Fog Bound At The Lake

8:23

Well, we are home, again, and I am up early, again, and Evie's still sleeping, again. I was hoping to kayak but the fog is so thick that I cannot see beyond our lake wall. It's a surprisingly warm 46º, thus the fog. It also looks like light rain early morning then overcast the rest of the day.  

Tuesday we returned from our daughter Jill's in Virginia, another seven-hour drive. And like our drive there on Saturday, it was overcast, with occasional drizzle. in the words, a dull drive through the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was an easy drive except for the half-hour when the 'low oil' light popped on and we were in the Allegheny Forest. We finally arrived at a small town with a gas station, bought a couple of quarts of oil, and were on our way. Our only stop besides the gas station and breakfast at McDonald's was a stop at an Antique Store we always drive by and browsed for 15 minutes but didn't buy anything. It was a large area with so much stuff that it was overwhelming even though it was nicely organized. 

We were happy to be home by 5:30 even if it was a wet, afternoon and already dark. We had very little to bring in so we were on our couches, relaxing by 6:00, having unpacked and put everything away, at least I did. It seems like we have not been home much in the last month and thinking back, we have been home for only three days in the past three weeks. Fortunately, Evie did not have to fuss for dinner because she had picked up pizza at the gas station, a real gourmet meal with a salad. We caught up on a couple of shows, both Jeopardy and The Crown, and watched in disgust as the race between Warnock and Walker remained close. The fact that so many people voted for Walker suggests that people don't care about qualifications or character, just that they are Republican. It was true about Trump and now Walker, a sad prescription for democracy. I know much of the right hate Biden but he's experienced in governing and has character and no troubling baggage like the other two. 

Another Day, Another Drive

Family

It's still dark as I sit in my daughter Jill's living room, enjoying my first two cups of coffee. I can hear my granddaughter, Halle, stirring upstairs because she has to leave for school at the ungodly hour of 7:00.

Yesterday, as I mentioned in my blog, was a day of grieving and celebrating the life of my brother-in-law. Walt. Unfortunately, our son Tom and his wife Mary, both in town for the wake, flew home yesterday because Mary was not feeling well and it did not make sense to stick around. She just wanted to get home and we don't blame her. All seems well and they made it home to Kansas City in good time.

The four of us left for the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston at 11:45, arrived by 12: 40 and were pleasantly surprised by all the cars, and the friends gathering to honor Walt. Everything about the wake was touching, from the four speakers to the music, and the readings. Walt's daughter Julia gave a wonderful eulogy, as well as two of Walt's high school friends, and cousin Bob. They brought back so many memories for all of us of Walt, especially his courage in fighting cancer over the past 15 years.  . Both Bob and Walt are big John Prine fans so Bob quoted from a Prine song called "When I Get To Heaven." It brought tears as well as made me laugh because it seemed so appropriate to Walt. 

When I get to heaven
I'm gonna shake God's hand
Thank Him for more blessings than one man can stand
Then I'm gonna get a guitar
And start a rock-n-roll band
Check into a swell hotel
Ain't the afterlife grand?

We gathered at the outdoor patio of a restaurant in Restons called Red's and it was fun getting to meet some of both Walt's and my sister Ellen's friends, as well as catching up with our family from Cleveland who also made the drive. Most stayed until 5:00 but we went back to Ellen's along with my sister Linda's family and stayed till 9:00. It was a good way to end the day, as Anna and Luke, Ellen's grandchildren came over as well as my sister Linda's first great-grandchild, Molly and they made Evie's night. She can never get enough playtime with kids. We had lasagna from my sister Linda's family which was nice as well as wine or beer. It was difficult saying good-by to Ellen and her kids and grandchildren but we will be back in a couple of weeks. 

We drove home in the dark but the roads were not busy so it was an easy drive. We sat up talking until 9:30 when we once again decided to go to bed earlier than usual. It was a full day. 

A Day For Grieving And Celebrating

Walt And his Grandson, Luke

Today, we celebrate the life of my brother-in-law Walt, a loving husband to Ellen, father, to Julia and Brooks, and grandfather to Anna and Luke. Besides his love for family, Walt was an accomplished woodworker, avid runner (he ran a couple of marathons), and great friend, remembered for his smile, laugh, and sense of humor.  He will be missed. 

Yesterday was a different Sunday here in Virginia in some ways. It started as usual with my getting up at 6:00 and waiting for the rest to join me. Jill, Evie, and Halle were up by 9:00, however, to plan our day. Evie and I decided to drive to see my sister, Ellen, and her son Brooks, a forty-five-minute drive. We had not seen Ellen since Walt's death and wanted to have time to talk with them both before today's celebration of his life. We stayed for a couple of hours and had some laughs and tears before heading back to Jill's house. 

Daughters And Granddaughter

When we arrived, both Beth from Dallas and Tom and Mary from Kansas City had flown in for a couple of days. It was great that they wanted to attend the celebration today, a tribute to both Walt and Ellen. It was great to spend the afternoon with our kids,  talking, enjoying appetizers, and watching football, what else. We had not been together since July at Chautauqua. Jill had a bolognese sauce simmering in the crockpot so we did not have to worry much about dinner. At 4:00, Evie, Beth, Mary and Jill did a quick run to pick up some wine and goodies but were back in time to watch the Chiefs game. Both Jill and Tom and Mary are big Chief fans so it was not the most fun to watch them lose to Cincinnati. 

Disappointed Kansas City Chief Fans

After the game, we had a great dinner, Jill's bolognese sauce over pasta, along with a salad and French bread, with banana cream pie or brownies for dessert. We sat around tired and stuffed until 9:15 when we all decided to go to bed. Beth, Tom, and Mary had been up since 5:00 in order to catch their flights. 

New Think: "A heart that grieves is a heart that works."

An Early Virginia Morning

6:44

I was up early, 6:15 and it's now 7:15 as the sky begins to lighten. I am the only one up, of course, and it will be probably true for the next hour or two, as the girls all like to sleep in. 

Road Trip

Typical Western Pennsylvania Signs

 
We had another easy drive yesterday, especially compared to our 2750 miles road trip for Thanksgiving. Yesterday's drive was only seven hours although, for the first four or five hours, it drizzled or rained, obscuring the beauty of our ride through the Allegheny State Forest. We have taken this trip at least twice a year since 2010 so we know the way by heart yet it always seems different because of the changing weather and seasons. We made two stops, one at Gio's, two and a half hours from home, just off Interstate #80 and I availed myself of one of their pork barbecue sandwiches with cole slaw for lunch. Yum. We then drove through Pennsylvania to Breezewood, then Berkeley Springs in West Virginia before stopping at the Shawnee Springs Market and Cannery. We always stop there for cheap gas, $3.19 a gallon, and this time we picked up a banana cream pie instead of fruit, Jill's favorite. 

Finally Blue Skies And Sun 

Blue Skies/Clouds

More Clouds

We arrived at our daughter Jill's just after 4:00 and were met with hugs from Jill and Halle, and barks and excitement from Daisy and Coco. We emptied the car easily and quickly.  After all, it's going to be a three-night road trip, not a couple of weeks. Jill was ready for us, with wine, appetizers, and a tasty chicken dinner with a vinegary sauce to die for. We sat around the kitchen island, with Evie helping Jill get the chicken ready, sipping wine, and enjoying three kinds of cheese and crackers. Once the chicken was cooking, we sat in the living room and it felt good to finally relax after our drive. We ate around 6:30 and loved the chicken along with brown rice and a salad. We then decided to watch a film Evie and I have seen a couple of times, The Fallout, about a school shooting and its effects on the students. Halle had also seen it but not Jill. We enjoyed our banana cream pie as we watched and by 9:30, were tired enough to go to bed. 

New/Old Think:

 “You can’t do everything but you can do something” and “Blame no one, expect nothing, do something.”

Road Trip To Virginia

7;32

It's just after 7:00, as the darkness has just begun to fade. It's 47º so it looks like we will have some rain on the way but no snow or ice. We are going ot celebrate my brother-in-law Walt's life on Monday and will stay with our daughter Jill. Like yesterday morning, duck hunters are out, occasionally filling the air with their barrage of gunshots. Now the sky has lightened and I am surprised to see Thursday's snowfall has completely melted and once again, we have a green front yard. 

Friday I got in my first paddle in a couple of weeks but because of the water level, I returned with soakers in my boots. After the usual, breakfast and the blog, I did some packing, thinking about what I would need for the next couple of days. And I watched some of the Brazil/South Korean World Cup match. 

By 11:00, I was organized enough to drive off for a body scan at my dermatologist's in Lakewood. At least our doctor's appointments give us something to do or we would never leave the house. I had a few spots frozen and will be back in six months. After the visit, I stopped at a busy Wegman's and noticed that next door, the parking lot was freshly paved and partially filled with workers' cars as they get the former Kmart building ready for a Target. Wegman's was busy but I did not have much to get so I ended up going through the self-checkout to save time.

Evie had lunch ready when I got home, chicken salad sandwiches to go with matzo ball soup. I watched another couple of episodes of Deadwind. I am into a new book, Kate Atkinson's Shrines Of Gaiety, set in London, just after WWI. I also napped of course, finished my packing for the weekend, and read, having no wish to get outside because of the wind and cold. 

We had a brief happy hour before Evie made dinner, warming up the leftover moussaka in the Air Fryer along with rolls. With a salad, we were happy, watching Jeopardy and a couple of episodes of The Crown and treating ourselves to a nutty buddy for dessert. Evie went up to bed early so I watched the last quarter or two of the Lakes/Bucks game before bed. 

A Brief Slash Of Light

7:17

7:18

7:51

It's just 9:00 and I have been up since 7:00 and I just returned from my first paddle in a couple of weeks. It was cold, 26º but the wind was not bad. Unfortunately, the lake is high, making it difficult to get in and out of the kayak without getting a soaker. I was a bit worried that it would be choppy but it wasn't bad.

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn

A Raft Of Buffleheads

Yesterday we woke up to five inches of snow. I went out before my coffee and cleared the snow off the car and made a path to it so I could go to breakfast in Bemus. So after my coffee, I drove there, met Jack, and had my usual breakfast sandwich in an empty cafe. When I returned home, I shoveled the rest of the parking area because we were driving to Westfield at 10:45 because Evie had a doctor's appointment. While she was in the office, I had a coffee at Westfield's coffee shop and read until Evie texted me that she was done. We then stopped at Tops on the way home to pick up a few things and were home by 12:30.

Lunch was the last of the rigatoni and I watched my show. That was it for the day for me although Evie changed the sheets, so was busy with the wash. I napped and read until 5:15 when it was time to enjoy a happy hour until dinner.  Evie experimented with the air fryer again, with a  couple of chicken breasts and broccoli. Both turned out fine so I think we will like having the air fryer. We watched a couple of shows, waiting for the Bills game to come on. We watched the first half, had enough, and went to bed by 9:45, not too exciting of a day. 

We Got Snow

7:20

7:39

It's 7:30 and we received maybe five or six inches of snow overnight. It's 29º and windy and I have just cleared a path to the car and cleaned off the car so I can go to breakfast in Bemus at 8:00. I might have been tempted to kayak except for the wind.  It's 9:15 as I finish the blog, after having breakfast at Lake Life, the only two there.

Yesterday was windy but we did not get any snow until the evening. It was too windy to kayak so I relaxed with my coffee, took my time with the blog and didn't have to drive off to yoga until 9:40. I really enjoyed getting back into to class and had obviously really missed it. I left feeling much better, having paid attention to my joints and glands, a joke. I was home by 11:30 and Evie had been busy, doing wash, setting up our new Air Fryer. Lunch was the leftover sub sandwich and some rigatoni and I started up with my previous Finnish series, Dark Water.

Unfortunately, I had to leave at 1:15 because I had an appointment to finally get new brakes, both rotors and pads at Keystone. l was prepared to sit there for a couple of hours but Ray Sr. volunteered to take me home and pick me up around 4:30, when the job was done. So I was to come home, nap and read and watch some TV before being picked up and taken back to get my car. 

I was home by 5:00, in time to enjoy some wine with Evie. We decided to try the air fryer by making fries. It took 15 minutes at least to figure out how to work the device but finally, Evie got it going and after 28 minutes we had French fries. While they were frying, Evie fired up some bacon and eggs and made a salad, so we had quite a dinner, with a bagle as well. We watched Jeopardy, then a couple of episodes of Yellowstone, ending the night with Bargain Block, two guys renovating homes in the poor sections of Detroit. 

We went to bed as the snow began falling. 

9:15