1. We had a lot of fun. Back in October, 2019 through early March of 2020, I joined Mary Chase and Kathy Brainard in Spokane to play trivia -- often Linda Lavigne and I joined them together --, dine out, see a movie, and enjoy each other's company. But, over the last six months, we haven't seen each other. Thursday, however, Mary texted me, told me she had an errand to run in Coeur d'Alene and wondered if I'd like to meet for breakfast.
She suggested Le Peep. I remembered Le Peep has outdoor seating, so happily accepted Mary's invitation.
We enjoyed our breakfast and our conversation. Mary and I were both students in the English Department at the University of Oregon and we both taught college level English composition. So we had fun talking about professors we worked with back at the U. of O. Mary also told me about a project she's been working on with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, videotaping a tour of the Pomeii exhibit at the museum. I'm not sure when it will be available to the public, but it will help people experience the exhibit who might have missed it while the museum was closed.
We got caught up on other things, too -- family news, news about friends, the dogs we've recently brought into our homes, how we've both lost dogs recently, and other matters. It was fun to get together, even though it was too early in the day to enjoy a martini, the cocktail we always ordered when out for trivia or having a bite to eat in Spokane.
2. After leaving Le Peep, I drove to Pilgrim's to see if they had any cans of Bombastic Brewing's Wisdom, a hazy IPA. They did and not only did I purchase three cans of it, I also bought two Belgian beers, two of my old favorites, two beers I haven't consumed for about 4-5 years. I snagged a bottle of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and a bottle of one of my favorite sour ales, a Flemish Red Ale, Duchesse de Bourgogne, brewed by Brouwerij Verhaeghe, in Vichte, Belgium. This beer was a featured beer at the great Belgian Blowouts I used to enjoy with the Troxstar, Shane, and others at the Bier Stein in Eugene.
Just buying this beer took me back in memory to an August afternoon at Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town Alexandria, VA. It was August 22, 2014. Debbie and I planned to have a beer or two and some food at Bilbo Baggins, but before we met, I went to the SourFest at the Pizzeria Paradiso and, to my absolute delight, the SourFest included Duchesse de Bourgogne on tap. I'd never tasted this beer drawn from a keg before and I was nearly trembling with excitement. My enthusiasm was well placed. I guess that's obvious since I still remember that ten ounce pour vividly to this day.
I thought the Duchesse de Bourgogne might enjoy Billy Collins, so I tuned into his poetry broadcast and served myself the Duchesse poured in a glass. I don't know what the Duchesse thought of Billy Collins reading several of his own poems, but, for me, the Duchesse paired exquisitely with Billy Collins.
3. Patrick and Meagan are coming to visit Saturday and I started planning the dinner I'll serve them when they arrive. I've decided to serve Debbie's green tomato curry over rice and I'll add potatoes, chicken, and possibly green beans to the curry. I've been wanting to try out a recipe for Turkish Pinto Bean Salad and I made it tonight, thinking its flavors would benefit from sitting in the fridge through the night and most of the day tomorrow. I think it will go well with Debbie's curry.
Here's a limerick by Stu:
What was your favorite shoes?
Maybe Saddle or Wing Tips for you's?
Converse, Keds, Red Ball Jets?
Mary Janes too I bets?
Perhaps "Thongs" if the name you'll excuse?
No comments:
Post a Comment