First of all, I have to say that Brad and his wife, Joanne, are fantastic hosts. Brad made an amazing meal, including a handmade spinach, prosciutto raviolli, a wonderful mixed vegetable dish with a vinegrette marinade and quite possibly the most elegant sandwich I have experienced–to say that it was a ham and cheese does not do it justice.
For those of you who are thinking, “Wait–isn’t Mary a vegetarian?” the answer is yes and no. I tend to be, but I am much more interested in good and interesting food than I am in being a stickler for no meat. So, knowing that Brad was a foodie, I was only too happy to eat whatever he wanted to make. Dinner was very, very good. My advice is to figure out a way to get him to cook for you.
Also, and I don’t usually say such things, his wife Joanne is distractingly beautiful. Also sweet and funny. The entire visit was quite wonderful.
We left about 8:00 this morning. In Indiana, we crossed over “Nameless Creek.” (I would have taken a photo, but the batteries are dead. Tomorrow, I’ll try to resume the photography of our trip.) We made good time to Ohio, except for Detroit and Chicago which had major road construction. I don’t mind being in the truck for days, but I am getting really tired of being jostled. There’s something about the way the truck, our belongings and the road interact that periodically causes us to get shaken back and forth so that our heads bounce against the seat backs. This is the first road trip where I haven’t wanted to read, even though I brought plenty of books.
To put this in perspective, we used to drive between Raleigh and Chattanooga a couple of times a year when I was growing up. I would read for the whole trip, even in the Nandahala Gorge. I’ve never had motion sickness issues. But in this vehicle, the thought of picking up a book is really not appealing.
However, I have gotten a fair bit of writing done.
We arrived safely at the Scalzi compound and were treated to another wonderful meal. You know how Scalzi is always going on about how fabulous his wife Krissy is? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. He’s not exaggerating in any respect. Corn on the cob, grilled portabello mushrooms, pasta salad… mmm. After dinner we watched fireflies on the lawn.
I’m glad Joanne and I were able to provide a break from the weariness of the road. I know how tiring that can get. It was great to have you and Rob as our guests, and it’s always fun cooking new things. Thanks for being my guinea pigs! Oh, and thanks for the excellent wine, even if Rob thought it was stewed… (or was it baked? Cooked?)
Of course the wine was stewed, you were in beer country. 😉
Mary, why on earth did you go through Detroit to get to Ohio?
For a time I did not drink, more out of weight loss than any substance issue. Then I befriended a sommelier and it was torture not getting to drink wine that this person found. Torture. Now I live well.
[fanboy]You got to hang at Chez Sclazicce? Nice. Lucky you guys. Sounds nice.[/fanboy]