Birthday Lunch

"Could I take you for lunch today on your birthday?" asked my friend and neighbor Barbara.

"Yes" I quickly replied since I hadn't eaten lunch yet and my stomach was growling.

"Have you ever been to the Summer House in Rehoboth?" she asked.

"No.  Do they serve anything other than fish?" I asked, being one of the few residents of Lower Slower who doesn't like seafood.

"Oh yes, they serve many things.  Jane and I ate there last week and we had a very good meal." Barbara replied.

Well, that was enough to convince me.  I agreed and Barbara returned to her house next door to mine to get ready while I changed into something more appropriate for appearing in public on my birthday instead of my usual jeans and khaki shirt.

About 15 minutes later I make the short trip from my garage to her garage and off we went in Barbara's Cadillac to Rehoboth on this warm and sunny November day.

We found a parking slot about a half a block down from the entrance of the Summer House.  I never ate at the Summer House before but I know that during the summer tourist season it is always packed.  I always like to try new restaurants, looking for that special restaurant which combines good food with comfortable seating and ambiance along with good service and a reasonable price.  The Summer House met all five objectives.  My dining experience was completed by having lunch with someone whom I like and is good company, my friend and neighbor Barbara.

We checked out the Business Lunch Menu priced at $12.00. Barbara said she got the Marinated Sliced Sirlon Steak last week with the "Stuffed" Potato Cakes.  She decided to order it again (medium rare.)  I also ordered it (well done) but instead of the Ceasar Salad (as Barbara ordered), I got the homemade tomato soup. 

We both ordered iced teas while our order was being prepared.  My first sip of iced tea told me "This is real iced tea."  Something one doesn't get too often in restaurants these days.  That was a postive sign.

After about ten minutes of sipping our ice tea and conversation, our orders arrived.  The round  deep friend "Stuffed" Potato Cakes smelled heavenly.  On my plate was five thick slices of perfectly cooked sirlion steak dabbed with a Blue Cheese Herb sauce.  From my first bite into the tender beef I knew I was in for a delightful meal at the Summer House.  Even though I had ordered the steak well done, it wasn't overcooked and dried out as often is when ordering a steak well done.  In fact, this was the first steak I've eaten in about three years.  I'm a chicken and vegetable man (I know, I know; I should eat more fish but eating any kind of seafood reminds me of the floatsam on a beach after high tide rolls out.) 

Both Barbara and I ate all of our steak.  I wanted to eat all of my potato cakes but I knew my partner Bill would like them, so I saved four of them for him.  Barbara threw one of hers in the stryofoam box for Bill too.  We wish Bill would have gone to lunch with us but Bill doesn't like to dine out.

Barb paid the bill (a birthday treat for me) and we departed for home.  On the way we stopped in to visit our favorite local jeweler, The Cajun.  Both Barbara and I love out baubles.  The jewelry store where The Cajun works has the finest quality jewelry in the Rehoboth Beach area with the best discounts.  I have my eye on a particularly beautiful blue diamond ring (like I need another diamond ring.)  Barbara loves emeralds (and they look so good on her too.)  But, today we were "just looking."  We had a pleasant visit and then we were on our way back home, stuffed with our lunch.

We noticed a chill had returned to the air.  The sun had retreated back behind the clouds in preparation for tomorrow's forecast of clouds and possible showers.  No matter, I had an absolutely wonderful birthday spent with friends.  I didn't have a birthday cake today but finding a wonderful new restaurant was icing on the cake.  Who needs a birthday cake when they can have a day like this with friends?  I am a happy (old) man.  Thanks Barbara!

Lunch in Lewes

Yesterday a friend of mine invited me to lunch with her and a couple of her girlfriends who were visiting her at her home on the Delaware Bay in Lewes. Her name is Judy. Judy was also my classmate in high school, Class of 1959. One of her visiting friends was also my classmate from high school. Her name is also Judy. Yes, “Judy, Judy” a la Cary Grant or Tony Curtis doing his impression of Cary Grant in the movie “Some Like it Hot.” I didn’t do that joke yesterday.

The second “Judy” was also my childhood friend from grade school. She and her family lived just up the street from me on Washington Avenue in Downingtown, PA. We went to grade school together then high school. After graduating from high school in 1959 we lost touch for many years but we renewed our friendship a few years ago.

The third member of our lunch party was Esther. I only met her a few months ago through the first Judy. Esther and her recently deceased husband were longtime friends of Judy and her husband Jack. I probably shouldn’t get too more involved in explaining these relationships in this blog because even I’m getting confused now.

The point I wanted to make was yesterday’s lunch excursion is just another reason why I love my retirement so much and why I like living in southern Delaware. When Judy called to ask if I was available for lunch I said “Absolutely!” I didn’t have to worry about getting a day off from work. Actually, it was lucky I wasn’t scheduled for work yesterday. I was able to make a spontaneous decision and go to lunch with the ladies.

Judy asked me where I wanted to go. I suggested Agave, a new Mexican restaurant in Lewes that has been getting good reviews. Since I work at a nearby bed and breakfast, I’m often asked by the guests of the hotel for places to eat. I feel more comfortable and confident suggesting restaurants at which I have eaten myself. Agave was one of those restaurants at which I haven’t eaten as of yet. I was really curious about Agave since I heard that Laura Bush (wife of our former president) ate there last year during a visit to a couple of her friends in Lewes. In fact, the first “Judy” was there when Laura Bush made her impromptu visit last summer.

Well, I wasn’t disappointed. While the interior of the restaurant itself is very small, the service was excellent as well as the food. If I had any complaint at all, it would be the same one the first Judy had, it’s too noisy. The restaurant has tile floors and a very small interior. The sound of patrons talking tends to bounce off the walls and floor. We did quite a bit of shouting in order to hear one another. The restaurant isn't conducive to intimate conversations. Any conversation you have will be heard by the other patrons of the restaurant.

As I said before, the food was good. Although this is a Mexican food restaurant, the food isn’t the typical Tex-Mex concoctions. Everything was fresh and original. The servings were large so no one went hungry. I had Chicken Quesadilla. While not as good as the Chicken Quesadilla I get at the Brickside Grille in Exton, Pennsylvania, it was still good. I especially like the cheese filling. I wasn’t as pleased with the salsa though. I have a partiality to fresh made salsa but I find most Mexican restaurants serve up a tomato sauce based salsa which I don’t find appetizing at all. But that’s just me.

The second Judy had a wonderful Mango salad which she generously shared with everyone (yes, it was that big.) The salad consisted of fresh Mangos, pine nuts, and some kind of cheese mixture (probably cottage cheese) on a bed of Romaine lettuce. What really made the salad tasty was fresh crumbled bacon on top. This was the first time in any restaurant in Delaware that I have ever been served freshly cooked bacon. The other times I’ve been served cold bacon that obviously had been cooked hours or even days before. Either that or the bacon wasn’t cooked. I’ve since been told that if I want cooked bacon I have to ask for “crispy bacon.” Oh, okay. Apparently if one doesn’t ask for “crispy bacon” one is served cold, raw, rubbery bacon. Now I know.

After lunch I took my friends for a tour of the bed and breakfast where I worked, which was located nearby. Lewes is a quaint, New England type of town with many lovely little shops and fine dining. I was glad I had the opportunity to take my friends to where I worked and introduce them to some of my co-workers. In fact, as we were exiting one of the VIP suites, we ran into my boss and the owner of the bed and breakfast. I am proud to say this was the perfect opportunity to impress my boss with my recently acquired etiquette training. I introduced my friends to him as “I would like to introduce TO YOU Mr. ………” Note I didn’t say “I would like to introduce YOU TO Mr……..” I never knew there was a difference but apparently there is. After I made the introductions he seemed please, my friends were pleased and I was pleased.

My friends and I ventured out into the 30 MPH gusting winds and headed for our respective cars. Thus we ended a delightful mid day interlude for us four retirees. With their wind blown hair do’s the ladies headed out for more shopping. Me, with the short hair, my hat on so as not to blow out of place what few remaining hairs I have on my scalp, I headed for home and a nap. I’m still working off that five hour round trip to Pennsylvania.

Getting Back On Track

I’m still trying to catch up on my regular routine after spending five days in Pennsylvania visiting my Mom and friends last week. Today I had a delightful lunch with my former classmate and friend, Judy. We dined at Café Azafran in Lewes. Café Azafran is one of the restaurants that I recommend to hotel guests but haven’t had a chance to eat at myself. Today I corrected that. We both had a tasty Mediterranean vegetable dish of eggplant (I love eggplant) and tomatoes with a tangy sauce. Delicious! Good company, good food in an interesting restaurant in downtown Lewes on a sunny winter’s day. It doesn’t get much better.

Before I left for lunch, I got a call from my co-worker at the Inn. She’s not feeling well and she asked if I could fill in for her tomorrow. I checked my calendar and saw that I was open. I'll go in tomorrow at 7:00 to cover her shift. That was part of the bargain when I applied for my job at the Inn. I told them I would almost always be available to fill in on short notice. I enjoy working but I don’t want to work full-time. I feel like I’m being smothered when I’m working full-time. However, I don’t mind working part-time and even on holidays and weekends and filling in when needed. I will probably always work. At one time I thought I would retire but I tried that for about three months and it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t see the rest of my life stretched out checking my e-mails in the morning, lunch, nap in the afternoon, checking e-mails again, dinner, then going to bed at night and doing it all over again the next day. My personality is such that I need the discipline of going to work. I've had a job since I was 10 years old (paper boy.) I just can't stop working.

Working balances out my life. Of course I can use the extra money now that I have a mortgage until I’m 95 years old. I need the work environment and all its challenges to keep my mind sharp and my curiosity intact. Sometimes I get frustrated at work but that is all part of the challenge of living. I don’t propose my routine or what works for me for everyone else. This is what works for me.

I had some great news today. While I was scanning old photos that I borrowed from relatives during my recent visit to Pennsylvania, I found my Palm Pilot! I was sick about losing it especially since they don’t make them anymore.

My situation with the Palm Pilot is another example of a product that works perfectly fine for me that is discontinued. Now I have to figure out how to add the Palm software to my new computer with the Vista operating system. Oh yeah, I’m not done with the “wonderful” Vista operating system. I use my Palm Pilot to keep track of all of my contacts as well as my many passwords. I don’t know how else to keep track of all of this information. I’m glad I wasn’t able to buy another Palm Pilot. Maybe it’s good they discontinued making them. I think now you have to buy a Trio Phone or something like that. I don’t need all of that. All I need is a simple place to keep my addresses and passwords. I am so glad I found my Palm!

Riding over to Judy’s place at Cape Shores brought back fond memories of when I stayed at her place (while she and her husband Jack were wintering at their Florida condo), back in the winter of 2006 when my new house was undergoing construction. Jack and Judy’s home is right on the bay. Looking out their living room window all you see is the water of Delaware Bay. I asked Jack if he ever got tired of that scene. He said “Never!” I never would either. However, I am just as pleased with the sunny view out of my sun room windows of my acre of open lawn which borders on a corn field. The traffic that is visible on Route 1 provides a soothing backdrop for that view. I equate the effect of the moving traffic in the far distance with watching fish in an aquarium. I find it very comforting.

I have a new activity, Facebook. I’m glad some of my forward looking friends persisted in encouraging me to join Facebook. I’ve been encouraging some of my other friends, who aren’t members, to join. But some of them are concerned about their privacy. I can understand that concern. However, my view is that I’m not going to hide under a rock for fear someone will know something about me. I figure everything there is to know about me is already out there on the Internets. I have nothing to hide. To me, Facebook is just a cooler way to stay in touch with friends and relatives. I don’t feel threatened by it. There are more serious threats in this world, the main one being the serious credit crunch in this country which is threatening to ruin our economy. Now that’s something to worry about.

Lunch With Barbara

This morning I awoke to another coastal Delaware gorgeous spring day. As I lay in my bed, I reviewed in my mind what I wanted to do on this beautiful day. The freedom to decide what to do is perhaps the best benefit of being retired. Although I work part-time (I worked late last night), I now have the next two days off to do as I please. What to do? Clean the house? No. Clean out my storage room in the basement? Definitely not. Ah, I will get outside and soak up the sunshine, fresh air, and the sounds of the many birds chirping and going about their business. First on the agenda was to refresh the bird baths that surround my acre large backyard. That done, it was time to make the short drive to the Ace Hardware in Milton to stock up on supplies. I needed a new hummingbird hook, inpatients plants, a miniature petunias for my planter, and a can of Bartender's Helper to remove the stain in my stainless steel sink. The drive to Milton past flat Delaware landscape was as pleasant as ever. To see the horizon is always invigorating. Some may be put off my southern Delaware's lack of hills and mountains but not this new Delaware resident. To me, the open landscape is like the open floor plan in my home. I feel totally free. I can breath. My neighbor Barbara greeted me as I drove into my driveway. I had an idea. Why don't we try the new Mexican restaurant in Lewes? Barbara was up for it. Her husband was away for the day fishing. We agreed to meet at 12 PM at my house. About 15 minutes to high noon Barbara appeared at my door. We were off to Lewes via New Road. No construction today on New Road. That was a break. After stopping at the Lewes post office to take care of some "Barbara" business, we went to the new Mexican restaurant, which is named Agave (I believe). It was closed. Wouldn't open until 3 P.M. Lewes has great restaurants but it is frustrating to find out when they are opened or closed. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the flow of customers. Our second choice for dining was Gilligan's Restaurant on the canal. It was a good choice. The special of the day was black bean soup with grilled chicken. Sounds good? It was! Just the right amount of spiciness to command one's attention but not too much that caused pain. I also chose the asparagus quiche. This entree came with a light spring salad. Delectable. My lunch partner Barbara chose the grilled vegetable foccia sandwich. Once she saw me groaning in ecstasy eating my grilled chicken black bean soup, she motioned to the waitress and said "I'll have what he's having." A short time later our waitress delivered the second bowl of grilled chicken black bean soup. Barbara loved the broth and black beans. She doesn't eat chicken because, a long time ago, she was taken on a tour of a chicken processing plant and it put her off forever to eating chicken. Pushing the morsels of chicken aside, she luxuriated in the bold flavor of the bean soup. Her foccia sandwich arrived. She eyed it and said "How am I going to eat that?" It was huge. I told her I could eat it. She said her mouth wasn't big enough. Apparently, mine is. I have yet to met a sandwich that was too big for me to take a bite out of. I suggested that she cut her sandwich with a fork. It was a good suggestion. Barbara said the portabella mushrooms tasted like fillet mignon. During our meal, we gossiped a bit, got into a political discussion of the merits and negatives of Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. We agreed that today's primaries in Illinois and North Carolina may decide the Democratic nominee. She said although she's always hated Hillary, she would rather see her get the nomination than Obama. I didn't agree with her but kept my opinions to myself. We were having such a pleasant lunch and I didn't want it to deteriorate into acrimony like my dinner at the Purple Parrot on Sunday night. I took my good friend Bob's advice, "let it go." It wasn't worth it. Thus, we continued to enjoy out lunch. We did a bit of people watching, which is always fun. Barbara watched in amusement as a woman customer was trying to fit into her seat into her desired seat in the restaurant. Unfortunately, the seat she wanted backed up to another patron. The woman had just too much booty to fit into the chair. After several futile attempts to seat herself, she surrendered and sat at the other side of the table. Apparently she was after the best view of the canal. The "view" or "on the water" is very important to many who visit Lewes and other seaside resorts. It's all about "am I on the water?" Well, she still had her view but she would have to turn her head. Our check came and we departed. I told Barbara I wanted to stop in the Inn and say "Hi!" to Monica, who was manning the front desk today. Barbara borrowed a cigarette from Monica and had one of her two cigarette allotment for the day. We said our goodbyes to Monica and left for home. Yes, a very pleasant day for we two recent retirees to Delaware. Life is indeed good here in Delaware. We'll keep the secret.