Fogged In

7:43

It's 8:30 and I cannot see beyond our lake wall, the fog is so dense. And the sun's out so I can hardly look out the front windows, though hidden some by fog. It's 31º and we should have sun and blue skies most of the day. I am contemplating when to kayak, whether I should just paddle in the fog or wait for the sun to burn it off. To the north, I can see in clearing up, with some blue skies. It's later than usual, 10:00 as I finish this after a glorious 40-minute paddle, as the fog lifted, the sun and blue skies came out. 

Kayak Morning Fog

Paddling South

North

Fog Lifts Only Blue Skies

Paddling South, Into The Sun And Blue Skies

Bufflehead And Grebe

Yesterday was another damp, cold, and gray day until late afternoon, around wine time. So we had our coffee as we listened to Michael Smerconish on CNN and I skipped kayaking because of the wind and waves. By 10:30, we had gotten a few things done, or rather, Evie had and I was on my way to the Transfer Station first, then  to Jametown to drop some tax documents off at my tax guy, which he was missing for some reason. Fortunately, I easily found a place to park on Main Street, dropped off the W2s and drove to Wegmans for a quick run through for a couple of things Evie needed and a couple I wanted. 

I was home by 12:30, and Evie was busy prepping Sunday's dinner. I helped some, cleaning up some of the mess, and she made me a couple of tuna sandwiches to go with her veggie soup for lunch. Once I was finished watching my show, the afternoon zipped by. We were both ready to relax once the kitchen chores were done, and the weather was not amenable to a walk.

6:46

Long Point 

By 5:30, however, the sun had come out, lighting both Long Point and Tom's Point, so different from the usual gray. We enjoyed a Manhattan and sushi, as well as crackers with cream cheese and red pepper jelly as I occasionally walked out on the porch to take another photo of the lake and sky. We had the chili for dinner, along with a salad and Fritos. Yum. We watched a couple of reruns, like Cheers, along with a Colbert before Evie went to bed. I stayed up a bit, took some photos of what was supposed to be the pink moon but ours was the usual yellow color. Still, it was nice to see clear skies and the moon. 

8:46

Full Moon

Wet, Windy, And Foggy

8:18

It's a miserable morning out there, at least I am tired of damp, gray, windy days without sun or blue skies. Maybe tomorrow. So I am passing on a paddle, content to enjoy my coffee and listen to Michael Smerconish on CNN talking about what's wrong with men today. 

Yesterday was an open day for us, no school, no yoga so we had to come up with something to do. After a rough paddle, we settled down and talked about our Sunday dinner, what we were going to have and what we needed from Wegmans. By 11:00, I was getting a coffee and Ryder's Cup  and was on my way to shop at Wegmans. I didn't zip through checkout but was home by noon. Evie had the kitchen in disarrayfrom making her veggie soup, so I helped out by cleaning it up, doing the dishes, putting things in the dishwasher as she made me lunch, a Turkish omelet with a bagel. I watched another episode of my show, Blackspace, then napped briefly and read much of the afternoon.

While Evie relaxed and watched some TV, I showered around 4:30, had a bowl of soup at 6:00 and was picked up by my friend Ron because we were going to watch the Jamestown Jackals, Jamestown's Professional Basketball team, play the Sudbury Five from Canada in a playoff game. We were surprised by the crowd size at the Jamestown Community College Gym. There were kids in Jackals shirts and their paraphernalia was on sale when we walked in. We listened to the Canadian and United States National Anthems before the game. 

Jamestown Jackals Play The Sudbury Five

Both teams were made up of most likely college players, and the game was rough and intense, fun to watch, except for the guy who announced the game as though we were not there. They had games for kids during timeout and halftime, a way to bring a crowd, I guess. We were glad we went, even though the Jackals lost. After the game, we decided to go for a beer and burgers. Unfortunately, our first stop, Steener's, was closed because they are going through renovation. Our second choice, 21 Main in Bemus, closed early so we ended up at the bar of the Bemus Point Golf Club, although the kitchen had just closed. We had a couple of beers before getting home around 10:00. I had a bowl of Evie's soup and watched my show until 11:00, then went to bed. 

32º And Hazy

Bald Eagle

7:47

It's gray and wet out there this morning, not a stitch of color. A few buffleheads are floating by on a fairly calm lake morning. Well, it was a tough morning paddle, battling the waves on my way north, but the photo of the bald eagle near Sandy Bottom made my paddle worthwhile.

Kayak Morning

Lots Of Waves

Yesterday was a good day as we were both busy much of the day. It was too windy and wet to kayak and it was a good thing because I had breakfast at 8:00 in Ashville so I didn't have much time. The Asheville General Store is a landmark in the area, where you can get anything from food to drinks to gifts for all ages.  I was home by 9:10, wrote and published the blog, and was on my way to yoga by 9:40. Our Yin Class was full so I had to put my mat down in the front, next to Tara. After class, three or four of my fellow yoga students also participated in the gathering in Jamestown on this past Saturday, so it was nice to see them again.

Meanwhile, Evie was off to kindergarten, a big day, because they were having an Easter party with lots of goodies. She, of course, scoured Dollar Tree for goodies for her kids, and along with parents contributing, the kids had a great time.  They are off next week, and one of her students begged her to come fishing with his family to Myrtle Beach. When she mentioned she didn't want to leave her husband, he said I could come along. 

I was home by 11:30 and relaxed until 12:30. We had leftover pizza from the Viking but I decided to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Dave's Organic bread. I watched my new show, Blackspace, then got back to my book and napped. When I woke, Evie was home and exhausted from her fun day. The weather was unappealing, so I skipped a walk and read instead. Around 5:00, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine while Evie regaled me with her day at school. It's always fun to hear about the kids, how they interact with each other, both the good and the bad, as well as the various adults who work at the school. 

Dinner was easy, the turkey chili I made on Wednesday along with soda crackers and it hit the spot. We both had seconds and watched a couple of episodes of The Resident before Evie retired to bed. I stayed up and watched two episodes of my show, some of the Cavs game before going up to bed. 

Another Dusting Of Snow

7:27

At The Viking Club With Neighbors

It's cloudy, gray, and windy with a dusting of snow on the roofs. Despite the light snow, it's ten degrees warmer than yesterday, a toasty 32º.

Yesterday was another good day because I was able to get in both a paddle, yoga, and a walk, for the first time in a couple of weeks. It was nice to be on a calm lake and not worry about the wind despite the 20º temperature. After padding, I finished up the blog and had breakfast before driving off to yoga at 9:40 for a 10:00 class. For some reason, Wednesday is a bad day for yoga, and only three of us showed up. Class was rigorous as usual, and I felt righteous to have stuck with it. 

When I returned, Evie was getting ready to take off. She was returning four or five things to Amazon, two of them jackets I ordered but were too short, and she had an eye doctor's appointment. Before she left, however, she made me a couple of egg, ham, and cheese sandwiches for lunch. I finally finished my series of The Girl From Oslo, a decent but not great thriller made in Israel. I returned to my book and Charlie is finally figuring out the Israelis want her to be a spy after a third of the book. 

Woodlawn

Victoria

Late afternoon, I put on my boots and walked out the woods for a half hour. It's not very attractive this time of year, little green yet, no skunk cabbage, just brown leaf-strewn paths and leafless trees. Still, it was good to be outside. When I returned home, we both got ready to go out to dinner at the Viking Club. Six of us drove over at 6:00, and a few minutes later, two more neighbors arrived so there were eight of us from Woodlawn, none of whom won the Queen Of Hearts drawing as usual. Evie and I both ordered a cauliflower crust pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni, as well as a couple of beers. We had fun talking with neighbors, one having spent the past month in New Mexico, the other couple having spent a couple of weeks on an island off the coast of Puerto Rico. We literally closed up the joint and were not home unti 8:45. Evie was exhausted and wanted to be energetic for kindergarten today so she went to bed and I watched some basketball and the last episode of The Girl From Oslo.

A Fun Night At The Viking

20º And Sunny

7:17

7:18

8:53

Despite the sun, a few snowflakes are falling.  At the moment, the clouds have taken over, and all is gray alas. It's 9:10 and I paddled close to forty minutes, on a 20º morning. I was dressed in layers and there was little wind so I was comfortable on the lake. 

Kayakk Morning

Southern Sky

Northern Clouds

Buffleheads

Yesterday was a good day for Evie, with her kindergarten kids, but I felt like skipping yoga so I did. And because of the heavy winds, white caps in fact, I didn't go kayaking. So after Evie left for yoga, I left for a coffee at Ryders Cup because I seem to have to do something in the mornings, either yoga, a hike, biking or coffee. And yesterday, because of the snow and cold, it was coffee. I sat down and had a coffee and muffin until a guy I met last week, John, a retired art teacher, came in and sat down. We talked about his life for about forty minutes. He's an interesting guy, a collector of cars, mostly Corvettes, a woodworker, making bows and fishing rods, and a deer hunter and boater, a neat guy. After coffee, I did a quick run through Walmart because I wanted to make some turkey chili for our dinners.

Once I got home, I sauteed the turkey and onions, added spices, then tomatoes, jalapenos, celery, and chicken stock. Once that had simmered for five minutes, I added kidney beans and let it simmer for a while. Unfortunately, it tasted bland so Evie worked on it when she came home from class and now it tastes much better. For lunch, then I had the last of the chicken noodle soup and made myself a sandwich with ham and cheese and watched the end of The White Lotus. I can't say I loved the show but it was something to keep my attention through eight episodes. After lunch, I got back to my Le Caree book and napped, waking around 2:30. Evie was home from school and was in the TV room enjoying some lunch and watching tv. 

Late afternoon, I walked around the neighborhood, seeing what kind of damage the guys working on the sewers had done to our yards and road. It's a bloody mess of mud and stones and they keep digging holes, filling them up and digging them up again. 

We had our wine at 5:00 and around 6:30, Evie warmed up the chicken, mushrooms, and artichokes hearts in the microwave for dinner. We started watching a series from Belgium, I think, called Twelve Jurors, stuck with two episodes, and then quit. I think I may have seen it before. After that, Evie went up to bed and I watched some basketball and searched for a new series to watch to no avail so I went up to bed.

SNOW

8:07

Last night, about 9:00, Evie turned on the flood lights and it was snowing and the front lawn was already white. This morning, a few flakes are falling and we maybe received an inch of snow overnight, not enough that I need to shovel. It's 9:15 and I skipped kayaking because of the wind and 20º weather. 

8:27 PM

Yesterday was a splendid morning and I loved paddling for forty minutes, under blue skies and lots of sunshine. What a difference from this morning. After my paddle, I did the usual: I wrote the blog and had breakfast before driving off to Melt Yoga at 10:10. The class was filmed so that we could practice Melt at home. After class, I stopped at Wegmans for a prescription, then stocked up on coffee, rice and olive oil. After Wegmans, I stopped at Evans Liquor and bought a couple of bottles of Black Velvet, just in case Canada raises its prices with a tariff. It's getting scary out there, and I heard we get our electricity from Canada, and rather than just cutting us off, they will raise the price. I heard this, but don't know if it's true, a common Trump dictum.

Lunch was another bowl of Turkish white bean stew and I am getting my fill of beans. I watched my show and napped as usual on a day of catching up with the wash for Evie. After my nap, we drove over to the CI to look at acrylic bathroom shower surround recommended to us by our builder. Unfortunately, it looked cheap and not really what we wanted. On the way home, we stopped at Dollar General so Evie could pick up some goodies for the kindergarteners' Easter surprise. When we returned home,  I should have gone out for a walk, but was too lazy and just loafed around the house, reading and browsing vinyl tiles on my computer,

I helped Evie some with dinner, a favorite from our days in Hawaii, chicken, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. It was our go-to meal when we had company in the 1960s, and it's just as tasty these days. So, along with rice, we feasted on chicken dinner and watched another episode of a Turkish series called Ethos but we are losing interest in it. By 8:30, Evie was ready for bed, so I watched an episode of The Girl From Oslo, then the NCAA final game, racing through commercials because I saved it. It was a thriller, down to the very end, with Florida pulling out an improbable win after falling behind by 12 points. Again, it was heartbreaking for Houston because they seemed to have the game in hand. 

Sunny And A Dusting Of Snow

7:39

7:39

It's just after 8:00, and when I walked downstairs, I was surprised to see snow on our neighbor's garage roof. It's 31º, the lake is smooth, and I better get out there before the sun disappears behind the clouds. It's 9:40 and I kayaked for a good forty minutes on a delectable morning of sun and blue skies. I love it. 

Kayak Morning

Blue Northern Skies

What A Morning to Kayak

Buffleheads

Sunday was another surprising day. Usually, we don't do much. After all, it's a day of rest. And we did rest much of the morning, having our coffee, listening to the depressing news, having breakfast and finishing up the blog. Evie wanted to get some things done in the upstairs bedrooms, so while organized and cleaned, I vacuumed three of the four bedrooms. Once we were done upstairs, I talked to my neighbor Jim, out walking his dog, and we both agreed we would drive to the Big Inlet Brewery where they were honoring the part owner who was suffering from cancer. Before we went, however, Evie wanted to trim my hair. Once that was done, we both showered, had some toast, and walked down to our friends who were driving to Mayville. We got to the Big Inlet around 1:30 and it was already busy. We ordered our beers and were lucky to squeeze into a table upstairs, to the dismay of a couple, who had to move a bit to accommodate us. The Midnight Growlers were playing, made up of a bunch of old guys like me and they are popular in our area. It was difficult to hear when we talked because the music was so loud but we still enjoyed being there, sipping a couple of beers before leaving around 3:00. 

Beers And Music At Big Inlet Brewery

Once we returned home, I watched the finals of the Women's NCAA finals while Evie relaxed in the living room. UCON was clearly the better team and won by close to 30 points after a fairly close first half. We had our wine time at 5:00 and by 6:30, our dinner, roasted cauliflower, baked potatoes and fried pork steaks. We watched Hometown and Colbert and the news. Evie went up to bed around 8:30, after our dessert, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. I watched a few minutes of the NBA and then returned to my series, The Girl From Oslo. Some of their plot decisions are ridiculous, like having the missing girl the daughter of the Prime Minister, something he didn't know until she was kidnapped. O, well, I will stick with it.

Overcast And Chilly Again

Beers And Wings At The Swamp

7:49

It's 8:20, and we have been up since 7:30 on a 32º Sunday morning.  The bird feeder is busy, with sparrows and finches, often chased away by a woodpecker or bluebird. So far, no rain and light winds, however, snowfall is forecast for the next hour!! It's 9:30 and I was out for less than 20 minutes because it started to sleet and the wind picked up, so it was a struggle to paddle home. 

Kayaking In Sleet

Yesterday ended up being a really memorable day although we did not plan on it. I didn't kayak because of the rain and wind so we had a leisurely coffee morning. Around 9:15, our neighbors mentioned they were going to the Hands Off rally in Jametown and wondered if we wanted to join them. We were talking about participating but because it was raining, we were about to stay home until they called. We just needed a little push. We met them at their house at 10:15 and drove to Jamestown, easily found a parking spot and joined the gathering crowd at Dow Park. One of the participants had made numerous signs and gave us each one to carry. The rally and speeches didn't start until after 11:00 and many of them were moving, bringing some to tears. Once the gathering was over, we lined the streets along the square with our signs, eliciting honks and thumbs up from passing cars. We left feeling inspired and with admiration for the caring people we joined.

On our way home, Jim took the back way and just happened to drive past the notorious Swamp, a bar and restaurant set literally in flood water from the Chadokoin River. How could we pass up a beer and their Award Winning wings. We walked into an empty bar, ordered our beers and wings and by the time we left, three or four tables were occupied. The wings were good, especially Jim and Barb's Swamp specials, blackened and hot. 

Swamp Special Wings

We left about 1:30, were home by 2:00 and all four of us were ready to relax or take a nap, I napped of course and woke groggy again, not wanting to do much. So I didn't. 

With Barb And Jim

The rest of the afternoon and evening was taken up with basketball, with an hour interlude to watch another episode of The Pitt on Apple TV. The rest of the time, we watched Virginia come from behind and defeat Auburn and Houston do the same thing to Duke. Neither of us felt much like dinner, so Evie had a salad and I had my Turkish white bean stew with rice and a couple of peanut butter sandwiches on Dave's Good Seed Organic Bread. I stayed up until almost midnight, watching Duke throw away an almost certain win, but Houston's pressure turned the momentum, and it was too much for Duke in the end. 

Rain And More Rain

8:37

It's 8:50, and I have been up for over an hour, listening to the rain and the wind on a gray, 52º morning. I won't be kayaking on this miserable, wet morning. At least it's not snowing. 

Yesterday we set aside to get some things done in the morning since neither of us had yoga or school. So we had a leisurely coffee and breakfast although I was able to get in a decent paddle for once as the weather cooperated. By 10:40, we were off to Spetrum Eyecare because I was getting a new pair of glasses, my old ones having fallen in the lake while kayaking. I found out my insurance only pays for new frames every other year and since I bought sunglasses in December, I am going to have to pay more than I thought. After looking at the stock market the last two days, I went for the cheapest frames I could find even though I probably will look like a dork. We then drove into Jamestown to return some vinyl tiles on Foote Avenue, then returned to another store on Murray Avenue to look at more vinyl tiles for our bathroom floor. Upon arriving at Woodlawn, our builder stopped us and gave us a box of Corian tiles for our shower walls. We are going crazy trying to make a decision, and he also mentioned another choice we had not thought of, which seemed cheaper and just a good as Corian. He had just put it in an apartment in the CI and said we could go take a look to see if we liked it. We will go on Monday to take a look.

By the time we returned home, I was hungry and Evie made me a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches to go along with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I am watching a new series, The Girl From Oslo, and will probably stick with it. After lunch, I read, fell asleep for a good hour plus and woke feeling groggy. To change my mood, I went outside and cleaned the garage and took a chance by putting the snow shovels up in the garage attic. It felt good to be outside doing something. 

By 5:00, we were enjoying a Manhattan and crackers with cream cheese and red pepper jelly. We remember being introduced to it when we first arrived back in the States in 1977 by colleagues at Reserve.  Dinner was the kuru fasulye over rice with a salad, and we watched a Colbert and the good or bad news, depending on who was being interviewed. Evie went up to be around 8:30 and I watched some of the UCONN/UCLA game as well as my show, The Girl From Oslo.