eight days ago...

Hi everyone!

It's getting late on a Saturday night.  Conrad and I have watched the end of season 22 (22!  Wow!) of Top Chef (and delighted in the winner). Soon time for bed.  So let me check in, starting the blogging of the Ohio weekend.

A week ago yesterday, Van and I boarded a plane

at LAX

for a long flight east, landing in Cleveland that evening.  Cleveland, you say?  A number of people had that reaction.  And I think a bunch of them had never been to Cleveland or Ohio before.  A shame, as you will see in times ahead.

But it was foggy in Cleveland.  Or was it smoke from Canada?  Not sure.  We had great views from our hotel room, but not clear ones. 

Ah well.  It was only one night there (and in hindsight, we should have booked one or two more).

A dinner

and drinks at the bar, then back up to the room to crash.  A night time view

- the windows had a corner - but still not clear.  NOT a harbinger of the weekend ahead.  We truly had a fantastic weekend. 

cherry clafoutis

Thursday is farmers' market day in South Pasadena, not too far from Van's place.  It's been ages since I went to a local market - there used to be one just outside our condo building in Pasadena, but that ended years ago, alas - so it was nice to wander through and pick up a few things.  I have some ideas for dinner this weekend.

I was tempted by (but didn't buy) the Rainier cherries I saw.  Ah, I love stone fruit season.  I can imagine all the baking and such to be done with the fruit.  Happily, others do as well.  Van and I were actually over that way for a date night at Bistro de la Gare, a place we hadn't been to in a while.  A table outside, the bustle of the market through most of the meal, a fine place for him

and me

to have a dinner the night before Conrad was to come home.  I didn't photograph my burger (which was terrific, and excellent fries), but I couldn't resist the dessert.  I wasn't even keen on dessert, but Van was immediately sold on having something with fresh cherries from the market.  A clafoutis, something I've made a few times with varying success. 

Nice to have a professional do it, and nice to know that at least once I wasn't too far off the mark.  It was a tasty end to the meal, and a welcome use of the seasonal produce in abundance.

a blurry reminder

I can't overstate it:  Olive is adorable, and I love her so much.  Come on, look at her!

Blurry, I know, sorry.  She gets squirmy when I try to capture a shot. 

Far better to catch her unaware, like on our little morning walk today.

She turned 11 last month.  Hard to believe.  Still healthy, still happy.  Our little girl. 

since we got back

It's been an easy week at home, just me and Van, no Conrad (who comes home tomorrow from a conference in Chicago).  There have been the morning walks, increasing in length from 6 point something miles on Tuesday morning to over 8 miles today.  The June Gloom has been great for the walks, though blue skies might have made better backdrops for the rare photos I am taking on the walks,

including of me. 

Van picked up to-go food from Julienne on Tuesday, and we sat outside for dinner and cocktails. 

Last night was out on the deck again, cocktails again,

ribs that I cooked for dinner.  Some television, some early nights to bed.  A nice week, and a quiet one at work as well.  Ahhhhh.

Colorado weekend

Quick weekend trips can be a lot of fun.  Oh, sure, time spent in transit (airplanes and airports in this case) can eat up a lot of the good time on a weekend, but it's still possible to make the most of the trip.  And if the destination is not too far or relatively convenient, then taking some time for travel is all the less onerous in view of the good times to be had.  Add in that the weekend involves very dear friends, and, well, I'm convinced!

I actually started this post days back.  Ages back.  It's now some ten days since our return.  And perhaps I was waiting for Robert's new position to be confirmed - the quick trip to Colorado was so that we could see them him and Courtney there one last time before they move this summer. 

So it was that on the last Friday of May, Conrad and I

flew to Denver where Courtney picked us up.  Hooray for her being on sabbatical this year - we greatly appreciate that she could take us to and from the airport.  Our flight was delayed, and there was no food served, so we all agreed to head to Pica's Taqueria in Louisville.  I love that place! 

A chorizo and potato taco and a duck taco for me

(plus a margarita to wash them down).  That made me happy.  We then swung by Whole Foods to pick up shucked oysters,

a cake,

and some other treats for the evening. 

We were celebrating, after all.  Oh, sure, we ordered pizza for dinner, but before that, we toasted a noshed and caught up.  Rain passed through the area, and we were treated to a double rainbow

over the neighbour's house. 

A really nice evening.

Saturday morning:  a walk to a favourite coffee place, then a lunch of - this is a surprising turn of events (ha!) - tacos again at Pica's. 

The afternoon was devoted to spa time in Boulder.  Alas, a cold sore on my lower lip meant that I could not get the facial I had booked, so I walked a little down the Pearl Street mall in the city, stopping in at a store I love to visit, treating myself to a couple of cocktail books.  Home after that for a nap, and that set us up for a nice dinner out.

We made ourselves pretty, and headed into Boulder again, up the hillside to Flagstaff House, a very nice restaurant we've enjoyed a few times before. Cocktails to start (this lovely one, the Peak Bliss, is one I want to try making at home),

some excellent wine (a Pinot from NZ that was a good, light choice for the first bottle, followed by a richer French red),

even an Amaro after dinner.  No a la carte menu, but choices for each course.  We had some little treats to start, and then on to the courses:

A pea shoot salad with bresaola.

Spinach cannelloni with chanterelles.

A pork dish with morels and ramps.

Venison loin with a venison stew.

Pineapple sorbet with black sesame.

Oh, it was good.  It was a very thoughtful menu, and each course really did seem to build on the previous, deepening in flavour.  It was not a rushed evening.  It was a great evening.

I didn't take photos on the Sunday.  A morning walk to coffee again, and then it was brunch with a couple of Courtney and Robert's friends.   A nice enough time, but I think we all agreed that the service and food at the brunch was less than we would have liked.  Ah well.  Conrad and I had the afternoon to pack and nap and then it was off to the airport with us.  Thunder storms rolled through the area, and we had an hour delay, but we were home that night, happy that we had one last, fantastic visit with them in Colorado. 

burger night in San Marino

You know what was fun last week?  Burger night at Julienne, a short distance from Van's house, down in San Marino.  A Thursday night for the three of us, none of us having to cook.  We do get takeaway from Julienne sometimes (last night, in fact, for me and Van), but they aren't usually open for dinner, so a dinner there is a rare thing.  So rare I don't think I've ever done it before!

We'll head back next week for another of their special summer dinners, but last week it was burgers and Bordeaux night.  A little wine, a salad to start,

the burger

with some pretty good chips alongside,

a cobbler for dessert. 

We sat outside, the last table to be seated, and had an unhurried time of it.  Ahhhhh.  Just so nice to have an easy dinner.

home from Ohio

My gosh!  I'm already behind on one trip (Colorado), and now I've added another short jaunt to blog about.  Patience.  I'll catch up in days ahead.  For tonight, here is the verdant scenery of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a bridge over the Cuyahoga River at Boston Mills.  Enjoy! 

jacaranda

The June Gloom makes for very comfortable walks and swims but not always the best backdrop for photos.  A shame, because it's jacaranda season in SoCal, and all over the place you can see masses of the purple blooms where the trees are in abundance or poke above the surroundings.  Del Mar is the Pasadena street that is really known for them, and I caught a shot of them on an early morning walk on Wednesday.  Not as vibrant as on a sunny day, perhaps, but lovely enough!

The Alaska

A Wednesday evening cocktail before dinner for us.  Some Boursin cheese and crackers while I cooked, and a little something to sip.  The Alaska, something I've made before but not often.  Nice to make for Conrad something with the yellow Chartreuse.  Cheers! 

a night with Olive

I think Conrad loves it even more than I do, and I know Olive loves it when he is around, so last night with Olive was a delight.  Van had a sleep study that had him away overnight last night, so Conrad and I came over to make sure the little girl was fine.  Some sushi, some television, lots of petting and cuddles. 

She was happy to get the attention.

Though it is funny how when Conrad is around, I'm an afterthought. 

Unless I have food I can give her! 

busy day!

7.31 miles on foot this morning,

then a short swim. 

Maybe, just maybe, if I can keep up this level of activity and not dine like this past weekend or even last night every single day, I might fit into some of my clothes again!  We shall see.

But I admit, I am fascinated by the step count numbers.  Data can be fun! 

quick, easy check in to start June

Hey!  It's me, launching the June blog entries, and doing it lazily.  I have a longer entry to write about the past weekend, and I will, but let me instead share dinner last night.  Van (and Olive) came over - we all had so much to catch up on since last we saw him last Wednesday.  I made us each a Vespa to sip

while I tossed together some bucatini with pork meatballs and a sauce from a jar. 

Yep, I need shortcuts sometimes, especially during the work week.  I also used shortcuts for dessert, toasting up some Liège Waffles from Trader Joe's, some banana pudding ice cream also from TJ's, and diced strawberries tossed with sugar to make their own syrup. 

Tasty stuff, and a welcome meal at the end of the day.  We sat outside and chatted for a long time, enjoying our company.  Nice!