To Do

It's our last full day at the lake. 

It's almost time to head home, time to move forward with grand plans and time to get back to work.

In the meantime, today we'll do all the things we said we'd do while here and haven't yet accomplished...we'll take the kayak out for a spin, have dinner at the Pines, spend an entire day reading the New York Times on the porch.

Ready

It's our last couple of days on the lake and a mixture of sadness and excitement has set in. I'll be immensely sad to leave this sweet place with it's drafty doors and windows, its uneven and creaky floors, the bedroom with the million dollar view and a porch to match. Sad to leave the sight, smell and sound of the water. Sad to have the rhythm of our days ruled by the clock and calendar again. I'm excited though to be home again with our kitties, our cozy rural woods, the distant view of the lake valley, our big comfy bed and my kitchen.

Ready to head home soon.

Dreaming

We are fully recovered from our twelve hour work day on Tuesday and all settled back in at the lake. It is a typical day for us. K is busily perusing lake cottages for sale online and I'm on pinterest checking out photography tips and shooting photos. We are a modern couple we are...each of us here with our laptops humming, sitting on the porch, eating lunch, taking in the view and dreaming. And we do dream a lot. Why just this morning we drove up the lake to the village of Romulus to do a casual drive-by of a house for sale. It's just a squeak out of our price range but it ticks off four big things on our dream house list - it's a Greek Revival, it has lake frontage, a barn with a heated workshop and acreage.

Sadly the 40 minute commute to FOUND and the 60 minute commute to K's office are major deal breakers for us (and that's 40 and 60 minutes EACH way!). So back to the dream drawing board we go...

Just before our little excursion up the lake we were back in the shop bright and early this morning to replace the white harvest table we put in the shop on Tuesday. 

After a little reshuffle, here's our new look...

Temp is headed towards 70 today and the sky is full of big puffy white clouds. The lake is calm and none of our neighbors are around. The breeze is so gentle and refreshing. Chili is bubbling away on the stove and cornbread is just about to go into the oven. Friends are expected any minute. Can we just do stay here forever?

Intrusions

We knew there was a chance that work would intrude on our staycation

...and so it did.

Unload previous night's auction haul at the storage unit...check

Retrieve items at home for FOUND...check

Head to Elmira to retrieve consignment...check

Unload consignment at FOUND...check

Shoot new photos for the website...check

Re-arrange BOTH booths...check

Grocery shop for the week...check

Edit photos for Thursday night post...

We left the cottage at 7:30am and were back by 7:30pm. 

I was asleep by 9. Put a fork in me, I'm toast.

Thankfully, the lake was still here when we returned,

 and we are determined to fend off any future intrusions...
until the next auction!

Sailing

The sun's peeking through gray skies again today. 

We've got the heat on downstairs and the coffee perking.

I've really been enjoying the distant view of the ivory towers while

  mulling over what the future holds.

 It's definitely time to sail in a new direction. 

Determined to keep a positive perspective.

 

Corn

Gray has a unique beauty all its own here at the lake...

It's one week away from home and like clockwork I'm a little homesick. I really miss the kitties on days like today where they would provide contented company as long as I made a lap for them. We've got a chicken roasting in oven and hot cider on the stove. It's a nutella and graham crackers for breakfast kind of day. Welcome Fall.

 ***

So the auction yesterday was a bit of a bust...the taxidermy was posed a little too cutely and the furniture was all the stuff no one wanted. Thankfully (at least for the consignor) there were guns. "Better buy 'em here while you can before the government takes them all away" kind of guns...

We came away with a handful of interesting things - a nice flat-top trunk, a fabulous postcard album and some great old glass storage jars. Lunch at a diner in Oxford with soda fountain and lunch counter made the trip worthwhile.

And then there was this...

 We couldn't decide if this was the CORN of the Apocalypse or a Zombie Corn Farmerstand. 

On closer inspection it was way more interesting than we could've ever imagined...

Of course.

 Okay, now get your mind out of the gutter...

And just so you know, we bought a dozen just so I could take photos. 

 Zombie corn for dinner tonight!

Good to Go

We're up with the sun this morning and headed to auction. It's predicted to be dreary, cold and rainy here so we might as well shop. Besides, on-site country auctions will soon be over for the season. 

Coffee...check

Food...check

Chairs...check

Packing paper...hmmmm, not so much

Packing blankets...maybe one or two

Checkbook...check. 

We're good to go.

Welcome Autumn

There are swimmers out on the lake this morning. 

I'm envious of their their skill and tenacity.

In addition to a magnificent view and water access, WiFi was one of the main requirements for a summer cottage for us this year. With only one week of vacation available, K's been devotedly telecommuting since we arrived. An office with a view like this is hard to beat. 

 

I admire his discipline and focus. He logs in at 9 and takes a short break at 10:30. Lunch is at noon and afternoon coffee is at 3. By 5 it's time to quit. He'll officially be on vacation this evening.

Meanwhile, I'm whiling away my days snoozing on the dock, surfing the net, reading, making lists and sitting. Just sitting. It seems the only place I can just sit is at the water's edge.

The rhythm of the waves

The smell of the water
The feel of the sun and the wind on my skin
The subtly changing colors of the trees across the lake
Hummingbirds, cormorants, kayakers, swimmers, sailboats
Breathing in, breathing out  

There is something for all the senses here.

Moonrise was swift and dramatic. We sat without speaking for a long time. 

No need for candles.

After being asleep for about an hour or two, we were both awakened by the sound sound of the water and the light of the moon. Not wanting to waste a single moment here, we headed back downstairs, poured ourselves another glass of wine and sat on the porch for a long spell.

 

 I can't imagine a more wonderful way to welcome in Autumn.

Playing to Win

Sunny and 75 today...

I've been napping on the dock for most of the afternoon and I think I might be just a wee bit sunburned. 

This is the warmest it's been since we arrived. I dipped my toes into the water and found it lovely...

just not lovely enough to actually get all the way in. Although for a brief moment I thought I might have to jump in head first after I jettisoned my napping pillow off the dock...

 

The rhythm of our time here has been perfect. 

Wake up...cook...eat...talk about future meals while eating...nap...forage...cook...eat some more...sleep. Save for the inevitable trips into Wegmans and a quick stint making photos for the FOUND website, I've not ventured far from this spot. 

I'm pondering the really important questions today, like how come I never have my camera within reach when the hummingbird visits and do I really need that third piece of salted dark chocolate and caramel. I already dread leaving this place and we've only been here three days. Like clockwork the customary conversations about whether or not we can afford a lake place have begun.

Should we buy a cottage on the east or west side of the lake? Do we want screened porch or an open one? High above the water or at the shore? We've customized this dream down to the inth degree. Today I secured the plan. I bought a MegaMillions lottery ticket on my grocery run. The prize is $145 million. I'm pretty sure we could find a way to spend it and hey, you can't win it you don't play...

Foggy

There is fog on the lake again this morning. 

It's supposed to get to 70 today...I may just have to dip my toes in the water.

To keep this sweet but drafty little place warm and toasty I cooked my little heart out yesterday...baked ziti, scalloped potatoes, brownies. Anything to keep the oven going! Ken worked diligently from the kitchen table while I sliced and stirred. I could get used to this pace.

We ate dinner by candlelight and listened to Folk Alley on the computer. 

I already feel very removed from my every day world...

but happy to have a WiFi connection to the world.

Cayuga

This is our home for the next two weeks. 

 I feel completely removed from life in the Ivory Tower and its grueling routine. I want to be led by the changing seasons and today Fall is saying it's time to roast a chicken, make soup from scratch, put up applesauce and get out the woolen socks. 

There's a hint of urgency in the air lately...won't be many more days to work on projects outside.  It also feels like a time for reflection. What's going well...what could be better...

 For now I intend to sit here and ponder for a long while...

Style

It's my birthday and I'm celebrating in style!

I woke up without an alarm this morning and I plan to sit right here with a kitty in my lap and a cup of coffee at my side 'til I get the urge to move.

Grilled cheese for breakfast and cupcakes for lunch. Sweet cards from my sweetie and the the promise of a package in the mail later today!

It's gonna be a great day and even though I had to get out the calculator to be sure I was turning 56 and not 57, I intend to make a wish or two or three before I take that first bite of yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I am one lucky gal.

Better

School started without me this year and I'm okay with that. I expected to feel my heart strings pulled a little, expected to miss my students more and thought I'd feel the need to use my brain in that teacher sort of way. But nope. Didn't happen, not at least like I thought it would.

The next time a teacher complains to you that they're burnt out, listen and pay attention to them. This burn out stuff is real. Had I known what was happening to me I might've figured out a way to reverse it. A toxic environment of any kind is no fun. Whether it stems from office politics, faculty drama, overwork and under-appreciation, it's effects can be long lasting and life-altering.

 

Though it's only been a short time, the thick and impermeable psychic armor I donned to make it in academia has started falling away in big chunks. I feel much more like my authentic self every day.

I'm not just going to be okay. I'm going to be better than before.