Happy Birthday, Jen!

Summer!

It’s official! The summer solstice arrived at 12:31 EDT. Looking forward to lots and lots of “Rozy weather”!

Nat King Cole is one of my favorite singers.  So appropriate for the season, his “Those Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days of Summer” was a big hit in the early 1960’s.

Riding the 2nd Avenue Q

We normally don’t do anything special for Father’s Day (or for Mother’s Day). But we had Roundabout tickets for a matinee yesterday, so we arranged to have dinner with Jen and Louis afterwards. Also, since we hadn’t gotten together with my brother and sister-in-law in a very long time, when I asked them if they were up for driving in from Long Island to join us, they said yes.

We chose a Greek restaurant, Korali, a few blocks from Jen and Louis’s apartment on the UES. Their place is located near the 86th Street station on the 2nd Avenue section of the Q line, one of the three UES stations that began operating along that line on January 1st. The play we saw, Marvin’s Room, is at the American Airlines Theatre, which is down the block from the Q’s Times Square Station. For our purposes, it couldn’t have been more convenient. From Times Square, it was just a few stops to 86th St.

This was actually our second time on the 2nd Avenue Q. In January, we met Jen and Louis for dinner at Café d’Alsace, a restaurant also near their apartment. That time, we took the 6 on 23rd down one stop to 14th and got on the uptown Q from there.

The new tracks along the 2nd Avenue section provide a very smooth ride. And the 86th Street station’s modern design is amazing. I didn’t take photos the first time but did take a few moments yesterday to snap these.

Father’s Day 2017

Dad

April 22, 2014 – January 15, 1981

It’s Our 49th Anniversary!

The perfect card from my brother and sister-in-law. A “little” mileage, indeed!

June 8, 1968

At Home: Spring Clean-up 2017

Bright and early Wednesday morning, Ed Wendel’s crew arrived to do our annual spring clean-up. It was actually a bit of a surprise because when I spoke to Ed a couple of weeks ago, he wasn’t sure exactly when he’d get to us since he was swamped with work, so I was figuring next week. And, by the way, no surprise that he’s swamped with work because when it comes to landscapers, he is the best!

Shortly after the crew started working, Ed stopped by to check things out. He’s one of our favorite people. We love having the chance to chat with him on a range of subjects.

His guys are ace pruners.

When the mulch arrives, the job is nearly done.

The finished product is always A++!

The tree that replaced the tree that replaced the tree that fell on our house has grown substantially and is doing very well.

Memorial Day Weekend Lunch on the Patio

The forecast pre-weekend did not sound very conducive to al fresco dining. However, yesterday afternoon turned out to be quite pleasant — low 70’s, a bit of sun, and not too much wind. Michael had hosed down the chairs, I’d cleaned the table — getting rid of the winter’s schmutz was a real chore! — and he’d hoisted the umbrella the day before. So, though it wasn’t exactly “Rozy weather,” I decided to serve lunch on the patio.

Those of you who come here with some regularity know that chez nous, hot dog season begins on Memorial Day Weekend and ends on Labor Day. Therefore, for this first al fresco lunch, I served the usual Hebrew National franks. But I added something new. A few days ago, I prepared Brunswick stew. Not only was this the first time I’d ever made this type of stew, but it also included an ingredient I’d never bought before: smoked polska kielbasa. Off to Delicious Orchards where I bought a package.* After using what I needed for the stew, there was plenty left. I thought to myself, I’ll bet that kielbasa would be great on the grill, so I added a couple of pieces with the franks.

We had the usual accompaniments for the franks.

Busch’s Vegetarian Baked Beans

I also made a little bit of potato salad which I thought would be a good accompaniment for the kielbasa. (I used some leftover steamed potato slices I happened to have in the frig.)

The grilled kielbasa was, indeed, very tasty. No doubt, this first time won’t be the last.

P.S. The Brunswick stew was delicious.

*Garrett Valley All Natural Smoked Fresh Polska Kielbasa, Wood Smoked. I liked this additional information: No artificial ingredients, 36% Less Sodium, Pork raised with no antibiotics, Humanely raised, Gluten Free.

At Home: Umbrella’s Up!

A Memorial Day Weekend tradition, it’s how we mark the unofficial start of the summer season.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

During our trip to France in 1999, we visited Limoges. We bought a dessert set consisting of a large serving bowl and 12 dishes.

I love that the design is perfect for the strawberry ice cream I made yesteerday using some of the berries we picked at Battleview.

“Pick Your Own” Strawberries: First Time This Season

Michael came with me this morning. Due to prior weather conditions, it was relatively slim pickins. Despite that, we managed to pick 5 lbs. It’s early days for strawberries at Battleview, so we’ll be picking again.