Bow Tied

Monday, May 28, 2012


Happy Memorial Day, and hurray to the start of summer! The cool and cloudy weather in SF this weekend definitely marked the start of June Gloom, and to tell the truth, I just love it!

After a busy week and a pre-dawn alarm on Friday morning, I was so glad to have the weekend in sight. We ordered our customary Indian feast and giggled over I Don't Know How She Does It before falling fast asleep. After both waking up early on Saturday morning, we spent some time catching up with family–John shared a Mediterranean brunch with his cousin while I gabbed on the phone with my Mama and my dear friend Marge. After all that girl talk, it was time to tackle my closet–I can't get anything done when it's a wreck! Then I settled in with my laptop and the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (I'm not the only one who reads it twice in one sitting, am I?) to soak up all the loveliness on offer this past week. 

John and I enjoyed a trip to our happy place, the gorgeous grocery store down the street, to pick up fresh fish and plenty of avocado for tacos–the perfect summer food, even if you find yourself eating them in a sweater! We curled up in bed to warm up with our favorite new reads, The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles and The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Roth, respectively. It was another early night, which meant John was up with the birds on Sunday–and working on such a wonderful surprise!

We'd fallen in love with the idea of bougatsa, a Cretan filo pastry filled with mitizthra, a not-too-sweet Greek cheese, and my mom sent us a scan of the recipe from our incredible Greek cookbook, printed on paper that's nearly transulcent from all the butter that's been flecked on it over the years. When I woke up, John was covered in flour from the filo and proudly putting his bougatsa in the oven! The results, enjoyed with espresso, were heavenly–and it was John's first experience with filo! I caught up on work while John practiced the accompaniment to my favorite aria at the piano and the new pieces he's learning on the guitar, and then we agreed that a little stroll was in order. I perfected my fishtail braid technique before throwing on a sweater and heading hand-in-hand to the beach; after what felt like hours sitting on the sea wall, we came home for hot cocoa and a little afternoon snack, and then enjoyed the most decadent activity of all–a nap! We woke up to the sounds of emergency vehicles and helicopters, and watched from the roof as firemen quickly put out a kitchen blaze down the block. Then we headed inside for a gorgeous Thai spread and a glass of bubbly, made all the more delightful with a rooftop fireworks display celebrating Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary (and of course, today off!)

We're planning to spend the day at the California Academy of Sciences, enjoying empanadas at Nopalito and practicing a little yoga–what are you doing this Memorial Day?


Image by Lisa Poggi.

13 comments:

  1. What a charmed life you lead, my dear!

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  2. your happy place sounds truly very happy indeed!!! :D have a great week!

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  3. I hope you're having just as wonderful of a day today as you did over the actual weekend! I spent most of the weekend at the pool, enjoying delicious Tex Mex with my sisters, and pouring over the new issue of Occasions Magazine that I contributed to!
    Keeping my fingers crossed for a week of bows on A Crimson Kiss! :) xoxo

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  4. once again your weekend activities far surpass mine. I have got to get Kevin on board with this whole cooking breakfast wonderfulness.

    Stop by & enter my eShakti giveaway!

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  5. Oh, the fishtail braid - I still need to work on it! Sounds like a perfect weekend :)

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  6. Lena, I love reading about your weekends. You and John are like the cutest couple ever. That recipe your mom sent sounds delicious. I hope you have a great week.

    Maria
    http://oliveandwhite.blogspot.com

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  7. Sounds like a really amazing weekend Lena!

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  8. All of it sounds absolutely lovely, glad to hear you had such a marvellous holiday weekend!

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  9. What a glorious weekend!!!! Happy Memorial Day!!

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  10. What a fabulous long weekend! I don't think I've ever had bougatsa - it sounds delicious!

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  11. Sounds like a wonderful weekend dear! Those empanadas are sounding good right now! xx

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  12. What a beautiful weekend and a gorgeous green bow!

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  13. Ok, what did you think about your Friday night movie choice? My hubs was less than thrilled but I thought it was kinda cute.

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A Crimson Kiss – Timeless Events and Classic Cocktails by Ana Degenaar : Blogger