A Fun Friday

Up with the sun, i.e. around 7:00 a.m.  I had plenty of time for a workout at the gym this morning.  Shortly before 9:30, I hopped onto a treadmill and worked up a good sweat fast-walking a couple of miles.  That entitled me to a little reward.  And as I’m committed to helping the local economy, I decided to have lunch out again today.  It also happens to be Washington Restaurant Week, a semi-annual event that I wholeheartedly support.  I met my friend Gale at Geranio, an Italian restaurant on the main commercial street in Old Town Alexandria at noon.  The roaring fire in the fireplace was welcome on this day that finally feels like winter.  We ordered from the special Restaurant Week menu, which included a butternut squash soup flavored with honey and sage, wild mushroom risotto, and a pear and almond tart.  The verdict – nice and satisfying, but not exceptional.  We braved the brisk wind and walked a while afterwards, passing by a multitude of restaurants that I want to try, including a new Parsian restaurant. (We misread it as Parisian at first but realized our mistake when we looked at the menu posted in the window – instead of onion soup and steak frites there was chelo kebab and bademjan.)  Finally, we ended up sitting in Cosi for a good hour drinking coffee (for me) and tea (for Gale), discussing her upcoming move to Tucson. 

As my friends retire and move away from the area, I’m excited for them but very sorry to see them go.  Susan has relocated to Boulder, Lillian is in Chicago, Millicent has a place in Fort Lauderdale, and now Gale is leaving the DC area for the Southwest.  Even Georgi is talking about buying a horse farm a few hours west of here within the year.  I look forward to traveling to see them, along with my other friends and family who are located all around the country.  I have no plans to move in the near future, and you are very welcome to come and stay here with me in northern Virginia.  

Two weeks into my retirement, I’m starting to feel more comfortable with my new status.  I’m still checking my work email a couple of times a day, though!