Foods for Thought

Sam enjoys her leather candycane.

We started Christmas day lazily - up at the crack of 10:30. No little kids to pressure us and the dogs enjoy a long quiet morning. We did open gifts and everything was greatly appreciated. The rest of Christmas Day was full of food. Started with a large breakfast of fried mush and sausage - think we’ll make that a tradition. From there Nicki prepared a mid-afternoon roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, squash, peas, etc. Martin brought Gretchen and her two children. (Ed - we pulled out our old castle with the little people and Bobby, the 4-year old, focused on it). With barely a break (or opportunity to loosen the belt), Laura and I collected Ursula at 4:30 and transported her to Norma and Han’s where Nicki joined us for another dinner - ham, chicken, shrimp, etc. Such a variety and abundance of food. Ursula enjoyed the company and food.

Grandma has a way of telling us when she’s had enough photos.

After that celebration Nicki and I took Ursula home. Just after we got there I discovered that the TV in the lounge down the hall was showing a concert of Renee Fleming with Christoph Eschenbach conducting. Ursula was quite pleased to see her “godson” performing and proclaimed such several times. While she watched I setup the new radio we all got for her - hopefully she won’t notice the change and will accept the gift. Tomorrow’s goal will be to teach her how to enjoy the music.

Back home all was quiet as Laura went out to visit friends and Martin was off with Gretchen. Nicki and I talked with Sarah and then lazily reviewed the day and digested.

Better Service Without More Cost

I did a quick trip to Little Valley Thursday to Friday. The goal was to deliver a few Christmas presents for brothers and sisters but also to do a quick check of the homestead and to soak up some of the ambiance of the area. The house was fine. A little cozier and warmer than expected but that is good. And the driveway was very clear - even at the entrance - so the plower we’ve employed is doing his job well. Which may be expected since we are paying by the plow. Makes one wonder what the final bill will be.

Martha had arrived just ahead of me so we ran over to Ellicottville (“the little Aspen of the East”) to have dinner. We ate at the Ellicottville Brewing Company which was a little crowded at first. But we got a small table right away. Once we ordered (fish and chips for both) the meals came almost instantly - hadn’t had more than one sip of our beers. Suspect they may have judged us as we walked in and dumped the fish in the frier. But it was a good meal. Afterwards did a little walking and window shopping on Main St. and drove through Holiday Valley. Not many skiers but lots of slopes open and the snow looked good. Then back to Little Valley where we tested the internet connection (still good) and watched TV.

Friday morning we met Ed for breakfast at Dina’s for our package exchange and to review Ed’s homestead 2005 expenses and 2006 projections. Nothing but good news as the corporation has successfully weathered several household improvements and repairs, the unit is in healthy structural and financial condition, and dues for the next year have been reduced. The new motto is "Better Service Without More Cost". The spreadsheet will be reviewed for possible adjustment at the annual June convention. I should also report that Dina’s has opened their second floor area. As you come in their front door there is a stairway to the left going up to the new dining area. They have also added a huge ceiling to floor curtain to block out drafts at the front door.

After a little shopping in Ellicottville and a short stop in Little Valley (and a short tutorial on podcasts for Martha), I started the return trip to Oberlin. On the way Laura called me to report that her flight was slightly delayed which gave me enough time for grocery shopping at one of our Trader Joes - coffee, wine, soy milk, and marzipanstollen. Laura’s flight arrived 45 minutes late which wasn’t too bad. Traffic around the airport wasn’t bad at all. Stopped at Lorenzo’s to get take-out for supper.

The only other interesting experience that evening was a call from Martin (still in NYC) asking for help. His old Jeep, which he has given to a friend in Oberlin, was not starting and she needed to visit relatives that evening. So I grabbed my jumper cables. Had her started after a few tries. She only lives a few blocks away. We decided she will need to have the battery tested as it is getting very old and looked mighty corroded. Martin will be arriving in just a couple hours. At that point everything should be in place for our family Christmas festivities.

We hope all of you have a worthy Christmas and enjoyable holidays.

Prepared for Winter

Suppose there comes a time when you must admit that the season really is over. Lakes are freezing shut. Snow covers the ground. Days are much too short. The thought of lashing the kayaks to the top of the car is enough to numb the fingers. So the kayaks are mounted on the garage wall - much like hibernation. Can't even think of doing the little maintenance things you should do in the coldness of the garage - wait until just before Spring breaks. But we can't help seeing them every time we pull the cars in or out of the garage - a reminder of where we'd rather be - if not for seasons.

Getting into the Spirit

Sam and Cricket
are thinking
about the holidays.

Branching Out

Ursula has now spent a week in her new place. She didn't go very far - maybe 50-60 paces. From one end of the swimming pool to the other. But Nicki is still sorting out papers and boxes. Our garage has the furniture that wouldn’t fit into the slightly smaller room. Somewhere in the move some of Ursula’s warmer clothes have disappeared and the care level increased to the where laundries are more frequent, so some shopping may be in order. The walls are filled with her artwork and we tried to make the area around the outside of her door look familiar so she will recognize her place on the way back from meals. Photos from the move can be found on My Website.

This blogging thing is getting too easy. I’ve decided to branch off a second blog with a theme - a logical extension of this blog. Head here for Kayaking Across America. Probably an odd time to start a journal about kayaking - at the end of a season. But I decided to grab the name while it was available. Also I’m considering the use of verse. An experiment for sure. In the next few months you’ll probably read a lot about kayak maintenance and musing on places we can kayak in the future that are located beyond Ohio. Time to start a list - got ideas?