A Lake Thursday

I went to the lake today from 1:00 pm - 3:30 or so.

Jared & Sam were there when I arrived, hanging out on his lunch break. They showed me his new boat, and the new extension he added to the dock. Both look great.

I walked the usual mile, with the suprisingly underwhelming "Chillhop Essentials Summer 2025" in my headphones, and then I spent a half hour or so in the water, taking photos and floating in my inner tube. It was fantastic. I plan on doing it a lot more this summer than I have over the previous few.

After that I ate an apple; swung my softball bat around (to see which muscles have been atrophied - haha); and just enjoyed the sun, the breeze, and the dry 78-degree temperature. Ma was dropping Kevin off as I was getting ready to leave, so I hung out for another ten minutes, and then headed home.

Dinners of Late

Friday night's dinner with Sarah & Jon and Jehn: steak, mac & cheese, naan and salad.

Saturday afternoon's late lunch of boneless pork chops, ziti rigati, 

fresh mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup.

Friday Night Chef: Georgia & Evan

Finish later...

Local Road Trip

Yesterday I had dinner with Sarah & Jon, and Jehn was there too. Before I got there, I made stops at the lake (which had UN-frozen due to all of the rain and warmer weather, though it was windy and 32 degrees when I got there), and Dad & Ma's, where I dropped off a case of Aquafina water, and left with bacon and a Hannaford gift card.

At Sarah & Jon's we had steak, baked mac & cheese, fresh bread and Wachusett Larry IPA beer (a decent, if unremarkable offering from a longtime favorite brewery). We played a dominos game called "Mexican something" that Jason & Stacie got them hooked on, and we got through all 13 rounds, plus the "Kenny's Rules" version I came up with (much faster, and far more satisfying - haha). I was there until 12:30 am or so. It was a fun day and night all around...

Christmas Eve Evening

At 4:30 I left for Dad & Ma's for the family gathering, and everyone was there except for Jackie (who had to work); and Judy & Rich came too. 

Ma and Sarah cooked/prepared plates of cheese, meats and crackers and stuff, plus meatballs and dinner rolls. There were various pastries and candies for dessert, and coffee was available as well.

Drew loved the Celtics Funko Pop. Jared, Hayden & Audrey thought the electronic handwarmers were great. The twins loved the tapioca pearls and boba straws (make it yourself!), and Celia was happy with the fancy chopsticks. Ma liked her 3 gifts (wooden thumb tacks, Kopiko candy and a $25 gc to B&N), and Dad got a good laugh out of the potato stress balls. And I found out later that Jackie was pleased with the pom-pom topped Patriots winter hat.

Kevin's family got me a big tub of coffee, chocolates and a Mega Millions ticket.

Sarah's family got me a very fancy art pen & pencil set with a heavy stock paper pad and a leather carry case.

Dad & Ma got me a $100 bill, 2 sci-fi short story collections (Tom Jolly), a pair of green Vans, some Lindor chocolate balls, and a 4-bag sampler of the world's coffees from Nuts.com.

I drove Kevin & Drew home at 7:00 pm, and deposited the $100 bill at the ATM (haha). I went back and wound up staying until around 8:30, and was the last to leave. Plus I got leftovers! Such a fun night.

Two Days

Yesterday I went to Dad & Ma's at 1:00 pm for my birthday dinner and the Patriots/Dolphins game. Ma fried chicken wings for us. So good! They gave me a pound of coffee and a 50 dollar bill. Georgia came by for awhile to hang out with Ma, and Sarah & Jon stopped in on their way home from a weekend in Portland, ME (the real Portland, as least as we in New England see it). After I left I realized I had forgotten my cell phone, so I circled back. A fun time!

Today I got up at 9:00 am, and after breakfast (2 eggs scrambled, ham steak, fresh broccoli, multi-grain toast, orange juice and coffee) and 2 episodes of "Riding a Unicorn", I made an errands run. Target for laundry detergent and an 8" frying pan; Pet Smart for cat litter ($3 coupon, plus $2 in customer credits); and Starbucks, for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I missed drinking these, but at $7 a pop for a venti-sized cup they are way too expensive.

I made my first batch ever of somen noodles at 4:30. They are best eaten cold supposedly, so I added shrimp, cucumber slices, and soy sauce (leave out next time, ugh). It was decent.

And in the evening I had some Deep Purple Cow, a black raspberry ice cream (with chunks of white and dark chocolate) from of all places, Life is Good (a favorite clothing company of mine). It's exclusive to Market Basket, so I made a special trip earlier in the week. It tastes amazing, but is a bit sweet to have too often.

Hayden & Audrey

Hayden & Audrey got married today. Two down, eight nieces & nephews to go!

It was a nice drive to western MA. Basically every family member was there (Dad's siblings, Mom's siblings, my 3 siblings and their ten kids). The event was fun, the wedding was sweet, the food was fantastic, and a good time was had by all. I left around eight, and enjoyed a pleasant night drive back east.

 

Lake and Steak

I went to Sarah & Jon's for dinner tonight, but first I stopped at the lake for a walk and a sit-around because it was so nice out (sunny and dry).

Jon made the fancy filets he usually does, as well as jasmine rice, sauteed mushrooms, and other stuff I didn't eat (potatoes, etc...). Sarah made a salad and sliced up a loaf of Italian bread. It was all quite good as usual, though the first steak I chose was far to rare for my taste!

Later, Jon & I sat outside around the fire pit/stove. He tried making homemade fried dough over the fire (it's a pizza cooker too), whcih came out decent, and I had a Hazy Rays IPA from Lawson's Finest out of Waitsfield, VT. it was light and hazy, and not too strong. Also he recommended a stargazing app called Planets. It delineates all of the constellations in relation to one's position on the earth. Very cool! A fun night all around, and I actually left before 11:00 pm for a change because everyone had a long day.

Feeding the Family

Friday night I went to Sarah & Jon's to cook for them.

I made fresh ramen, direct from Japan, alongside boneless pork chops marinated in soy sauce. We also had tomatoes and pea pods alongside. Plus we tried the yogurt flavor soju from Soon Hari, but it was a bit too sweet for my taste. Georgia came by soon after we finished eating, and she had the leftovers (she wasn't a fan of the pork's texture because their family is a 'rare' meat family, and I am a 'medium-well' kind of guy, so to her it was overcooked). The grown ups loved the food though, so I am happy!

 

Bro Time

I hung out with Kevin at his house today from 12:30 - 4:00 or so. He cooked the usual cheeseburgers, and after a ton of channel-flipping we watched most of "Jaws". Said hi to Drew and Holly too when they popped downstairs from their respective dens (haha).

Family in WA

Washington State Day 1

Jason took these photos of Dad and Ma on their first day in Washington, for the whole "8 Days of Ryan's Wedding and Stuff". What a long day of travel...

Friday Night Light

I drove to Sarah & Jon's for dinner last night, as I sometimes do on Fridays. Because they are due west of me, if it's the right time of day (7:00 pm this time), I get to drive directly into the setting sun, which I have always loved, no matter the destination.

Jon made his always amazing steak and Sarah cooked a few giant chicken breasts to go with the spinach and cucumber salad, and the couscous which I don't care for. I brought Lake Life Pale Ale from 'relatively local' favorite Hobbs Brewing Company out of Ossipee, NH. Because I have had their Jack and Hi Jack IPAs I figured this one would be good as well, and it went so well with the steak it was uncanny. Good stuff.

So Fancy

Jason & Stacie decided to take Dad & Ma out to lunch, and they included me and Sarah & Jon as well. We went to the 110 Grill. Very disappointingly, I was ignored by the two staff members as I walked in the door, and so I made my way to our table on my own. The tall table was set to fit ten people tightly, so I am glad there were just seven of us. Other than these details, it was a great experience.

I got a 110 Copper Ale to begin, which wasn't very remarkable,but wound up pairing with the meal very well. I got the Thai Sesame Salmon, which was amazing. It came with jasmine rice and broccoli slaw, which were both fantastic, and the bang bang sauce on the salmon was SO good. I would easily order it again. Thanks for the fancy meal, guys!

Family Stuff

I went to Dad & Ma's for cheeseburgers today, and Kevin was there too, so we all got to hang out from 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm or so.

Then on a whim I went down to the lake on the way home, to take some rainy-day photos, and I found Celia, Helena, Georgia and one of their dude friends huddled around a small pellet stove inside the shed (to avoid the rain and mild chill). I hung out for an hour or so, and we talked about work, apartments, music, etc... They gave me some deli roast beef, American cheese and rolls to take home, so I left them a pair of big oranges in trade. What a fun surprise.

Jeff

Monday morning Ma texted all four of us kids that our cousin Jeff had gone into the hospital in Portsmouth, NH for pneumonia and sepsis. 

Yesterday she let us know he had been moved to Boston because it was an issue with his pacemaker.

I woke up this morning to a text from Ma that he had passed away in the early morning... He was 55, born only a few months before I was.

I replied and said I'd talk to her & Dad tomorrow, because I am not good with death, and I didn't want to be around anyone else for at least a day. After a surge of emotion and a welling up of tears I tried to live a normal day. It happened so quickly that it doesn't seem real.

At 2:00 I drove to Starbucks for a white chocolate mocha and a free bag of 2024 Anniversary Blend whole bean coffee, then it was down to the lake for the second day in a row. I walked my usual route with Chillhop Essentials - Fall 2018 in my ears. It was sunny and 60, so I hung out until 3:30 reading Asimov's Science Fiction magazine while drinking my coffee and enjoying the fresh air on this darkest of days, trying my best to blot out what had happened. It wasn't easy, but it was somewhat peaceful at least. 

Good-bye Jeff, you were always my favorite cousin, and it's not going to be the same without you around...