Sunday it Rained All Day

We slept a little later than usual on Sunday. The boat trip, complete with all of the fresh mountain air, had ensured no one had any problem falling asleep. Still Dave and I were up and about by 8 AM and the ladies only a shortwhile later. Coffee has proven to be a work in progress. Upon arrival, Janine was a bit taken aback because the house did not have a coffee bean grinder, she had bought along coffee beans. We had purchased some ground Starbucks and we used that the first day. Janine used a blender to grind some of her beans and that was our breakfast beverage on the second day. Then a discussion ensued as to the proper strength of coffee. Is it tea colored or is it capable of dissolving metal? Find a middle ground you think? Why? It is much more fun to debate the taste, or lack thereof, of those with whom we differ. It has taken more time to type this, than we spent on the discussion but then I never know why I include or exclude anything. All of our meals have been noteworthy, none more so than the breakfasts. Jeannie and Janine make an awesome team in the kitchen, while Dave and I make awesome eaters. Everyone has their role to play. Ours no less difficult than theirs. Janine and Jeannie, have a different opinion but, as the author, I choose not to include it. This is the last day Jeannie and I will spend at the Lake, we are starting a circuitous route home tomorrow morning. We plan to go through Salt Lake City, Southern Colorado, then New Mexico, Texas and on toward home. For the first time ever, I am having some difficulty with shortness of breath and heart palpations. I think is attributable to our altitude. For that reason, I am a bit hesitant about going to Durango at over 8,000 feet and the elevation of Silverton, Colorado is over nine thousand feet. I am concerned about the cardiac problems but I just want to ride that wood burning locomotive between Durango and Silverton one more time. Dave and Janine will be here until Thursday. All of us had planned a lazy day to prepare for our trip home. The weather cooperated beautifully. It started to rain around 10 AM this morning and has rained all day. Thunderstorms on a huge mountain lake are wonderous to behold. They roll in across the mountains and then put on a light show on the surface of the lake. I have always loved watching storms and today reminded again what real power is and just how puny we humans are. Janine is making soup, Dave just remembered his phone is in by an open window, Jeannie is leaning over the rail of the loft looking at the white caps and watching the storm churn the lake. And me, I am wondering how to spell. Too late, anyone that doesn't know I am all but functionally illiterate hasn't been reading this blog. Lightening is getting more intense, I think I'll take a break for a bit. Back at the computer. This afternoon our weather cleared nicely. The rain seems to have cleared the air even more than usual. The Swan Mountain range is visible more than 50 miles to the North, we can see the the jagged peaks that heretofore were hidden by either fog or mist. Janine spotted several low flying helicopters going up and down the shore line. The choppers made several passes and were so low that I thought they might be searching for someone who may have fallen from a boat. As luck would have it the WI-Fi was actually working and I looked up the local helicopter services operating around the lake. It turns out helicopters are used to dry the cherry trees following rain showers. If cherries get wet during the last few days before harvest, they split and fall from the trees. The helicopters hover over the orchards and blow the water from the trees. The cost? A mere $500.00 per hour. Must be a lotta money in cherries. Earlier this afternoon, Janine made a Mexicali and beet soup (why the name of the soup? don't ask.) The soup was a conglomeration made from leftovers in the refrigerator, it was delicious. It was still rainy and cold outside when she made the soup and it was a perfect repast for our afternoon. I have been on the planet for 68 years and had never eaten beets and had zero intention of ever doing so. It is a testament to Janine's cooking that she put three kinds of beets in the soup and it was still terrific. She and Jeannie cut up some cheese rolls with spinach and prosciutto, poured us each a flute of Italian Sparkling wine, dropped in a Montana Cherry and we brunched in style. We lazed away the afternoon, as I said, today is the day before the journey home begins and I did not want to spend it in the car. Later in the evening we made reservations at a local restaraunt and had dinner. Ribeyes, Prime Ribs and Wild Sockeye Salmon topped off a really great day. Coming home from the restaraunt we counted twenty one deer. This was a new record for the trip. Tomorrow we are on the road. Nite y'all.