Day Tripping To Buffalo

7:24

Another dreary morning here at the lake, overcast, rainy, and chilly.  It's so unpleasant outside that I have no interest in a paddle, preferring to sit inside with my coffee, computer and radio, listening to the rain on the roof,

Because Sunday was forecast to be a sunny day, we planned a day trip to Buffalo, for two reasons, to hike the Reinstein Woods, in the Buffalo suburb of Depew, then shop at the Trader Joe's on Niagara Falls Blvd in Buffalo.  We were up and at 'em early, kayaking and blogging before 9:00, while Evie was gathering things for our trip and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We decided to take the backroads to the Reinstein Woods, a mistake because we ended up adding at least a half-hour to our trip.  We picked up #62 in Randolph and took it and its branches up to Interstate 90, then to Reinstein.  We thought it might be crowded because it was a nice day and Sunday and were not wrong as the parking lot was practically full.  

"Dr. Victor Reinstein purchased the land in 1932 for a private nature sanctuary. By 1960, he had planted 30,000 trees and constructed 19 ponds, marshes, and swamps, and added a network of gravel roads. His estate donated the property to the NY Department of Environmental Conservation in 1984"

The Nature Preserve covers 292 acres, with numerous ponds and trails that interconnect.  We stayed mostly on the outer rim, a longer walk and less traffic.  We were surprised at the width of the trails, how well kept they were, and their signage, making it easy to find your way back to the parking area. It is supposedly a birders paradise but we did not see any. We walked for close to an hour and a half, stopping for lunch, a total of close to three miles. The Preserve was not overly impressive as most woods this time of the year look the same,  It would be spectacular, however,  in the autumn and fun to walk in winter snow just not on a weekend.

We then drove 20 minutes to Trader Joe's, waited in line outside for five minutes, as they are careful to keep the numbers inside at a safe distance.  We stocked up on nonnecessities although things we will enjoy, like chocolate, cheese, nuts, granola, and bacon.  We were out in 20 minutes, on our way home, arriving around 3:30, to a clear sky and blue lake making us wonder why we spent three hours or more in the car.  

Driving Home At 3:00

We were whooped from the drive, hiking and shopping, so I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, watching football and Evie joined me after putting away our goodies from Trader Joe's.  We were hungry because all we had eaten was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so Evie starting cooking by 5:30, frying up potatoes, bacon, and eggs, a meal we were looking forward to all day.  Sometimes, breakfast even at dinner time is the best.  We watched the end of the Chiefs victory over Tampa Bay, then CBS Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes before ending the night with a couple of more episodes of The Tunnel.  We were both in bed by 10:30, tired from our day.  

Moon Over Bemus Point

The Sun, The Sun

Sweet Sixteen To Our Granddaughter Halle

6:46

7:23

What a surprise to wake up to a clear, blue sky and a brilliant sunrise, one that fills our living room with light.  I paddled for a half-hour, discouraged by the fact that duck hunters were out along Victoria which made me shorten my trip.  I saw their boat cross the lake at 6:30, just a light in the darkness and wondered what they were doing...duck hunting.

Kayaking Long Point

Yesterday was a typical Saturday for us, busy early, getting in a hike, then a relaxing afternoon.  After kayaking and the blog, we cleaned up the kitchen, gathered the trash and by 10:30, were off to the Transfer Station, then over to Long Point State Park, our go-to hiking trail.  

Whenever we are not sure where to hike, we always head there.  It was a chilly morning, breezy, but perfect for our hike.  We missed only the snow blowing in our faces as walked out on the Point to make it perfect.  We took our time, were out for close to an hour and a half, getting home by 12:30.

Lunch was leftovers, of course, the mac n cheese and a sauerkraut soup that Evie had put together earlier in the week.  I watched my show, finished up my Ann Cleves novel, and napped for a good forty-five minutes.  We did little but relax until 4:00 when we Face Timed our daughter Beth's family in Dallas, all five together for the holidays. It's been a year since we have seen them except for Tyler, who spent a week with us in late summer.  They are fine, busy, with school or work, lucky to have school or work.  It was fun to see them, to talk with them.

We were having one of my many favorites for dinner, Wienerschnitzel, so Evie had breaded it earlier in the afternoon and starting frying it up around 6:00, just as the baked potatoes were done. It reminded me of my first Wienerschnitzel dinner in Vienna back in 1971. I had no idea what it was, just that I should order it in the restaurant. We loved it, of course, with lemon and butter and applesauce, homemade.  We watched a couple of episodes of the third season of The Tunnel but it seems to be going off the wall, with Satanic rites, sacrificial killings, crazy things like that.  We may not stay with it.

A Blast Of Sunshine

Amen

7:41

7:46

7:52

7:52

It's 9:00 and I paddled for forty minutes on a chilly morning despite a brief blast of sun earlier in the morning.  Now, it's a completely overcast sky, a gray lake to match with a northwesterly wind.  I paddled into the wind down to Magnolia and back, making sure I did not have a struggle on the way home.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday we battled the post-Thanksgiving blues and did well.  With nothing to look forward to, we managed to enjoy the day, make something fun out of it.  We started as usual, with a paddle, blog and breakfast finally deciding on driving to the Audubon Community Nature Center. 

Driving Miss Evie

Crossing the Wetlands

It's a half-hour drive through pleasant fields and farms.  We arrived about 11:00 and walked close to three miles through woods, fields, next to ponds, a variety of landscapes that makes for an interesting hike.  We passed three other hikers during our walk, so we had the woods mostly to ourselves.  

Beaver Damage

Deadfall

A Hemlock Trail

We ended up at the Center and renewed our membership before driving to Jamestown, stopping at the Labyrinth Press Coffee shop, for a burrito to go and a latte for Evie.  We did not get home until 1:30 later than we thought but, hey, we had nothing we had to do.  I enjoyed my Havana burrito, with black beans, veggies, and sour cream, while watching my series.  I then read and took a great nap, not waking until after 3:00.

We relaxed until about 6:00 when Evie popped some popcorn and I made us Manhattans, our usual weekend treat.  We listened to music until at least 7:30 before heating up or dinner in the microwave, the leftovers from our turkey dinner. It was a treat, turkey, stuffing and gravy, a much as we could eat.  We watched a Colbert, some news and ended the night with the finals of The Great British Baking Show and the winner was who I predicted but I won't ruin it for a reader if you have not yet watched it.  I was tired after the show and was happy to get back to my book.

Living In Gray

7:31

This Morning's Breakfast

Another bleak morning on the lake, overcast with a calm, windless morning on a gray lake.  It's been like this for a good week, little if any sunshine, a fitting color for the family-less holiday week.  We better get used to it because we have a good six more months or more of this kind of living in a bubble of our own making, sensible I might add.  I kayaked for 55 minutes this morning and despite the gray, I enjoyed being out there, no ripple nor boat, just me.  I floated quietly toward a muskrat, lazily gliding on his back, took out my camera, and it shut down, as the battery ran out perfect timing. It's 9:20 as I finish writing this and Evie is just rising from our cozy, warm bed! Lucky gal. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a day of patience, waiting for 3:00 so we could drive to our friends, Lind and Ron's, for Thanksgiving.  The morning, however, was typical, with a paddle, blog, and breakfast.  Once that was done, Evie pulled out her Cuisinart, apples, and flour, and put together an apple pie for our dinner,  Meanwhile, I was in the TV room, practicing Yoga With Adrienne.  I have not been able to access her classes for a couple of weeks but yesterday, they popped up and I was able to enjoy it.  I am not sure what the problem was, my cable or YouTube.  

For lunch, Evie made me a small salad with the leftover salmon and I watched my show, read more of my book, and took a brief nap before showering and getting ready to head to Lighthouse Point.  We arrived with goodies, a bottle of Beaujolais for Linda, maple syrup for Ron, whiskey sours for the three of us, and an apple pie for dessert.  The kitchen was filled with the aromas of Thanksgiving and we quickly pulled out glasses and enjoyed toasting the day with our whiskey sours, a nice and different treat.  We had a cup of pumpkin soup as an appetizer, just enough to hold us over until dinner time.  

Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving dinner, as always, was great, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes and peas.  What else could we want? How lucky we were to be together, knowing all four of us have been careful about quarantining.  Ron and I were not embarrassed to go back for seconds, making sure we were properly stuffed, like most Thanksgiving turkeys. The only disappointment was the Beaujolais as none of us were impressed by it, preferring the Malbec.

Grateful For The Cooks

While the gals divided up the leftovers and did the dishes, Ron and I watched some boring NFL football and reminiscing about the good old days of high school, college, and NBA basketball, the days before it became so commercial, the 50's and 60's.  At dinner, we decided to pick out a movie so we chose a recent film on Netflix, "The Life Ahead," featuring an 86 year old Sophia Loren and directed by her son.  It was decent, a bit slow and predictable, but we stuck with it till the end.  We would give it a C.  We ended the night with cherry and apple pies a la mode and did not leave until 10:00, grateful  to have been able to spend the day with our good friends, Linda and Ron.

A Gloomy Thanksgiving Morning

7:30

A gloomy, wet morning sky and just as depressing inside, as we will not be together with family since 1977 when we returned home from seven years in Istanbul. I know others are feeling the same way but it still hurts not seeing our kids and grandchildren. I was up at 6:20, read and listened to the news, was soon bored and decided despite the drizzle and overcast skies, to go kayaking, down to Magnolia and back, no doubt the only crazy on the lake.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Wednesday was overcast as well but didn't start to rain until mid-afternoon.  It enabled us to have our usual morning routine and get in a walk.  We did not get our stuff together until 11:00, having lacked much mojo other than to clean up the kitchen.  

Webb's Trail

Clear Enough? 

We drove to Mayville and parked at the head of Webbs Trail and walked out and back, just under two and a half miles, on an often leafy trail.  We actually met another couple on our way back.  As we walked out, we glimpsed an orange vest off to our left about a hundred yards away, a  deer hunter sitting up in a blind. I yelled 'hello; to make sure he was aware of us and hope I did not scare away a deer.  We drove home around 12:30 and were surprised to see a cart filled with deer carcasses, sitting outside the Lighthouse which dresses close to a thousand deer each season.  They were up to 370 a few days ago,

Where's Waldo?

Lunch was a quesadilla and potato soup with chard and garlic.  I watched my show but was looking forward to getting back to my book and probably falling asleep. While I read,  Evie put together a pear and cranberry crumble with a ginger snap topping for our dessert, Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon although Evie did go for another walk around 4:00 up and down the hill and around the neighborhood.  Around 5:00, she put together mac n cheese, something I had a hankering for, cooked it for a half-hour, then took it out and put in the coho salmon.  Both were better than expected, the mac n cheese, nice and gooey, the salmon mild and tasty with the maple syrup and soy marinade,  Dessert was the crumble with vanilla ice cream as we watched Colbert interview Obama; it was nice to see a President who acts like a normal human being.  We do so miss him. We then finished our series, The Tunnel, with mixed emotions as they seem to jam too many conflicts into the series and the ending left us somewhat up in the air. 

 

Just The Two Of Us

7:07

7:16

7:23

I am getting used to 'just the two of us' and it ain't so bad!  It's 8:40, we are both on our couches, on our devices, enjoying a cup of coffee, looking at the gray sky and lake, wishing we were on the road like last fall, to celebrate Thanksgiving with our kids. This year it will be the two of us, as it has been for months but I am not complaining; we are healthy, able to enjoy our life here at the lake.  I did get in a boring paddle of forty minutes, no birds to speak of, just mallards and perhaps a hawk that flew away before I could get a shot.

Kayak Morning North

Yesterday went quickly like most days here despite the quarantine of sorts. I was up early, kayaked, wrote the blog, had breakfast, and showered because I had a dentist appointment at 10:00 to get a new crown, yep another one.  Afterward, I picked up a bottle of wine for Thanksgiving and stopped for coffee, having to ask the barista to put on her mask. I get why she might not wear it all the time but when a customer comes in, she should put it on.  

When I got home, I was energetic as was Evie, having been busy most of the morning, and finally cleared out my garage so I could put a car in it when the heavy snows arrive.  It's always a good feeling to close up everything and be prepared for the winter, shovels down from the attic, bags of deicer out for the walks. Lunch as another bowl of potato, chard, and garlic soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.  I am watching a new show on Netflix and am sticking with it even though I am not entirely sure what is going on,  It's called Inhuman Resources, whatever that means.

Bemus Point Cemetery

I am enjoying my new book, Anne Cleves The Long Call but not enough to avoid a nap.  The afternoon went quickly but we did manage to get in a walk at Bemus, down Lakeside Drive and a walk back through the Bemus Cemetery, always interesting.  Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 and I spent some time signing into our new Health Care PPO and talking to a representative, to make sure I am aware of all its perks.  We seem to change programs each year depending on services and price,  I hope we made the right decision.

Rhododendrons Path

Dinner was warming up the leftovers from the past two nights, pork ribs and sauerkraut, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes.  Both were tasty as always because they are leftovers.  We watched Colbert, some Shep Smith, then a couple of episodes of The Tunnel, Season Two, as it seems to get unnecessarily complicated with three or four stories.

"With Malice Toward None; With Charity For All"

Lake Life, Late Autumn

7:02

8:24

This quotation struck me this morning as the only way forward for both Trumpers and anti-Trumper's.  If Lincoln could say this after the Civil War, we ought to be able to say and practice it after this election. I will never understand why 70 million people voted for such a childish, reckless, and despicable autocrat,  but I will try not disparage them for doing so.  We are in this democracy together and must not let our beliefs tear us apart. 

Kayak Morning

It's 8:20 and I paddled for only 35 minutes, the usual route, on a gray lake under a gray sky, flushing mostly mallards as I paddled.  It's 34º, little if any wind, and should be like this the rest of the day,

Chautauqua Creek

Creek Empties Into Lake Erie

Yesterday was a miserable day weather-wise, flurries, sleet, drizzle, all part of the day here at Chautauqua Lake.  I did get in a paddle before the sleet turned to rain.  It was great to get into a warm, cozy house and enjoy breakfast while writing the blog.  We were not sure what to do with our day but decided that since Evie was to get a blood test, we would drive to Westfield for her test, then walk somewhere.  Before going, however, we put together a soup from Lidia Bastianich, with potatoes, chard, day old bread, spinach, and sauteed garlic.  The house was filled with the smell of garlic when we left. We arrived about 10:30 in Westfield and Evie was fortunately in and out in ten minutes, and they were careful to keep people separated and avoid waiting in a line or a waiting room.  

Lake Erie

Walking A Beach Of Stones And Rocks

We then drove down and parked in the area next to Chautauqua Creek and hiked down to Lake Erie, the creek filled with deadfall as well as the trail.  Lake Erie was also a mess, no beach left, just a narrow corridor of rocks and stones, with masses of deadfall collected above the path of rocks.  I am sure last winter created much of the damage but the windstorm this past weekend brought much of the deadfall.  We were out walking for 40 minutes, returning in a drizzle.  Still, it felt good to get outside despite the weather.

Deadfall And Driftwood

We were home by 1:00 and I settled down in the TV room with a piping hot bowl of soup, happy to be home and comfortable in our warm house.  Evie had a test scheduled for 2:30 in Jamestown, so she was there and back by 3:30.  I did the usual, napped and read and waited for her to come home.

Around 4:15, we put our dinner in the oven, pork ribs and sauerkraut and at 5:00, enjoyed happy hour as the ribs and sauerkraut cooked.  Just before the ribs were done, Evie whipped up some mashed potatoes, a must for me if we are having a pork dinner.  We love this dinner and wonder why we don't make it more because it so good and easy to make.  We watched the news until 7:15 then started a new series, Season Two of The Tunnel and we discovered a new way to watch a series. Watch episode two first then realize that you had not yet watched episode one.  Then go back, watch epsiodoe one, then three and you can finally figure out what is going on.  We like the series, too.