coat of many colours

If Conrad had a dollar for every time he received a compliment/comment on his Hudson Bay coat on this trip, well, he'd have a nice chunk of money.

I LOVE this coat. I COVET this coat. I can never wear it: it's Conrad through and through. Darn it.

Revel in his adorableness if you will - I have to get us packed up here at the Maple Leaf Lounge and to our gate....

dining out in Vancouver

After my name, the word "Food" is the most important in the name of this blog. So then, images of dining in Vancouver this week:

Dinner at La Brasserie on Monday night:
Alsatian onion tart (appetizer shared by the table)
truffled poutine (appetizer shared by the table)
cheeses (appetizer shared by the table)
rabbit with spaetzle (my dinner)
halbut (Conrad's dinner)


Lunch on Wednesday from the market on Granville Island:
perogies and cabbage roll


Dinner at Campagnolo on Wednesday night, sitting at the bar in back:
Victoria Gin martini
Chef's choice pizza (artichoke heart, chanterelle, cheese)


Dinner at ViJ's Thursday night (an atypical USian Thanksgiving meal)
Venturi-Schulze Schönburger 2007
Punjabi Heart Attack (in the spoons) with quinoa salad (appetizer shared by the table)
deviled eggs and bell pepper fritters (appetizer shared by the table)
jackfruit in masala (appetizer shared by the table)
pork tenderloin and baby back ribs (Conrad's dinner)
kheer (my dessert)
kulfi (Conrad's dessert)
(no good shots of the venison, alas)

So far so good with a few meals more to go! Rest assured, we may be in Canada this week, but we are keeping the tradition of much eating for Thanksgiving going.

wedding planning

I don't think it's a secret anymore. It shouldn't be. Conrad and I are getting married here in Vancouver next autumn. For some months now it's been a lot of fun conversations about favours for the guests or which of the 17 or so possibilities we should nail down for our honeymoon. And yes, we still have those conversations. But ladies and gentlemen, we now have to get serious about things, and we have to start making arrangements.

We actually nailed down the venue and caterer back in January. Yes, we plan that far in advance. Now to get more vendors in place. And so it is that we've skipped USian Thanksgiving in order to come up to Vancouver and meet with a number of people.

A busy week for us, then. Happily, as I write this on a grey Friday morning, sitting with coffee and breakfast at Safari Cafe (sooooo glad to be back here!), I can report that we have no other meetings this week, just some Christmas shopping (we've been doing that already this week)(that coat is Conrad's gift to me!), tree trimming, visits with a couple more friends, and then a flight home. Which is just as well - I loathe simple-minded jokes about how cold Canada must be given how mild Vancouver (and other parts of BC) is by comparison to where we currently live, but this week's unusual snow and cold in Vancouver has not been welcome!



Back to Chicago Sunday, and decisions to be made soon after. I won't let this become a wedding planning blog, but do not be surprised if you hear an occasional outburst from me on the topic.

More photos from this trip on Flickr!

still here

Look, I know it's been a while. I've spent time recently thinking the blogging thing - why am I doing it, for whom? No, I'm not overcome with angst, but I did realize that the blog hasn't been as fulfilling as it used to be. And I'm not yet sure whether and how to continue. I'll think on it more. I have, however, been adding photos to Flickr. I've not forsaken social media.

But golly, much has gone on since last I posted:

Garden party at the home of Rick and Deann Bayless of Frontera Grill, a prize won in a silent auction. No, they weren't there.

A good bye dinner at Mercat a la Planxa for CG before she moved away. Excellent dinner, bittersweet having to have it.

I had a few days in Baltimore with my best friend, Todd. Conrad joined us for most of it, and among the highlights was a long-awaited dinner at Woodberry Kitchen. And I ran a marathon.

Conrad and I had concurrent conferences in Pittsburgh, a quite appealing city. The time there was marred only by the cold I was suffering post-marathon.

John and Bryan treated us to birthday dinners at Frontera Grill.

I spent a long weekend in Toronto with Allison, my Best Woman, and her husband, Sean. Much shopping ensued.

There's a lot more I could write, I know. I have baked and cooked. We've had other meals out (like Sunday night, at Yoshi's celebrating Rachel's birthday). It's been a lovely autumn all in all.

Many of those moments are no longer fresh in mind, though, and I think it best to not look back too very much, just move ahead. I'll return to the blog again, certainly, even if it's to close it down. I still don't know. For now, though, a glimpse of a busy and fulfilling autumn.