Animated

The animated conversation between these two ladies sitting outside Acre Coffee caught my eye as soon as I climbed out of my car across the street. They were still there, coffee cups long since emptied, talking just as animatedly as when I arrived. I couldn't resist sitting on a bench and taking this stealth picture. They were talking about hair!

When I got home, the path to the front door was completely blocked by huge boxes containing the new cushions for the outdoor couches. I was a little worried about the color I chose (called 'peridot') since the color on a tiny patch on a computer screen is not a very reliable indicator. The actual color is, in fact, not at all like the 'peridot' on the computer screen, but I think I like it. I'll know for sure when I have dragged the filthy ones somewhere yet to be determined, opened seven 6'x4' cardboard boxes, extracted 16 cushions from their plastic sleeves and put them on the porch.

I was coated with powdered sugar today instead of with flour, as I ignored the boxes and assembled the gingerbread houses for tomorrow's festivities. I have another project involving NanaK's Christmas cookies and powdered sugar, but I haven't quite perfected it yet. In fact I'm losing interest in it, so may just revert to the tried and true recipe which is on its way to becoming a tradition in our household. The recipe makes enough dough for about a million cookies....

We had a delightful dinner at Valette in Healdsburg to celebrate Will's 20th birthday. Will always chooses a special place, usually one that has steak on the menu. As we were driving to the restaurant we had a conversation about Michelin stars, and I allowed as how I wasn't that impressed by them because they often reflected a level of service that I find pretentious and uncomfortable. This place was neither. The food was wonderful, the waiter friendly and attentive, and all our dishes arrived at once. It is a bit of a trick to accomplish this effortlessly without making the diners feel that they are being attacked by a phalanx of sub-waiters, and  when it came time for dessert, our clever waiter succeeded in his suggestion that we order 'one of everything'.

There is a picture in the extras of all of us, taken in difficult light, just before our eyes glazed over from the effects of a wonderful meal and more food than I usually eat in a week!