Happy Anniversary, Mom and Daddy

My parents, William and Molly, were married on February 29, 1944.  My father passed away on Christmas Day, 2001, but my mom's love and devotion to him keeps him ever present in our lives.  This would have been their 66th Wedding Anniversary, a blessing for us all.

A night with me

OK.  Michael's with the guys for poker night.  I'm watching Forrest Gump (AMC so there's commercials) and enjoying a bottle of Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2008.  It takes me back to my Portland, Oregon days, when my sister, Marilyn, was flying into Portland every summer from Taipei, and staying with me and Michael for a week or so before flying home to Maryland to visit our folks.

That summer of 1994 we picked her up at PDX and, after dinner with my daughter, went directly to the theater to see Forrest Gump.  I loved it then and love it still:  a great movie with an awesomely  memorable sound track.  It really takes me back....

Work is starting to come...finally.

My work as a home decor fabricator came to a bit of a halt with the slowed economy and then the weather.  I've been making good with the extra time to further develop the Fit Project and also to get our home freshened up with paint and new window treatments.  My work on the cello has been gratifying, too.

However, it does feel good to have client work again, if only a small one.  This slow down, the first I've experienced in at least 12 years, has made me more careful and creative.  I'm needy, but thankful....

Wines of Michigan - Who would have thunk it??

Our small wine group met again on Friday, 2/19.  Our hosts, Ed and Paula, chose Michigan Wines as the theme (having discovered them on the summer vacation).  Our menu included Marinated Mushrooms, Eggplant Yogurt Spread with Baguette, Chestnut Soup, Watercress Salad with Avacado Dressing, Hungarian Chicken in a Dry Riesling with Rice, French Cheese platter, and Chocolate Cake with Mixed Fruit, Whipped Cream and Dark Chocolate Shavings.

Our Wines:

• Riesling 2005 from Chateau Chantal
• Dry Riesling 2006 from Peninsula Cellars
• Dry Traminette 2006 from Tabor Hill
• Pinot Gris 2007 from Chateau Fontaine
• Late Harvest Riesling 2008 from Chateau Grand Traverse

A very interesting wine experience and every educational!  Thank you, Ed and Paula!

A lovely Wine Pairing at Castiglia's on February 13, 2010

Always in the mood to consume good food and wine, we joined our friends Ed and Vickie, Jim and Margaret, Bob, and Ralph at Castiglia's on William Street for "An Evening of Fine Food and Italian Wine".  What a bargain: generous servings of food and wine refills for $40/person.  We won't want to miss another one!


Our Menu with Wines from Siema Wines:

• Formaggio di Fontina Invecchiato (aged Fontina cheese).  Wine: La Cappuccina Varon Bianco (Veneto)
• Bruschetta Caprese (Bruschetta with fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella).  Wine: Villa D'Orvieto (Umbria)
• Bucatini alla Matricina (Pasta in a sauce of fresh tomato and pancetta).  Wine: La Cappuccina Verona Rosso (Veneto)
• Polla Caprese (Chicken Carpise).  Wine:  Villa D'Rosso Toscano (Tuscany).  My Favorite!
• Torta de Carota (Carron Cake).  Wine:  Chiarli Lambrusco Dolce (Emilia-Romagna

All of the wines average $10 per bottle.

A busy week....

I got home last night after my two days with Eva and Mimi in Richmond; these days are always the highlight of my week. There are three videos and a photo from my stay there.

Mountains of Snow - Ugghh!

OK - it's not pretty any more.  The additional 5" we received on Wednesday made an even bigger challenge to digging out.  The snow plows (God bless them..really) cleared our streets in record time, but left mountains of plowed snow on the sides, burying parked cars and leaving no room for cars to park in the open spaces.

There will be plenty of visible snow for weeks in addition to whatever may come our way again.

Dear God, Thank you for the opportunity to practice patience and experience a little gratitude!  Amen.

Snowy Scenes from 903 Wolfe Street

We've had three big snowstorms this winter; here's some highlights from December, then from last week, yesterday and today.  (Click on the collage for a larger view.)

It took a while to dig out, but today was a beautiful sunny Sunday and we enjoyed being out it.  We are counting our blessings: we never lost power during the storm as many others did.

Welcome to Winter in Virginia!