pointers and potluck

this weekend, we met with erik wightman who will be helping to make some house repairs. he also has a german shorthaired pointer named oliver, but often calls him ollie. as soon as ollie leaped from the truck, a chase ensued.

they both managed to sit still for a moment before ollie decided to run off into the forest.

some of the repairs that we are doing include a bathroom cieling, as well as a reframing of the basement door for better security, better insulation, and aesthetics. in the back of the house, there will be some siding that needs replacing from when the pipes were insulated.

that night, we went to a neighborly potluck dinner. we met most of our neighbors who live on or near our road. we brought a couple bottles of wine and made a hazelnut chocolate cake. the cake was a hit.

cleaning, cajun, and clear skies

the weekend was lovely. cool and dry and sunny. the evening temperatures got into the mid-40s. i guess summer is over. from our big dinner a couple of weeks ago, i cleaned and ironed all our napkins and kitchen towels. the photograph is called "Townline Road" by my friend Susanna Howe.

that evening we were invited to Mimi's home, also in Stone Ridge. we knew there would be a cajun band but that was about it. the house sits at the end of tiny road. as we approached, there we dozens of cars, and candles put into white bags to light the way. the house is huge with lots of paintings, books, high ceilings, porches, ponds, and more bag lanterns, christmas lights, firepits, treehouses, floating light sculptures and the smell of jambalaya. there must have been about 100 people. everything was lit by candle. there was plenty of wine, cajun music and dancing and a wide variety of friends and new people.

the next day was spent relaxing or hiking under the intensely blue skies. not a cloud in the sky.

mexican, mulching, and milk

this labor day weekend, steve picked me up on friday (half day of work) and we made it to gobble hill around 5pm. while we opened up house, buster enjoyed hanging on the front porch listening to ray charles play on the ipod, and watching the late afternoon sun. i think dad wouldn't mind hanging out with buster and a beer, right? note: i had to use my iphone since i forgot my digital camera. quality may not be as stellar.

afterwards, we headed to nearby kingston to our favorite mexican restaurant, the armadillo. here, they have some basic and good mexican food and a frozen margaritas. the owner, merle, adores buster. usually, buster moans to get inside the patio area where pets are allowed to sit with their owners. "where's my boyfriend?" she asks. the waitst all know buster well, but of course have no idea of our names. merle calls herself the chicken lady because she always brings a serving of shredded chicken, and the waitstaff immediately bring out a bowl of water (usually before we get our own water and drinks).

before we could place our order, another woman, iris, came over and asked about buster and his breeder. it turns out she is friends with the connecticut-based breeder. a lot of conversation ensued including pictures on her iphone, and raising pointers. she has several pointers and we might have a multi-pointer playdate some weekend.

the next morning, we walked around the neighborhood, about a 3-mile walk, and then back to the porch to guard the house (or keep watch for squirrels and chipmunks), while i did some minor house painting and and steve mulched the garden areas.

later that day, we visited F&C Brooks and Sons for some fresh milk. and i do mean fresh. we went in and saw the cows, and the raw milk is pumped into our jar right on the spot. raw milk has some contoversy given that it is not pasteurized, but not to worry. it is delicious, creamy, and a little sweet.

our sunday was spent preparing dinner for 6 guests: spareribs with homemade bbq sauce, freshly made hummus, heirloom tomato salad with basil and mozzarella, potato salad, a flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and ice cream, and watermelon limeade that we mixed with vodka. the only things we had to buy that came from somewhere else were the chickpeas for the hummus, the mozzarella, the ice cream, and the vodka. we left early monday morning to avoid the labor day traffic and a nice day back in brooklyn.