July 22, 2016 – First Birthdays
Without a doubt, the major event of the past couple of weeks
(at least for me) was Miss Sylvie’s first birthday. Of
course, I made the trip to Brooklyn, along with Grandma Teri and Granddad Dave,
to help her celebrate. Elisa planned a
casual afternoon party at Mia’s, a bakery/café in their neighborhood, and
invited about a dozen other babies (plus parents). Since it was a summery,
sunny day, she spread out a big blanket on the terrace in back of the bakery to
accommodate the assorted crawlers and toddlers.
As you’d expect, there was some commotion, but everyone was very well
behaved.
When the birthday cake (sponge cake with whipped cream and
strawberries) was placed in front of Sylvie, she wasn’t quite sure what to make
of it. At first, she first plucked off a
strawberry from the top and took a few nibbles.
Then she did the same with a second strawberry. It took some adult urging before she finally reached
her hand into the whipped cream. Once
she had a taste, however, she didn’t need any more encouragement to plunge both
hands into the good stuff. Soon, we all
joined in.
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| Miss Sylvie is one year old! |
The occasion of Sylvie’s birthday was a time to reflect with
Elisa and Christian on how quickly the past year has gone by. Twelve months ago, Sylvie was a helpless
newborn. Now she’s a happy, inquisitive
little girl who’s just starting to take a few steps unassisted. Elisa and Christian have embraced their new
roles as Mom and Dad, and I’m so proud of both of them. When you see your own child becoming a
wonderful parent, it’s very gratifying. At such moments, I also think of Elliott and
how I would love to share this experience with him.
The previous day, July 14, I’d had my own first birthday of
sorts, i.e. the first birthday to occur during this new phase of my life. In the past, I wasn’t in the habit of making
much of celebration. Something along the
lines of lunch or dinner out, maybe friends over for dessert, was the
norm. Even though it would be low-key, I’d
always try to make a French connection since my birthday falls on Bastille
Day. This year, I was already up in
Brooklyn when word came of the attacks in Nice.
I was horrified, remembering Bastille Day celebrations when we’d lived
in France and the many occasions when we had walked along the Promenade des
Anglais. The news was a terrible
reminder of how vulnerable we are at all times.
In that somber frame of mind, Elisa and I took Sylvie out for a quiet
lunch at a French café on Smith Street.
I’m not a fan of birthday cake, so that evening, we shared a couple of
generous-sized pieces of peach pie from Mia’s.
Judging by her appetite, I'd say that Miss Sylvie approved.
It seems that I’ve been spending quite a bit of time up in
the New York area. With my frequent
visits, Sylvie has become quite expert at unpacking my bag (and trying on my
clothes).
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| The Great Unpacker, aka Sylvie |
On my last New York trip, I was also able to visit with my friend
Lynda, who lives in Connecticut. Our
friendship goes back over 50 years.
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| Always great to get together with Lynda! |
When I returned home, I hosted a belated celebration with a
small group neighbors. I started working
on a simple menu, but once I got to Trader Joe’s, I went a bit overboard. Since I haven’t been entertaining much
lately, this was a good excuse to indulge my love of cooking. The “pique-nique”
included several French cheeses, good bread and crackers, smoked trout salad in
endive “boats,” white bean dip with crudités, grilled chicken sausages, cornichons,
roasted peppers, sweet potato chips, carrot salad (olive oil, lemon juice,
shallots, tarragon, parsley), zucchini and yellow squash salad (olive oil,
grape tomatoes, pesto sauce, ribbons of basil, toasted pine nuts), and cauliflower
salad (olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers, anchovies, garlic, red onion,
parsley). The main dessert was a
raspberry tarte, and to keep up the
French theme, I also served assorted macarons. There was plenty of chilled rosé (and red and
white) wine, and plenty of relaxed good company. It was the best birthday I’ve had in a long,
long time!
And thanks to Matt for taking me out for a lovely pre-birthday dinner in Fairfax. We finished off a delectable meal at Great American Bistro with chocolate Nutella cake.
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| Getting an early start to my birthday with Matt |
Life isn’t all parties, of course. I’ve enjoyed working at the glass studio at
least twice a week, and getting to the gym on a regular basis. And there’s certainly no shortage of things
to do in the DC area. One recent
weekend, I learned about Basque culture at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on
the National Mall, and another weekend I explored the newly developed
waterfront area near the Navy Yard and the Washington Nationals Stadium. With friends, I’ve seen exhibits at several
museums: a photography show by women
from Iran and the Arab world at The National Museum of Women in the Arts;
contemporary crafts at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery; the triennial portrait
competition at the National Portrait Gallery; and a superb exhibit on the
Greeks at the National Geographic Museum.
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| Waterfront Park |
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| At the Renwick |
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| At the NMWA with Joelle, Michelle and Kathy |
Nothing special is on the calendar for the next month or
so. Just more of the same, which is fine
with me.
