Let's do lunch

Yesterday was the day the cleaners come to the Shay house, and typically, we try to vacate it to be out of their way for vacuuming, etc., so Ellen, Betsey and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch at one of our favorite places, the Chautauqua Dining Hall. I say favorite - Ellen and I had never actually eaten there inside, though last summer we had a snack on their patio. The Chautauqua is a National Historic Site, but still functioning as a venue for concerts, and vacation cottages. The Dining Hall is a lovely old building with lots of ambiance and very good food.

The Dining Hall at Chautaqua

                             Betsey and Ellen at the Chautaqua Dining Hall

When we got home, the cleaners had done their job and had left. Good timing! 

Last evening, we watched a TV show with Betsey and Rob that we had never heard of, much less seen: The Biggest Loser. It's a reality show in which very, very overweight people are found who are willing to subject themselves to the humiliation of being seen on national TV in their underwear as they subject themselves to a bootcamp-style weight-loss regimen for 12 weeks or so. Each week, someone who looses the least weight that week gets sent home, and the field is winnowed down to the last person - the " biggest loser" - who is awarded $250,000! Along the way they are mercilessly manipulated by both relentless motivational harrangues and dramatic temptations to break their discipline. We the viewers have to endure their constant quasi-religious testimonials to how their lives have been changed for the better. It's a pretty creepy mix! 

This morning we awoke to about 6-8 inches of snow! I managed to get the car out so I could go pick up Katie, who arrived on the airport shuttle-bus in Boulder at about 1:00p.m. Great to have her back. Gertie was overjoyed!