The Lake Debate

In the quest for balance, for time with family, for restorative recreation, there is the lake.  This past weekend, for Parpelade's birthday weekend and Bro's last vacation before starting a new job, it was Greenwood Lake, a favorite.  Close enough to the city, yet far enough to feel really far.

For years now, since the first visit, the internal debate has been whether to aspire for a home there.  Would it be used enough to justify the expense?  Could it generate income to offset the expenses?  Would the small lake become too much of a bore too soon?  Or does staring at a lake and hills and trees just outweigh all of those worries?

No answers yet.  The weekend was lovely.  The longing continues.  If money were no issue - ah, if money were no issue....

Improvisational Summer Meals

The bounty: Herbs galore - purple and green shiso, or perilla (tia to), and Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi).*  The original plan: The usual rice noodles with herbs and seitan and nuoc mam dressing.  The revised plan: Substitute soba noodles and a peanut butter-based sauce for the rice noodles and nuoc mam.  The hitch in the plan: No peanut butter to be found in the fridge.  Maybe it was Sis's and she took it back.  The improvisation: Sesame oil to the rescue!

The result was surprisingly filling and tasty, and absolutely perfect for summer.  A perfect weed and eat meal.  Now documented for posterity, and the repertoire.  Only improvement would have been to be able to dine al fresco - hopefully the scaffolding will come down on schedule.

* Translations per Viet World Kitchen.  It was about time to find out those translations!

"Today We Celebrate Our Independence Day...."

Midweek July 4th.  Brief little holiday.  Catch up on life day.  Roll out of bed really late day.  Venture with Sis out for brunch/lunch day.  Clean the toilet day.  Get sucked into the black hole of Facebook day.  Get lost in dreams of cute boy day.  Step out onto terrace to check on progress of roof repair day.  Harvest purple weedy shiso for dinner day.  Finally start some laundry late in the day to ready for houseguest arrival the following day day.  Bring down some paper recycling day.  Quickly make dinner of last of long-term houseguest's potato garlic soup in a carton, adding harvested shiso day.  Quickly run out to esplanade to catch Macy's fireworks with Sis and her tourist Internet acquaintance and her hostel mate day.  Take a few photos and reciprocate holiday wishes with law school friends day.  Then chill and enjoy the fireworks day.  Retrieve laundry and finish dinner day.  Look up and learn the nutritional content of shiso, and discover serendipitously it contains the iron and consuming itwilll help to correct worrisome deficiency day.  Write brief blog post day.  Vow to awake early to finish house chores the following morning day.

Romance and Humidity in the Air

Some long-married couples like to celebrate their wedding anniversaries alone with each other, reminding themselves of why they came together.  Others insist on spending time with the kids.

Marmalade and Parpelade fall into the latter group.  And so on one of the stickiest days of the year, their marriage was celebrated with a trip to Coney Island - to the New York Aquarium, more specifically (an improvement over the Bronx Zoo - Parpelade's original invitation to Marmalade, no doubt inspired by one of their courtship outings to the zoo in Saigon; sweet, romantic idea, but not in the middle of a heat wave).

Crowded day at the beach.  Lovely jaunt.  On list of things to try: getting there all the way on the Q - the MTA says it should only take an hour.  To be tested.