Fall Arrives: Clear And A Chilly 34º

6:40

7:29

It's 7:15 and I have been up since 5:45, briefly enjoying a star-filled sky before the sky began to turn orange and now pink, as I wait for the sun to rise above the shoreline.  It's 34º and we had to bring our new plants on to the porch to avoid a possible frost.  Although we are both cool weather fans, this morning's 34º is a bit of an adjustment.  As I finish this, the sun is up, the wind howling, and steam fog is sliding along the lake's surface.

The Beginning Of The End Of Dahlias

We left Virginia yesterday morning at 8:00, a civilized time to hit the road.  We had a fun three nights with Jill's family but it was also good, as always, to get home.  Our drive was easy and beautiful, as the mountains, the valleys, covered with trees, were starting to change colors.  It was not yet peak leaf peeper time but still good.  We stopped at the Shenandoah Market, just over an hour from Bristow, for cheap gas, $2.48 a gallon and fruit, this time apples.  That and a quick stop at Mickey D's in Berkley Springs for breakfast were our only stops.  This drive is becoming automatic after ten years of driving to Virginia but it's always enjoyable because of the mountains and the fact that we are on the PA turnpike for only 15 miles, # Interstate 80 for perhaps 20 miles, and much of the ride is through the Allegheny Forest.

Allegheny State Park

Near Altoona, PA

We were home at 3:00, always a seven-hour drive, We unloaded all our goodies from Trader Joe's and our Ikea bag, our traveling suitcase,  We were shocked at the temperature, 39º, and noticed we had gotten an inch of rain over the past four days.  We checked out the house, the yard, the dock and all was well so we could relax. 

Chautauqua Lake From Bridge

I read some, took my first shower since Monday because of my arm surgery, and got ready to go out to dinner with our buddy Ron, home alone because Linda was visiting her sister outside of DC.  He picked us up at 6:20 and we drove across the bridge to our old stand by, the Seezurh House.  It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night so we easily found a table in the bar and quickly had a beer and put in our easy order, three fish fries.

Friday Night Fish Fry

We were home just after 8:00, fat and happy with our dinner. We had enough time before bed to catch up on two Colberts and some of the latest 'breaking news' before going up to be earlier than usual.  It's been a great week in Virginia and dinner out last night, no cooking for Evie, no driving for me, topped it off.