Daniela got the last train out of Madrid Friday night and it was great to have her here, even though it was a very brief visit. As promised, I rented a vespa type motorbike and Saturday morning we went out for a spin. Daniela got the hang of it pretty quickly, as you can see in the photo. She really had a great time and I must say I enjoyed it too. After a trip to the market and then a light meal followed by the obligatory siesta, Daniela and I headed out for round two of riding. Then it was off with friends for Daniela and back to the apartment for me to help Asun get ready for a bunch of friends coming over for dinner. The food was delicious and we had a grand time, but my attempt at a strawberry shortcake fell flat-literally. I made the fatal mistake of using the baking powder that had been sitting in the back of a kitchen drawer for lord knows how many years and it was completely dead. The shortcake didn't rise at all and what we ended up with what was baptized by the invited as migas with strawberries. (Migas is kind of like stuffing, described in an earlier entry back in September.) Very funny. Oh well, it was a splendid evening and my second half-century is off to a great start. (It's not exactly a Harley, but regardless, my imaginative powers are flexible and so of course I couldn't help having "Born to be wild" pop into my head at one point Friday night shortly after I got the bike, and I was reminded of going to a concert at Boston Garden back in 1975 or 76 and Steppenwolf was the opening act. That was around the same time I actually got to play a basketball game in the Garden. The reek of pot was probably still palpable. Do the sports arenas still fill up with marijuana smoke these days?) Finally, today is "23-F", anniversary of the failed coup attempt back in 1981. It could have all gone terribly wrong, but thankfully incompetence saved the day for democracy.
2.23.2009
"Get Your Motor Runnin'..."
Daniela got the last train out of Madrid Friday night and it was great to have her here, even though it was a very brief visit. As promised, I rented a vespa type motorbike and Saturday morning we went out for a spin. Daniela got the hang of it pretty quickly, as you can see in the photo. She really had a great time and I must say I enjoyed it too. After a trip to the market and then a light meal followed by the obligatory siesta, Daniela and I headed out for round two of riding. Then it was off with friends for Daniela and back to the apartment for me to help Asun get ready for a bunch of friends coming over for dinner. The food was delicious and we had a grand time, but my attempt at a strawberry shortcake fell flat-literally. I made the fatal mistake of using the baking powder that had been sitting in the back of a kitchen drawer for lord knows how many years and it was completely dead. The shortcake didn't rise at all and what we ended up with what was baptized by the invited as migas with strawberries. (Migas is kind of like stuffing, described in an earlier entry back in September.) Very funny. Oh well, it was a splendid evening and my second half-century is off to a great start. (It's not exactly a Harley, but regardless, my imaginative powers are flexible and so of course I couldn't help having "Born to be wild" pop into my head at one point Friday night shortly after I got the bike, and I was reminded of going to a concert at Boston Garden back in 1975 or 76 and Steppenwolf was the opening act. That was around the same time I actually got to play a basketball game in the Garden. The reek of pot was probably still palpable. Do the sports arenas still fill up with marijuana smoke these days?) Finally, today is "23-F", anniversary of the failed coup attempt back in 1981. It could have all gone terribly wrong, but thankfully incompetence saved the day for democracy.
