The Sandwich Life

Walter Salas-Humara of THE SILOS, Savoring Moments and My Husband

We are WAY, way, way excited about this Saturday's house concert. Walter Salas-Humara, known for his work in The Silos, as well as some amazing solo work and a number of other different projects (go ahead and click that link...his story and experiences are amazing) will be here. We hadn't planned to have any shows this summer but I got an email from Jonathan Rundman, who is touring with Walter, a few months ago and thought, "Well hell, I guess this is why we hadn't scheduled anything...we were waiting for this to pop up!"

The show is Saturday night....regular drill....potluck at 6:00, music to follow. I'm thinking I'll make a big batch of rataouille and maybe have some grilled sausages on the side. Bring something to share if you like....or just come enjoy. BYOB although I'll have some iced tea on hand. All donations go to the artists...$20 suggested but just bring what you can. 

There are a lot of Silos fans out there....please let your friends know about this or just drag them along. I really want to have a good crowd for the guys. I so appreciate their generosity in playing for us....

from a few nights ago... I must say...I AM looking forward to having an accordion in the house....

And in other notes....I walked into the dining room last night only to find the two blondes putting Lego together by candlelight. You know, there are moments in life you just need to savor.

OH, and I got a belated birthday present too! 

And my husband....I gotta say...I know it's not possible to love him more and yet, crazily enough, I seem to. We sat and watched the convention when I got home from work and when Bernie Sanders stood and spoke I looked over at Ernie and could see that tears were raining down his face. And all I could think was how much I love him. It was one of those moments that just sear into your memory. Later Owen curled up on the couch with us and strummed the guitar and Leo stood in the doorway and we all talked about the election and Bernie and Hillary. Another moment to tuck away.

Saturday will be music and company and food to savor too....we truly hope you can make it. Just yell if you have any questions or need directions. Oh, and click on over to Facebook to let me know if you're coming!

from a few nights ago:

 

 

Random, Random, Random

Random thoughts because that's all my blurry head can come up with. I'm not quite back into the regular routine of life. The boys seem to have plunked right back in....Leo with his standard schedule of staying up half the night and doing all his computer/trains things....Owen with his erratic schedule of staying up all night occasionally and constantly starting new projects. Ernie, well he's with me...not quite back in the saddle yet. 

Yesterday afternoon I saw an orthopedist who told me, no surprise, that I have moderate to severe arthritis in my knees. I'd had x-rays done right before vacation and this was the follow up. He gave me cortisone shots in both knees. In theory this will take effect between 48 hours and 2 weeks....hopefully lasting a few months. The reality is that starting last night my left knee in particular is FAR more painful than it has been. It kept me awake in the night and is really hurting. A little googling tells me this is a cortisone flare and should resolve itself within a day or two. In the meantime....let's just say it's not doing a lot to help me plunge back in....

Something more positive. Some of my favorite moments of vacation:

Sitting on the deck in Lubec with the guys looking at the brilliant stars...oh, and they are so brilliant there. The sky was amazing. It was almost too cold to sit outside but it felt so good to be there watching the sky with my boys, hearing the ocean....

Our vacation tradition of watching of A Mighty Wind. We watch this every time we are on vacation with Debbie. Part of the pleasure is watching Ernie watch it. He is so amused by it that he is incapacitated with laughter. He starts laughing before it even starts and turns bright red....which in turn makes Owen hysterical. This was the first year Leo joined us for it and it was a great moment for us all when we got to the model train line....

 

We left on Wednesday because I have sworn that I won't do that thing anymore in which you get home from a couple of days of driving and go back to work the next morning. Besides...we were running out of money. I had wanted to take the guys to see Niagara Falls. They were distinctly uninterested however, the little jerks. On the way to Maine as we were driving through Bennington, Vermont, Owen had spotted a Volkswagon bug for sale. He is currently OBSESSED with getting a 1960s era VW bug. OBSESSED I tell you. All he talked about was bugs...he brought his library books on bugs....talked about bugs, asked his father constantly about his old bug. He desperately wants to get one. He's trying to figure out how to get a job to save money to get one to work on. I actually think it would be good so I am not opposed...we just have to be able to afford one. He talked about the bug in Bennington so much that I finally promised him we would drive through on the way home. He, of course, spent the rest of vacation researching trailer hitches, etc. When we got into Bennington it was after 4 pm and we searched and searched for it to no avail. Finally we checked into the hotel and Leo got on Google maps and found it. It was 4:30 and they closed at 5:00. Leo and I screeched at the two of them to hurry up and gave them directions. Then we curled up and relaxed in our comfortable hotel room. The two blondes came back and said it was way too expensive for the condition it was in ($2,500) so all thoughts of trailer hitches were put to rest. In the meantime...if anyone knows of a cheap bug ready for an aspiring 14 year old mechanic...please let me know.

The next morning I had hoped to spend a little time in Bennington....maybe eat at the Miss Benn diner or the like. It was not to be however...Leo announced that one of his favorite engines was just off the turnpike in Pennsylvania and that the train museum was only open until 4:00 pm. I googled driving times and started yelling "WE'VE GOT TO GO" and rushing everybody to the car. We could JUST barely make it. Minimal stops and lots of hurrying all day but we missed it by about 20 minutes. However, it was not fenced off so we were still able to walk around and Leo was thrilled and that made me floatingly happy. Ernie said to Leo, "I hope you're as happy as your mother is." And I think he was. He has now seen 2 of the 3 existing Little Joes. I love it when my boys are happy. I am such a sucker.

Onward.

Can't wait for Saturday's house concert with Walter Salas-Humara of THE SILOS, with Jonathan Rundman! All are welcome! #waltersalashumara #jonathanrundman #sandwichlifehouseconcerts #thesandwichlife #champaign #thesilos

Vacation Cooking and Beyond

After vacation I always do a post about what I cooked. Alas, this year the inspiration was not with me. I did do a pretty good curried lobster with coconut milk and fresh vegetables (beets, beet greens and corn) but it was damned ugly visually. I made some piss poor haddock, usually one of my favorite simple things. I did make a nice lobster salad in a basil vinaigrette but overall....eh. I did make good burgers with local ground beef and some chorizo from the organic farm we like up there. Those were pretty great...and some chicken thighs because hell, those are hard to ruin. We ate mind you, and ate fine, but wonderful meals just weren't in the cards this year. It's a shame too because we actually had a heavenly kitchen in our Lubec rental. The woman we rent from there has totally ruined us for other rentals...

I may have eaten the most lobster ever on one of these trips. We went out to breakfast twice and both times I ordered a lobster omelet. The first one was lobster but still lackluster. The second one was a restaurant in Lubec and was much better although I still find it odd to put cheese in a lobster omelet. Is that just me? The best of the three lobster omelets I had however was the one I made. I didn't yet have the hang of the pans and the stove so it did stick, but damn it was good. Just eggs with lobster, parsley and some chopped heirloom tomatoes with a bit of salt and pepper. It may have been the best thing I made the whole trip. 

Omelet 1 from Lobster Cove in York Harbor, Maine.

Omelet 2 from Inn at the Wharf in Lubec.

Omelet 3 from me.

first picture is in process because it fell apart in the end...probably too much filling but what...you're NOT going to use all the leftover lobster?


After Lubec we met up with my sister Debbie who had taken the train up from Boston. We picked her up in Brunswick and hung out in a house on Orr's Island for a few days. My poor sister Debbie usually looks forward to my cooking...this year I just didn't come through for her. Oh well...she loves me anyway (I think)! And she, as she does every time we see her, fixed traditional stuffed and broiled lobster just the way our Grandpa did. And, although of late I tend to prefer mussels over steamers, this year we had the best steamers ever. It was heavenly. Thanks Debbie!

steamers being steamed

dipped in clambroth, then butter, then devoured...reportedly I adored these even as a baby in my highchair....

stuffed and ready for the broiler

and after

Yesterday was our first day back and my birthday as well (thanks for all the birthday wishes!). We had a lovely, lazy day. A birthday drink at Fries and Peanuts, later I felt like cooking for once. Ernie had picked up some salmon and I made an avocado/spinach sauce (just pureed fresh spinach, two avocados, the juice of a lemon, some olive oil, a dash of water and some salt and pepper). Then the salmon, which was smoked (they were out of fresh) we warmed up and set on the bed of avocado/spinach. We added a couple of corn fritters to each plate (just corn off the cob, lots of black pepper, a bit of salt, one egg and some cornstarch) to the plate along with chopped garden tomatoes courtesy Heather and Steve, and topped the whole thing with a spicy basil oil (olive oil, red pepper flakes and thai basil from the garden). It was delicious. I was so pleased with myself. The picture is not great because I was lazy and the flash is too bright but just the same...you get the idea....

In the middle of the night Ernie suddenly shot up from the bed and raced the bathroom. He came back telling me he didn't feel too good. Sigh. Within the half hour I was also miserable. 

I finally end up feeling a little inspired about cooking and we end up with food poisoning? Really?

Sigh.

Well, vacation is truly over now. 

Our Beloved Lubec, Maine

We hadn't been to Lubec in four years. Can that be right? No, we were there three years ago, but only for a day or two. There were, of course, a few changes. Nancy asked me for an update so here goes:

1. The building on 189 that used to have redemption center signs now has for sale signs.

2. Uncle Kippy's restaurant moved out of their building on the way into town and are now in the building next to the IGA that used to be a convenience store.

3. Sadly, Boldcoast Smokehouse, with the incredible smoked salmon from Captain Vinny is no more. I had read that it had closed but I was sorry to see that the old house that fronted it has been torn down. Now there is a business that says HD & Sons Seafood....it says retail and wholesale but it never looked open for retail when we passed. Glad there's a business there but can't help but be sorry the house and Boldcoast Smokehouse is gone....

from a few years ago

and now:

4. I thought Annabell's had closed but it is open again. I swear it's painted a different color but I didn't take a picture so now I'm confused.

5. The man who ran Bayside Chocolates downtown passed away...someone has bought it though.

6. There's a brewery downtown that also serves vegan/vegetarian meals and has music.

7. Work continues on the Lost Fisherman Memorial.

I'm sure there are lots of other changes but Lubec remains Lubec. I am so glad. It's good for my heart.

Our favorite spot, Cohill's Inn:

 

Heading home. Sniff. #overalready #maine

An aunt and her nephews! #family #sweetpeas #sisters

Every time we see Debbie she fixes lobster just like our grandpa did. #lobster #maine #lobsterdinner

#steamers #clams #maine #mainevacation

Getting lobster! #lobsterdinner #allensseafood #mainevacation #maine