they came, they saw, they ate pt. 2

Emily and Dan visited us this weekend. I couldn’t bring myself to lug around Andrew’s huge camera (sad), so there are very few photos of our weekend (even more sad.) Emily sent me a couple and we had a couple, taken in the room.

Guess I’ll just have to paint very good word pictures for you all…

We were blessed with INCREDIBLY good weather this weekend. Picture blue skies, white fluffy clouds and high temps (high 70s to mid-80s). They couldn’t have come on a better weekend. In fact, our Ohio natives thought we’d been lying to them this whole time about how cool and comfortable it is here in the summer.

We had to start with the best Friday night: Pasquale’s pizza and wings (you can read more about it here). We ate there and the pizza was a little greasy, but both Dan and Emily loved the wings. We walked off some of our meal and then visited Abigail while she was working at Fowler’s. Emily and Dan got to sample sponge candy and we sampled various flavors of ice cream before settling on our choices. We went out for another walk through the village, pointing out cute houses here and there near Hamlin Park.

I awoke bright and early Saturday morning and was surprised that our guests were up at just about the same time–before 7 a.m.! What is it about sleeping in an unfamiliar place that causes one to get up so early??

I went for a quick run, Emily did the elliptical and Dan ran on the treadmill. If you noticed that Andrew was conspicuously absent from the line-up, he was. He could have been found snoozing away in bed!

After our cardio session, Emily and I started up P90X yoga. I’d never done yoga for more than an hour, so I knew this would be a workout. Dan was a lifesaver and took Hadrian for a walk since he (the dog) was pretty much in the way no matter where he plopped himself.

Andrew did (finally!) get up and took Hadrian for a short run before we all got ready for the day. We all, dog included, piled in the car and set off for East Aurora. We left Hadrian in Andrew’s parents’ backyard and proceeded to downtown Buffalo to find a nice place to eat outside.

We chose an upscale (as in NOT your typical gyro place with neon signs in the windows) Greek place on Elmwood Ave. and were able to sit under an awning on their deck. I got the Monsoon Chicken Salad; it was filled with coconut-crusted chicken strips, strawberries, mango slices, dried cranberries, banana chips and walnuts. YUM. Emily got a hummus and white bean platter with rice and grilled veggies that looked awesome. It will definitely be somewhere Andrew and I will go again.

After lunch we headed across the border to Canada to see the falls. We scouted out cheap parking ($4) and walked to Journey Behind the Falls, a tourist attraction that allows you to go down and behind the falls. Andrew has always wanted to give it a try and so we figured now would be a great time. Emily and I weren’t huge fans of the tunnels or crowds, but it was kinda neat to see how powerful the falls are up-close. The worst part? The mist (a.k.a. rain shower) you have to walk through to get in and out of the building that houses Journey Behind the Falls. I DO NOT LIKE GETTING RAINED ON. I don’t even like running in the rain. I think it’s the sensation of cold water on my skin. Here are some of Emily’s shots:

I love how Emily can pull of the “giant sunglasses” look. I so cannot. I will say, thought, that my weight-loss has caused my face to become more and more square (or maybe heart-shaped?) and less round. Does that mean I get to buy new sunglasses to complement my face? (Don’t answer that…)

Dan must have, by far, the longest arms EVER. You can hardly tell they took this themselves (except for his arm in the shot, but you know what I mean). And kudos for getting the rainbow in the background!

We spent a few relaxing minutes in the grass near the falls and bird/squirrel/people-watched. Did you know they have black squirrels in Canada?

To continue taking advantage of the great weather, we ate in downtown Buffalo at the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery and enjoyed some cold beers and great good. I was craving a burger and fries, so that’s exactly what I got. Emily went light (or so she thought) and got the gouda soup, which was essentially drinkable beer cheese, but man, was it good! Dan’s jerk chicken sandwich was a bit on the spicy side, so we promised him a strawberry milkshake to cool things down. I enjoyed their seasonal blueberry beer and know Andrew and I will definitely be going back–the atmosphere and view were fantastic. On a side note: we’ve basically fallen in love with eating outdoors in nice weather, especially if we’re going out to eat. Lately, we aren’t even interested in places without outdoor seating. Does anyone else feel that way too? (I think Europe has ruined us for indoor eating forever…)

About a gazillion calories later, we were on our way to pick Hadrian back up after indulging in sundaes from Antoinette’s. They’re known for their sundaes and I couldn’t resist, even though my tummy told me to.

I went to bed early with a stomach ache and the others started watching our recent Netflix DVD: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

Sunday morning we all got up and exercised again; Emily and I ran to the park (1.5 miles) while Andrew and Dan drove with Hadrian. The three of them walked around the park while I did another two miles, then Dan, Emily and I ran back home. We all jumped in the pool to cool down before getting ready for the day.

We ate blueberry pancakes (the best!) at Charlie’s Diner, toured Vidler’s Five & Dime and got drinks at Taste before we had to say goodbye to Emily and Dan.

We got back to the hotel and Andrew let out a loud gasp! We’d been FISHED!

Long story short: Jen and Dave have this huge fish pillow (above) from goodness knows where. Awhile ago, they, along with Emily and Dan, hid it in our bed at home in Ohio while they were all over watching a movie. Ever since then, we’ve been trading it back and forth unbeknownst to the recipients. Let’s just say I knew it was going to appear sometime this weekend–how could it not??

Guess we’re going to have to make a trip back to Ohio…

pancakes, bacon and a new camera technique

In my continuing efforts (a.k.a. obsession) to empty our freezer of the food we brought with us, I decided this weekend would be a great time for pancakes and bacon (the freezer item), and BLT sandwiches, since I had everything on-hand.

We ended up sleeping in on the 4th, obviously much-needed since all three of us made it to 9:30 with just one potty break for the puppy at 6:30, so our breakfast became our lunch.

Of course, just as I was finishing up cooking I realized I should be documenting, so I hurriedly grabbed the camera and started shooting away while flipping the last of the pancakes. While I was multitasking in the kitchenette, Andrew started eating and offered a tip he’d gleaned from my new photography book, Plate to Pixel. (I haven’t really even opened it…it’s on my to-do list for this week, I think.)

Anyway, apparently if you hold a napkin (or other lightweight, lightly colored fabric) over the flash it keeps the subject from looking washed-out. I handed the camera over so I could start eating and he could take some photos.

Here’s the kitchenette, with flash:

Here’s the same shot while holding a napkin over the flash:

It seems to soften it up a bit.

Here’s the rum (yes, RUM) before:

And here it is after:

Much better, although I don’t know if I like how dark/orangey the photo is. It may also just be our lighting here in the hotel.

(If anyone is wondering why in the world I had rum out for pancakes, it’s because the recipe from The Foster’s Market cookbook calls for it. They’re called Panama Pancakes and they are, hands down, the best pancakes you’ll ever eat. Of course, you can sub vanilla extract for the rum if you had to, but the tablespoon it calls for really makes these babies.)

Here’s the rest of the feast:

Some of the bacon got a little crispy since I used my grill pan, but they should be perfect for BLT’s tomorrow night!

SO SO SO glad I brought my skillet. I really only use it to make pancakes, but it’s perfect for the job.

A not-so-great shot of the infamous Foster’s Market cookbook. Susy introduced me to the recipe awhile back and after flipping through it I knew I had to have it. It’s full of fresh food and delicious baked goods. I made the coconut cake for Easter a couple years ago at Andrew’s grandmother’s house and it was amazing.

And me 🙂 About to enjoy the fruits of my labor. (I wore the hat to keep the yucky bacon smell from getting into my freshly washed hair. The whole how-do-I-keep-the-hotel-room-and-myself-from-smelling-like-bacon dilemma had been bothering me for the last couple days and it wasn’t until I was ALREADY IN the shower this morning that I realized I should have made the bacon BEFORE showering…) No problem: I had Andrew prop the door open and I had the hood vent going full-blast while I cooked them up. Only a slight hint of smoke remains…

And, the grand finale…

…a sink full of dirty dishes!

one night in East Aurora

We had the first of what may become weekly “family dinners” last night at Andrew’s parents’ house.

Look! We match! Well, sort of. The blues aren’t the same, but bonus points for the shoes.

This is Abigail and Carolyn’s natural state: posing for photos. Seriously, you get a camera out and they strike a pose and smile. Usually together.

We had steaks, corn on the cob (I cut mine off–it gets stuck in my teeth! Not just one, like ALL OF THEM. I used to get in trouble as a kid for cutting my corn off the cob, because then my little brothers wanted to copy me and it was a big mess. But now I’m an adult and I don’t care what anyone thinks. I like my corn on the cob OFF the cob!), Hawaiian sweet rolls and watermelon.

Anyway, after dinner we all went outside to the front yard. Andrew and his dad played catch with their old mitts.

It was also a great way to get Hadrian some exercise; he ran back and forth trying to get the baseball. He’s not the brightest of dogs, let me tell you.

Our cats can’t go outside because they don’t have claws. They can go on the deck because there isn’t a way to get down. So, Odie mopes at the front screen wishing he could get out, too. He’s pretty pitiful.

Do you remember that game with the velcro hand “mitts” and the ball that stuck to them? Carolyn found a dust-covered set in the garage from forever ago, so she and I and Abigail played with those for awhile, too. Wish we’d gotten a photo of that.