Bored? Never

Today was a “ladies who lunch” date with a few of my friends who worked together at that inner city high school for 21 years. We tried a small, local sandwich shop this time that people had told us was very good. We picked it as it was located near to one ladies’ hair appointment at 2:30. Eating so close let us talk right up to time of her appointment. That’s right! We talked for almost three hours. Surprised? You really shouldn’t be. Our lives are very interesting and we love to catch up on all the activities we have each been involved in since the last “ladies who lunch.”

One of the lunch ladies was at the Red Heart Ball that I wrote about earlier this week. In discussing the evening she mentioned that another friend had been concerned that I looked bored at one point in the evening. Gladys’s response was, “Delaine? Bored? Never.”

She’s right. I am never bored. Although I wasn’t spending a lot of time talking at the party, I was watching all the people. As you may remember, there were over 700 in attendance. Lots to watch. Terry was running around, taking photos, and I wanted to keep track of all that was happening in the room so that I could guide him to certain people.

One of the young ladies at my table was wanting to dance but none of the young men were asking her. I had made note of this and so when I could locate Terry, I maneuvered through the crowd to tell him he really should go dance with her. While I hold the camera, he does, and they both have a terrific time. Then it was back to more picture taking.

Terry dancing with our table mate.

I stopped at another table and visited with some other friends. Then it was time to draw the winning ticket for the Shelby car that was being given away that night. I didn’t have a ticket, but some of my friends did. None of them won. Some man in Claremont did get the phone call telling him he won the car. The tickets are sold all year long at auto shows around the country so the winner is usually someone from another part of the country. Next year’s car is a 1963 red Corvette, all original. Terry said he might buy a ticket for that one.

So, bored? Not then, not now, not ever.

Taking pictures, making friends, having lunch, etc.

As I wrote yesterday, my friends, the Ladies Who Lunch, went to Batterup for our noon time meal. Locally owned, small place, only a half mile from my house. I could have walked, but I didn’t, since the noontime temperature was 95 degrees. Although I like to walk, and that’s an easy one, I also like to remain in one solid piece, not a melted puddle on the sidewalk. Nor do I like my face to melt and run down my shirt causing me to show up looking like some deranged clown. It’s preferable to have people want to sit near you, not have small children running and hiding when forced to walk by the table with the melted clown.

We had fun yesterday, and Gladys, the gal pictured in yesterday’s post, took a number of photos to post on Facebook. I am the usual photographer, but I was glad she was taking the reins and doing it this time. She even got our waitress into the act, taking a couple of photos of us as we entered the building. Funny thing, though, no pictures of our food. We were too hungry and too busy talking, and so we just scarfed down the food while talking a mile a minute. We’re like that.

On the way out, two hours later, Gladys took a picture of the waitresses. The one on the left was the one who assisted us:

She was quite the sweetheart, standing and listening to us jabber on about how, why, where, whatever, we do these things. Bless her heart, she even asked about my blog. So, if she shows up here, thank you very much for taking good care of three little ol’ ladies.

Hot July Day

Today was Ladies Who Lunch at Batterup Pancakes, a small family-run restaurant in my neighborhood.

That’s my friend Gladys who brought Helen, my other friend, and me some of her first cherry tomatoes. I ate mine immediately while we caught up with one another and attempted to decide what to order at this breakfast specialty house.

Being noon, we all bypassed the breakfast offerings and went with salads and sandwiches. Since I am on the lookout for a good local hamburger, that was my selection. I was not disappointed and would return for another burger when the craving hits. We have three places in the bay area where we get excellent burgers and a beer. No beer at Batterup, unless you count root beer, which I had.

After lunch I swung by and picked up my csa boxes. Here is Week 7′s stone fruit offering:

Out to lunch

A group of friends gathered on the south end of town for lunch yesterday, at a tiny place called Box Car Cafe. The building and cafe have been around for decades, but in the last year a new owner, Keith, has taken over and made the place into a go-to spot for lunch. This is the really old, industrial part of town, and the lunch crowd is mostly the men who work in the surrounding businesses. The tiny cafe can seat 20, maximum, and when we arrived yesterday, it was standing room only. We decided to take a walk and come back a little after 1:00 when the lunch bunch would be back at work.

The walk was perfect. It took us down narrow streets, without sidewalks, in and out of alleyways, and around very old buildings, like the brewery which dates back to the 1880s:

There was a grapefruit tree around back:

One of my friends managed to get one of the gigantic pieces of fruit.

Around the corner, and down another street, is an abandoned farm house and packing plant. One of the group remembers the place being vacant when she was in high school in the ’70s.

The yard was a mass of gopher holes and sticker vines. Fortunately, I had worn a good pair of shoes for walking around this terrain. Another gal had such flimsy shoes that the stickers went  right through the sole. Her lament, “I didn’t know we would be hiking.”

For just a brief moment, we could catch a glimpse of the downtown buildings. Here you can see the Federal Courthouse in the far distance, reminding us that we weren’t too far from a more cosmopolitan locale:

Terry and I were discussing the windsock and why it would be there on a building that obviously does not have a heliport. Then, I realized it is probably a plant that produces noxious fumes and they must keep a check on the wind direction so as not to annoy the people in those downtown buildings.

Our walk was lots of fun, and there was a great amount of laughter. We had worked up a good appetite for the pulled pork sandwiches Keith is famous for at the Box Car Cafe. The cafe was empty upon our return with plenty of room for our group to combine tables and sit around sharing stories for awhile. No rush to get back to work for us.

Days of meat & restaurants

Paula Deen’s announcement of having Type 2 diabetes sort of set me back on my heels this morning. There is a running joke among family and friends that I, like Paula, start all my recipes with a cube of butter. Actually, it’s not far from the truth. The recipes I make actually do start with a cube of butter. I just don’t cook like that every day.

Paula is a few years older than I am, and I have a hunch she is under a lot more stress than I am in a normal day. I say NORMAL because that has not been my life for the last couple of months. I am trying to regain my equilibrium, though, and live more calmly with less frenetic activity. Also, my blood sugar levels are always very good–60 to 80. Cholesterol too. Which is kind of funny, considering all that butter! One year, the number came back just over 200, and my doctor, who was used to seeing numbers like 170, told me she hoped I was “just camping there.” I had to admit that I had been excessive with the butter. I backed off and the level backed down, too.

I am trying harder to eat a plant based diet with less and less meat as I believe we don’t need as much meat as we seem to consume. Terry and I can make a three pound roast last all week; two chicken breasts can do the same. We have quit eating any cured meats with nitrates and nitrites. All fruits and veggies are organic as are other foods. We stay away from most processed foods which means very little restaurant eating. However, this past week was a bad one in this area as we were out of town and trying new places.

Last Tuesday we finished off a roast I had cooked the previous week. Wednesday I had lunch with a friend and ordered a shish kebob sandwich (lamb). Thursday Terry and I shared a Rueben sandwich at Max’s made with pastrami (!) and sauerkraut. Friday we had carnitas tacos at a new place in San Francisco. Saturday I picked up a ham sandwich at Whole Foods. At least it was nitrite and nitrate free.

Yesterday I met the Ladies Who Lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in town. I ordered the short rib burrito but they were out of that. Saved! Instead I got the veggie tacos. My meat binge has ended.

Ending the year

On the next to last day of 2008 my girlfriends and I took off for a day trip to Stanford Mall.  This is a lovely outdoor shopping center in Palo Alto, right next door to Stanford University.  The place is actually owned by the university.  It is very upscale and totally delightful way to spend a few hours.  Yes, it’s about a 3 hour drive, but that’s part of the fun for us.  We spend the whole time talking and still don’t cover everything.

Lunch is at Max’s where we gorge ourselves on large sandwiches and salads.  Although we wander in and out of the many stores, we don’t make any major purchases.  At Crabtree & Evelyn we find a lotion we all like, and since the offer is buy 2, get the third free, it’s perfect for us.  At the end of the day we get coffees and cookies at Nordstroms and head home.  

We have been friends for 30 years and still know how to have a good time.  As we unloaded the car and went our separate ways, we talked about the next time we would get together.  And sure enough, today I thought about things we forgot to discuss.  Whether it’s lunch here in town, or a road trip, we always have so much to tell one another.  I know that many of my students feel the same way, and they will undoubtedly have much to tell each other after a 3-week break.