Afternoon Improv

Today's piano lesson had the usual work out of the beginner book, but included a little time for improv at the end.

Dinner Conversation

A: Mom, wanna know why I laughed?

C: Sure.

A: Well, I was thinking about the neighbor's cat. And then I was thinking about the dance, the tanga.

C: Tango?

A: Yes, tango, and then I was thinking of the neighbor's cat dancing the tango, and that was why I was laughing.

C: That's pretty funny.

A: My mind just thinks like that. (Proceeds to get up and dance the tango with a broccoli stem rose between her teeth.)

Back of the Bus

I have seen this ad more than once, and all it inspires me to do is dig around in my bag for my phone to snap a photo of it. Fortunately this time we were at a red light, so I could do so safely.

Back to Work . . . sort of

Today was my first official day back at work after summer break, and given the beautiful weather, I decided that we should proceed as though it is still summer and head for the lake after work. Adelaide was up for it, and was also up for towing me around on her raft. It was hot, the water was cold, and we were right back in summer mindset in no time. After a bit of a swim and some time chatting with the neighbors in the sun, we headed over to the new neighborhood taco truck to check it out. They didn't have any fish today but made us a special order (cheese quesadilla for Adelaide and veggie tacos for me). We brought it home for a picnic on the deck. Served up with a cocktail for me and a yogurt for Adelaide, and we were both very satisfied. At a buck and a quarter a taco and a 1 block walk, you can't beat it for a summer supper. Head on over to the Greenlake Shell station and enjoy!

Ocean

The first time I saw the Pacific Ocean, I was 17 years old. It was a cool, sunny, beautiful California day, and the waves were gently coming up onto Stinson Beach. My stepmom and I ran in the water, mounded the sand and wrote messages that washed away in the surf, and frolicked long enough that my brother and dad retreated, cold, to the car. I felt unbelievably excited, and alive, and in love.The last time I saw the Pacific Ocean, I felt exactly the same way. And every time in between, it has been the same. This time, I got to enjoy watching Adelaide have that same transformation into an alive and joyful girl who couldn't get enough of the water, the waves, the sand, the treasures of the ocean beach. She literally screamed with excitement and alternated running to the water and collapsing to all fours to feel the sand on her body. Joy.

Maiden Voyage

After a cool morning, the sun burned through and motivated us to find a way to fill Adelaide's new raft (thank you, gas station air pump and piggy bank quarters) and head down for a swim.Now if there were just room for 2 and a drink in each cupholder, we could lounge the day away.

Soy Ahoy!

The pirate told me she wants a gold tooth, but according to the dentist, she's more likely to get an orthodontic appliance of some sort. Consolation prize? Chocolate croissant. And for me, soy latte from Allegro, the best coffeehouse in Seattle. Unfortunately the best barista in Seattle seems to have sold his share of the business and was no longer there, after 20 years of excellence. The latte was still excellent, so I guess he passed down the legacy.

Little Chef

This afternoon we spent some time in the backyard, me weeding and Adelaide watering our potato plants. She noticed that one of the plants was dried up completely, which means the potatoes are ready to harvest. After digging them up, we decided that they would be dinner, along with some blueberries from the bush.Adelaide asked if she could make a fruit salad and wash the potatoes while I took my shower. When I returned to the kitchen she had decided on the full menu, and asked only that I prepare the potatoes since it required the oven. I was pretty excited to have dinner made for me, and I readily agreed.

Florida Feast, Part One

We had many wonderful meals as part of Dave's trip, one of which was a seven-course meal at the Versace mansion. We began with cocktails and appetizers in the foyer courtyard.
Then we proceeded into another courtyard for the meal. The pool and mosaic were a beautiful backdrop to the dining area.
First course: beet salad with goat cheese and microgreens. Note table setting contains 3 sets of silverware, which one might (mistakenly) use as a guide to pacing oneself for 3 courses.
Next up, what was my favorite course, scallops served on a puree of potato, with roasted brussel sprouts, fresh peas and some kind of sprout. The combination of textures and flavors in this dish were very delicious.
Third course, seared tuna with greens, cracker with caviar, tomato with sardine, roasted pepper sauce. Very good, but of the tuna salads we ate on the trip (there were many!), not my favorite.
Fourth course (pictured after I had already dug in, oops!): some kind of white fish over Israeli cous cous with eggplant and roasted peppers and onions. Very good, probably the second best dish but I had paced myself for 3 courses and really couldn't manage more than a few bites of it.
Course Five: Not pictured, as I refused to let them serve it to me for fear I would eat it and regret stuffing myself. For the non meat-eaters, some sort of veggie dish which Dave said was good, and for the others, a large hunk of beef tenderloin or prime rib or some other expensive cut of red meat which looked like it could feed a family of 4 for Christmas dinner.

Course six, banana cake with pecan ice cream, fresh strawberries, a fried banana and chocolate straw. Very good but again, only could eat a bite or two given the stuffed state I was in.
This was definitely the best meal I have ever eaten that was prepared and served to such a large group. That is, until the next night at Nobu (see my next post!). It was especially nice to have so many dishes with no meat, not excessively salted or oily or heavy as can happen even with good restaurant food.

Whatever, Whenever, What is Your Wish?

I recently took a vacation to visit my brother and sister-in-law in San Francisco. During the time I was in California, Dave and I went to Miami on a trip with his colleagues which was a reward for the people who had met and exceeded their goals at work. The group stayed at the W hotel in South Beach, where the concierge answers the phone with "whatever, whenever, what is your wish?" We joked that we should call with increasingly unreasonable wishes, to test the veracity of their marketing. But it wasn't really necessary, as the very nature of where we were and what we were doing was much more indulgent than either of us would normally choose for a vacation. In fact, excess was pretty much in excess on this trip. That being said, we took advantage of the chance to relax, eat well, and have fun for 3 days. Here are some highlights.Our room at the W.
Poolside at the hotel.The hotel was right on the beach, and because of the tropical storm, it was wonderfully deserted.
The water was warm and wonderful, but the surf was pretty intense from the high winds. Dinner at the former Versace mansion, now "the Villa" by Barton G. Pictures of the dinner to follow in a later post.