking area next to Chautauqua Creek then walked along a path following the mostly frozen creek to Lake Erie.  It was an easy walk, not much snow and lots of deadfall on the path from Monday's winds.

Barcelona Beach

There was no beach left, just huge twenty-foot mountains of ice and snow, blocking any view of the frozen lake unless you climbed up the to the peak. I attempted it but it was icy and I stopped midway, afraid I might fall.  We walked briefly along the ice shelf, but it was not fun, just junks of frozen ice and snow so after a few photographs, we got back on the path and walked back to our car.  We drove down to Barcelona Harbor so we could get a good view of the froze lake before driving home,  arriving at 1:00.

An Attempt To Climb An Ice Peak

Evie made me a couple of tasty avocado and tomato sandwiches and I then watched the final episode of Friday Night Lights and as I predicted, Coach Taylor followed his wife to Philadephia, the good husband, leaving his team and Texas football behind.  What a good guy.  I will miss this high school soap opera although many have suggested its one of the top two or three series on TV, right up there with The Wire and The Sopranos.

We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, tired from our morning hike.  I read and napped of course and read some more in CASE HISTORIES, a thriller unlike any I have read before as Atkinson seems interested in our getting to know everyone surrounding the death except for the killer.  She's in no hurry and the novel feels like one holding action, with the reader waiting and waiting for the tension as Jackson Brodie finally discovers who might be the perpetrator if there is one.  We had decided early in the day to go out to Steeners Pub for dinner because of their steak special so we left around 6:15, were lucky to find a parking spot as a truck pulled out just as we arrived.  We found the last two seats at the bar, struck up a conversation with a nice guy from Jamestown when our neighbor, Barb, walked in and asked if they could park behind our car rather than on the street.

A Good Night With Neighbors At Steener's Pub

We obviously said yes and ended up leaving the bar and sitting at a table with them and having dinner.  We had not seen them in weeks so it was fun to see them again and catch up on their lives as once they sell their house in Cleveland, they will be our neighbors full time.  Evie and I had the special, Barb and Jim, a double of grilled wings, the best around in their estimation.  We ended up getting home around 9:15 and the roads were fine.  The night ended with a Colbert from last Friday before bed, the end to a surprisingly good day.