The Eternal Optimist

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 – The Eternal Optimist

Elliott with a couple of his new purchases

  I think Elliott qualifies as the world’s greatest optimist.  Today, at the age of 101, he went out and bought several new items for his wardrobe, including a sports jacket, a couple of dress shirts, two ties, and two designer nightshirts.  This is in addition to the new khaki trousers he bought a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe the reason for this splurge is his recent weight loss.  In any case, I guess I’ll have to take him out somewhere to show off his new trim figure.  But I’ll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he behaves.  He has always been attractive to the ladies and he obviously hasn’t lost that allure.  

Elisa, Caroline, Elliott, and Lauren

  Here’s a photo of Elliott surrounded by a few of his long-time admirers.  It was taken this past weekend when Elisa was visiting, and her friends Caroline and Lauren came over for Sunday brunch.  

Maria, Elliott and Emmy

  And today we met up with two lovely ladies from Norway who are here in the U.S. for a short vacation.  Emmy (on the right) is Elliott’s cousin and Maria (on the left) is a friend of Emmy’s.  This photo was taken at La Tasca, where we enjoyed a tapas feast at lunchtime. Since there were five of us (including Marshall), we ordered more than a dozen different small plates, all of which were delicious.  Favorites included Berenjenas Fritas (fried eggplant slices – crispy and not at all greasy – served with a warm Cabrales cheese dip), Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and garlic aioli), Tortilla (traditional potato and onion omelette), and Garbanzos con Espinacas (Andalusian chickpea and spinach stew).  

 

photo taken by Emmy

 Elliott and I started the day with a walk (about ¾ of a mile) across the National Mall from the Smithsonian Metro station to the National Gallery of Art where we saw the Dürer exhibit.  Marshall joined us at the museum and we then walked up to the restaurant – another ¾ of a mile.  After lunch, Elliott still had the energy to walk at least a quarter of a mile to Metro Center and to shop for an hour at Macy’s.  Not bad for 101! 

After an hour-long nap, he’s feeling fit again.  However, he plans to stay closer to home tomorrow while I’m subbing at AHS.   I'm sure he'll find activities around the house to keep him busy, and he'll also be resting up for our next urban adventure.