Home Improvement

After my painting I hang some pictures on the walls---

Before...





After... it looks a little yellower in these pics than real life, i think because of the lighting. but I am pleased for sure..

Workin off the Stuffin'

Saturday night back in the city I meet up with Will and some folks to hear our friend Pat DJ at Tonic.



He's spinning disco and has a guest DJ who's really good... I don't remember the last time I danced so much in a dingy little bar. Take that pumpkin pie!










Will finds a willing dance partner


The night ends at the crack of dawn on an LES roof

The Day After

One Thanksgiving tradition I could never live without is hot turkey sandwiches the next day. Pile stuffing potatoes, turkey on some bread and pour hot gravy over.. mmmmmm

Turkey Vultures

Off to New Jersey for Thanksgiving.. I head down on Wednesday night with home-made pumpkin pie in tow.

I inspect the bird...


and find grandma put to work.


After a few buds Dad and I get out the level and some shims and create one large table to accomodate the guests..


Thanksgiving Day. the snacks are set out and the guests arrive...





Mom's famous stuffed mushrooms


PJ and Sinead amuse themselves in the living room...





The first course is served chicken soup with polpetti



The kids get their own table--ah it seems not so long ago that I was at that table..


Dinner is served.. yum. Turkey and all the trimmings




clear the table


...time for pie!


and cookies..


grandma's apple pie.. yum







(note the delicious-looking pumpkn pie)


There was much debate on whether a bird once seen in the neighborhood could have been a vulture. Christine (our resident wildlife biologist) informs us that it could have been a "turkey vulture" --how appropriate... We are educted:


The tryptophan kicks in



Now it's time for a game



Caitlin wants to draw...




PJ challenges us to a game...


this is "oven mitt"


"cave woman"

How I spent my Fall Vacation

After I get back from Chicago I have the following week off work. I vow to be productive so I:

paint the apt (!)



Have Judy over for dinner (note the half painted wall in the background). I make a simple pasta dish of rigatoni with eggplant sausage and ricotta and a salad.







Go to the MoMA with Andy to check out the Brice Marden show (no photography allowed!), of which we both very much approved. We also do a quick drive by of the classics, and discuss over a beer and fries.








As always happens this time of year I get a little obsessed with pumpkin so I bake a tasty pumpkin bread



Cook dinner with Chris and Erik at Chris' apartment... much wine was had (entree not pictured due to dead batery)



Not bad...not bad..

Everyone Knows it's Windy--Part 2

Still in Chicago at Chris and Dave's... we wake the next morning...



Ruth acceses the legos..




A small, possibly tropical, town is constructed





The painting from the previous night is discovered--Ruth and Dave add their contributions



Sam wants to help too



The final collaboration:






Time to grill...





And then hang the paintings



On my final morning we take a walk around the neighborhood and go out for breakfast..

Everyone Knows it's Windy

It's time for my annual visit to the windy city of Chicago to visit Chris and Dave and their two tots Sam and Ruth..

The kids greet me upon arrival..



Then it's dinner time.. grapefruit for Sam..


Tasty goat cheese and spinach pizza for the grown-ups



The next morning we head off to a local park for some fun..



here we are




The swings prove popular




As does the giant tucan bouncy thingy











We then move on to the major project of the day--creating some art for the new apartment. After a little lunch we break out the art supplies and inspiration and do some premilinary sketches.










Then we get down to work--we "prime" the "canvases" (it's just white paint on plywood)




Ruth observes


Then we paint the wood that will become the frame


Sam wants in on the action





The final product, Sam then helps Dave by giving him a headstart





Ruth and Chris join us..



A well deserved dinner is picked up


enchiladas!


burrito!



Nourished we work on our art

Mine:


Dave's:






Chris does multiple works on paper.

Happy Birthday Dear Robbie...

Monday I go to to deliver Rob's birthday cookies to Ditch Plains where he bartends.. surprise!


He seems pleased and makes me a special beer cocktail that's on the menu--beer with tequila, tebasco, and lime.. um.. yeah..



Eventually Miguel joins us. We have the same camera so we goof around with the different functions...



slow synchro....


macro..


color accent..




Here Rob is trying to take a picture of Drew Barrymore who was sitting in the booth behind us with her boyfriend. At the end of the night she comes over and gives Rob a birthday high-five but i'm too shy to take her photo



We make a date to have dinner later in the week and celebrate properly at 'ino, just a few doors down from Ditch Plains in the west village...



We get a selection to start.. a plate of cured meats and cheeses, a plate of assorted bruschetta and "truffled egg toast" all very good..




And of course some wine..



We follow with three panini all very good--Miguel did not want to share his cacciatorini at first but was shamed into it. I ordered one with sausage and greens.. tasty




We run into a friend of Rob's who joins us, and eventually our server--also a friend--joins us..






Afterwards we do an abbreviated East Village bar crawl for old times sake

cookie time!

For my friend Rob's birthday I make some cookies. These are chocolate mocha cookies with chocolate chips and hazelnuts.




I use the newly acquired microwave to melt the chocolate..ooh works so nice...




yum...

A saturday visit..

The parents decide to pay me a visit on saturday afternoon. They have a microwave they want to give me, and complain that they haven't been over in a year..

In preparation I make a beef stew with herbed dumplings to feed them..yum, something simple and tasty for a cold day. Also an excuse you use my Le Creuset dutch oven

Brown lots of meat



add some bacon.. look at that fond!

onions.. the moisture deglazes


stew staples



chopping herbs for the dumplings


We enjoy a nice afternoon



Dinner is served... the dumplings expanded and threatened to take over the whole stew so they needed to be separated


Then it's off to see Borat with Tim and Jason



And a nightcap with Heather at Motor city

Actual Halloween

Tuesday is the real Halloween. After getting dressed up going out on Saturday everyone's feeling a little ho-hum about doing it all again, but we rally and head out. It's decided to go to some party with bands at Fontana's on the Lower East Side...

The preparation--



And we're there.. the princess, Luigi and Mario are back.



Jessica joins us as "killer bee"


and Andy--i'm actually not sure if he was in costume




During the course of the evening we ran into THREE other Ritchies. another Margot and a Chas. It was unanimously decided my Ritchie was the best..the other Margot was laughable!





This guy was so excited to see his favorite movie come to life he insisted on a picture