A Southwestern Sky Morning

6:21

6:49

6:50

7:09

I was up at 6:00, listening to the news about the Category Two Hurricane.  It sounds like flooding is going to be the big problem.  I have been outside three or four times already as each time I look up from my computer, the sky is more spectacular.  At the moment, the sun has yet to arise yet its rays are coloring the clouds orange.  It should arise in about ten minutes, around 7:05 so I will be out in the yard, capturing its peaking over the shoreline.  It's 9:15 and I have just returned from an hour and a half paddle, taking my time, even watching a heron for ten minutes, hoping to get a photo of him diving.  His patience was greater than mine so I paddled off without a good photograph. It was, however, a good morning for great blue herons as I took photos of four.

Kayak Morning

Spotted Sandpiper

Great Blue Heron

Poised To Strike

Yesterday morning was busy, as I mentioned, with a paddle, breakfast and helping a friend move a heavy workbench from one side of the lake to the other.  When I returned home at 10:00, Evie was busy in the kitchen putting together our dinner, a ratatouille, a mixture of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.  The key is to roast vegetable separately, then mix them together, so they still have some tenderness.  Because I am taking a hiatus from yoga for a week or two, I went for a walk at the Chautauqua Institution, surprisingly empty and warm.  It was a sticky walk although the beauty of the Institution was still at its summer peak, as fall had yet to arrive and all was green.  Afterward, I drove to the Lighthouse Grocery and picked up lunch, a sub sandwich.

Walking The Chautauqua Institution

Thunder Bridge

Lunch, then, was easy, heat up some more of the cauliflower soup and grab half of the sub, saving the other half for Friday.  The rest of the day was a waste as neither of us got much done.  Evie took it easy on the couch, watching the Weather Channel downgrade the storm from four to three to two, a good thing.  It makes us laugh to see the announcer's dramatic standing in water or rain, telling us what is happening in the storm's path at the moment.  For some reason, neither of us went out to enjoy the sun on the dock, perhaps because it was warm and humid once again.  The lake is getting busy as lots of fishing boats have arrived.

We had a glass of wine as Evie made dinner, heating up the ratatouille, slicing the leftover chicken breasts and making a salad.  The ratatouille was great, especially topped with a dollop or two of yogurt.  We watched a couple of episodes of Stephen Colbert and really enjoyed his interview with Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas.  Why anyone would vote for Ted Cruz, the most disliked man in the Senate, instead of Beto is a mystery.  We ended the night with some Vice News and a few minutes of NFL football.

WarmIng Up, Clouding Up

6:30

7:47

It's 10:15 as I start writing this blog, after a paddle at 7:00, breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00, then helping a friend move a heavy workbench from one side of the lake to the other.  It's in the 70's already, will be in the 80's later in the day.

Kayak Morning

Looking North

Wood Ducks

Yesterday was a good day although it did not start out that way.  We were expecting to talk with Evie's neurosurgeon at 9:20 but received a call that he was behind schedule and we would have to wait until later in the day.  So I got ready to go to yoga, gathered up my things, and decided to take all the returnable cans back to the can center.  As I was taking the bottles out of our window seat,  I found the keys to my Subaru which had been missing since August.  Needless to say, it saved me a hundred and fifty bucks, the cost of replacing keys these days.  I then went to yoga, a good class, and came home around 11:30 and found Evie out on the dock.  She was happy because she had talked with the surgeon and he agreed 100% with her decision to go with laminectomy, the lesser of two evils.  The best part, no more uncertainty as to which surgery makes the most sense.  So we have scheduled her surgery for late October, having canceled the surgery for today, the 13th because of our uncertainty. It was a good morning.

An Afternoon Cruise

The afternoon was relaxing, as we had no plans.  I had my soup and leftover pork chop, then napped and when I woke, it was starting to clear up some.  So we decided to take a boat ride down to the Chautauqua Institution, dock our boat and go for a walk.  It was a good decision, cool and refreshing on the lake, a bit too humid as we walked around the CI.  Still, it was a good choice and we enjoyed it, not getting home until 5:30.  I put the cover back on the boat and Evie got dinner ready.  Earlier in the day she had roasted chicken breasts, so she cut them up, roasted some asparagus, made a salad and heated up the leftover vodka pasta.  We had more than enough for dinner, the chicken was tender and I finished off the leftover pasta.  We watched a new episode of Season Two of OZARK, then a couple of Stephen Colbert's, finishing the night with Vice News.

"O What A Beautiful Morning"

6:34

7:00

7:01

7:08

It's after 8:00 and I have been up for a couple of hours, enjoying my coffee, then a long paddle over to Tom's Point, about an hour on the water.  It was a colorful morning dawn, finally, after days of gray.  It should start to get warmer today, somewhere in the 70's, with a chance of showers.

Kayak Morning

Fishing On The Dock On The Lake

Heron Among The Reeds

Yesterday was a lost day for me because I was up so early, by 5:00, because of a faulty fire alarm.  I should not have kayaked because I was beat when I came home and collapsed on the couch.  Meanwhile, Evie was up to her usual, figuring out what we should get done for the day.  I was not too enthusiastic obviously.  So once I got some energy back, we took a stab at our attic, a continuing mess from this summer where we pulled things out for the family, then threw them back in no order so we have quite a task of putting things back in order and finding space for whatever we bought this summer with no thought as to where we would store it.

After some progress, we decided to put things off until another day, again, and I made myself some lunch, cauliflower soup, and a sandwich and Evie showered because she had a chiropractor appointment at 1:30.  I started an older series from Great Britain, LUTHER,  and I am not sure if I will stick with it.  It's not bad but has not grabbed me yet.  While Evie was gone, I went upstairs to read and hopefully nap.  I did for about forty-five minutes and felt a bit more like myself.

The Woods

Still Green

Evie was home earlier than expected, around 3:00.  Around 4:00, I was so disgusted with myself, with lying around, that I decided to walk the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  It was a good idea; walking in the woods always picks up my mood, makes me mellow. And I stopped to talk with our neighbor, Pat, and play with her Westies.

Sugar And Libby

It's a fairly short jaunt, takes about 30 minutes if I pause to take a photo so I was back by 5:15, in time to shower and get cleaned up because we were going out to dinner at 6:15 with Linda and Ron.

We were sitting at Steener's Bar by 6:35, enjoying a beer, talking with the bartender, then ordered the steak specials, two ribeyes, and french fries for twenty bucks, a deal.  Well, it wasn't such a great deal because our ribeyes were tough, either grilled too long or a select cut.  Usually, they are fine which is why we keep coming back.  We had a good time, anyways, as the beer and fries are always good.

Our Besties

We were home by 8:30 in time to watch a Colbert, his interview with Bob Woodward.  And then, we watched an amazing 24 minutes, a must watch for any Beatles fan.  James Corden had Paul McCartney as his guest on CARPOOL KARAOKE and they returned to Paul's roots in Liverpool, where they visit Paul's old haunts, the home he grew up in, and Paul sings various Beatles songs in a Liverpool Pub.  It's a great show, filled with nostalgia, and it brings James to tears.  WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvzCTqkBDQ

Darkness Ebbs

8:04

8:05

Not the best of mornings as our smoke alarm went off at 5:00 for some unknown reason, twice, so I ended up coming downstairs, turning off the breaker and turning on the coffee.  Being up at 5:00 in utter darkness reminds me of winter mornings when it does not get light until 8:00.  Right now it's 6:40 and the lake and Long Point are visible although in shades of gray.  We have had 36 hours of wind and rain so even though the sky is gray, the wind has lessened, little if any rain is forecast so I hope to get in some kayaking.

Kayaking In The Mist

Yesterday was a miserably wet and windy day as I mentioned above.  No kayaking early because of the wind and rain.  I did, however, get to my Yin Yoga class and the numbers are way down, as only the locals are in attendance.  After class, I had a number of stops, the library, coffee shop and bank before Wegman's.  I was surprised to fill my cart, thinking it would be a light shopping day.  After Wegman's, I made a quick stop at Sav A Lot to pick up some chicken breasts which were on sale.  Evie wanted to freeze them, pull them out as needed in the next few weeks.

When I returned home, Evie had been busy, making one of her favorite desserts, a lemon pudding cake for last night's dinner.  She had invited our neighbors, Bill and Joyce, and their son David, in town from Sacramento, over for dinner.  Lunch was easy because on Sunday, Evie had made one of our favorite soups, an Indian spiced cauliflower soup. She made some croutons for the soup and I had a delicious lunch and finally finished the series THE CODE.  I liked it quite a bit and now must find something else to watch during lunch.

We had a fairly easy afternoon once Evie breaded the pork chops and I washed the potatoes and we both cleaned up the kitchen.  We then did the usual, read, napped, watched some TV and wished we could get outside but the weather was not cooperative.  It was strange to be housebound, in our fleeces and sweats, not outside on the dock or cruising in our boat on the lake.

Dinner With David, Joyce, And Bill

Our neighbors arrived at 6:00 and we sat around enjoying some wine or beer until 7:00, as David regaled us with his life in California.  I think because of our cold, rainy weather, he's ready to head back to La La Land.  Dinner was breaded pork chops, applesauce, roasted red potatoes, asparagus and a throwback to the 1970's, a strawberry, red onion and lettuce salad with poppyseed dressing.  The pork chops were excellent and no one left any of their salad so dinner was a big success. We ended the night with the cake topped with whipped cream.  They left at 9:00 and we then we spent the next twenty minutes, doing the dishes, Evie washing, me drying, what's come to be our routine after a dinner party.  We must enjoy it, especially the waking up to a clean kitchen.

A Windy, Stormy Morning

7:30

7:34

I was up at 5:55, to darkness, rain pelting the windows, the southeasterly wind howling, and a fall like 53º.  It's now 7:10 and the morning has lightened up enough to make out Long Point, the lake, our dock.  All is gray, the lake ruffled, the flag blowing wildly, in 15-20 mph winds.  I don't think there will be a paddle in my morning.  And because of the wind, I fear for Evie's dahlias, many in full bloom.

Fishing In The Rain

Sunday was spent inside for the most part because of the weather, lots of wind and clouds, a chilly, gray day.  We had an extended morning coffee, taking our time, in no hurry to get busy, the way Sundays should be. We listened to some of the news programs, read the Washington Post and New York Times online, surfing the net until almost noon. By then, I was looking forward to another big Sunday breakfast so Evie got out the bacon and we had breakfast, eggs, bagels, and bacon and watched the rest of Bill Maher's Real Time, an episode we started Saturday night.  Afterward, I read some, napped and watched some football, a typical Sunday in the fall.  Evie was excited because she loves listening to Jimmy Donovan announce the Browns game on Sirius Radio.  It makes her feel right at home and his excitement is contagious.  For most of the afternoon, it was bad news for the Browns but they had an exciting comeback, had a chance to win it all, but their field goal with a few seconds left was blocked so they ended up with a tie, a pyrrhic victory and not a loss.

Around 3:00,  I drove over to Long Point because I wanted to watch the weigh-in for the bass tournament.  When I drove in, they had a guy at the entrance,  charging six bucks to get into the park, a park I have never had to pay in thirty years.  So I bagged it, too angry (cheap) to dish out six bucks, and drove home.  Few take advantage of this park, ever, so why charge to use it.

We took it easy with a glass of wine around 5:30, as the wind picked up and the rain began.  Dinner was Beth's pasta sauce, leftover and frozen from her visit in August.  With a salad and garlic bread, we had a tasty dinner.  We started a new movie on Netflix called Sierra Burgess Is A Loser but we soon realized it was predictably silly so we turned it off and watched two episodes of The Great British Baking Show, always fun.  We went to bed early, a result of our "wild" Saturday night in Jamestown.

A 47º Jeans And Flannel Shirt Morning

At FORTE With Rob

6:51

A windy, gray, deliciously cool morning.  We had to close all the windows last night because we knew the temperature was dropping into the 40's during the night.  The flagpole is bending with the wind, the wind chimes are chiming and at least 50 bass boats roared out of the Long Point Marina just after 7:00.  Quite a morning here at the lake.  It's 9:00 and I had windy, rough, wet paddle but I was able to get down to Sandy Bottom, then the wind literally carried me home.

Kayaking On A Windy Morning

Neither of us knew what yesterday, a Saturday would bring.  We had no real plans for the day or evening, just took the day as it came.  Interestingly, when we have no plans we end up being busy all day and night.  We started with the house and kitchen, gathering everything for my weekly trip to the Transfer Station.  I gather the newspapers, empty the wastebaskets and Evie cleans out the refrigerator, a task she immensely dislikes, perhaps because I ask her every Saturday if she has cleaned it out yet.  After my trip to the Transfer Station, Evie was out in the yard, beginning to work on the garden and was literally out all day, with my occasional help.  I got out the electric hedge cutters and trimmed our privets in the front yard, an easy 15-minute job.  Afterward,  I shoveled some compost into a carry all and dug a hole for the new fall blooming clematis we bought this past week at Stan's in Erie.  We have had bad luck with this particular location because animals have eaten the lower trunk, killing the clematis.  This time its a three-foot clematis and Evie surrounded it with mesh to keep the critters away.

While Evie worked in the yard, I heated up some pizza for lunch, watched some football and read some before falling asleep briefly, waking to the sound of the lawnmower.  The lawnmower girl had fired up the mower and was cutting our lawn.  I woke refreshed from the cat nap and decided to clean out the garage which flooded a few days ago when we had two inches of rain in forty-five minutes, bringing in water and mud.  I had to take everything out, then sweep it a couple of times and leave the doors open, the stuff in the parking area, and let it dry for a couple of hours.  Around 4:00, Evie finished up in the yard and I put everything back in my semi-clean garage.  It was a productive day for both of us.

We had no plans for dinner or the evening but felt guilty about not going to the 15TH ANNUAL INFINITY SHOWCASE, a benefit for young musicians in the Jamestown area. Area musicians donate their time and play in six or seven venues most of the night. We have gone in the past but thought we would pass on it this year.  The guilt, however, got to us and we decided to head to Jamestown and at least get the wristbands for fifteen bucks, to benefit the kids and get something to eat. We put on jeans and shoes with socks for the first time in a couple of months.  It felt amazing.  When we arrived in Jamestown, we were not sure where to begin but I read on Facebook that THE WINE CELLAR had a group at 7:00 so we went there, sat at the bar, had a beer and listened to a folk group, the Good Fellas, sing for a half hour.

Good Fellas

They were quite good and played a number of songs we recognized.  We then decided to go eat and would see if we could get at seat at Forte's Bar; if not, we would go to Taco Hut.  Fortunately, two seats opened up just as we walked in Forte, so were able to sit at the bar.  We ordered the steak, salad, truffle fries, rolls, and salad special, always good.  And we struck up a conversation with Rob, a guy sitting next to Evie and we ended up talking with him until we left.  He's a neat guy, from Warren, works at the refinery, and enjoys coming to Jamestown, especially for the sushi at Forte.  We had a lot in common, grown kids, love of boating, and this part of New York and Pennsylvania.  He has a boat, a cabin cruiser on Kinzua Lake, part of the Allegheny National Forest and spends many of his weekends there.  We ended our dinner with a selfie, of course, and a vow to see each other again.

A Rockin Feverhawk

We then decided to walk to a new club that opened on 2nd Street called the Chadakoin Club.  We could hear the rock band wailing even before we got there.  We were able to walk in easily and stand 15 feet away with the rest of the crowd, enjoying Feverhawk's hard-driving, heavy metal music, rocking with the beat.  Just as we were leaving, we ran into Danielle, my Yin Yoga teacher, out to enjoy the evening like us.  We then walked to another bar, Shawbucks, found a seat at the bar and listened to another group for a half hour, Cold Lazarus, enjoying a beer, and people watching.

Cold Lazarus

The band was a more mellow, almost alternative, with a crazy, white-haired drummer.  We ended the night back at the Chadakoin Club, listening to another band, Tune In Tokyo.  They were great musicians but quite a trip to look at.  A couple looked like they had just been let out of a retirement home, the others from a juvie center.  They could really play, however, so we stayed until 10:30.

Tune In Tokyo

We then walked back to our car on a chilly, windy night, marveling at the fact that at all of these venues, we only ran into one person we knew.  Where are all these people during the day?

We got home just before 11:00 and were still hyper from the evening, so we watched some TV before going up to bed to read and sleep, the end to a surprisingly good day and evening.

A Taste Of Autumn

9:00

I was awakened late, at 7:00, by the roar of bass boats as they are having a big fishing tournament this weekend.   Now, at 7:45, I can count five boats fishing of Woodlawn/Victoria docks.  It's a deliciously cool morning, 63º and we should have a high only in the 60's.  There went summer?  It's 9:00, and I am back from a paddle on 'rough seas', on a gray, windy morning.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday went quickly for some reason although we hardly got anything accomplished.  I did get in a half hour paddle and when I returned, everyone was up, enjoying their coffee.  Around 9:30, Evie made a big breakfast for Linda and Rich, fried eggs, bagels, home fries and peameal bacon from the Lighthouse Grocery.  After breakfast, we sat out on the front porch talking until 11:00 or so when they headed home, hoping to take the scenic way home, along Lake Erie on RT. 5.

Heron On Our Dock

We did not do much of note the rest of the day.  Evie spent part of her afternoon reclined on the dock and I stayed inside reading or watching some tennis.  Neither of us felt like getting things done.  They could wait for another cool day.  We left for Lakewood around 3:30 because Evie had an appointment with a chiropractor at 4:00.  I dropped her off and did some shopping at Wegman's and Home Depot while she was at the chiropractor.  We decided on an easy dinner, so we texted our order to Pizza Hut, right next to Wegman's and I picked it up after shopping.  And by the time I was done shopping and picking up the pizza, Evie was finished, so I picked her up and we drove home.

We decided it was nice enough to sit on the front porch with a glass of wine and appetizers, so we sat out there for a good hour, marveling at how quiet the lake was on a Friday night.  I guess summer is really over for the weekenders and visitors.  We were looking forward to the pizza because Pizza Hut used to be a favorite but it was disappointing, both the crust and sauce.  We will stick with our local pizza place from now on.  We watched the last two episodes of HBO's SHARP OBJECTS, with its confusing, surprisingly, and demented ending.  And you have to watch the credits to really confirm your thinking.  I am tempted to read the novel but since I know the ending, probably won't.  That was it for the night, so we went up to bed.