The Happiest Weekend
5 Aug 2013
I did not at all expect this past weekend to be such a happy one. Eric had two nights on the Keck telescope (done remotely from Caltech), so I knew he would be either asleep or at work all weekend. And then my marvelous friend Hillary stepped in. I told her I’d be flying the craft ship solo, and she agreed to come over and hang out with me. She’s the best! I whipped up a little dinner for us: kale and quinoa salad with avocado dressing and my latest addiction: roasted okra. I realize that is the trendiest-sounding dinner I could ever have invented. What can I say? I’m just glad we live in age when kale and quinoa are the hip things to eat. A few hours before Hillary arrived, I caved and created an Instagram account, and…I’m now addicted to that too. I spent all this time telling myself I didn’t need another social network, but the truth is that I spend half my time on Twitter looking at people’s Instagram photos, so I figured this was good enough logic. I’m such a visual person that it’s right up my alley. If you have an account, tell me in the comments so I can follow you there! (Please!)
So, this Instagram thing was really fun/funny because we both were taking pictures and realizing that this sounded like the world’s most hipster dinner, and we had a good laugh about that. I made pistachio rosewater ice cream for dessert, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out (perhaps I am still smarting from my sweet lime frozen yogurt disaster?), but it was delicious. I will share the recipe if anyone is interested. We talked for hours, and it was glorious. Friends who you can talk to for hours on end about anything and everything, laughing all along the way: they are gifts straight from heaven. I am thanking my lucky stars.
After a while we decided to get to the business at hand: making things! Hillary brought her ten-year-old ModPodge (still good!), and we laughed that our two bottles were reunited after many long years of separation.
This was our spread: all kinds of pretty, shiny things! Hillary made a mixed media page, and I was working on a stamp collage for the cover of a journal. And we also had some beads and jewelry supplies at the ready.
Isn’t she lovely?
Here we are, at the height of our crafting giddiness. I sent this picture to Eric to keep him company in what I lovingly call his space dungeon (the windowless room where he does his remote observing). We laughed and painted and ModPodged until we reached the ebullient state known as slumber party delirium. It was awesome.
I was bummed not to have Eric with me for our regular Saturday morning trek to the farmer’s market, but I did get the last box of strawberries from our favorite vendor, so I am sure his spirit was with me.
Also, I bought these figs. They blew me away with their gorgeousness.
And I did not skip our other Saturday ritual: jumping straight in the pool after the farmer’s market. It was quiet and sunny, and I did some reading. The rest of the day was spent on various projects and getting ready for happy weekend event numero dos.
Every summer the fabulous Huntington Gardens holds concert and picnic nights for members. Hillary invited us to come and join them, and I jumped at the chance. Have I mentioned that Hillary has four-year-old twins? They are the smartest, sweetest, most hilarious girls I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. We had a blast checking out all the ducks and fish and turtles and playing mermaid games.
Hillary’s husband (also awesome: it seems to run in the family) packed us a beautiful feast: fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and basil, smoked salmon with cream cheese, and champagne. And Hillary brought my beloved chickpea salad. I contributed figs and slices of my favorite tropical melon. It was divine. We made a video to send to Eric in his space dungeon, and the girls sent their adorable greetings. I keep watching that video over and over again because it is just so sweet. And so, in a word, as Gogol would say after the most rambling of sentences, it was the happiest weekend. How was yours?
Aug 05, 2013 @ 04:27:56
What an adventurous weekend! The professor had a great one, thanks for asking. Now, pistachio rosewater ice cream sounds really, really good.
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:45:26
I am very glad to hear that! Ice cream making is so dangerously easy…our heavy cream consumption has gone up significantly in the last year. But hey, calcium, right? 🙂
Aug 06, 2013 @ 07:09:36
Of course! 😉
Aug 05, 2013 @ 06:00:03
What a weekend! You bought the last box of strawberries, had a friend over to craft, and lots of good for you food to eat! Sounds wonderful!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:45:38
Thank you! It was a blast:)
Aug 05, 2013 @ 07:15:02
Though not as eloquent, I am the LUCKIEST person ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (My dad would correct me here and say I am fortunate, not lucky. I still can’t quite wrap my head around that one but either way I am so grateful!!!) Also, I think I am trying to bolster my vocabulary with use of exclamation marks and capital letters. Heehee!!!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:46:50
You can’t be the luckiest because I am! Thanks so much for making this weekend so wonderful! Fortunate, lucky, blessed: I think all apply:) Also, you are hilarious!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 07:26:55
Cameron, in the years that I’ve known you, I’ve seen your beautiful smile a lot, but I must say that your treasured friendship with Hillary has taken your smile to a new level of joyfulness.
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:47:10
This comment made me smile so much. Thank you for your sweetness:)
Aug 05, 2013 @ 09:04:51
That looks like a lot of fun. I thought Eric might want to know that one of the songs on our next album is tentatively titled “The Astronomer.” It’s about a guy at the observatory in Hawaii discovering that something is heading towards Earth. He spends the whole night by himself checking and rechecking his math in disbelief knowing that if he’s not wrong civilization will end in three years. That event is actually the catalyst for the entire sci-fi plot our music is built around.
Aug 05, 2013 @ 12:19:21
Very cool, Ash! I spend a lot of time rechecking my math for far less consequential events as it is, so that experience sounds terrifying…
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:49:27
Yayyyy! Hi, E:)
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:48:14
Awesome! Last weekend we went to the Griffith Observatory, and I totally thought of you when we saw a, wait for it…moon rock! The song sounds rad, and, as always, I love your music.
Aug 05, 2013 @ 09:13:41
What a great weekend!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:49:03
It was! And it was all kicked off by the wonderful sound of your laughter on Friday afternoon when I was unloading the dishwasher! Maybe I have never told you how much I treasure that sound–it’s one of my favorites in the world:) Love you!
Aug 06, 2013 @ 04:10:52
That is so sweet. I don’t think anyone has ever told me that.
Aug 11, 2013 @ 21:18:26
It’s true! I love your laugh:) Looking forward to hearing it in person very soon!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 10:48:50
MMMmmmm! Wish I could have been there!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:49:12
Me too, swug!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 13:21:34
My husband loves roasted okra.. though our involve a lot of red pepper, lemon juice and other spicy things..
What was the finish craft? what did you make?
M is going away for a week and I have a friend coming over too..
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:50:22
Ohhh, your okra sounds better than mine! I would love it if you shared the recipe sometime, as I love spicy foods! Hope you have a great time with your friend! I was working on a journal cover collage, but I didn’t finish it on Friday. I will share it soon!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 14:22:12
I used to be a member of the Huntington Library/Gardens back in the last century. It was mainly so I could go enter when it was closed to the public.
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:50:36
That is a very nice perk indeed!
Aug 05, 2013 @ 16:46:33
You’re not THAT big a hipster; I mean, I didn’t see one filter on any of these pics ;D
Aug 05, 2013 @ 17:51:04
Bwahahaha, but there are filters on them! I just left that info out of my hipsterish captions:)