Overcast And Drizzle

8:06

It's after 9:00 and I was out for a forty-five minute paddle, gray skies, and lake on a 48º morning.  I have yet to see any migratory ducks even though it is the end of October and the herons and osprey have left, only the eagles remain.  

Kayaking Toward Long Point

Northern Sky

Bemus Bay

Yesterday was supposedly another day of rain but if it did rain, I don't remember it.  After a leisurely coffee and blog, I  headed to the Transfer Station around 10:30 to get rid of the trash, then drove to Sherwin Williams in Lakewood to pick up a gallon of paint.  Because we now have new kitchen flooring, the doors and walls look shabby so Evie wants to paint them, brightening things up.  I agree as long as I don't have to paint! Because of the forecast, we never did get in a long hike, staying here instead and walking in our Woodlawn woods for a bit, enjoying the colors.

Autumn Colors

My Ray Of Sunshine

I was home by 12:30, in time for a great lunch, an omelet with potatoes, topped with cheese and I watched my show, a few minutes of the Michigans game before returning to my book and taking a brief nap.  Our goal for the afternoon was to take all the books off the bookcase, dust them, clean the shelves with Milsak, then rearrange the bookshelves so they looked less crowded and messy. Well, we finished the largest of the bookshelves and by 4:30, had enough, leaving the smaller one for today, a good choice.

5:17

We were ready to relax with a Manhattan and appetizers as the view out our window slowly darkened and finally went black although a boat, festooned with lights floated back and forth, fishing for walleye I suppose. Long Point has begun to change, the colors muted but still gorgeous as the sun set. I had a hankering for a hot dog so that was our dinner, hot dogs and chips, healthy right.  We watched a couple of Colberts and a Jeopardy before ending the night with The Great British Baking Show, always entertaining and fun. 

A Brief Hiatus From The Rain

7:50

8:57

Fishing In Gray

It's after 9:00, Evie's still sleeping and I just returned from a fifty-minute paddle for the first time in four days because of inclement weather. We received an inch and a half of rain yesterday and over the past few days, over four inches.  The lake has risen as a result and my boots are just high enough to keep me dry as long as I am careful.

Kayak Morning

Victoria

Looking North From The Reeds

Woodlawn

Friday was another good day to stay inside and clean because of the constant drizzle, making it unpleasant to walk or paddle.  So after the usual breakfast routine, Evie had plans for continuing the cleaning up of our living room after the dust caused by our new floor. So we worked on cupboards, a small bookcase and were stumped as usual as to what to do with all our stuff.  We end up keeping most of it of course and end up having little room for anything.  By 10:30, Evie released me from helping and sent me off to Wegman's to do our weekly shopping which I appreciated.  Still half of the shoppers are wearing masks which is encouraging as our Covid numbers are up in contrast to most of the State. 

I was home by 12:30 and Evie had just about had it with cleaning and I don't blame her.  Lunch was a veggie wrap and I watched my show, Foyle's War. The rest of the afternoon we both took it easy, our usual reading, napping, or watching TV. We had no worry about dinner because we were going out so that made it even more pleasant during the afternoon. We have one more big job, dusting and cleaning the bookcase but we were happy to leave until this morning.

We both showered and got cleaned up and were on our way to Chautauqua Lake High School by 5:30 for their girls' volleyball's teams first tournament game.  Our friends Jack and Diane's granddaughter Eva sets for the undefeated Chautauqua Lake team and we wanted to see them play. This was the first time their games were open to fans other than family so it was really well attended by students and parents.  Chautauqua played well and won easily in three and move on to next week's games.  

Still Undefeated

We left for dinner at Calarco's Italian Restaurant in Westfield around 7:30 and were lucky to get a table for five.  Friday's are always busy so we called ahead to make sure they had a table available.  On Fridays, they have a fish fry like most places but they serve perch rather than haddock.  Both Evie and I ordered it pan-fried along with a salad and coleslaw and fries. Both were good and it was fun talking with our friends, about their grandchildren, all who live nearby.  They have lived in the area since 1974 on a sixty-acre farm, most of which is woods which we have hiked a couple of times.  

We did not get home until 9:30, watched a couple of shows, and shared a piece of coconut cream pie, a take out from Calarco's,  It was fun to watch a high school game again after a hiatus of close to two years. 

Windy And Wild

7:31

7:37

7:38

The winds are blowing this morning, the flag flapping, the lake rough so I will not be out kayaking for the third day in a row,  Also, there's a drizzle and we will have rain on and off most of the day.  The only surprise, it's 55º compared to yesterday's 37º when I woke up.  

Thursday was another one of those days where we felt displaced from our house our living room, like the previous week when the new flooring was being laid.  Yesterday it was carpet cleaners who arrived around 10:00, just as I was about to start a yoga class.  So we had the early morning to ourselves, coffee, breakfast, and the blog before we had to get ready for their arrival, moving some things that might get broken.  I was away for most of the cleaning, inshallah, at a yoga class.  And I stopped at Sav A Lot, to put off getting home to the rug cleaning. They were gone by 1:00 but we were not supposed to walk on the carpet, leaving us the kitchen and the second floor to enjoy the rest of the day.  So we asked them for some footies, the kind they wear in operating rooms so we could at least walk carefully and as little as possible in the TV room. So I was able to enjoy lunch, the leftover chili and sweet potatoes and watch another episode of Foyle's War before deciding to go upstairs to read and nap since the living room was off-limits. 

For some reason, neither of us wanted to go for a walk despite the fact we were not allowed to enjoy our living room. I guess we were just either depressed at another day of this crap or we were just tired from doing nothing, which happens a lot lately.  So we spent the afternoon either gingerly walking around the TV room or upstairs on our bed.  We had planned on going out for dinner but getting ready seemed like too much to ask, so we figured out an easy dinner, eggs, potatoes, and breakfast sausage.  

So by 6:30, the eggs and sausage were fried, potatoes baked and the salad made and we were enjoying all of it while watching the first episode of the series, American Rust.  Unfortunately, I read the novel a couple of months ago so I know what's going on but it is interesting to see what they add, what they leave out, and how they narrate the story. We decided to skip the usuals, Colbert and Jeopardy, and watched an episode and The Great English Baking Show. 

36º And Fog

7:33

It's 7:30 and the fog is finally disappearing, rising and moving along the lake's surface. Another morning of no kayaking because I have breakfast in a half hour. Once the time changes, it will be light earlier and I will be able to get out on the lake around 7:00.

My New, Subtle Hiking, Kayaking, Biking And Cross Country Ski Jacket

It was a relief to have decent weather Wednesday, no rain, and occasional sun later in the day.  We were not sure what to do with ourselves but by 10:00, we made up our mind to get some exercise and drove to Mayville and walked Webb's Trail, a good idea.  The trail is covered with leaves, follows an old train track and it's an easy mile out and back.  Neither of us felt like walking but by the end of the first mile, we both got our groove back and were happy to be out there. 

Directing Traffic

Autumn Woods

I had soup for lunch along with leftovers and watched Foyle's War, finishing up the first season.  It's a bit dated but I am enjoying it, especially the setting, the 1940's Great Britain during the war.  After a brief nap, a gal arrived at 2:30 to help Evie with the heavy cleaning for a couple of hours.  While she worked on the north side of the house, I washed the windows outside, just three of them but the three that always get dirty.  She was a good worker and we both moved furniture to facilitate her work.  Around 4:00, the sun came out so we started up both lawnmowers and mulched the leaves in our front yard.  It felt good to be outside doing something,  Our house cleaner left at 6:00 and Evie was happy with her work and she said to give her a call anytime we needed help. 

For dinner, Evie pulled out leftover frozen chili, sliced and roasted some sweet potatoes, layered them with the chili, added cheese, and baked in the oven. It was a tasty and healthy way to enjoy chili along with a salad. We watched the usual, Colbert, then Real Time With Bill Maher, Jeopardy, and another episode of The Great English Baking Show. Our viewing tastes do not change much. 

 

Windy, Wet, And Chautauqua Gray

7:53

8:33

It's 8:10 and I have been up for over an hour, watching the darkness turn to gray on a windy morning, too windy to kayak. We have had lots of rain over the past couple of days, over three inches.  And it looks like more is on the way over the next week.  Our front yard is covered with leaves so Evie better get mulching later today, 

Tuesday was a typical rainy fall day, good for staying inside and getting things done or just kicking back and relaxing in front of the boob tube or couch.  We did both.  I skipped kayaking because of the weather but was on my way to yoga by 9:00.  We were supposed to get our rug cleaned but Servpro called to cancel because one of their employee's arthritis was acting up. They cancelled last week as well with another excuse.  Yoga was good as usual, the last class for my good friend Julie who is retiring.  After class, I stopped at the bank to get some cash and ran into Wegman's again to pick up a few things.  

Evie had been busy, working on cleaning up from the installation of our new floors. She is getting there although it's amazing how much dust/sawdust has collected on every object in our house. Everything needs to be dusted and then wiped down. While I was gone, Evie made a pot of soup, using the pork broth as the base and adding veggies and noodles.  I also had a goose liver sandwich to go along with the soup and I finished another episode of Foyle's War.  I finished my book The Guide which I really liked by Peter Heller and started Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder's Club, as four retirees in a retirement home solve murders. I fell asleep midway through the second chapter and slept soundly for an hour as I must have really needed sleep, I didn't want to get up. It was still raining out so I settled down on the couch with my book. 

Late Afternoon Purple Haze

At 5:00, Evie had her weekly Zoom call with her sisters and I watched another episode of Foyle's War, tired from reading my book.  We had the leftover pork for dinner.  Evie added barbecue sauce to it, made a bowl of coleslaw and we had great pulled pork sandwiches, so good that I had to have two.  We watched Colbert's interview with Bruce Springsteen which was really interesting, then Jeopardy and another episode of The Morning Show before ending the night with Nate and Jeremiah, an HGTV show. 

Stormy Weather

7:37

7:54

It's 7:44 and a cold, wet, and gray morning on the lake, making kayaking a nonstarter.  We may have rain on and off most of the day, a good day for carpet cleaners to arrive and give our carpet a good cleaning, the end we hope, of getting our house back in order.

The Last Of The Dahlias

Yesterday, the tree guys arrived by 8:00 but realized that the branch I wanted to be taken down was too close to power lines so they had to forget it.  They did cut down our neighbor's ash, also quite a job, then climbed our front maples to get rid of what they call widowmakers, deadwood that could be dangerous. They were here a couple of hours, cleaned everything up, and were on their way by 10:00.

While they worked outside, Monday was another busy day inside, as we continued to work on giving our kitchen and good spring cleaning, as everything had a layer of dust or sawdust from the laying of our new hickory flooring.  All the dishes had to be washed and cupboards washed with Murphy's Oil Soap, then polished with Liquid Gold.  While this was going on, a pork butt was in the slow cooker, filling the kitchen with good smells.  I helped out some but then left for Wegman's to pick up a few things for our carnitas dinner.  It was a quiet morning at Wegman's so I was in and out quickly which was nice.  I stopped for gas and the price of a gallon keeps rising, up to $3.55 as of yesterday.  

Our New Hickory Kitchen Flooring

When I returned home, Evie made up a chicken salad for sandwiches, so I was a happy boy, watching my show.  The rest of the afternoon we worked on and off, both of us a bit off, with aches and weariness, a result we thought of our Covid boosters.  The weather was constantly changing, with it clouding up one moment, sunny the next.  I got a few more things put away in the garage attic, getting ready for winter but most of the afternoon, I spent on the couch, finishing up my book The Guide which I highly recommend.

Dinner was carnitas with pickled onions, salsa, jalapenos, and sour cream in tortillas. We watched parts of SNL, then on to Jeopardy and The Morning Show which we are sticking with although it does not measure up to Season One. 

Sitting On Our Porch, Watching the Tree Guys

Tree Trimming

8:57

It's just 9:00 and the guys have been here since 8:00, trimming some of our trees. Unfortunately, the one we wanted down, a huge willow which hangs over our garage is too dangerous to take down without a bucket because of the hot wires so I will have to call another tree service to take it down. Malan, our Amish guy, only climbs.  I did get in a short paddle on a surprisingly warm 55º morning, the lake smooth and the wind calm.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Sunday was a busy day as Jonathan came over and basically finished up the kitchen except for a few areas by the doors.  We moved the stove into place and also put the quartz countertop on the island, basically the last two things to do.  He will be back to finish up once a few door transition boards are made and stained.  Once he was done, we drove off to Mayville around 12;15 and waited 15 minutes to get our Covid booster not realizing that you did not have to sign up but could just walk in and get them.  We then stopped at the Lighthouse on the way home and picked up a rotisserie chicken for dinner.  

Thunder Bridge

A Garden Rock

And since we were out and it was a nice day, we walked the Chautauqua Institution for a half-hour, stopping to talk with a very nice woman about her garden and a rare bush she was growing, a beautyberry with clumps of purple berries in the fall,  She was fun to talk to and lives in Philadelphia when not at the CI. 

A Beautyberry Bush

We weren't home until 2:00, had a quick breakfast and watched a half-hour of CBS Sunday Morning, skipping ahead to the interview with Obama and Springsteen.  We did a few things the rest of the afternoon but basically, we took it easy, waiting for happy hour when we were going to celebrate with a good brie with blue cheese and a Manhattan.  It was a miserable night out, gray and rainy, so it was nice and cozy inside.  Dinner was easy, as Evie fried up some potatoes, and onions, topped them with the rotisserie chicken and warmed both up in the oven. We watched some football for a few minutes, soon got bored, and watched another couple of episodes of The Morning Show before bed.

Gray With Rising Fog

Morning Cormorant

7:53

It's 8:50 and the floor installer will be by in a few minutes to hopefully finish up the few things that still needed to be done, like putting back the stove and installing the top on our island.  I was up later than usual around 7:00 to a gray 38º morning but was able to get in a pleasant 45-minute paddle, to Sandy Bottom, across to Long Point, and back to Woodlawn where I spotted both a heron and cormorant.

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn Heron

Saturday was not typical because once again, we had to leave the house or live with the fumes of the polyurethane.  After kayaking and breakfast and blog, the guys arrived to finish up a few things and around 11:00, they put a coat of urethane on the floor and left.  Earlier, I had gathered the trash and drove to the Transfer Station, my only real task of the day.  We left around 11:30 to walk Long Point State Park, a good choice because of the cool weather, the fact that we were the only ones in the woods and we took some of the bike trails which made for a more interesting walk. 

Trails At Long Point

Up

Up

And Away

We were home by 1:00 and sat around the rest of the afternoon, munching on pizza, watching the guys attempt to rehang our folding doors, with great difficulty.  It seems like they are done but they always have something else to do so they did not get the second coat of polyurethane down until 3:30. We sat around reading, wasting the afternoon, sitting out on the porch most of the time, wrapped in blankets to keep warm, and trying to decide where to go for dinner.  Finally, we decided on the Tokyo Bejing restaurant in Jamestown.

Dinner

It was not the best of choices. We were one of two patrons so we had no worry about being in close quarters with others.  The heating, however, was either broken or not turned on so we were cold the entire time we were there. One of the patrons was even wearing a winter coat and stocking cap.  Also, our waiter must have been the new son-in-law because he was not only inept but disinterested with the personality of a rock. After taking our order, the owner had to come back and take it once again to make sure it was right.  The one good thing was the food. Both of our dishes were tasty, with just the right heat,  I had shrimp with red curry and Evie had chicken with veggies.  While we ate, however, we had to listen to the owner talking on the phone about a take-out order which could have been a comedy skit on SNL, repeating the order over and over and over. When we left we had a good laugh about our experience and because of the food, we will be back, hoping the heats on and the son-in-law is back in Tokyo or Bejing. 

Photo Bombing

It's strange driving home from a dinner in the dark and I had better get used to it.  We were happy to be able to walk into the kitchen, as the floor was dry.  What a luxury to be able to walk around.  We quickly bundled up in our TV room, wrapped in a blanket, and watched two episodes of the new season of The Morning Show, not as good so far as Season One but we will stick with it.  

Overcast With Sounds Of Duck Hunters

7:31

8:04

It's 8:50 as I start this and it's still gray out with an occasional drizzle. I paddled for a half-hour, over to Long Point and back to Victoria and home,  The weather fulfilled TD's Kayaking Law which states when you start to head back home, either it starts to rain or the wind picks up. This time it started to rain.  We are both sitting in the living room, waiting for the floor guys to arrive and the final two coats of polyurethane on the floor. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sly

We had to plan yesterday around the staining of our floor, so once I paddled, had breakfast, and wrote the blog, we decided to get out of Dodge, avoid the fumes of the stain, and drove to Chautauqua Institution for a walk. It's becoming our go-to walk because it's close and always an interesting walk, the front yards changing with the seasons.  When we returned, the guys were gone, the stain on, and two huge fans were drying the floor.  We relaxed in the living room for a bit, having some leftover pizza for lunch.

Thunder Bridge

Hall Of Philosophy

Porches In The Fall

Around 12:45, we escaped the house and drove to Lakewood to see the new James Bond film, No Time To Die. It was recommended by friends so we were looking forward to it.  We settled in our seats with a large popcorn and coke and five other people to watch the matinee. We were ready to be entertained but ended up bored and tired, as I kept falling asleep and Evie would occasionallyniudge me.  I guess it was just not our kind of film, a complicated plot about a stolen DNA virus, lots of exciting (if you like that kind of thing) action and chase scenes. There was a love interest, lots of exotic places like Norway, Jamaica, Italy, and London to name a few, the best part of the movie. Bond finally kills the villain, Safin (played by Rami Malek) after a ridiculous but Bond-like shootout where he kills maybe 50 bodyguards before saving the world and his daughter and (spoiler alert) dying. We had little interest in the characters, as none were developed and worst of all, the sound in the theater was bad so we missed much of the dialogue although we hardly cared. O, well, it was only two hours and forty-seven minutes of our lives. 

Crappy And Cheap

We then wanted to waste some time and let the second coat of stain dry thoroughly so we stopped at the new Ollies store, cheap and good as advertised and it was the grand opening.  Well, if you want to buy junk cheap, this is the place for you.  It's taken the place at our Mall of Bon Ton, Sears, and J. C. Penney, typical for small town malls,  We then stopped Walmart, looking for a phone case for Evie but they did not have the one she wanted. but we bought a few veggies for a pulled pork recipe we are making this weekend when the kitchen becomes available.

We were home by 5:30, able to walk on our new floor in socks and got ready to go out to eat.  We decided to go to the Seezurh House, our favorite go to place over the years and we had not been to it in  quite a while because of Covid.  We found a table in the noisy bar, filled with loud mouths, but safely distanced from other tables, and waited for a good 15 minute before a waitress dropped a couple of menus on our table but did not ask for drink orders.  So I walked up to the bar and got a couple of beers, as we waited for the waitress to return and take our orders. We then waited good half hour, watching a couple of guys who sat down the same time we did finish their dinner.  When we asked the waitress about our dinner, she said we were still third in line so I got up, paid for the beers and we left.

We drove to our other favorite bar (we have lots of them), Steeners Pub, found a seat at the bar, ordered a fish fry for me, double fries for Evie and we were finally happy.  Our dinner came within ten minutes and we talked with a guy who plays guitar in a local band and Jeff, a regular, who we have met a bars many times over the past twenty years.  Evie likes him because he told her once, obviously drunk, that she was "the most beautiful woman he has ever seen." Our dinners were great and the restaurant was busy with people coming and going. It was a good choice.  We didn't get home until 8:15 in time to watch the final episode of Nine Perfect Stangers, finally, and another Jeopardy episode to end the evening. 

And the best part of the day, our friend Linda texted to say that Rite Aid was offering the Moderna booster so we were able to sign up and get our shots tomorrow, Sunday, at noon. Yippee!