7 Kids, 1 cat, Mom, and Dad

Wine dinner last night or Nobody slept on the deck!

We had Good Friends, Good Friends with a Dog, and Good Friends with Two Kids over our home for a wine tasting dinner.

We started off with make you own drinks on the deck, cheese and crackers, and some great appetizer made with a big cracker, garlic cream cheese, seedless cuke, artichoke heart, pickled red pepper, and a sprig of dill that Beautiful Wife whipped together.

All the wines, except for the Croation one, were purchased at the Fresh Market in Portsmouth. The staff there was friendly and a great help in determining the pairings for the different parts of the meal. I wholeheartedly recommend that you stop in there some time.

After everyone arrived I put the Gorgonzola Stuffed Mushrooms on the grill and paired them with a 2002 and 2003 Thornbury Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I purchased two bottles and it turned out that they were from two different years. One year still had the cork closure and the following year was when they switched over to screw cap.

After this was done we served a Red Pepper Gazpacho, a 30 MM recipe, with some fancy corn chips. It was slightly sweet which made it a little different from most gazpachos. It was paired with a 2003 Chateau Tour de Mirambeau. This is a rose' style wine from the Bordeaux region that uses the cabernet sauvignon grape.

Beautiful Wife served a great salad that included mandarin oranges, avocado, and almond slivers. It was a nice and refreshing break before the entree was served.

The main course consisted of Sugared Sirloins (or portobellos for those that wanted a non-meat dish instead) and steamed corn on the cob with a compound butter that consisted of jalapeno and lime. These were also made from 30 MM recipes. We paired them with a 2000 Dingac-Skaramuca wine that is grown in the Dalmation region of Croatia.

I had this wine first when on business in NJ and bought the remaining 8 bottles that were available in the wine store across the street from the restaurant. The grape variety for this wine is Plavac Mali which is a natural crossing of Zinfandel and another obscure Croatian variety called Dobricic.

This was followed up by a fruit parfait that was home-made by Beautiful Wife. It was a custard type base, folded with whipped topping, and then nested between layers of blueberries and raspberries. It was incredibly good. It was paired with a 2003 Martin Weyrich Moscato Allegro. This is a great dessert wine that is attractively priced and well worth the money.

We retired to the living room, and more comfortable seating, to enjoy the dessert and the wine that was served in chilled glasses.

Sadly, the time to head home arrived and our friends departed. We made plans to have the next dinner at GFW2K's home and tentative plans for a road trip to Montreal in the near future.

Sex in the car or Tinted windows and shaking in a funny manner.

I just read this article and for once it is a story that is funny and doesn't make you cringe.

A priest has sex with someone that isn't the same gender and isn't a minor but happens to be a nun.

I bet that they've totally done it in the confessional too! I guess it is ok as long as they don't make it a habit.

Great show or Another season pass for our Tivo.

Good Friends over at You Who turned us on to the show Scrubs.

The show is funny but has a way of tossing in bits of seriousness that catch you unexpectedly. We just watched the episode that had Brendan Fraser as a guest star. The ending is unexpected and you go from having a goofy smile to feeling choked up in the space between one breath and another.

Weekend in VT or Sleeping on the porch.

I took the futon on the porch for my bed while visiting the outlaw's cabin in VT this weekend. Nobody else wanted to sleep out there because it is dark and their imaginations get the better of them.

The plus side is that you can close the door to the main cabin and not hear everyone that stays up late to play cards or whatever. There's a small brook that runs by one side of the cabin and you can hear the loons calling on the pond across the street. The down side is that it is one of the trucking routes between St. Johnsbury and Canada.

You are listening to a brook, crickets, and loons and suddenly...you feel like you're going to be swept down the road by an 18-wheeler that goes hurtling by at breakneck speed.

Visitor from Japan or What karate guys do when they hang out.

I'm on several Yahoo Groups dealing with karate. Originally, I started on a Listserv out of the University of FL that was totally dedicated to the style I study, Isshinryu. That list ended when the owner graduated but by then Yahoo had started offering the ability to make groups as easy as email and soon a whole bunch of them appeared.

One of the regular posters is Joe Swift. He's currently a translator that lives in Tokyo with his wife. She teaches belly dancing. He translates and has a new dojo with 5-9 students.

He's in the States visiting and stopped by the home of another of the list regulars that lives in Derry. We got together with him and about about 10 other people to meet in person and share some of our style.

It was interesting to see the same kata done by a person from another style or lineage and see the differences and similarities. It was also fun to see something entirely new.

Son and I were the newest black belts there and we've been studying this style for over 7 years. We both agreed that we have a lot more to learn.

Beach Workout or The water was great!

We had a karate beach workout on Long Sands in York last night. It was low tide, not too hot, and a light breeze was blowing. After the workout I went into the water and did some body surfing. The water wasn't bath temperature but it wasn't all that bad either. I was able to walk in and only squealed like a girl when the water hit me in the shrinkage zone the first time.

The only thing I still can't do in the ocean is dive into a wave. I have this fear that I'll come out the other side of the wave and go straight into a shark's mouth.

Some days are harder than others or I'd love to win some sort of lottery.

I actually bought a powerball ticket the other day. I think the drawing is tonight. I let the machine pick the numbers since I'm not a faithful, diehard player of the game. I can't imagine would it would be like to have "my numbers" and then not win a bazillion dollars because I forgot to play them one week.

I believe the prize is $14.5 million if you take the money and run. I think that would give me enough to remodel our kitchen, put in a wine cellar, and still be able to sit on a tropical beach sipping frozen drinks.

Dinner at Good Friends or Great food, great wine, great company.

Beautiful Wife and I had a great evening over at the stylish abode of You Who and his lovely wife.

We started the evening with a South African chardonnay, 2002 Glen Carlou Paarl Chardonnay, to go with a variety of cheese and crackers. The wine had a high alcohol content for a chardonnay and needed a few minutes to warm up after being chilled in the refrigerator. Once it warmed a little it was refreshing and and definitely had a "long smoky finish." The description listed "matchstick" as one of the aromas. You Who decided they must have an office pool for coming up with the newest descriptive phrase that would make us all feel like we really don't understand wine after all.

Dinner consisted of a fresh garden salad, wild rice, and a modified 30MM steak tip entree that was absolutely incredible. The Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz was was awesome. I don't think "quality" when I think of that particular label but it may be time to change that prejudice. What is even more amazing is that they delivered quality at an incredibly low price.

The dessert course consisted of a homemade fruit buckle and was paired with a 1999 I Capitelli dessert wine. The wine smelled like juicy fruit and provided a nice, but not perfect, pairing with the dessert. It still was fun to drink and I'd definitely buy it again.

It was great to see their yard covered with grass. It was also amazing to see all of their art work nicely displayed throughout their home. They have so many interesting pieces and they are very nicely displayed. It would be fun to just wander with a glass of wine in hand and contemplate some of them.

Rocky Horror or Let's do the time warp again.

Has anyone ever gone to a showing of Rocky Horror at a public theater? I've been to the Seacoast Rep (two years ago) and saw a stage version of the movie. My mom wanted to see it so she went along with me and Beautiful Wife.

Rule number one...don't bring your 60+ year old mother to this show. Mom "worried" more about the kids in line with water pistols (they're not supposed to have those...you know, you're not supposed to have those) and filling us in on all the other shows she'd seen in this theater (I think that one was in Cabaret, and her voice really wasn't that good).

The fact that the Cabaret singer had a great dancer's ass and was wearing thigh highs, a garter, and a g-string made her voice perfectly acceptable to me.

A group of us from my black belt class are planning on going to see one of the shows. It is every Friday and Saturday night in August. We'll be dressing up for sure because that adds to the fun.

Now the only thing to decide is whether I dress like Brad, Janet, or... don't I have the perfect physique to be Rocky?

Working on kata or Just another way to keep those gray cells active.

I'm working on a weapon kata right now in karate class that uses the sai. The kata for those interested is called Chantan Yara No Sai.

I certainly can't bring the sai with me to work or practice in public, but I can practice in my mind. When I go over the kata in my mind I can think about the placement of my feet, hands, stances, and the direction I'm facing and go as fast or as slow as I wish. It isn't the same as actually doing the kata, but it is a good alternative when that isn't possible.

It is also possible to practice a weapon kata with empty hands and change the focus from the weapon (which is new for some people) back to your hands, feet, and stances.

Sip and Spit or Like they're going to really do that.

I read an article on Wine Spectator about changes to drinking laws in Colorado.

Also going into effect is Senate Bill 82, passed earlier this spring, which allows culinary-school students under the age of 21 to sip and spit wine when it is part of their curriculum.

Yeah, sip and spit...wink-wink...

Just having fun or Let me off the hook!

Seems like I'm not hanging around with the right crowd when it comes to having fun.

A group of five young people in FL assured the police that they were"just enjoying the afternoon."

It just gives a whole new meaning to getting together and hanging around.

Bought an herb on sale or What the heck is it?

I bought a herb at Home Depot today for 98 cents. It looks like a mint of some sort but smells like Juicy Fruit gum. Anyone have any idea what it could be?

I also bought some garlic chives. They taste like garlic and chives (hence the name) but looks like chives.

And then we had another party or The outlaws were here!

Yesterday we had a party with both families showing up for food and then cake for the two princesses. I did some bbq chicken thighs, baked potatoes, kielbasa, and hot dogs on the grill. We also had some papaya salad and sticky rice.

Family parties have been much more bearable since Beautiful Wife's crazy older sister has stopped attending the events. She has always been a pain but she's gotten downright psychotic over the years and just keeps getting worse.

Having a party or what to feed 12 girls for breakfast.

Middle Daughter and Youngest Daughter both celebrated their birthdays on Friday. They each had friends over for a party and a sleepover. Middle Daughter had all of her friends in the basement with a sleeper sofa and futon and youngest daughter had all her friends in the living room with sleeping bags on the floor. At around midnight I made sure all the doors were locked before going up to my room for the night. I turned on the window fan and shut the door which made it so I didn't hear anything.

I got up in the morning and cooked up some bacon and then made blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

One thing I discovered is that it only took two mosquitos to make all the girls leave the camp fire we had going in the back yard.

Wine by itself or Felt like opening a bottle last night.

We opened a bottle of Sentus Douro last night just for the heck of it.

I'm still amazed at how dark the wine is and how it stained the cork an inky purple color. It has plenty of flavor and it was perfect coming from my wine refrigerator at around 58 degrees.

I am man, I make fire or I got a new grill.

I purchased a Weber Genesis Silver B grill yesterday and just finished putting it together. It really only did take 10-15 minutes to put together. You need a helper to get it out of the box but after you put it on the legs you're styling.

Son and I carried it in from the van last night and it was not easy. It has porcelain covered cast iron grates and it is built solidly so it weighs a ton!

I just cooked a couple of frozen burgers that we had in the freezer just to try it out and it worked great! Beautiful Wife and the Princesses are over at the out-laws making birthday cakes so I'm here by myself.

She what? or Interesting topics of conversation with Son.

We were sitting in Italy last week enjoying some dessert wine and dark chocolate. Out of the blue son tells me that a redhead that works with him plays for the other team. I wasn't too surprised by that news.

What got me is that he said she confessed to having a small crush on me! I'm flattered, of course, but it got me to thinking...was it my charm or is it because I now use products on my face and hair?

Speaking another language or When in Disney do as the tourists do.

I know how to say hello, thank you, and you're welcome in a smattering of languages and I tried to use them all when in the appropriate country at Epcot.

The employees in Japan were the most thrilled and supportive of my efforts. They would beam with delight even though I'm sure I butchered their language.

Those working in the France pavilion were almost as kind and certainly the women working there were easy on the eyes.

The two countries related to my main interests, karate and wine, ended up being my favorites.

Sitting around and relaxing or Getting in touch with my zen side.

I got a kimono while I was in Disney World at the Japan pavilion. It is a darkish blue with a print featuring dragons, bamboo, and the kanji for dragon. It is full length and 100% cotton.

I don't think it is a great robe for the winter months, but in the summer it is a perfect cover up for when the princesses have friends sleep over and I need to go downstairs for a drink of water.

Beautiful Wife has started karate again or I can't wait until she calls me Sensei.

Beautiful Wife decided she wanted to take up karate again after stopping a few years ago. She was doing her classes with the Princesses in this family and it became difficult for her to continue due to their lack of interest.

Anyway, she's taking morning classes since she has the summer off and the Princesses are still getting their beauty sleep at that time anyway.

I'm now teaching a couple of classes a week to pay for her lessons which is a great trade for us. I enjoy teaching the lower belt ranks and seeing them firmly grounded in the basics before they move on to bigger and better things.

Pay child support or You can no longer have children.

I listened to an interesting piece on NPR on my way to work this morning. Basically, it was about a growing trend for judges to order that men not father any children as a condition of their parole for not paying child support. The particular man in the story had fathered six daughters with four women though court records said it could be as many as seven daughters with five women.

First of all, are they all completely stupid or what?

I believe that the responsibility and consequences should be shared by both parties. Why aren't the women told that they can't have any more children unless they are able to support them on their own? Shouldn't the woman have to prove to the court that she's financially able to support additional children, solely on her own, before she's allowed to procreate...the same standard applied to the man?

Let me emphasize that I'm not talking about the devoted mother that stayed home while the father went to work and then was suddenly on her own with children to raise, no work experience, and a father who earns a living but won't pay support. She deserves his support and he should pay it.

Son moved out or I'm the only human male in the house.

Son and I wil still be doing karate together, and I'm sure he'll be here to do laundry and stuff like that...but now starts the time when he'll be making more of a life that doesn't include us.

As he gets more comfortable with school, dorm life, and independence it will be harder to come home and give that up.

Have I done the right things to prepare him for life? Will he be a good man? Will he take the negatives from high school and use them to make college a positive experience? These are the thoughts that keep a daddy awake at night.

14k gold chain and an opal or What you find when you stop at a yard sale.

Beautiful Wife wanted to stop at a yard sale yesterday. A college student was moving back home and was selling a dorm refrigerator ($15) and a wetsuit that included the gloves and boots ($30). Son and I noticed a display of necklaces that were all marked $2 but then that was crossed out and $1 was written on it instead. I noticed a gold looking chain at the end with an opal pendant. I looked at it and it was marked 14k making it real gold and a real stone. I gladly paid $1 for it and then gave it to Beautiful Wife.

Son moved out or Lots of tears here yesterday.

Son moved into his dorm room yesterday. He also had to work so we started the day moving in some stuff in the morning and then he moved in the rest of the stuff in the evening after he finished work.

Beautiful Wife teared up each time she talked about it and Youngest Daughter was absolutely heart broken. You'd think Son was moving half way around the world rather than less than 10 miles away. He told her that he'd spend a day with her each week and she is already planning what they'll do during that time.

Tried some wine or The best part about Epcot.

I tried a few different wines while visiting Epcot. I didn't bother writing down the names since I figured the chances of finding them in NH were pretty slim. I mostly tasted them for the experience and just out of a sense of adventure.

I had a flight of wines in France. A chardonnay, a blush, and a red. I asked about the blush and the girl working there told me that it was made from immature grapes and that was why it was pink instead of red. I explained to her that blush wines were made by minimizing the amount of time the wine spent in contact with the grape skins, the source of color and tannins. She was very friendly and easy on the eyes so I was more than happy to help her with her wine knowledge. I got a plate of cheese and some bread in the bakery and Beautiful Wife, Son, and I sat at an outside table and enjoyed tasting them.

Then we went to Italy and had a great dessert wine with a couple of pieces of dark chocolate. The wine was sweet and bubbly and it went well with the chocolate. it was also well chilled so it was a refreshing break along the way around the World Showcase.

The next stop for wine was in Germany where I had some eiswein. It was like drinking nectar and was worth the $11.00 it cost for a 2oz. sample.

Then it was on to Japan. They had a sake bar and I tried some plum wine. It came in a plastic bamboo cup and it was incredible. It was sweet but then had a nice acidity to the finish that made it very refreshing. Beautiful Wife went back there on another day and bought me my own bottle of this incredible sake. It is served cold too so it was another refreshing thing to have after walking in the 90+ degree heat. I have the bottle in my wine refrigerator and can't wait to try it again on a hot summer day. Isn't Beautiful Wife wonderful?

Not much relaxtion or A family vacation to Disney World!

Me, Beautiful Wife, Son, Oldest Daughter, Middle Daughter, Youngest Daughter, and My Sainted Mother all went to Disney World last week.

The flights down and back, out of Manchester Airport, were uneventful.

We spent the week on Disney property staying at the Pop Century Resort for a total of seven nights. The rooms were small but when you're only there long enough to sleep and shower, you don't need much.

Most of our time was spent visiting the different parks...Magic Kingdom, MGM, Epcot, and the Animal Kingdom. We also visited Typhoon Lagoon, a water park, a couple of times because the wave pool was so awesome. Typhoon Lagoon was also the home of Sharks Reef and we got to snorkel across a salt water pool that contained tropical fish, including sharks.

It was hot during our time there so we tended to return to the hotel in the afternoon to hang out in the pool, room, or food court before going back when it was cooler in the evening.

We had a great time. This will likely be the last family vacation for a while since Son is off to college and Oldest Daughter will be in college too by the next time we go.

Kitty litter or Where cats like to do their business.

We have one of those mega Litter Maid kitty litter devices. So far, I've been very impressed and satisfied with it and how it operates. The only problem is that one of the cats, I suspect Storm the BIG one, doesn't go poop in it and instead goes on the floor right next to it.

I bought another kitty litter box last night to see if having another box will stop that problem. I filled up the new box from a big container of litter I bought but didn't put the lid back on because I had the other litter box to fill. I left the room for a few minutes and when I came back, Fizban had pooped in the kitty litter box!!!

I guess she figures any open container that contains litter is there for her personal use.

What is all that racket or Some birds really do flock together.

I was sitting at my desk and heard an incredible racket in the back yard that sounded like every bird in the immediate vicinity had gone mad. When I looked out the window I saw a hawk sitting in a bush. I walked out on the deck and it flew to the trees at the back of the yard.

I walked out to the yard and it flew out of the trees directly at me but around 10 feet over my head. As soon as it cleared the trees and was in open air about 15 birds flew out of the trees and chased it from the yard. I saw blue jays, robins, and sparrows...they were all different species but banded together to rid themselves of a common enemy.

It really was amazing to see a hawk in the yard and then see how all the birds handled it.