it's really is all about the lemons

We make lemoncello every year -- right after we return from Phoenix. We've tried making it with store-bought lemons, and it just isn't the same. This year, we made a batch after our December visit to Phoenix. The lemoncello was good, but not great. We returned to Phoenix in March -- and brought back our customary 20 lemons -- enough to make a double batch. The key is great lemons: perfectly ripe, and hopefully from a friend's tree (in our case, we've discovered that Sarah & Erik's lemons make the best lemoncello).
I learned this recipe from an ER doc in Phoenix. (Probably the most important thing I ever learned from an ER doc!!!). Take the peel from 10 lemons. (Peel them with a vegetable peeler; don't include the pith.) Soak the peels in a bottle (750mL) of EverClear. (Note: we tried using vodka instead of grain alcohol; this was a disaster. Stick with the grain alcohol.) On the 12th day, remove the peels, and add 1L of simple syrup (dissolve 4 cups/900g of sugar in 4 cups/1L of water). Voila. The best lemoncello you've ever had.
And my happy accident: the first time I ever made it, I added the simple syrup to the lemon-liquor while the simple syrup was still warm. This makes for a cloudy final product, which has a wonder mouth-feel... we've made it that way ever since.

Biltmore art

One of my colleagues took this photo at the Biltmore. The design of the hotel, and a lot of the artwork, was done by Frank Lloyd Wright.

more party pics

Sarah didn't like all of the beers, but Lliam liked all of the chocolate...

all things Belgian ROCK

Erik spent a good bit of the party being the grill-master. He twice-fried the Pomme Frites -- MMmmmmm.... deep fried (anything).....
The Belgian waffles were a big hit, too. (especially with the toddlers....)

good times in Phoenix

We just got back from another wonderful week in Phoenix. My hospital sent me to the Biltmore (aww, twist my arm) for a conference, so Tom came, too. We stayed a couple of extra days to enjoy the friends & great weather.
The top photo is of my work colleagues -- as we were waiting for a table at the Barrio Cafe. Of course, it was well worth the wait.
The next photo is the following night, at Steve Metz's gig at A Mano. We had 9 people there to enjoy the show.
The following two photos are the next night at Sarah & Erik's. They had a Belgian party -- with Belgian beer, Belgian chocolate covered waffles, and pomme frites. Yum!

Loveland Pass, CO

Neither Tom nor I had ever been over Loveland Pass. Since we had plenty of time on our return from Keystone, Mark graciously offered to drive us on the "scenic route." As you can see, it was awesome. This part of the road, passing over the Continental Divide, is at an altitude of 11,990 feet.

Deer Creek, Montezuma, CO

Tom and I set out snow-shoeing today. However, the trail was so firmly packed that we abandoned our snow-shoes, and put on our yak-traks. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike. At the point where we were most tired, Tom laid down in the snow for a little rest...

I skiied 10 miles yesterday!

Our friends Mark & Joanna have a condo up in Keystone. We went up there this week with Mark (Joanna couldn't go, unfortunately). Yesterday, while Tom was snow-boarding & Mark was downhill skiing, I went x-country skiing.
As you can see, it was a perfectly gorgeous day. Although it was windy enough to shut down lots of the ski-lifts, back in the trees it was calm & beautiful. I skiied up the back side of the mountain, to one of the cafes that is set up for the downhill skiiers. The trail couldn't have been more wonderful: a gentle rise that took me 2 1/2 hours to ski up, and about 30 minutes to "ride" down...

more progress

The top photos shows the near-finished product of the backyard. All we need now is the sod. (This is going to wait a couple of weeks; currently it is too windy to be able to reliably water fresh grass.) The bottom photo shows our new retaining wall -- so that you can now safely walk from the front/garage to the back. Yay!

Charlie Hunter

OK, I'm playing with Picasa -- not sure this first run is going to work.
Last night we saw the Charlie Hunter quartet at the Boulder Theatre. What an awesome show! Charlie Hunter is the guitar player -- he has a custom made 8-string guitar, so the he can play bass (the top two strings) and blues/jazz (the bottom 6 strings) simultaneously.
This clip is horn-heavy, but I really liked it. I also shrunk the resolution quite a bit -- to cut down on the file size. But I think you can still hear OK.

beautiful weather continues

Can you tell I've had a lot of time off recently?! Happily, my time off has coincided with perfect weather. I took this shot yesterday during our walk around Thomas Reservoir. The now-peaked Rockies are just brilliant. (Too bad I had some kind of a "splotch" on the camera lens...)