Suzy Says

Happy Friday!

It was a happy Friday at the real Happiest Place on Earth. Megan’s, Monica’s, and my schedules all aligned and we met for dinner at our favorite seaside bar.

Those among us who are not fans of being slightly chilled, like a fine Chablis, decided that we should sit inside. We were delighted to see that the inimitable Aiyana was tending bar, and she both made the delicious concoction you see above and gave us big, wonderful hugs. It was so good to see her.

We turned our attention to the wine list, following Dad’s edict to choose the wine first and then select the food. Megan decided on a rosé that was new to me, from nearby Fathers and Daughters. Drink local! It was delicious, refreshing and bright, with notes of tropical fruit without being too sweet.

We shared a delightful cheese platter as we contemplated the menu:

That’s quince mebrillo in the middle, along with Brie, Shropshire Blue, and Gruyère. Monica ordered the salmon special of the day, and Megan had soupe au pistou, which reminded me of the long-ago summer when I was 17. I spent it on the French Riviera, where I first encountered soupe au pistou and pesto, not to mention other delicacies that it was better not to know what you were eating. After finding out that bouchées à la reine had sweetbreads in it, and further found out what sweetbreads were, I stopped asking.

My salad was garnished with beautiful, edible flowers from the restaurant’s garden:

And was the perfect accompaniment to the light gnocchi, garnished with pine nuts:

Somehow, we managed to save room for a flight of desserts to share:

It was so great to spend time together, catch up on each other’s lives, and just be together. More and more, I realize that time is the greatest luxury.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Settling in to the beautiful new house.

TEN YEARS AGO: How to make faux pho.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Heading back to the City from the country (where I now live).

TWENTY YEARS AGO: It’s harder to get a cab in New York than you’d think.

We had a heatwave that lasted an entire week. It was a nightmare. Seven consecutive days of it being 90 at my house. Every day, I’d open the doors first thing to attempt to cool the house down, risking Dodge’s life and limbs in the early morning darkness. I had the fan on while I got dressed after my tepid or cold shower.

I closed up the house before I went to work, and closed what blinds there are in the hopes of staving off the worst of the heat. I had two fans blasting on high by my bed, but it was so hard to sleep with the heat and without a blanket. After a few days of this, I was a sleep-deprived zombie, and with no end in sight, I just sat on the couch and cried, wishing there were someone I could surrender to who would make it stop. I would not stand up under torture.

Temperatures inland were horrifying: 112 in the County seat of Ukiah. My boss’ daughter was slated to fly from San Francisco to Palm Springs during this nightmare, and her plane was unable to take off because of the heat (Palm Springs was scheduled to reach 120 that day). I did not know that was a thing.

This is so scary. I thought I was old enough that the planet would start burning down after I had shuffled off this mortal coil, but apparently it’s ahead of schedule. At least there’s air conditioning at work, where I spend most of my time.

A YEAR AGO: Audrey turns sour (not sweet) sixteen

FIVE YEARS AGO: The magic of the circus.

TEN YEARS AGO: My drive to work.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Want to trade?

TWENTY YEARS AGO: My summer wishlist