in bloom

Ah, spring.  Allergy season, but you know, it's worth it.

As we emerge from a long, cool, relatively wet spell of weeks and the weather brightens and warms up, more and more flowers are bursting forth.  On the one hand, yes allergies, not to mention the pollen coating surfaces (the oak trees along Van's back deck are dropping pollen and catkins like mad).  On the other hand, the fragrance of mock orange and more in the air, with jasmine soon to come.

And then there are the beauties I admire so much.  Van's backyard has these glorious Pride of Madeira bushes, and they are at their prime.  Bluish-purple spikes.  I love them.  I've seen them elsewhere as well around town, and they are a delight.

So, hooray for spring!  In this climate, it means an abundance of blooms.

A week ago I was in a plane

And then I was on another plane.  But yes, a week ago at this time, I was most of the way to Chicago.

It was a very early morning when I headed to LAX. 

I was out of bed shortly after 3 that morning, so you can well imagine I had a mighty good nap on the plane!  It was a smooth flight, on time, nothing remarkable.  I made it to Chicago, had a Zoom meeting while I refueled in the United Lounge, then boarded another plane.  Green Bay was the second destination, and flying in, that adjective was apt.  Wisconsin looked marvelously green down there. 

It was fully spring, mayflies and all.  Conrad (YAY!) met me at the airport

and drove us north to the land of Old Dutch dill pickle chips. 

Yep, Escanaba for two nights together. 

Not quite as deep into spring there, but definitely spring nonetheless!

More to come from the most recent Midwest jaunt!

cleanse, day 26

Oh so close to the end of this self-imposed diet, and funnily enough, I don't crave things. Oh, I wouldn't mind being able to have a sweet treat, and I think a glass of wine would be good, definitely. On the other hand, I doubt that, come Wednesday, I'll settle down to a big piece of red meat topped with cheese and served with a big wedge of cake for dessert and a martini to wash it all down.

Oh, wait, maybe I should give that a try...

Yesterday was a simple meal as usual, a one pan dish. Sort of a black bean chili, but I decided on a milder approach. I sauteed some cumin, oregano, salt, and chipotle powder to take some of the rawness out of the spices, then added chopped onion and carrot. Once I'd sweated that a little, I added two cans of black beans (mostly drained of their liquid), stirred, then added in some leftover roasted tomatillo sauce from the night before when I'd had our neighbour Jeff up for dinner. After letting this simmer a while, I added some chopped yellow squash and corn cut from a cob. Some water to thin it, some salt to season it, and I let it simmer until the vegetables were tender.

And then Conrad and I went for a walk to enjoy a fine (and finally!) spring late afternoon.




Once home, I set to work setting up dinner. Bowls heated. A simple salad of arugula tossed together with a dressing of olive oil, gently browned garlic, salt, and sherry vinegar. I chopped an avocado up for garnish on the stew, and we were soon eating. Best of all? Leftovers that will be great for lunch on Monday!

NYC, early spring

Not much to be said here, just a few shots of Central Park last weekend. When Conrad and I arrived in NYC, it was in the mid-60s and so so comfortable for walking. It cooled quickly overnight, unfortunately. No matter - we had sun (I got a mild sunburn, in fact).

Never been to NYC? Thinking it's time you went back? Let the photos (more from the weekend on Flickr!) entice you some...

DC weekend

Oh gosh, was it really so long ago? Early this month. Wow. So long ago. Can I go back?

Geoff is a former Smelt. Not for long, but we got to know him and Kent in their time in Chicago and have gotten to know them better since their return to DC. Last year we spent a very fine weekend with them in the spring, and the recent Computers in Libraries conference trip for me gave us the opportunity to see them again.

I'm giving them short shrift by posting this one entry (though I did mention their dog, I recall), and I am sorry for that. In truth, my famously sieve-like memory means that I struggle to remember some of the fun we had. Let me try.

Conrad and I had an easy flight, were picked up at DCA, and headed to Jaleo in nearby Crystal City. We'd been to the Bethesda location with Geoff and Kent, and given our love for Spain and Spanish food, we were delighted. And it was good food, good wine. A weekend starting well.

The next day was as perfect a spring day in DC as we could ask for. Mild temperatures. Trees all in bloom. After an easy start to the day, we all walked Maggie - gorgeous girl that she is - down to a nearby park for some play, some photos.



Lunch next. I think we were in Maryland by this point - my sense of direction can be poor - and we moseyed into The General Store. Down home cooking? Soul food? Southern food? How do we classify it? I'll give them this: good fried chicken and onion rings, tasty buttermilk chess pie. Oh, and in homage to Todd (and because I was in the mood for it): sweetened iced tea. Iced tea, not ice tea. I'm learning.

Right by the restaurant are the remnants of the National Park Seminary. Geoff's mother was part of the last class at the college before the military commandeered it in the Second World War. The military never really used it, apparently, and now it is in a state of long neglect and disrepair. Well, save for the rehabilitation of some buildings as part of a condo development. There's some interesting potential there, in fact, and we did wander around the grounds, into a few show condos, and on to the restored ballroom.










No meal out that night. I took over the kitchen (with two helpers/spectators)(well, three if you count Maggie)

and set to work on a fairly easy meal: fettucine with shrimp and a chipotle peanut sauce. A salad on the side, some wines to enjoy. Not my best effort ever, but I think it was tasty enough, and certainly the food was much improved by the company. We had a terrific evening of chat around the table and in the living room.

And Maggie? Mostly quiet, but the lucky girl has a bounty of toys to play with.
A happy dog, really.

I wonder if Geoff and Kent will let us turn this into an annual weekend visit...




More photos from the weekend are over at Flickr.