A Lake Busy With Migrating Waterfowl

Friday Afternoon Sky at 4:44

Hooded Mergansers Are Back

7:53

It's 7:53 and I have been up for an hour, watching hooded mergansers, geese, mallards, and a flurry of seagulls fill the water in front of our house. It's been overcast until a moment ago when the sun fought through the gray, its light reflecting on the gray lake.  Around 8:15, I bundled up and took a forty-five minute paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back on a 27º morning. 

Kayak Morning

In Flight

Woodlawn From The Reeds

Mallards 

Paddling Together 

Yesterday morning was a mess, especially on the roads, as cars slid into ditches, traffic backed up in the area.  It was icy when I went out to get the paper, with a couple inches of snow.  And after breakfast and writing the blog, Evie made up a grocery list and I drove off to Lakewood, passing a police car, lights flashing, helping a motorist stuck in a ditch at 10:00.  Before driving off, we had talked about the weekend and what we wanted to eat.  I voted for a roasted chicken, something we never seem to get right.  And I suggested a chocolate cake from Dorrie Greenspan called a Lisbon chocolate cake.  So with Evie's list in hand, I drove to Ryder's Cup for a coffee, talked with Dave and broke down and supported Bob and my local bookstore, buying Elizabeth Strout's OLIVE, AGAIN, for a cool thirty bucks with tax.  No wonder I stick to library books.

Woodlawn At 2:40 PM

Long Point

When I returned home, Evie had been busy, of course, and was dressed in workout clothes, ready to drive to Lakewood's YMCA, a good girl.  I had the leftover pizza for lunch, watched my show and tried to take a nap but it had turned out to be such a beautiful day, with blue skies, snow-white yards, trees frosted with snow, that I said a heck with a nap and put on my hiking boots and walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, a good choice.  It was great as usual to be out in the woods, making a trail through what was once a path of leaves, now covered with snow.  It's an easy 35-minute walk and I paused often to take some photographs.

Kinney's Run

Woodlawn Creek

The Woods

Long Point

Evie was home from her workout when I returned home and we relaxed and talked about what we wanted to do about dinner.  A fish fry at the Rod And Gun Club sounded good to Evie so we both showered, dressed and were off to the club by 6:15.  It was crowded, always crowded on Friday nights but we found the last two seats at the bar.  We ordered beers and spent ten bucks gambling before we were called to our table after 20 minutes.  The fish fry, we decided, is the best around, a light batter and not too greasy along with potatoes of your choice and a large serving of coleslaw. Service is quick and efficient and we were on our way home before 8:00.

Petunia In The Snow,
Peeking In The Kitchen Window

We watched the usual, an episode of Succession, the Colbert and a home improvement show before closing up the house and going up to bed.  The morning snow and ice, the afternoon sun, were both surprises, making it an interesting day.