Weekend of Holidays

We usually don't go out
to eat on holidays, but
Paesano in Manoa and
its pasta beckoned.
(I also like their red roses
and Italian arias, but today
standards were playing)

It wasn't crowded yet, but
we were encouraged to
order quickly.
Prosciutto and Melon.

My plate seemed to be
overflowing with the
steak, pasta and mushrooms.
Not a great presentation,
but it tasted good.

The Strawberry Sorbet
was on the house
because of the holiday.
There must've been another reservation on
our table because we felt a bit rushed, but it's
okay, we still enjoy Paesano.
**
This morning I bought a bottle of Modena Balsamic Vinegar from William Sonoma and wanted to try it with
the sweet, firm Bosc pears from Safeway.

For lunch I messily
slapped on some
cheeses on bread and after
toasting them, drizzled
a little Balsamic on it.
Didn't look nice, but
the sweet pear, tart vinegar
and creamy cheeses
went well together. 

After lunch, since the
weather was ok we
drove past Sandy Beach.
Everyone else had the
same idea.

The ocean was so calm as
we passed Hanauma Bay,
Sandy Beach, Makapuu,
and Waimanalo.

It was nice to see
everyone enjoying the
calm beaches.

A stop to say hi to the
Dearly Departed.

Pines, Pudgie and old sewing box

Good morning.
My favorite view of the  early morning sunlight,   so clear and soft, lighting up the Cook Pines outside the window.

Cook Pines are endemic to New Caledonia in the SWPacific and are sometimes mistaken for Norfolk Pines, something I must remember as I always called them Norfolks.

Beautiful, but hopefully their pollen aren't the cause of too many allergies!

I know Dachshunds are
called sausage dogs but...

R golfed at Navy Marine and
brought me back Korean
barbecue from one of the
concessions.

Pudgie wanted  rice
so I added some to his
walnuts and apple.
(Pet birds sure have a different
diet  than those in the wild)

My old style Japanese sewing box that I  got at an "antique"
fair in Tokyo about 20 years ago.
The old folks were clever.  There is a place for everything,
including the tiny drawer at the top for old needles, and a slot for a ruler.
Of course, I have more drawers in the desk to hold the abundant varieties of colored thread spools for the sewing machine
and the helpful instruments that make modern sewing
easier for recreational sewers like me.

Cheese and tofu soup

If you enjoy cheese, Laufer
has a Brie plate, with
French Bread, Apple Slices,
and Strawberries.
I had a cup of New England
Clam Chowder with it.
And BYOB!

Feeling tired?  Some
hot Korean soup
comes to mind.
Sorabol Restaurant.

The Tofu Soup (mild) with  6
plates of Banchan.  Also ordered
a plate of Beef Bulgogi.

For sniffle days, we usually order
Samgetan (chicken soup with ginseng) but R wanted to try something different.
The soft tofu and hot spicy soup were so good.

New store

I was so happy to see Anthropologie open in the Ala Moana
Mall.  It was fun to browse through whenever I visited
San Francisco,  and I was hoping one would open here.

The salesperson said she knew of three in the Texas area
she lived in  before coming to Hawaii

There was a big selection of
pretty drawer pulls.

Colorful and fun.
Also lots of dishes, vases, housewares.

And, of course,  lots of
clothing.

Birds

Today was a day of birds.
Linda and I had lunch at
YogurStory.
There was their tree full of little birds adding a pleasant green feel to the restaurant.

Linda had the Vegetable
Panini.  Wonderful
crunchy bread.

My Korean Chicken and
Waffles had very strong
flavors!  Hot and sweet.

Then at home, Pudgie kept
landing on my head gripping
my hair with his little claws, not
endearing himself to me!

And on  our evening stroll with Penny at Ala Moana Beach a flock
of young Koleas (Plovers) , full of energy, flew to the water's edge
and enjoyed themselves in the sand and waves.

How to watse a brush. Cleaning Penny

I wish I had bought more of these traditional hand crafted bristle brushes
from a 200 or so year old store in Kyoto that specializes in cleaning implements made from these sturdy hand tied bristles.

There were all sorts of brooms, scrubs, brushes for use in any cleaning situation all so beautifully made - and tough too.

I suppose in the past  you could always go back and buy new ones when they wore out finally, but how long will these families continue making them.
Therefore I don't use mine- they are so pretty-so I really don't know how long they will last or how good they really are.

Another instance of "Takara no Mochi Kusare"
(Wasting treasure by not using it)

                                                                          *     *     *  

This afternoon was Super Bowl
Sunday so while R watched
the exciting game I grabbed Penny
and brushed her teeth, swabbed
her ears, and gave her a bath.

Of course she was mad and
sulky.
But see how shiny she is.  She found a pool of sunlight.

After all that
running
around  the house
protesting,  a
little snooze is
nice.

I'm still mad!

Puppy nap.

Congratulations to the Patriots!

Awfully delicious

  In lovely Manoa Valley where, gazing at the side of this mountain gives me such a peaceful feeling ….
   

Tokoname Restauant's
Tempura Ice Cream.

 

….there is always a
deliciously AWFUL
ball of temptation awaiting. 

Of course there are
other nice things there like
the edamame that comes
with a glass of my Katana
Sake and R's Merlot.


We  are able to
resist dessert usually but last
night I thought M would
like a photo of one of
her favorites.

Hope she enjoys the photo
as much as we enjoyed
the cold, crisp, chewy
real thing.

And the tempura/salmon set and
R's sashimi/buri combination
dinner.