every four days, it seems

Hello!

I am home from Vancouver,

and I have much to say about that.  And Toronto.  Hooray for a holiday tomorrow - I can catch up on blogging.  For now:  hello!

55

I've put a little distance between my actual birthday and posting an entry about it, and then my irregular habits at blogging took over.  But let's dial back to the Vancouver trip last month before the next Vancouver trip (tomorrow!) takes place.  How about it?

So, yeah, 55.  I'm ambivalent about it.  I still have this notion of myself as young and not fully baked yet, that I'm not a grown up.  I'll be with other people and have this feeling like I am the most immature one there.  So the idea that I am half way between 50 and 60 is just such an odd notion to me.  And it's not really a milestone either:  it ends in 5, and until I hit 75, no birthday that ends in 5 really matters that much.  So it was a just a birthday, it included a drive from Vernon to Vancouver, and it included a very nice dinner with Conrad, Van, Marie, Courtney, and Robert.  So let's not focus on the 5 at the end of the date but on the meal itself.

Zarak by Afghan Kitchen was my choice for birthday meal. 

I'd enjoyed my first time there, and I thought the others would as well.  It did not disappoint.

Cocktails first.  Oh, the cocktails.  I think I liked Van's Peanut Butter Manhattan most of all, but I was absolutely happy with my Band-e-Amir, a gin-based drink that went down easily. 

Of course, Marie's cocktail, the Dr. Damji's Negroni, was the showstopper. 

A smoked drink presented in a cloche, I am sure everyone around us watched the presentation.

The menu at Zarak has an option that is simply "Let us cook for you".  It wasn't a difficult sell.  We happily went along with it.  And we dined very very well, both in quantity and quality.  I don't think I captured everything we had on camera, but here's what I did get:

Chilled eggplant dip with naan.  A nice, light starter.

Buttermilk fried chicken.  I would order multiple of these if I could.  Yum!

Mantu - beef dumplings that were good and hearty.

Spiced cabbage dumplings.  The only spicy/hot thing we had, and too much for Van.  I loved them - I am such a fan of cabbage - and I delighted in how they set me aglow with a sheen of perspiration.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder.  I think everyone was slowing down by this point (there were at least two dishes I didn't photograph), and maybe not everyone loves lamb like I do.  So tender!

The were three desserts for us, one with a nice message and candle. 

As much as I love Zarak, I wish they could tweak their desserts a little.  The vegan chocolate mousse is alright but feels out of place,

and the tres leches cake also seems like it shouldn't be on an Afghani menu (or maybe not by that name).  I do like the gelato dish, though.

We enjoyed a couple of bottles of a BC red along with dinner, and I can't fully recall, but maybe even some dessert wine for one or two of us.  All in all, a wonderful meal that left us very very full.  The walk the next morning was badly needed! 

COTU

A quiet week that led to a busy week of travel.  I am in the Centre of the Universe for a whirlwind visit.  Good old COTU.  More to come!

this girl!

It's been a mild few days, and I haven't checked in.  The reason is simple:  Conrad came back from NZ with a cold, and that's had him laid low through the weekend and still getting over some of the symptoms.  Poor guy.  So that meant a weekend where we stayed away from each other in the same condo, where I made him simple meals and mostly just read and listened to music and watched some Netflix.  Not much to blog about.  Morning walks (hello, coyote!)

as well - the fog this morning was unusual for us, it felt,

and I wish it was a sign of cool weather and rain ahead (it's not) - but not any fun dining or cocktails or other big things to share.

Van is gone to Big Sur for the week, and Conrad and I are taking care of Olive.  So, since there has been nothing of substance going on in my life these past days, let me provide a semi-regular reminder that Olive is a beautiful girl.  Who can resist her?  Not us! 

cacophony

In recent mornings I've been doing my walks in and around Old Pasadena, and it seems that the parrots have decided to hang out in this part of town now.  Oh my word, what a racket they make!  The one morning it felt like the sound of them was still following me for blocks.

They are handsome birds, just the same.  I found a feather on the ground near City Hall yesterday, and I was struck by the coloration.

On the other hand, I do get why people who live in neighbourhoods where they seem to roost more usually do warn folks looking to buy in those areas that they will have to adjust to having such noise! 

PS weekend

The weekend that was in now days behind us, so of course that means I am at long last writing about it!

Van had the idea of the two of us getting away to the desert last weekend.  I know, I know - it is bloody hot there at this time of year.  Each day easily got above 100 degrees, and we can comment on dry heat all we want, but it's still hot.  Nonetheless, we got ourselves packed up, and on Friday afternoon, after I had finished off some work things, we hit the road.  Olive came with us, by the way, but you won't be seeing photos of her in this blog other than this one. 

We made sure, I promise you, to keep her in air conditioned rooms and walking on pavement as little as possible.  She was comfortable, and she loved her meet-and-greet sessions with the other hotel guests.

Anyway, Van had had an email regarding some good summer time prices at a hotel we like and have stayed at before:  L'Horizon.  It's a handsome setting, with decent rooms and a fine pool and bar area. 

It's quiet, no outside people allowed to use the bar.  And at this time of year, although they told us they had a lot of bookings (good for them!), I don't think I saw more than ten other people using the pool area at any one time.

Oh, but we used the pool area. 

Friday evening after dinner.  Saturday, late afternoon after shopping.  Sunday morning before breakfast and then checking out.  I took advantage of it.

I also took advantage of cooler morning temperature (relatively speaking) to get out on morning walks.  In part to swing by Koffi and grab a decaf latte, but also it's just nice to see the neighbourhoods nearby. 

On the Sunday morning, that moon was still bright out when I set out. 

For such a tourist town, Palm Springs can be quiet early, and especially away from the main drag downtown.

We only had the one full day there, and we enjoyed ourselves with poking in some stores, buying a few things here and there.  I had scheduled an early afternoon online happy hour with some ALA friends as well, so I got a cocktail from the hotel bar (The Rhodonite) and sat in our room and then on our patio, catching up with folks.

We also dined well.  The new Thompson Hotel downtown has some dining options, and we tried out Bar Issi. 

Terrific waiter, some clunky service from the food runners.  Good cocktails

- just look at that drink that Van has! 

A variation on a mai tai for him.  My drink was so conventional and boring alongside that (but I liked it)! 

I enjoyed the fried zucchini blossoms

and the branzino,

but that bread was the star of the meal. 

So good!   The next night we went back to Workshop Kitchen, not without some trepidation given how poor the service was the last time we were there.  This time, however, the service was quite dine, affable and helpful.  Last Words for us,

bread

and a beet salad to share,

and then the pork steak for me. 

Really super - the cherry mostarda was intense, and the meat and the grits worked well with that.  Van enjoyed his corn risotto, and passed me the heads of the grilled shrimp to enjoy. 

We didn't need dessert, but we went for it (and felt so full afterward).  A passionfruit pavlova? 

Yes, please.  It made me feel a little closer to Conrad all those miles away in New Zealand.

An excellent weekend escape, and I was glad to be back in the desert after more than two years away from it.  I do sometimes still daydream about having a nice home down there, I admit....