And, Again . . .Once More To The Lake

7:00

Sunrise From Evie's Chair

7:01

7:01

7:01

Like clockwork, I woke at 6:00, to a darkened house, as I had over an hour before the sunrise.  The lake is still frozen although not safe for fishermen.  It's a surprisingly chilly 19º but should get up into the high forties later in the day with some sun.

7:20

7:20

Unfortunately, I woke up with a head cold yesterday and it looks like I will be fighting it for a couple of days.  It's more annoying than debilitating but it's going to keep me away from yoga until next week.  Yesterday was our final leg of our 2750 mile road trip, to KC, Dallas, and home.  So we were up early in our Hampton Inn in Columbus, on the road by 7:00 and through Columbus and on our way to Cleveland by 7:30.  Traffic on #271 to Cleveland was heavy but not as bad as through Tennesee and Kentucky.  We were at Traders Joes on Chagrin Boulevard by 9:30, stocking up on more goodies for the next couple of weeks.  Our car was literally groaning with stuff as we left for the lake, stopping at the last gas station in Ohio, a Loves, filling up our car with cheap gas.  We also commented on the fact that RT 90 from Cleveland to Erie was one of the best roads because we did not have to dodge potholes, a problem for most of our trip.  

Woodlawn  Road

We were home by 2:00, welcomed by a beautiful blue sky, sunshine and a frozen lake.  It's always so scary walking in your house after a long vacation but all was fine, no water or heating problems.

A Welcoming Blue Sky And Frozen Lake

It took us quite a while to unpack but once that was done, we always feel a bit empty, not knowing what to do with ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.  I took a brief nap and read some.  By 4:00, however, despite feeling crappy because of my cold, Evie and I went out and worked in the yard, raking and picking up twigs and deadfall for forty-five minutes.  I have to admit it felt great to be outside doing something despite the 30-degree temperature.

Yard Work

I also was able to photograph a hungry hawk obviously enjoying a fish just above our lake wall.  He may be the reason we have few birds at our feeder recently.

Afternoon  Snacking

Neither of us felt like fussing with dinner, so Evie made us bacon, home fries, and eggs, which we picked up at Trader Joe's in Cleveland.  I also had a bagel and Evie a salad so we were happily ensconced in our TV room for the first time in 19 days.  It seemed like we never left.  We watched a Colbert and an old Real Time With Bill Maher before going up to bed earlier than usual.