Sage Restaurant

Last night Susan and I tried another restaurant in Yakima. The Sage Restaurant and Wine Bar was the OpenTable.com Diners' Choice winner in 2009. Shortly after the restaurant opened, some of Susan's friends went and were not impressed, so we decided to wait a bit before we went. Since it was a Thursday evening, there were no crowds and we walked right in without reservations. I ordered the Ladies Thursday special that included a starter, half specialty salad and a dessert. The starter, Cranberry Orange Shrimp was just wonderful and big enough to be a meal all by itself. The shrimp salad was great and had so many pecans that I could not eat all of them. My only complaint was the Molten Chocolate Torte that for some reason was missing the lava. Susan ordered the Pacific NW Pot Pie and tried the White Chocolate and Berry Bread Pudding. YUM! She couldn't eat all of her dinner either. We liked the food and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Moving to Pittsburgh

Tommy, Julie, Adam and Luke are moving from Orlando to Pittsburgh. Tommy has taken a new position with Fairmont Hotels and he has actually been in Pittsburgh for the last couple of weeks. This week Tommy and his Dad drove down to Orlando to pick up Julie, Adam and Luke.

On the drive up North, they stopped outside Savannah for lunch. I don't know what Adam is looking at, but it sure has his interest. After taking anti-anxiety pills before the trip began, Luke appeared to be drunk but at least he was calm.

Adam sleeps in the car, bless his heart, so when they stopped for the night in North Carolina, Tommy and Julie took him to the pool for his first swim so he would sleep at night. He loved the water as you can see.

ANNIE

Last night Susan and I went to the Capitol Theatre to see Annie. This musical is part of the 2010 Best of Broadway season in Yakima. After the Thursday evening performance the musical heads to The Paramount Theatre in Seattle for an extended run. Our favorite performers were Mackenzie Aladjem (Molly), Madison Kerth (Annie) and Lynn Andrews (Miss Hannigan). This show is worth seeing if it comes to a theatre near you.

Construction Update

Construction has begun on our new home. To date, the sub-floor, walls, plumbing, insulation and heat vents have been built. Keep checking for more updates.

The Carousel

On Friday February 5, Susan took off work early to help me run some errands. It is very unusual for her to get home early on a Friday evening. Like most cities, restaurants in Yakima fill up early on Fridays so we very rarely eat out on Friday. We took advantage of this opportunity and went to The Carousel in downtown Yakima. Susan and I are continuing our quest to go to every restaurant in town and I had not been to this restaurant that offers French Cuisine. Susan ordered Pork Tenderloins with Shitake mushrooms while I tried the Crab-stuffed Salmon fillet. The food was good and we splurged and had dessert - Cherries Jubilee that they made right in front of us. We had a very nice evening.

Mom's Coyote

Ceramics is not what it use to be. Mom has been experimenting with new techniques in ceramics while in Arizona this winter. She made this coyote using a process called Horse Hair. The greenware is put in the kiln and when it is done, horse hair is placed on the item while it is still very hot. After the item cools, the excess horse hair is scraped off and the item is wiped with a wet sponge. Wiping the cooked hair leaves a smokey effect. To finish, a clear glaze is put over the entire piece. It is not only interesting, but very beautiful.

Animal Therapy

In addition to all the support Susan has provided over the last month, my 'therapy animals' do a great deal every day to lift my spirits. While Toby doesn't like to cuddle he stays close by. Susan gave me Christmas Bear while I was in the hospital and I smile every time I look at him. Tillie lies down on top of me most of the day. I am a lucky person to have all this love and support.

The Wedding Singer

My first outing after surgery, other than to doctor's appointments, was to go see The Wedding Singer at the Capitol Theatre last weekend. This musical is the first of the Broadway 2010 season in Yakima. Susan and I both enjoyed the performance, and the cast received a standing ovation. There were some powerful singers in the group, which always makes a performance more enjoyable.

There is something to be said for good pain medication and a lot of ice to cure cabin fever.

It's Official

Even though we signed the papers a few months ago, the sale of a home is not final everything successfully passes through the financial system. My sale of my house closed on December 31, 2009 and the money has transferred. My attempted to transfer the picture from the MLS to our blog didn't work especially well, but you can still make out the SOLD in red. Oh Happy Day! We can't begin to describe what a relief it is to have finally sold this house. We will be placing the order for our new house this week. YIPPEE!

Christmas Dinner

We usually post our culinary adventures in the sidebar but Susan made such a fantastic Christmas dinner that I wanted to share more of the story with you. Our schedule over the holidays has been a little odd. I am recovering from surgery so I sleep most of the time and Susan has been struggling with a cold. As a result, we did not have Christmas dinner until December 27. Susan made a Shrimp Bisque that could stand up to anything served at a local restaurant. The rest of the meal consisted of Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin, Carrot Celery Root Puree and Spiced Stone Fruit Chutney. This meal was so good that it is hard to describe it with mere words. We are going to make homemade ice cream for dessert over the next week using the ice cream maker that Susan gave me for Christmas.

Santa was very generous this year. We received gift cards to some of our favorite restaurants and spending money. Below is a picture of stepping stones that I gave to Susan to honor the furry members of our family.

These are going to look great at our new place. Speaking of houses, we are still waiting for word that the sale of my house has closed.