Road Trip

7:09

It's early, as usual, and I am up and ready to hit the road, begin our trip to eventually visit our kids in Dallas and Kansas City.  Today, we will travel eight hours, getting as far south as Elizabethtown, Kentucky. We are trying to avoid any drives longer than eight hours. 

Friday was unusual in that we had no plans, no dinner, no dining out, just continue to pack and get ready for our 19-day vacation. I did get in a great paddle, on a splendid morning of blue skies and sun.  It may be the last in a while since snow is forecast for the weekend here at the lake.  I think we are getting out of Dodge just in time. 

Packing is never easy for us because we are not good at making decisions and packing is all about making decisions as to what to bring, what to leave home. We actually had a pretty good day as Evie was packed by noon and I had everything out, just had to put it in my duffle.  Evie needed some prescriptions picked up from Rite Aid so I volunteered to drive to Mayville, mail a return, pick up the prescriptions and fill up the car at 3.59 a gallon, the highest gas price in seven years, up 40% in a year. We are hitting the road at the right time!

I picked up a bowl of take-out soup from the Lighthouse, a mistake. Evie made me a great salami sandwich to make up for the meager serving of soup. Surprisingly, we both were able to enjoy the afternoon if you call waiting for this morning to hit the road enjoyable.  I planned on mowing the lawn for the last time later in the day because no rain was predicted and it had rained the night before.  About 3;30, however, when I planned on getting out there, it rained briefly as if prove that nothing is certain.  I got out the mower anyways,  the rain stopped fairly quickly so I was able to mulch both our yard and our neighbors. Once that was done, we packed up the car, making sure we had room for everything.

By 5:00, we were ready to relax but then Evie realized I still needed a hair cut so she got out the scissors and I gave me a quick shearing.  Once that was done, I showered and Evie made our dinner, BLTs` and Mac N Cheese. It felt good to relax, with all our packing behind us.  The BLTs were great and we watched the same old shows, happy to be relaxing in our TV room. 

A Great Blue Heron Morning.

6:34

8:52

It's 8:50 and another spectacular morning here on the lake. After last night's heavy winds, I expected a choppy lake but there was hardly a breeze as I paddled for over an hour, not wanting to come in.  And I photographed four great blue herons after not having seen any for over a week. I guess they were hiding down past Wells Bay, along the Bootey Bay waterfront. It was a good morning. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn

Yesterday started out foggy and calm but by early afternoon, the winds had picked up and we went to bed with them howling, the wind chimes singing.  I skipped kayaking but did go to Yin yoga class, a class that always makes me feel good.  I did not linger, coming straight home because we had things to do although we are often reluctant to do them.  The big thing is packing for our Thanksgiving trip, trying to figure out what to bring for the weather, preparing for both the beach and fall and winter temperatures.  

I had another what has become a favorite lunch, the leftover salmon broke up and put in a salad along with other goodies like hard-boiled eggs or avocados. After lunch and some TV, I napped and read most of the afternoon, thinking about what to pack but doing little about it, saving it for today, the last minute as usual. Evie had a wellness checkup in Westfield at 4:30 so she was gone until 6:00 but had prepped most of the dinner before leaving.

We had eggplant and tomato sauce over pasta along with salad, and homemade cookies for dessert. We were reluctant to start a new series so we stuck with our usuals, Colbert, Bill Maher, and Jeopardy, ending with Nate and Jeremiah's HGTV show. 

Overcast With a Streak Orange

6:45

7:09

7:19

It's 7:00 as I write this and the sun is just about ready to peak over the southeastern horizon, then get swallowed up by the cloud cover. The days of wine and roses appear to be over as today will be cloudy, rain tomorrow, and perhaps snow on Saturday. I skipped kayaking as the winds are picking up, muddling the lake, knocking the last of the leaves off our maple tree. 

Yesterday we planned on getting lots done, with the floor guy finishing up his work and Austin, our jack of all trades guy coming to help get a few things done. Neither were expected until the afternoon so we had our usual morning of kayaking for me, getting packed for our trip West for Evie. I had things to do mostly outside, raking mulching the floower beds, things like that, so the morning went quickly,

Evie made me a sandwich for lunch, having picked up some sandwich meat when shopping on Tuesday. It tasted good although I rarely have it for lunch. I finished up another episode of Foyle's War and tried to nap with little success.  Austin arrived around 1:30 and got busy fixing a few things in the house, basically bifold closet doors and cupboards, then went outside and cleaned the gutters, fixed the siding and I helped him move a hydrangea bush which would have been destroyed by the snowplow because we set it too close to the parking area. I was busy much of the afternoon, with the task of getting ready for winter. We have Evie's dahlias bulbs in large plastic bins, covered with peat moss and vermiculite and we put them in the crawl space for the winter, hoping they stay viable and can be used again next Spring. It seems like there's always something else to do either inside or out.  By 4:00, we gave up on our floor guy who promised to finish things up on Wednesday.  I held back some money so I hope it was enough for him to want to finish. He's been good up till yesterday, calling, letting us know what's going on with the job. We both watched some of the Rittenhouse trial and were disgusted by the outbursts of the judge.  Interestingly, I just read that his phone went off accidentally and it played Trump's theme song by Lee Greenwood, "God Bless The USA". Justice is not blind. 

When Evie realized he was not coming, she decided to make cookies, a treat for the next few days.  And she prepped our dinner of salmon, rice, and garlic spinach.  We were both tired by 5:00 and relaxed with a glass of wine, watching the sky darken. We have not had Coho salmon in quite a while and we really enjoyed it.  We watched a new winner on Jeopardy, Colbert, and another episode of The Morning Show, the best so far. It was intense and exciting as well as emotional. I wish the previous seven episodes had been as good.  

Another Bright Sunny Morning

6:56

7:10

7:13

It's 9:00 on another fine lake morning, a few clouds this morning but mostly sunshine and blue skies.  I paddled for close to an hour but saw no waterfowl other than mallards, no herons, no hawks or eagles, alas.  And the migrating birds, the buffleheads and mergansers and loons have yet to arrive. 

Kayak Morning

Big Blue

Tuesday was not much different from the previous Indian summer days, lots of sun and blue skies, a calm lake.  I got in a good paddle before driving off to yoga class with a new teacher since Julie has decided to retire.  We will miss her but Courtney used to teach this class six or seven years ago so she is good.  It's hard to believe I have been taking a yoga class for over ten years, the most consistent student over the years for sure.  I did not linger because Evie had a hair appointment at 12:30 so I came straight home.  She had lunch, a couple of veggie wraps, ready for my lunch before she took off for Jarets.  I opened a can of noodle soup, like in the old days, to go with my wrap. I finished up another season of Foyle's War and started a new one.  

After lunch, I read some, napped of course, and woke refreshed ready to work some outside.  I cleared the leaves from the other side of the garage, then worked on pulling out the dahlias which Evie no longer wanted to winter in our crawl space. I filled another pail with weeds and leaves and took them up the hill for what I hope is the last time.

Late Afternoon Falling Leaves

Evie was home by 4:00 and by 5:00, she was on a Zoom call with her sisters until we left for dinner at our friends, Linda and Ron's house.  We enjoyed beers with a delicious sausage appetizer before dinner. A couple of weeks ago we decided to simplify our dinners occasionally so last night, we had homemade, crusty bread to go along with three kinds of mushroom soup and a salad. 

Festive Dinner

It was a perfect late fall dinner, ending in the living room with Linda's homemade limoncello liqueur. By the time we left, both Linda and Evie were happy campers, thanks to the limoncello.  We didn't get home until 10:00 and both of us were tired enough to skip TV and go up to bed.

Orange Sky In The Morning

Here Comes The Sun

7:07

6:37

8:13

It's just 7:00 and the sky to the southeast has turned orange on a 46º morning.  It looks like another fine Chautauqua day with lots of sun and temperatures in the 50's.  We could not have asked for a better week of weather.  Snow, however, may be arriving over the weekend.

Kayak Morning

Long Point

Woodlawn

Yesterday we expected our floor installer to come and finish the few odds and ends.  So we got ready for his arrival only to have him cancel for the second time.  He will now come on Wednesday. I guess that's about par for the course with any kind of construction.  They always have another job they are working on.  So, Evie decided to get a few things done in the house before going off to shop in the afternoon and suggested I go for a bike ride since it was such a nice day.  About 10:30, I drove over to Bemus Point and took my usual route, down Lakeside Drive, through Long Point State Park, and back, a ten-mile ride, taking me close to an hour. It was a good ride except for the muddy spots in the woods which slowed me down. 

Long Point

Black Locust And Vinca

For lunch, Evie fried me up a couple of hot dogs and warmed up some beans so I had an easy lunch and watched another episode of Foyle's War.  I also started another book, The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz although I am not finished with my other book, The Lincoln Highway.  I fell asleep briefly and when I woke, Evie was off to Lakewood.  I decided to get some exercise so I fired up the mower and cut our neighbor's yard.  When I finished, I decided to mow until I ran out of gas and ended up mowing and mulching our yard as well so both yards look manicured, for the moment.  Evie was home around 3:00 and after I rested in a lawn chair at the edge of the lake, enjoying the blue of the water, I decided to tidy up Evie"s garden and cut down to six inches most of her perennials and raked them up, filling another garbage pail with the dead stalks.  I took them up the hill and that was it for the day.

I relaxed in the living room with a beer and read until it was time to get dinner ready.  Evie heated up the leftover chicken, rice, roasted more Brussel sprouts, and made a salad. I found a film on Netflix called Begin Again, about a washed-up music producer who finds new talent.  It reminded us of one of our favorite music films, Once, and we ended up liking it although it was a bit slow to start with.  We finished the night with Jeopardy and The Great English Baking Show, no surprise.

Not A Cloud, Just A Blinding Sun

6:37

7:04

7:17

7:18

It's difficult to look outside this morning at 7:18 as the sun's so bright its reflection on the lake is blinding but I am not complaining.  It's the start to another great fall day, the third or fourth in a row,  We love it. It's now 8:40 and I had a glorious paddle for close to an hour, over to Long Point, back to Wells Bay, and home on an amazingly calm lake, no waves, no boats, just moi.  

Kayaking Morning

Northern Blue

Among The Reeds

Sunday was another beautiful fall day, with lots of sun and it was warming up, highs in the '50s by noon.  We had our usual leisurely morning as although Evie did make the dough for an apple galette because we were having friends for dinner.  Around 11:00, she had dinner mostly prepped and we decided we had to go for a walk around the Chautauqua Instiatuin as its becoming or has become our Sunday ritual. The colors of fall have still survived some, especially on the oaks which have yet to lose their leaves and stand out.  We walked a couple of miles along the leaf-strewn streets, across Thunder Bridge and back to the car, 

Thunder Bridge

By the time we returned it was lunchtime so Evie made me a menemen and toast and I watched the beginning of the Bills football game before deciding to watch it later san commercials.  Evie kept busy in the kitchen, getting everything fine tuned for dinner while I read and napped briefly.  I then relaxed, watching some football although the game was boring, no scoring. The Browns however were doing fine and Evie loves listening to the announcer Jimmy Donovan on the radio.  So I was in the TV room bored with the Bills and she was in the kitchen, happy to be listening to the Browns.

Around 3:30, I decided to get some work done outside and spent a good forty-five minutes, raking the leaves from behind our garage, stuffing them garbage pails, and taking them up the hill. It's amazing how many leaves collect behind the garage and in the gutters. Fortunately, I only have to do this twice a year, once in fall, once in later spring.

Sunday Dinner

Our neighbors, Jim and Barb arrived at 5:30, just as daylight waned and we quickly settled in the living room to enjoy libations and appetizers,  They, like us, enjoy hiking in the area and had been out for a hike with friends much of the afternoon.  By 7:00, we were enjoying our dinner of Peruvian chicken with garlicky cilantro and jalapeno sauce (to die for), salad, Brussell sprouts, cornbread, and rice. Everything was delicious and Barb even went with recipes,  We ended the night in the living room with Evie's galette topped with ice cream and caramel sauce, a sweet ending to a fun evening.  They left about 9:30 and I quickly did up the dishes while Evie put things away.  We then watched some football for a few minutes, then back to our usuals. 

Blazing Sun And Warming

7:05

I am a bit late this morning because the cable guy was here to troubleshoot our cable lines because we were having trouble with buffering.  He changed some of the lines outside so all should be well. I did get in a forty-five-minute paddle, this time to Whitney Bay as I paddled north, then back into the bright sun.

Kayak Morning

Open Water

Yesterday we did not seem to do much, no hikes or walks or long drives but when we looked back on the day, we got things done. First, Evie restocked the refrigerator after letting it defrost for 24 hours.  We were able to put most of the stuff on the back porch and it was cold enough.  Once that was done, I pulled out our back porch curtain stored under a bed and brought it downstairs to be hung. I got out a ladder and with Evie's help, we got it hung in 20 minutes.  Hanging it is a sure sign that winter is on its way.  

By the time that was done, it was time for lunch, a couple of tuna sandwiches and I watched some football, then my show.  I tried to nap but to no avail while Evie was working on cleaning the back porch. She decided we needed a few things from Wegman's for tonight's dinner, so I was off by 2:30. Wegman's always seems crowded on weekends, so it's not the best day to shop but I was able to get in and out fairly quickly. When I returned home, Evie had had it and was ready to relax and I don't blame her.  For some reason, I still had some mojo and the leaves in the front yard were calling so I went out and mulched the front yard. 

Because it was Saturday night, we relaxed with a couple of Manhattans and a bowl of popcorn before dinner. It was the last night of a happy hour when we can watch the sky darken unless we start our happy hour by 4:30. We had leftover chili for dinner, on pasta, one of our favorites so we were both happy and we watched the usual until we were tired enough to go up to bed.