Finally- a day of reasonable heat here in Boston – during the past three days we endured temperatures in the upper 90s which left everyone utterly exhausted, unable to think or even contemplate thinking. Thursday we hit a high of 97 degrees Fahrenheit and such insane humidity - it was like breathing in water in a sauna. Of course, what do I do? Go for a hike, why not? Well, it was actually only about 92 yesterday when my friend Milton and I headed for the Blue Hills Reservation for a little wandering around the woods. Hoping it would be a little cooler in the trees, we embarked on an 8-mile jaunt, the so-called Figure 8 Hike, which leads the outdoorsy on a nice sometimes leisurely, sometimes demanding jaunt through this 7000-acre park.
Heading first east on the Massachusseuck Trail, we eventually passed Blue Hills Reservation Headquarters to attack the steeper section of the Skyline trail on our way up to the Eliot Tower and the Blue Hills Weather Observatory (http://www.bluehill.org/photo.html), located on the Great Blue Hill. The GBH provides fabulous views of Boston on a nice day, and I just learned that our beloved public radio station WBGH takes its initials from exactly this spot, which was the original location of the station’s FM and TV transmitters, according to Wikpedia. This was my favorite part of the hike since it provided the first breeze in days – and the only one, because after the hike it was back to everything hot and yucky - hot car, hot house, yucky air…… For the rest of the day I was simply incapable of anything, lounged on my couch, moaning ever so softly and watched movie after movie after movie, none of which was remarkable - but what did I care!
Last weekend, my friends, was all in the name of Harry Potter – Saturday night, it was time to go to the movies and see the latest HP flick “ The Order of the Phoenix” (followed by a very spciy Thai dinner at “Chili Duck” on Boylston Street) and guess what I did all day Sunday – read the new Harry Potter book. All day long I did not leave the house except for a quick stint for Trader Joe’s – and the rest of the day was just Harry and me on the couch. I was done at exactly 7:16 PM EST, and then had to, of course, call my friend Stephanie immediately to discuss what happened in the book. The two weeks prior I had spent re-reading HP Book # 6 to be up-to-date, so by the end of the weekend, I definitely considered myself an expert on the topic.
This past Tuesday I attended a wonderful event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston – http://www.fourseasons.com/boston/dining/aujourd_hui.html - every Tuesday night, the in-house restaurant, Aujourd’hui, hosts a wine and food pairing, where sommelier Brick Loomis (yes, that is his name) introduces some stellar wines and chef de cuisine William Kovel dishes up some food morsels that are definitely worth the trip. Each week the evening focuses on a different theme, in our case barbecue foods, which one would think is definitely a stretch for the Four Seasons. We were definitely more than pleasantly surprised – my table mates Hanna, Christo, Holly, Ben and Madeline all agreed that both food and drink were first class. It was such a fun, relaxed and enjoyable evening, and the conversation soon moved beyond wine and foods, and included earth-shattering topics such as squirrel hunting, Bruins hockey and expensive Boston haircuts.
Here is the menu for your enjoyment –
Pan Seared Sea Scallops on Barbecue Charred Creamed Corn (best corn I have ever had, I swear) – paired with 2006 Robert Foley Pinot Blanc (Napa Valley)
North Carolina Pulled Chicken (yummmm!) with Coleslaw and Cornbread – paired with the best Pinot Noir I have ever tasted (it was so good that I had to go out and buy a bottle at the stellar price of $40 – that’s a first for me) – the 2005 Lemelson Vineyards “Thea’s Selection” Pinot Noir (Willamettte Valley, Oregon)
Memphis Style Baby Back Ribs with Macaroni &Cheese, B&B Pickles – paired with a 2004 Peter Franus “Brandlin Vinyard” Zinfandel, (Mount Veeder, Napa)
Aside fron this oenophilic outing, I pretty much stayed near home base, went to the gym for spinning classes and other similarly painful activities, and this Friday, on the hottest day of the year so far, attended my friend Josephine’s birthday – fortunately she lives just 10 minutes away from my house (on foot) and fortunately she had the air conditioning going, which kept her guests from passing out (the ice cream cake helped too).
Time to go, and make use of this lovely day (76 degrees, aaaahhh) and hop on the bike for a little tour, most likely on the Minuteman Bikeway (http://minutemanbikeway.org/Pages/intro.html), where bike enthusiasts can ride straight out of Boston all the way to Bedford, which from my house is probably a 15-mile ride (one way).
Tomorrow night, I will head to the UK, Wales exactly, for a bone marrow courier trip, but I will be able to meet with my beloved London friend Caroline, and we’ll see what Cardiff and surroundings have to offer.
In the meantime my friends, stay cool!!
Pet:)
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