Morning Sun And Chilly

7:04

7:15

7:31

8:21

It's 8:00 and I have been up for over an hour, waiting for the sun to rise and listening to the moaning and cracking of the lake ice. It's still cold out there, 27º, and will get up into the mid-40s later in the day, perhaps 50º tomorrow. I am about ready to change seats as the sun keeps moving, filling our living room, blinding me if I don't move. 

Yesterday was another day full of sunshine and blue skies. It began and ended with a bright sun, unusual for this part of the US and I am not complaining. My morning was the usual, up early, taking photos of the sunrise, enjoying coffee, filling the bird feeder, having breakfast, writing the blog, and having Evie edit it. I was on my way to yoga at 9:10 after scraping the ice off of my car. The yoga class with Courtney was small, four of us, and enjoyable as always. I skipped coffee, and came straight home, loving the blue skies. 

Afternoon Ice And Blue

Campground Chapel

Lunch was easy, the other half of my hoagie from Hogan's and I watched the rest of the first episode of Ken Burns's Vietnam War. The first episode outlines what led up to the US's involvement, the French occupation, and the rise of Ho Chi Minn and the communists. The afternoon went quickly, with reading and napping. By 4:00, however, I was ready to get some exercise so I went for a walk around the campground, empty this time of the year. I was out for forty-five minutes on a chilly late afternoon. 

Whitney Bay And Looking North

Long Point

When I returned, we enjoyed a glass of wine and listened to Jake Tapper listen to Republicans explain why they are voting against the Senate's immigration plan. After a while, we were so infuriated by their hypocrisy that we listened to music instead of the news.  For dinner, Evie air-fried the sea trout, added it to a salad, with hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, tomatoes and a great dressing. We listened to the news for a bit before deciding we would rather watch the rest of the Grammys from Sunday night, a good choice. We ended the night with a Colbert and NBA after Evie went up to bed. 

Morning Sun, Blue Skies, And 22º

7:14

7:32

Another bright sunny morning as I move around the living room to avoid the blinding sun. I was surprised at how cold it was outside 22º because it's supposed to get up to 50º later in the week. Today it may only get up to 40º.

Woodlawn

Victoria/Woodlawn

Yesterday was a strange day, as are most Mondays because I don't have yoga. So after a relaxing and long coffee, breakfast, and the blog, I drove into Lakewood and had coffee with my good friend Paul who I have not seen in a couple of weeks. He usually goes to coffee at 10:00 and because of yoga, I don't get there until 11:15 or later. We sat around talking along with a couple of older guys like us until after 11:00. On my way home, I stopped at Hogans and bought a hoagie for lunch and the local paper. When I got home, it was too early for lunch, so I decided to walk the Victoria/Woodlawn woods, getting in some exercise. I was out for forty-five minutes on an overcast and chilly morning. 

North

Leaves And Trees

I enjoyed half of my hoagie and began watching Ken Burns' Vietnam War and I hope I stick with it. What a mistake, a waste of lives, of doing what we thought was the right thing with disastrous results for both countries. I am finally getting into my book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, and fell asleep reading, of course, taking a nap. Around 4:30, our neighbors, Barb and Jim stopped over and we had beers and Fritos and talked until at least 5:30, a good way to end the afternoon.

Dinner was easy, the leftover Japanese curry stew, with rice and a salad. Evie decided to go to bed early as she was feeling "off," so I decided to watch a movie called The Little Things, a police procedural with a great cast, Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto as the serial killer. Unfortunately, the film did not compare to the task, a bit boring and I gave it a C.  I then watched the first half of the Kansas/Kansas State game, won by Kansas State in overtime.

A Bright Shiny Morning

7:41

7:42

Getting Cloudy at 8:45

The sun's brightness this morning has forced me to wear a baseball cap as I begin this blog. It fills the room with its light and I can hardly look out at the lake. It does not feel like February, more like April. We prefer snow but will take the sun and blue skies instead of February's usual alternative, gray skies.

Blogging On A Sunny Monday Morning

Sunday was another beautiful day, sun and blue skies until dusk. We were up early and enjoyed the sunrise with our coffee. We knew we had a busy day ahead of us but wanted to get in a walk. So after prepping a few things for Sunday dinner with Linda and Ron, we drove over to the Chautauqua Institution at 11:30. We thought the streets would be busy with fellow walkers but ran into only a couple of people. It was chilly but by the time we returned to the car, we had worked up a sweat. We didn't walk the entire grounds and we were happy to get in a mile and a half. 

Thunder Bridge

Brick Walk

We were back by 12:45 and Evie made me eggs and cheese on brioche rolls for lunch. I watched a new Justify but am not taken with it. Meanwhile,  our neighbor's grandsons came over to play so Evie was happy and busy until at least 2:00. She loves playing with kids. I of course took a great nap and and read some. The rest of the afternoon we alternated relaxing in the living room with prepping our dinner, appetizers, and dessert, or rather Evie prepping and me cleaning up. 

The Boys

Everything was copacetic by 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived. We were having a Japanese dinner, something new for us. So we relaxed in front of the fireplace with wine and appetizers, Japanese pancakes with a dipping sauce. They are pancakes with veggies inside and siracha and they were a big hit. We have made them before but not in a long time. Dinner was a recipe I picked out and wanted to make, Japanese Beef Curry, a staple in Japanese households. Basically, it's a beef stew with Japanese curry sauce added to the chuck roast pieces, carrots, and potatoes.  Evie did the cooking while I watched and it took at least three to four hours for the beef to get tender. 

Sunday Dinner With Our Chautauqua Family

Like the pancakes, it was really good, the meat tender, the taste just right, with a hint of curry but enough to make it different from a usual beef stew.  With coconut rice, the four of us were happy.  Fortunately, there's enough left so I can have it tonight. For dessert, Evie had made a carrot cake (Mary's recipe), not Japanese but a tasty ending to our meal. After they left, we did up the dishes and watched the Grammys until 11:00. Billie Eilish, Tracy Chapman/Luke Bryan, Olivia Roderigo, and Miley Cyrus were the highlights. 

Welcome Sunshine And Blue Skies

Sky, Shoreline, Frozen Lake, Open Water, Reflection Of Trees, Frozen Lake

8:19

Our Cardinal 

7:35

What a spectacular lake morning, a chilly 24º with clear skies, a sunrise, and a partially frozen lakefront. After what seemed like weeks of gray, overcast mornings, we are grateful for some sun. It makes us want to get out and enjoy the outdoors. 

Saturday at 11:25

Frozen Lake, Then Open Lake

Yesterday was a great day although it started out as usual, with clouds and no sun. After breakfast and the blog and getting a few things done like a trip to the Transfer Station, it cleared up by 11:00 and blue skies and sunshine ruled the rest of the day. I couldn't sit in the house any longer so by 11:30 I was out for a walk in our woods, enjoying the starkness of the winter woods contrasted against the blue skies. I felt renewed mentally by the blue sky, puffy clouds, and just being in the woods. 

Woods

Paths

Victoria Creek/Trail

A Welcome Blue

Before lunch, we decided on a plan for our day. We wanted to drive to Barcelona, to Chautauqua Creek which empties into Lake Erie, and watch the sunset. So that was our goal, leaving around 4:30. Once we decided, I had my lunch, the rest of the moussaka, and watched some basketball and a new series called Black Spots on Netflix. I am not sure about it but will stick with it for a couple of episodes. While I was out tramping around the woods, Evie was prepping a couple of dishes for tonight's dinner. It's a new recipe so we hope it's good. We both showered mid-afternoon and left for Lake Erie at 4:30, stopping at Tops on the way to pick up a few things we needed for dinner. We timed it well, arriving at the parking lot around 5:00 and following the Chautauqua Creek path out to the lake, about a ten-minute walk. A couple of guys were fishing for steelhead trout, wading in the creek. It was a crisp afternoon but worth it to see the sunset. 

Trail Along Chautauqua Creek

Looking North Towards Lake Erie

Ice Detrius And Fisherman

The Beauty Of Late Afternoon Fishing

Once the sun set, we walked to the car and drove to Westfield, to one of our favorite restaurants, the Bark Grill. It's closing for a couple of months because the owner is having both knees replaced so we wanted to get there before it closed. We easily found a table and ordered half of a bottle of wine. Evie ordered pork chops, a favorite, and I had veal schnitzel, both excellent choices. Before we left, we talked with the owner, Evelyn, wishing her good luck. 

Sunsetting Over Sandbar

Dropping Sun

Sunset On Lake Erie Shore

We were home by 8:00, in time to watch the last two episodes of BEEF on Netflix and we highly recommend it. It's a merry-go-round of emotions, with a shocking, but apt end. Watch it. We ended the night with David's My Lottery Dream House, cheesy but entertaining, especially David's wardrobe and tats.

Family

Sun In The Afternoon

8:18

It's 8:00 and I am listening to the New Yorker Radio Hour on the failure of all solutions to the immigration problem, especially the failure of Congress. The major problem in a nutshell is that by the time the immigrants get to the border, it's too late to do anything effective. We are excited at the weather forecast of the sun for the next four days. So far, it hasn't happened. Temperatures will still be in the 30s, the worst of all possible worlds, with no ice fishing, no kayaking, and no snow. 

Breakfast Buddies

Friday was Friday, the same basically as the rest of the week this winter, nothing much seemed to change. I wake to a gray sky, temperatures in the 30s, and a busy bird feeder as I enjoy my coffee. I have breakfast and finish up the blog with Evie's help and by 9:40 I am usually on my way to yoga class. The five regulars were there, including me. I skipped coffee and did a quick shopping at Aldi's, picking up a few things we needed for the weekend. Aldi's always seems busy, with lots of Amish, carts filled to the top with groceries. 

I was home by noon, ready for lunch, the last of Thursday night's Santa Fe chicken. I finally finished Jack Reacher on Prime and it's hard to recommend it other than the fact that I stayed with all six episodes. After lunch, I was happy to get back to my book and fortunately, I took a good half-hour nap. Neither of us had much mojo and planned an easy dinner as well, moussaka from the freezer. We did have a great brie for happy hour,  and we dragged it out until 7:00. The moussaka was great, just as good as when it was made. We watched our typical Friday night TV, Colbert, and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives before going up to bed. Our Fridays don't change much despite it being TGIF. 

Morning Gray With Drizzle Or Sleet

8:23

It's a forgettable Friday morning, lots of gray, some fog, and precipitation. The lake is frozen in parts and because the temperature lately has always been in the 30s, I doubt if I will be kayaking soon although the sunshine is forecast for the next four days. Imagine that...four days of sunshine in February.

Eagle On Thin Ice

Thursday was what else, typical. Up early, read the newspapers online, depressing and scary, then wrote the blog, all by 7:50 when I drove over for breakfast with friends. I was home just after 9:00, in time to finish the blog and drive off to yoga class with Danielle at 10:00. It's a Yin Yoga class so we always stay on the floor and hold poses for two to three minutes. It's the most popular class. An older couple came for the first time and had to help with everything. Neither seemed to be able to do any of the poses, and the husband ended up just reclining on his mat. At the end of class, his wife couldn't get up off her knees and needed help from Danielle. It was sad to see them struggle. After class, I did another major shopping at Wegmans because we were having friends for dinner on both Thursday and Sunday nights. I still have trouble remembering where certain items are since they changed the aisles.

I didn't get home until 12:30 and had an easy lunch, a bowl of Campbell's beans and bacon soup which I found in our pantry. I remember it used to be one of my favorites back in the 1950s. Yep, the 1950s when everyone had Campbell's soup for lunch. Evie had our dinner already made but managed to fill the next few hours with things to do in the kitchen with my help at times. 

Dinner

Jack and Diane arrived at 5:30, just as it was getting dark and we sat around the fireplace, enjoying drinks and appetizers. It was good to see them, especially Diane because it's been a while since we've been together. Dinner was great, Evie's Santa Fe chicken was always good and something she could make ahead of time. We ended the evening with Evie singing 21 Pilots songs, Jack singing John Prine's songs, while enjoying vanilla ice cream with homemade hot fudge. 

A Happy Gang

They left just after 9:00 and we quickly cleaned up the kitchen so we could watch another episode of BEEF. Earlier, I had finished The River We Remember so couldn't wait to get back to my new read, The Heaven And Earth Grocery Store by James Mc Bride. 

Overcast And 33º

7:44

Open Waters

It's 7:30 and all is gray as usual. The cardinal just appeared at the feeder as well as a couple of finches. The lake is beginning to melt because I can see a small pond of open water off of Victoria although it's still frozen in front of our house. It's just after 9:00 and I just returned from breakfast at Lake Life Cafe in Bemus Point, a good way to start the day. 

Wednesday was busier than usual. I got up late, had breakfast, and wrote the blog just as Evie was getting up. I then had a good forty-five minutes to relax and read before driving off to yoga with Tara at 10:00, always a different and good class. I did not linger but came straight home and made lunch because Evie was out taking our neighbor shopping. I heated up the grits and sausage, fried a couple of eggs, and watched another half hour of Reacher before I had to drive to Jamestown for my yearly eye appointment.

All is well with my eyes and whatever I had last week is clearing up. I was in no hurry to get home so I stopped at Runnings to see if I could still get eighty bucks off my next purchase because I have a new Runnings Visa card. The gal checked on it, yep, so I bought another pair of Kuhl pants and paid only thirty bucks for them, a deal because they were $99.00 plus tax. I then stopped at KFC for our once-a-year treat of extra crispy chicken thighs and coleslaw, Evie's request. I was not home until 4:00 and quickly relaxed on the couch with my book and took a cat nap. We enjoyed our usual glass of wine and listened to the news, the idiotic MAGA crowd's controversy over Taylor Swift. 

Neither of us could wait for our KFC so we ate a bit early, at 6:00. We liked it to start but by the time we finished the second thigh we had enough and I am not sure if I wanted any more for today's lunch. We binge-watched BEEF until 9:15 when we both had enough and watched some basketball.