Guinness is Good For You…Even in Boston

As the result of my winnings at a golf tournament—the raffle, not the playing—Cheri and I had a weekend in Boston.  A limo to get us there and back, two nights at the Copley Marriott and a few dollars to spend…not bad for a twenty dollar raffle ticket that supported the fund raising for one of our hospitals.

We arrived late afternoon on Friday at the hotel and then headed out to walk around the area in Boston.  Before getting back to the hotel we did stumble upon Solas, an Irish Pub in Boston…how could it compare to Dingle (inquiring minds wanted to know…well, at least I did)?  The Guinness was okay, but not the same as in Ireland.  It could be the geography, the surroundings, the people…but I am guessing it was the brewing.  Ah well, a return trip to Ireland at some point in our future may be required.  It would be another great adventure and there may even be some readers that would want to join us.

Down to the Public Gardens—no swan boats this time of year—back up Boylston Street.

Here’s the view from our room when we got back.  Not a bad look at Boston.

Later Friday evening we headed over to Cambridge to meet up with Dan Whitney, currently at Harvard Law School, and to enjoy one of the restaurants on the other side of the Charles River.  First we went to Craigie on Main for a cocktail and to rendezvous with Dan.  Craigie on Main has excellent Food & Wine reviews for their mixologists and they didn’t fail us.  (Note to self – the layout, food being served and ability to see the whole kitchen operation make this a place to try for dinner in the future).

Coming out of Craigie on Main we made a few false turns—maps on the Blackberry were surprisingly inaccurate—and finally made it the couple of hundred yards to Salts.

FOODIE ALERT – some of the following may focus on food and wine…but then that is what we do…

Salts is a fairly small restaurant with only about 40 seats, but that meant the service was impeccable and the waiter was able to fully describe the food, the preparation, the herbs and spices, and the flavors.  He also had good insight into the wine, and they have a great wine list.

On-line and in several magazines Salts had great reviews and it was someplace Dan had not yet been.  So we had earlier made reservations and were ready for a new experience.. We were fortunate that a roast duck for two was available.  Usually this item requires it be requested before arriving, but it worked out for us.  Dan and I split this entree (which you can see being carved in the photo) and Cheri had tenderloin beef.  Preceding the entree we did each try an appetizer—Parsnip and Almond Soup with squab (domestic pigeon), sour orange and dark chocolate for me;  Nantucket scallops in a seafood broth for Cheri; and foie gras with carmelized black olives and beet foam for Dan.  To top off the meal we had Orange panna cotta, lemon souffle tart, and a chocolate and carmel tart…a filling evening spread over three hours.

We sent Dan off, back to his apartment, and caught a cab back to our room at the Marriott.

Saturday morning we lazed a little and, after I had already had some coffee and done some writing, I got Cheri up for some breakfast around 8:00.  We took our time, but had plans to meet a tour group in the North End just before 10.

When looking on-line for different things to do in Boston Cheri found The Food Tours of Boston—go figure—so we had a plan.  A small group of nine met at the edge of the North End along the Rose Kennedy Greenway—the park now in the place the Central Artery once occupied.  Our tour guide started us out at Maria’s Bakery and led us on a three hour tour of the history and the food experiences of the North End—fishmongers, butchers, green grocers, and general Italian groceries.  We learned the differences between Italian-American cooking and Italian cooking. 

Along the way we discovered Mediterranean pine nuts and Chinese pine nuts, identifying real (not doctored) balsamic vinegar, the importance and virtues of extra virgin olive oil (evoo), and how to tell male and female eggplant apart.  We were able to sample foods and ingredients along the way.  A very enjoyable way to spend the mid-day.

If you look closely at one of the pictures above you will see the word Gelati and Napoli Pastry next to a plaster ice cream cone.  We were told their gelato comes only from Italy and is flown in weekly.  Since we had time following the tour we grabbed some lunch at a trattoria and then determined we would validate the quality of Italian gelato…it was worth the side trip.

With full (or fuller) bellies we decided to walk from the North End back to our hotel next to the Pru.  It was a nice walk and the weather—at least in the sunlight—was very Spring-like.  We did wander through the Prudential Mall for a little while to pick up some odds and ends before getting back to our room for a little siesta and getting ready to meet Mike and Jo Gallivan for dinner.

Our evening adventure (yes another one of the eating kind) took us to Radius, a restaurant in the Financial District.  The food and service were once again outstanding and the evening was three hours of visiting and slowly eating.  Without going into all of the menu items some of what we enjoyed may be tried in some future cooking at one of our outings.

A cab ride back to our hotel—we weren’t walking at this hour—and we were tucked in for the evening.

Sunday morning was another slow awakening before an initial check out from the hotel.  We packed, checked out, and left our bags with the Bell Captain so we could enjoy a little more time in Boston. 

Having never been to the JFK Library—it’s one of those things where you rarely go to the sites close to where you live—we decided that Sunday morning would be a good time to make that trip.

 

We took the T from the Prudential Station out to JFK / UMASS—with a change at Park Street Station.  A free shuttle bus runs from the T Station to the Library, so the trip was easy.

The setting is on the UMASS Boston Campus—chosen by Jacqueline Kennedy—to reflect JFK’s love of the ocean and has great views back towards downtown.

We spent three hours in the museum and if not for having to meet our ride back home we could easily have spent at least another hour.  If you have never made it to this museum I highly recommend it.  We have all grown up hearing the speeches and some are old enough to have memories of living through some of the Kennedy days.  it means so much more to hear the words—mostly in JFK’s voice—and realize the context of the speeches and events.  The value you receive far exceeds the $12 entry fee.

Our trip back home was made easy by riding in the back of a town car.  A great way to travel—if someone else is paying for it.

A quick side-note…I thought we needed to have someplace to hang towels and bathrobes when using the hot tub so I asked Dad for some design advice and came up with what you see in the photo.

Thanks for joining the adventure this week.

 

New Bunco Queen Celebrates Caribbean Style

We won’t quibble over which is more important…Bunco or the Super Bowl…Valentine’s Weekend Festivities or the Chinese New Year…it continues to be one adventure after another.  Just read on…

The Queen is Dead…Long Live the Queen

Who needs a Super Bowl when there is Bunco to be played?  The tradition continued in a new venue and many of us were there to witness a passing of the torch.

Bob and Ellie Donahue sponsored the winter event with an outstanding ham dinner supported by other of the Queen’s subjects bringing appetizers or desserts.

Not long after Cheri and I arrived the reigning Queen and his entourage made their entrance.  We quickly noticed that the Queen’s retiring to the Southern Palace following the last Bunco event resulted in a change in the Crown Jewels.  After feasting on Pig and Peat—a metaphor for pork and Scotch for those of you not familiar with Royalty…or Jimmy Buffet lyrics—the assembled masses spread out to four tables over four rooms, and the gaming began.  There were many give and takes with limited shouts of “Bunco” and “The Queen is going down” echoing around the rooms.

The scepter remained unchanged, but the Queen had complained that the earlier crown neither met his styling sense, nor fit the larger level of responsibility—or ego inflated hat size—that results from joining Royalty.  Jack the Queen (sounds like a rock group) had taken the Royal Jewels on a whirlwind tour and then he and his consort, Stephanie, used their own resources to embellish the Signs of State.  The crown will now weigh heavily on the head of anyone given the responsibility of representing our Bunco Kingdom.

We played the traditional two rounds and then the host and I went into Executive Council—private meetings to decide matters of State.  It didn’t take too long before the gathered masses saw white smoke and a hush fell over the crowd in the kitchen awaiting the results of our deliberations.  A roll-off for the most wins had to take place and Jim Nowak narrowly beat out Martha Harrison for the honor.

The Royal Jewels have now moved back to the Quiet Corner of Connecticut.  An early Spring challenge has already been established in an attempt to bring the Crown back to to the Southern Palace.  The Challenge is there, but Queen Cheri is growing comfortable as Royalty.  I’m just saying…

Then we announced the decision regarding the tied number of Bunco’s rolled and the Executive Council’s precedent setting move to then use total wins as a tie-breaker.  Cheri was declared the new Queen with newcomer Deni Vander Voort as a Lady-in-Waiting.

One adventure that will continue.

Calling All Captains


Besides being the weekend leading into the Chinese New Year—the Year of the Lion—the weekend was also significant for recognizing all the Queens in the Morris/Manz/Swenson trio.  With distance this event has evolved into a weekend long get together.

This year we gathered in Standish, Maine beginning Friday evening and the festivities began.  The ladies of our lives thought a gift selection of unique ales would be just the thing to get the men into the mood of preparing the weekend gourmet dinner.  Of course, since it was there…in the house…in front of us, and an opener was so close we decided to experiment with a couple on Friday evening.  We started the cooking as well with some tenderloin steaks that James had rubbed in fine ground coffee, crushed vanilla beans and kosher salt and left to sit overnight. Thomas chipped in with a preparation of brussel-sprouts with bacon and we rounded the meal out with baked potatoes and a little red wine to wash it all down.  Following the meal the lady-folk gathered around the fire place and watched some of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.  The men went downstairs to play some pool…don’t even ask what Dan and Thomas were doing…suffice it to say they are both old enough to be consenting adults.

Not too surprising, it ended up a relatively late evening.  So, we all slept in a bit the next morning, but that didn’t stop our die-hard ladies from heading out for a run…as evidenced by the photo. Dan also got into the action and arrived back from his run about the same time as the Cheri and Liz.

Coffee, breakfast, coffee, showers, more coffee and then it was time for the men and women to go their separate ways.  The ladies off to Portland for some shopping and lunch.  The men needed to run some final errands to pick up flowers, the evening’s entree and lunch as well.

The afternoon seemed to fly by while the men pulled together the final items for dinner and added the decorations to the table.  James took the lead…and performed 98% of the work in getting the ambiance set—Dan’s and my 2% were primarily artistic opinions.  Our theme this year was a Caribbean evening and James had beach sand, figurines and models, and a self designed flower arrangement to set the mood—complete with palm trees, beach umbrellas, a pirate ship and doubloons. 

The ladies came home, visited for a short time and then we all retired to dress for the evening.  At this point the word went out, “Calling All Captains” and we responded appropriately…

The ladies joined us in their tropical attire, and began reviewing the menu, enjoying a selection of cheeses and crackers, and tasting cosmopolitans—Liz’s new favorite drink…at least until the next Lemon-drop martini.

We also took this time to get some couples photos before moving to the dining room.

Then it was on to dinner.  In the Caribbean theme we started with coconut shrimp and a pineapple & mango relish.  As soon as the shrimp was completed Dan prepared a Jamaican Hearts of Palm salad—a recipe he received from one of the Emergency Services technicians who is from Jamaica.  At the same time we prepared the Macadamia Nut crusted scallops to go into the oven.  The meal flowed from one step smoothly into the next. 
As I described to the ladies, the main course was, as expected, all about them.  Each food piece representing a piece of them:

“The scallops are firm, but tender and a little nutty; They rest on coconut risotto which is smooth, creamy and sensual; The mango-plum tomato salsa is exotic and a simple touch; On one side is a red pepper coulis which is savory and comforting; On the other side is a mango coulis which is sweet and spicy; Here’s to our ladies.”

Accompanying the entree, Dan prepared jalapeno corn bread which was drizzled with honey for a sweet, spicy, comforting side piece.  Dan then outdid himself by making key lime pie for dessert, for which he hand-whipped the cream.

We dined for over three-and-a-half hours and then retired back to the fire to close out the evening visiting and simply enjoying time spent well with good friends.

In keeping with not wanting to walk away without being well fed, Sunday morning Stephanie made us all eggs benedict.  James and I went off to sing in the choir at church and when we came back it was time for all of us to pack up and get on the road.

To view most of the pictures from the weekend click (or double-click) on the pirate ship below to be taken to my web-album.  Another great Adventure that will be a continuing story.

Valentines 2010

Keep Your Powder Dry

Gasparilla Day in Tampa was approaching and we were doing the best we could to hold off the Buccaneers.  Cheri and I arrived on Thursday, well before the attack, and headed off to Zephyrhills to bunker-down with Dad.  Dad’s friend RuthAnn (a part of the neighborhood team of “RuthAnn and Harvey”) along with her daughter Annette picked us up at the airport since Dad had dialysis that afternoon.

As usual following his dialysis treatment, Dad was a little washed out.  But with our arrival he seemed to pick up a bit, and he perked up even more as the evening progressed.  Dad had supper going for us in his crock-pot, so it was nice to arrive to the smell of home cooking.  We did manage to stay up to a reasonable hour and spent the time visiting and watching a little TV—including the Celtics’ disappointing loss.

The next morning Dad and I headed out with a group of his friends from the Park for breakfast at the Golden Corral.  Cheri accuses me of not telling her, but this was a group of men and women—Cheri stayed back in bed thinking it was only the men—who get together every Saturday morning to have breakfast together.  This was obviously Friday morning, but since the Buccaneers were attacking on Saturday the breakfast date was moved.  I probably ate more than I should have, but it was an enjoyable time.

Fortunately, when we got back to the Park Cheri was up and had already eaten.  We waited a little bit to let everything settle and then we headed up to the walking / running trail next to the hospital—Dad stayed back at the Park to take his morning break.  Everyone else on the track was in long sleeves or sweatshirts, but Cheri and I had our running shorts and t-shirts on while we ran around for a couple of miles.  We finished off with a couple of walking laps as well, so it was a good way to burn off some energy—and the Golden Corral buffet breakfast.

Getting back, we decided to have some lunch and then head out for a couple of errands.  Since Dad spends several hours at dialysis three days a week, he thought it would be nice to have a portable DVD player to help pass the time.  The center does have individual TV’s, but the selection of shows isn’t always the best and there are sometimes problems with the headphones.  Cheri and I tagged along to make sure he picked out a good unit.

We went to h.h.Greggs, an appliance and electronics store where Dad bought his new TV, and they had a very good selection.  Dad was able to find a nice Panasonic on sale—all of the h.h.Gregg prices seemed good—and he picked up some better headphones to go with it.  This set up seems like it will help the time pass—he does enjoy watching movies—while undergoing his treatment.

The timing for getting back to the Park worked out just right since we were able to take a little siesta between the errands and heading out for supper.  Cheri and I had told Dad ahead of time that we wanted to take RuthAnn and Harvey out to dinner to thank them for all they do for Dad—they treat him like a brother…in a good way.

There was a little mix up with the pager while we were waiting for a table.  They had said it would be a 25 minute wait and after 40 minutes I asked them where we were on the list…and they didn’t have us on the list.  So they then seated us right away.

We left the choice of restaurant up to the three of them and they decided on the Texas Roadhouse.  Peanut shells on the floor, tall cold beer, and good steaks…it worked for me.  Sorry the picture is of their backs, but you can see the Roadhouse ahead of them (and the Texas sign over the door).

For most of us the meal was very good, only Dad ended up with a tough/gristly steak, so the manager came by and took the cost of his meal off the bill.  Fortunately, we had started the meal with a baby blooming onion and some rattlesnake bites (jalapeno fritters) and the sides along with the meat were all enough to ensure no one walked away hungry.

The attack of the pirate ship Gaspar into Tampa occurred the next morning with the ship sailing into port and the Mayor giving the pirates the Key to the City.  As a result pirates parade through the City tossing beads and candy to the bystanders on the route.  This also seems to be a good excuse for beer drinking and festivities throughout Tampa.  Many years they have had in excess of 400,000 people attend, but the rain kept many away this year…too hard to keep your powder dry!

Gasparilla Day was not in our plans for this trip so we stayed away from Tampa.  When we sent Dad off to dialysis we instead headed for Groveland, FL.

Our trip took us to visit with an old (old as in the 34 years we’ve known each other not old as in our age) friend from the Academy, Joe Bradfield.  I was in Joe’s first wedding 30 years ago, he is happily in another for the last 12 plus years.  We wanted to take the time to visit him (since we haven’t seen him in 30 years).  He is now an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon and has a great practice in Central Florida.

We were fortunate to spend time catching up with Joe and remembering the times he use to come up to NH with me to go skiing.  His children were home as well so we were able to hear about all the events going on in their lives.  We had a great time.

Dad was a little washed out when we got back, but he rallied as I put together a pork loin for supper and Cheri made up the apple sauce and quinoa for sides.  After dinner Dad had another second wind and we visited and watched some TV into the evening.

Jumbo Strawberry Shortcake! The price is right, the servings are huge, and we like to make it a part of our annual trek to Florida.  We want to do our part in helping the economy and this is our form of an Agriculture Stimulus Program.

The next morning we got Dad to Church in time for his choir rehearsal and then we met up with Deb in the Narthex to go to church together.  Afterwards it was back to Dad’s for a brief siesta before we all headed to Parkesdale in Plant City, FL.  The photo may have caught Cheri by surprise, but you can see in the signs behind her the reason for going to Parkesdale Groves.

Deb headed back to Lakeland after our treat and we went back to Zephyrhills.  We seemed to time things right since we were too full to have supper when we got back, but it wasn’t too long before we felt ready to head over to the Park’s Ice Cream Social. 

This event celebrates the current month (and some of the off-months since most Park members don’t stay there year round) birthdays and anniversaries.  We were able to take part in the cake and ice cream part of the event and there was a nice skit put on by some Park members.  A very enjoyable afternoon and evening.

The next morning we were up early and ready to head back to Connecticut.  We caught a 10:50 am flight direct to Manchester and had a pretty uneventful flight.  When we landed I received a text message from Dad that let us know he had made it back home and that it was raining…probably no shuffling that afternoon.

The trip was fun and another great Adventure for the Swensons.
 

Women Are Like That

It may not be an exact translation…but it will likely increase the number of google hits on this issue of the blog.

Friday night we travelled to Cambridge to meet up with the Morris and Manz adults (I guess we are all getting to be adults...so the senior adults)—along with Laura Nassau (also a senior adult)—to see Thomas Morris (a less senior adult) perform in the Commonwealth Opera Companies' production of Mozart’s  Cosi Fan Tutte.  During the show the super-titles—opposite of sub-titles—showed ‘Women Are Like That’ as a loose translation of the title. Robert Morris (ibid on the whole less senior adult thing) also met us at the theater.

The basic premise of the opera is that Thomas (in the blue shirt) and his friend—to his right in this photo—are convinced that their fiancées will remain faithful to them should they be tempted.  The actor to Thomas’ furthest right bets that the women will not last a day.

Obviously a farcical comedy,there were twists and turns with many sexual innuendos, all brought to a more modern setting.  It was fun to watch and having the super-titles made it easy to follow the plot and just enjoy the music.  Thomas was, as usual, great.

Following the performance we all piled into our vehicles and headed for the Morris Estate in Standish, ME.  It was fairly late when we arrive, but that didn’t stop us from standing around the kitchen visiting.  Also, since James has a milestone  birthday in the offing, Dan and I—his partners in crime—went together to bring him an 18 year old scotch.

Since we had the bottle and some glasses in the cupboard, we did try a wee dram each to make sure it was passable as a birthday gift.  We guys commented on the smokiness, the buttery smell and the caramel finish…our wives made comments about the odor, but no where near as complimentary.

Below you can see James explaining the fineries of the scotch and Liz’s reaction to him; Dan’s studious and contemplative pose as he enjoyed a pre-scotch ale; Laura’s bemusement with the goings-on; and Stephanie having nothing to do with it.  Our normal type of get-together.

Although we didn’t arise as early as usual the next morning—James surprisingly beat us all and had a nice fire going as well as outdoor gear laid out for the morning—it was still a reasonable hour.  Our plans included the men heading out for some snow-shoeing while Cheri and Liz  did a nice run around the neighborhood.

There were no pictures of the ladies in their running attire, but suffice it to say they did get in a 2 mile run while we were out playing with Angus, the dog, in the snow.  We did arrive back at the house to find fresh brewed coffee and Stephanie had prepared a huge waffle and maple bacon breakfast for us. 

Following breakfast the ladies positioned themselves between the fire and the fireplace screen.  Effectively absorbing all of the excess heat before it leaked into the room and overwhelmed the rest of us.  Cheri also took the time to show off the sweater she just finished for Jess’ Christmas present (Jess did see it in major pieces on Christmas).

Too soon the Vermont contingency needed to pack up and get on the road back to the Northwest Shore of New England. Dan was scheduled to work Rescue Service Saturday evening, so they needed to be back in time for him to head to the station.

Cheri and I had already decided to maximize our time spent with friends Down East so we ran some errands and then met James and Stephanie at a local movie theater to see Avatar in 3D—if you have not done this, you should...a little over the top with the portrayal of the Marine Colonel, but a good story and amazing effects.

We made it back to the Morris Estate in time to have some of Stephanie’s home-made pizza and watch a little football.  If we didn’t have commitments to do the flowers in church and greet—Cheri in both cases—or sing in the choir—guess who—then we would probably have stayed another evening.  Even still it was only a 2 hour 45 minute jaunt back to Woodstock, CT (don’t bother doing the math; suffice it to say I was over the speed limit on some portions of the Interstate).

Cheri and I agreed several times on the trip home that this was an outstanding weekend and another great Adventure.

Some Celebrated New Year’s While Some of Us Labored in the Past

The picture above could go next to my profile…Swedish Fish, coffee, sailing and connecting with the kids, here and in Australia…kinda says it all.

Following the Swenson Family get-together on Sunday we headed back to Connecticut arriving late in the evening.  It was early to bed and late to rise (somewhat) for the three of us.  Then time to prepare for the next round of guests.

James and Stephanie Morris arrived at our house in the late afternoon on Monday along with James' brother Harold and his wife Nancy.  Once again the house was full…and it was wonderful. 

Harold and Nancy are both very gracious and enjoyable, and it was a pleasure to have the extended Morris family in our home.  As is usual when James and I get together we decided to open some good red wine—actually a separate white zinfandel for Harold…he’s a cheap date—but not before we tried some 21 year old Bushmill’s single malt Irish Whiskey to whet the palate.  Nancy, Cheri and Jess were first provided with Lemon Drop Martinis—which Liz Manz will tell you is her ‘new favorite drink’…and we commented on that observation—while we men-folk also tried a little tangueray and tonic…also to whet the palate.


The evening also called for some more red meat—NY strips and filets in this case—a simple salad of sliced tomatoes, onions, mozzarella and basil in a balsamic vinegar and water bath—an adapted Stephanie Morris method—and the remainder of the sour-cream hash brown potatoes.  Combined with the great red wine (except for the great white zin that Harold enjoyed) it was another great holiday meal.


Suffice it to say that with the food, the wine and some after-dinner experimenting with single malt Scotch—it was an international comparison to counter the earlier Irish offering and a separate request to prove that Remy Martin is actually made with twice distilled VSOP champagne—there were no pictures taken.  However, we, the guys, did watch some football and the distaff part of the crowd planted themselves in front of a nice fire to visit and relax after the meal.


The next morning was a leisurely start with coffee and omelets before sending the Morris family off to the home of Yankee Candle.  Separately, I had been having some issues with the Saab’s battery and decided that this was a good day to make the replacement—that plus the car would neither start nor hold a charge. 


Typically, this would be a simple take out the old, go to a auto parts store, buy a new one, replace and voila…done.  The problem in this case—the combination of battery location, rusted bolts holding the battery frame in place (it hasn’t been moved in six years), and a lack of the proper metric tools—made me decide to take it to a local shop and let them deal with it.  Fortunately, it was pretty much an in-and-out event that took care of the issue and we are back fully on the road.


Wednesday I was back in the office while Cheri made sure that Jessica made it to the airport in time for her return flight to Phoenix.  The office time was light and I was able to clear up some end-of-year items.  Jess was a little delayed in her flight, but she did arrive safely late that evening.


Thursday both Cheri and I headed off to spend some time at work. Around 9 am (Eastern Time) Sarah sent me an Instant Message wishing me an early Happy New Year—she was already an hour into 2010 while the rest of us were still at work on New Year’s Eve.   By 11 am I was ready to head home, and I wanted to watch first the Air Force Bowl Game and then the Navy Bowl Game.  Both Service Academies won, which was a great close out to the year!


I took advantage of the time at home to use up some of the leftovers from our holiday dinners.  The ribs from Christmas Dinner went into a pot with vegetables and herbs to simmer for ten hours and make a great beef stock.  Since there were a few football games on it was easy to get the stock started, watch some games, and then check occasionally to make sure nothing was sticking or burning.


We didn’t stay up late on New Year’s Eve.  Cheri was in bed before midnight and I did watch a game and then some of the festivities until just after midnight and then off to bed myself.


I did get up early and took the next step in using leftovers—and some new items.  Onions were sliced and added to my chef’s pan with a few tablespoons of butter and placed over a low heat to start carmelizing the onions.  Over the next few hours the onions went from being firm and white to flimsy and mahogany—the natural sugars in the onion browning up nicely.

As the onions started to stick…and before burning…it was time to add about a half cup of white wine and scrape up any of the sticky parts—the good stuff—from the pan.
 
After simmering for another thirty minutes it was time to add about four cups of the beef stock made over the last day.  A slice of toast, some mozzarella cheese and voila…our New Year’s Day dinner!

It’s a new year and tomorrow we will be up and off to spinning class once again (it is after all a Saturday).  Then errands and the Christmas decorations start to come down.  The trees will wait a bit…after all it isn’t St. Knute’s Day yet.

The Holiday Season was great and we loved having our house full so many times.  If you didn’t make it here this year remember you are always invited.

Happy New Year to all…and on to more Adventures.

Should You Eat the Yellow Part of Snow Pudding?

The week before Christmas weather blew in to make sure it was a white Christmas in Connecticut.  It was stormy enough on Sunday morning that churches throughout the area cancelled their Christmas Sunday services—although this never happened to us when we lived through many snow storms in Vermont we need to remember that this is the southern part of New England.

It stayed cold through the week so there was plenty of snow for Jess to see when she arrived on Wednesday.  She caught a red-eye flight out of Phoenix on Tuesday night and fortunately she was able to upgrade on the flight and able to sleep on the plane. Calvin was glad to see Jess and spends time following her around.  He also likes that someone waits on him and occasionally gives him some treats.

Nana and Papa also arrived on Wednesday so the house started to have the fuller feeling of a holiday.  Sarah obviously couldn’t make the trip from OZ but we were able to have some video calls with her—using Skype—over the past few days.  Not the same as being here, but it sure was great to see and speak with both Sarah and Andrew.

On Christmas Eve morning Nana and Papa woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.  So they stayed up and made the oyster stew for us to enjoy later that day.  Jess and I also got up early and headed to the gym for a core-strength and stretching class.  Much of the rest of the day was spent doing last minute errands—picking up the beef for the Christmas dinner—and putting together the last touches for Christmas Day.

The Christmas Eve service—not enough cold or snow to stop this service—was very well attended.  We took our normal balcony seats—we sit up there so we can see Cheri ring bells—and it is nice to look down over the congregation, particularly when everyone lights their candle and sings Silent Night.

Following the service Nana and Papa headed back to the house while the rest of us went to Jamie and Martha’s house for a Christmas Eve celebration.  There was great food and company and we ended staying well into Christmas morning playing games and visiting before heading back home.

The next morning we were not up as early as when there were younger—much younger—people in the house.  While some final breakfast preparations were made, some of us also took some time to catch up on events in the newspaper.  Then it was time to move in by the fireplace, make sure Nana was warm enough and open stocking gifts.  Santa was able to make it to Connecticut overnight and the stockings were overflowing.  Although some coal was expected in some of the stockings we must have been just nice enough to avoid that fate.

Following stocking time we moved back into the kitchen for one of our family Christmas morning traditions…eggs benedict.

It was a team effort getting breakfast ready.  The hollandaise sauce was made up fresh, english muffins toasted and smeared with cream cheese, the Canadian bacon heated and eggs poached—to the runny yolk stage…which is the best.  A fruit salad was made up the day before (and refrigerated…just in case you are concerned) and as everything was plated the presentation was very festive.  The black specks are fresh ground pepper and the orange specks are Aelea Sea Salt from Hawaii.

A couple of us acted as elves—Santa’s Helpers—in getting the presents out from under the tree.

After satisfying ourselves with a great breakfast we took the time to set up the gorilla tripod and get a group picture before getting the presents out from under the tree. Of course this meant that some of us got to wait for the gifts to be delivered…one of those benefits of being the ‘senior’ members present.

It wasn’t much longer before the Whitney family arrived and we extended the celebration through the afternoon and into the evening.


We were also fortunate to be able to Skype with Sarah and Andrew while everyone was at our house.  There were some comical moments with the video call since Sarah was receiving the video with about a 90 second delay.  So although they could hear us in real time and we  could both hear and see them in real time, the video from the US followed a delay.  That meant we could tell her what to expect in the video or—as Tim did—someone could dance along behind Cheri while she was talking and then Sarah would start laughing more than a minute later.  Even with the technical difficulties it was great to see the two of them during our Christmas Day (it was already Boxing Day in OZ).

We had a great Christmas Dinner of prime rib, glazed carrots, sour cream hash-brown potatoes, and jello salad.  There were also a few bottles of wine enjoyed with the appetizers and the main meal. 

Too soon it was time for the Whitney Clan to head off to New Jersey, but fully understandable since they had been with Scott’s family since Tuesday.  It would be good for them to get home to spend some down time as a family.

The day after Boxing Day…

We were on the road to New Hampshire on Sunday to spend some Christmas time with the extended Swenson Family.  Bill and Sheila hosted this year’s event and a great smorgasbord was set out with contributions from many.

With so many family members around we did take some time for group photos (without our Sarah…but we did get a chance to talk to her and pass the phone around the gathering).
Of course some of the time was spent visiting, [more] cooking, knitting, or laying around having a ‘healthy swing’—one of Sheila’s Christmas gifts that we all lined up to try.
It was a wonderful evening and—not that we need it—a great reminder of family being together at Christmas.  A great Swenson Adventure to [almost] finish the year.