A Christma Eve Of Gray Skies And Drizzle

Granny And The Girls

Drew And Jill

With Halle

It's almost 8:00 and Drew and I have been up since 6:45, watching the news on BBC and Sports Center. It's a dreary day so far but we may see some sun in the late afternoon. Drew's Mom and his sisters and family will be coming for dinner so the gals will have lots to do, getting ready. It's 8:20 and I finish this and Evie's up, ready to pick out photos and edit the blog. I fear we have a plethora of good photos from yesterday. 

Halle And Her Dad

A Couple Of Beauties

Saturday was busy but fun and especially good because we were with Jill's family and their daughters' friends. I was up early, of course, the only one up until 8:30 when Drew finally got up after a late night. We sat around much of the morning waiting for the girls to get up. Evie was first, then Jill, then Hayden and her friend, Kayle around 11:00, and Halle at 12:30. O to be young and sleep in! By 11:30, Drew and I were off to shop, stopping at Total Wines, then Giant, with a grocery list from Jill. It was busy not only on the roads but everywhere. We were lucky to get in and out of the stores and the shopping area. 

We were home by 12:45 and were hungry so we made lunch and relaxed with the girls who were finally up and showered and ready to do something. We decided to go to Powers Farm And Brewery around 3:00, a half hour away. Since it was 2:00,  I took advantage of it and took a good forty-five-minute nap, waking with some mojo. The four of us enjoyed the drive to the brewery, through the countryside, of vast fenced-in farms, and palatial estate houses, until we got to the brewery, It was not very busy and cold enough for us to sit inside, We enjoyed a beer or two, listened to the guitar player sing a few tunes and just enjoyed being off somewhere new for us. 

Beers In The Afternoon

Too Chilly To Sit Outside

Afternoon Brewery

We were home by 5:00, to a house full of gals, Halle, Hayden, and her two friends from high school, Kayle and Azeb. Jill got out the appetizers, the wine, and the beer and we had a grand time talking, laughing, and taking photos as Evie got our dinner of lemon chicken in the oven. 

Kitchen Crew

Cheers

Greek Lemon Chicken Dinner

Dinner was Greek lemon chicken, creamed spinach, rice, and salad and we devoured it, with no leftovers for lunch. After dinner, some of us watched the Bills game, and around 7:30, Halle's friend Chase, a freshman football player at Wittenberg, and her roommate, Joslyn, from VCU, stopped over. They were fun to talk with and between the football game and the girl's friends, we had a fun evening until the adults began to fade, around 9:45 and all four of us went up to bed, leaving the kids to themselves. It was another good day.

Halle And Roommate, Joslyn 

Halle And Chase, A Friend Since 5th Grade

A Morning In Virginia

Road Trip

It's 8:00 and I have been up for an hour, enjoying the quiet and solitude of a winter morning. My son-in-law Drew is usually up with me watching Sports Center on ESPN but he must have had a late night so he's still sleeping as are the rest of the household. 

Yesterday, a Friday, was, fortunately, an easy seven-hour drive from Chautauqua to Bristow, in northern Virginia. We left just before 8:00  and by now, know this drive my heart because it's the 13th year we have done it. This time we skipped the PA Turnpike, taking RT 30 to Breezewood and RT 70  instead which saved time I am sure. 

Halle

Granny And Hayden

We arrived around 3:00, to an already packed parking area. Both granddaughters and their parents were home so it was a fun greeting. Halle is a freshman, home from Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, VA, and Hayden a recent graduate of Western Virginia University, interns for Culmen International, a company in Alexandria, VA. We relaxed and caught up on their lives before Drew and I brought in our bags, food, and presents. Around 5:00, Jill brought out the cheese and crackers and wine and my sister, Ellen, who lives nearby in Herndon, arrived to to spend happy hour with us as well as dinner. We haven't seen Jill's family or Ellen since the summer so there was a lot of catching up to do. Drew left around 6:30 to pick up our dinner, sushi, so when he got back, the six of us feasted on various sushi delights, a fine way to spend our first night with family. 

Chanel In Her Heated Bed

Ellen left around 8:00 and Jill and Drew had a neighborhood party to attend so they left around 9:15 leaving us with Hayden. Both Evie and I were weary from getting up so early and the drive so we decided to go up to bed early at 9:30. It was a good decision because neither of us stayed up long reading. It was a good start to a family Christmas as so far, no one has Covid19... inshallah!

Shortest Day, Longest Night

7:02

7:13

Well, the winter solstice has passed and we are on our way to Spring! We are both up at 6:00 because we are driving to our daughter Jill's home in Virginia, six to seven hours depending on traffic. 

Yesterday was getting ready for a road trip day, mostly for Evie. I skipped kayaking and went to breakfast in Bemus, then had yoga in Lakewood at 10:00, a therapeutic class where we held a position for four or five minutes, nothing too strenuous. I did not linger but came straight home in case Evie needed my help.

Fortunately, she was organized and most of what needed to be done was finished, the packing and wrapping. Lunch was veggie soup and a cheese sandwich and The Wire. Since most everything was done, I read as usual and napped, happy to have a normal afternoon. Around 4:00, Evie gave me a quick haircut and I showered so that I would look spiffy for the holidays. After I showered, I packed my clothes and organized my devices and chargers, and by 5:30 we relaxed with a glass of wine before dinner. We had the rest of the cabbage rolls for dinner with a salad and watched a couple of ERs, the news, and some football and basketball before bed. 

What A Morning Sky!

 

7:10

7:35

7:35

7:46

It's 7:15, a strip of light hovers over the southeastern shore, and a vast cloud hangs over the lake. It's a chilly 22º again and because I have breakfast, I will not be paddling. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus Point, just Jack and I were able to make it. It's on to yoga in a half hour for the last time until after Christmas. 

Yesterday began with a great paddle on a calm lake, on a cold morning. I was out for forty-five minutes and loved it, with the snow covering the homes and trees along the shoreline. I had breakfast, finished the blog, and went to yoga with Tara, always a challenge. I did not linger because we were having a meeting with our lawyer to set up a trust at 1:30. For lunch, I had the last of the leftover curry, I hope, and by 1:15, we were on our way to talk with him. He's a busy guy, very talkative, but we were only there for a half hour, settling up things, making decisions. We will meet at least one more time. We then did a quick shopping at Wegmans, getting ready for our Xmas trip to Virginia. We then stopped to gas up the Kia for our trip, picked up some booze, shopped at T.J., returned some items for Amazon at Michaels, and finally headed home. It was not a fun afternoon.

We were happy to be home by 3:30 and spent the next couple of hours relaxing, reading or watching TV until 5:00 when we listened to the news enjoyed a libation, and talked about our visit to Virginia on Friday. We are excited to see Jill and her family. Dinner was cabbage rolls, lots of them, made by Evie yesterday afternoon and we finished up The Crown. It's amazing how the three women who have played Queen Elizabeth actually become her by the end of the series. 

Pink Sky On A Snow Bound Morning

7:31

8:47

It's another special lake morning, a pink sky off to the south, a placid lake and snow, on the lawn, on the trunks of trees, on the limbs. Too bad it's going to warm up some in the next couple of days. It's 9:00 and I did get out for a paddle for 40 minutes. The lake was amazingly calm and thick, as its beginning to ice up and because there was little wind, the 22º did not feel that cold. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Sandy Bottom

Victoria

Woodlawn

Sun Rising

I did not get any kayaking in yesterday because of the snow and wind, the choppy lake. And I had to spend a good half hour clearing our parking area and car of snow. After I was done, I finished up the blog and had breakfast before heading off to yoga class on snowy roads so I took my time. Class was good, with four or five of the regulars and our teacher, Courtney. It was a different class as we used chairs to assist in various poses. After class, I stopped at Save A Lot to pick up some ricotta for Evie and then headed straight home. When I got there, Evie had been busy in the kitchen, making cabbage rolls, a cabbage lasagna, to freeze for the next couple of weeks. Needless to say, the kitchen was a mess so I helped clean it up while she toasted a couple of cheese sandwiches for me. So lunch, as veggie soup and sandwiches and Season Four of The Wire. 

Woodlawn Road To Lake

Kickin Back In The Snow

l then read some, and briefly napped, leaving Evie to her kitchen. By 3:30, however, I drove to a good friend's barn where five of the breakfast club got together for afternoon beers since at least one will be heading to Florida for the winter. It was a good time, sharing stories about our kids and grandkids and plans for the holidays. I was home by 5:15 and Evie was on a Zoom call with her sisters, a Tuesday afternoon tradition.

We then relaxed with a  glass of wine, listening to the good news that Trump was disqualified from the 2024 ballot in Colorado. No doubt it won't be for long because the Supreme Court will rule against it but for now, we can celebrate. Dinner was the leftover chicken and mushroom curry, just as good if not better than the night before. We watched a couple of episodes of The Crown, then some ER before bed, a busy day for Evie, a fun one for me. 

Winter White

7:46

It's 7:30, windy, and cold, with maybe six to eight inches of snow having fallen overnight. The lake is gray with white caps so I don't think I will be kayaking, probably shoveling snow. It's 8:30 and I just shoveled or rather pushed around close to eight inches of snow, so I could get my car out of the driveway. Both cars started so that's a good thing so I can make it to yoga.

Yesterday was not much of a day to enjoy, other than an early kayaking and a white happy hour. I paddled for forty-five minutes, just in time as it started to get choppy and windy when I returned home. I have no yoga on Monday so my day is open. We were supposed to meet with our lawyer but he called and changed the date so nothing had to be done. I, however, don't like to sit around so Evie made up a shopping list and I was off to Wegmans around 11:00, to get things we needed for the rest of the week before we drive to our daughter Jill's for Christmas on Friday. Wegmans was surprisingly busy for a Monday, as if people were already stocking up for Christmas and I got in the wrong checkout line. 

I was home by 12:45 and Evie made me a couple of chicken salad sandwiches and heated up her veggie soup for my lunch. I am on the fourth season of The Wire, and so far, it's not as compelling as the previous two seasons. After lunch, I started a new book, Lying Beside You, read for an hour then took a nap while Evie worked out for an hour on the rebounder. Because it drizzled or sleeting most of the afternoon, I did not get in a hike, alas, so my only exercise for the day was kayaking.

Snow

Around 5:30, we settled down with a glass of wine and some appetizers, and we were treated to falling snow and wind. We loved it, as the yard turned white, the gusts of snow in our spotlight. We helped ourselves to a second glass of white to extend our happy hour of falling snow. Dinner was an Evie original of chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, sweet potato, and a curry sauce over rice. It was delicious and we have enough for tonight's dinner as well. We watched some HGTV, then The Crown, and ER before going up to bed. An interesting day,

Beginning Of White

Living Room Window

Gray Skies, Drizzle, Snow Later

7:35

9:04

It's 8:00, 38º and despite the drizzle, the lake is kayak-worthy, meaning it's nice and calm. The weather is going to change later today as snow is predicted for just today so it won't be much. I paddled for 35 minutes, in a light drizzle, listening to Willie Nelson's Essentials on Apple Music. 

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was an embarrassing day really because we sat and watched TV most of the afternoon and evening. I skipped kayaking because of the windy and choppy lake so it was a quiet morning for both of us. We had no plans for the day other than sitting around but by 11:30, we decided to do something. I put on my hiking boots and walked the Victoria/Woodlawn woods in a drizzle but I enjoyed it. Evie worked out, too, on her rebounder for an hour, like a good girl. So we did get in some exercise although we passed on our usual walk around the Chautauqua Institutuion. 

Woodlawn

Leaves And Trees

Woodlawn

For lunch, we had Evie's version of Huevos rancheros, with cheese, avocadoes, a bagel, and salsa. It was a good way to start of a TV-watching marathon, starting with the Kansas City Chiefs game at 1;00. By 3:00, they had the win clinched so we cut to the NCAA Women's volleyball finals and watched Texas win the first two matches against Nebraska. We then watched the Buffalo Bills' exciting victory over Dallas as a chicken was roasting in the oven. We were hungry so by 5:45, we were feasting on our chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, and a special Peruvian cilantro sauce.

After dinner and the Bills game, we watched SNL mostly because Billie Ellish was the musical guest and she was amazing. What a voice and songwriter. We then watched a snippet of a couple of shows but ended up watching the tribute to Willie Nelson on his 90th birthday. Various friends either spoke a tribute or sang a Willie Nelson song, the likes of Chris Stapleton, Beck, Kris Kristofferson, the Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, and Cheryl Crow. It was a fun night and we didn't realize that Willie wrote most of his songs.