We head for Mt. Spokane

MtSpokaneComp_6700It is still fairly early so we head up into the mountains. The further we go the narrower and curlier the road becomes.  At times it is carved into the side of the mountain with cliff edges below.  This type of road is a first for Johnna.  Brian only has a few claw marks on his arm to commemorate that first.

It is cool up here. None of us are prepared for the mid 50s temperature.  Our thin blooded Texans tough it out long enough to enjoy the spectacular view.  The Vista House, a 1930s CCC building, sits atop the mountain and is decorated for a wedding.  The bride shows up just as we are heading out.

The guys are cooking

Tonight it is Pepsi Chicken prepared in the dutch oven. I stir up the homemade ice cream and the freezer goes to work (we have our electric one so no one has to slave too hard).

The Pepsi chicken is tasty. The ice cream stays very soft but with the addition of some fresh peaches is still a hit.

This was a busy day.

A bit of spontaneous family time

Carol and Dave are vacationing vegasComp_1298less than 2 hours from here in Vegas so we got a chance to hang out.   We joined them at the Rio and took in a show.  We found some great places to eat following the lead of Guy Fieri.

Lunch at Bachi Burger (featured on Diners and Dives) where we divided and conquered four unique burgers: a Banh-Mi – it had shrimp and pork pate in the burger among other things, a Kalbi – how about some Kim-Che on your burger, a Kiki with Gruyere cheese and lots of mushrooms that I can’t even begin to spell or pronounce, and a lamb burger with perfect fresh herbs. An informal table vote put Dave’s Banh-Mi the most adventurous and Kent’s Kiki the favorite. We cleaned all the plates and no one was disappointed.  The pickle tray starter was fun, they pickle about anything it seems.  Apple slices, garlic cloves, pearly onions, cucumbers, cabbage and what we think was eggplant?  It is a fun sampler.

We recognized a reoccurring flavor that our foodie, Carol, identified as fish sauce. It was delicious in everything but seemed pretty widely used.  We probably noticed that more than others since we all sampled everything on the table.  Still, a great find.  Try it if you can.

 

Dinner at Burro Borracho, Guy Fieri’s new Mexican restaurant in the Rio.   Thick crisp chips with house made salsa and fun frozen drinks were a wonderful start.  We savored a couple kinds of tacos and jalapeño poppers.  Not that we needed it but we topped it off with fried ice cream that was just the right size to share.  Another great stop.

 

Penn and Teller, impressive slight of hand. They disappeared Elsie, a spotted pigmy elephant (actually a real live milk cow with a dryer vent trunk and big ears).  There was an audience participation card trick, appearances, disappearances and trading places right before our eyes.

 

Hash House A go-go

Breakfast for champions. 0421160915They must think that gambling, or maybe late night drinking, makes for really hungry breakfast eaters.  The portions are huge. Check out my Snickers pancake!

 

Thank you Carol and Dave for sharing vacation with us. It was a great time.

Celebrating in Pennsylvania

We descended on Molly and Clark this year along with Bob and LouAnn, Brian and Johnna, Carol and Dave, and Mom/Grandma WasikDinnerComp_8450. It was a great day of food and good company.  We have extended the celebration with more dinners together catching up and enjoying good company.  A tour of Hershey Chocolate World,FireworksComp_8440 the raising of a giant kiss, fireworks, and dinner including the wedding-famous chocolate martini ushered in the New Year.  I love excuses to get together!

Holidays with the Sayres

Thank you, Mike and Tracy.NYC Christmas web_8131

We ran our hosts ragged as they played tour guide and kept us out of trouble wandering around the city. We strolled the city from Brooklyn to the Long Island City Waterfront, through Central ParkAliceStatueweeb_8164 and Times SquareTimeSquare_8269 and all around Astoria.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Comp_8061We eyed magnificent architecture, laughed at the great people watching andSkylineComp_8236 soaked in the magical night skyline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One special stop, a ride on the antique carousel near Brooklyn Bridge Park.CarouselComp_8345

We devoured wonderful food….home cooked, lovingly prepared by Mike and Tracy and from a number of great neighborhood restaurants.

We squeezed in a card game and the kids a movie, Star Wars of course. It was the first year of a book exchange for family Christmas.  We shall see if there will be another year of that!

The best? Time together.  We are so blessed.

Jingle Bell Jukebox

We picked a spot in the back row as hundreds of parents and siblings swarmed into the cafeteria/gym/auditorium of Bell Elementary. The little kids filed in some sporting reindeer antlers and some in poodle skirts shepherded  by our big kid (Brian of course). Songs and skits were adorable and there was plenty of smiling to go around.  Another successful Holiday program behind him, Brian was smiling too!