John from Phoenix and I are sitting discussing my day and his elephants which he bought at the market today. He added we are talking about my dolls too. Just to spark your imagination. We did see lots of animals on the safari. It was great overall. I did a home visit today to see a woman who lost her husband in the genocide, is HIV positive, has a young daughter with an untreated seizrue disorder(the reason for my visit) and older daughter who has dropped out of school and an older son who is using drugs. We talked about her getting treatment for the daughter and she is moving in that direction. We took her older daughter to school and enrolled her and encouraged the mother to attend the support group for HIV positive women. She has attended the group in the past however is still feeling hopeless. There of course is a lot more to tell. This is just one many such situations here.
Even though today was a tough experience it was both eye opening and emotionally gratifying.
I am doing another consult tomorrow with a woman who is suffering from trauma that they are not sure what to do next.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Back to Kigali
I returned to Kigala from Gisengi today on the bus. We went to the boarder of the Republic of Congo yesterday. There are many people trying to cross the boarder into Rwanda. The corruption at the boarder is severe. Susan our guide from New Dawn Associates told us about a trip they took across the boarder. She did not happen to have documentation of have a yellow fever vaccine. They let her in with the rest of the people on the tour bus. They charge for everything they can think of at the boarder. They insisted they buy insurance for the bus, an entry fee for each person on the bus, hire a guide to assist them even though the group was only driving to a view and not getting out of the bus. The guy who wanted to be hired by the group said you would not enter a house without the host so how could you enter his country without a guide. The come up with all kind of taxes you need to pay at the border include taxing someone wearing glasses. They have article 15 in their constitution which says get money through any means that you need to. The president gave the soldiers guns and said. I am not giving you a salary, I have given you a gun so get money any way you can. There is a large refugee camp in Gisengi. It is pack with people.
The northern part of Rwanda is very rich farm land. It have vey high hills with farms from the valley floor to the peaks. The people are very poor however are able to feed themselves. We visited a Batwa Village. It was very moving. The Batwa are a marginalized group of people that used to be known as pygmies. They were considered to be the original people in Rwanda. Overtime they have become taller because of having children by the other groups in Rwanda. It was thought that if a man had back pain he could cure this by having sex with a Batwa. This group was thought to be less intelligent by people in Rwanda and the people here have considered them a people to be avoided. If a kid does something out of order the parents will say, “Don’t be a Batwa”. The village we visited has 39 adults. They have started a project as a collective called “Dancing Pots”. They have been making pots for generations. The former tribal kings considered the Batwa as the entertainers of the country as singers and dancers. They have a continuing tradition of dancing and singing. When we arrived at the village they greeted us with dance and song. They are a joyous people and we felt very welcomed. They invited us into their community building that is a covered open air space. They showed us how they make pots and we were able to buy their wares. The shared a meal with us including roasted ears of corn, bananas, Fantas and Cokes. I ate a little and shared the rest with the children in the village. I danced with a beautiful man who picked me to teach. The villagers enjoyed my attempts to dance. I have a picture of me with the dancer and another with a man whose son is a dancer. The man and I are the same age.
The child mortality rate in this village is very high. Last year 27 of the 32 babies died. Inviting tourist to their village to buy their pots are helping them improve their lives.
The northern part of Rwanda is very rich farm land. It have vey high hills with farms from the valley floor to the peaks. The people are very poor however are able to feed themselves. We visited a Batwa Village. It was very moving. The Batwa are a marginalized group of people that used to be known as pygmies. They were considered to be the original people in Rwanda. Overtime they have become taller because of having children by the other groups in Rwanda. It was thought that if a man had back pain he could cure this by having sex with a Batwa. This group was thought to be less intelligent by people in Rwanda and the people here have considered them a people to be avoided. If a kid does something out of order the parents will say, “Don’t be a Batwa”. The village we visited has 39 adults. They have started a project as a collective called “Dancing Pots”. They have been making pots for generations. The former tribal kings considered the Batwa as the entertainers of the country as singers and dancers. They have a continuing tradition of dancing and singing. When we arrived at the village they greeted us with dance and song. They are a joyous people and we felt very welcomed. They invited us into their community building that is a covered open air space. They showed us how they make pots and we were able to buy their wares. The shared a meal with us including roasted ears of corn, bananas, Fantas and Cokes. I ate a little and shared the rest with the children in the village. I danced with a beautiful man who picked me to teach. The villagers enjoyed my attempts to dance. I have a picture of me with the dancer and another with a man whose son is a dancer. The man and I are the same age.
The child mortality rate in this village is very high. Last year 27 of the 32 babies died. Inviting tourist to their village to buy their pots are helping them improve their lives.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tuesday and Wednesday in Kigali
Our days have been pack so full it was hard to find time to blog. Yesterday we visited Hospital Neuro-Psychiatrique Caraes Ndera. This is the only psychiatric hospital in Rwanda. There are 3 psychiatrists in Rwanda. Two help out at this hospital. I met Dr. Rutakayile Bizoza who is a good natured and friendly man. He had great questions and offered me the opportunity to stay at his home. We did not have as much time to talk as we would have liked. The hospital reminds me of state hospitals from the 50s. They have a very limited capacity with about 130 beds. This is to serve all of the 9 million people in Rwanda. They had requested hospital supplies prior to our visit and Emma Chambers a retired Denver Police officer was able to get all of the supplies through Project C.U.R.E a not for profit group from Colorado. They were very pleased to get the donation. After lunch at a nearby hotel we visited the Village of Hope of the Rwanda Women's Network. This group began in 1995 with the mission of working towards the promotion and improvement of the socio-economic welfare of women in Rwanda, through enhancing their efforts to meet their basic needs. The Village of Hope accomodates survivors of sexyal and gender based violence from the genocide. It provides shelter for the displaced and disinherited women. The women are involved in a variety of projects to make a living including making clothing and weaving baskets called peace baskets. We did buy many items there. I have never been to a place where the people I bought things from were so appreciative and joyful. The women expressed their happiness with our purchases openly. It moved me to tears.
We traveled to Gitarama, south of Kigali to visit the Urukundo Home for Children. Urakundo means love. This place was established by a 77 year old Pennsylvanian woman, Arlene Brown. She is taking care of 39 children who are orphans to genocide or AIDS. Shortly before our visit the police found a 2 month on baby abandoned on the streets. They brought the baby to her. She is buying milk from a neighbor who has a cow. She was unsure whether the neighbor would continue to sell her the milk or not. Our group bought her a cow. We had dinner with her and heard her story of moving from a life of comfort to uncertainty. She is very engaging and enthusiastic about the work she is doing.
Today we visited the Genocide Memorial Center is Gisozi, a suburb of Kigali. It is a site of burial for over 250,000 victims of the genocide. It moved us to tears.
This afternoon we met with the Handicap International group. They have a project to help people with mental illness. We visited a group in the slums of Kigali where a small group of people have created a clinic to serve the health and mental health needs of the people in their community. They truly had very little in terms of medications. They created an internet cafe to earn money to by medications. They are serving the widows of genocide in this slum and their children. They are paying for the education of 130 children. The cost of education is $15 per student per year.
We had a cocktail party with many of the staff of the programs we have been visiting this evening. I met a young man who is the accountant for Veuvaction a program that works with street children in Gisenyi. He himself was living on the streets and eating out of a dump at age 11 after his parents where killed. He was reluctant to trust anyone when he was approached by a swiss woman who offered him help through the program. After a few times he decided to reluctantly give it a try. He recently graduated from the University. They had a graduation party for him and he invited two people. A boy he lived with in the dump and a professor from his University. When he introduced the two to each other the professor could not believe that he lived on the street. He said, " this is my friend from the dump, he is my witness that I lived there."
We traveled to Gitarama, south of Kigali to visit the Urukundo Home for Children. Urakundo means love. This place was established by a 77 year old Pennsylvanian woman, Arlene Brown. She is taking care of 39 children who are orphans to genocide or AIDS. Shortly before our visit the police found a 2 month on baby abandoned on the streets. They brought the baby to her. She is buying milk from a neighbor who has a cow. She was unsure whether the neighbor would continue to sell her the milk or not. Our group bought her a cow. We had dinner with her and heard her story of moving from a life of comfort to uncertainty. She is very engaging and enthusiastic about the work she is doing.
Today we visited the Genocide Memorial Center is Gisozi, a suburb of Kigali. It is a site of burial for over 250,000 victims of the genocide. It moved us to tears.
This afternoon we met with the Handicap International group. They have a project to help people with mental illness. We visited a group in the slums of Kigali where a small group of people have created a clinic to serve the health and mental health needs of the people in their community. They truly had very little in terms of medications. They created an internet cafe to earn money to by medications. They are serving the widows of genocide in this slum and their children. They are paying for the education of 130 children. The cost of education is $15 per student per year.
We had a cocktail party with many of the staff of the programs we have been visiting this evening. I met a young man who is the accountant for Veuvaction a program that works with street children in Gisenyi. He himself was living on the streets and eating out of a dump at age 11 after his parents where killed. He was reluctant to trust anyone when he was approached by a swiss woman who offered him help through the program. After a few times he decided to reluctantly give it a try. He recently graduated from the University. They had a graduation party for him and he invited two people. A boy he lived with in the dump and a professor from his University. When he introduced the two to each other the professor could not believe that he lived on the street. He said, " this is my friend from the dump, he is my witness that I lived there."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Les Enfants de Dieu
Rwanda is working diligently to overcome the effects of the genocide in 1994. Today we visited this remarkable program that helps homeless street boys get their lives back together. The boys are from the ages of 7-18 and were fending for themselves prior to coming to the program. These boys are very smart and streetwise. Most have experienced many traumas living on the streets. The director of the program knows that he has to gain their trust and does so by making the program completely transparent. He has support the boys in developing a government to make decisions about the program including how money that is donated is spent. The boys regain a sense of self and self esteem. It was moving to see the full range of development in the boys from those that were still struggling to interact with others to those that have become outgoing and engaged. One 10 year old boy held my hand the entire time I was there. His name is Eric Hakizimana. I should say he held my hand until I asked him to use my camera to take pictures. He is quite the photographer. I will post some of his excellent shots after I am able to download them when I get home.
He gave me a card as I was leaving that I had to have translated. It says, "Am happy that you came to visit us and the love you show to us in coming here. We are very happy, Thank you. I love you." We was crying when he handed me the card.
This is one of the most impressive programs I have ever encountered. I gave one of my favorite soccer balls to the boys. We had lunch together that was a typical Rwanda meal; plantains, beans, rice, irish potatoes, goat with "goat sauce" and beef with "beef sauce. The food is cooked on a large stove that is heated with wood. The are working to have more self suffient funds so they are raising goats, talapia, rabbits whose droping fall into the fish pond which attracts worms that feed the fish. The grow all of their own vegetables. The boys only eat meat occassionally as it is too expensive. There are 100 boys there. The government would like for the program to take in more boys yet the staff knows the quality of the program will deteriorate if they take in more boys. They are hoping the can grow the program at some point.
He gave me a card as I was leaving that I had to have translated. It says, "Am happy that you came to visit us and the love you show to us in coming here. We are very happy, Thank you. I love you." We was crying when he handed me the card.
This is one of the most impressive programs I have ever encountered. I gave one of my favorite soccer balls to the boys. We had lunch together that was a typical Rwanda meal; plantains, beans, rice, irish potatoes, goat with "goat sauce" and beef with "beef sauce. The food is cooked on a large stove that is heated with wood. The are working to have more self suffient funds so they are raising goats, talapia, rabbits whose droping fall into the fish pond which attracts worms that feed the fish. The grow all of their own vegetables. The boys only eat meat occassionally as it is too expensive. There are 100 boys there. The government would like for the program to take in more boys yet the staff knows the quality of the program will deteriorate if they take in more boys. They are hoping the can grow the program at some point.
Livingston Fellowship
I arrived in Kigali yesterday after a long flight. We were able to get through immigration quickly since we were the only plane at the airport. The city is beautiful and the people are very friendly. The weather is ideal around 70 degrees with blue skies. It is summer here which means that it is the dry season. The countryside is brown however there are lots of things blooming. Ethiopia Airlines feeds one often on their flights so we arrived tired but full.
We did a quick tour of the city yesterday visiting the memorial to the ten UN officers who were killed trying to protect the newly installed president at the beginning of the genocide. She did not agree with the genocide and for that was killed. It is very moving to think of the magnitude of what happened here and the long term effects of such a tragedy. One of the striking images at the memorial is a young girl holding a picture of her family off of whom where killed. A second picture is of a young girl who family participated in the killings. She too was orphaned when her parents where convicted of genocide. Two innocent children orphaned for opposite reasons.
I will be looking around the city today to learn more. I have been enjoying the birds this morning including crows that are black and white and some type of kite that has been flying over the city.
We are combining our gifts this morning so that we can distribute them in some sort of meaningful way. Four of my favorite soccer balls will have a home in one of the orphanages here.
We did a quick tour of the city yesterday visiting the memorial to the ten UN officers who were killed trying to protect the newly installed president at the beginning of the genocide. She did not agree with the genocide and for that was killed. It is very moving to think of the magnitude of what happened here and the long term effects of such a tragedy. One of the striking images at the memorial is a young girl holding a picture of her family off of whom where killed. A second picture is of a young girl who family participated in the killings. She too was orphaned when her parents where convicted of genocide. Two innocent children orphaned for opposite reasons.
I will be looking around the city today to learn more. I have been enjoying the birds this morning including crows that are black and white and some type of kite that has been flying over the city.
We are combining our gifts this morning so that we can distribute them in some sort of meaningful way. Four of my favorite soccer balls will have a home in one of the orphanages here.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Courage Classic
Mark and I finished the Courage Classic bike ride yesterday. This is a fund raiser for The Children's Hospital in Denver. The weather was cool and fortunately the rain did not come until we were sitting in on the patio having a beer with friends on our team. This year we rode with the Wheels of Fortune as team started by Austin Peterman. Austin had a brain tumor that he survived with the help of the doctors at Children's Hospital. He wanted to raise money for the people who saved his life. Austin's Dad, Doug and I have known each other for several years through a CEO group called Vistage, so when he told about Austin creating this riding team I quickly switch from the Spin Doctors to the new team. Another member of Vistage Marley has a fast casual dining company called MAD Greens. They make the best salads and sponsored our team. Our 16 member team raised $18,000 so far. Mark and I rode 178 miles this week.Mark and I are at his family reunion in Snowmass for the rest of this week. More riding, hiking and of course a lot of eating this week.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Celebrating Spring
At this month's dinner party we tip our hats to Spring. We worked on finding the freshest ingredients we could find. The tarragon came from my garden, the first herb to grow after this winter. Mark and I shopped in the early afternoon and then got down to cooking the meal. It is a lot of fun to cook together however we are looking forward to selling my other house so we can get our new kitchen in place. The current layout does not lend itself to the easy maneuvering of the Chef and sous-chef. We are versatile in this regard as we switch roles depending on the dish. All of this will go much smoother when we have the two sinks and a larger range for creating these meals. It takes us about a week to plan the meal, going back and forth around which foods and wines to prepare together. We also like to make sure we prepare dishes that will require little time in the kitchen once the meal begins. Our guests were a delight to have. Each had been given an assignment to bring a particular style of wine. Some requested that we tell them exactly what wine to bring which suits us well as we often know exactly which vineyard will have a great match. Others we let surprise us with what they find in a particular style. Steve Dworetsky came with these beautiful Irises in hand, the fragrance is stunning. Neil Weiner brought the champagne, which paired well with our appetizer that a contestant on Top Chef created in honor of the Movie, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Putting white chocolate, wasabi and celery root together sounded like a disaster waiting to happen, yet it was spectacular. Rey and Pete brought the unoaked Chardonnay. Steve brought an over the top Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. We had the other Cab and we always of course have Clairette de Die. Rich March brought the Port. Everyone took their shopping tasks to heart and did a terrific job.
Menu for April 2008
First Course
Hors d’oeuvre
Salmon Sashimi smoked with cherry wood, dusted with ginger, cayenne and sesame seeds, served with a white chocolate wasabi celery root sauce and faux caviar
GH Mumm Champagne Brut
Second Course
Amuse-bouche
Korean melon and Goya melon each wrapped in Prosciutto with lime juice and black pepper
Third Course
Spring Vegetable Soup with Tarragon
Bishop’s Peak Eden Valley Chardonnay 2005
Fourth Course
Oven Roasted Lamb Chops with Mint Chimichurri served with a snow pea Thai pepper almond salad
Penley Estate Phoenix 2005 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Fifth Course
White Chocolate Coated Grapes with Orange Curd
Traditional Clairette de Die
Sixth Course
Stilton Cheese
Porto Barros LBV 1997
First Course
Hors d’oeuvre
Salmon Sashimi smoked with cherry wood, dusted with ginger, cayenne and sesame seeds, served with a white chocolate wasabi celery root sauce and faux caviar
GH Mumm Champagne Brut
Second Course
Amuse-bouche
Korean melon and Goya melon each wrapped in Prosciutto with lime juice and black pepper
Third Course
Spring Vegetable Soup with Tarragon
Bishop’s Peak Eden Valley Chardonnay 2005
Fourth Course
Oven Roasted Lamb Chops with Mint Chimichurri served with a snow pea Thai pepper almond salad
Penley Estate Phoenix 2005 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Fifth Course
White Chocolate Coated Grapes with Orange Curd
Traditional Clairette de Die
Sixth Course
Stilton Cheese
Porto Barros LBV 1997
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Snowing in the Mountains
Mark and I drove by a roll over accident on our way to the mountains on Friday. The car burned. On Saturday when we drove into Breckenridge from the cabin to ski there was a police barricade. A young man had been missing for the past month after he walked away from a bar in a snowstorm. They found his frozen body . It seems he lost his way and died in a snowdrift. We did not find out about this until after we finished skiing. The snow has good and the day was warm for the mountains in the 40s. This was definitely spring skiing. I love doing the bumps on my snowboard and wore myself out by the end of the day. We were quite hungry getting back to the cabin and started with Goose Foie Gras with crackers after I started a log fire. We watched Moliere with our meal of Oven-roasted lamb chops with Mint Chimichurri with a side salad of snow peas with thai peppers and toasted almonds. We paired this with a Louie Martini Cabernet Sauvignon. Chimichurri is a condiment of fresh mint, shallots, garlic, red wine vinegar and jalapeno. It snowed Saturday night and was snowing until we got to Georgetown on the way home. It was beautiful in Denver and the daffodils are blooming in our yard. Our new appliances for the kitchen make over will be delivered tomorrow so we had to make room in the garage for them. Marty is coming back tonight and we will have Polla de Olive with a fennel salad paired with Alianico an Italian varietal.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Time for snowboarding
Off to the mountains for the weekend. John is always so good to feed the birds while we are gone. Percy the blue front Amazon Parrot does not like it when we leave and is always excited when we return. Spring skiing is great fun as the days are warm and the snow is still quite good.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Quick and Simple Meal
One of my favorite dishes to make is a Thai stir fry made with whatever find in the refrigerator. Tonight I made a pork stir fry with brussel sprouts, mushrooms, snow peas, red and yellow bell peppers cooked with onions, garlic, thai peppers, ginger, fish sauce, persimmon vinegar and soy sauce. We served this with a OZV zinfandel.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Marty arrives
Today was sunny and a little warmer so I decided to ride my bike to all of my work related activities. The University has moved from near our house to the old Fitzsimmons Army base which is about 6 miles from our house. I thought I had cleverly figured out how to get from the University to my office using the bike trails. I did not count on the new construction disrupting my route. Fitzsimmons is in Aurora and I do not know the streets there very well. So, I lost my way having left my bike map at home and my 12 mile trip to work turned into an 18 mile trip. I was late for my executive management meeting. They of course are great and went right on with the meeting. I double booked meetings today so I only had time to stick my head through the door still wearing my bike gear and ask, “Do you want the short version or the long version?” They all got a good laugh out of that. I told them I had no idea there were so many ways to get lost in Aurora. The bike trails in that part of town sometimes just end without any indication of where to go next to hook into the next trail. Denver’s 168 miles of bike trails have some issues too however they have much better signage. All in all I biked 30 miles today and enjoyed it. I met the new group of 1st year medical students for the small group discussion that I teach. Each one was enthusiastic and engaged. I am looking forward to spending time with them this year. Mark and I had a simple meal tonight of lamb cooked in olives, oranges and onion, the salad was arugala, green onions and pomegranate seeds with a Viandox, balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing with red and yellow bell peppers and apples in balsamic vinegar. We paired this with a 2003 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph Cotes de Rhone. Mark’s friend since 1st grade Marty Moran a broadway actor is arriving tonight. We have saved supper for him. He did a one many play, “The Tricky Part” about his experience with childhood sexual abuse. This play won an Obie. He later wrote a book also called “The Tricky Part”. He is quite the talent and we always enjoy his visits. It is supposed to start snowing tonight after midnight and more tomorrow. Ah, Springtime in the Rockies.
My Fair Lady
After I finished commuting 20 miles on my bike on a cold day, Mark and I went to see My Fair Lady at the Buell Theatre. Picking up his car that was in for some repairs left Mark short on time, so I fixed him a Chipotle Cheese, cucumber and mache sandwich that he could eat quickly before the long show. It was first produced a few days before I was born and has many classic songs. The staging and voices were great. I lunched with HyoSun and her new partner Robin at the Sushi Den which is my favorite. Their fish is always top flight. Tim Hudner one of MHCD’s board members connected me with Steve Murchie the Keiretsu Foundation Denver/Rockies Chapter President. This is a group of venture capital angels that invest in new businesses and also provide philanthropic support for non profits. I will be talking to the group at one of their monthly meetings about our approach to helping people recover from mental illness. We are planning an event at the Governor’s Mansion in May for the consumers we serve and our staff to thank our donors for their support.
Monday, March 31, 2008
The last day of March
We awoke to snow on the ground this morning which discouraged me from riding my bike to work. The day was cool with snow flurries all day. Mark, Dwight and John celebrated my birthday today since this was the first night we could all be together since my actual birthday on the 26th. Mark prepared pork tenderloins that he grilled after marinating them in garlic, hot pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar overnight. He created another scafata with asparagus, fava beans and snow peas paired with a Merlot. Dwight and John provided the chocolate pots for dessert. What a great meal with my Denver family. Dwight found out today that Jean-Claude Dreyfus the famous french character actor in Delicatessen is showing his pig collection in Paris along with several of Dwight's sculptures. http://www.davidsonsculpture.com/ Dwight's website is definately worth viewing. My sister-in-law Julie and my brother Mark buried her mother today she died after suffering many strokes. My heart goes out to them.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A cool Spring day
Our house-Romanesque Revival by William Lang and Marshall Pugh-1891
Mark and I took a long walk this afternoon in our Montclair neighborhood. Montclair was the first suburban neighborhood in Denver that is a whole 3 miles east of Downtown Denver. It was its own town when it was created by the Baron Von Richtoffen who was the uncle of the Red Barron. He subdivided his land and many famous architechs designed the houses. Our house was built by Baums who were jewlers at the time and it was design by William Lang. Our stairs case was ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalog as that was considered to be a very upscale thing to do. Thomas Noel and William Hansen wrote "The Montclair Neighborhood" Denver Historic Guide which contains a walking tour of the historic houses in our neighborhood. Mark and I walked by about half of the 55 historic houses today. The air was cool and the sun was warm during our walk. The crocus, hyacynths, and tulips are just starting to bloom. Our little bonus was walking by a stack of toys and children's books that someone had set out for the garbage. There were twelve colored interlocking mats that we use in the ballroom on our third floor that we converted into a gym. Just what we needed to expand our cushioned gym floor. We had leftovers from last night and they were still quite spectacular.
Memories of our dinner party
Our dining table for the evening. Each candle holder was a different frog from my collection many of which were given to me by my best friend Larry Prater who now lives in Tepoztlan Mexico.
Tim, Doug and Rich arrive with wine in hand for the evening.
As Earth Hour approached we lit the candles for the meal.
Tim, Doug and Rich arrive with wine in hand for the evening.
As Earth Hour approached we lit the candles for the meal.
Mark and I hosted our friends for a candelight dinner last night. We turned out all of our lights for Earth hour. Rich, Tim, Rick, Robert, Doug, and John joined us for a six course dinner. We started with tuna sashimi-tini. Tuna on a bed of cucumber with a grapefruit, serrano pepper, mint and onion sauce served in a martini glass. This is garnished with a dried grapefruit chip. We pair this with champagne. Tim brought a lovely Champagne Chartogne-Taillet Brut. The guy at the liquor store asked him how much he wanted to spend on the Champagne and when he said "I do not know, $20?" the guy burst our laughing. He said it had been a while since he bought a bottle. Ah, such is the way when the value of the dollar has plummeted compared to the Euro. The amuse-bouche that followed was a warm foie gras served on a bed of mache with a honey, cognac reduction sauce. Scafata di Primavera with fava beans, escarole, baby artichokes, onion, sugar snap peas and pancetta we served with Lugana San Benedetto 2006 that Ric and Robert brought. They surprised me with a birthday gift of six candles with beautiful square glass holders. Our main course was Stinco di Agnello con Aranci e Olive (Lamb shanks with Oranges and Olives) served with grilled potatoes and paired with a beautiful Brunello Di Montalcino Il paradiso di Frassina which I am certain John mortgaged his house to buy. It was complex, smooth and spectacular. That wine went faster than the lamb so we opened a bottle of Agilianico Terredora Dipaolo to finish with the main course. Dessert was mixed berries with creme fraiche and orange zest paired with Clairette de Die Tradition style. We ended the meal with a pecorino romano cheese with a caramel wine sauce served with Vin Santo del Chianti, Villa da Filicaja. The company and conversation was as spectacular as the food and dare I say that we all looked so much younger by candlelight and with each new beverage. Mark and I are so lucky to have such great friends.
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