hat? I was really happy and impressed! Check it out!
Mari's brother, Luis, recently visited Sweet Sienna. The Fall weather was crisp, and the lake water cold, but that didn't stop us from dropping a line and trying our luck at catching trout, bass or catfish. We had heard the day before that the trout were biting in the shallow parts of the lake. So we headed over to the Fawnskin side of the lake, just south of the dam where Mari and I had spent some fun summer afternoons. But the wind was near hurricane strength and the cold was biting, so I offered up a new strategy: to head over toward Boulder Bay, back in the coves and protected areas. When we arrived, the wind was calm, and water green, and the day absolutely beautiful. Did we catch anything? No, but it was still fun!!
There is a secret lake back in the forest above Bear Mountain that Mari and I discovered recently. The road to get there is long and twisty but covered with but beautiful scenery. Actually, it was a guy from the water company that turned us on to this place. Awesome tip! The lake is a small patch of blue mountain water that is surrounded by pine trees. Just off the path is a series of old cabins that were once the original stops for stage coaches coming up the mountain with supplies for the miners and mountain families. Anyway, Mari, Luis and I made a picnic breakfast and explored the beautiful oasis called Bluff Lake.
This Labor Day weekend, Mari and I went to the mountains to relax. On late Sunday we had an afternoon thunder storm. We watched the golfers run off the course for fear of getting stuck by lighting. However, an hour later, the skies cleared as did the golf course. So Mari and I walked out to the golf 
course and played four holes under the dramatic sky. Huge white, grey and black clouds crept over the ski slopes and every once in a while the crackle of thunder would echo through the fairway. We played until the sun had settled behind the mountains, leaving only a pink, orange, and red glow on the 
horizon. The air was crisp, announcing that indeed Fall had arrived. When we made it back down the back side of the golf course toward Sweet Sienna, we could see the twinkling lights from our deck. There was a wisp of smoke coming from out of the chimney, and everything about that home whispered love, warmth and peace. Here are some recent photos.
This past weekend, Mary and I hauled our kayak out to the lake and tried our hand at fishing. The weather was warm and sunny, with clear blue skies and crystal clear lake water. It was a perfect environment to try the adventure of fishing. We first launched from a small beach on the north side of the lake. From here, we paddled to a deserted cove where we tried our luck. As we sat on the shore throwing our line in the water, I was reminded of this quote..."The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of that which is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope” Indeed, we had the hope of catching our dinner for the night, but this vision was an illusion that was replaced instead by the reality of catching only very small fish that had to be thrown back. But we had a great time. We felt alone and at peace. Later on we paddled in the middle of the lake and dropped our line straight down into the black water, but we kept drifting, and so it was hard to keep our line were we wanted. So we decided to move onto a outcropping of big boulders. It was an amazing view from here. There were some old cabins that were boarded up but that looked amazingly like a scene from Tom Sawyer.
