Summer in the City

Welp- the worst of the heat-wave is over. Seattle is full of a bunch of whiners (me included).

Although... the blazing weather brought on some positive changes at our house.
For example:

My husband suddenly wants to take me out every night when we get home from work. (Cruising the 'hood for new houses on the market, dinner and drinks at the marina...basically anywhere with a breeze or AC (I'll take whatever I can get :))

Body image issues- schmody image issues. I will wear whatever I need to wear to keep as cool as possible. I've never felt so free to let my cankles shine!

Strangers everywhere want to talk to me. I've been chatting it up with the gals in line at Ross, the guy at the carwash, everyone loves to talk about the weather.

So see? It wasn't all bad. But I'm definitely ready to get back to the 80's.

It is a whopping 98 degrees in Seattle today. Not that hot outside, but in a house with no air-conditioning??? Erik and I are going to hit up Golden Gardens to soak up some rays.

Thank you Maria for starting the wine and cheese night tradition. We're having Beecher's Peppercorn Jack, Smoked Gouda, and Imported French Port Salut.

Also, did I mention I'm learning German from an 8 yr old? Here is the manuscript from my first lesson :)

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

My salad plates are shouting, "Give us a summer salad to serve!" Here's a recipe I'm trying today:



Watercress Grape Salad with Creamy Cabernet Dressing



Ingredients


Creamy Cabernet Dressing:

2 tbsp. Cabernet Sauvignon

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp. minced shallots

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. sour cream

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste



Watercress Grape Salad:

3 cups fresh watercress leaves, lightly packed (about 2 bunches)

1 head Belgian endive, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 cups sliced seedless red grapes

1 firm but ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed

Freshly ground pepper to taste


Directions:
To prepare dressing, whisk together wine, vinegar, mustard and shallots in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil, then sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To prepare salad, place watercress, endive and grapes in a medium bowl and drizzle with dressing; toss well to coat with dressing, then lightly stir in avocado. Transfer to 6 salad plates and season with pepper.



Makes 6 servings.

Find more Raley's recipes here.

Tacky? Perhaps.
Super sweet and fun? I couldn't stop smiling!

tackyweddings.com

Erik's parents are celebrating their birthdays today,
so we arranged a little photo shoot in their honor...
Carol and Ken were born on the exact same day, the exact same year. How cool is that. Happy Birthday guys! We love you and we'll see you soon!

In the meantime, I am well. It was a doozy let me tell you (that's how i speak when i'm all dressed up in my elderly garb.) I basically just laid on the couch for 4 days watching Joan Rivers sell jewelry. And then I passed the torch to Erik.

But we're better now.
and we smell like baby powder.

Today...
I ache
I pain
I sleeeeeeeeeeep
I cough
I sneeze

I love these photos from Sofia's Frida-themed party. So sweet...





See the rest here.

We're enjoying a lovely Saturday with our out-of-town guests. We walked to the Guild on 45th for a matinee and browsed Wallingford's street fair where we got lost in a sea of tie-dye. Pizza and beer for lunch, then 7-11 for gummy worms where we came across a very disgruntled postal worker (we were sure to stay out of his way).
Now I'm baking a cake while everyone naps. Tonight- we dance!

Vanessa's tattoo says, "amizade"- Portuguese for "friendship".

The Ocean is a Thousand Metaphors...

The best part of this situation is what you can't see. Biker-chick (about 60 yrs old) @ 9 o'clock talking about what she's gonna do to some dude that seemed to have...um...rubbed her the wrong way. (This is her genuine reaction to that woman- not a pose!)

There are things in American culture that want to wipe the class distinction. Blue-Jeans. Ready-made clothes. Coca-Cola.

Well it's that time of year again: Bbq's, bonfires, and pyros (my husband) coming out of the woodwork. But for those that choose to go deeper the question rises, "What does it mean to be an American?"

When I think of our history, our culture- I'm consistently torn between pride and shame. In high school I thought...what is American culture? I wondered if there was any more to cling to than McDonald's greasy fries and Britney Spears. Even now, I have to ask...is it all about food and pop stars? (i.e. fiber commercials and Michael Jackson)
Despite the opacity, I believe writers like Cooper, Irving, and James still have a relevant commentary on what it means to be an American- even hundreds of years later. They understood that the heart of being American involves 'adventure'. It means we have the power to 're-create' our identities daily. We aren't bound to an archetype.

As Leslie Fiedler said:

"To be an American (unlike being English or French or whatever) is precisely to imagine a destiny rather than to inherit one; since we have always been, insofar as we are Americans at all, inhabitants of myth rather than history."

So whatever today means for you...have a blast. (Just please don't catch yourself on fire.)

just a photo