a beautiful sunset

Well, we are home safely after a very busy (but very important) weekend in Southern California. I'd forgotten how beautiful, and different from both Wisconsin and New York, the landscape is. Both the vigil and the funeral itself were lovely. It was abundantly clear why so many people loved Grandma Kroll -- and still do. Here's a look at a few notable places we went.

Grandma and Grandpa Kroll have been active members
of Padre Serra Catholic Parish for many years. It's gorgeous.

After the funeral, we went up to Conejo Mountain Cemetery
to see the rose garden where Grandma's ashes would be interred.
A fitting resting place for a person who lived such a beautiful life.

I was so excited to see citrus growing in peoples' yards!
On the way down Conejo Mountain, we even passed by a lemon grove, plus fields of berries, tomatoes, and corn.

On Saturday evening, the night of the funeral,
Wendy and Abigail got to see the Pacific for the first time.

And we all got to witness a very nice sunset.

On our way back to the airport, we thought we smelled a campfire.
But where you can see sky, you should be able to see a clear view
of the LA skyline and a mountain range.
It was the beginning of this week's forest fires.

Ian and I are so thankful we were able to go to California to remember Grandma Kroll along with many of her loved ones. But the whole time I kept thinking about how unprepared I am to lose any of our living family (and friends too). I know we'll all have to face losing each other some time, but for now, try to stick around, okay?

funeral update

Because Grandma Kroll's funeral will be on Saturday, Ian and I can go together, so we'll wake up bright and early tomorrow (Friday) and take a 6:15 a.m. flight to Los Angeles. We're coordinating with Liz and Keith so we can travel together once we're on the ground. On Sunday morning, we'll fly back to New York, no layovers, and get back at 9:30 p.m.

Thanks for all your good words and thoughts, everybody. It really helps to know we have a support system!

the other kind of news

I love posting good news on the blog, but because the reason I created it was to let you know what's going on in Ian's and my life, I feel the need to publish the bad stuff too. And, unfortunately, that's what I'm doing today.

This morning we got the sad news that Ian's grandma, Alda Kroll, has passed away. She had been in the hospital for a few days and things were bad enough that her three kids (including John, Ian's dad) flew to California to be with her, so we were prepared for the worst. Ian will be flying to California toward the end of the week so he can be with his family.

Because we lived so far apart, I only met Grandma Kroll twice. Ian and I were so happy that she was able to come to our wedding -- here she is, in top form at the dance! But even though I didn't know her well, I could tell that she was a kind woman who was very dedicated to her family, ready to welcome me into their ranks with open arms.

Please keep the Cliffe, Kroll, and Hunter families in your thoughts and prayers. I know they, and all of her loved ones, are really going to miss her.

photo by Kristin Johanneck

when life gives you old bananas, make bread

A busy, haphazardly planned week resulted in an entire bunch of nasty brown bananas. But I beat the fruit flies to them! It was an exciting day at our house...homemade banana bread is a surefire sign of the arrival of fall (if you haven't figured it out, that's my favorite time of year).

Before:

After:

And because nobody should be without this recipe, here it is:

banana bread
(adapted from Diane Matzdorf's recipe in the Saron Church Cookbook)
makes 1 standard-size loaf

ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbl. sour milk
1 1/2 cups banana pulp (about 3 medium bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla (I use double-strength)

directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 F; give loaf pan a good shot of cooking spray.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar; fold in eggs. Sift dry ingredients into butter mixture and give it a quick stir.
3) In a medium bowl, combine milk, bananas, and vanilla. Add to batter and stir until well combined; pour mixture into the loaf pan.
4) Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5) Remove from pan and allow to cool for 30 minutes before devouring.

visitors!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of Chris and Monika's company (the newlyweds in my first-ever post). They were headed to a wedding in the area and took a detour so they could spend the evening with Ian and me.

Though we only had a few waking hours of "face time," we made the most of it...We went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Pisticci, for dinner; stopped at the corner wine store; talked and talked and talked; harrassed Bear; played some video games (it was a tie, as usual); and set up our air mattress (thanks, Colleen and Andy!), which took up the entirety of our living room floor space. Cozy. Then, the next morning, they were on their way. It was so good to see them!

And I knew you'd be dying to know...the steak frites Ian made on Wednesday turned out great. Ian also made apple tarte tatin for dessert. Everything was delicious!

morningside's test kitchens

This weekend Ian started brainstorming menu ideas for his to-be-named restaurant. He didn't have to work til 7 p.m. on Sunday, so he took advantage of this and made us an experimental early dinner (we usually eat around 8; if I'm on my own, I usually don't get around to it until 9!). He decided to make Thyme and White Wine-Seared Chicken Thighs. Here are a few highlights:

Browning the shallots and garlic

Adding the white wine

Taste testing

Plating

The final result

We were both happy with how the meal turned out, but Ian has already tweaked his recipe a little bit. I have a feeling I'm going to be a guinea pig for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow's menu: Filet Mignon with Spicy Sweet Potato Frites. My tummy is rumbling already!

roots

I recently received a package from my parents, and in it my dad included some old photos. It's high time I taught a little history lesson.

A few points of note: When I was small, everyone said I looked like my dad, but without the beard. But little Jimmy looks just like little Andrew. Now I know where we got our propensity to squint. Also, notice the other weird resemblance of: Young Uncle Joe to Young Gez Samuel, Grandma Harriett to Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Grandpa Floyd to Jake Gyllenhal, and Grandpa Duane Nicol to Future Uncle Bob.

In about 1894, Duane was born. And so was Hattie.

And they grew up.

And got married.

They had three kids, Frank, Harriett, and Joe, and they all lived in southern Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, in 1923, Floyd was born in the great city of Chicago.

As fate would have it, Duane, a minister, was called to serve a Congregational church...in Chicago. The family moved to Watson Park and provided support and warmth to the needy during the Depression.

Then, when World War II started, Floyd joined the Air Force.

When he got back, he married Harriett.

They bought a white house with a blue roof in the cozy little suburb of Villa Park.

And had four little Baby Boomers: Lonnie, Bobby, Jimmy, and Les (a bit later).

They did all sorts of things together, like go to the beach,

Hike,

Play jokes,

Commit unidentifiable naughty acts,

And pose for stock photographs to be used in advertisements.

Jim grew up to be a handsome pianist in a blue three-piece suit.

And he married Jenny (center), who, along with Harriett (upper left) and Floyd (right), enjoyed teaching young children vulgar hand gestures at parties.

And the rest, as they say, is history. The end.