Nicoise, you say?

Last night I cooked dinner for our hosts (Jim and Joseph, as well as Brian bjarvis and Michael cuyahogarvr. I started with a nicoise salad - which turned out perfectly.

then I followed all that up with curried vegetables in puff pastry (butternut squash, asparagus and mushrooms in red curry) with a quinoa tomato cucumber salad with slivered almonds, lemon and feta cheese.



I love how these friendships have endured online - and it's actually my first time ever meeting Michael in person. :)

speaking of Michael - my body is in revolt and is demanding a trip to the gym - so thats where I'm off to now. :)

Washington DC - Day III

Yesterday was our third day in Washington - and we toured the White House and Congress. The Capitol Building is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. Honestly - the grandeur and rich sense of history is unmatched anywhere else in DC.



The Rotunda is the cherry on the top of the sundae.... its overwhelmingly high in WOW factor - and that it took four lifetimes to complete makes it rich in stories and historical impact. We took the "19th Century" tour and saw the old senate and supreme court chambers. It was really quite amazing, the attention to detail on how it was constructed.

The White House tour was very interesting as well - but - the building is much smaller than I guess I thought it would be. We were the last tour through before they que'd up for Obama's press conference yesterday afternoon - and they were setting up the room as we walked by.

DC Day 4: Library of Congress

today is dedicated to the Library of Congress... a breathtaking building and an incredible archive of artifacts, books and national treasures. :)

Dr. Dave and the Drum Machine

Four from Day 4 in DC

four shots from today

Nam June Paik's "Electronic Superhighway"


Dave and the "Heart Roll" heartshaped sushi


Wild Bill Hickock


Maitai Muffin and Chopsticks Bear