Tractor! [And Brine Shrimp]

I forgot to mention the number one attraction of the Salt Lake Marina parking lot: a tractor. It was pretty neat, actually, and since the place was deserted Iain got a close-up look. Mrs. C. helped him out, and I'm sure her upstate Kentucky tractor experience helped.

Then it was time to head down to the beach. Iain led the way, with his staff bringing up the rear (as is fitting). Once there, though, we noticed a strange sort of sludge all along the waterline. Below, see Miriam's cutie sneakers and the gritty kitty quality of the sand.


What is that stuff? And why does it smell like rotting fish? Or decomposing brains? Or half-composted guts? Or pickled dinosaur toenails???


That's not sand. Not. Sand. In fact, I think it's something...organic.

When we first moved here I heard a reference to "brine shrimp." I asked Lawrence, "Can you eat them?" and he looked at me funny. Now I know why.

Gross, y'all.

How It Goes

Here's what we do. We watch The Age of Innocence. Happily, Boris saves us from becoming too wrapped up in the plot by producing noxious...never mind. We have this conversation:

M: "When is this?"
F: "The 1890s, I think."
M: "Can't be. Look at the phone."
F: "The phone was around!"
M: "No!"

[consult teh interwebs: Bell publicly demonstrated his phone in 1876, but no one can tell us when most people had one or when you could call New York from Chicago, as the young Ted Archer does.]

M: "Ok, what about those cars? That's not 1890s."
F: "Yeah, but look at the hemlines. Not the teens!"
M: "But the cars!"
F: "But the costumes!"

[consult teh interwebs: Cars were developed in Europe by men like Benz as early as the 1860s, so it's possible. But they don't look like those cars. An IMDB message board suggests that they might be French cars from the 1900s, but then what about those hemlines??]

[consult teh interwebs again: Some sources say that Newland Archer goes to Paris with Ted 25 or 26 years after Ellen leaves New York. That was about 1873, so 26 years later would be...1899! But Ted says he's sailing on the RMS Mauretania, which first sailed in...1906! Good heavens.]

M: "Well, it's Scorsese."
F: "Yeah."
M: "Maybe he was just not that accurate."
F: "Yeah, maybe it was more about the story."
M: "Just how accurate was Gangs of New York?"
F: "Uh....not at all. Not in the least."

End scene.

Woman Cannot Live on (Decliiiiiicious) Bread Alone

But T-Rex can! Iain's dinosaurs want you to know that Jim Lahey's bread is the best thing ever. It's no-knead bread, but it's about ten times better than what I was making before. We mixed up a batch (Miriam brought her book ALL THE WAY FROM DC!), baked it in my Le Creuset pan in a hot oven (475F) and voila!

Nom, nom, nom. Soooo good.

Bon Voyage

Tomorrow, Miriam embarks on her epic adventure to Oceania. It's a two-day trip, after which she will enjoy two weeks of delicious Australian cuisine, gorgeous Australian sunshine (which she deserves after all that snow), and splendid Australian scenery (I hear this includes the human scenery, but since she'll be on her honeymoon, I doubt that will penetrate.).

Above, her husband, showing off his ring last summer in Tunbridge Wells.* I've thought a lot about this subject, and am convinced that weddings should include a beer break. It was thirsty work, marrying those two. Look how happy Michelle and Kelly are. Look! I rest my case.

Bon Voyage, Miriam. Safe travels and happy trails. I won't weep with frustration that we can't talk. Really, I won't.




*Blogger wants me to replace Tunbridge with "unabridged" or "footbridge." No.

Brando's Family

Yesterday we visited Brando in his natural environment. Here, you see him observe Charles, consider, and then prepare to scream. It's ok, Brando. Lots of people have had that reaction over the years. You'll soon find that he's a softie.


Brando's Mommy was busy playing with Big Sister Chloe.



To me, Brando looks a lot like his Grandfather. But he also bears a strong resemblance to Aunt Miriam when she was a baby.

Here he is with Grandmother. Little does he know it, but this is actually The Lap of Luxury. Seriously. In the OED, if you look up "luxury" there's a picture of Brando's grandmother. In the picture, I think she's making corn pudding, but I can't be sure. Could be french-toast casserole.

Last but certainly far from least, here's Chloe smiling. Check out that blonde hair - just like Mommy.

In other news:

1. Driving to Louisville, we saw a pickup truck with somebody's belongings loaded up in the back. Mattress, dresser, etc. all strapped down with rope. But whoever's stuff that was, they had their priorities straight. I know this because on top of the pile were 2 cases of Ale8, in bottles of course, strapped tightly onto the mattress and jiggling in the wind. Because you can't move without Ale8.

2. Aunt Miriam adores me. Do anything for me. Why? Because I find stuff like this for her.