Lake's Open

6:45

7:28

I could get used to this, a morning of cloudless skies, sunshine, and a calm lake.  it's been like this for the last five days and I am wondering if I am living on Chautauqua Lake, home of Chautauqua gray skies.  I am not complaining, just wondering.  

Kayaking Yesterday On A Partly Frozen Lake

Kayak Morning

Into The Sun

Ice Along Victoria

Yesterday, after writing the blog, I realized that the lake was partially open so I put on my life jacket and was able to avoid the ice and paddle all the way down to Sandy Bottom and back.  It felt great to be on the water again, and this morning, the lake is completely open, free of ice, just mallards swooping down on its surface.  We knew Monday would be another nice day so we decided to drive to Erie, to Presque Isle State Park, a ten-mile-long peninsula, which snakes around Erie, the home of some of the best inland beaches in the US.  

On The Rocks

Floating Homes

Catching A Huge Catfish

It took us close to 50 minutes to get there and we decided to explore the park, driving down some of the roads to beaches, lighthouses, marinas, places we had not seen before.  We walked out to the Oliver Hazard Perry monument but it was too windy to enjoy for long.  We ended up at one of the vast beaches on the north side of the peninsula, insulated from the wind, and walked the beach before ending up at a picnic table, for a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. A couple of others were walking their dogs and one family and their kids were enjoying beach life.  Presque Isle also has an asphalt path circling the peninsula and it was busy with walkers, inline skaters, and bikers, enjoying the day. 

Lighthouse Point

Beach Walk

Walk To Perry Monument

Family Beach Time

We did not get home until 2:30, having driven 100 miles to the beach and back.  We were surprisingly tired from our jaunt and I quickly fell asleep reading, waking in a daze from a heavy sleep.  Evie got a few things done in the kitchen and relaxed.  We decided to celebrate the opening of the lake, the beginning of water life on the lake, with a Manhattan and good cheese.  It was a good choice and we had enough eggplant and pasta leftover from Monday for dinner.  We watched some of the Ohio University game with Creighton but it was clear they were not playing well and they lost by 15 points, sadly because they are a much better team than they showed.  We ended the night with Home Improvement shows and the terrible news from Colorado about another shooting.   

An Acrobatic Squirrel

Squirrel Time At The Feeder