Morning Yoga, Noon Kayaking, Late Afternoon Biking, Evening Wings at VFW

7:15

6:14 PM

It's  6:51 and I have been up since 6:15, looking at darkness turn to gray, as the lake, then Long Point begin to appear.  At the moment, our new American flag is fluttering, the sky a vast gray vault, no color, a black and white photograph.  It looks like we will be socked in with rain, perhaps some wet snow over the next four or five days.  It's 40º at the moment, will perhaps get up to 45º later in the day.  We will be staying indoors today after two spectacular fall days at the lake.

Yesterday was sunny from the get go, a beautiful sunrise, temperatures in the 50's, a day just asking for us to be outside.  So, I went to yoga, figure that.  A good class, of three women, and me.  I know them well, so we have a good time, laughing but taking our yoga seriously.  I always feel enervated after class.

Happy To Be On The Lake

When I got home, pulled into the parking area, the lake was a deep blue, the sky clear and I knew I had to go kayaking.  Happily, Evie was already dressed and ready to go, having the same idea.  We paddled down towards Whitney Bay, as the wind picked up some, sending the Canadian geese flying as we went.  The sun on our faces, our backs, was delicious, as we literally sat in the water, enjoying its warmth.  We then paddled down to the reeds and back home, just what Evie needed to get her mojo back.  How lucky we are to be able to step outside our door and climb in a kayak and paddle away, literally the only ones on the lake.  Amazing.  And Evie has been doing well with her dental work, tired but managing the pain.  That she wanted to kayak, and cut both lawns yesterday was amazing.

Me, Too

Egg salad sandwiches with home made ginger/coconut milk and mushroom soup for lunch and we watched Colbert and Stewart, from the previous night, with their election shows.  Stewart's I thought was particularly apt, as instead of going to the winning parties, they went to victory parties called Money (overflowing with celebrants) and Ideas(an empty ballroom)...obviously, money had won, ideas had lost, his comment on the elections these days.

Around 3:00 I got tired of my book, Identical by Scott Turow and decided, after looking outside at the beautiful afternoon, to go for a bike ride.  After my drive yesterday through the vineyards of Westfield, I wanted to ride there but it was just to far to go, so I drove to Bemus, rode my typical route through the village, lake road and around the park to Long Point and back, about an hour, with a brief stop at the tip of Long Point State Park, literally across the lake from our house (called Evie for a photo op).  It felt good to be out on the empty roads at this hour, nary a car passed me on Lake Drive coming or going.  It  was windy at times, but I 'toughed it out.'

Biking To Tip Of Long Point

When I got home, the Mc Clure's called wondering if we wanted to go to the VFW for wings.  Evie was whooped, understandably so, but encouraged me to go, to get out of the house.  I did not need much urging and picked Ron and Linda up at 6:30 and we had our usual double order of wings with sweet potato fries, and a couple of pitchers of beer.  The VFW was crowded with mostly guys, drinking beers, few people were there for wings though some came in to get wings for take out.  I was home by 8:30, to watch some TV with Evie, then she went up to bed early, for her, 10:00 and I watched a little of the Cavs game in Utah, where they were losing by ten points.  I am not sure how the game ended up.  I went up to read around 10:30.

Light In The Morning

Welcome Home, Claire

6:47

7:27

It rained quite a bit last night but this morning, there's some clear skies and it looks like today should be sunny, high of 52º.  The lake, calm and smooth, looks inviting, tempting me to jump in my kayak and paddle but I am too lazy, have yoga at 10:00.  Maybe later today, after lunch if the wind cooperates.

Yesterday was another fine day, some clouds, some sun, moderate temperatures, in other words, a fall like day.  I went to yoga like a good boy and to my delight, there were five of us, as Courtney's class, usually just two of us, seems to be catching on.  All it takes is for some of the regulars to try her class and they will like it.  One of the new students asked me if I write a blog.  Somehow she had discovered it,  put together that the blogger lived on the lake, kayaked with his wife and went to yoga at Eight Limbs.   Interesting.  After class, I stopped at Wegman's, again, to pick up some sorbet for Evie and pick up romaine but they were out of it.  How can you be out of romaine on Senior Citizen Tuesday?

When I got home, Evie was surprisingly chipper and energetic after her dental work on Monday and asked me to get the lawn mower ready in case she felt like cutting the lawns.  We had a lunch of soup, two kinds, and I also had my black bean stew over rice, with salsa, tasty and filling.  We watched Jon Stewart then relaxed.

Lake Erie, Barcelona Beach

Mouth of Chautauqua Creek

Trout Fishing In Chautauqua

Around 2:00, I decided to do what I thought I might do when I got up...drive to Barcelona and walk along the shores of Lake Erie.  It was a great day, an amazing sky, lots of threatening clouds though no rain, windy but not uncomfortable, and I was one of two or three people on the beach. I walked down as far at Chautauqua Creek, watched a fisherman pull a large trout out of the creek, then walked back to my car.  O, yea, I also picked up three buckets of flat rocks, for what reason I am not sure, either to start a rain garden under our gutters, or fill in low spots around the cairns as we enter our yard.  For now, they are sitting in the garage.  I was surprised to see Jake's was still open.  If I knew it, I would have had lunch there.  They will be open until the 15th of November.  After walking the beach, I took the long way home, down # 5, then south to #20, to the Noble Winery and Studio Panterra on Hardscrabble Road, then back to Mayville, where I picked up some romaine, cheese and rye flour, all on sale.

Vineyards in The Fall

When I got home, to my utter disbelief, Evie was finishing up both mulching and raking both Leonards and our yards.  They both looked like golf courses, leafless and green, and we will probably not have to cut them again.  I gathered up a couple of piles of leaves, then took them up to the leaf pile at the top of our road.  It's a good feeling to have the yard and garden ready for winter, making spring much easier.

We relaxed with a glass of wine before dinner, as it was already dark at 5:00.  For dinner, we had leftovers, for me chicken and rice, for Evie soup and she made up some cheesy cauliflower with the cauliflower left over from Sunday's dinner.  We had mango sorbet for dessert as we watched Colbert and two episodes of the FX series Fargo, which we missed when it was on TV last year.  It's gotten great reviews, a take off on the Coen brothers great film Fargo.  It's hard to describe, as the main character, Billy Bob Thornton, is a psychopath, and like the other characters, they remind us of the characters in the movie.  An interesting and effective device.  Despite the violence, we will keep watching because of its Coen like black humor, made more fun because of the Minnesotan dialects of the main characters.

We did not watch much of the election results as we are way out of step with most Americans.   Their delight in the Republican resurgence parallels our dismay.  PBS political commentator Mark Shields explains most election results the best: WHEN MONEY SPEAKS, BOTH THE PEOPLE AND THE TRUTH ARE SILENT.

A Fleeting Dawn

6:48

8:10

I woke at 6:00, stayed in bed hoping to get back to sleep till 6:20 when I got up, to a tinge of pink over Tom's Point.  It slowly enlarged, got brighter, then just disappeared as the cloud cover erased all color, a surprise because I was anticipating the rising sun.  It's warmer than yesterday, 50º at the moment, the highs in the 60's later in the day.  Rains are returning tonight, just in time for the Republican landslide, changing nothing.

The First And Solitary Tundra Swan Of The Season

Yesterday was not a fun day for Evie, as she had what we hope is her penultimate visit to the oral surgeon.  Yesterday, she had to wait an hour because the office was behind.  Her procedure, to build up the bone grafting by taking tissue from the roof of her mouth.  Ugh.  This should be the last major work.  So, it took well over two hours in the office, so I drove off to Ryder's Cup, read for a half hour, then shopped for foods that Evie might be able to enjoy, like mango sorbet, any kind of soft food.  When we got home, she went upstairs, still tired and drugged, where she spent most of the day, the pain coming and going, but by 6:00, the pain seemed to be under control.  While Evie slept, I made some black bean stew, but had a difficult time because the slow cooker did not seem to work properly so I had to simmer them on the stove for a few hours.  When I was sure Evie was doing ok, I drove off to Jamestown, to Lake Shore Paving, to pick up five buckets of what is called millings, which is  basically ground up asphalt from roads.  My buddy, Ron Armontrout, in Maine uses it on his driveway, as well as his road though in Maine it's called brown pack.   It's the texture of dirt but supposedly packs tightly, so it's a hard surface. I spread it out on parts of the Woodlawn road just before reaching our property, where there are a number of potholes, often filled with water.  I patted it down, then drove over it many times, so that it actually looks like asphalt at the moment.  We will have to see how it weathers though.

For dinner, I had leftover mushroom/eggplant pasta, made up some garlic bread and a salad.  Evie felt well enough to come downstairs, have some Thai soup with noodles, and together, we watched some TV: Homeland, The Good Wife, Real Time with Bill Maher.  We went upstairs to read around 10:30.  Evie fortunately had a good night, sleeping until 7:30 this morning and woke up with minimal if any pain.  Unfortunately, she has been warned that the third day is the most painful so she cannot relax yet.

I am going to yoga at 9:30, then to vote, then perhaps to Barcelona, to walk the Lake Erie beach before it rains and pick up some more rocks.  I feel like walking the beach while Evie rests.

Sunrise Over Tom's Point

7:56

A Beautiful Autumn Sunday Afternoon

I was up at 6:45, no more darkness at this hour because of DST.  The sun rose above the horizon about 7:10, blinding until it hid behind the cloud bank.  It was the first unfiltered sunrise since we returned from Maine, one where I could tell how far south the sun has moved.  It always amazes me.

White Caps On Chautauqua Lake

Yesterday was the first really cool, almost cold day of the fall, with temperatures in the 30's and low 40's most of the day.  We enjoyed our extra morning hour, listening to NPR but decided to get outside around 9:30, when we walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  It was windy, enough so that there were white caps on the lake, but it was pleasant in the woods, as we trod the leaf strewn paths, the green fading, the verticals of tree trunks dominating our view.  It's always invigorating for both of us to be outside in crisp, cold air, and we look forward to the winter to come.

Victoria Lane

Bergen's Daisies

When we got back from our walk, Evie made our Sunday breakfast and we fast forwarded through much of CBS Sunday morning.  The rest of the afternoon I hung out inside, watching some football, reading and Evie put our dinner together because we were having McClures over, even made chocolate chip cookies, a busy afternoon.  We also listened to the Browns game on the radio and I finished my book, THE HUSBAND'S SECRET and really enjoyed it, lots of martial problems, wife as well as husband angst!  And, of course, worry about their children.  A few snippets: "Falling in love is easy; it's marriage that's hard." And, "Marriage was a form of insanity; love hovering on the edge of aggravation."  We got a kick out of them.

Sunday Dinner With Ron and Linda

McClures came over at 6:00, after driving to Fredonia to watch the opera, Carmen, at the Fredonia Opera House only to find out that it was shown live the day before, on Saturday. Oops.  I am glad we didn't go.  We had our usual beer and appetizers, and they brought along their photos from their trip to Italy and Germany last month, so we endured a good half hour of Ron droning on about this street, that church, this kind of beer.  Just kidding.  They had a lovely time, great weather, and they stayed in neat small hotels or Gashaus's, in picturesque towns, with narrow streets and alleys.  Their photos make you want to get up off your couch and fly to Europe, almost.

For dinner, we had Greek chicken, our daughter Beth's recipe, a side of orzo/rice/spinach, from our new cookbook, JERSUSALEM, Chillingsworth's pumpkin roles, salad with a two mustard/lemon/oil dressing, and a head of cauliflower, which we laughed about because Evie roasted and roasted it but could not get it tender.  Warning...do not try to roast a whole head of cauliflower despite what a  recipe tells you.  They stayed until 10:00, as we finished the night in front of the fire place eating chocolate chip cookies.  We then did up the dishes, watched some TV and went to bed.

Snow Fall In Chautauqua County (But Not Woodlawn)

6:57

8:13

Late Fall Snow on Ellery

We both miraculously slept in till just before 7:00 (would have been 8:00 yesterday morning).  Loads of heavy clouds, both dark and light, hang over Long Point, the wind whipping the flag, the lake surface ruffled.  Not a morning for kayaking unless you like ocean kayaking.  It's now 7:40 and we are listening to a review of one of my favorite books, OLIVE KITTERIDGE, a made for TV series which starts tonight on HBO.  It got rave reviews as did the book, so I cannot wait to see it.

Yesterday was about as miserable day as I can remember at the lake, or the kind of day we have much of the winter when it does not snow!  Windy, wet, threatening gray clouds, a wet, cold wind. Just the kind of weather that makes you want to get up and drive to yoga at 9:00, which I did because I really like the new teacher.  I had only been to her class once but she remembered my name when I walked in.  We had about ten people, some there for the first time.  Our teacher likes to have us work in pairs, so we get to know each other some, which is different but kind of nice.  Unfortunately, I was asked to help demonstrate a position which I was uncomfortable trying but I was too chicken to say no.  I managed it, a backward bend, with  Lauren's help which was the point...we sometimes need props/  I felt great after class, stopped at Ryder's for a coffee, then on to Wegman's again, the second time in 15 hours.  I picked up things for tonight's dinner when the McClure's are coming over.

Long Point, late afternoon, by Evie (looks like an Ansel Adams)

When I got home, Evie had continued her obsession with redoing every closet, pantry, refrigerator, freezer, etc.  She had a stack of trash for me, so off I went to see the guys at the Transfer not Transit Station.  Lots of cars, pick ups filled with trash, a busy morning for the guys.  I came home in a light rain, had a lunch of vegetable soup and tuna sandwiches, looked for something fun to watch on the TV but couldn't find anything and who wants to watch the Maryland/Penn State football game unless, like our neighbors, you are a Penn State fan.  So, I helped Evie some with her rearranging and throwing out, and we finally took the air conditioner out of our bedroom window.  Evie has agreed we probably will not have a heat spell.  Now we are ready for winter.  I relaxed, what else, the rest of the afternoon, making some Turkish tea, reading my book, THE HUSBAND'S SECRET, taking a brief nap before deciding to walk the Woodlawn/Victoria woods around 4:45 in the snow flurries.  I couldn't resist the temptation to walk in the snow even if it did not stay on the ground. It felt great to feel the snow hitting my face, the crispness of the air, a harbinger of the winter to come.

We had dinner made so we listened to Garrison Keeler, with a couple glasses of wine and cheese and watched the snow flurries, glittering in the the gaze of our flood light.  Just like the old days, when we would drive up on weekends from Hudson, hurry to cut the lawn or mulch the leaves, so we could have a drink and listen to Garrison on NPR.  Last night was his annual joke show, fun because the jokes are often so stupid they are funny.  We didn't eat until around 7:00, one of my favorite pasta sauces, with eggplant and mushrooms.  Evie first started making this back in the 1970's when we lived in Turkey.  The Turks love eggplant, have hundreds of recipes for using it and this was one we picked out.  We watched some junk TV, not much on Saturday night until 10:00, when we watched a Saturday Night Live from ten years ago.  It was mediocre but we did enjoy listening to Adele, her first time on SNL.  We went up to read and did not fall asleep until 11:30, knowing we would gain and hour.

Morning From Our Geranium Window Seat

WINTER'S BONE: DANIEL WOODRELL

This book, published in 2006, was made popular by the movie, Winter's Bone, starring Jennifer Lawrence who was nominated for Best Actress for her performance. I have read almost all of Woodrell's works except for this one, mostly because I could not find it in a library.  The story is set in the Appalachia of Missouri, an area we know little about but it's where Woodrell still lives and he knows it well.  Rhee is the main character.  She lives in the shallows of the mountains, with her frail, sick mother, and  two siblings.  Her father is on the lam from the law, put up their house as bail, and has run out on it.  The sheriff stops by to tell Rhee she will have to move within the month unless her father shows up,   The rest of the story describes Rhee's odyssey, trying to find out where her father has gone, if he's still alive.  This means having some help from family, but mostly the search falls on Rhee's shoulders.  She eventually convinces neighbors but also families with long standing grievances to help her.  Three women, some of the toughest you have ever seen, like the duck dynasty guys but women, with mustaches, took her on a drive, blind folded, and drove her out to a lake, where they jumped in a boat, rowed to a certain spot, where her daddy was supposed resting.  Rhee has to reach down into the water and pull up her Daddy's corpse.  But that was not enough.  The ladies brought along a chain saw and Rhee has to saw off her Daddy's hand so she could prove he was dead.  Thus, all's well that ends well, even if you Daddy's dead, hand less, lying in the shallows of a lake.  At least Rhee still has a house to live in, a  sick Mom  and two siblings who also depend on her.  A great movie and a good book.  Locals were stand in's in the movie, to give it a sense of verisimilitude.

Once More To The Transfer Station

Kayak Morning

8:00

It's not a very nice morning, overcast and wet, an authentic Chautauqua morning.  Blustery might be a better word, as the flag flies, the rain hits our windows.  It's 39º, the forecast high for the day with the possibility of our first snow this evening, probably more likely sleet or slush.

Yesterday began with yoga at 9:00, with Courtney. Unfortunately, she does not seem to be attracting much of a following, as there were only two of us in her class, the way its been for most of her teaching days.  She's a good teacher, not too rigorous so its strange that her classes are so small.  And she has added some variety to her class which makes it more fun as well.  Anyways, class was fine, and I stopped at Ryder's for a coffee, said aloha to the owner, Joyce, her parents who are often there, and John, a local guy who I have gotten to know.  Friendly me.

When I got home, Evie had torn apart the kitchen, made a vegetable soup for lunches, a tomato/mushroom/eggplant sauce for dinner,  made up our granola,  cleaned out the frig and freezer, and was well on her way with the pantry.  We have so many bags and jars of something that's been opened but has been sitting for a year or more that it's tempting to throw it all out except that you may just need it tomorrow.  I think we all know that feeling.

Blue Heron On The Shore

We took time off around noon, to go kayaking because the lake was calm and appealing even though the sky was grey, cloud filled.  We  got as far as Wells Bay when it started to drizzle, so we turned around and slowly headed back.  Just as we pulled our kayaks in, the drizzle stopped.  I put away the kayaks and Evie went in to make our lunch, toasted cheese on homemade bread and homemade vegetable soup.  Yum.  We both watched Stewart and Colbert, then Evie worked some more on the kitchen, and I did up the dishes before lying down to read and take a nap.  Nothing like a nap.  Around 4:00, I went outside, hoping to do something in the yard or go for a walk but it was raining so I put thing off till Sunday or Monday when it is supposed to clear up.

A Lonesome Dahlia (?) In Joyce Leonard's Garden

Evie had dinner ready from the morning but we decided to hit our club, The Rod and Gun that is, for something I have been wanting---- a fish fry!  Love the 8.95 fish fry at our club especially after eighteen dollar lobster rolls in Maine, not that they weren't worth it.  I sound like Seinfeld.  We got to the club around 6:00, thinking it wouldn't be as crowded because of Halloween.  We were right. The bar, however, was full but there was no wait for a table.  The last Friday we were there, in September, we had to wait for a table for over an hour on a Friday night.  So, we sat at the only two open seats at the bar, ordered a couple of buck fifty drafts, then had fish frys, in the dining room, as the band began setting up for the night.  We didn't linger as the service was quick and we were on our way to Wegman's by 7:30, for some ice cream and a few other staples.  It's a good time to shop as there are no lines at the cashier.  We were home by 8:15, in time to watch the first quarter of the Cavs game with the Bulls, then two episodes of Parenthood that we had saved on the DVR.  We went up to bed around 10:30, to read, then sleep.

Today does not look like a day for a walk or hike; rather, it will start with yoga at 9:00, a trip to the Transfer Station at noon, then a good book, a cup of Turkish tea, perhaps a nap, and a dinner of pasta with eggplant and mushrooms, as we both enjoy the coziness of our house on a miserable day.