A Rock And Roll Kind Of Day

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (I. M, Pei Architect)

It's 7:50 and I am sitting in the lobby of Cleveland's Hampton Inn on 9th Street, enjoying my coffee and lots of  Cavs fans with families, here to see them play and lose to Golden State last night. It's now 9:50 and we are ready to rock and roll and enjoy the day. 

My House On Briardale Until 5th Grade

We left Chautauqua yesterday morning in light snow, a miserable way to start our road trip, For most of the first hour, we drove through flurries, and wet roads until we hit Ohio where it at least stopped snowing. Once we arrived in Euclid, we drove by the homes where Evie and I grew up, then ended up stopping for an hour at my sister Linda's home on a windy and rough Lake Erie. It was fun to see them, both busy with their grandchildren, most of whom live nearby, lucky grandparents.

Evie's House On 267th

My House On Edgecliff

We then drove down to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, finding a parking spot on the East 9th Street pier, where we used to go for seafood at Captain Franks in the 1950s. To say the area has changed some since the 1960s would be an understatement. Ron is a big Rock And Roll fan so he was excited to spend a couple of hours, browsings the various exhibitions, listening to music, and watching videos. It's an amazing experience for a music fan and though we were there only for a couple of hours, we got our fill but need to return to see more. 

Linda And Evie Relaxing At Hall Of Fame

Rock And Roll Hame Of Fame Cafe

An Overcast, Windy, Downtown Cleveland

We then checked into our Hampton Inn rooms and relaxed. I was tired from the drive so I was able to take a nap, then shower. Our window at the Hampton looks out at the historic St. John The Evangelist church, consecrated in 1852.

St John's Catholic Church

We had reservations for dinner at L Albatros French Restaurant in University Circle. We ate there a couple of times back in the 1980s when it was called That Place On Bellflower.  It's a good thing we had reservations because the place was packed and we were squeezed into a table in the bar area. None of us had seen a restaurant with as many servers, waiters, cooks, and hosts, a seemingly endless stream. 

A Busy Kitchen

We ordered the cheese plate, with seven different kinds of cheese for appetizers, Linda's great idea. Evie and Ron ordered steak with Frites, Linda salmon, and salad, and I was the only adventurous one, ordering the special, walleye on polenta. with ratatouille and lobster sauce. Yum. It was a good choice and we took Lyft both to the restaurant and back which made it easy and allowed us to have an extra beer or glass of wine. We were exhausted by the time we got back to our rooms at 10:30, ready for bed. 

Dinner at L'Albatros

Today we hope to visit the West Side Market and Tremont area in the morning, the Cleveland Museum of Art in the afternoon. 

Road Trip: Cleveland For The Weekend

7:28

It's a busy morning because we have to pack, close up the house and be on our way to pick up Linda and Ron before we head off for a three-day visit to Cleveland, yep Cleveland. Well, the snow Evie wanted beginning last night and probably will continue on and off during the day, slowing down our trip to Cleveland, alas. Why couldn't it have waited a few days? 

Snowing At 7:00 AM

Not a lot to say differently about yesterday, in fact, in the last couple of days so I will be brief. After coffee, breakfast in Bemus and the blog, I drove to Lakewood for a Yin Yoga class, lots of holding positions for three or four minutes. It's the most popular class, too. I then hit the bank, filled the car up with gas and was home before noon, Lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the last of the bean soup.

Evie took off to the YMCA around 12:30, leaving me to watch the last two episodes of my Icelandic thriller called Trapped. Now I have to come up with a new series to watch during lunch.  I was happy to get back to my book, A Secret History, and take a nap. Evie was home by 3:30 and neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon, other than pack or think about what to bring with us on Friday. 

Our plumber stopped by to talk about putting in a new house water filter and the one I bought from Home Depot will fit. Dinner was the leftover Indian spiced chicken with naan, a salad, and roasted butternut squash. We watched a couple more ERs and then Jeopardy before Evie went up to bed and I watched the Celtics/Golden State basketball game, the Celts winning in overtime.

Winter Rain

7:40

9:13

It's 7:10 and windy and raining and did so much of the early morning. There's also a winter advisory for icy conditions on the roads. The lake is still frozen though beginning to thaw some along the shoreline. It's 9:10 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus on a miserable morning, pouring rain, the yards filled with puddles. Thank goodness it's now cold enough for snow. 

Rainy Day Morning

Wednesday went quickly, perhaps because of routine. My morning ritual, coffee, blog, and breakfast, we all done by 9:30 when I drove off to yoga class. It was a rigorous class and I left feeling sore from some of the poses, or attempts at poses. After class, I had to drive to Spectrum Eyecare because one of the tiny screws that hold my lens on the frame was lost. Fortunately, I was in and out in ten minutes as it was not very busy. I stopped at Runnings, a store that has practically everything, from clothes to fishing gear, to boots, wrenches, batteries, you name it. I left with an eight-dollar pair of insulated and waterproof gloves for kayaking in cold weather. 

When I returned, Evie made me a chicken sandwich on naan, with coleslaw and pickles and I heated up the bean soup. She left to get her hair trimmed at 1:00, then went to the Y to get in a walk, returning around 3:30. It was a gray and wet afternoon, not conducive to walking but I did get outside to clean out our car, and get it ready for our trip to Cleveland tomorrow. 

We relaxed with wine and appetizers for an hour, enjoying the end of daylight. Dinner was already made by Evie in the morning, chicken with an Indian sauce. We had it with naan this time rather than rice and it was great. We are becoming obsessed with ER so we watched a couple more episodes, and have maybe a hundred more to go if we want. 

Frozen Lake, Green Yard

8:45

It's 8:30 and I have been up for an hour, on another Chautauaua gray morning, not too exciting. A few crows are out on the frozen lake, looking for food and the sparrows and chickadees have found our bird feeder. It took three days but they are back. It's drizzling, 32º, and we will have highs in the 30s for the next week.

The Frozen Lake In Lakewood

Yesterday was a typical winter day. I was up at 7:40, made the coffee, and relaxed for an hour before writing the blog and getting ready to drive to yoga at 9:10. Class was, as usual, waking to both the body and mind and I didn't finish until 11:00. I stopped for coffee, talked with Dave about his Vietnam experiences and was home just after 12:00. Evie was ready to drive to the Lakewood YMCA for a workout so I made my lunch, a chicken sandwich with coleslaw and Navy Bean soup. I watched my show, what else, read some napped some, and waited for Evie to get home.

Besides working out, she shopped briefly at Wegmans and TJ  and was home by 3:30. We were both bored so we watched another episode of ER before Evie's Zoom call with her sisters. After the call, we enjoyed a glass of wine and Evie plated our dinner, rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes, and a salad. Our evening viewing mostly stays the same so we watched ER, Jeopardy, and Colbert and that was it for Evie. I  stayed up and watched a half hour of the Kansas/Kansas State game before going up to read.  

A Slow Thaw, Again

First Cross Country Skiing Of The Year

8:00

It's 36º and drizzling, as the snow has begun to melt, and the green lawn appears, typical weather here in Chautauqua County. The lake still appears frozen but remains unsafe for ice fishing or cross-country skiing. We are still waiting for the sparrows and finches to find our bird feeders. 

Mondays are usually boring for me especially if I cannot kayak or have a yoga class. So I woke up not expecting too much with the day. After breakfast and the blog, however, we decided to get outdoors and drove to Webbs Trail again, so Evie could walk it, and I could cross-country ski. It was my first time this year and it felt good to be back out on the trails, even if they were rutted from other cross-country skiers and hikers. We were out for an hour, a couple of miles of exercise, and felt great when we returned home, ready to relax the rest of the day. 

Morning In The Woods

Blue Skies In Winter

For lunch, I was happy with a bowl of Senate Navy Bean soup and my series set in Iceland. I was happy to get back to my book, The Secret Life, by Donna Tartt, author of The Goldfinch. Surprisingly, I was whooped from skiing so I looked forward to a nap, brief but necessary. We had dinner already made, the leftover prime rib, mashed potatoes, and gravy so we watched another ER late afternoon, before our wine time. 

Dinner was easy and tasty, straight from a diner, with lots of beef, potatoes, and gravy and a salad for our health. We watched Jeopardy, a Hometown, and some football but were soon bored we watched another ER before bed. It was a good day.

Sunny And Blue Skies

Morning Walk

7:33

7:52

8:50

It's a beautiful morning in the neighborhood, something I have not been able to say recently. The sun is so bright that I have had to move to another couch twice. The whiteness of the lake's ruffled surface is striking, making me wonder what it would be like to cross-country ski on it. Maybe in a couple of days.

Crusty Lake

Yesterday was another busy Sunday because we wanted to get in a walk, watch the Bills game, get a haircut, and have Linda and Ron over for dinner. It started as usual, with both of us getting up later than usual, a good thing really. After coffee, breakfast, and the blog and getting a chocolate pie made for dessert, we decided that hiking Webbs Trail would be a beautiful and easy walk. We were right because it was like walking in a winter cathedral, the trees and their branches frosted with snow. We loved it and were out for a good forty-five minutes. 

Webb's Trail

Wow

Two Wows

Three

Happy To Be Outdoors

We were home by 12:30 and Evie quickly made our big breakfast, home fries, eggs, and a bagel in time for the start of the Bills/Dolphins game. I cannot say I enjoyed the game because the Bills did not play well, giving the Dolphins numerous chances to win the game. The Bills persevered, however, winning 34-31. Once the game was over at 4:30, Evie gave me a quick hair cut and we both, then, took showers and got things ready for dinner, the appetizer, and sides. 

Wallace, Grommet, And Friends

Linda and Ron arrived at 6:00 and we had Old Fashioneds and Asian shrimp cocktails for an appetizer. We are both going to Cleveland next weekend, to see the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Art Museum, West Side Market, and various other sights so we had fun planning our trip, and figuring out where to eat. While we were enjoying our drinks, the rib roast was in the oven, supposedly ready to carve by 7:00. Well, it wasn't so we went into the TV room and watched another hour of the HBOMAX documentary where Howard Stern interviews Bruce Springsteen. We watched the first hour the last time they were here and it's the best, both Bruce and Howard. The roast was finally ready to carve around 8:00 and fortunately, it was worth the wait, tender and delicious, along with the mashed potatoes, gravy, and Brussels sprouts. We then had dessert, a chocolate pie on a graham cracker crust, and finished watching the Springsteen interview. We bid them adieu at 10:30 and because it was later than usual, we left the kitchen for the morning and went up to bed. 

Yep, It's Winter

8:03

9:02

I woke to light in the bedroom, meaning the sun was up, hiding behind a gray sky and it was almost 8:00. Now, at 8:50, its still overcast and a chilly 17º, the same as yesterday morning. The lake is frozen in front of our house but crusty for some reason so there will be no ice skating, perhaps some ice fishing and cross-country skiing in a few days.

Yesterday was a typical but cold Saturday for us. No kayaking obviously so I had a long coffee hour plus before I got busy. Evie slept in until after 9:00 so the blog did not go to press until later than usual. By 10:30, I cooked some white beans in the instant pot and Evie had the ham bone and veggies simmering on the stove for our Senate Navy Bean Soup. Once they were done, we gathered out the trash and I was off to the Transfer Station, then did a quick run through Wegman's and Home Depot, arriving home just afternoon noon. 

Lunch was the last of the kuru fasulye and I am still watching the second season of Trapped, set in Iceland. It looks cold there! Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon, although Evie did some prepping for our fried chicken dinner. After a short nap, we took time out to watch another episode of ER but I decided to get some exercise and went out, set up our two bird feeders, shoveled the parking area, and went for a forty-five-minute walk through the campground and back.  

The Lake, Still Open In Some Areas

We then watched some of the San Francisco/Seattle football games until time for dinner. Evie had fried the chicken in the air fryer, then roasted the cauliflower and made coleslaw for a tasty Saturday night dinner. We were tired of football and took time out to watch two more episodes of ER and Jeopardy before returning to football. Evie had enough football and went up to bed but I watched football before finally giving up on Jacksonville after their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, threw four interceptions in the first half. Well, this morning, I looked at the boxscore and he threw four touchdown passes in the second half and Jacksonville won 31-30, the moral, is never give up the ship (or on a team). I recorded it so I can watch the second half this morning.