Raining On The Big Pond

7:55

8:18

It's 8:00, some color has brightened the sky, and I have been up since 6:30.  We had a drizzle when I got up, thunder and lightning overnight, and rain around 8:10.  It's a toasty 41º and should get up in the 50's later today before falling back into the 20's tomorrow, typical fickle Chautauqua weather.

Fishing In The Rain

Monday was unseasonably warm, and most of the main roads are clear of ice.  Huge piles of snow still remain, however,  in various areas especially parking lots, and yet our Woodlawn Road still has some icy areas.  Today's temperatures should remedy that.  I went to another well attended  Yin Yoga class, a good way to start the week.  I looked back at my blog to see when I started attending yoga classes and it was in the Fall of 2010 that I began.  It's shocking to think how quickly seven years have gone.  I hurried home because Evie wanted to get her workout in by 1:30 when I had to take the car and drive to Jamestown for teeth cleaning.  While she was gone, I had the cauliflower soup she made on Sunday and some of the leftover chicken quesadilla from our dinner Saturday night.  After lunch and another episode of BERLIN STATION, I read more of Johnny Cash until Evie returned.

Looking In Our Window

It's interesting how a dentist appointment can ruin the day, even if it's only a cleaning but it does.  Fortunately, I came home with no cavities (Mom) and got the hygenist talking about her daughter and her training which made the cleaning go quickly.  On the way home, I stopped at the bank, bought some gas at Sam's and walked into the soon closing store out of curiosity. 

Empty Aisles At Sam's Club

It was sad to see, one small twenty-foot long aisle of junk, the rest of the store strikingly empty.  Walmart, however,  Sam's Clubs parent company, gave their employees a thousand dollar bonus,  as Trump trumpeted.  He neglected to say they also closed 64 of their Sam's Club stores.

Fog At The End Of Day

Avoiding Puddles

When I got home, Evie was out in our parking area, chopping ice, raking snow, making sure our parking area was clear for both of our cars and if we have guests.  We had an easy wine time, as all Evie had to do was heat up last nights leftovers, roast beef, mashed potatoes and broccoli.  With a salad, we had another Sunday dinner.  There was not much to watch on TV other than the excitement of another vote on whether to close down the government or not.  Dems caved and it stays open.  We watched another episode of HBO's Divorce, both sad and funny. And we decided to go back to BLOODLINES, which we had started a couple of weeks ago.  So far, so good.

There Goes The Snow

7:17

8:11

Fog On Long Point

It's 40º, lots of melting out there, as well as fog but a couple of intrepid fishermen are out there.  It looks like much of the snow will disappear during the next two days then the temperature drops some down to the 20's from the 40's.  Our lake skiing days are over for a while.

Heading Out, Early Morning

Yesterday we were back to gray normal, no sun, just gray skies and lake.  We were determined, however, to get in another day of lake skiing, hoping the lake would not be a pool of slush.  We were fortunate in that it was still smooth skiing even though the surface was beginning to melt.  We went as far as Bootey Bay before turning home.  A good hour out on the lake was enough for both of us after the past couple of days of skiing.  We were happy to get in another day, for sure.

Sunday Skiing

After relaxing and listening to some of the news programs on Sonos, Evie gathered here energy to make our big breakfast, eggs, bacon and a bagel and we watched, what else, CBS Sunday Morning.  Afterwards, we took it easy until 3:00 when the football game began.  Evie, however, started making our dinner, putting the eye of round roast in the oven and peeling the potatoes for mashed potatoes and gravy.  We both commented on how the day felt like a Sunday dinner at my parent's house back in the 1980's, the smell of roast beef roasting in the oven, a football game, and a drink.  Good memories.  We both watched the game and were not surprised when Brady brought the Patriots back to win the game.  He's much hated but probably the best ever at his position.

Peace And Quiet

Around 5:30, Evie pulled the eye of round out of the oven, let it sit as she mashed the potatoes and cooked the broccoli.  I then carved the meat nice and thin and we had a fine Sunday dinner at the lake.  We watched a bit of the second NFL game but had enough of football for a Sunday and switched to the most recent Real Time with Bill Maher.  He was his usual self.  His guest was Michael Wolff and the two Trump critics had a good time.  Maher can be obnoxious and vulgar but is right on with so much of what he says.  We ended the night with Colbert.  I am getting bored with Johnny Cash, as it's become more of the same.  Now he's in his devout Christian stage, a friend of Billy Graham, singing at his gatherings of a hundred thousand believers. 

Cross Country Ski Buddies

Fog And Rain On A Winter Morning

Evie's Filter Frenzy

8:26

Jeff In The Morning

I was up at 6:10, unable to get LADY BIRD, the movie we went to see last night, out of my mind.  It's now 7:30 and though the fishermen's tents are already out, they are barely visible because of the fog rising.  It looks like a bloody inhospitable day, warm, rain, and melting snow.

Photo By Our Neighbor, Joe 

Yesterday, however, despite the temperatures in the 40's, was a good day to be on the lake. It was a virtual village out there off of Long Point most of the day.  We wanted to get out on the lake and ski before the surface got slushy, making it hard to ski.  So we were ready to get out there by 10:00, a record for us on lazy Saturday.  Evie had a destination in mind, rounding the tip of Tom's Point so we could see the bridge and that's what we did.  Fortunately, the sun was out and the snow was still powdery enough for us to ski.  It was a long haul to the Point, about forty-five minutes, with a pit stop for Evie whose stomach was giving her trouble.  We hoped to round Tom' Point but it was already like slush, the snow beginning to melt, so we turned around and skied back, into an arbitrary but strong wind, at both our back and face at times.  We were out for close to two hours and I was happy to finally make it home, as it was farther and harder than I wanted.

Crossing Snowmobile Tracks

Fishing Off Long Point

Not On My Bucket List

Once we got home, we relaxed, took off our wet ski gear and then got busy, gathering trash so I could drive off to the Transfer Station.  And to be honest, both of us were too pooped to pop so we did little the rest of the afternoon.  Evie made me some egg salad sandwiches for lunch and I heated up the last of the vegetable soup.  I watched another BERLIN STATION, some basketball, then more CASH and took a good nap.  Evie meanwhile put together a delicious Indian flavored cauliflower soup so we would have it for lunch during the week.

We both showered at 5:00 and got ready to drive to Jamestown for dinner and a movie.  We hoped to get a seat at the Forte bar but it was packed as we expected, so we walked across the street and found a seat at the Taco Hut bar. We recognized the bartender because she's been at the bar the last two or three times we have been there.  We quickly ordered but our food took quite a while so we had to wolf it down in order to get to the movie on time.  The Reg Lenna theater was packed with mostly adults, all wanting to see the much acclaimed LADY BIRD.  We were able to find seats despite the crowd.  And we both really like the coming of age movie although Evie especially liked it.  It's her kind of movie.  Both of us were wowed by Lady Bird,  the insecure and confused teen, played by Saoirse Ronan and her nervous, irritable, and often critical Mom, played by Laurie Metcalf, who we loved in the HBO series, GETTING ON.  If you have a chance, go see it. 

A Frozen Lake, Blue Skies, And Warming

 Woman In Blue

7:20

7:52

 I was awake at 6:30, didn't get up till 7:00 even though I could have stayed in bed.  I guess I am starting to like sleeping in some.  It looks like another great day, lots of sun, temperatures may be in the 40's later in the day and it was already 30º when I got up.

8:14

Yesterday was the third consecutive sunny and cold day on the lake, a record for us.  We obviously love it, cannot wait to get outside.  After coffee, I wanted to keep my routine, so I drove off to Lakewood to a good yoga class with Julie.  It was more flow than usual but I was able to keep up.  Afterwards, I stopped at Save A Lot, picked up an eye of round roast (our current favorite) on sale and some bananas on the way home.  When I got back, Evie was out on the lake cross country skiing.  She was out for two hours over to Long Point, across to Bootey Bay and home, quite a workout.  I envied her because it was a beautiful morning to be on the lake.

Fishing Buddies

Lunch was homemade vegetable soup and a bagel with cream cheese and the 2nd episode of season 2 of BERLIN STATION.  And Hecktor is back, as numerous characters from the first season reappear to my surprise. I then read some more of Johnny Cash, and its sad watching drugs take over his life, as the tension of the road, his wife and children, and his affair at this point with June Carter appear to be too much.

Around 4:00, I decided to get out on the lake.  Evie had her fun and workout in the morning, so I felt like I needed more exercise as well.  So I skied down to Magnolia, stopping to talk with a fisherman who had driven his four-wheeler from Victoria out to Woodlawn.  He was at least my age and said he tries to get out at least once a year.  He had just finished with his augur and said the ice was around 8 inches thick, safe enough.  I was out for at least 40 minutes and came home with a sweat and quickly changed into something dry.  If we don't change after skiing, we cannot get warm.

TGIF

We had planned on going out for a fish fry but neither of us felt like it, so we got out the old standby on the nights we don't feel much like cooking, Bush's Baked Beans and hot dogs, with Stadium Mustard of course. Not the healthiest but tasty once in a while.  We finished RITA, watching the last three episodes.  We grew to like it more than we at first thought but would give it a C- overall.  We ended the night with the excitement of watching our politicians, under the leadership of the great deal maker, shut down the government, each side blaming the other for the shut down.  Trump, however, blamed Obama and Hillary...not really but it's coming.

A MAN CALLED OVE: FREDRIK BACKMAN

This is a delightful book, about an aging curmudgeon, Ove, recently widowed with no reason to live.  So he devises various ways to end his life but they all end up being thwarted by his new neighbor, the Iranian Parvaneh and her family.  Ove is a self-made man, distrustful of the modern world and its many devices, its throwaway culture.  He wishes only to live in the past with his wife Sofja.  He judges others by whether they own a Saab and ends up refusing to speak with his neighbor because he buys a BMW. His unhappiness gradually is shattered by others, especially Parvaneh and her daughters, his next-door neighbors, and his befriending of a feral cat.  It's a good read and was made into a fine movie.

Another Fine Morning

7:11

7:37

7:51

7:58

It's warming up, a toasty 18º at 7:30 and I slept in till 7:00.  The sky is blue above, shards of pink fill the horizon off towards the southwest.  The fishing huts are out and it looks like another good day for skiing as well as fishing.

Yesterday stayed cold, in the teens but remained mostly sunny, so that it encouraged us to get out on the lake.  I decided to start the day with a Yin yoga class.  It's a good thing I got there early because the class was packed, the most crowded I have ever seen it.  We were squashed in like sardines. Afterwards, I stopped for a coffee, then Evans to pick up some wine.  Our cache of two buck chuck is depleted, alas.  When I got back the house was empty so I looked out and spotted a solitary skier off in the distance, around Wells Bay.  It was Evie, out for a good forty five minute cross-country skiing. She was excited when she returned because she was wearing her headphones and had been skiing to a variety of music.  Cool beans.

Loving Winter On The Lake

For lunch, I heated up the leftover eggplant pasta, love those leftovers, and watched the first episode of the second season of BERLIN STATION.  In this season, Daniel is infiltrating a German Neo-Nazi group.  It looks like it's going to be good.  I then dug into Johnny Cash; he's just about to divorce his first wife, addicted to drugs,  and June Carter has joined his touring group.  After my nap, I read until about 4:00 when we both decided it was too nice on the lake to stay in.  So we went out and skied in the shadows of the west side of the lake for forty-five minutes, down to Fallen Tree and back.  The fishing huts were lit up by the sun and fishermen with tramping both in and out as we skied.

Sunshine And Shadows

The Lake On A Winter Afternoon (looking North)

We ended the afternoon, with a Manhattan and some brie to celebrate the wonderful winter day on the lake, the best ever in our minds.  We had an easy dinner, an Evie concoction, the leftover grits, topped with spinach and a fried egg and watched TV, channel surfing, listening to the democrats and republicans play the blame/shame game until it was time for bed.

A Flawless Morning Sky

7:26

7:46

7:47

7:49

7:51

Up at 6:20, pitch black, an occasional fishing headlamp heading out to the lake.  It's now 7:10 and the sky is spectacular, an orange sherbet color along the horizon, blending into the azure sky above, not a single cloud marring the blue.  Amazing morning on the lake and difficult to capture with a photograph.  It's another chilly morning, 8º and may get up to 20º later in the day.

Clouding Up At 8:54

It Takes A Village

Yesterday was another sun filled day and today looks like the third day in a row we have had clear skies, lots of sun.  And while I am talking about sunshine, I read an article yesterday that said Moscow got 6 minutes of sun in December.  And we complain about the cloudy weather during the winter here at the lake... no more. I had a busy day yesterday, the first in a month.  First, I went to yoga, my first time in a couple of weeks.  It felt good to be back and my cough was under control.  Afterwards, I hurried home because we were going to cross-country ski.  Evie was dressed and raring to go, so I put on my ski pants, got out the skis and off we went.  It was just as spectacular as the day before, the whiteness of the lake, the blue sky, almost blinding.  We skied north up past the campground until the wind became too much and we turned around and skied home.  We were both excited when we got home, to have been out on the lake again on such a great day.

On The Lake

Evie made me a couple of toasted cheese sandwiches and heated up the last of the onion/potato soup for my lunch and I watched the final episode of Season One of BERLIN STATION.  Fortunately, I have Season Two for today's lunch.  It ends with the protagonist, Daniel, getting shot but surviving.  In fact, the first episode started with this scene.  I am into this series, finally.  After our morning, we both relaxed, perhaps too much because neither of us felt like skiing again later in the day despite our intentions.  Around 4:00, however, I got fed up with sitting around and went back out and skied down to Sandy Bottom and back.  Getting ready to ski is the worst part, the layers, the ski boots, getting the skis ready but I said the heck with it and loved being out there again, late afternoon, the long shadows on the lake covering the west side of the lake, the east side still sunlit.

When I got back, we both took showers because we were going to the Viking Club for dinner.  We always enjoy Wednesday nights at the Viking because we get to see many regulars.  We were lucky to find seats at the bar, chatted up numerous acquaintances, and had a decent dinner, a spinach/bacon salad for Evie, pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw for me.  It was an interesting group because lots of snowmobilers came in, at least 15 to 20, to enjoy a beer before hitting the trails again. Randy and Karen, two regulars, who are always at the club on Wednesday, had stopped at the Stockton Inn for a beer before snowmobiling to the Viking for another.  It sounds like great fun to be on the trails at night but I would worry about drunks on the trails.  It seems as though someone in the areas dies each year from a snowmobile accident.

We left around 8:00 after the drawing for the King Of Hearts.  We wasted ten bucks on tickets but it's for a good cause, the Viking Club.  We drove home and settled on our couches around 8:15 and watched two more episodes of RITA.  We decided we were going to finish the series even if it's not up to par.  Before going up to read the biography of Johnny Cash, we watched Vice News, the end of the first busy day for me in quite awhile.