A Day Of Extremes

6:27

6:28

6:37

6:44

6:45

7:03

I was up at 6:00 and was able to enjoy another magnificent morning sky as well as the sunrise above Bemus Bay at 6:43 to be exact.  It's a chilly morning, 31º with frost on the car windows. The living room is filled with sunshine and despite the cold, I cannot wait to launch my kayak after I finish writing this blog.

Kayak Morning # 1

Yesterday morning, we woke up to overcast skies and snow flurries but by cocktail hour, we were treated to blue skies, puffy clouds, and a stunning lapis lazuli lake.  Chautauqua doesn't get any more mercurial than this.  Because of the snow, I skipped kayaking and went to a yoga class at 9:15.  As usual, on Mondays and Thursday, I was sprinkled with rose water and massaged with China Gel and a long meditation before asanas.  I like, too, that we spend ten minutes of class with legs up the wall, a position I like as I know I've mentioned before.  After class, I stopped for coffee and ended up talking with Steve, not a regular but a guy I see occasionally and we always end up talking about our travels and love of nature since it wife is a biologist and teacher. 

Male Wood Duck

Female And Male Wood Duck

When I walked in the door, I could smell something really interesting as Evie had put together two burritos with scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, and avocadoes for my lunch.  I decided to try a new series, BAD BLOOD, about the mafia and drug wars in Montreal.  So far, so good.  Evie left at 1:00 and I finished up my book, THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE and started two others, STONER, about a young man who becomes a college professor in the 1920s and WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES, about a family that survives the Holocaust.  Both are good so I will have a hard time choosing which to pick up. 

Mallards

A Raft Of Grebes

Evie returned around 3:30 and we did not do much the rest of the afternoon.  About 5:30 we got out the Saint Andre cheese, some crackers, and I made us an icy Manhattan, to celebrate the changing weather, the beauty of a late afternoon blue sky.  Dinner was easy, leftovers again, the chicken tetrazine from the previous night served on a bed of garlic spinach.  We watched the coverage of the tragic burning of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, one of the architectural wonders of the world.  We also watched an episode of Amazon Prime's BOSCH, a series based on Michael Connelly novels.  We ended the night we the usual, a home improvement show before going up to bed. 

Squirrel Nut