Morning's Changing Colors

7:`14

7:47

It's 7:25 and we are both up because I have breakfast at 8:00 and Evie leaves for kindergarten earlier today because of Halloween. She is as excited as the kids probably are. It's 9:15 as I finish this after breakfast in Bemus. At the moment, the lake is perfect for kayaking but I will be going to yoga. 

Morning View At 9:00

Yesterday was a productive day for me, a day of rest for Evie who is still nursing a cough. I had a good paddle although I did not see any wildlife. I was in no hurry for once so I relaxed with another coffee and breakfast as I finished the blog. I wanted to get a few things done outside os by 10:00, with Evie's permission, I pulled all the dahlias out of the ground, the roots, bulbs and branches and filled up two garbage pails with the dead dahlias. It's sad to see them go because Evie has decided to plant something else next year because they were too much of a hassle for as little as they bloomed. I cleared some of the other beds of leaves and branches before lunch. 

Lunch was easy, the rest of the sub from Hogan's and another delicious bowl of Evie's soup. We never get tired of it, all veggies.  I watched another episode of Ridley then napped briefly before going out in the side yard and reading We Solve Murders for an hour. It was so warm that I was in just a Tee shirt. The area around the small maple was strewn with leaves so I raked them up, filling another pail. Then I fired up the electric mower, I mulched the side yard because it needed it. It took me all of 20 minutes and then I relaxed a bit more on my Adirondack chair before coming in and having a glass of wine with Evie at 5:00. 

Hooded Megansers Cruising In The Late Afternoon

Earlier in the day she had put together one of our favorite go-to meals, chicken with mushrooms and artichokes hearts. She had been making this since our days in Hawaii back in the late 1960s. She served it with rice and we watched Stephen Colbert and CNN. Evie went up to bed early, making sure to get lots of sleep before her kindergarten class this morning. It's going to be crazy because all the kids will be dressed up and the parents will have trick or treats for them in their trunks. 

More Of The Same: Sunny, Light Wind, Warm

7:53

7:57

It was 57º when I woke at 7:40, the sun rising 15 minutes later. Like yesterday, the lake seems deserted, only seagulls swooping. It's 9:30 and I had an amazing paddle, the only one on the lake, a light wind, and bright sun. Wow

Kayak Morning

North

Woodlawn/Victoria

Yesterday was a a typical Tuesday, with a quick paddle because I had to leave for yoga at 9:10 and we were both up early at 7:00. By 9:30, Evie was off to her kindergarten class. Yoga was just ok because my back still bothers me and I am not sure yoga is helping. Anyway, I stuck with it and stopped at Sav A Lot on the way home to pick up milk but they only had gallons. So I walked next door to Dollar General, dropped off a FedEx package, and bought the milk. 

Since I had basically skipped breakfast, having only a banana,  I stopped at Hogans and picked up a sub sandwich, cheaper and better than those at the Lighthouse. I enjoyed a half and Evie's soup around 12:30 and watched my show, Ridley, on PBS. I then read for a bit, finishing my book, The Friends Of Eddie Coyle. I was not much taken with it but I finished it. I then napped until Evie returned home around 3:00 with the usual stories from kindergarten. She loves those kids. 

I was tempted to mow the lawn again since it was covered with leaves but hung out inside instead, reading my new book, Richard Osman's We Solve Murders. We enjoyed a glass or two of wine around 5:00 and Evie put together a stir fry with spinach, mushrooms, and rice for dinner and it was tasty. We watched Kamala's speech from the Ellipse but it seemed more of the same and did not have the passion of the Trumpers. After Evie went to bed, I watched some NBA, then went up to bed around 10:00.

This morning, interestingly, I checked two papers, the NY Times and Fox News. The New York Times had no obvious mention of Biden's faux pas last night whereas Fox News had it in the headlines. Typical. 

Pink Sky In The Morning

7:06

7:37

7:48

8:47

It's 7:30 and we are both up, watching the sky above Bemus turn pink/orange. It's warmer than yesterday, a toasty 47º with a slight wind. It's just after 9:00 and I was out kayaking for just over a half hour because I have to go to yoga by 9:10. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling Home 

Yesterday was another fun day. It began with a good paddle on an empty lake and a shot of a bald eagle, always a big deal. After breakfast, I got ready for the hour-and-a-half drive to Buffalo to pick up my Ryobi electric lawnmower which had been in the shop for three weeks. I stopped in Westfield for cheap gas, fifty cents cheaper than in Lakewood. It was an easy drive, and traffic was light on the freeway until I got into Buffalo. I picked up my lawn mower and replaced the motherboard. I asked if this was common and he nodded and said he's had about forty this past year. Great. I may be back in a couple of months.

On the way home, I stopped for cheap gas at the Seneca Indian gas station, then for a whopper, fries and a rootbeer for my ride home. I was home by 1:45, charged up the batteries on my lawn mower, took a brief nap, and then read until 3:30 when I decided to see how the mower worked. I got through 3/4s of the lawn on one battery, then finished with the second so I was pleased. 

We enjoyed wine at 5:30 and then Evie finished up prepping our dinner of Brussels sprouts, chicken breasts, and rice at 6:30. We were looking forward to watching Real Time With Bill Maher and he did not disappoint. Because Evie is fighting a cold, she went up to bed early so I watched the NBA and NFL, switching back and forth until I  had enough and went up to bed. 

Vast Cloud Banks Fill The Sky

Elmer Fudd Ready To Kayak

7:39

7:59

It's 7:50 and Evie's up and we are discussing politics, depressed by the polls and the press Trump gets for his racist, misogynist statements, leaving Kamala as an afterthought. It's depressing and unfair but that's what Trumpers like, the more profane, the more he lies, the more profanities, the more he demeans minorities, the more they like him. What a country, what a populace that I used to admire. It's 9:30 and I was out on a spectacular lake morning for 45 minutes, the only boat on the lake. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Our Neighborhood

Bald Eagle In Pines Above Sandy Bottom

Yesterday was a lost day except for my great morning paddle and a shot of a bald eagle. After that, it went downhill. So after breakfast and the blog, we needed some things from Wegmans so I drove off around 10:30. As usual, Wegman's on Sunday seems more crowded than church, with long lines at the checkout counters. Evie had a decent list for me, especially a couple of new products I spent too much time trying to find, like Apple butter.  In what aisle would you put it? Not with the jams and jellies that's for sure, but down low among the coffees. 

I was home by 11:30 and we both relaxed in the living room, looking at the front yard filled with leaves wondering if it made sense to mulch them. It didn't mostly because Evie is fighting a cold and I was too lazy. So we had a great lunch instead, a Turkish omelet with feta and tomatoes and a bagel. Yum. We watched CBS Sunday Morning, always informative and interesting, with little politics.  And that began a football marathon I am embarrassed to say interrupted only by a brief nap and a few minutes on the couch reading my book. First, it was the Browns till 4:30, then the Chiefs until 6:30. We had dinner watching the game, Evie's homemade veggie soup, and Smith's hot dogs for dinner, my request. 

We took a break and watched The Great English Baking Show around 7:30, after the Chiefs game and when Evie went up to bed around 8:30.  I watched the Cowboys/49ers game, sprinkling in some of the NBA games until I had enough TV for the day and went up to bed. 

An Octoberfest Evening

Prost!

7:53

It's 8:15 as I start this because I just did not want to get out of bed, a lazy boy. As I look at the lake, the sun is blinding, and steam moves slowly across the middle of the lake.  It's 10:00 and I paddled for 50 minutes, north to Magnolia and then home in a bright sun, making it hard to see. 

Bald Eagle

Hanging In Magnolia

Kayak Morning

Into The Sun

Yesterday was a day in full, starting with a short paddle because of the winds and choppy lake. Once I returned and had breakfast and finished the blog, Evie asked if I would wash the windows. So I gathered the sponge, water, vinegar mixture, and newspaper and cleaned the windows. It does not take long, maybe 20 minutes but it's an awkward job, squeezed in between the windows and rhododendrons, standing on a step ladder. I also pulled out the 20-footer and cut down some branches on our maples in the front yard, trying to be careful. By the time I was done, Evie had gathered the trash so off I went to the Transfer Station, always busy on Saturday and having a chance to meet up with friends or neighbors dropping off their trash. Around 11:30, I wanted to get in some exercise so I walked for a half hour in our woods, the trees colorful, the trails covered with leaves. 

Woodlawn/Victoria Woods

Fallen Leaves

More Leaves

Noon

For lunch, Evie used the salmon leftover from Friday night's dinner and made a delicious salad for lunch. Yum. I watched some of the Ohio State football games, got bored, and watched another episode of Ridley. I started a new book, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and its hard to get into but I am persevering. I napped for a half hour and returned to my book but by 3:30, I wanted something to do so I went out and pulled everything out of the garage, swept it, put what I no longer needed in the garage's attic, and put stuff back. I used to do that every couple of weeks but have neglected to do it this summer. 

By 5:15, we were showered and dressed up and left for the Atheneum Hotel on the Chautauqua Institution grounds for an Octoberfest celebration. We were meeting Ron and Linda there at 5:30. We were lucky to find a place to park, and walked into the a dining room filled with a couple of hundred people and a 25 piece ompah band from Buffalo playing polka music. 

Bergholz German Band

Drummer

Luckily, Ron and Linda saved us a seat so we were able to squeeze into one of the long tables that filled the room. Because it was a buffet and there were long lines, we sat around enjoying our Octoberfest beers and talking with Ron and Linda's friends, Diane and Ken. After an hour we got in line and waited maybe 15 minutes to get to the buffet, a smorgasbord of German food: wiener schnitzel, pretzels, condiments, potato and sausage soup, spaetzle, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, sauerbraten, and various desserts. 

Waiting In Line For Our Food

My eyes were bigger than my stomach so I piled my plate with too much as did Evie.  We were serenaded by the band on and off during the evening which was fun but it made it hard to talk. We stayed until 8:15 and said our goodbyes and headed home. Because Evie was coming down with a cold, she was tired and went up to bed, leaving me to watch various basketball games until 10:00. 

Sunny But Chilly

7:33

9:13

9:43

It's 8:10 as I begin this and I have been moving around the living room to avoid the bright sun. It was 44º when I got up and the high will only get up to 51º, a harbinger of winter days. It's late, 9:45 as we finish the blog. I paddled for only a half hour because the wind picked up, the lake became choppy and I struggled into the northerly wind on the way home. 

Kayak Morning

Choppy Lake, Autumn Clouds

Friday was a good day because there was nothing we had to do, just what we wanted to do. So after a paddle, breakfast and the blog, Evie suggested we go for a walk somewhere and enjoy the colors. So we decided to drive up to Westfield, the long way along Hardscrabble road with its great view of the vineyards and lake, then down to the parking lot along Chautauqua Creek. 

View From Hardscrabble Road

Hardscrabble Road

We were surprised at the number of fishermen along the creek, fishing mostly for steelhead trout. It's a short but scenic walk along the creek to Lake Erie, its beach is mostly stones at this time of year. A few guys were even in waders in the lake. Just as we reached the lake, it started to drizzle so we walked back to the car.

Steelhead Floating By

Trail To Lake Erie

Chillin On Rocky Lake Erie Beach

Western Sky

Chautauqua Creek

Fishing For Steelhead

On the way home, we stopped at Portage Pie to turn in Evie's voucher for a pie, won on Tuesday at the Americorp luncheon. I also gassed up the car because as I mentioned before, gas is cheaper in Westfield for some reason. 

The afternoon went quickly as neither of us wanted to do much. I had the leftover chicken wings for lunch, watched my show on PBS, Ridley, read and napped briefly. Earlier, I noticed a couple of warning lights on our rental car. So I called Enterprise and they said to bring it in and they would give me another car.  So I drove to Lakewood, picked up a Toyota Camry and was home by 4:15. I finished my book, Elizabeth Strout's Tell Me Everything just before wine time. 

Eastern Shore

Around 5:30, the sun lit the eastern shoreline, just like turning on a spotlight in a darkened room. Dinner was great, a salmon salad and we watched the usual shows, Colbert, CNN, and an episode of Somebody Feed Phil. We have watched a couple of episodes a few months ago. This one, however, was set in Washington DC and we really liked it. I ended the night with a few minutes of the NBA before bed. 

Sun And Fog Rising

Great Blue Heron

7:44

7:52

8:09

It's a chilly 37º morning, thus the fog rising from the still-warm lake. The duck hunters are out as gunshots filled the air a few minutes ago. The lake is calm so it will be a good morning to kayak. It was a lovely morning for a forty-five minute paddle, crisp morning air, calm lake, and bright sun. As I was paddling, a fisherman warned me not to paddle to Tom's Point because of the duck hunters. Nice guy. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn/Victoria

Great Blue Heron

Thursday began with breakfast in Bemus with the guys, a good way to start the day. When I returned, Evie was about ready to leave for kindergarten so I finished up the blog so she could read it. I stayed home because we were expecting a delivery from FedEx between 11:00 and 3:00 and we had to sign for it. So I had a surprisingly quiet morning, no radio or news for once, just me and my book for an hour or more. I loved it. Before lunch, I raked some of the leaves out of the bushes and mulched them and mowed a few rows of the front yard before lunch, the leftover Japanese curry. Fed Ex arrived around 12:30 and I signed and finished up by lunch and watched Ridley. 

Thunder Bridge

Raising A Lake Front Home At The CI

Mid Morning Sky

After lunch, I read some and napped and by the time I woke, Evie was back from class with more stories. Around 3:00, I went out and finished mulching the leaves and the lawn looked great until this morning when I noticed it was covered again. Evie relaxed in the TV room watching her show but by 5:30, we were showered and ready to walk over to Jim and Barb's because we were going out to eat in Cassadaga at the Whiskey Hill Saloon, about a 25-minute drive. 

Good Friends Make Good Neighbors

We were fortunate to find the last table in their bar area decorated for Halloween although in the past, it was a sight worth driving to see because of the Halloween stuff filling every wall and nook. We ordered their famous garbage charred wings with sauce and Evie had a taco salad. The wings were great though messy because they were covered with a thick sauce. It was a good night to be out, the bar busy, the drive-out filled with fall colors.

We were home around 8:30, in time to watch some Colbert, CNN, then once Evie went up to bed, I watched more NBA basketball.