Morning Rain

7:24

Finally, Some Fall Colors Along Magnolia

I woke at 6:20 to pouring rain, darkness, and a 47º morning.  I have to admit I like the rain, just not too much.  It looks like we may have it on and off all day, perhaps into Sunday so it won't be a nice weekend for hikes, football games, and yard work.  This will be a NO kayak morning.  And as I looked up from writing my blog, I realized the sky had lightened, all was gray, the lake calm, the rain stopped.  Maybe I will kayak.  I did and it cleared up, the sun came out, as I was paddling, down to Magnolia and Whitney Bay and home.

Kayak Morning

Sun Rising On A Kayak Morning

A Noisy Kingfishers

Friday was a surprisingly good day, starting with an early paddle, just as the sun was rising.  I then put the blog to bed (aren't I newspaper hip), then drove to yoga for a good class with Julie, a class of three.  I stopped at Ryder's Cup afterward, bought eggs, dropped books off at the library and drove home on a partly sunny morning.

An Angry Hairy Woodpecker

When I arrived home, Evie was a sixes and sevens, having started but not finished a number of projects.  I know the feeling.  I had a couple of things I wanted to get done before lunch, so I pulled our canvas porch curtain out from under a bed, and I hung it with Evie's help on our porch so that it's covered for the winter, making a nice mud room.  Lots of houses in our neighborhood have canvas porches like this, which protects all the porch furniture from the snow.

Our Canvas Porch Enclosure

After that was up, I  got out my hedge clippers and cut down all the six foot high Jerusalem artichokes, enough of them to fill two garbage cans.  For lunch, Evie made me enchiladas stuffed with chili, and I watched the last of the LUTHER series so I will have to start something else next week.  Lots of choices, too many really.  Maybe I should restart GAME OF THRONES, which we would take me into 2019.  I took a cat nap, read my book, SHELTER ISLAND, which I highly recommend, then got busy in the yard once again, cutting the lawn and raking some leaves.  I ended the afternoon with taking two more barrels of leaves and garden plants up the hill, knowing that today it would probably rain.  The yard looked great at 4:30, not a leaf, a healthy green, and the maples were still holding perhaps 90% of their leaves.  It's going to be a busy November of mulching and raking.

A Fun Night With Marjorie And Ken

We both took showers at 5:00, then walked over to Ken and Majorie's, our neighbor's house for dinner.  These will be the last couple of days for them as they will close up their house for the winter and head home to Fox Chapel, outside of Pittsburgh.  They have become good friends since we retired and we often go out to dinner with them.  Their cottage is classic, with photographs of their kids and grandchildren everywhere, fishing rods on the walls, everything a summer cottage should be. They outdid themselves with sushi for an appetizer, a Thai chicken and coconut curry on rice for dinner and strawberry cheesecake for dessert.  We spent the evening laughing, swapping funny teaching stories and of course talking politics because they dislike you know who as much as us.  We ended the night like we usually do on night's like this, with an Evie selfie and it was sad to say goodbye until next Spring.

We watched some TV when we came home but I couldn't wait to get back to my book so I went upstairs early to read.

A Starry, Starry Morning Sky

7:10

7:47

Walked outside at 6:15, to a star-filled sky, a 34º chill and now, at 6:50 a pink haze over the Bemus skyline, light blue above.  It looks like a fine day, lots of sunshine.  When I went out to kayak, there was frost on both the kayak and paddle.  It was a crisp morning for a paddle but a beautiful morning on the lake.  Lots of sun and blue water, few if any interesting wildlife other than Canadian geese. 

Kayaking to Long Point

Yesterday things calmed down here after our frantic Wednesday of cable guys, plumbers, and handymen.  We are getting there, meaning get things ready and updated for the winter.  It was a good morning to skip kayaking and go to Bemus for breakfast, just four of us.  And breakfast is slowing down as there were lots of empty tables.  I came home quickly because Evie was driving me to Lakewood so I could pick up up my Accord which was in the shop for some 200 dollar repairs.  I then went to yoga, just the ladies and me, a good class.  It's 7:30 as I finish my first draft and I want to get out on the lake before the sun starts to rise, around 7:43 here at the lake.

I was home by 11:45 and we talked about what we wanted to get done in the afternoon.  Lunch was two Sahlen hot dogs, with the last of a bottle of Stadium Mustard but, fortunately, I have two more on standby.  While I read and took a brief nap, Evie was busy doing something, always busy doing something.

Bemus Farm

Late Afternoon Sun

Surprisingly, I woke ready for bear and spent the rest of the afternoon getting yard things done.  We wanted to get all the dock and yard furniture put away for the winter, so I pulled out my trusty wheel barrel and cleared both the dock and yard and put things away for the winter.  It always feels good to have that done, like putting my boat away or getting the dock in. "Preparation is all" as Shakespeare might have said.  I then cut down all of the six foot Jerusalem artichokes along our porch as they were starting to go to seed and we are putting up our canvas porch cover today.  I also did some raking, clearing our parking area of pine needles, an inch deep.  I ended up taking two trash cans of leaves, dead plants and pine needles up the hill. 

We were invited to Sam and Donna's house in Busti, old friends from our Bud's Carriage House days in the late 1980's.  They live in Busti in a great house, set on 14 acres. 

Sam Next To Their Latest Addition To Their Yard, A Log Cabin 

Sam is a retired teacher, Donna a retired librarian and the two of them have enjoyed retirement for the past 18 years although Sam seems always busy, cutting hay for the area.  They had quite a spread of appetizers for us, as we sat down to catch up.  Dinner, too, was amazing, beef and salmon, enough it seemed to feed the neighborhood.  We have been to their house a couple of other times but the best part is getting to see Donna's collection of beanie babies. 

Donna Among Some Of Her Beanie Baby Showcases

Evie Among The Bears

She started collecting them when they first came out in 1995 and since then has amassed a collection that has to be the biggest certainly in the area if not the state.  She has one room upstairs set aside for her favorites, in lit glass cabinets.  And downstairs, she has thousands more, all in cabinets, on display each with its original tag in its plastic sleeve.  It's an amazing collection and I suggested they turn it into a Beanie Baby Museum.  I am sure there would be lots of interest. 

Our Busti Friends, Donna And Sam

We left about 9:15 and because of deer, we took our time, in no hurry to get home.   It's probably 15 miles to their house, so we did not arrive home until 9:45, in time to watch a bit of TV before going up to bed.  It was a fun evening, thanks to Donna and Sam's hospitality. 

Still Dark

7:06

7:23

7:50

I have been up since 5:50 and am sitting here at 6:40 in darkness, not a hint of light out over the lake.  It did not freeze last night despite the warnings.  It is cold, however, 37º, and when I walked outside, I could make out a star-filled sky so it should be a cold but sunny day.  It's 9:15 and I have just returned from breakfast in Bemus Point with the guys, in time to finish the blog before yoga.

Bemus Point Ferry Returns

Yesterday was a strange day for us, filled with others being busy.  I was able to get in a quick paddle before the rains came and before the cable guy was supposed to come.  We got a call, however, at 8:00 saying he would not arrive until 11:00 so I cut my paddle short for no reason.  I drove off to Lakewood at 9:30, after helping our neighbors clean out their refrigerator before they left for home and we were the recipients of lots of goodies.  The class was fine, six of us, not just me so I was happy to have fellow participants.

I came straight home since we were having leftover chicken for dinner and found the house a mess.  Our handyman, Austin, was busy, painting our pantry doors, on sawhorses in the living room.  And was also doing a number of odd jobs that Evie wanted to be done before winter arrives.  He's a neat kid, works hard and fast, cleans up well, and was done by 3:00.  Earlier, Evie had met the cable guy who set up our cable TV, making sure we were able to get all the channels, as well as a few on our Apple TV when we want.  It's good to be back in the Spectrum saddle and our bill is half what it was four months ago.

After Austin and I had lunch, Turkish soup and eggplant BLT's, Cory, our plumber drove up to do a check on our boiler, making sure it was clean and working well for the winter.  He checked out all four zones, making sure they were working and put in new digital programmable thermostats, something we probably did not need.  Hey, they were on sale and how could I pass them up.  Around 1:00, we said goodbye to Bill and Joyce and once more, we are the only ones down at this end of Woodlawn.  It seems strange.

After all the hubbub, it was peaceful to have the house back to ourselves.  Evie was exhausted from having to stand and work around all the busyness which was understandable.  So we both collapsed on couches around 4:00 and watched some afternoon TV, something we rarely do.  Around 5:00, I went outside and started to clear a few things off our dock because we thought the boys might be coming by late afternoon to take in the docks.

We relaxed from the day with a glass of wine, pretzels, chips, and dips, and watched the boys struggle to bring in our neighbor Joe's dock, finishing only when it was dark.  It was cold, windy, and gray and did not look like much fun and bringing in the boatlifts as they were a real struggle for them.

We had the previous nights leftover chicken with rice, a salad, a glass of wine and were happy to be back on cable, no shortages or blackouts, easy to surf the channels.  We watched a new film on Netflix called THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER.  I would give it a B-, the story of a kindergarten teacher's obsession with her gifted student.  We ended the night with a laugh, as Stephen Colbert is back from a week's vacation.

A Bit Of Nostalgia:

With My Sisters, Ellen and Linda, 1954?

A Janus Like Morning Sky

A Visit With Old Friends

A Fun Night With Joyce And Bill, Friends and Neighbors

6:55

7:42

7:52

It's just about 8:00 and we are waiting for the cable guy to come and return us to Spectrum Cable TV.  Yes, instead of cutting the cable we are reattaching it after a couple months of inconsistent DirectTV now.  I have been up since 6:30, watching the striking multicolored sky in the south, the dark threatening one in the north.  I assume the north will win out.  And I did get in a twenty-five-minute paddle, coming back just in time for the cable guy.  It's 8:15 as I finish the blog and raining!

Kayak Morning, Southern Sky

Kayak Morning, Northern Sky

7:33 Clouds

7:37 Kayaking

7:40 Sun Rising

Yesterday was a busy but fun day here at the lake.  We were expecting old friends for lunch.  We lived next door to them our first couple of years of marriage when we lived in Babbitt Gardens in Euclid, Ohio.  So I skipped yoga and we spent a part of the morning getting a few things done around the house and the lunch ready for their arrival.  We also were having our neighbors, Bill and Joyce over for dinner since yesterday was their last night at the lake.  So there was lots to do but Evie, always organized, had most of the lunch and dinner done on Tuesday.

Judy and Ray arrived around 11:15 from their home in Austinburg, Ohio, about an hour and a half away.  We have not seen them in many years, too many to mention but it seemed like we just carried on as though we were still neighbors.  They, of course, like us dote on their grandchildren.  We learned about their two sons lives, one living in the Florida Keys, the other in South Carolina.  They have had the luxury, however, of having their grandchildren around through their high school years. Both are retired and happy in their home set on four acres with a pond, built by their son Danny a few years ago.  Lunch was great, eggplant BLT's and a Turkish soup with red wheatberries and lentils, healthy and filling.

Evie And Judy

It was great seeing them and we vowed to see each other more often.  They have friends in Maple Springs so they have been to the lake before.  It was a fun get together and brought back all kinds of memories of our first two years of marriage and the birth of Beth, our first child.

When they left, we both relaxed for a bit but then Evie began, with my help, to get dinner organized for Bill and Joyce.  Evie, as I mentioned had most of the dinner made but at the last minute, she remembered that Joyce and Bill loved her Higbee muffins so she quickly threw them together and baked them.  I did a few things outside as the sun had come out and it was finally a nice afternoon. Joyce and Bill came over at 6:00 and we had our wine in the living room with appetizers, baked pickles stuffed with mozzarella cheese, an Evie specialty.  They were quickly gone.

A Farewell Till Spring Dinner

Dinner was chicken thighs marinated in yogurt, lemon, and oregano, a la Greek. We had rice, eggplant, and salad along with the muffins, pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert, so we certainly had enough to eat.  We had fun reminiscing about the past 37 years we have lived next door to them here at the lake.  They head home tomorrow to Philadelphia, stopping at State College overnight.  We will miss them, but there is always Spring.

As I said, it was a busy but fun day.

Not Quite A Freeze

7:03

7:26

It's starting to get light here at the lake at 7:20.  Ominous dark clouds hang over the lake on a 37º morning.  The lake appears calm,  with a slight wind and hope to get out there and kayak once it gets more light.  And a slice of pink has just appeared above the Bemus skyline at 7:26, heralding the sunrise.  I was able to take in a long paddle, across to Tom's Point and back.  Few water birds other than mallards and seagulls.  It was a bit chilly.

Kayak Morning

Looking South Towards The Bridge From Tom's Point

Yesterday was one of those wet, gray miserable days that we like.  We turned on the fireplace early, kept the house warm and cozy and got lots of things done inside, enjoying looking at the unappetizing outdoors.  Today may be different I hope, as we should get some sun and cool temperatures.  I did not kayak because of the weather but did get back on track and go to yoga at 9:30.  Everyone was talking about the lack of color so far this fall but when I went back and looked at my blog for this date a year ago, the colors were much the same.  We just have to wait another week, get some cold weather like tomorrow and the colors will appear.  Evie needed me to pick up some ground cloves for a pumpkin pie she was baking, so I stopped at Walmart after going to the bank, then at the Hardware store and picked up a couple of programmable Honeywell thermostats on sale.
Our plumber will be here tomorrow to give our boiler a check-up, making sure its ready for winter.  We do this every fall hoping to avoid a problem during the winter.

When I returned home, the kitchen was a mess, as Evie was busy prepping for lunch with friends for Ohio today, dinner with our neighbors tonight.  So the kitchen, despite the mess, was warm and inviting.  For lunch, I had a bowl of a Turkish soup she made with red wheatberries and lentils, a favorite, along with toasted cheese sandwichs, topped with Wegman's jam of course.  Yum.  I watched LUTHER, read and took a brief nap before helping Evie clean up the kitchen, making sure it was once again spiffy and organized.

6:45 pm

6:46 pm

6:48 pm

After all the cooking, Evie was ready to relax with a glass of wine and listen to music from our favorite new group, The National. We sipped our wine, munched on chips and pretzels, and marveled at the threatening sky of black and gray clouds.  Dinner was easy, just heat up the chili Evie made a couple of days ago, boil some pasta and we had dinner.  We watched the most recent episode of A Place In The Sun, then started a new series on Acorn TV called BANG.  It would be unwatchable without subtitles because much of the dialect is in Welsh.  So far, so good.

Overcast And Rainy

7:27

8:10

 It's not a very pretty morning, no color, just the gray of a misty, wet morning.  I was up at 6:10, waiting for the morning light.  It's warmer than yesterday, 48ª, with a light southeasterly wind.  No boats, a few seagulls, and no kayaking this morning,

What a contrast between this morning and yesterday.  Sunday was cool, blue skies, puffy clouds and lots of sun.  It was day meant to be outside but we wasted it on a trip to Lakewood, to Walmart and to Wegmans because there were things we needed and wanted to get done before next week.  We did get something done in the morning besides the blog, organizing and deep cleaning the blue room and it looks perfect now, inviting, ready for company or family.  Around 11:00 then, we drove to Walmart and shopped around for various items we needed or didn't need but wanted.  It ended up being an expensive stop, as their deals are hard to pass up.  We then drove to Wegman's and I took one cart, Evie another, and I started with the end of her list, she at the start and we met in the middle, each of doing half of the list, saving time. 

We did not arrive home until 1:00, unloaded the car and put away the groceries and stuff and then Evie made three egg and tomato and cheese sandwiches on brioche buns. I then wasted much of the afternoon watching some football and listening to the Browns get destroyed by the Chargers.  I should have been outside, walking in the woods but didn't.  Evie, however, went for a long walk with our neighbor Joyce, along Woodlawn and into the campground.  I finally rose from the couch around 4:00 and put another coat of varnish on our painted rocks, getting them ready for the winter weather.  It took about a half hour and then I closed up the garage, came in and read until it was time to shower and drive over to Linda and Ron's for a great German Octoberfest dinner. 

Celebrating Octoberfest

We arrived around 6:15 and were soon enjoying glasses of Octoberfest beers.  The aroma in the kitchen was heavenly.  Linda was making sauerbraten, a beef that marinates in the refrigerator for five days before braising it.  She also made homemade spaetzle with cheese and carmelized onions. So our dinner was amazing, straight from a German beer garden in Munich.  For dessert, we had pumpkin pie in a jar with whipped cream, a fine end to a delicious meal.  We did not head home until 9:30, fat and happy after a fun evening.  And I hate to admit it, but knowing that we both have the same political beliefs makes for a more interesting and fun evening.  Sad but true. 

A Chillin' Sunday Morning

6:57

7:47

7:48

It's 7:30 as I start my blog, the gray sky just beginning to show signs of pink over Bemus as the sun attempts to break through the cloud bank.  It looks like a sunny but cool day, high in the 40's, a good day to be outside, even get in an early morning paddle.  I have been up since 6:15, reading and surfing the internet.  It's just after 9:00 and I have returned from a chilly paddle, depressing because there are no waterfowl to speak of other than mallards.  I did hear a loon off in the distance so maybe I will find them in the next couple of days.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was my first paddle in cold and rainy weather but I liked it.  When I finished, we worked on the blog, had breakfast and began to gather trash for my trip to the Transfer Station, always fun.  We talked, as usual, about what to do about dinner but we decided to wait until later because we were going shopping late mornings. So I drove to the Transfer Station, surprisingly quiet, as most of the summer people have closed up their homes and gone home.  Around 11:00, we drove to Lakewood, to the depressing Chautauqua Mall, to look for shoes for Evie at any of the three shoe stores left.  Of course, I ended up buying a pair of 'cool' Vans, to go with my slip on Van's, and Evie found a comfortable pair of slip-on walking shoes.  We checked out the Sakura Buffet, wondering if we might take out some of its delights for dinner but none looked that appetizing.  So we decided on picking up steaks at Sav A Lot on the way home.

A Hungry Tufted Titmouse

Lunch was leftover Indian food and I am glad it's finally gone. Three times is enough for any dish no matter how tasty.  I then watched some Ohio State football, soon got bored, so I finished my Gabriel Allon novel and started George Pelecanos's newest effort THE MAN WHO CAME UPTOWN.  Of course, I fell asleep reading, woke up after a short nap and came downstairs and Evie was cozy on the couch, with our fireplace on for the first time since last Spring.  It's that time of the year, to get out the fireplace remote! 

Around 4:00, the sun came out, the temperature was in the 40's, so I put on a fleece, my boots and went for a walk in the Victoria/Woodlawn woods, with my weed whacker.  The path is still overgrown in spots, so I walked it, whacking where necessary and now it's good for a walk or cross-country skiing once it snows.

When I came home, the house was nice and warm and Evie was starting to prep the steaks with pepper, lots of it and salt.  She also cleaned the Brussel sprouts and put the potatoes in the oven. We then sat down, enjoyed a glass of wine until the potatoes were about done.  Evie then pulled out the grill pan, grilled the steaks, filling the kitchen with smoke, so we opened a window and both doors to keep the alarm from going off.  The steaks were disappointing, tougher than usual, as were the sprouts but the potatoes were fine.  We watched Real Time With Bill Maher then a new cooking series on Netflix called Salt Fat Acid Heat.  The first episode, Fat, was set in Italy and it was really interesting, mostly about the harvesting of olive oil and the making of parmesan cheese.  The second, Salt, set in Japan was less so.  We ended the night with some news then went to bed early.