Meanwhile we have been making the rounds at favorite places- Star Fish for a long long lunch- and Nancy's for a short dinner during the Film Fest and then Louie's at the end of the Film Fest and then catching up with Al & Carol at Cafe Baci during the last few days of our time here...
wines from Louie's dinner- folowed by entrees- lobster for Phil and Mote Marine sturgeon pour moi...
the bottle of the week- from our trip to Cafe Baci-
The transition north is never quite as well orchestrated LOL- because I leave before Phil in the fall the Chicago condo isn't prepared in the same way and because the winters are a challenge for the outdoor plants - all the outdoor things need to be stored for the winter, and we hope the potted trees make it to the next year.
When I get back to Chicago in early May there will a fair amount of outdoor work to get things ready for summer - not like it used to be with the yard but still...
these pots are all annuals - so will need to be redone- (as are the yellow flowers above)
the succulents went inside for the winter so they should be good- but the ornamental grasses in the planters at the end - well who knows?
I am pretty sure the boxwood will be fine but the alpine currant remains to be seen - I also have a small ginkgo tree that will be interesting to see how it fared...
on the inside not too much to handle - a few changes from last year- and because we are having company right away I will need to ready their room but a day will get that in order...
but at this point I am looking forward to the change of scenery - I LOVE it here but I also LOVE Chicago and couldn't give up the urban life completely- the winter getaways are great but... I can get good Mexican at 2AM three blocks south and good Chinese two blocks north- not to mention the Michelin starred restaurants run by folks we know quite well- 42 grams, goosefoot and now Oriole!
We already have plans for all the favorites right away- with Ruxbin, Oriole, Tanta, mfk and Osteria Langhe when S& S visit and 42 grams the day after I return from closing the Florida condo for the season...
by mid May we will be so settled in - we are headed to NYC for a visit.... and we already have visitors scheduled for May, June, and July - and we hope to have Mary Ann & Gene as well as Al & Carol make it to Chicago this summer... oh and the Ireland trip- so I am sure those months will also fly by -
meantime I did get my photo book done from the Uzbekistan trip- check it out at - (copy and paste)
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbtHDNo4ZtVK6I&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET
Now I am off to pack for DART 2017 - so stay tuned...
