A VERY Cold Friday, Snow Shoeing Dobbins Woods, Movie at Reg Lenna

Frosted Branches and Beard

Snow Shoeing In A Cathedral of Pine Trees

7:30

An early morning, again, up at 6:00, mostly likely because I want to go to yoga which is now at 8:15 on Fridays.  It's very cold out, 0º, and they are talking about a wind chill factor of 15 below. It's supposed to be this way over the weekend.

Yesterday we were both up early but could not make up our minds whether to snow shoe early or later in the day.  Evie decided she wanted to stay home and make chocolate chip cookies, so I went off to Yin Yoga to get my fix.  A good class and I stopped at Ryder's Cup afterwards, struck up a conversation with a friendly guy who I see in there quite often.  Neither of us know the others name, but we talk each time we are in there, this time about our hikes on Long Point and Dobbins Woods. Next time I see him I vow to introduce myself.  I was home around noon and had fried rice for lunch, and we watched Stewart and Colbert as the cookies were just about done, all, alas, for the grandchildren but I snuck a couple.

Around 3:00, we drove off to Dobbins Woods, a mile up Bly Hill road, and Evie snow shooed and I cross country skied the loop through the woods.  Someone, probably a couple of people snow shoeing, had made a great path, perfect for both skiing and snow shoeing.  We were out for forty five minutes, just right because both of us were tired.

We were home by 4:00, and Evie showered and got dressed because we had decided to go out to dinner in Jamestown, at Taco Hut and see the British film ABOUT TIME at the Reg Lenna, the downtown renovated theater, built in 1923, seats 1269 people.  We called the Mc Clures, and they were interested, so all of us headed off for Mexican food and Dos Equis around 6:15.  We all had great meals, Linda and Evie portabella pizzas, me a Mexican burger with onions rings, and for Ron, some kind of Mexican dish I cannot spell.

Interior of Jamestown's Reg Lenna Civic Center

We walked to the theater, bought four bags of popcorn, water, and Evie brought chocolate chip cookies, Linda jelly candies, so we were set food wise.  We all loved the film, ABOUT TIME, set in the present in Great Britain. A sentimental but thoughtful romance, it makes use of the time machine  gimmick (the protagonist can go back in time and relive only moments of joy, not 'kill Hitler', as his father tells him).  This allows Tim (where's Hugh Grant), a young, bumbling and lonely twenty one year old, to woo his love, Mary (Rachel McAdams) with only a couple of funny do-overs.  Once they become a couple, we follow them through their early years, marriage, children, life with Tim's family. He tweaks a few moments but eventually learns to follow the advice of his father and Richard Curtiss, the writer and director's message:  to live each day as if you are doing it for the second time, allowing him to savour each moment, not needing a do-over.  Touching, funny, sad at times, and filled with great acting, especially Bill Nighy, his father, we all want to see the movie again;  highly recommended for all ages.  Some, no doubt, see it as fluff, another somewhat silly romantic comedy like LOVE ACTUALLY or FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (which I also really liked by the way) but this time,  even the curmudgeons like Ron and I liked it!

A Thursday Stillness, Frigid, With A Striking Rising Sun

7:15

7:30

A Raft of Amish Fishermen

Up at 7:05, Evie, too, lots of snow out, not much over night despite the forecast and its 3 below, surprise.   That being said, we have enjoyed the morning sky, lots of colors, mostly pinks and blues, then the blinding rising sun, slowly climbing to hide behind the clouds over Wells Bay.
A cold day forecast, high in the teens, with little snow for now.

Yesterday was a perfect day to be outside, lots of new snow, perfect to snow shoe, a slight wind, with temperatures in low 20's so it was pleasant to be outside for long periods of time.  Around 10:00, we went outside and spent a half hour clearing our parking space of a foot of snow, light and fluffy, even fun to shovel if you have the time.  Then we went for a rigorous snow shoeing through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, bushwhacking through foot high snow, making a trail.  We both worked up quite a sweat by the time we got home, about an hour later.  Snow shoeing can really be a good workout if there is no trail and the snow is deep.  It felt great to be outside again, back to normal in some ways.

Snow Shoeing Woodlawn/Victoria

Evie With Her "Own' Mega Shovel, at Dusk

For lunch, Evie made use of the final piece of leftover salmon, making a salmon salad, spreading it on a baguette, then putting it under the broiler for about five minutes.  We got two dinners and three lunches out of one piece of salmon!  A thrifty wife.  We did not do much the rest of the afternoon but around 4:00, Evie chopped up some veggies for our stir fry and we then went for another snow shoe hike, circling the near end of the campground and back, a short hike because we were worn out from the morning.

Cross Country Skiing One Year Ago

For dinner, we had some leftover rice from a couple of days ago, so we put together a stir fry, with a marinated pork chop, asparagus, cabbage, mushrooms, and scallions and have enough leftover for lunch today.  We watched two episodes of a new HBO comedy called Hello Ladies, but found it repetitious, as a bumbling Englishmen, living in LA, tries to make it with 'the ladies.'  So far, he doesn't.  We then raced through American Idol, and I couldn't wait to get back to my James Lee Burke thrilled, set in Montana, with Dave and Clete once again setting things right, violently of course.

Snowy Wednesday Morning

8:00

Snow Shoeing Long Point

It's 8:00, overcast and in the low 20's, and I have been up for at least an hour.  We got around four inches of snow last night, another four to six expected during the day.  It's windy as well, no fisherman on the lake early morning but just as I was about to publish, a four wheeler drove out on to the lake, in front of Fox's house, and set up a tent, ready to brave the weather.

Winter In The Woods

Yesterday was a good day, though Evie was busy with preparations for our dinner with the McClures last night.  Before we went snow shoeing over at Long Point, she made a banana cream pie for dessert, Ron's favorite.  Around 11:30, we drove to the end of Lakeside Drive, Evie strapped on her snow shoes, and we were off in the winter wonderland of the park.  The woods were still frosted from the previous day's snow, and we walked for an hour.  Both of us were tired by the end of hour walk, just wanting to get back to the car and home.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Feeding On Suet

For lunch, Evie made a salad with the leftover salmon, fast becoming one of our favorite lunches.  We relaxed some during the afternoon though Evie put together the sauce for the scallops, seared them for later and made the dough for fresh pasta.  I watched and did up the dishes, not much of a help.

Evie and Linda Making Fresh Pasta

Scallops With Vermouth and Lemon Cream Sauce with Home Made Fettuccine

Mc Clures came over around 6:00, just as the snow was beginning to fall.  By the time they headed home around 9:30, a least two inches had fallen.  We sat around our living room, having a beer and appetizers, then Evie and Linda went to the kitchen and made the fresh pasta, as Ron and I sat at the bar and watched.  The pasta making went quickly, as Evie really has the method down.  We cooked the pasta, heated the sauce, put the scallops in, then plated the meal and with a salad and French bread, we had a great meal.  What else?  We ate the banana cream pie in the TV room because we wanted to show them a snippet from the John Stewart show and ended up watching about fifteen minutes of Bill Maher's Real Time as well.  They left for home, in snow flurries, so we finished up the dishes then went upstairs to read and sleep, another fine day at the lake.

Sun Up And So Am I

7:39

7:59

Whoa, slept in till 7:15, came downstairs and Evie was already up, had my cafe latte made, the good life in the morning.  The fishing guys are out, the sun blasting though a thin cloud cover and it's cold again, 6º, snow on the way this evening.

Back in the routine, should be, as we were only out of town for two nights.  Yoga at 9:30 with Danielle was not good, as we did the pose I hate because I cannot do it very well, Virasana or Hero's Pose, where you sit on your heels, then supposedly lay back and relax on a bolster...no way! It's not about competition but adaptation, so the guru says...in other words, adapt a pose to your physical capabilities. The rest of the morning was fine and I left feeling good, ready to enjoy the day, my worries gone, at least for the moment.  This is the best part of yoga, to get out of your mind, into your body and breathing for an hour and a half, the real joy of yoga which anyone who practices yoga knows.

More vegetable soup for lunch, along with a toasted cheddar cheese sandwich, and another episode the Cinemax series Banshee, heavy on violence and sex.  Evie went off to work out at the YMCA and then do some grocery shopping in the early afternoon, while I stayed home and read, played around with some pictures from the weekend and sent them off to our friends.  Evie did not get home till about 4:00, lots of necessities to buy and we are having the McClures over for dinner tonight.  I decided to get some exercise in around 4:30, so I went cross country skiing on the lake, a frustrating experience though it was still good to be outside.  I constantly would break through the upper crust of the lake to a layer of wet snow, which would freeze on my skis if I paused for even a moment.  I ended up skiing on the icy portions though that was not much fun either because it was so slippery that your skis would slide sideways.  So,  I did not get some exercise though it was not what I wanted, a nice layer of snow to glide though on a cold late afternoon.

Fishing At Dusk As I Cross Country Ski

For dinner, I cooked some salmon outside, Evie made a salad and garlic spinach, so we had finally a healthy meal after a weekend of excess.  We caught up on our shows, Downton Abbey, where Edith finds herself pregnant and husbandless as Bate's quiet violent streak, lurks in the background, ready to pounce.  We also watched Bill Maher's REAL TIME, which we are beginning to really like, his often blasphemous humor, shocks and tickles, as he skewers the hypocrisies of our politicians and their policies, mostly I admit, the Conservative Republicans but some Democrats, too.

Just Another Monday

On the Aegean Sea, With Sami, Who Will Visit Chautauqua In A Few Weeks

8:30

Up at 7:15, some light, a gray sky, no guys out fishing, and colder, 18º.  Evie's up now and we are enjoying just relaxing, sipping coffee, talking about our great weekend.  And we are both excited because two of my Turkish students from forty years ago are going to visit us at the lake for a few days. They showed us amazing hospitality when we visited Turkey in 2009, taking us all over Istanbul and Turkey.  They are headed to Miami but will spend a couple of days here at the lake.  Crazy, right, especially at this time of the year but we are looking forward to it.  Let's hope they like to ice fish!

The team met for breakfast around 8:00 on Sunday morning, said our good byes, see you next year, and we were on our way by 9:30, some driving home, some flying back to Florida.  We were fortunate to have decent weather all the way back, a few flurries in Canton but that's about it.  We said our good byes to Vi in Painesville around 1:00 and were home at the lake by 3:15, a beautiful ride actually as there had been a fairly heavy snow storm earlier in the day, frosting all the trees, the woods, for at least sixty miles.  We timed it perfectly, avoiding the heavy squalls, enjoying the beautiful aftermath.

We quickly unpacked, pulled some taco stuff out of the freezer and pantry, so dinner was easy and we relaxed until the Super Bowl, listening to the pre game on the radio, having a glass of wine, reliving our weekend, laughing at all the fun we had.  It's really neat to get together with old acquaintances, now good friends.  Just a couple of us were good friends fifty years ago but are much closer now as a result of our reunions, an interesting experience, to get to know old teammates better now than before.  The same experience took place with my Turkish teammates on our visit back in 2009.  We had not seen each other in thirty five years but it was as if we were never apart, picking up where we left off as teammates and great friends.  Both teams cherish their friendships made and their championship season, the Bobcats Final Eight in 1964, and Turkish Champions for Besiktas, back in 1974-75.  Winning is always special, even more so if it's the league championship or going to the final eight in the NCAA.

Reunion in 2009, With My Besiktas Teammates, Turkish Champions in 1975

Reunion This Past Weekend, With 1964 Ohio University Bobcats

The Super Bowl was a bore, going the way I predicted but did not want.  Seattle's defense shutting down the Broncos.  We had our tacos for the game, stayed with it, putting off the urge to change channels and watch Downton Abbey at 9:00.  We will watch it tonight. A great weekend,  and now a busy week.

Spring Time In Athens, Ohio, For A Day

Being Feted Mid Court

Up early for coffee at 6:30, walked down the hall to the restaurant to get three cups to bring back to the room.  Glimpsed outside and it was not very inviting, dark and wet.  We are meeting the rest of the guys for breakfast around 8:00 and we hope to be on the road home by 9:00.  We will see how organized we can be.  By the way, Evie took most of the pictures this weekend, so we have lots to share and enjoy.

Yesterday, as I mentioned, we did not get up till late, so we didn't start walking over to the Convocation Center till about 11:30, though there was a team tour at 10:30, which we missed, alas.  We had special passes so we were able to socialize in the Bobcat Room, for donors to the Ohio athletic program.  It's really just a room to relax in before game time, to buy a beer, grab a pop or soda, some popcorn, and kibitz with each other.  We of course tried to get more team pictures as players kept coming and going, never quite getting a good one with everyone there.

Court Side Buddies, Before the Game

Thrill of Victory,  As Fans Rush The Floor

More Teammates

The 1964 Ohio University Bobcats,  A NCAA Final Eight Team

Michael V

They sat us all together for the game, and with less than eight minutes to go in the half, we players went downstairs, just off the court, to wait to be introduced to the crowd.  At the four minute commercial time out, we were trotted out on the floor, recognized for our achievement back in 1964, and as each player was introduced, we got a nice applause.  That was it for the day, at least for us.  The Bobcats pulled out a victory in overtime over league leading Toledo, so it was a great afternoon for fans and alumni alike.  We were honored in a similar fashion perhaps five years ago, but it was much nicer, as they put pictures of us up on the Jumbo Tron, took more time to talk about each player, and it was during halftime, not that I am complaining.  At our age, any time we can be remembered or recognized, we will take it.  And the best part is just gathering as a team, catching up with our lives, reminiscing about the old days.

Vi Buck, Enjoying Herself

Evie Joy The Life Of Any Gathering

Anita,  Jerry Jackson's wife

After the game, we relaxed back at the Inn for about an hour, then met in the bar for drinks around 5:00, dinner to follow at 6:00.  We had about sixteen of us for dinner, the largest group so far.  Great meals  for all, as most ordered the prime rib special, with Caesar salad and a side.  Evie and I also managed to drink a bottle of wine as we had a great evening of conversation, laughing hysterically as Evie and Vi described the night before, where two Toledo drunks tried picked them up until the guys realized Evie and Vi were old enough to be their mothers...bummer.  We ended the evening at Mary Lou and Joe's room, catching up on their lives because when you are in a large group it's difficult to get to talk with everybody.  It was a really good night and Mike Haley, the one guy who has really has it tough over the past few years, seemed to really enjoy himself, as did all of us.

Dinner at Ohio University Inn

It's Aways Sunny In Athens, Ohio (Home of Ohio University)

My teammate/college roommate  Joe Barry, his Wife, Mary Lou, Our Good Friends From Ever 

With Inductees into the  Ohio University Basketball Hall of Fame,  Paul Storey and Jerry Jackson, Class of 1964

A 'Turkey Hall of Famer' with OU Hall of Famers, Mike Haley and Jerry Jackson

Up at 9:15, thus the late blog and I have to be over to the Ohio University Convocation Center in a half hour, for a tour of the locker room, pre game talk, then  our team being honored sometime during the game which starts at 1:00.  Just had breakfast with my teammates, telling more stories about how 'good' we were back in 1964 and as I said many times, 'we get better and better each year.'

We left yesterday morning around 9:00, picked up our good friend Virpi Buck in Painesville, then drove down to Ohio University, an easy drive getting there around 3:00.  We did drive around the campus a bit, totally unfamiliar because of its growth over the past 50 years (surprise), but I did see my old dormitory, also the hall where I worked in the kitchen for my board (all athletes has board jobs until my senior year), a trip down nostalgia lane.  Around 4:30, Evie and I  went for a walk, to clear our heads, toured the amazing student center, four floors, the tallest escalator in the state of Ohio, and walked by the spot where my old fraternity house, Phi Delta Theta, used to stand, now a grassy knoll. After we left in 1965, they actually moved the course of the Hocking River because of its flooding capabilities; it ruined our field house floor in 1964.  It buckled upwards of 3 feet when we returned from the NCAA.  Now the Student Center is built over the old river, amazing engineering. We returned to the Inn around 5:00, and Joe and Mary Lou Barry thought ahead enough to bring a few bottles of wine and cheese and crackers, so we sat in the lounge with other players, till around 6:00, a good way to start our celebration of the 1964 team.

West Green at Dusk,  Ohio University, the Harvard on the Hocking

Former Site Of Phi Delta Theta House, 'The Castle on the Hocking'

Main Street, Ohio University

Oho University Convocation Center

Just a word about the 1964 team.  Fifty years ago, we beat Louisville in overtime, to win our first game in the NCAA tournament; we qualified for the then 32 team tournament by winning the MAC.  We then flew to Minneapolis to play 3rd ranked Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp.  We beat them by 14 setting up our next game, and making  the final eight in the NCAA. the first time for a MAC team. Unfortunately, we lost to 2nd ranked Michigan by 11 points. All I remember from the game was trying to guard Pro NBAer Cazzie Russell at the end of the game, futilely trying to steal the ball from him.  If we had won, we would have been in the Final Four.  We still have the record for having gone the farthest in the NCAA by a Mid American Conference team.

Vi and Joanie, Bobcat Friends  For Over Fifty Years

Team Manager, Milt Plunkett and Wife, Jean, Enjoying the Gathering

We had a gathering for the team at 7:00 here at the Ohio University Inn, sponsored by the Bobcat Club, met the coach and other guys associated with the program, had a cash bar (cheap ) and 'heavy appetizers' which were not very heavy.  Evie ordered three pizzas, much to the appreciation of the team.  It's always good to see the 'old guys', a new one or two appear every two or three years, this time my freshmen buddy, Mike Haley, my first really good African American friend.  He's has had a tough life the past ten years with his health, but was a very successful Ohio high school coach in the 1980s, coaching four State of Ohio Championship teams.  The rest of us spent the night reminiscing about the good old days and my college roommate, Joe Barry, a college coach at rival Miami for twenty years, regaled us with stories from his coaching career; he obviously has that gift for telling a good story, so important in recruiting and being a good coach.  We stayed up till 1:00 talking, thus my late awakening.
This morning, I got Evie some Starbucks coffee from kiosk ten yards from or room, then went down and had breakfast with the team, all of whom were already up, looking chipper.

Time for a shower, then we head over for the tour and the game at 1:00 against rival Toledo.