Birthday, Vacations and General Catch Up

So much time has passed. Who knows where to start? Almost every night is worth writing about. I'll highlight a few.

Daniel butchered his first home-raised lamb. Barbados-dorset mix. 10 weeks old. Scrumptious. He took the utmost care and had much reverence for the little guy. We enjoyed the rack fresh with broccolini and roasted potatoes. We made stock from the bones and froze the rest. Maybe our special friends will enjoy a lamb dinner with us.

My birthday was something of a fantasy. Instructed to dress in a dress, I arrived at Daniel's to a half bottle of bubbly while he gave me a few trinkets. A limo arrived to take us to Yountville. Amazingly, the day was sunny, but along came a deep storm cloud. It seemed to want to follow us to Yountville. We raced, with Bocelli to salute the procession. Brilliant sun on one side, the cloud coming from the rear, soon the two met just above us, and rain drops fell as we arrived at the V Wine Cellar. Seemingly calm, I awaited the next move, but as the storm raced on, Daniel had to forget the trick, and off we went, with a stolen Bouchon umbrella, Northward. Saturated feet in heels and his hair damp, we graced the foyer of the French Laundry for a procession of gastronomic and servitude delight. Knowing most of the staff, we pleasantly cascaded through the hedonistic chef's menu. Three half bottles selected by the birthday girl were thoroughly enjoyed and married deliciously with the degustation. A Reisling, followed by a Puligny Montrachet, and then a Gevrey Chambertin. D had port and asked them to proffer cigars of which he selected three.

We smoked them on the way to Manchester, to visit Pauline at Victorian Gardens. He made us a most memorable feast, in honor of the late patriarch. Eggplant involtini with my garden tomato preserves and fresh chevre and basil leaves began the procession. Braised wild turkey with a simple white risotto and baby carrots followed. We ate it paired with a 2005 Far Niente Cabernet.

How could anyone top this? We set out the next morning for a hike to the ocean. It was to be the lowest tide of the year. We foraged beautiful mussles, hoping to take them for dinner. We got busted. Apparently, you need a fishing license to do such things. The rangers were nice enough. I guess they have enough experience to figure we were just ignorant gourmands, planning a transendental supper. Indeed.

So off to the trout farm we went. Daniel's friends (Mike and Stephanie) have a sustainable trout farm on the coast. We had a feast. We brought cheese and rillettes, and they made a once in a lifetime lunch of fresh abalone, pan fried with roasted potatoes. We made a fresh salad, and we all sat on their back deck, drinking Chardonnay and Asti until the sun began to wane.

Our lunch ended at 7:00 pm, and Daniel and I wandered into a B&B we had seen before in Elk. Much to our pleasant surprise, the rooms were lovely. We chose the oceanfront suite and decided to camp out. Dinner was included, so we went to the restaurant with a bottle of Kuleto Estate Danieli in tow. We shared with Luis, the multi-tasker of the night. Then, he opened a '97 Jordan. We took a couple glasses to the bedroom with us to take a tub in the huge claw foot bathtub. The room had a fireplace as well, so the evening caressed us with the sound of the ocean and the fireplace. In the morning, we hiked down to magical caves and reefs exposed with the low tide. It was as if we were 10 years old again.

Re-entry came with a bang, and upon arrival home we propped the hatch of the bus and took a nap with Dante at our feet. Going home was merciless solitude, as we had had such an energetic high, I knew not how to process the norm.

Since then, we've continued to live as we do. Chicken liver pate, frog legs, rillettes and local artisan cheese have graced our platter.

In the constant effort to balance the seemigly indulgent palate with appropriate physical exersion, I finally bought my mountain bike. It had been 16, yes 16 years, since I had ridden a bike! Wine country terrain and inhibitions rendered me timid as I clumsily faltered to gain agility. As I have practised, I notice immediately the lovely results of intense excersise. Muscle memory.

The biggest highlight, seeminly a lifetime passed, was mom and grandma coming to visit. I ended up working quite a bit, but their visit reminded me of the simplicity of the moment. Crystaline claririt of our DNA connection. Three generations of females. I so connected in a new way with my grandma. Maybe it;s my getting older. Daniel did his wild turkey breast, as mom always looks forward to, and we wiled away the days in conversation and living. We sipped champagne at the rim of the world, and we went to Nick's. But the true beauty of it all was that it was. And my mother reminded me of reisling again.

That's all I can remember for now.

My sweet nephew grows by the day, and my house is littered with his photos. Unbiasedly speaking, he is the perfect baby, and I can understand why. With a mother and father so doting and attentive, an infant grows without fear and insecurity. I am so proud of them. I can only hope he grows to know his crazy western relatives.

Bon Soir~