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11/27/04 Celebrating Natalie's
Father's Birthday in CT:
This morning, Natalie's father, who is very fond of tending to the
large back yard, noticed construction workers, a few houses down,
clearing out some mulch. He went down there to "talk to them," and a
few minutes later, he, and a large bulldozer were dumping the fresh
mulch onto the front of his property. He had worked some deal with the
guy, who was going to dump it anyway, so why not where it can be used
and appreciated? Natalie's father will eventually use these wood chips
to line his walkway-through-the-woods at the back of his property,
which is most frequently used to walk the dog, from time to time.
This shot is looking out the kitchen's front window, across the front
yard, to the street.
Looking back at the front of the house. This is considered a
"tear-down" in this incredibly wealthy New-Canaan neighborhood.
A neighbor's house. Not a tear-down. A mansion! This is the normal size
of houses in this area.
The temperature is strangely warm for this time of year, and so Natalie
and I biked around a bit.
The neighborhood has a rustic feel to it. We're 15 minutes drive from
any main road, even though we're surrounded by them. We're also a 15
minutes drive from the town of New Canaan. And somehow we're only 25
minutes drive from the busy hub of Stamford. The neighborhood is
extremely hilly... at least, from my Long Island sand-bar point of view.
Back at the house... a cute sight. Natalie's sister Alexis enjoys
taking mid-day naps. One of her favorite napping locations is on the
floor of the living room... with the dog.
Tre occasionally wakes up to check out the scene in the back yard.
Squirrels make him crazy.
Towards the afternoon, the cooking began in earnest. Natalie's father's
birthday is being celebrated by the family and some friends this
evening.
There are definitely strong Polish cooking influences, as Natalie's
mother's side of the family is Polish.
There were some additional ingredients that needed to be purchased, so
Natalie and I enjoyed a drive to the market.
They have a place that has the same font as Zeytuna in the the
financial district, and they had similar sleections as well. I wondered
if there was a link?
Back at the house, we assembled an appetizer course by pressing bread,
cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers into flat patties.
The dining room setting was beginning to take shape.
Right before the guests are to arrive, making the final preparations.
Fudge. By this point I was too stuffed to move, let alone have fudge.
Or lemon cake.
There was a cake for Natalie's Dad's birthday, with cards on sticks
that celebrated all of the guests' birthdays.
Baked apples.
It was a good time had by all.