After a nice day out, it was a nice evening in with Van. We'd had a late lunch (more on that and the day as a whole in another post), so we didn't have much for dinner, and not very early. But we did take advantage of sitting outside and a new recipe to enjoy The Final Venture yesterday.
Hello! I'm taking a midweek day off today to go enjoy the city a little with Van - all too often it's either the weekend or holidays when we have that opportunity, and we thought it would be nice to take advantage of the slowness of summer at work to grab a day off at a not-usual time for us. Should be fun!
Van, however, is not a morning person, and although I've been up for about 4 hours now, it's before 9:00, and it's unreasonable to expect him to be up. So I've had my walk, I've had a Starbucks decaf latte, and I've had some oatmeal. Now to blog a little before I head out to meet him....
A quick post, then. Dinner last night.
But since moving to LA and especially since having Van in our lives, we go out and see and hear so much more. We were talking on the drive home tonight about how it was the Hollywood Bowl two months ago, and I know that there are two or three local shows to come later this year. Hardly a lot, but it sure feels great!
The three of us took ourselves over to Hollywood this evening for a show (and dinner and drinks!) at the Blue Note.
Not familiar with Stephan Moccio? Ever heard Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball? That's one of his co-writes. He is the co-writer of a big Celine Dion song. And there is more. That songwriting success has enabled him to put out music that is jazzier, lounge-ier. I've enjoyed his stuff for at least a few years now. It's kind of background, but I like it just the same. On stage, though, he tells great stories, and there is oomph to his playing, real vigour. Not at all background. He was a great time.
Oh, and bonus: Allison went to school with him! She remembers him, perhaps not well.
What a fine night, though. And not a late one either, happily. I have to wrap this up and get upstairs to bed. Conrad is off to Chicago in the morning, and I am his ride to LAX. 5:00 will come soon!
My sister is up in our hometown for the BC Day long weekend. Well, the holiday weekend is more coincident - she's not there for the holiday, per se, but for her 40-year high school reunion. From the brief chat we had yesterday, it sounds like the event itself is, well, not surpassing her modest expectations. Ah well.
But the more interesting thing to talk about, I think, is the town itself. Terrace, BC. I've gotten used to people in the US not having a clue as to where it is, and heck, even folks in BC don't always know. And it's not a little isolated village of 200 people on some gravel road hours from the main highways or something. I mean, it's not large either, but it's on a TransCanada Highway (the Yellowhead 16), and there are some 12,000 people there. Small, far from Vancouver (840 miles/1350 km by car), but not so out there in the grand scheme of things.
Or maybe I just think that because I lived there for so much of my life!
I haven't been up there since my last high school reunion, back in 2018. I may go in two years, we shall see - I didn't think the last reunion was all that great, and I think I'd like to see the town a little more on my terms rather than with an event driving things. What I recall from the last visit, though, is that the town was still familiar but that so much of it had changed. A friend I had at the time chided me for expressing that, and I found it hard to explain to him what I meant, not at all what he thought, that I was saying Terrace shouldn't have changed. Of course it should change. It changed while I lived there, for goodness' sake!
But it is disorienting to go back and see the place and know that you are from there but you are not longer of there. It is weird to have the memories of places imposed over the current reality. And it is encouraging to see some changes and sad to see others. Nostalgia really hits hard, you know.
I don't trash talk my hometown. I won't even resort to the patronizing "it was a great place to grow up" language that people use when they really want to say "I was glad to get the heck out of there" or far less kind things. Terrace has a beautiful setting and so many people there who were important to my life at various points. But Marie left in 1987, and she has barely been back. I left 11 years later, and it's much the same thing for me. A part of me will always feel a part of Terrace, and I take pride in and comfort from that.
Alright, enough of that. In the meantime, enjoy some photos of the Terrace area and more (including our childhood home) courtesy of my sister.
Ever had orange wine? It's made from white wine grapes that are left on the skins, the white equivalent of a rosé (or even a red, for that matter). I first had an orange wine at a wine bar in Chicago years back, and have had it on occasion since. The wines tend to be, well, funky. Not a bad thing, though. The Pépin was, indeed, very interesting. Van described it as tasty like a mix of beer and wine, and I can see what he means based on the yeastiness of it all. It took me a few sips to decide whether I liked it, and in the end, I did. I'm not sure I would seek it out again, but I thought it went nicely with dinner that night.
She may be slowing down - we definitely are noticing more and more that she's not the young dog she once was (are any of us?) - but she's still the cutest, prettiest little girl. Television date night at Van's last night, and when I arrived, there was much time spent on the Couch of Love, as we call it. She jumps up and demands (and gives!) affection until she is done with us, and last night that was a goodly long time of making sure Olive was given the love she deserves.
Happy August ahead! I look forward to spending time next month taking care of her while Van and Conrad go on a road trip.
So, yeah. As of earlier this week I am another year older. 56. I hope I wear it well.
A very low key birthday for me. A good, long morning walk (just shy of 8 miles), decaf and oatmeal at home, and then to campus because I had an in-person obligation that afternoon, one I couldn't get out of. Back home in Pasadena after work, I had time to shower and change and head to dinner. Van picked us up, and we met Rick and Jacque at the restaurant. Celestino was my choice
And then it was home and not long after that to bed. 56 years in the bag, starting on 57. Well done, me.
Last weekend in July. The pre-birthday weekend. We fit in a lot this weekend, or so it felt. And yet, that was a nice Saturday afternoon nap, I tell you! So then, let's talk the weekend that was....
Friday I worked from home, and not having to allow for commuting time, plus getting up early, plus staying at Van's overnight meant that I was able to do a good, long morning walk. Over 8 miles for me. Not bad! My step count for July has been pretty darn good. I was pooped and sweaty come the end of it.
We absolutely love our friends at the restaurants where we are regulars, but we also find ourselves wanting to go to other restaurants sometimes. Last Friday was one such time. We sort of tossed around options for dinner, and I found myself not really wanting any of them, until he reminded me of Perle. We'd enjoyed our last time there, sitting at the bar, so we decided to go back. Other than cocktails (the La Plage for me),
Saturday was an easy day with some self-care. A more casual walk to start the day, then, of course, Conrad and I made our way to Amara.
Oh, and there was a cute little gift from Courtney and Robert in the mail,
I was so looking forward to Sunday. Van had invited Heath and Nicole over, and he was going to grill burgers for us. He went to such great lengths to make it a lovely evening, and it all paid off. We hadn't seen Heath since the cocktail party and Nicole in far longer, so it was terrific having them over. Bonus: they brought their dogs. I only got a shot of Rollie, but what a cutie.
It's taken me days to get this post written. I fear that I may lapse into some gaps in posting if I'm not careful. We shall see what August brings!
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