My apologies to my three readers for being so delinquent in my posting. In the past week or so the Boyfriend and I traveled to New York for the wedding of my dear friend (see the picture of the bride to the left) and hosted the folks for a little visit to Iowa City. The wedding trip was delightful, but was notable for the little car mishap we had at about 2:00 a.m. along I-80. Apparently the alternator belt is an important thing to have checked before a car trip. I had the oil changed, but, alas, that wasn't enough. Thankfully, though, the friendly folks at Rick's 66 in South Bend, Indiana were able to fix the car and get us back on the road again without too much hassle. And, while the excursion to South Bend was unplanned, I did have what might be the best cheese danish I've ever eaten at the Country Bake Shop while we were waiting for the mechanics to finish up their work on the car.
After returning home, we had a little visit from Susan and Don. We ate at home on Thursday night. I zipped home from work to make sauteed kale with toasted pine nuts, roasted butternut squash, and apple sausage and sage cassoulet, with baked pears with brown sugar and hazelnuts for dessert. On Friday, Susan and Don treated to us to dinner at the Red Avocado. They had to leave on Saturday, but not before the four of us took a walk through the Raptor Rehabilitation Center at the Macbride Nature and Recreation Area. Devoted to rehabilitating sick and injured raptors, the Raptor Project cares for roughly 150 to 200 birds a year. At any one time, a dozen or so of their wards are on view for the public to visit and learn about. While I found many of the birds fascinating, my favorites were the Barred Owl, the Turkey Vulture, and the rather cantankerous Bald Eagle, Spirit.
Here are a couple of pictures from our little nature walk:
The Boyfriend skipping stones on Lake Macbride.
Don and Susan looking at fossils.
