The Blackbird Must Have Kissed You Last Night

The above is a saying in the South, used when talking about insomnia and the resulting black circles under your eyes.

Today was the Low Impact Vehicle show down at Seward Park.


I went down to visit Lucas and his paper mache truck, which turns the "truck's impact on the environment" on its head and showcases the "environment's impact on the truck." Rain, pollution, and high-mile freeway gulleys have soiled the pristine of the paper mache, to where now there is visible wear and tear.

We had a picnic of barbeque chicken, grilled zucchini, apricot kolaches, and a peach, goat cheese, and basil salad, which I highly recommend and have copied the recipe below:

Peach Salad with Wild Arugula, Goat Cheese, Almonds, and Basil

(Serves 2)

1 large bunch wild arugula (or use the regular supermarket arugula), stemmed
1 perfectly (not excessively) ripe peach, cut into thin wedges
A handful of blanched whole almonds, lightly toasted
A few very thin slices of red onion
About a half a small log of fresh goat cheese
A dozen basil leaves, left whole
1 teaspoon Spanish sherry vinegar
A few drops of balsamic vinegar
Salt
Black pepper
A pinch of grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place the arugula in a medium-size salad bowl. Add the peach slices, the almonds, and the red onion. Crumble on the goat cheese, and add the basil leaves.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sherry and balsamic vinegar with the olive oil, and season it with salt, black pepper, and the nutmeg. Pour it over the salad, and toss gently. Serve right away.

Lucas won a beautiful trophy for his entry!



Next, Leila and Blaire joined us for a walk around Seward Park.






Blaire made a delicious salmon and creme fraiche dish for dinner, while Leila made a dangerous chocolate pudding cake for dessert. Lucas and Blaire taught us to play Hearts. The cake made for a giggly game.