The night seemed short. Much to our dismay, Mindy’s kids were up at the crack of dawn again – just like last Saturday. Their persistence paid off. I agreed to get up and get them what they wanted and to get my own blood going. Those that know me know that I like to get going early, too. But lately I’ve relaxed my insistence on an extra-early weekend rise time, instead opting for more rest.
But what’s rare is that we were greeted with brilliant sunshine for the second Saturday morning in a row. That hasn’t been the case most of the winter. Instead, we’ve had an over abundance of cloudy mornings albeit warm one’s. On closer observation, it was cold though as made apparent by the presence of frost covering the grass and the roofs of the many nearby homes. I didn’t care. I like the sunshine. It energizes me!
I felt pretty darn good despite only about 6 hours sleep. I got the kids going with their breakfast. Bella wanted a bowl of cereal and Jacob wanted Cinnamon bread. The cinnamon bread, of course, required baking so I had to find the right pan, the Pam, and set-up the oven. I did all of this without waking Mindy. She stayed in bed for awhile longer. While the cinnamon bread was baking me and the kids did our exercises. I taught them how to tuck their toes under the sofa and whip out some crunches along with the proper technique for push-ups. I felt even better after the rigorous set of calisthenics.
Just as the cinnamon bread finished baking, and perhaps even due to their exquisite aroma, Mindy finally shared her presence. J For the next hour or so we enjoyed some coffee and cinnamon bread while chilling with the kids. Not long after we wrapped up breakfast the kids coaxed their mother into allowing them to paint. This I had to see!
Mindy, being the organized one that she is, brought out a plastic tub filed with various paints and then covered the granite island countertop with newsprint. She cut a stack of legal sized paper into halves and placed one in front of each kid along with a cheese glass filled with water. Now knowing Bella as I do, I was certain that despite the best plan she’d still have it everywhere in short order. Jacob, on the other hand, I thought would follow normal protocol and follow his mother’s direction to a tee. And for the first five minutes, both surprised me. Bella paid close attention to her mother’s few but strict rules of one color at a time, wash the brush between, and keep it on the paper. Probably a male thing, but Jacob insisted on clumping his paint on the paper while loading gobs of paint on the brush each time. Then, with little precision, he’d apply equally pressure to the page. I found myself cringing. Bella, on the other hand, demonstrated surprising control and a very creative side. Perhaps there’s something to her Latin heritage. Some of the most famous painter’s of our time are of Latin descent; Picasso, Rivera, and Dali.
Soon the childrens controlled expressionism turned to chaos. The color trays became unidentifiable from one another and new works were being cranked out by the minute. Soon Bella’s hands were covered in a gray cornucopia of paint and Jacob insisted on a water change by the minute. IN a moment of weakness I dipped a little paint on my nose and the rest was history. Order was lost! Soon the kids were painting their faces at a feverish pace. And Bella seemed to think that glitter paint would make an interesting lip gloss. We had gone from creating master works of art to body painting in a hurry! I snapped about a dozen photos for not wanting to miss this true Kodak moment.
Mindy tolerated their antics and cleaned them up in short order. After I saw that they/it cleaned up so readily, I didn’t feel so bad for insighting the chaos. By now the morning was waning and I needed to get home to get on with my day, including getting in my Saturday run. Home I went.
At home I really needed to run but once in the door I couldn’t turn away from the lure of a nap and some reading. I fulfilled my desire and slept in my reading chair until almost 12:15pm – about an hour or so. Now it was time to run. I dressed in my replacement running gear as my usual attire was in the washer. I didn’t have near the energy or desire that I normally have but hit the streets just the same. Feeling a bit out of sorts I took to a different path thinking a new view might make the run go quicker. I left the subdivision visiting the new one just south of me. At first I planned on trimming an equal distance to this new loop off my loop in my subdivision but ultimately just added the extra mile or so onto my regular route. It took almost all the energy I had, though. This running mid day on a weekend doesn’t resonate so well with me.
When I returned home I felt so much better for having my run under my belt. Now I could go about my afternoon of leisure free of guilt of any kind. I made myself a bowl of chili, and then took to more reading and napping. I did that right up till 4:15 or so. It was time now to begin preparing for Mindy’s birthday date. For the next hour I wrapped her gift, wrote out her card, and practiced guitar. At 5:15pm I showered and dressed. Some time around 5:45pm, while walking Ykraps, I gave Mindy a call to confirm final arrangements. It occurred to me that she had no idea what time our dinner reservation was for. I had kept it a secret for a week. She had made arrangements for Ashley to be at her home to baby sit by 6pm, however. In fact, while we were speaking, Ashley arrived at her house. I told her not to fret that our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9pm anyhow.
I finished loading my things by and was on the road by 6:05pm. Leaving the house, I was prepared to be gone for the entire evening if that’s how things unfolded. At Mindy’s I left her gift in my Trooper along with all my other gear. I did take in two of Mindy’s dresses which I failed to mention had been hanging in my closet for several weeks, and one which she planned to wear tonight. I also took my camera in hopes of snapping a few pics of her all dressed for our date as well as getting a few of daughter Ashley. After about half an hour, Mindy and I were out the door. I was a little after 7pm. By the time we got to the arena district/short north area and parked it was practically 7:30pm. Our dinner reservations were for 9pm at Hyde Park on the Cap. To burn some time we strolled the Cap and took in a couple of the galleries. In kind, we visited Tropical Trends, a shop full of interesting knick-knacks and gizmos. It was cold so we didn’t hang out outdoors for too long. At a little after 8pm we headed on into Hyde Park thinking we’d have a drink or two prior to dinner.
Inside we cozied up to the gas fireplace just beyond the entrance. There we shared in the comfort of a large over stuffed sofa. I had a Jack and Coke, and Mindy had a Merlot. Too, we were informed by the maitre d’ that they were running on schedule and that we had still some time before we’d be seated for our meal. But we were well prepared for that and took advantage of the time spent relaxing by the fire. Come 9pm the maitre d’ seated us. He gave us a choice of a bar side booth or a table in the dinging room. We, of course, took the table in the dinging room. After we ordered fresh drinks, we perused the menu. I already had a rough idea of what I wanted for having scouted the menu online when I made the reservation.
I asked Mindy to select the appetizer trusting her taste, and besides, we’re pretty much in sync with most things. It came down to calamari or crab cakes – my two choices too! See what I mean? We chose crab cakes for having calamari more often than not. When the crab cakes arrived we placed our diner orders. Mindy ordered the Kosar (8oz filet crowned with lobster and bordelaise sauce) and a side of sautéed mushrooms. I ordered the Nicklaus (14oz NY strip served in cognac bordelaise sauce) along with a lobster tail. Both were specialty steaks supposedly prepared just as the aptly named celeb likes it.
Truly, I couldn’t careless what they like but I do know that they’re very good!
At the risk of sounding prudish I’m gonna share my thoughts about Hyde Park on the Cap. First, the atmosphere is top notch. Very nice, very cozy! But the appetizer we ordered, crab cakes, left a lot to be desired. This is supposed to be a top notch restaurant, and one would in turn expect their selections to be something extraordinary. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with them, but they were disappointingly bland and lacked any pizzaz or any character to separate them from anything I could make at home. In fact, I’ve had better from the freezer. Too, while enjoying the crab cakes on our personal appetizer plates, our server came by and whisked off with the main plate. I was too embarrassed to complain, but wanted the sauce. Later, after we ordered entrees and were enjoying bread, he did the same thing by trying to take my bread plate. His time, however, I stopped him.
Soon our steaks arrived. I began eating right away, and my Nicklaus was one of the best ever! It was so damn tender and so tasty! Looking up I noticed Mindy toiling with hers. She pointed out that despite ordering it medium like mine, it came well done! And I don’t just mean well done, it was just short of burnt through and through. After a few minutes I coaxed our server over and showed him. He was apologetic and whisked it away like the bread plate and crab cakes. As a peace offering and to help make an uncomfortable setting better, he offered her some lobster bisque which she accepted. I still felt a little odd eating my delicious steak in front of her. I didn’t want to wait and allow it to get cold though. While waiting they pulled the double trailer move on us. First, one manager visited, then soon after another came calling giving us the sense that they cared. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see it unfold as one tipped off the other to head over. It was almost too rehearsed! Funny – really! Truth be told – what could they do though aside from apologize? I did let them know quietly that it was her birthday and that I was disappointed and left it at that.
When her new Kosar arrived it was prepared to perfection. This time, however, it was half the size and no thicker than ¾ inch. Hardly filet mignon proportions from a top notch steak house. Our thought was that they wanted to get a small cut to get it cooked and in front of her quickly knowing that we might be feeling awkward me already eating and all. From then on service was attentive beyond necessary and they even comp’d us dessert (key lime pie) - Mindy’s was even topped with a birthday candle.
Over all, the meal was good, but for the money the service was a bit of a disappointment. Our bill was a staggering double hondo. For those prices I think it’s fair to expect perfection. After all, their the experts charging top dollar.
On our way out the door we encountered protestors drumming in unison a yelling bout the war in Iraq. I have a question. When has a protest ever, I mean ever ended a war?
On our way home Ashley called. The kids were sleep and OK, but she was upset after learning that her boyfriend was lying to her about his whereabouts. He’s not the boy I want her with and this comes as no surprise. You can tell he thinks he’s a real player. Reality says he’s a loser boy, though. I mean, crap, he’s a high school drop out! Those boyish good looks will only carry him so far. He’ll see. Hopefully Ashley will soon realize that too.
Once back at Mindy’s Ashley needed a hug. God bless Mindy. She provided lots of loving and a shoulder for her to cry on. I felt bad for her. We paid Ashley for her services then she left. We offered her the opportunity to stay the night but she declined. My only hope was that she didn’t go chasing him tonight. She said she wouldn’t but would instead go out with Brittany. I hope so!
Despite Mindy’s insistence on a romantic evening, she was overwhelmed with sleepiness after such a big meal. Come to think of it, it’s becoming her calling card. J We were asleep by 12:30am
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The night seemed short. Much to our dismay, Mindy’s kids were up at the crack of dawn again – just like last Saturday. Their persistence paid off. I agreed to get up and get them what they wanted and to get my own blood going. Those that know me know that I like to get going early, too. But lately I’ve relaxed my insistence on an extra-early weekend rise time, instead opting for more rest.
But what’s rare is that we were greeted with brilliant sunshine for the second Saturday morning in a row. That hasn’t been the case most of the winter. Instead, we’ve had an over abundance of cloudy mornings albeit warm one’s. On closer observation, it was cold though as made apparent by the presence of frost covering the grass and the roofs of the many nearby homes. I didn’t care. I like the sunshine. It energizes me!
I felt pretty darn good despite only about 6 hours sleep. I got the kids going with their breakfast. Bella wanted a bowl of cereal and Jacob wanted Cinnamon bread. The cinnamon bread, of course, required baking so I had to find the right pan, the Pam, and set-up the oven. I did all of this without waking Mindy. She stayed in bed for awhile longer. While the cinnamon bread was baking me and the kids did our exercises. I taught them how to tuck their toes under the sofa and whip out some crunches along with the proper technique for push-ups. I felt even better after the rigorous set of calisthenics.
Just as the cinnamon bread finished baking, and perhaps even due to their exquisite aroma, Mindy finally shared her presence. J For the next hour or so we enjoyed some coffee and cinnamon bread while chilling with the kids. Not long after we wrapped up breakfast the kids coaxed their mother into allowing them to paint. This I had to see!
Mindy, being the organized one that she is, brought out a plastic tub filed with various paints and then covered the granite island countertop with newsprint. She cut a stack of legal sized paper into halves and placed one in front of each kid along with a cheese glass filled with water. Now knowing Bella as I do, I was certain that despite the best plan she’d still have it everywhere in short order. Jacob, on the other hand, I thought would follow normal protocol and follow his mother’s direction to a tee. And for the first five minutes, both surprised me. Bella paid close attention to her mother’s few but strict rules of one color at a time, wash the brush between, and keep it on the paper. Probably a male thing, but Jacob insisted on clumping his paint on the paper while loading gobs of paint on the brush each time. Then, with little precision, he’d apply equally pressure to the page. I found myself cringing. Bella, on the other hand, demonstrated surprising control and a very creative side. Perhaps there’s something to her Latin heritage. Some of the most famous painter’s of our time are of Latin descent; Picasso, Rivera, and Dali.
Soon the childrens controlled expressionism turned to chaos. The color trays became unidentifiable from one another and new works were being cranked out by the minute. Soon Bella’s hands were covered in a gray cornucopia of paint and Jacob insisted on a water change by the minute. IN a moment of weakness I dipped a little paint on my nose and the rest was history. Order was lost! Soon the kids were painting their faces at a feverish pace. And Bella seemed to think that glitter paint would make an interesting lip gloss. We had gone from creating master works of art to body painting in a hurry! I snapped about a dozen photos for not wanting to miss this true Kodak moment.
Mindy tolerated their antics and cleaned them up in short order. After I saw that they/it cleaned up so readily, I didn’t feel so bad for insighting the chaos. By now the morning was waning and I needed to get home to get on with my day, including getting in my Saturday run. Home I went.
At home I really needed to run but once in the door I couldn’t turn away from the lure of a nap and some reading. I fulfilled my desire and slept in my reading chair until almost 12:15pm – about an hour or so. Now it was time to run. I dressed in my replacement running gear as my usual attire was in the washer. I didn’t have near the energy or desire that I normally have but hit the streets just the same. Feeling a bit out of sorts I took to a different path thinking a new view might make the run go quicker. I left the subdivision visiting the new one just south of me. At first I planned on trimming an equal distance to this new loop off my loop in my subdivision but ultimately just added the extra mile or so onto my regular route. It took almost all the energy I had, though. This running mid day on a weekend doesn’t resonate so well with me.
When I returned home I felt so much better for having my run under my belt. Now I could go about my afternoon of leisure free of guilt of any kind. I made myself a bowl of chili, and then took to more reading and napping. I did that right up till 4:15 or so. It was time now to begin preparing for Mindy’s birthday date. For the next hour I wrapped her gift, wrote out her card, and practiced guitar. At 5:15pm I showered and dressed. Some time around 5:45pm, while walking Ykraps, I gave Mindy a call to confirm final arrangements. It occurred to me that she had no idea what time our dinner reservation was for. I had kept it a secret for a week. She had made arrangements for Ashley to be at her home to baby sit by 6pm, however. In fact, while we were speaking, Ashley arrived at her house. I told her not to fret that our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9pm anyhow.
I finished loading my things by and was on the road by 6:05pm. Leaving the house, I was prepared to be gone for the entire evening if that’s how things unfolded. At Mindy’s I left her gift in my Trooper along with all my other gear. I did take in two of Mindy’s dresses which I failed to mention had been hanging in my closet for several weeks, and one which she planned to wear tonight. I also took my camera in hopes of snapping a few pics of her all dressed for our date as well as getting a few of daughter Ashley. After about half an hour, Mindy and I were out the door. I was a little after 7pm. By the time we got to the arena district/short north area and parked it was practically 7:30pm. Our dinner reservations were for 9pm at Hyde Park on the Cap. To burn some time we strolled the Cap and took in a couple of the galleries. In kind, we visited Tropical Trends, a shop full of interesting knick-knacks and gizmos. It was cold so we didn’t hang out outdoors for too long. At a little after 8pm we headed on into Hyde Park thinking we’d have a drink or two prior to dinner.
Inside we cozied up to the gas fireplace just beyond the entrance. There we shared in the comfort of a large over stuffed sofa. I had a Jack and Coke, and Mindy had a Merlot. Too, we were informed by the maitre d’ that they were running on schedule and that we had still some time before we’d be seated for our meal. But we were well prepared for that and took advantage of the time spent relaxing by the fire. Come 9pm the maitre d’ seated us. He gave us a choice of a bar side booth or a table in the dinging room. We, of course, took the table in the dinging room. After we ordered fresh drinks, we perused the menu. I already had a rough idea of what I wanted for having scouted the menu online when I made the reservation.
I asked Mindy to select the appetizer trusting her taste, and besides, we’re pretty much in sync with most things. It came down to calamari or crab cakes – my two choices too! See what I mean? We chose crab cakes for having calamari more often than not. When the crab cakes arrived we placed our diner orders. Mindy ordered the Kosar (8oz filet crowned with lobster and bordelaise sauce) and a side of sautéed mushrooms. I ordered the Nicklaus (14oz NY strip served in cognac bordelaise sauce) along with a lobster tail. Both were specialty steaks supposedly prepared just as the aptly named celeb likes it.
Truly, I couldn’t careless what they like but I do know that they’re very good!
At the risk of sounding prudish I’m gonna share my thoughts about Hyde Park on the Cap. First, the atmosphere is top notch. Very nice, very cozy! But the appetizer we ordered, crab cakes, left a lot to be desired. This is supposed to be a top notch restaurant, and one would in turn expect their selections to be something extraordinary. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with them, but they were disappointingly bland and lacked any pizzaz or any character to separate them from anything I could make at home. In fact, I’ve had better from the freezer. Too, while enjoying the crab cakes on our personal appetizer plates, our server came by and whisked off with the main plate. I was too embarrassed to complain, but wanted the sauce. Later, after we ordered entrees and were enjoying bread, he did the same thing by trying to take my bread plate. His time, however, I stopped him.
Soon our steaks arrived. I began eating right away, and my Nicklaus was one of the best ever! It was so damn tender and so tasty! Looking up I noticed Mindy toiling with hers. She pointed out that despite ordering it medium like mine, it came well done! And I don’t just mean well done, it was just short of burnt through and through. After a few minutes I coaxed our server over and showed him. He was apologetic and whisked it away like the bread plate and crab cakes. As a peace offering and to help make an uncomfortable setting better, he offered her some lobster bisque which she accepted. I still felt a little odd eating my delicious steak in front of her. I didn’t want to wait and allow it to get cold though. While waiting they pulled the double trailer move on us. First, one manager visited, then soon after another came calling giving us the sense that they cared. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see it unfold as one tipped off the other to head over. It was almost too rehearsed! Funny – really! Truth be told – what could they do though aside from apologize? I did let them know quietly that it was her birthday and that I was disappointed and left it at that.
When her new Kosar arrived it was prepared to perfection. This time, however, it was half the size and no thicker than ¾ inch. Hardly filet mignon proportions from a top notch steak house. Our thought was that they wanted to get a small cut to get it cooked and in front of her quickly knowing that we might be feeling awkward me already eating and all. From then on service was attentive beyond necessary and they even comp’d us dessert (key lime pie) - Mindy’s was even topped with a birthday candle.
Over all, the meal was good, but for the money the service was a bit of a disappointment. Our bill was a staggering double hondo. For those prices I think it’s fair to expect perfection. After all, their the experts charging top dollar.
On our way out the door we encountered protestors drumming in unison a yelling bout the war in Iraq. I have a question. When has a protest ever, I mean ever ended a war?
On our way home Ashley called. The kids were sleep and OK, but she was upset after learning that her boyfriend was lying to her about his whereabouts. He’s not the boy I want her with and this comes as no surprise. You can tell he thinks he’s a real player. Reality says he’s a loser boy, though. I mean, crap, he’s a high school drop out! Those boyish good looks will only carry him so far. He’ll see. Hopefully Ashley will soon realize that too.
Once back at Mindy’s Ashley needed a hug. God bless Mindy. She provided lots of loving and a shoulder for her to cry on. I felt bad for her. We paid Ashley for her services then she left. We offered her the opportunity to stay the night but she declined. My only hope was that she didn’t go chasing him tonight. She said she wouldn’t but would instead go out with Brittany. I hope so!
Despite Mindy’s insistence on a romantic evening, she was overwhelmed with sleepiness after such a big meal. Come to think of it, it’s becoming her calling card. J We were asleep by 12:30am
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