Chilly Weather

 It was onto the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail for a Friday foray with Ann Marie. I practically had to beg her to leave her house, and hopefully it was worth it. It started off chillier than expected, but luckily, I had three jackets in the car so we were well provisioned. We moseyed along the Hoosic River and the Cheshire Reservior for a 28 mile ride, then dinner at the Freight Yard Pub in North Adams.

At home, in the outdoor garden I planted the rest of my garlic crop and then set up the indoor garden. Spinach and arugula are in one container, and I'm thinking beets and kale in the other. Plus a couple of pots of cilantro and basil should round out my salad needs for the winter. Now to purchase a decent grow light system.

Saturday - A bright and clear day appeared before me. Even though I wanted to use the day as a rest day, I felt the need to take advantage of the weather with some outdoor adventure. The forecast led me to believe I had until 2 pm before the winds picked up, so I tossed the kayak in the car and headed to Dyken Pond. I could see the winds starting to pick up as soon as my kayak hit the water at 10:30 am. I made it to the far side of the lake where the winds were low, but soon it became apparent that the forecast did not apply to a lake high up on the Rensselaer Plateau. I decided to cut the trip short and fought the wind back to the put in for an excellent upper body workout. The leaves are past peak up there as well, but it was interesting to see the difference as I descended 1000 ft where it is still peak foliage. I was going to stop at the falls, but the lot was full - a first in my experience!

Dyken Pond (high up on the plateau) before the wind started.

Sunday morning coffee in the garden evolved into some camera work.

The lake at the bottom of my neighborhood. Drone launch from my driveway.

These marigolds refuse to stop blooming.

One more adventure this weekend, this time with Tom. He's a (happily married) friend I met on this summer's trip. He's been looking for a someone to bike with, and one can never have enough friends. We did the Electric Trail (again) and it was a brisk, colorful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I stopped in at Samascott Orchard store and bought some Thai Basil seeds. I'll add another pot to the indoor garden to grow some of that delectable herb. We had ice cream at the trail end and made plans to do a couple trails he's not done yet. We got 28 miles in and I practiced with the drone again while waiting at the trail parking lot.

October scene

One of the horse farms.

These guys heading over to the fence to see if I had treats - I did not, only nose scritches.

Aerial view of Nassau Lake from the trail head parking lot.

It's kind of funny looking back to Thursday, when I had absolutely no plans for the weekend. Somehow I managed to keep myself busy. I'm kind of looking forward to tomorrow (which is supposed to be quite rainy) to sleep in, do home chores, yoga, and buy that grow light. Oh, and maybe read a book!