It’s very late. No, it isn’t. It’s only 8:45 pm, but it seems so much later – maybe because I’ve been up since 5:00 am. That’s pretty much a long enough day, even for a good one like this.

We were away from Santa Rosa by 6:00 am, and on the lake before 11:00 am. A lot of that time was driving, but not all of it. And we floated on the houseboat until dark, which got here about 4:30 pm.

Enough time check? It hasn’t been a truly magnificent day, although the sun did peek through the clouds for a while this afternoon. But there was no rain or wind, and it didn’t seem cold (just a bit chilled from time to time). And there’s the end of your weather report.

We really didn’t do much except eat and watch the scenery go by as the houseboat worked its way across the lake. Shasta Lake is every bit as beautiful in late fall as it is in the summer. It’s maybe not quite as photogenic on a hazy day like this one, though.

Mostly it’s relaxing to be out on the water. There aren’t many other houseboats, at least no enough to get in the way. It’s so quiet it seems almost deserted, and I guess that’s what we needed this time. That’s what I needed, anyway.

This is Mom’s first time on the new houseboat. She doesn’t come in the summertime because of the hot weather, and the new boat was only launched in June. She had to wait until November to enjoy the comfort of a few days on the water, away from the demands of the world. I think she appreciates it as much as I do.