we win!

after weeks of trying- along with tens of thousands of others - we scored same night tickets to NEXT Paris 1906 the first menu of the Grant Achatz ticketed food theater event of the year....



so here is the report-

• service is beyond outstanding- perfect in every way including the casual ease and friendliness of the staff.
• food was also perfect but be warned - this is no show stopper menu like you get at Alinea- there are a number of amazing dishes (more on that in a bit) but nothing that is jaw dropping like some of the courses we have had at Alinea
• the atmosphere is serene- calm colors and the semblance of the iron work of Eiffel's Tower over head make for a lovely dining experience. 

so the food and drink: first the menu

then the photos:

this platter of starters was served with Champagne which was not set upon the table for a photo 

all were wonderful but the foie gras in the brioche was exceptional!

from here the wine came before each of the menu items

so the photos follow along with our experience

  the turtle soup was correct but was my least favorite course

our favorite dish of the night- the sauce was "to die for" the essence of crayfish and butter and cream

(even if that wasn't exactly what was in it...)

the diamond shaped chicken breast was the most flavorful chicken I have ever eaten

and the cucumbers were stuffed with a chicken mousse

the duck was perfectly executed and the sauce again amazing- this was my second favorite-

maybe we could even call it a tie it was so good!

the potato dish was served along the duck and did not disappoint - flavorful with a great crunchy topping 

the salad was a perfect intermezzo and palate refresher

I am a sucker for ice cream dishes and this one was good enough to eat two!

the rum soaked cherries were fabulous but the best part was the cookie bottom.

so at the end of the meal we of course got a keep sake copy of the menu (saves surreptitious writing at the table - LOL) and they also included a short write up of the concept of the menu -

I felt like Charlie in Willie Wonka when I got the email that they had a table for us and it was especially nice since we are heading to our tenth anniversary so it was a perfect way to start off the anniversary season!!!!!

my mom

went to Africa in 1988.  she was following in her father's footsteps literally and figuratively.  my grandfather went in 1964 and somewhere in my family photos I have a photo of his car with a sign saying Africa or Bust attached to the bumper.  but back to 1988- my grandfather loved Africa so much he wanted to return and go with his two daughters both of whom were happy to oblige.

so off they went just weeks after my mother became a grandmother for the first time when my nephew Nick was born.  and they had an amazing trip. it was always one of my mom's favorites.  we are headed into new territory as she went to Kenya and Tanzania and we are going to southern Africa to Botswana and Zambia and Zimbabwe along with South Africa.  so as is now the custom - she will go with me to "see" new countries and her ashes will be scattered at various places along the way. 

my mother was a notoriously bad photographer (she once took a photo of me in Florence with the Duomo sticking out of my head and it wasn't a joke!) so her photos of Africa which I will post here are somewhat edited after scanning.  but as you can see these were once in a lifetime moments even with mediocre photos.

getting more and more excited - can't wait!!!!!

 

next up- AFRICA!

in the photo journalism/travel thing is our long planned trip to Africa to celebrate our tenth anniversary.  who knew ten years could go by so quickly?  probably anyone our ages and older- LOL

anyway- I of course jumped into action last year when Phil mentioned that it might be time to do the safari thing because I knew it was pretty pricey and that it would be better to try to pay for something like that kind of trip when I was employed rather than fully retired.  so we talked about it and decided that it was REALLY far away so we would likely only make this trip once-

we started to plan our own trip front end and back and then decided that for the safari trip we would join a group thing to make it easier on ourselves.  so last week we got the list of the dozen folks we will be with for fourteen days (3 nights at four locations in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and 2 nights at Vic Falls)

I was surfing to find photos of the lodges where we will be staying (lodges may be over estimating the level of luxury) and came across some photos posted by a guy who had taken the trip in 2007 to the very same camps-

so here is a little taste of the Botswana part of our upcoming (OMG the nightmare of packing- LOL) trip

this was a "cabin" in the camp in 2007 probably looks pretty much the same now-

some elephants along the way



kitty food - big kitty food!

I see zebras- will definitely pack binocs for both of us and a telephoto is clearly indispensible-

and finally - this came from some other website but I post this photo here becasue this is the prize everyone seeks- cheetah (they have the tears) who are the world's fastest animal and among the least sighted on these trips- so this might be the only photo we get -hope not- everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Helene our friend and house/cat sitter arrives on the 9th- time to start making lists! soon we will be off-

I plan on using video as well so maybe you will get a few clips along the way or when we return.

more about the prep before we leave- oh did I say we are doing Cape Town, wine country and the Garden route on our own?  lots to see and do- could easily spend six weeks or more there....

time marches

my friend Brad died the night of May 13th.  his memorial service was full of love and extremely touching.  several friends gave eulogies and his father read a poem.  a woman sang a beautiful rendition of Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World in medley.  he was one very special man and the hundreds and hundreds of people who came to the service were only a small portion of the number of people whose lives he touched. 

today I made a CD of a hundred and fifty photos I have of Brad- I made it for his dad who requested it when we went to the shiva.  posted just above is one that was our favorite photo of our years of friendship.  it was taken in 1984 so Brad would have been turning 23 I think- it was his birthday party - given at his parents house - it was the first time I had skirt steak (a Chicago favorite) and we always called this our "lea & perrins and pineapple" campaign photo-

since the week I returned from Phoenix I have been super busy and it started with the memorial service.

one of the things this loss and the loss of my sister and my mom all in less than a year has really brought home to me is how precious time is- so while I did several days of  board meetings we still managed to find time to see our friend Neil twice for diner and to have out of town company from Atlanta for a weekend, along with having our friend Tom visit from Denver. then catching up with Sheila and Mary while watching the Bulls disappoint their fans in the playoffs against the Heat. 

we also packed in a play - fabulous work called the OUTGOING TIDE- also about time and end of life choices.  oh and had a party for fourteen at our house yesterday.  so while I am a bit behind on the blogging I have been working very diligently to keep up with my two jobs and my third temp job as my mom's executor (paperwork anyone?)

also putting the finishing touches on the Africa trip- reworking a part of our itinerary when we are on our own. anyway get ready for posts from the road and fun new pictures....

meanwhile I am going to add a few more of my buddy Brad because I had such a nice afternoon remembering all our good times...

with Mary Ellen Giffels and me at Jennifer Cayer's wedding.

with Randy Freeman and Jill Stone at Lincoln Park Zoo

With Sam Krangle at a party at my house on Bellevue

with John Bjornton  and me at the Sound Board in an Insight Seminar

with Leslie Sann at a Halloween party

good times - great memories...for the last decade or more I have been very clear that I don't need anything more by way of physical stuff- what I have been focusing on has been experience. creating memories by being with people and doing new things.  when I was doing my Masters we had an exercise in creating a mission statement for ourselves.  my mission is to be a teacher and a student of the wonder of life.  some days I hold that focus quite nicely - other days it is more of a challenge - but oddly enough (not) Brad and I fit that mission perfectly - we were both each others students and each others teachers.  what a gift he was to me.

love always TOR

Brad and me and Jennifer Cayer at my MA graduation

time travel

well my semifreelife is kind of on hold this week as I round out my Board service to the PIAA (Physician Insurers Association of America)  after eight years I am completing my service to the Board having served on several committees before this most recent assignment.

yesterday when we left for the airport and then got in the security line and then found out the flight was delayed - all that usual stuff of business travel - I turned to Phil and said "I SOOOO don't miss this!"

I used to be something like the George Clooney guy in Up in the Air,  for more than a decade I traveled over a 100,000 flight miles a year.  there are advantages and disadvantages of the lifestyle.  the first cold I had in over two years was a month ago after traveling with two people with colds,  chalk one up for limiting time on planes and trains and buses.  but I have booked Phil and I a trip for his birthday to NYC and paid for our hotel room with points from a frequent guest program.  so there is one in the column of good stuff.

anyway I remember my boss COB (Chairman of the Board) of my own company saying to me several years ago that the time will come when the ties to the old life (in his case a surgery practice) will be in the past and the move away from that life becomes clear and easier than expected.  I guess that is some of what is going on here.  as we drove to the resort where the meetings are being held this week I recounted for Phil at least 20 hotels I had stayed at in Phoenix and Scottsdale over the last two decades. 

I am in my twentieth year with my company and I am amazed at how quickly the time has gone by and how great these last 20 years have been but on the other hand I am ready to move on.  never before have I spent that much time in one place.  my father always called it "itchy feet"  when my mother and I were planning our next trip or they were planning their next move...

I went to seven schools before I graduated from high school and I went to four before I graduated from college.  LOL I suppose this indicates some level of commitment phobia... but I have stayed at my current company so long because I loved the work and I loved the people I worked with so I like to think of it as finding the right place.  the spot on the porch from the Carlos Castaneda approach.  I found my spot.  but now I am finding a new one because this one doesn't fit as well anymore.  going through the past couple of years with my mom and sister being sick has given me a different perspective and priorities - so I am moving on.

but first things first and this means finishing the things I have been doing and "running across the finish line"

between now and the end of September that is what I am going to be doing.  and because I am semi free I will also be heading into the next part as well. 

so I thought a picture of a new start would be really appropriate here and this is perfect - a photo of our ten day old friend Alix Vienot-Tronche.  the newest addition to the wine group!

she and her parents came to visit on Sunday and we had a lovely time looking at the baby - which is what you do when you are in the presence of new life you watch how amazing it is and marvel at the fact that she is here

endings and beginnings.......

made it

through my first mother's day with my mother and my sister being gone.  I had written to my brother in law earlier in the week and didn't want to disturb him on such a tough day- in case he had a few minutes respite from thinking about Janna.  they say (whoever they are) that the first year is the most difficult because you face all those days of note without your loved one there. so on the one year anniversary of Janna's death (June 14) do I think I will feel better than on June 13th- I seriously doubt it. 

I have a photo of my mom and me in 1955 and one of Janna and her oldest Nick in 1988.  I post these in celebration of their loving hearts as mothers. 

here is a photo that was always among our favorites - we just found it funny because of the "label"

 it was taken at my brother's wedding reception in November 1984 - I am laughing because for some reason my mother's hair seems to be dyed to match her dress - LOL

and here is one of my favorite photos of Janna- she LOVED to garden and this was taken in her front yard sometime around 1994 or so

my brother in law Tom said he had been to OSU to see Sarah (my niece) in a dance recital and how tough it was because she reminded him so much of Janna. 

here  are two photos of Janna in her own days of dance recitals

missing both my mom and my sister this mother's day

facing another

loss in our lives.  my dear friend Brad, who has been my loving friend since June 1983 is in hospice care.  it is very likely he will not see his 50th birthday in late June.  I can't begin to enumerate how important Brad was in helping me through times of difficulty and in celebrating times of joy.  even when we weren't together -we were. 

we spent a lot of time together for a decade or so and of course life took us on paths that diverged - mine to career things and his to family things.  he married and had two children and I traveled all over the world but the connection between us was strong and never broken.

I have dug up some photos from lots of things we did together to post - kind of a little shrine and a ritual of holding on-

we met in June 1983 when I was dating a high shcool friend of Brad's - I was recently separated from my first husband and going through a fair amount of emotional trauma.  Brad seemed older than his years and had a peacefulness and calmness that was different from his peers.  he had been living in California but was returning to Chicago to start up a business.

the above photo is taken in March 1984 on Venice Beach.  Darren and I were out there on vacation and Brad joined us.  at that time Brad - when asked the question "are you dating anyone?" would answer "yes, I am dating Darren and Vicki."  later when Darren and I broke up I got Brad "in the divorce" and we stayed dear friends.

this is a photo from a vacation we took in Key West in February 1985 - 

when Darren and I broke up Brad was the one who handed me the tissue

and said "get over it"

a birthday dinner at Charlie Lui's with friends February 1986

a party at my place to celebrate Brad's acceptance into facilitator training in 1986. 

I would follow in hs footsteps two years later.

at the sound board in a seminar - Brad was the one who trained me to do this work

and that gave me some travel opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. 

dancing at Ivy Grossdorf's wedding

at a gala celebrating a special (25th) anniversary for one of our spiritual teachers

Brad and Anne Trompeter-Bodine at a seminar

At a Halloween party in the late 80s (two cats!)

with Joey Hubbard at the Love and Learn Seminar in December 1987 or 1988

with Dorothy Zwiazek, Brad's long term girlfriend in that era- away for a weekend in Wisconsin with friends

at a Rick Edelstein-Matisse seminar with friends
 (included in the photo from left- and counter clockwise -Iris Sielaff, Brad, Leslie Sann, Patti Clark,
Roy Hill, Pat Beal, Assad Mounzer and Art Waller)

at a holiday party at yet another of my apartments with Scott Goldberg
(son of friend Dave Goldberg)

with Pat Beal (above) and (below) a New Year's celebration

(the day Andrew Huson was born I think 1/1/90)

in Chicago -a celebration at the end of the nine week
Leadership Training: Demonstrating Excellence 

Brad's 30th birthday party June 1991

from the left Helen Schwartz (Brad's mom) - Paul and Stacy Kotelov (Brad's sister and her husband) and below Chelsea and Kippy - Brad's beloved doggies. (Stacy's dog on her lap but I don't recall its name.)

a photo from graduation when I got my Master's Degree in Applied Psychology

from the University of Santa Monica.

a mutual friend inquired yesterday on how I was doing, haivng heard the news of  Brad entering the final stages of hospice care and here is what I answered:

I knew he was ill and fighting it but I hadn't heard from him in a while and given the odds figured it wasn't good-

he has been my loving friend since June 1983 when we met- I actually can hardly think of anyone more capable of dealing with such a situation from the 90% level-

when he is released into spirit he will just be more truly himself- and our loving will stand as it always has - of course there are tears but I KNOW he will always be a part of me- we supported each other through some of the roughest times in our earlier lives and I am honored to have called him my friend. 

Love Always Brad- your friend TOR (and by the way- he was the one who gave me that nickname)