A Cloth Of White

 Thai Dining

7:12

7:53

Well, it's 8:00 and I have been up since 6:30.  When I looked out the bedroom windows, the yard and lake were once again white, covered with maybe an inch or two of snow, not enough to ski, just enough to cover the ground.  Around 7:30, I heard what appeared to be engine noises, revving up and down but could not see anything.  Then, later, around 8:30, a couple of hovercrafts appeared off of Long Point and spent a half-hour,  scouring the ice, looking for something, then headed back towards the Marina and Bemus Point. 

Hovercraft

Looking For What?

Friday we returned to Chautauqua gray, with snow early in the evening.  I went to yoga, of course, and there were only two of us which is great because we get to do what we want.  Julie is always good at asking us what we would like to do on days like this.  After class, I stopped for a coffee, talked with Dave and Bob, the bookstore owner, before driving home in the cold.  When I came in, the house was quiet and Evie had nor only left a note saying she was off shopping but also the makings for a tuna sandwich.  I relaxed for a bit, surfed both the NYTimes and Washington Post to see if there was anything new other than Trump pellets.  There wasn't.  I then toasted some bread, spread the tuna on each slice, added, both tomatoes and cheddar cheese and had a couple of tasty sandwiches for lunch.  I watched another episode of Narcos Mexico, then read and napped. 

Evie didn't get home from shopping until 2:00, having once again stocked up on staples so we are now set for weeks if there is ever a problem with this coronavirus spreading nationwide. I guess it's smart to be prepared, proactive and all that we have gathered, we will eventually use so it's not like we are wasting anything.  I think we may be the exception around here as there does not seem to be anyone stocking up like us. 

The rest of the afternoon was one of leisure, watching TV's latest comedy show (rivaling Colbert and Kimmel) as both Doctors, Trump and Pence lie, contradict, and misspeak about the spread of the coronavirus.  All Trump seems to worry about is the effect on the stock market so he continually downplays any idea that this might be serious.  As usual, he sees the world as he would like it to be, not as it is, blaming Obama and Democrats whenever something goes wrong, 

We were actually excited to go out to dinner because we were trying an Asian restaurant that has been recommended in downtown Jamestown called Tokyo Beijing.  We left at 6:00 with Ron and Linda just as it was started to snow, It was not very crowded so we easily found seats.  We were bowled over by the menu, six or seven pages of Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes.  We all ordered the miso soup and Asian beers, much to our delight.  I ordered one of my favorite Thai dishes, Thai basil chicken and shrimp, the other three all had versions of Pad Thai. We loved our meals; it was so good to get good Asian food after quite a while, probably years for Evie and me.  We left around 8:00 and of course, I drove home in a near blizzard, making it hard to see the lanes.  I took it easy, made sure I had plenty of room to slow down and made it home safely.

We had enough time to watch some TV, the latest news, then one more episode of The Americans before we went up to bed, excited and happy that we have found a good Asian restaurant.

Gray Day

6:41

It's 33º out, gray skies and lake, but yesterday was glorious, sunny, cool, just the way we like it.  Unfortunately, we did not get in any walks but still, just having the sun out was enough.  When I walked out to take a morning photograph, I could hear the honking of geese off in the distance, a sure sign of Spring. 

There's nothing like crisp morning air to get me pumped, so I was ready for a yoga class at 10:00 with Danielle. So were lots of others as class was back to being crowded after a brief hiatus.  No fear of the coronavirus yet.  I weighed going for a coffee but knew we were driving to Erie at 1:00 so I came straight home.

Evie made me another chicken salad sandwich for lunch, just right and I watched Luka Doncic's Mavericks during lunch.  He's the only NBA player I really enjoy watching now that Golden State has lost its two shooters.  We left for Erie at 1:00 because Evie was getting an epidural at 2:15 from her doctor, hoping it will help her back pain.  It was fairly quick, as we were on the road by 1:15 and because Evie was such a good girl, I rewarded her with a stop at Mc Donald's in Erie for a quarter pounder meal, fries, coke,  since she has been craving one for the last six months and a cheeseburger for me.  It reminded me for some reason of the good old days when Mc Donald's first opened in the late 1950s and we could get a cheeseburger for 15 cents.

A Lake Still Frozen

We were home by 3:00, both exhausted from the visit, ready to collapse on the couches and watch some TV or do some reading.  Earlier in the morning, Evie had put together a huge pot of chili so we knew dinner would be easy, just heat up a couple of bowls in the microwave. 

Blue Skies On Woodlawn at 5:00 PM

We relaxed, then,  had our wine around 6:00 and did not eat until 7:00 as we were not hungry till then because of our mid-afternoon run to Mc Donald's.  We watched the repetition of the coronavirus alerts until we were sick of them and turned to another Colbert.  We ended the night as we have been doing for the last week, with two episodes of Season Two of The Americans. 

Rosy Fingered Dawn

6:43

6:58

7:28

A surprisingly clear morning sky, pink at the horizon, light blue above on a cold 24º morning. Most of the snow has melted, only piles remain here at Woodlawn.

Muskrat Ramble

Yesterday was a decent Wednesday, the rains had stopped, with some sun later in the day.  I went to a yoga class only to find out Jen, our teacher, had rolled her car on black ice Friday, trying to avoid a deer.  She's ok, just sore and made it to class. There were only three of us and we often talk about books we have been reading before class because a couple of practitioners are on the local library board.  One heads the local library so she always has good suggestions, this time The Bear by Andrew Krivac.  I have read a couple of his books before, The Sojourn and The Signal Flame.

After class, I made a quick trip to a very busy Aldi's, always packed with local Amish families, there to get a deal.  I had a shortlist from the ads and was in and out within ten minutes. Their cashiers are the fastest I have ever seen, tossing item after item into your cart.  I was home just after noon and Evie had been busy, making a big pot of chili for dinners and lunches, freezing many of the items we bought on Tuesday from Wednesday for later in the month.  For lunch, Evie took the leftover rotisserie chicken and made me a couple of chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.  I watched another Narcos Mexico, decent, not great as its much like the previous Narcos, lots of drugs, killing, and fear.  I fell asleep reading, the best way to take a nap.

March Woods

Around 4:00, I decided to get some exercise.  I grabbed my walking poles and trudged up into our woods, the snow rapidly melting so the trails often looked like a wet fall day, leaves brown and soaked, occasionally some with snow.  It was a strange walk, in the 30's, the sky gray, trees like sticks standing up in the air.  When I returned home, the kitchen smelled great.  Evie had put together a pear tart for our dessert.  We then did our usual, watched the sky darken as we had some wine before beginning dinner.  Because we had a number of potatoes leftover from a previous dinner, Evie sliced them, then browned them on both sides, while the bacon sizzled, then fried a couple of eggs and we had another great dinner, with a healthy salad of course.  The potatoes were A+, as was the rest of dinner.  We watched the main street media sing the praises of Joe Biden, all but forgetting about Bernie Sanders.  Ironically, only Fox News sang his praise, hoping he rather than Biden would take on Trump,  What a world.  It makes you think about the greats, like Walter Cronkite or Jim Lehrer, and to what extent they leaned left or right, trumped fake news or is this a new thing.

We watched a Colbert, then decided to finish Season One of The Americans, close to three hours worth and once again, we were amazed at how much we had forgotten, as if he had never watched it before.

Feels Like A New Day

6:56

7:00

7:04

7:41

I woke to clear skies, a bright sunrise, a surprise Biden victory yesterday so all is well this morning on the lake.  It's 33º, the snow has melted in our front yard, the lake still seemingly frozen but no ice fishermen have ventured out on it the past couple of days.

Yesterday reminded me of April showers, as it rained much of the day, puddles gathering on our walk and the driveway.  So I wore a slicker over my fleece although it was springtime warm mid-afternoon, a toasty 51º March day.  I drove to yoga at 9:00, had a good beginning yoga class although none of us are beginners, then on to Ryders Cup.  I talked with Paul, another regular about bringing up his two kids on the lake, where they learned to sail and race all types of boats at the Lakewood Yacht Club, and ski during the winters at Holiday Valley, back when we had real winters.  It sounded like an ideal place to raise a family.  Now, the Yacht Club has few sailboats, as families seem to have lost interest or cannot afford the sailing life.  I also talked with Bob, the bookstore owner about the elections, with both of us unwilling to predict how Biden would fare against Bernie.  We like both but fear Bernie's too radical for most Americans.

I was home by noon, relaxed some before lunch, the leftover stir fry with cabbage, garlic, ginger and ground turkey.  Over rice, it was more than enough for lunch.  I watched the rest of the first episode of Narcos, then returned to my book and took a brief nap, well deserved after an early rising. We planned on a shopping spree at Wegman's, a bit concerned about a run off on staples, a stockpiling like we have seen in Washington state and New York City.  Most shoppers appeared to behave normally although some of the shelves were obviously close to empty, like pasta. So we went a bit overboard on our shopping but nothing like shopping for a month, maybe for four or five days.  We were home by 4:45, put away the stuff and couldn't wait to relax on our couch with a glass of wine. Shopping late afternoon tired us out, the making decisions on what and how much to buy!  The early evening sky turned an unhealthy looking yellow/gray, the kind that signals bad weather but all was fine, just an illusion.

5:43

Because we didn't shop till late, we decided on a rotisserie chicken from Wegman's, Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes and gravy.  It hit the spot as it tasted great to both of us or we were just really hungry.  We watched the big build-up to the closing of various states voting, as both North Carolina and Virginia went to Biden, to our delight and surprise.  We had enough by 8:00 and decided to watch a couple of more episodes of The Americans, before returning to the election returns before going up to bed, somewhat optimistic about the election results.

A Couple Of Days Of Spring

6:40

8:10

It's 7:40 and I have been up since 6:00.  At the moment, a fog has blanketed the lake, so that I can hardly see beyond the shoreline.  Although it's not raining at the moment, it's predicted to rain on and off most of the day as temperatures drop from the high 40's later in the day to the 30's tomorrow morning. 

Yesterday was gray and wet, with rain much of the day, as the snow began to disappear, the mud and dirt appear.  I literally had to wade through the water to get to my car so I could drive to yoga class, in the rain of course.  I enjoyed the slow flow of the class, mostly work on our backs.  I stopped for coffee and talked with Dave, Paul, and Bob, the bookstore owner for twenty minutes, as we caught up on the weekend.  Interestingly, no talk of politics.  I was home by noon and Evie had soup ready and a salami sandwich, on toast from our new toaster.  We not sure it toasts both sides, alas, so we may end up sending it back to Amazon.  I started a new series, the newest season of Narcos Mexico, with some of the same guys from the previous seasons although most have been killed off. 

After a brief nap, we drove to Erie for a doctor's appointment at 3:45 because Evie is having trouble with her back again.  We had fun talking with the doctor because he grew up with a number of students we both knew who went to Western Reserve Academy.  Small world.  Because I knew we were going to be in Erie, I looked for a place to eat and Cheddars popped up as most popular although I had never heard of it.  Their mantra is 'made from scratch.'  On their website, they had a photo of a humongous stack of onion rings.  That's all we needed to know to give it a try after the appointment and it was five minutes from the doctor's office.

Onion Rings, Dips, And Beers

We were there uncomfortably early, the only ones at the bar.  We perused the menu but ordered the onion rings and a beer.  The stack arrived shortly and we both loved the onion rings, the best we have had despite the fact that they were mega calories, 1740 for the onion rings, 530 for the dips.  I am embarrassed to say we ate most of them, brought the rest home for salads.  We liked the place enough despite it was a chain to go back. 

Dusk

We were home by 6:00, still full from the onion rings, so we relaxed and listened to the radio and sipped wine until 7:00 when we decided to have a light supper, Turkish scrambled eggs, with tomatoes and feta cheese.  With a toasted bagel, it was just right.  We listened to Chris Matthew's shocking resignation from Hardball, sad to say, then listened to the pundits discuss today's primaries.  After 20 minutes, we learned all we needed to know and they began repeating so we switched to The Americans and watched two episodes, finishing the night with Home Town.

March Rains

7:09 

8:00

It's 7:50 and I have been up for an hour, listening to the rain patter on the roof, melting the foot of snow.  The lake has turned gray, from yesterday's snow white.  The biggest surprise of the morning a couple of bald eagles sitting out on the frozen lake.  An ice fisherman must have left some fish out on the ice because a gaggle of seagulls is also out there on the ice.

Bald Eagle And Crow

Bald Eagle

Sea Gulls

Yesterday may have been the last great Sunday of winter, with its striking blue skies, sun, and virgin white farmlands.  After a leisurely morning, I pulled on my skis and punched my way through the snow in our woods, the snow afoot at times although I could follow our neighbor's snowshoe trail as well.  As always, it was energizing to be out in the woods.

When I returned home, we both showered, then drove off to the Chautauqua Institution for our Sunday constitutional, a walk around the grounds.  Fortunately, the roads were safe enough to walk without fear of slipping or falling and we went about a mile, working up an appetite for pancakes.  After our walk, then, we drove through vast, white, untouched fields to Red's Best Pancake House, our favorite breakfast spot during the winter.  We go a couple of times each winter because it's not only fun but the pancakes and sausage are delicious, the best around.  We have gotten to know the proprietary, so she seated us quickly, even sat down and talked with us about her busy life as a teacher's aid during the week and running Red's during the weekends, a neat gal.  We were in and out in an hour, the log cabin, crowded, cozy, and warm.

Brick Walk On CI

We were home by 1:30, having taken the backroads, some still snow-covered.  And that was it for our Sunday action as we both sank on the couches to enjoy the leisure of a Sunday afternoon, either watching TV, reading or taking a nap as our afternoon routine rarely changes.  We both had enough exercise, happy to stay home.  We had our wine with pretzels and dip before Evie got busy in the kitchen making a curry stir fry of cabbage, ground turkey, ginger, garlic, and hot sauce.  We had it over rice and it was decent, not great and probably needed more veggies and spice.  We watched SNL, hosted by John Mullaney, the comedian, who is always great.  We ended the evening with a couple more episodes of The Americans.

Finally, because we lived in Istanbul, Turkey for seven years in the 1970s, we follow their news. Below is a photograph of immigrants massed at the Turkish border, hoping to get into Greece.

We Drove Through This Border Many Times Into Greece

A Bright Sunny Morning On A Snowy Lake

7:30

8:09

What a difference from the past couple of days,  I could tell as our bedroom was filled with light when I woke later than usual at 7:20.  What a delight to walk downstairs to a living room filled with light, the lake a brilliant white, the sky blue, a few guys walking out on the lake. 

Morning Ice Fishing

We woke up yesterday morning to another six to eight inches of snow, a surprise.  And it snowed on and off during the day but with only a few inches of accumulation.  I didn't realize how much it had snowed overnight until I walked outside around 10:00 to clear off our car and parking area.  It took me a good twenty minutes to clear everything so that I could get to the Transfer Station with our trash from the week.  After coming in to warm up, we had the trash gathered and I drove to the Transfer Station where the guys were sitting in their truck, rather than helping their customers.  I think they were just warming up.  When I returned, I knew I wanted to get in some physical activity so  I decided a good place to cross country ski would be out to Long Point and back. 

Road To Long Point Marina

So I drove over to the marina and parked, got out my skis and started on the west side of the peninsula.  Soon I was met by two and three-foot drifts from the heavy winds that always hit that side. Fortunately,  I talked with a guy on snowshoes, trying to find his way.  He mentioned that a boy scout troop from Conneaut, Ohio, was snowshoeing out to the point on the east side of Long Point.  So I crossed over to that side and was able to follow their trail easily and the woods protected me from the bitter winds.  It was a good choice.

Tip Of Long Point

When I arrived at the point, the scouts, about 15 of them were heading back, many falling down on the skis and awkwardly trying to get back up.  I was out for close to forty-five minutes, loved gliding through the pine tree trails, working up a sweat.

Trail Of Pines

I didn't get home until 1:00 and Evie had put together a soup from the leftover Santa Fe chicken.  She warmed it up and made us a quesadilla.  We decided to continue our series, The Americans, and we watched one episode while enjoying lunch.  After the episode, I read some of my book The Overstory, then for a change, started a new book from Joseph Finder called Vanish, a nice change from Richard Powers.  Sometimes I like to have two books going at once.  I fell asleep reading as usual and woke around 3:00, wondering what to do the rest of the afternoon.  I watched some of the Kansas game, then we both decided to get outside and get some fresh air.  We worked again clearing a couple of inches from the parking area, then walked around Woodlawn, just sucking up the late winter afternoon air.  Ah, winter!

We had our wine around 5:30, the lake slowly darkening, both of us reading, me my book, Evie on her iPhone, waiting to hear the results of South Carolina.  We had thought about going out for Chinese for dinner but settled on the leftover meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a salad, with Caesar salad dressing.  After we listened to the good news that Biden had won convincingly in South Carolina, we watched another film, another Oscar-nominated film, Ford vs Ferrari.   I cannot say I loved it but I enjoyed it more than Evie.  I guess we both got bored with the long scenes of car racing,  Unless you are a NASCAR fan, I think you might find it boring.  The story was more interesting, loosely based on facts though predictable with the supportive wife, the admiring son, and a Ford executive, the bad guy, creating conflict.  We ended the night with Bill Maher, as usual, going off on both Trump and the inept Democrats.  At least Biden won South Carolina, giving us middle of the road Democrats some hope.