Ahhhhh!
The humidity broke this week. We had a couple of cool nights which helped too. But the days! This is what summer’s all about. Highs in the mid-to-upper 80s and, while not desert dry, dry enough that sweating works to keep you cool instead of making you uncomfortable.
Spent a couple of lovely afternoons this week with no fans in the windows, just the ceiling fans spinning lazily on low, while I read on the couch. Caught a nap or two as I recall. It’s exactly the way I like to spend the occasional summer afternoon.
Wednesday I tore myself away from the couch for a while and went downtown. The last time I can say for sure that I was downtown was during the winter sometime. Now that they sell bus passes online and mail them to you, I don’t have a pressing need for regular trips, and I’ve fallen out of the habit.
Had to take the bus over to pay the cable bill since the sidewalks along the river and South Ave are closed for the reconstruction of the Troup-Howell Bridge. I walked back by a different route and spent some time looking at it from the pedestrian bridge over I-490 a few blocks away. Very impressive. Looks even better IRL than in the renderings. It will certainly meet the goal of being a signature piece for downtown.
Then I wandered through Manhattan Square Park admiring the bicyclers and skaterpunks. My knee has been acting up and was beginning to protest, so I didn’t walk home, choosing instead to head back to Midtown. I don’t think anyone was actually working in the HSBC building. They were all outside enjoying the weather.
When I got home I tried out a new marinade recipe on the last of my venison for the season. Somehow, without trying, I’d saved the best for last. What I had left were, if they had been from a cow, a New York Strip and a couple slices from the tenderloin. Yow! Tender and tasty.
The marinade wasn’t that far from the usual sort of stuff, but it called also for horseradish and paprika. It was perfect. What a feast I had for two nights this week.
Walking home after the meeting tonight, a couple of us stopped in at Starry Nites Café to take a cup or two in the evening air. The new owners—about a year now—have expanded the live music to Fridays and Saturdays. (I know, it sounds backwards expanding from weeknights only to weekends, but it’s worked for them.) Tonight was a vocal trio doing what they called “smooth jams.” Very nice. Much better than the din of the traffic.
A decent mix in the crowd too. About half from the neighborhood arriving on foot and half from suburbia arriving in Volvos.
All in all, a very nice week.
