good times

Yesterday, SK and I took a long walk through Forest Park, which is gloriously alive with spring. When SK wasn't busy mocking me mercilessly for my self-taken flickr photos ("looking up," she says, and laughs hysterically) she took the time to snap some very nice pictures of nature, including this lovely trillium. Meanwhile, I was crying on the inside.

After our lovley hike, and our lovely lunch at the L and M cafe, we took a nice trip to Freddies out on Broadway to find SK a suitcase for her upcoming 3 MONTH LONG trip abroad. We also found me a person-sized pillow to cling to in the night while SK is gone, but let's not talk about that.

Eventually, we parted for the evening. SK went off to see a German movie with Dr. Dutch and I went off to a BBQ at my friend Leo's house. I wanted to get there earlier than the 6:00 start-time because the weather was so gorgeous and I wanted to maximize my beer-drinking-in-the-sun time. However, despite getting there at 5:30, I had no beer-drinking-in-the-sun because the sun did not manage to find it's way into Leo's backyard. Or front porch. Or front yard. It was like a miracle of nature because, despite the fact that the sun was shining like crazy, it couldn't penetrate the aura surrounding Leo's house.

Once I realigned my expectations and waved good-bye to my dream of sitting in the sun with a nice, cold beer, I sat in the kitchen with Leo instead and watched her make this really incredible potato casserole with fennel and double-fat whipping cream and about a pound of grated assiago cheese. It looked incredible and it tasted like artery-clogging heaven.

People came, people went, there were dogs, we sat in the backyard and discussed woodstoves (a subject I think I know about because I bought one and had it installed my last house), the grill was finally fired up, meat was charred, it got dark, it got cold, we moved the party inside, I made a plate so packed with food I was ashamed and embarrassed, but I had packed it for two because I knew SK would probably swing by after her movie, and she did! And she ate and we all made the chit-chat and then we left.

And it was really, really good.