Angry Skies, Heavy Winds, Branches Down, No Damage

6:56

7:35

 Up at 6:30 and the winds are howling, as they have since last last night.  A storm with heavy rains (3/4 of an inch) came through last evening around 10:15, buffeting Woodlawn for about twenty minutes, then let up some, with just the heavy gusts of wind following.  I checked our yard and there are lots of small branches down, nothing huge fortunately, and I will check the neighborhood later in the day.  We were lucky it was not worst, no tornadoes, no loss of electricity, no accidents.  It will probably take a half hour to clean up the yard, filling a couple of  barrels with twigs and branches.

Yesterday was overcast much of the day, windy, with rain threatening though we did walk the CI around 10:30, like an empty stage set, lacking color, as all the leaves have turned brown, fallen, the flowers gone.  All that remains are a few trees with either red or yellow berries, not sure what kind.  We saw one couple as we walked, and we were lucky because it did not rain and was cool enough to enjoy our walk.  We noticed only one tear down being rebuilt and the Purell House, supposedly to be done by Xmas, still has a mess of a yard and it's doubtful it will be done.  We came home and had our usual big Sunday breakfast, this time no bacon, just steak, home fries and eggs.

A Forlorn Atheneum

Thunder Bridge at the CI

Evie spent part of the afternoon in the kitchen, making two pie doughs, as the first, a recipe we heard on NPR on Saturday, did not work out, so she had to make a second.  Once that was done, she made up the custard and put together a marvelous banana cream pie for dinner.  We relaxed, watched TV, listening to the Browns game, read until 7:00 when Evie seared some scallops briefly on both sides, then made up a sauce of olive oil, onions, garlic, red pepper, parsley, vermouth and chicken stock, added the scallops, then poured both over pasta and let it marinate for about five minutes before serving.  That, along with the banana cream pie, were both restaurant quality dishes.  After dinner, because of the storm warnings, we put together an emergency kit just in case there was a loss of electricity, a battery powered radio, propane stove, flashlights, candles, water, etc, but fortunately, we did not need any of it.  Still, it was good to be prepared.  

Fishing Off Of Long Point

I went to bed to read around 11:00, after the worst of the storm passed, but Evie stayed up for awhile, waiting for the winds to die down.  Despite the great meal, it was not our favorite Sunday evening at the lake.

Where Went The Beautiful Morning? (Evangola State Park Hike)

7:40

5:15 PM

 Both Evie and I are up at 6:30 for some reason, still dark outside and when I went out to  check for the paper, it was wet from rain and warmer than I expected, 48º.  Rain is forecast on and off for the day, the temperatures getting in to the 50's.   A good day to make a stew,  let it cook all afternoon in the oven, and watch football, read, or take a nap.  Maybe walk the CI if we can find a break from the rain but that's about it for physical activity.

Since yesterday was so beautiful, we decided to take an excursion to the Evangola State Park, exactly 48 miles from our home, an easy ride, closer than I thought.  We got off at the Silver Creek exit and, unfortunately, stopped at the Largest Country Western Store on the East Coast, bought too much stuff we liked but did not need.  The only thing we passed up, a large sign that said WHOA, I wanted.  If you raised horses, this was the store for you as they had just about everything a cowboy or rider might need.  I have become a Carhartt aficionado (made in Pakistan), picked up a nice heavy flannel shirt and Evie bought a heavy zippered, hooded sweat shirt, stylish but warm.  We be cool.

Enjoying The Great Day

Angola Shale Cliff

Evangola State Park Beach

We spent a couple of hours walking  the Evangola State Park, though we could not find an actual trail.  It is an amazing place, much larger than I thought, over 700 acres abutting Lake Erie. There are two entrances, one to the camping area, one to the park.  We went first to the camping area, parked near the Nature Center, an educational center for students I suppose, then walked the perimeter of the park along the edge Lake Erie.  Most if not all is fenced off, to keep people from climbing or falling off the cliffs, the Angola shale, though people obviously have disregarded the fences in some areas, and bent it down.  People! We were amazed at the Pavilions for visitors, the facilities for campers, especially the beach with a huge pavilion, like something on Coney Island, with a large break wall to protect it from Lake Erie. We eventually were able to get down to the water, at the far eastern end of the park and walk along a vast sandy and rock strewn beach, one of the nicest I have seen on Lake Erie, reminding me of the beaches on Presque Isle, PA.  There are obviously trails around the park, though we did not find them, and there were maps for snowmobiles, so it obviously has cleared paths.  Winter attracts many to see the ice volcanoes which seem part of this section of Lake Erie.  We definitely will be back in the winter to cross country ski, to see the ice volcanoes, and the summer, just to see how busy the beach and other areas become on a warm July day.  We only wish trails were marked more clearly.

Dunkirk Harbor from Demetri's Greek Restaurant

Dunkirk Power Station Dominates The Harbor

From Evangola, we took Old Lake Shore Road west to Dunkirk, which was interesting and fun, stopping at the Dunkirk harbor for lunch at a Greek Restaurant called Demetri's.  It's a large place, two floors, overlooking the harbor with an outdoor patio for the warm months.  Mostly empty, we were able to get a booth with a view, ordered a pita platter with three dips and lentil soup, more than enough. It would be fun to come here both in the winter, in late afternoon to enjoy the view, the setting sun, cosy and warm inside, or in the summer, to sit out on the patio to watch the sun set over the Power Station, the most prominent building on west edge of the Harbor.  After lunch, we continued along the lake road and stopped at Lake Erie State Park, another large park we have never visited, not as big as Evangola, but also set on the shores of Lake Erie, three quarters of mile of it.  A couple of large structures dominate the park, making us think it must have been an estate at one time but we could not find any information about it on Google.  There is also camping here, and it has a great beach as well. We then continued on to Westfield, then headed home, stopping at Tops to pick up a few things.

Lake Erie State Park Beach

We didn't get home till about 3:30 and it was already starting to get dark, probably because it was clouding up.  But it was warm enough for a water skier, who seemed to be enjoying the late afternoon on the lake.  Around 4:30, Evie prepped our pork schnitzel dinner, and we were able to enjoy a glass of wine and some hummus and watch the sunset, the full moon rise over Long Point, an amazingly globe, like a huge orange watermelon.  We devoured the pork schnitzel, rice, and kale and spinach mix.  The schnitzel reminded both of us of our lives in Istanbul because this was one of our favorite dinners, a nice, thin breaded cutlet with a slab of butter and lemon.  Yum.  We watched a mediocre movie called Promised Land, about the evil natural gas companies attempts to buy fracking rights from the local, needy farmers.  It had a high powered cast, Matt Damon, John Grasinski, and Frances Mc Dormand but was predictable and uninteresting, both the story and the characters.  I was happy to get back to my book.

Water Skiing Madness

It looks like a good day...Evie's in the kitchen early, making a banana cream pie for later and she pulled some scallops (much better than a stew) out of the freezer for dinner.  WHOA!

MOHAWK: RICHARD RUSSO

MOHAWK is Russo' first novel, published in 1986.  Mohawk, a small fictitious town in New York state, reminds readers of Gloversville (forty miles northwest of Albany), once the hub of glove making and the small town where Russo grew up.  The novel follows numerous characters but mainly two families, the prim, proper straight arrow Grouse's and the less than stellar Gaffney's.  Anne Grouse, the forty year old daughter of Mather Grouse would be the most prominent figure, struggling to live up to her father's high standards and moral code and later, after he dies, to put up with her mother, a meddling know it all, with whom she lives with her son, after a divorce from high school sweet heart, Dallas Younger, a good guy with no sense of responsibility or maturity.

Anne not only struggles with her father's past, her mother, Milly but also she has fallen in love with her cousin Diana's husband, Dan, and has known it since high school.  Her son, Randall, complicates the story because he has a hard time fitting in the local high school, befriends the town idiot, Wild Bill Gaffney, and after graduation, goes off to college in Buffalo, drops out, and avoids the draft(it's 1973), and is accused of murdering all three of the Gaffney's towards the end of the book, after sleeping with the elder Gaffney's married granddaughter. Sounds like a soap opera I suppose but it doesn't feel that way when you read it.

Russo has a gift for creating small town life, reminiscent of Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, but less abstract more real.  Few are happy in Mohawk, as the town is losing or has lost all its jobs as the leather factory closes down, a result of jobs going overseas and the realization that the tannery has been poisoning the locals with the chemicals it has been pouring into the local river, causing a high number of cancer deaths.

Despite these problems, people go on with their lives; the diner stays open, the men play poker up above, the workers bet the horses each morning before going off to the tannery till it closes.  The trial of young Dallas Younger is the biggest event to hit the town in fifty years, as TV cameras and news stations descend on the town.  Eventually, the case is dropped for lack of evidence, Randall is freed and sneaks out the back door of the court house,  avoiding the Federal officers who have come to arrest him for draft dodging. We never hear of him again. Anne never ends up with her love, Dan,  even though his wife dies at forty, leaving him a widower.  After Randall leaves,  Anne decides to change her life and leaves for Phoenix, putting her mother and her sister in a nursing home where they seem quite happy.  Nothing really ends well; Mather Grouse dies, the Gaffney's, we find out, have been killed by the younger brother who then commits suicide, an anomaly, 'and so it goes,' says Billy Pilgrim in Vonnegut's SLAUGHTER HOUSE FIVE.  We assume Anne will find a job in Phoenix, that somehow Randall has managed to avoid the draft, and Dallas Younger, her ex husband does not change,  living from day to day, happy, perhaps the happiest character in the novel.

"O, What A Beautiful Morning"

7:16

A Raft of Buffleheads

Up at 7:00 to a clear sky, a hint of blue and pink, as the sun jumps out at the tree line just above Tom's Point.  I run outside, as I love a picture just as the sun begins to become a ball, before it's blinding.  It's 36º, high in the 50's later, sunny all day.  What shall we do today is the question?  Hike around here, take a road trip to Presque Isle or the Evangola State Park, both an hour's drive, or just stay at home and play around in the yard?

Long Point from Chestnut Hill

Recently, the days seem to blend together, making it hard to differentiate one from another,  most likely because they are pretty much the same.  Wake up, read some, write some, perhaps cook some thing before deciding where to walk or hike.  Then, lunch, reading, perhaps a nap, some TV, then a short walk before making dinner, then TV, reading and to bed. Routine or habit it's called.  Not a bad life I admit.   So, yesterday was like that.  We could not make up our mind where to walk, so we went local, up to Morley Rd, then Stow, then Carpenter Pringle down to the lake and home.  Not very interesting, just a wide strip of asphalt most of the way, but we did get three miles in.  We stopped at the newly built house next to Chestnut Hill, which has been for sale since it was built by Gene Heil over two years ago.  The price is now 1.5 million, with a great view but a very difficult access to the lake.  No wonder it's been for sale for so long.  Never been lived in either as we looked, no furniture, no lamps, no life.  Amazing how people can just let an empty house sit worth lots of money, witness the Hazard house here on Woodlawn, which sits empty, falling apart, losing its value though not for sale.

Parked at Sandy Bottom

At noon, Evie ran off to return some things in Lakewood and do some grocery and clothes shopping, so I volunteered to stay at home, keep an eye on the house.  I had a great lunch, a meat loaf sandwich and black bean soup, as I watched another episode of Ray Donovan, a violent, fairly stupid TV drama that I keep watching whenever Evie is not around, my guilty pleasure.  I then read some, took a brief nap, then because it was so nice out, I went for a long kayak paddle from 4:00 to after 515.  The lake was smooth, like paddling in oil, no one around but me, nobody on the lake, no one in the houses that I could see, just me the intrepid paddler, up to Wells Bay and back, up to Whitney Bay and back home. The good life.

Late Afternoon Navigating the Reeds

 Evie got home around 5:00,  showed me her 'bargains,' then took a shower, as we decided to go out for dinner at a Murdock's, a bar/restaurant that we had heard about in Sherman.  We had never been there, hoped it might be crowded and fun on a Friday night but were disappointed, a few at the bar,  two couples in the dining room.  We ordered a beer,  and tried to decide whether to stay or go and finally opted to support the place (they need it), and ordered a couple of fish fry's, with 'hand cut fries,' The food was good, worth coming back for, and as we ate, the bar added  a few couples.  One, a loud, gal in tight jeans and cowboy boots, was downing shots with her guy, looked over at us, came running over to Evie, yelling, 'What are you doing sitting there Barb? Come on over with us?'  She then realized Evie was not Barb, gave her a hug and said, "Come on over and sit with the cool people."  A funny incident.  As we were leaving, they were downing their second round of shots and I assume the place would be getting louder and rowdier but we went home, not feeling like the cool people.  We got home around 8:00 and caught up on a few series we have been watching.  I couldn't wait to get back to my book, to see what was going on in post WW II Berlin.

It looks like we are heading to Evangola State Park, on Lake Erie, about twenty miles west of Buffalo, in Irving, New York.  I better get moving because I have to take our trash to the Transfer Station before we are off, a busy boy.

Sunny, Blue Skies, Warming Up, Sort Of (Hiking the Westside Overland Trail)

7:30

I slept in until 7:20, amazing to get up to a living room not cloaked in darkness.  The sun was already up over Wells Bay, though a few clouds hid it.  It's 34º, getting up to the 40's later in the day, melting most of the snow no doubt.

Hitting The Westside Trail Again

A Forest of Spruces

Yesterday was still cold in the morning, a great temperature for a hike, so we drove off to the Westside Trail Head, on the Mayville/Sherman Road, about two miles beyond Hannum Road.  We had walked this trail for the first time two years ago with a group, our first long hike of close to 8 miles.  We did not walk as far yesterday, a total of three miles out and back, as part of the trail was closed.  We did walk from C to D and beyond some, at first somewhat boring but we  finally got into it, as we got to a forest of Spruces, thick and dark, the kind of woods we like.  It was supposed to be a windy day but we did not really notice it except when we began and ended our hikes, when we were in more open areas. The forest was winter like, brown tree trunks, leafless, no snow, just row after row of vertical stripes against the sky.  The trail was frozen in some areas, wet in others, so we had to pick and choose the trail, trying to avoid getting a 'soaker' though we both had on Gortex hiking shoes.

Checking Out Sherman Livestock Diner

We were out an hour and a half, then headed up on towards Sherman, stopping at the Sherman Livestock Auction and Market, a huge barn like structure,  in operation since 1937, a muddy parking area, with lots of pickups and horse trailers sitting outside, as well as a sign that said Restaurant--11:00-4:00.  We reversed course, walked into a charmless cement block building with a sign 'kitchen' on one door, 'open' on the other.  Five or six older farmers were sitting at  the counter, downing burgers and fries, a few couples sat at tables, including a couple of Amish farmers.  We looked around, decided to pass because there was no soup, but will stop back next time we are in the vicinity.  The restaurant or diner is run by Dan Johnson's wife and sister in law, the owner, having opened it recently, or so I think.

Hot Dogging In November

We didn't get home till after 1:00.  Before we left, I put together a black bean soup, so we had that for lunch and Evie made some guacamole, a healthy lunch, all veggies except for the Tostito's.  We did little in the afternoon; I finished MOHAWK and started my next David Downing novel, Lehrter Station.  Around 4:30, we decided to get some fresh air, so we drove over to the Long Point Marina and walked out to the tip of Long Point and back, hoping to see the sun set over Woodlawn but we were too late as it was hidden by the tree line.  I forgot to mention that just before we went for a walk, a Sea Doo raced by, did tricks out in the middle of the lake, before driving back to Wells Bay.  It looked like fun. After our walkt, we stopped in at the Seezurh House for a beer, talked with the bar tender for a bit, then went home for dinner.

Algae Residue On Shore Line

We had the left over meat loaf, just as good as the first day.  I had mine with mashed potatoes and gravy, again, and Evie made herself a meat loaf sandwich, her favorite.  We watched two more episodes of The Enemy Within, one more to go, and then went up to bed to read.  I am now immersed in post WW II Britain and Germany, as John Russell struggles to put his life back together.

Snow Covered But Warming Up

6:57

Awake at 6:00 but didn't get up till 6:15, knowing I probably couldn't get back to sleep and I wanted to see the morning sky as it changes.  It's 28º out at the moment, though it's getting up to 45ª later in the day, melting I assume most of the snow.

Yesterday was yoga Wednesday in Westfield, something I look forward to, mostly because it's a small class of three or four and I get lots and lots of attention.  It was a great morning to drive to Westfield, cold, snow covered vineyards, and partly sunny.  I did remember to bring my camera but the photos I took looked washed out.  Class was good, mostly things I had done before.  For some reason, I dislike the triangle pose, the warrior poses, have always disliked them, even in the Lakewood classes.  One more class next week and the fall classes are over.  I will probably not take any more classes from Dariel, going back to the Eight Limbs Yoga Studio in Lakewood though I would like to take another class next fall.  Once a week in the lovely days of fall seems just right.

Male Cardinal

A Fat Boy, Ready for Winter

I returned home around 1:00, after stopping at Tops, then the Smith Library, to pick up the last two volumes of the David Downing's series set in Berlin.  I am almost finished with Richard Russo's MOHAWK, so I will be immersed in Germany within a day.  Evie spent the afternoon in Lakewood, getting her hair cut and doing errands at various stores.  She mentioned that she had talked with a couple of salespeople about customers who dumpster dive because the various stores throw out lots of new products, some still in their packaging.  Interesting.  I don't think she partook.

Around 4:30, I went for another walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, the ground snow covered and wet, the trees and branches bare, the snow having melted.  The sun was setting as I walked, blinding at times until it dropped below the tree line leaving me in shadows.  A walk at this hour is a good habit to get into.  Let's see if I can keep it up.

For dinner, I picked up a couple of New York strip steaks, at Tops, supposedly at half price at 6:99 a pound.  Evie grilled them inside since my grill would not heat up for some reason (this happens about one out of three times so I am ready to get a new grill).  The steaks ended up being great, who needs to grill out side, and we had mashed potato pancakes, and a salad.  We watched two more episodes of The Enemy Within, a British series, that does not have a American point of view which is interesting.  They feel no need to be patriotic.

Breakfast in a half hour with the boys, then a hike somewhere, perhaps some more shopping to fill out the day.

More Wet Snow And Cold (Hiking Long Point State Park)

7:35

Snow Never Stops A Fisherman

First Swans Of The Fall

Up at 6:30, to four or five inches of snow if not more, as it snowed quite hard yesterday evening as we were making dinner.  It's overcast this morning, a heavy cloud cover with a slash of light mid way up the opposing shore's sky.  The lake is gray and active, ducks and swans and buffleheads swimming as they dip for vegetation.

A Walk At Long Point State Park

Winter Wonderland

Long Point's Ice Masterpiece

Though it snowed yesterday late, in the morning,  we had some sun so we decided to hike the various trails at Long Point Park, a ten minute drive from our house.  We were fortunate because the sun came out just as we arrived, making the woods and much of hike, seem like a walk through a crystal cathedral.  The snow, because it was wet, seemed to frost every branch and trunk, creating an amazing display of nature's beauty.  Why go to a museum when we have one outside.  The trails, at times, were muddy from the snow but we had our gore tex hiking boots on, so we kept dry and warm.  It was one of those hikes where we were constantly stopping, to admire the view, to take photos, before moving on.  We walked close to four miles, around an hour and forty five minutes.  At times it was cold, as wet, driving wind especially along the west side of the point, chilled us to the bone.  It was, however, a great walk, just what we wanted, needed, to make our day, invigorate us, make us feel good about ourselves for not staying in the house.

Downy Woodpecker, Smaller Than The Hairy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker With Sunflower Seed

As mentioned yesterday, Evie put together a meat loaf for dinner, the old traditional kind with Lipton's onion soup, the kind our Mom's used to make before the foodies tried to improve it with healthy vegetables like carrots and celery. Yuk.  Give me the good old meat loaf.  Most of the afternoon we relaxed, read, made some Turkish tea, as the weather started to get nasty.  Just before dinner, I did go out for a short walk, through the front yards along Woodlawn, checking on things, a wet snow whipping my face.  It felt good, at least for the first 15 minutes, before I picked up the mail and went home.  When I got home, the meat loaf was in the oven, potatoes were boiling, so we sat down in our living room with a glass of wine, and watched the wind blow snow around our front windows, one of our favorite things to do, as long as we are sitting inside, nice and warm.  Dinner was  great, nothing like meat loaf and mashed potatoes, and, of course, my favorite fall vegetable, brussell sprouts.  We started watching a British series, The Enemy Within, set in the US. It got average reviews from us so we will stick with it for seven episodes.

Tuesday Afternoon at 5:00 PM