I had my photography class tonight, so Dan cooked dinner, and it was a doozie. We had bought some wahoo a while back and put it in the freezer; he thawed it and cooked it in the cast-iron grill pan with a sauce made with butter, olive oil, garlic, parsley, Cajun seasoning and lime (we were out of lemon). It turned out great. See?

Dan and I went to James River State Park last weekend, for a couple days of R&R, hiking and biking. This praying mantis parked itself on Dan’s bike seat and we got several pix of him with my new camera. He was upside-down, so we flipped the photo and zoomed in really close - I love this photo. Dan is using it for his laptop wallpaper.

At least, most of a new kitchen. We only need to get the painting and some trimwork done. It’s absolutely gorgeous - pecan wood with ginger stain, a porcelain floor, a granite countertop, and all new appliances. I just love to wipe down the beautiful countertop

A few pix:
Before

After

What else is new? Actually a lot of stuff is new I have a new camera, for one thing. It’s a Sony DSC-H3 and I love it. I purchased my first digital camera, a Sony DSC-S70, in 2000, so I was definitely due for another and I’ve always liked the Carl Zeiss lens on the S70. This new one has 12x optical zoom, face recognition, etc., etc. Can’t wait to play with it some more.

Last Wednesday, our dinner group went to Bodega , one of our favorite tapas places. It was outstanding, as usual. Barbara and I were the only ones at dinner that evening; we had a great time sharing a variety of yummy plates:

• We started with a Hearts of Palm salad with romaine, tomatoes, and white truffle vinaigrette. It was as good as it sounds.
• Then we had tempura-fried chicken. Oh my. It was tender and crunchy, with a light sauce that reminded me of Thai sweet chili sauce. Good stuff.
• Next we ordered Crab and Spinach Gnocchi. Again, perfection. Soft potato gnocchi with lump blue crab in a dreamy cream sauce, topped with spinach and chopped tomato. We had this once before, and I’ve been thinking a lot about going back for it. Finally we did.
• For dessert, it was a no-brainer. The only chocolate item on the menu was a warm mini chocolate cake (really a lava cake, with a liquid chocolate interior) with vanilla gelato and strawberry compote. That and a cup of coffee and we were absolutely satisfied with a wonderful meal. If you’re ever in Norfolk, Bodega is a must-have.

Gnocchi with Blue Crab in Cream Sauce