1. I needed a day to pretty much rest, but I wanted to take a good walk. I headed up to 82nd and Davis NE where a pod of food trucks reside because one of those trucks is Puddletown Bagels. I brought four bagels, a small container of cream cheese, and a cup of (weak) coffee back to the tiny house and after I ate a sesame bagel, I fell into a coma sleep.
2. It took me a while to feel rested and refreshed enough to hop into the Camry and blast out to St. Johns to see Val and Mike.
What a great visit!
Mike and Val's house is perched on a bluff overlooking the spectacular St. Johns Bridge. The view from their back deck was breathtaking. Not only that, Mike is a dedicated and expert mixologist and he made each of us a hot drink, a combination of hot water, Plantation dark rum, maple syrup, simple syrup with anise star, cinnamon, green cardamom, and a touch of homemade cherry liqueur. Mike topped the drink with a pat of butter.
This cocktail was perfect, and I mean PERFECT, especially on a chilly rainy day.
Mike also prepared two plates of superb nosh: a variety of crackers, cheeses, nuts, smoked salmon, dried fruit, and, I'm sure, more.
Even better than the nosh and our cocktail (we got seconds) was our conversation. We spanned the globe, talking about movies, history, friends we have in common, Mike and Val's upgrading of their house and property, and more.
Good thing I rested up for this visit.
It was, in the best sense of the word, a real whopper!
3. Back at the tiny house I booked, I decided to drive just a few blocks away and have a bite to eat at McMenamin's 205 and enjoy a pint of HAMMERHEAD. The hammerhead was superb. I ate half of my dill tuna salad sandwich on toasted sourdough bread and boxed the other half and enjoyed my fries.
When I finished, the bartender came to my table and asked if I want anything else. I said I did -- I asked her if they had a hot buttered rum. She didn't. No batter yet. So I asked her to use dark rum and make me a hot drink and I would trust that whatever she brought me would be just right.
And it was.
She made me a hot Meyer's Dark Rum mixed with lemon and apple cider and possibly something else I've forgotten.
It was the perfect drink to close a day divided perfectly between rest and sleep, an exhilarating visit, and a relaxing hour or so with my favorite ale, a sandwich, fries, and a winter drink.
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