Pre-Holiday Party #2

[ellyssian]

Had a great time Sunday! My friend - and former co-worker - Chris came by, and we had some serious discussions, which included a demonstration of Brandon's ability to make really spitty raspberries, and was capped off with a series of pod-racer (I think) runs across the table. Justin, Rachel, Chris, and I passed the key back and forth to launch the thing. kk1raven arrived, but wasn't in possession of a valid pod-racing license and wisely declined to take the key.

With that, we set off in the Forester for some off-road fun, possible bird watching, and other assorted mayhem at the Lehigh Gap Refuge.

We started off on the Prairie Warbler trail - later in the day I confused this with the Prairie Wobbler trail, which is actually located around a nexus of several bars somewhere in the midwest - and we read through the signs on native plants, habitat, species of rocks, and so forth. We took the high road - quite literally, really - along the gap. Parts were very level, and covered with a small gravel, and it was almost like walking along a beach. We theorized about several of the timberworks along the way - whether they were trestles or retaining walls - and I finally found the landing spot for what had once been a fairly impressive railroad bridge.

We tracked a few different kinds of animals - suspected fox, cloven-hooved rodents, Nike (size 9 1/2), dog (probably)/coyote (good chance)/wolf (not likely), penguin, and large cat. The penguin tracks were quite deep, as if made by many thousands of the creatures in two long lines, and were confirmed by the presence of ice forming in the prints (and we all know that penguins like things chilly.) Despite kk1raven saying dangerous things like "I haven't seen a mountain lion" and "I haven't seen a bear in a while," Murphy must have been elsewhere, as not one creature so evoked came by to ask what we were doing in their neighborhood. We did, however, track down the very large cat which left tracks that looked suspiciously like the penguins (except with less ice, which is how they can be differentiated.) The creature appeared to be dormant, which was a Good Thing, as it was about ten feet wide and tall and twenty long and had a nasty looking claw on the back. All dimensions, by the way, are wholly inaccurate estimates. We did recover - and dispose of properly - the bodies of a bird (the rare Mylarium birthdais, which was, in death, quite deflated from its usual posturing) and the more curious ground creature, Assembli headlightus

As for birds - somewhat the original point of the expedition - several were seen.

On return, Justin and I wrapped some catfish with bacon and cooked up a dinner. Actually, I cooked the fish; meanwhile, Justin took out a baked potato and assembled it according to the wishes of the person who would be eating it. Various add-ons included butter, freshly ground black pepper, chopped scallions, basil, crushed rosemary, shredded cheddar and montery jack, tarragon, chervil, tarragon vinegar, and maybe one or three other things. The meal was accompanied by an iceberg and green leaf lettuce salad, cucumbers, plum tomatoes, and my own special salad dressing that Deb makes for me and is misguided into thinking she makes it for her, and has Justin deluded into thinking it's his, and Rachel is positive it is hers, and now kk1raven actually thinks it's just for her. The adults had a glass of Riesling - although I have no clue the vintage or even the vineyard off the top of my head. Some chocolate frosted chocolate chip chocolate brownies (with chocolate, no less), finished off the meal.

Just when Chris and kk1raven attempted to escape, I offered some tea, and served up a caffeinated selections to them to help keep them awake on the ride home.

And that's about it, except for everything I left out!

Comments

[opakele.livejournal.com]

Sounds lovely.