In the last two weeks, we went out for dinner with friends twice. Once was with some of our oldest, closest friends, whom we've seen very little of since the lockdown. K is a healthcare worker so was familiar with the worst of it, which tends to make one skittish. R was very determined not to get sick, so of course, when he finally did catch Covid, it knocked him for a loop. Last year, my mom (87 and still kicking) said she was really glad she had it at the very beginning because all her friends who hadn't had it yet were getting more terrified of it the longer they escaped it. Kind of like when you're a little kid, playing hide and seek: the longer you sit in your hiding spot, the more scared you are of the person who's it finding you. Fear is of course very stressful and stress is very hard on one's immune system. So, it stands to reason that those who are most afraid of getting Covid are also those who are hardest hit. Panic isn't good for people in either the micro or macro sense. Anyway, K&R are back up and about, so we all had dinner together a week or so ago. It was absolutely lovely to see them again. We went to the Creekside Supper Club, which is fairly new. For years, it was a Mexican place called Pepito's. It's close to the neighborhood where all our kids went to school and when it was Pepito's, it was our go-to spot for dinner after 8th grade graduation. But my last kid graduated from 8th grad a long time ago and I have no idea if Pepito's was a victim of the shut down or not. I haven't been over in that neck of the woods in years. Now it's the Supper Club and the food was great. THe decor was spot on: knotty pine paneling on the walls, covered with artwork that all looked like it came out of your grandma's attic. Very vintage northwoodsy. There's even a vintage cigarette machine near the front door. Jay and I split a huge prime rib and were both more than satisfied.
If anyone is wondering what it's like to dine out in Minneapolis, it's fine. It happened to be a spectacular evening, all the places near the Creekside were packed, their outdoor tables full of folks eating, drinking and having a terrific time. We ate early and when we headed for our car after dinner, it was still light out. One young man was wandering down the middle of the street shouting incoherently as his sister or girlfriend shouted back at him. Aside from that, it could have been 2019. Some neighborhoods have devolved into chaos but most of the city is still functioning as if things were normal. I don't know how long it will last but as long as it does, I'm content.
Like a lot of folks, when George Floyd was killed and this town descended into madness, we considered leaving. But the more I look at homes elsewhere, the more I appreciate what we have. We're kind of on the edge of town: a stone's throw from two different suburbs. The travails of greater Minneapolis don't effect us. Lake Harriet is still one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Last night, Jay and I had dinner with a guy Jay's been playing cards with for quite awhile. I'd never met him, so we decided it was about time. We met at one of our favorite Italian restaurants: Ciao Bella. It's over the border, in Edina or Bloomington but it's actually closer to us than the Creekside. It's a very fun place and the food is outstanding. Jay and I arrived first and when the hostess sat us, we ran into some old friends two tables away! We actually Ubered, so we could have wine with dinner. The food was great, the wine was too and the three of us had a terrific time. This young man (younger than us, anyway) is an engineer who commutes to the Twin Cities for work then flies back home to Denver on the weekends. The next time Jay and I are out that way, visiting Margy, we need to connect with him and his wife over the weekend: I'd love to meet his wife and I think Margy and Jeff would love them both.
So that was fun!
I had to get up early this morning for painting class. Getting up at 7 isn't exactly a hardship, I know most people do it all the time. But I work at home and my natural schedule is to stay up till midnight and sleep till 8. That can't work when I have to be 30 miles from home by 9 (fueled by at least 2 cups of coffee). So...after our Italian dinner, I tried to go to bed early. It didn't work, I tossed and turned until almost 2. It was my own fault: I had a bite of molten chocolate cake for dessert, even though it was way past my chocolate eating deadline. Three little bites and I was awake till 2.
Totally worth it.
I woke up at 6:55, got up, had my coffee, read the real news, hopped in the shower, packed my bag and hit the road. If I'd made all the green lights, I'd have been at our meeting spot by 9...as it was, I was only 6 minutes late.
There were 7 of us today, painting under an over cast sky. It actually rained on us a little while our fearless leader did a demonstration. I did two sketches. The first is an 8X10 that I thought was going okay but now, a few hours later, looks lifeless. The second is a 6x6 that I whipped out in 40 minutes. I tried to exaggerate all the elements to keep the vibration from dying. It worked.
The sun came out between the two canvases, so the scene looked different. It's fun to bring along extra canvases, to see if I learned anything useful in my first attempt.
Class ends at noon and by then I'm usually starving and need a bathroom. I got home just as Jay was leaving; he was off to enjoy a cigar with an old friend. I ate lunch then went to work. I got a lot done and by 6 was ready to collapse. So there I was, thinking "Should I draw up another ornament to needlepoint or should I design another rosary tonight?" and I decided that I had worked enough for one day. I'm gonna read my book and not make anything else today.
Jay ordered us a pizza for dinner. Yummm.