The days just run away from me.
More bridge (Monday with Robin at the Club, Tuesday with Nancy at the Temple and Thursday back at the Club with Art). Wednesday evening was the encore of the Metropolitan Opera in HD's production of The Merry Widow. Mariah and I met friend Robin (she of bridge fame) and husband Grant at the theater, got good seats (although it ended up packed to the rafters), and enjoyed ourselves immensely. It is a piece of fluff, of course, and Renee Fleming is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is one of those times when Broadway musical director (and one actress/singer) and opera were a match made in heaven. The costumes (belle epoch) and choreography were great too. Loved it, and so did my guests!
Meanwhile, I had been busying around getting the cleaning lady in, stocking up on beer and wine from Trader Joe's, and even making a Costco run, and finally Friday, the big day, arrived. The bridge boys (also known as Tom, John and Dennis) arrived from Vancouver on Friday morning, for our now annual bridge marathon. (Oh, and eating too. We did a lot of that, between rounds.)
Friday night, we actually cleaned off my BBQ, and Tom (who is an excellent cook - I acted as his sous chef, John was the bus boy, and Dennis - well Dennis was the taster) grilled some of those fabulous Costco rib eye steaks and baked potatoes on the grill. Add a spinach salad with home made dressing, and, of course, some wine (Have I ever mentioned BSide cab sav? It is a very good, reasonably priced - at least in the States - wine), and I deemed it a success.
We made breakfast at home every day too. It was actually fun cooking with Tom - and having an appreciative audience as well. I hope to get in the habit of cooking for company more often (hint, hint....)
Saturday night, though, we went out for dinner at Shame on the Moon, previously mentioned here. It really is a very classy place; I like the decor, the service is attentive without being cloying, and the food is always wonderfully retro - a veal chop, veal meat loaf, duck, stuffed pork chops, macaroni and cheese, you know the sort of thing. And the martini, well, it unfortunately went undocumented (I had forgotten my camera) - but it must have been 8 ounces of pure booze (Bombay Sapphire, to be exact), beautifully presented, and filled to the rim at the table, so I could be the one to do the spilling, not the waiter. So, no camera, so no pictures, but let me assure you that a good time was had by all!
I did remember my camera on Sunday night, though, when Art and Wally, Mariah, and friends Pearl and Rick (here on a brief visit from Nanaimo, and no, not staying at my place) went out for dinner at Billy Reed's, not as high tone as Shame on the Moon but nonetheless, great atmosphere, great waitresses, and great, raucous fun.
From the top: Art. John, Dennis, Pearl and Rick...
...the ever handsome and perpetually 39 Wally.....
....John and Dennis...
....Tom and Mariah....
.....Dennis and your humble Scribe....
.......and, the stars of the show, the manager, and, to the right, Billy Reed himself, who says he still makes all the desserts himself....
(Yes, I know it is blurry, but it is the only close up I got of Pearl and Rick....)
I was trying to show the size of the desserts here, but you can't really get it from the pictures.....
And a fitting sendoff for the boys, who left on Monday morning, after breakfast and more bridge, of course!
Believe it or not, I had contracted to play bridge with Art on Monday afternoon, at the Unit Game.
We had sixty five tables, a huge crowd for us, and Art and I managed (just barely, I admit) to score some points! (Have I mentioned that at this rate, if I get to be a Life Master - and that is a big if - I will be 92 years old and it will have cost me $47,000 - US! These bridge games aren't free, you know!)
So back to the gym on Tuesday morning, for an extra long workout, I can tell you. Ditto for Wednesday - that it, today. Mariah's going to the same gym, so it is more fun, and today we stopped after the gym to indulge in one of our other favourite pastimes - sitting on someone's patio and shooting the breeze, this time, Art's, which is in our complex about 2 minutes from my place.
And that is us up to date again. Oops, I forgot the new blog feature, the book list. I've been reading, of all things, Chic Lit - books like The Misaltoe Promise, by Richard Paul Evans, and Beyond The Pale Motel, and yet another Alexander McCall Smith, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding, all fun, without much serious content at all. I will try to better next week. At the very least, in addition to the Sunday New York Times, I have all the Economists that John brought me in his backpack!
Ta ta for now!
More bridge (Monday with Robin at the Club, Tuesday with Nancy at the Temple and Thursday back at the Club with Art). Wednesday evening was the encore of the Metropolitan Opera in HD's production of The Merry Widow. Mariah and I met friend Robin (she of bridge fame) and husband Grant at the theater, got good seats (although it ended up packed to the rafters), and enjoyed ourselves immensely. It is a piece of fluff, of course, and Renee Fleming is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is one of those times when Broadway musical director (and one actress/singer) and opera were a match made in heaven. The costumes (belle epoch) and choreography were great too. Loved it, and so did my guests!
Meanwhile, I had been busying around getting the cleaning lady in, stocking up on beer and wine from Trader Joe's, and even making a Costco run, and finally Friday, the big day, arrived. The bridge boys (also known as Tom, John and Dennis) arrived from Vancouver on Friday morning, for our now annual bridge marathon. (Oh, and eating too. We did a lot of that, between rounds.)
Friday night, we actually cleaned off my BBQ, and Tom (who is an excellent cook - I acted as his sous chef, John was the bus boy, and Dennis - well Dennis was the taster) grilled some of those fabulous Costco rib eye steaks and baked potatoes on the grill. Add a spinach salad with home made dressing, and, of course, some wine (Have I ever mentioned BSide cab sav? It is a very good, reasonably priced - at least in the States - wine), and I deemed it a success.
We made breakfast at home every day too. It was actually fun cooking with Tom - and having an appreciative audience as well. I hope to get in the habit of cooking for company more often (hint, hint....)
Saturday night, though, we went out for dinner at Shame on the Moon, previously mentioned here. It really is a very classy place; I like the decor, the service is attentive without being cloying, and the food is always wonderfully retro - a veal chop, veal meat loaf, duck, stuffed pork chops, macaroni and cheese, you know the sort of thing. And the martini, well, it unfortunately went undocumented (I had forgotten my camera) - but it must have been 8 ounces of pure booze (Bombay Sapphire, to be exact), beautifully presented, and filled to the rim at the table, so I could be the one to do the spilling, not the waiter. So, no camera, so no pictures, but let me assure you that a good time was had by all!
I did remember my camera on Sunday night, though, when Art and Wally, Mariah, and friends Pearl and Rick (here on a brief visit from Nanaimo, and no, not staying at my place) went out for dinner at Billy Reed's, not as high tone as Shame on the Moon but nonetheless, great atmosphere, great waitresses, and great, raucous fun.
From the top: Art. John, Dennis, Pearl and Rick...
...the ever handsome and perpetually 39 Wally.....
....John and Dennis...
....Tom and Mariah....
.....Dennis and your humble Scribe....
.......and, the stars of the show, the manager, and, to the right, Billy Reed himself, who says he still makes all the desserts himself....
(Yes, I know it is blurry, but it is the only close up I got of Pearl and Rick....)
I was trying to show the size of the desserts here, but you can't really get it from the pictures.....
And a fitting sendoff for the boys, who left on Monday morning, after breakfast and more bridge, of course!
Believe it or not, I had contracted to play bridge with Art on Monday afternoon, at the Unit Game.
We had sixty five tables, a huge crowd for us, and Art and I managed (just barely, I admit) to score some points! (Have I mentioned that at this rate, if I get to be a Life Master - and that is a big if - I will be 92 years old and it will have cost me $47,000 - US! These bridge games aren't free, you know!)
So back to the gym on Tuesday morning, for an extra long workout, I can tell you. Ditto for Wednesday - that it, today. Mariah's going to the same gym, so it is more fun, and today we stopped after the gym to indulge in one of our other favourite pastimes - sitting on someone's patio and shooting the breeze, this time, Art's, which is in our complex about 2 minutes from my place.
And that is us up to date again. Oops, I forgot the new blog feature, the book list. I've been reading, of all things, Chic Lit - books like The Misaltoe Promise, by Richard Paul Evans, and Beyond The Pale Motel, and yet another Alexander McCall Smith, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding, all fun, without much serious content at all. I will try to better next week. At the very least, in addition to the Sunday New York Times, I have all the Economists that John brought me in his backpack!
Ta ta for now!
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