nellyglass studioIt was a beautiful hot August day and equally beautiful night; full moon, calm and quiet except for the excited story telling on Glenn and Judy’s deck. It was good to see them and be treated to excellent homemade food and wine. As night descended, the fire was lit and the bats came out to entertain us. Talk about tranquil… Thank you Glenn and Judy. Looking forward to returning the hospitality.
For a change of view, Monica and I went uptown today for our daily walk. The sun was out and the wind was calm. We parked our car at the Brunswicker (frigate terminal) and walked to the Saint John Arts Center to take in two exhibitions: Delights (Fabric Art) and High Schools Student Art. Then a stroll through the city market and some window shopping along the streets. Lunch was at Ta-Ke Sushi and then the walk back to the car. Total walking distance was 5 kms.
I floated through 66 with joyful ease, buoyed by a loving family. These pics will prove it.
July was all about good friends and good food. Monica and I hosted back to back company events to finish out the month. First Judy and Glenn from St. George and then Maneau and Jake from Moncton. I love company… it’s always nice to connect and it always includes good food. Too bad laughter with friends can’t be canned and sold… we’d be millionaires!
Monnie’s garden is growing well this summer. Her garlic scapes were ready to harvest so she made some pesto. Then she made a delicious seafood pasta dinner.
To top it off, she picked rhubarb and made a fantastic strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Then I passed out.
It was a doozy of a day in Saint John. I worked all morning in the cool of my basement studio. Working on something special for a gift coming up in a few days. Hint: 40 years … 3 years longer than Vincent made it.
When I stepped outside, it hit me… like walking through a thick cobweb. Mon and I tried to sit out for a bit but soon retreated to our cool livingroom. Today is the solstice so the day and the heat will linger. Stay cool.
Monica and I enjoyed three major events this weekend at home in Saint John:
Around all that, we also enjoyed each other’s company and got a little exercise around our yard and garden. If a picture is worth 1000 words, here is the short story of our weekend:
Monica and I enjoyed a light-hearted Friday evening of cocktails, great food and healing laughter in uptown Saint John with longtime friends, Maneau and Jake. We discovered a new watering hole, Kakuteru (highly recommended but difficult to pronounce… so don’t try), and then we enjoyed fine dining at a familiar favorite, Port City Royal restaurant.
We ♥️ Saint John.
We can all agree that winter ’24 was an easy one in Atlantic Canada. I fared especially well as you will see in the following photo gallery. From Christmas to Easter, Monica took me on a winter’s journey through a culinary landscape. My happy place!
Yummy in my tummy. These photos capture special and delicious moments of Monica’s baking skills.
Our friends, Glenn and Judy, visited from St. George to pick up some commissioned glass. Then the four of us went to lunch at Ta-Ke Sushi for Glenn and Judy’s inaugural meal. Always such a treat to watch newbies experience their first sushi. They were very brave. We laughed. Nobody got sick. It was great to see them.
Monica and I, along with Maneau and Jake, enjoyed a wonderful 2-day circuit around the western half of Nova Scotia. We stayed at the luxurious White Point resort near Liverpool, ate fantastic food, enjoyed the beautiful coastal scenery, and visited twelve breweries/distilleries to sample some of Nova Scotia’s finest beverages. They say ‘laughter is the best medicine’. Well, we were fully medicated by the time we got home.
Here is a photo gallery of highlights.
Monica and I enjoyed another Christmas gift (this one from our daughter, Sarah) on this fine Friday evening in Saint John…. tickets to the Imperial Theater to see Classic Albums Live perform The Beatles: Let It Be in concert. We started the evening off with an incredible authentic Indian meal at Royal King: A Taste of India. Then a walk through the park to the theater and two hours of music nostalgia. The Beatles certainly are music royalty. It was a glorious evening. Thank you, Sarah!
Monica has chef skills and we eat very well. Life is good!
The following gallery is from Dec 21st/’22 to March 21st/’23.
Monica outdid herself this St. Patrick’s Day 2023 and created a phenomenal dinner of Herbed Lamb Chops with Irish Colcannon and Spring Asparagus. Every time I look at these photos, my mouth waters.
Here is a photo gallery showing the making of this wonderful meal:
Monica’s brother, Harry Taylor of North River, NB, kindly gave us two bags of pheasant meat. He and his son raise pheasants on Harry’s ranch and release them in the fall for hunting. We were very appreciative of his generosity and excited to try a new recipe. Monica searched Pinterest and chose one that looked easy/no-fail… Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Pheasant. She did the breasts in the oven with this recipe and tossed the legs in the air-fryer. The result was incredible. Thank you Harry and Monica!
Here is a photo gallery of process pics;
It’s Sunday, mid January, and we have an ice storm in Saint John. We needed some comfort food so Monica decided to make falafel. I was her sous-chef 👨🍳 and the official photographer 😁. We had a blast fooding together and mmmmmm so good!
Here is a gallery of pics capturing the process.
… the birthday of Ike Turner, born in 1941. It’s also the same day Japanese army generals received the command to bomb Pearl Harbor… which they did a month later.
Monica and I are having Ta-Ke Sushi in remembrance and watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain in Japan: Cook It Raw.
Our very good friends from St. George, Glenn Ketchum and Judy Barrio-Ketchum, joined us on a foggy Saint John afternoon for a long over-due jolly of drinks and stories, lots of laughing and some deeper revelations. Monica pulled out all the stops to create a wonderful southern-themed dining experience. We ended the night with Kahlua-coffee and a promise to do this more often… a promise we are honored to keep.
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