Roadtrip to Oracle

We went up to Oracle yesterday afternoon to hang out with three-week-old Silvio. You can tell he's a Thinker already by his pensive expression. He apparently wore himself out Thinking about stuff long before anyone even arrived because he slept through the entire afternoon, pausing only occasionally to wake briefly and Think about more stuff.
Reigning champion Lucho was evidently concerned that his current standing as Cutest Party-goer Ever is in some jeopardy. But he was a good sport and focused his energies on his now-classic Kid-in-a-Hammock routine rather than succumbing to jealousy.
The same cannot be said for Raphael.
Overall, Silvio seemed pleased with how things went.
"Spring Rain over the Catalinas"

"Gratuitous Rainbow Shot"



Intrepid Party Reporter J signing out.

Lemon's Lure

Lemon Pound Cake, you lure me,
My lovely citrusy Circe,
Your lemony glaze a tart sea
Into which I want to dip my toes

And wiggle them around.

Lemon, oh lemony Lemon Pound Cake,
Your moist denseness recalls
The plump flesh of a sly virgin goddess,
Sweet with two cups of cane sugar,
Bitter with wicked wiles
And freshly zested lemon.

You are my goddess.

Lemon Pound Cake, my seductress,
You encircle me like the Bundt pan
That once encircled you
With its strong, non-stick arms
Made of a material
I do not believe is aluminum.

But I am not sure.

Lemon Pound Cake, my love,
What I know is that
You were left with a gaping hole
That can be filled
Only with macerated strawberries
And a splash of Grand Marnier.
And maybe a sprig of fresh mint.

I fear I am not the one who can fill your hole.

Oh, Lemon Pound Cake, my temptress...
Frolicking in the dappled light
Of an enchanted forest
thick with leafy citrus trees,
Buttery yellow orbs enticing the weary
And monkeys here and there
Swinging gently from the branches.

Your rich buttery goodness
Beckons me
To exquisite lemony doom.

I am lost.

Day Three (Part II)

Fridge working. Ramada near completion. String lights in place and Lila sadly put to bed (no stepping out in fancy dress after all). Most delicious lemon poundcake in the world happily baked and glazed. Chicken tikkas and salmon-chickpea salad plated and/or bowled. Asparagus expertly blanched (by Julie). Olives marinated; cranberry juice mixed; and nuts toasted, spiced, and mixed with butter.

And thus the cocktail party commenced.

We invited some of our oldest and closest friends over, forced them to dress up and act classy dammit, and let them have at it at the well-stocked-and-Mexican-paper-flower-bedecked bar.

Eugene was an excellent bartender. He made a mean espresso martini. Stacy and Mike brought fresh mint from their garden for the mojitos. Jen and Joe arrived with sleepy baby Sam. Grant provided the vodka that saved the evening from certain disaster. Art brought genteel humor and reisling. Good looks and sophistication were generously provided by Jen and Tyler. Joe brought the questionable jokes. Sara, Tom, and Christine brought the embarassing Pecos conference stories (causing Jonathan to bring out the raised eyebrows and scandalized expression). And Raphael was happily reunited with Sidney, the surprise guest of the evening, fresh from Sudan, who had smuggled in stories of kidnapping attempts and archaeology gone wild. Everyone brought something.



Our guests were invited to take a tip from the tip jar.
The bartender was outstanding and swankily dressed.


Tom and Christine, probably reminiscing about Pecos
Eugene and Joe broke into the secret Dos Equis stash
Prom shot
Alicia (who brought great new job news) and I (worried that Joe was about to break the camera)
Mike, one of our Mint Friends
Alicia (still celebrating)
Me, Julie, and Jackalope
Tyler and Sid, suave as evah, hiding out on the front porch with sexy ladies Kim and Clariza
Tyler, still suave, and Jen, both Evil and tall












Raphael and Grant (a successful party always needs some Troublemakers)

Day Three (Part I)

We ushered Saturday in with some sock-eating

and a lovely Guatemalan Breakfast of black beans with cilantro and queso duro, scrambled eggs, and fried bananas with sugar. And lots of black coffee.

After the coffee kicked in, Eugene and Raphael worked on the ramada

with Lila's help.



Cocktail party vitals were stacked and ready.
Julie and I baked and glazed the most delicious lemon pound cake in the world.
Mexican paper flowers for the ramada had to be unfolded.

Lila planned to step out that evening resplendent in a stunning pale lavendar faux-leather collar studded with rhinestones.

The beams for the ramada went up easily

and manly congratulations were shared all around.

Monkeying around ensued.


And then we made the pregnant woman put up the lights.

Day Two

A trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum seemed in order first thing on Friday.



a fairyduster
Julie = carnivore
a box turtle
Julie = saguaro
ocotillo in bloom
a javelina

Friday night found us enjoying guacamole ala Julie and Eugene
Asian fusion risotto


and breaded chicken with parmesan, asparagus, and a white wine lemon sauce. (Eat that, Poca Cosa. Pollo con mole indeed.)












After dinner exploration of the yard revealed an unexpected nightbloomer.