dinner - friday night

this is a terrible photo as i had trouble adjusting for the low light, but it's a photo of potato salad, a family recipe and particularly my aunt evy's version (from the german side of my family). you peel and slice the hot potatoes directly into the bowl and then gently mix a raw egg into it, and then add onion or anything else you like (salt and pepper) (we added a little grated carrot along with scallions). it's difficult to do as the potatoes are so hot! the bowl is a special wooden bowl given to me one christmas, years ago, by my aunt evy, uncle bill and my cousin cindy and her husband. the resulting salad is always delicious!

chanda's friend sylvie joined us for dinner, after which they went out to a salsa social dance, which i thought sounded really fun. 

walking milly, staircases, chinese food and the moon

milly sometimes likes to walk very leisurely . . 

and she is also extra fluffy these days . . 

milly, there's a rumor that you have a grooming appointment this coming weekend . . 

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when i was leaving after helping ellen with her five year olds this evening, i was suddenly struck by how wonderful i find the staircases to be in the old buildings of manhattan . .

the stuffy aroma, the modern addition of new pipes next to the old along with internet wires, the creakiness of the steps, the smell of the paint and the details of the banisters and molding . . and often the dust and dirt that owners and superintendents fail to keep up with amidst the number of people that frequent its halls.

i often run into the postal worker when leaving . . and today it was still light outside. (we jumped ahead an hour over the weekend.)

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greg and i met up for dinner at a place we haven't been in years, and one that has moved at least three times since our first visit - uncle ted's . . they're now located on 8th street.

char siu bao - steamed bbq pork buns. i remember the first one i ever had . . i was about ten years old and with my aunt evie in california, los angeles. we were at the farmer's market and i can't remember if she suggested them or if i saw them and was intrigued, but she bought one for each of us and i remember the pungency of that first bite enveloped in the puffiness of the bun and how delicious i found it. 

broccoli, eggplant and green and red peppers sautéed in ginger scallion sauce.

can you see the new moon?

just . . a little silver slipper of a moon . . on the second day of ramadan.

espresso

 i love my espresso cup from positano!

(and haagen dazs rum raisin ice cream - years ago in woodland hills, just north of los angeles, my aunt and uncle would send me out for this ice cream from either ralphs or vons supermarket - it was one of their favorite flavors. ralphs supermarket used to also have lemon coffee cake, and thrifty drug stores used to have 25 cent ice cream cones . . )

getting the house ready

here are some pics from greg's and my trip to montauk to get the house ready for it's yearly renters.

we emptied the kitchen of all the plates and pots, glasses and silverware when we arrived . . 

 and had dinner at the shagwong in town. i've never been here, although everyone else in my family has been at least once.

it was actually one of the best meals i've ever eaten . . anywhere! the salmon tasted wild-caught, and the carrots were perfectly tender.

on wednesday morning the carpet cleaner came. he and his co-worker did such an amazing job. the rug looked like new! he was also really nice and cleaned the couch for a very nominal price. by lunchtime i was ready to get out for a break. we went to the health food store for lunch.

waiting for our veggie chili.

back at the house, the couch was drying.

it was time to start cleaning the canisters that my mom has always kept along the top of the cabinets. morgana and chanda helped me clean them in 2012 and you can see that post here.

greg cleaned out the shelves in the laundry room.

our neighbor and new renter helped us in searching for the septic tank. we dug in several spots, but didn't find it. i need to check a different survey map back at the apartment.

i wanted to get to the beach before it got dark.

 this little seagull had a hurt leg.

montauk daisies . . 

time to get back to work at the house . .

they were put up in a different order . . i didn't have morgana or chanda ordering me about . .

so i could choose my own way!

clean, empty rooms . . 

while cleaning the canisters, i discovered that the kitchen curtains were incredibly dusty and dirty so into the washing machine they went.

and then i ironed them. while ironing them i realized that the new renter may not care for a checkered print, and will probably change them to a floral pattern. oh well. at least they will be clean to welcome her.

my mom's seashell lamp . . 

which korrina, morgana, chanda and i helped her fill.

on thursday, before we left, i rummaged through old files and came across photos of my mom and my aunt with their good friends ilse and erich in germany (in 1991, i think).

my aunt had multiple sclerosis and always struggled to walk. she was always very determined with an amazing sense of humor. when i was young and would visit her in california where she lived, she would never get upset with me for swiping her cane when shopping (i would leave her hanging on the grocery cart) and going off to get extra items while "practicing" my limp . . (i was a budding actor).

my dad talking with erich and another friend in germany.

i'm sure erich is making some kind of joke here with the basket . . they had such a great time together. it was a trip they talked about and planned for many years. we were all so happy when they finally were able to go.

back to the house: i trimmed the forsythia bush which is a plant i gave my mom for her birthday about . . ten (?) years ago . . maybe more!

(sigh) the house sign is looking a bit worn . . 

back on the road: in amagansett we stopped for lunch.

chicken curry with arugula and carmelized onions and peanut chutney.

the trees were at their peak . .

the square in amagansett. 

travel knitting . . 

homeward bound . .