A Chilly, Wet, Overcast Morning

7:20

A Cozy Morning Fire

Morning Hail Storm

 It was 6:20 when I got up to a dark house, no surprise, lit the gas fireplace to take the chill off and sat down to my computer.  It's now 7:14 and I can see a pink glow just above the Bemus Point shoreline, the rest of the sky dark gray, lights gleaming on Lakeside Drive.  It's 42º out, damp from some rain last night (2/10ths of an inch), with hopes that it may clear up late in the day but not now, 8:00, as it's hailing out, the size of coarse sea salt,  pelting the lake and our roof, bizarre.  Today is a yoga morning, perhaps a movie afternoon to see Captain Phillips, plus it's half price coke/popcorn Tuesday, Evie's favorite day!

Path To Lucy

Path To Lucy

Lucille Ball's Grave Stone

Yesterday was a cool but pleasant, in the low 60's, so we decided to go for a walk through the Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown because Evie had a dentist appointment downtown.  We walked through the leaf strewn paths, serenaded by 'leaf blowers', paid our tribute to Lucy, and looked for  the oldest gravestone in the cemetery, a woman born in 1762.  It gave us something to do as we walked, makes you pay attention to your walk instead of letting your mind wander!  While Evie was at her appointment, I picked up some ground beef at Fresh Cut Meats and More, on Newland, stopped at Prendergast Library, and a coffee at Labyrinth Press Company, a coffee shop on 4th across from the YMCA.  On the way home, we stopped at Jamestown Mattress in Lakewood, probably a mistake, because neither one of us are good at making up our mind these days.  And there are so many choices, from firm, to extra firm, to super firm, to plush, to gel, to foam that by the end of our half hour of testing and asking questions, I was ready to stick with our old mattress.  We are both afraid we might get something we don't like though they have a 30 day guarantee, not as good as other places however.  My son returned his mattress after a couple of months in KC and got a new one.  Now that's taking care of a customer.  I think we will look around though we would like to support a local company.

Oldest Gravestone, So Far

During the afternoon, we kept busy outside, Evie cleaning the back porch, and I then hung our canvas curtain, another step towards getting ready for winter.  We may have frost later in the week so we wanted to enclose the porch, a place to put the geraniums in case it does freeze.  Mid afternoon, we got out the dueling lawn mowers and cut both yards, ours and Leonards, mulching the leaves, leaving them look quite spiffy, ready to be covered once again by another layer of leaves.  Life is made up of routine, doing the same thing over and over, cutting the lawn, making a dinner, doing the dishes, writing the blog, yada, yada, yada.  We relaxed after our chores, with a glass of wine, enjoying the impending dark until it was time for dinner.  I cooked a couple of burgers out on the grill, Evie heated up some frozen french fries (nope, she did not make her own), and that was our dinner.  Sad to say, frozen fries are nothing like the real thing, which is why Evie usually makes her own, just not last night.  The burgers, however, were top notch as fresh ground chuck and not cooking them too long seems to be the answer. We did have some excitement after dinner.  An ATV was driving around in the woods, the front yards of our neighbors, stopped at the Bergen's shed, opened it, then drove away in their yard.  We had no idea who it was, were worried it might be trouble, so we called the police.  It took them at least a half hour to get down here and by then we realized it was our neighbor Becky Deault's son, Billy, riding his new ATV at night.  Evie and Billy explained to the police that it was just Bill, that all was well but we still thought we did the right thing.  Later, we watched The Good Wife and finally Will has discovered that Alicia is leaving the firm, along with a number of clients, however, we will have to wait till next week to watch him throw things off her desk, have her marched out of the office by security.  And yes, Patsi, we, too, are sick of Brodie's daughter  Dana and her boyfriend in Homeland. She is a bore, especially her 'sad faced smirk', so get on with the story.

Back To The Lake, Dock In, Fireplace Lit

7:07

7:33

It looks like a nice day, the sky pink, with horizontal ribbons of gray clouds, and it's getting colder, in fact, it may snow on Thursday.  I was up at 6:10, back to my normal wake up time, the house a cold 57º so I turned on the gas fireplace, to warm up the living room, decadent but comforting. We got lots of rain up here this past weekend, close to two inches, the lawns soaked, pools of water collecting in driveways, roads and yards.

Evie and Vi at Red Hawk Restaurant

Yesterday morning, we spent in Euclid, at my sister and brother in law's home, relaxing with them, enjoying a great breakfast fixed by Rich, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and fruit.  Their daughter, Kathryn, and her two children, also spent the night, so it was a fun, multi generation breakfast.  It's lovely to wake up in the morning at their house because they live on Lake Erie, the view changing each morning, like here at the lake except they get the sunset, we get the sunrise, both spectacular much of the time.  We left about 11:30, for our Trader Joe fix, wine, cheese, and other goodies we cannot get at Wegman's.  We met our good Finnish friend, Virpi Pakala Buck, for lunch at Red Hawk, in Painesville.  We had a good visit, Virpi filling us in on all that was happening with her grandchildren, great kids by the way, and we had a delicious lunch, Evie a Buffalo chicken salad, me crab cakes, just what I wanted.

Victoria Woods

A Cathedral Ceiling of Leaves

We arrived home to the lake around 5:00 and were back in our home, comfortably ensconced by 6:00.  Both of us felt like taking a walk, after the ride home, so we walked up to Victoria, through the woods, and back home along the front yards, a delightful early evening walk, as the sun played on the trees, the shadows lengthened as the day waned. When we got home, we had cheese and crackers along with a drink and watched the sky slowly turn to darkness, much too early.  We had a few left over bratwurst and sauerkraut for dinner, with a salad, and watched the next episode of Homeland, disappointing like last week, as little happens to move the plot along other than Carrie gets out of the hospital, no surprise and it did not take three episodes for it to happen.

Dusk

A Post Clam Bake Morning On Lake Erie

Morning After The Clambake, on Lake Erie, 7:30

Vintage photo from Florida, 1980's

I am sitting in my sister's living room, in Euclid, Ohio, listening to the waves break on the shore, the lake a gray/green, heavy slate gray clouds filling the sky. I was up at 7:00, the only one up now at 7:30. When I got up, the moon was still out, lighting the lake, like a spotlight from the sky.  Cool. We will head back to the lake later in the day.  Right now, as I am finishing up the blog, the sky over the lake is pink and gray, the lake blue, as the sun has come out.  I  can even see white caps off in the distance.

Yesterday was a full day and though the weather did not cooperate, we both had a great day.  We left the lake at 11:00 and visited my 90+ years old Aunt Peggy and Uncle Tom.  We had not seen them in at least a year, so we dropped by their apartment on our way into Euclid.  They have a lovely place, part of the Breckenridge Retirement Complex in Willoughby, Ohio.  We sat and talked with them for an hour and a half, both still with it despite their age.  Tom reminisced quite a bit about his days on a ship during WW II, an amazing story, of two years at sea in the Pacific, as he was at Iwo Jima, unloading tanks from his LSD, eventually, when the war ended, sailing up a river in China to Tiensin.  He has a log of all the ports they stopped in during that period.  A neat couple and fun stop.

The Old Boys of the Bake

Huddling Around The Bake In The Rain

Kevin and Kirstin Gale

Pat and Courtney Holzheimer

We arrived at my sisters about 3:00, just as my brother in law, Rich was putting the clambake on the fire in their backyard.  As the weather gods would have it, it was windy, raining, and cool but fortunately, they had a couple of covers over the bake and outdoor tables, so we could at least stand out side and brave the weather.  Rich had built a three foot high oven of bricks, set the huge boiler on top, and let it boil for a couple of hours, taking the chicken out after an hour to grill, then the sweet potatoes and corn when they were done.  People stood around the bake, keeping warm from the steam, teased by the smell of the cooking clams.  All of the Holzheimer children were there, along with all but one of their 13 grandchildren, along with friends, so we had quite a group of people.  Unfortunately, it rained the entire afternoon as I mentioned and the wind even picked up, causing havoc for the tarps.  And we had to eat inside, so tables were set up not only in the dining room, but living room, family room, garage and basement because there were around 30 hungry people.  As usual, it all worked out well in the end, first the boiling hot clam broth, then clam chowder, before sitting down to plenty of clams, in fact, there were a few dozen left at the end of the evening.  Nothing like a bake on a fall afternoon, clams in butter, barbecued chicken, corn, sweet potatoes, and cole slaw.

My family have been putting on clambakes since as early as I can remember, probably starting in the 1940's after the war.  What a great tradition.  I read somewhere that there are more clambakes in the Cleveland area than anywhere else in the States, making you wonder why this tradition began on a lake without clams.  We stayed up till about 11:30 when the last grandchild went home, Connor, who stopped over around 10:30, after a long day as goalie for the soccer team in the afternoon,  and kicker for the football team in the evening,  both games played in pouring rain.  He was exhausted but wanted to stop by to say hi to us (Evie), and his grandparents, a great kid like all the grandchildren.  We have not seen them in awhile so it's always a shock to see how grown up they all have become, no longer little kids, hanging on your lap.  Both my sister Linda and her husband, Rich,  are great hosts, have had lots of practice over the past 49 years and most weekends, they have either their kids or grandchildren over, enjoying the beach in the summer, the warm, welcoming house in the winter. Unlike us, they are fortunate in having most of their kids live within a mile of their house.

My Sister Linda and Grandaughter, Emily

Rich Holzheimer Jr. and Sally

The Grandkids, Shea, Emily, and Owen

With Courtney Holzheimer, My Nephew' Pat's daughter

My Nephew and Niece, Pat  Holzheimer and Kathryn Purcell

My Brother in Law Rich, and Son Richie

The Girls After The Bake

We will head back to the lake sometime late morning I assume, stop at Trader Joe's to pick up a couple of cases of Two Buck Chuck, to hold us over for a few months, then we will meet our good friend Vi Buck for lunch, then head back.

A Pastel Morning Sky of Pink and Gray

Harvest Moon, 7:05 PM

7:00

7:29

Up at 6:30, Evie as well, as the sky now, at 7:10, looks like a Monet painting but in pinks and grays, even the lake has a pink hue at the moment.  The ever changing dawn is wonderful to wake up to each morning.  I often go to bed excited and cannot wait to get up to see what it looks like.

Yesterday we decided to take the day off from hiking for some reason I cannot think of at the moment, perhaps the weather.  I decided to work on getting things ready outside for the winter, so I took in all of the floats and buoys from the water, scrubbed them with soap, trying to get off the accumulation of algae, with some success.  All the chairs went into the garage, and I raked the leaves where the dock pieces will go, filling two garbage cans with wet leaves.  Throughout most of my work outside, it drizzled and just as I finished, of course, the sun came out.  While I was working outside, Evie was making up some mushroom/barley soup to take with us today for my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Tom, who we are going to visit before the clambake at my sister's house.

At 11:00,  I drove into Lakewood, to do a number of short errands, get money, return cans/bottles, pick up some 'orange sprinkles' for Halloween cookies, check out some leather barrel chairs at Raymour and Flanigan, and see if there are any deals on bushes/trees at Home Depot, all done in just about two hours, a record.  We both worked outside in the afternoon, Evie raking and cutting the lawn before the rains this weekend, and I put more items up in the attic of the garage, emptying the garage slowly so that when the snows come, perhaps as early as next week, I can park one of the cars inside.

Beauty of Verticals and Horizontals on the Westside Overland Trail

For dinner, we simmered some bratwurst in beer, then browned them, added them to sauerkraut and braised them for another twenty minutes.  That was our dinner but neither of us was satisfied, so Evie made up a salad, which we both enjoyed, obviously had missed.  For dessert, we had the last of the pumpkin pie, watched three episodes of Damages, and Evie went up to bed early, tired from the day. I stayed up and read, a book that I may have to put down, as it's becoming too confusing and is over 700 pages long.  Not sure I can stick with it: THE WOMAN WHO LOST HER SOUL by Bob Shacochis, a marvelous writer but dense and wordy.

Threatening Skies, Cooling Off (Hiking The Westside Trail: Stebbins to Bates, K-J)

7:10

Up at 6:45, a slash of light off towards the east shoreline.  It's 48º outside, 60º inside, fleece weather both in and out.  We have yet to light the pilot on our gas fireplace but it is going to happen soon as the days continue to get cooler.  And later today, our dock comes in, another sign of the coming of colder weather.

Bates Road Trail Head

Despite the rain Wednesday night, the wet lawn, we decided to chance a hike on the last leg of the Westside Overland Trail (we will have completed all 24 miles of the trail), wearing our waterproof hiking boots in case of wet trails.  Fortunately, the sun came out as we started our walk on Stebbins Road, and we hiked to Bates Road and back, a little over four miles.  It was one of our favorite hikes, perhaps because of the sun but also variety of trails, through woods, ravines, over creeks, wetlands, along large hay fields of green, colorful forests in the distance.  The middle 1/10th of the trail was through wetlands but fortunately, boards set on blocks, forded most of the wet areas so we hardly got wet.  As usual, we were the only ones on the trail though we did see a ATV parked and wondered if he was a bow hunter, out for deer.  We had forgotten to wear our lime colored shirts, to easily identify ourselves in case of hunters, so we made ourselves evident by occasionally yelling, "Coming Through" or "Hiking," just in case.  We will bring a whistle next time, wear the bright jerseys, especially since deer season starts in full force in a couple of weeks.  We were out just about two hours, happy to be outside on a day in which we thought it would rain, excited to have walked the entire trail over the past two years.  

Fall Countryside Near Sherman

Trails

Boardwalks Over Wet Lands

The rest of the day till about 5:00 was sunny though cool, too windy to  stay on the dock for long and was probably the last day for our dock life.  A good part of the afternoon Evie spent decorating Halloween cookies for our grandchildren, a time consuming project, involving spreading the white sugar coating on each cookie, then sprinkling them with colored sugar.  I baked my bread with trepidation since the dough was wetter than I remember, but it turned out great looking, brown with a hallow sound when knocked on with your knuckles.  Today we will see how tasty it is, what the texture is like, the key to a good bread.

Bread

At 5:00, just as it started to rain, we went into Lakewood, to do a few errands, bank, wine store, and Wegmans before driving to Frewsburg, about 20 miles away, to have dinner at The Corner Coffee House & Bistro.  We have been there once before but wanted to go back when they had music. Fortunately, octogenarian Pete Petke and his band were playing from 6-8, a group of guys of all ages, playing the best of the 1930's and 1940's Big Band and Dixieland music, the kind of music my Dad would have loved.  They were really good, especially the clarinet player, and Pete entertained the small audience with his sense of humor.  Our meals were average, not as good as we hoped, though the menu is interesting.  Evie ordered the roasted salmon with pineapple, me a pasta carbonara.  And the service left something to be desired as our waitress was certainly not overly officious.  The best part was the music, the food secondary, at least that evening.  And Pete and his buddy, like two bird dogs,  zeroed in on our table (Evie) at break, sat down and talked with us for ten minutes about their lives as musicians, quite busy playing three or four times a week,  even at their age.  They were a couple of characters, fun to talk with, and we realized later that they had played at the Rod and Gun the last time we were there, about three weeks ago.

Evie with Razz Rasmusson, clarinetist and Pete Petke. trombonist

Chef Joseph Sharing Fresh Pasta Secrets

We were home by 8:15, early enough to watch a couple of more episodes of the fifth season of Damages, which we are liking more and more.  We were both in bed at our usual time, 11:00, to read before falling asleep.

Pink Sky In The Morning

7:00

Up at 6:40, the sky already colored, a light pink, setting off the gray clouds, heralding a fine day we hope.  It's certainly cooler than yesterday, 46º out when I went to get the paper, and we had over a half inch of rain last night.  Today looks clear and cool, with raining perhaps during the night.

Construction Truck Bumper Sticker on CI Grounds

Ditto

We decided it was time yesterday to get our flu shots, so we went first to the CI for a nice walk, cloudy, an on and off drizzle but it still felt good to get outside despite the inclement weather.  Not as much building going on as in past years, only one take down that I noticed and not much renovation going on other than some painting, not good for the local builders because many depend on the largesse of the CI residents.  We got our flu shots at our health clinic in Mayville, no charge, then stopped at Tops to pick up a few items for dinner, then the Lighthouse for a sub sandwich for lunch.  The place is packed at noon with CI workers and local builders, good to see the Lighthouse busy.

Fall Bush of Daisy Like Flowers -- can anyone identify?

Early afternoon, Evie made cut out cookies, our neighbor Pat Jones's recipe, something she has wanted to try because they are always so good.  I put together the dough for no knead bread, which includes oats and quinoa, as well as flour.  It sits for up to 24 hours, then I bake it in a dutch oven, at 500º for thirty minutes.  It was quite good last time though the dough seems more sticky this time.  Time will tell how good it is because I do not have much luck with my bread making.  Mid afternoon, we went out on the dock, wanting to get out of the house, fished some but decided to go kayaking despite the gray skies and lake.  It was windy but felt good, as we paddled towards Long Point, talked with a couple of walkers on the point, whose dogs were jumping in the water, wanting to get in our kayaks.  We then went across to Wells, wended our way home through the reeds, and just as we were gliding into our lakefront, it started to drizzle.  By the time we got in the house, it was pouring so our timing was perfect.  Around 5:30, we decided to drive to Bellini's, the lounge at Chautauqua Suites, for a beer before an easy dinner of leftovers.  As usual, we were the only ones at the bar on a Wednesday but it still felt good and the bartender, new to the job, was fun to talk with, telling us all about his weekend canoeing at Great Valley in April.  I have seen pictures and it draws thousands, as people dress up, kayak or canoe, or make their boats, floating down a stream to various stations where there is free beer if you have the stamp to show you have payed your fee.  It sounds like a drunken riot but buses and vans take people back to their campground or RV.  I am not sure it's something we would enjoy participating in, other than perhaps watching and doing some kayaking to take photos.  We will have to keep our eyes open for announcements of the event next spring.

For dinner, we had leftover pork tenderloin, cabbage strudel and salad, the same dinner from last night and just as good. We decided to try the newest season of Damages, a series we liked for the first two or three seasons until it became too silly, starring Glenn Close.  We watched the first two episodes and it's good enough to keep watching though we don't love it like some series.

Overcast, A Light Rain, And Cooler Weather

7:48 AM

5:00 PM,  Tuesday afternoon

Up later than usual, 7:20, to more fallen leaves on the freshly mulched lawn, a slate gray lake and sky, 57º and it's supposed to get colder over the next few days.  The end to our Indian Summer?  We will be here to see.

Yesterday was yoga at 10:00, another day of disappointment for me, as I continue to find out that I do most poses incorrectly, this time it was downward facing dog, which I thought I knew how to do. Well, I don't because I rounded my back, a result once again of my tight hamstrings. Rats.  There were a few new people in class, one a guy who made comments during class, thinking he was funny.  I am sure you know the kind, thinks he's funny and likes the attention.  Perhaps I am too quick to judge but it was off putting.  It was, however, a good class in that Dariel took her time, helping the five of us with our poses and before we knew it, it was 12:15, a class over two hours long.  I don't mind, nor did anyone else as none of us seem to have anything we had to do.

Hydrangea Blossom

Seven Son Flower Tree

Yesterday's Morning Sun

While I was at yoga, Evie was prepping our dinner, as Charlie and Wendy Heinz were coming over, friends from the CI who we have gotten to know, Charlie through my breakfast club, Evie through the now defunct Ladies of the Night.  I didn't get home from yoga till 1:00 and Evie had the cabbage strudel ready, the pork tenderloins and sauce done as well, freeing her for a good part of the afternoon to cut the lawn, mulching the leaf strewn yard and by 6:00, when the Heinz's arrived, the yard looked like a putting green.  Amazing.

We had Thai Curried Butternut Squash soup for an appetizer on our front porch, the wind having died down, the porch cozy and warm.  We sat out till dark and came in to a great dinner.  The Heinz's loved Evie's cabbage strudel, wanted the recipe, even took some home.  And the pork tenderloin, with a mustard, white wine and grape sauce was done just right, slightly pink and tender, with a tasty sauce.  A great meal.  We finished the night in our living room with pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and the Heinz's stayed till 9:45, as we had a fun night of laughs and conversation.