up and/or out

Today is a travel day.  I'll be in Chicago well in time for dinner with friends at Topolobampo.  Hooray!  So while I am in the air and out of contact, let me share a couple of shots from earlier in the week. 

Two instances where things were poking up or out that caught my eye.  I think the plants are California buckwheat, but I am too lazy to double check.  The balloons are assuredly balloons, however.  That window?  It's an opening on the side of a parkade.  Make of that what you will.  They were there the next morning, I should add.

I'll have updates from Chicago - lots of good meals with friends planned, and Conrad will be joining me - as well as from Michigan (and perhaps even Wisconsin) in the next week or so ahead.  Stay tuned! 

ouzo lemonade

Last night was our monthly online happy hour, and I have to say, I didn't go hard on it this time.  The theme was Greece in honour of Chris and Allister recently back from their honeymoon there. That should have been such an amazing and broad theme allowing great and clever interpretations.  But no.  I Googled "Greek themed cocktails" and from the frankly modest results, I ended up with Ouzo Lemonade.

Conrad didn't care for it and after a few sips went off to make himself a Last Word (thank goodness I got my hands on more green chartreuse).  I liked it, though.  I used sparkling water rather than regular water, and I appreciated the bit of fizz that gave.  Two rounds for me whilst we chatted, and that was fine enough! 

your latest reminder

Olive, I happily declare once again, is the prettiest little girl ever.  Such a sweetheart.  That was Tuesday evening when she was ever-hopeful that a little bit of our dinner might find its way to her.  So, not just adorable as all get out but quite the optimist, too! 

Hugo Spritz

I just want to say that before the New York Times trumpeted it as the cool new drink earlier this week, we were enjoying the Hugo Spritz already.  I first had it on Ischia in 2024, so take that, NYTimes!  I'm so ahead of the game.

And they really are lovely, refreshing drinks.  Van and I enjoyed them out on his deck yesterday evening.  Ahhhhhh.... 

third weekend in June

Weekend wrap-up time, my friends.  You've already had the Friday holiday report.  Now for the weekend proper.  Here we go!

Where did we start Saturday?  I mean, after the walk, that is (and a shorter walk than usual - it was on Saturday morning that we really noticed the smell of smoke from the warehouse fire in Los Angeles).  Amara Cafe, of course!  I wasn't very hungry thanks to the lamb dinner the night before, so I stuck with an empanada

and a decaf latte and that was entirely enough.

But gosh, we got a lot done on Saturday:  the walk, groceries, four loads of laundry, two open houses (we are kind of sort of not really looking at condos), more travel planning, running the dishwasher, a stop for ice cream at Afters,

dinner and some television, a nap.  It's nice to feel accomplished, and we did.

Yesterday was lower key.  Not because we were tired or anything, no.  The air quality was still not great, and we wanted a bit of a lazy morning, so we stayed in and had coffee and ate lightly.  I did some sorting of things in my drawers and Conrad did some paperwork at his computer.  I also made some dinners for him so that when I'm at Van's tonight, he won't go hungry!  All in all, low key.  Shall I confess that I was listening to Christmas music to take an afternoon nap?  Hardly a surprise to anyone who knows me, I think.

We did, however, venture out yesterday evening.  Van came by, and the three of us went over to Union for an early dinner reservation. 

I can't recall the last time we ate there.  I have enjoyed it in the past, but I was also a little startled to see that their menu hasn't changed much.  I know, I know:  the Maestro menu hasn't changed substantively in years, and we still go and enjoy that.  I will say that the carrots were nice

and that the olive oil cake was good (and quite a portion!)

and that the bread was crusty. 

The meatballs were fine if a little solid and might have included a little more sauce. 

The spaghetti was also fine, but I remember it being plated more tidily and just having a little something better about it that I can't quite put my finger on.  The restaurant has expanded as well, opening up a back dining area that a friend had told us she rather didn't like.  I agree.  The front has a cool Italian bistro feel, the back is like being in a side room at a brewpub restaurant.  A disconnect between the spaces.  I did like that it was a little quieter and more spacious, though.

After that we wandered to the movies.  27 fricking minutes of commercials and previews later, the show started.  Stop! That! Train!  It was light and amusing.  A fun diversion.  Nice to see various drag queens and other familiar faces.

We got home, and that was that.  Van headed back to Olive, Conrad and I headed to bed.  A three-day weekend had finished, and it wasn't half bad, I have to say! 

a Friday off

Friday was a day off.  A holiday, Juneteenth, it meant not needing to go into work and not needing to pay attention to work stuff.  So what did I do most of the day?  Work with Conrad on a professional development related trip to come in October.  He'll be tagging along, and then we'll build a vacation on to the end of it.  We spent much of the day doing some registration things and finally settling on some airline tickets.  That ate much of the day for us, and that was fine.

But before that, a walk.  I actually got out the door into the June Gloom and had a little stroll in the neighbourhood without Conrad, then came back for him.  We drove down into the Arroyo and parked by the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, then more or less did the loop around the stadium and through the golf course. 

Nice walk on a cool, overcast day.

Van was feeling better, he said, and he asked if he and Olive could come over.  Of course, I told him.  Conrad and I dashed out to pick up a few things, and that resulted in a large, rich dinner of braised lamb shanks with a parsnip puree. 

Very tasty, but I couldn't finish it all.  Leftovers for Conrad, perhaps, or lunches.  Nice meal, though, and good to see them.  Before dinner, as we sat and got caught up, I made myself a blood orange negroni, a nice pre-dinner sipper.

Friday felt like Saturday, I tell you.  I was confused all day about what day it actually was.  But it was a good day.  The trip planning is exciting!  Wait until October to read about that one.

Onward with the rest of the weekend.... 

Thursday night sushi

Remember when Conrad and I used to regularly do Thursday night sushi?  Our habit hasn't been much in place lately.  Weird spring!  Ah well.  Anyway, this past Thursday, Conrad flew home from Chicago and then had to contend with World Cup traffic on the way home from LAX.  That ride took 1.75 hours.  Yikes.  A lot.  Because of that, I wanted him to have an easier evening of it (and the same for me).  We took ourselves to visit our friends at Mama M Sushi for dinner sitting outside there, watching the world go by.   And, as ever, it was good.  Agedashi tofu,

shishito peppers,

a sashimi assortment. 

Tasty!

It had been an odd week.  Van was ill most of the week, so we spent little time together.  I was at home alone more than I might usually be, eating simply, going to bed early.  Getting back to Mama M again was a nice little way to bring a short week to a close and welcome Conrad home. 

work in progress

My heart dropped a little when Conrad and Van told me on the weekend that Maestro is closed temporarily for some work needing doing.  On the one hand, I knew that they had had to deal with flooding from pipes from another part of the building that they rent space in.  On the other, I've seen restaurants and other business close "temporarily", never to reopen.  And wow, what would we do without them?

So I was relieved to walk past the place yesterday afternoon and see someone outside cutting flooring pieces and then glance in the open door to see the work in progress.

Come back soon, friends.  May the work be done quickly!  I can breathe a little easier now. 

basic pasta

Conrad is in Chicago.  Van is under the weather.  Peter threw together a basic pasta dinner.

The underlying recipe involves caramelizing some cabbage and some onion, adding some pasta water, tossing in the pasta, and serving it up.  But I want to add a little protein, so I topped it with some peas and pancetta and Romano cheese.  Simple, tasty.

And hooray!  Leftovers for lunches the rest of the week!

2 X 3 X 20

And... we're back home!  Earlier than expected as well, I have to say, and hooray for that.   Two nights down in Orange County, and now Conrad has to get himself ready to head to Chicago tomorrow morning before most people are up and at 'em.  So it's back to Pasadena, a load of laundry on the go, and I'll stay out of his way as he packs.

Orange County.  Say what you will about the place, but yeah, it really did feel like a different world down there.  In terms of being WASP (because I am, I cannot deny it), yep, it sure was.  If it wasn't for the fact that I felt like the fattest man on the beach, I might have felt at home a little.  Likely not, but maybe.

Anyway, I shan't slag Newport Beach, really.  We had a modest hotel that suited our purposes. 

It was easy to walk to the ocean or to the sheltered bay.  We didn't dine out beyond Starbucks, so I can't comment on the food, but we poked in some shops that were pleasant, and I ended up buying cards.  Because I am always looking to stock up on my cards.  I didn't really take photos around town, though.  By the ocean there, the marine layer (June Gloom) was prevalent throughout each morning, making for not great photos.  And there were a lot of people around.  Beachgoers, surfers, shoppers, tourists in general.  Accordingly, it was tough to get shots without people in them.  Ah well.

The point of the trip wasn't to see Newport Beach, though.  The point was the shared birthday celebration for two friends, Jennifer and Traci.  And having just typed those names I realize I didn't get photos of them at all.  What a funny weekend for photo-taking!  Anyway, here's what we did to celebrate:

Friday we met up at a house they were using for the weekend and walked nearby to a place that rents out these little boats called duffies.  Twelve-seaters, a table in the middle, a canopy for shade.  The party split between two boats and we spent about two hours riding around the inner harbour area.  There were refreshments - perhaps too many! - and good conversation.

After the boat ride we returned to the house where a dinner of pizza and meatballs and salad was laid out for us all.  Then it was time for the talent show.  Yes, the talent show. 

The thing we'd kind of been dreading.  And look, it was fun in the end, but please don't make people perform for you, I kindly ask you all.  Anyway, Van coordinated our talent (and really, this weekend we left a lot of organization to him since it is through him that we know Jennifer and Traci), and he was clever about it.  What do we do well?  Make cocktails!  So he organized all we need for demonstrating how to make Last Words.  And that is what we did.  Van narrated, Conrad passed me the ingredients, I made the cocktails.  We served one each to Jennifer and Traci, then sat back down, happy to be through that and happy to enjoy what the others did.  Honestly?  I think we kind of kicked butt.  ;-)

There weren't Saturday birthday activities until late in the afternoon when we reconvened at the house.  There we were asked to write letters on paper that would readily dissolve.  One letter was for Jennifer and/or Traci.  The other was for the ocean.  We would write then all head to the beach

where we would gather in a circle around the two women and read our letters to them aloud.  We would then put the letter to them and the ocean into the waves so that they could dissolve there.  Most of the party joined in, and it was lovely to do that activity.  Interestingly, Conrad and I wrote very similar things, and Van was touched that we drew him into what we wrote to Jennifer and Traci.  We were gathered high up the beach, and even so, there was a wave that came roaring far up the beach to not far from us.  That scattered folks lower down, sending them scrambling away, but it also scuttled our plans to walk down the surf and let the letters go there.  Conrad, every thinking, suggested we set them to float and dissolve in the water of the inner harbour just doors down from the house, and that is what some of us did.

After that came tacos made to order by a crew the hosts had hired.  We ate and drank, chatting to a few others (and here I will say shame on the people who withdrew to the living room to watch the basketball game - not my party, so not really my place to say that, but still).  Not long after we enjoyed a little homemade cake, we headed back to the hotel.  Most of the party reconvened this morning to head to brunch, but we passed on that.  I did a 4.33 mile walk,

part of it with Conrad.  Starbucks, packing, and then it was home.

So then, happy 60th (3 X 20, get it?)(that was their way of expressing it, not mine!) to Jennifer and Traci.  I hope they had a blast!  Now then, what shall I do when I get to that in a handful of years...? 

a Thursday night dinner in June

The slew of posts on the Nashville/Kentucky trip has helped cover for the fact that it's been quiet times indeed.  Really not much to write about during the week.  Simple dinners, movies or television.  Morning walks.  Few people coming through the door at work.  A lull before the conference and in-laws travel at the end of this month.  In short, sorry.  Not much to blog about.

So here is what has become a rare-these-days cooking entry.  Van came over last night so that the three of us could hammer out our weekend plans (a friend's 60th birthday celebration in Newport Beach).  I took one of our dinner staples (pork tenderloin) and served it up a little differently than normal.  A corn and leek puree went into the bottom of the bowl.  Alongside the pork came a couple of roasted slices of sweet potato and a small mound of sauteed cabbage and onion. 

Summery flavours, perhaps?  Nothing too rich.  A nice little dinner.

I've been looking ahead for some time now to retirement down the road.  When I finally do, oh boy will I be getting into the kitchen a whole bunch.  Baking, cooking.  Just you watch out. 

Cincinnati

Just typing that title I found myself singing the word and adding "WKRP" after it.  Yep, I am that old.

Alright, silliness aside, let's look at Cincinnati.  We spent that afternoon there, stopping for lunch, shopping, and sightseeing in one spot, then coming back for dinner and a walk in the evening.  We also came back into the city after checking out of the hotel the next morning, heading for a museum and lunch before making our way to the airport.  Not much time in Cincinnati - we saw even less of it than we did of Nashville - but I feel as though our appetites for more were whetted by comparison to Nashville earlier in the trip.

Speaking of appetites, we started off with lunch up in the Mount Adams neighbourhood. Cincinnati is the United States' version of a city built on seven hills.  It's a charming little part of the city, one that felt like a real little neighbourhood with its own community.  We headed for lunch right away, having sandwiches at Mt. Adams Bar and Grill,

before wandering around a small handful of blocks, taking in the top of the hill and what it had to offer. 

A few interesting pieces of real estate up there as well, but no, we are not intending to retire to Cincinnati.

From there it was on to Rookwood Pottery,

a place that one of Conrad's colleagues had recommended.  They had lovely pieces there, and I could well imagine having a tile fireplace or something like that as crafted by them.  Yes, we bought a few small things.  How could we not?  From there, it was downtown and a little jaunt through the Hilton to admire at least some of the fine interior of the Carew Tower.

John and Drew met us at the hotel early that evening for drinks before we all crossed back into downtown Cincinnati for dinner.  I still can't believe I got to meet John.  What an amazing man he is.  And Drew was an utter delight - I loved hearing his many stories. 

Dinner was at Yard House, and it was fine enough, but what was even better was taking advantage of a pleasant evening and all of us strolling across the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge to Kentucky and then back again, walking a little after that in the riverfront park in Cincinnati.  What a gorgeous bridge!  That walk gave me and John time to have some private conversation and share some personal things, too, and I valued that greatly.  But ah, the views of the cities, the river, and the bridge itself.  So wonderful.

John and Drew dropped us back off at the hotel after that, and Conrad and I had a nightcap.  A fine day done, and a little time the next day to get to see more.

The next morning we were back at Point Perk, but we also stopped at North South Baking, a lovely bakery nearby, for some excellent pastries to bring back to the room. 

A rhubarb cruffin?  Yes, please!  We packed, checked out, and headed across the river to the Cincinnati Art Museum.  We had enough time there to browse a bit (free admission, so the price was right) and have lunch in the museum cafe. 

It was off to the airport after that,

two flights to go, and a little stowaway joining us. 

The end of a truly excellent vacation with oh so many highlights to remember fondly.