Weekend highlights

When the construction guys left at 4:00 on Fri I immediately yanked the vacuum out of the closet and vacuumed the 1st and 2nd floors and the stairs, in preparation for our friends' Ron & James' arrival at 5:00. When Spouse got home he dusted and used his new Bissell Steam Mop in the living room and foyer.

Once we'd showed them the addition progress, we sat in the living room with Ron & James and got caught up on all the goings on in their lives, our lives, and the lives of several common friends in VA we knew from the church we attended. Eventually we decided to have dinner at Shag since it was a gorgeous evening and Shag has that great outdoor dining courtyard. Shortly after our food arrived a belly dancing performance began. Yeah, you read that correctly: belly dancing. You can imagine how surprised we were! And just our luck, our table was right next to the performance space so the belly dancers kept coming over to our table, hoping to titillate us. Little did they know they were barking up the wrong tree. But eventually one of the really persistent dancers pulled Ron & James up and onto the dance floor with her!

Spouse & I made sure to keep a fork or glass in our hands so they'd leave us alone. It was an unexpected but fun addition to our dining experience. After dinner we went for a lovely walk on the boardwalk, then returned home to talk and laugh some more until we simply had to go to bed.

Sat morning Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment while Ron, James and I talked over breakfast. James had brought homemade cranberry orange scones that were absolutely delicious, Ron kindly selected a mango and some nice, ripe peaches from a produce stand along the way, and I supplied the hazelnut coffee. We had a lovely, relaxing morning. Later, after Spouse returned home, we had lunch and then went to the beach. On a scale of 1-10, the weather was at least an 11. It wasn't too hot or humid and we got occasional breaks from the sun so we didn't feel like we were roasting. There was a pleasant breeze coming off the ocean, and we felt like we could have stayed there all day. Back at home we all showered and had cocktails on the screened porch, then went to Rigby's for more cocktails and dinner. For dessert we had Annie's Bannanies, and walked on the boardwalk again.

Sun morning we had coffee on the screened porch and we could feel a significant change in the weather. It was very humid and much warmer. Eventually we walked to the Blue Plate Diner for brunch, then browsed the antique market and a photo gallery on Second St before returning home. Ron & James packed their things and we wished them a safe trip back to VA. I read some emails while Spouse took a nap. Then Spouse & I returned to the beach where we met up with Rick & Nick and Jason. It was hot and humid but at least there was a breeze. As they say, "A bad day at the beach is better than a good day at work".

Once back at home, Spouse & I showered and then met Steven & Thad at the theatre to see "Julie & Julia", based on the books written by Julie Powell and Julia Child. We LOVED it. If you're a foodie, you'll love it. If you're a blogger, you'll love it. If you have ever experienced deep love and/or friendship, you'll love it. And Meryl Streep is absolutely AMAZING as Julia Child. The voice, the body movements - it was all there. It was a very sweet and wonderfully made film. Afterward, the 4 of us had Mexican food for dinner at La Tonalteca since there are no French restaurants near us. The food and the company were great.

It was a full and wonderful weekend!

Crush du Jour: John Driscoll