What You See

The Tidal Basin was very pleasant at 4:30 this afternoon. The sun was low enough in the west to offer plenty of shade beneath those famous cherry trees, there was a soft breeze, and the water was dotted with bright blue paddle boats. As Heidi and Lucy and I walked up and around toward the Jefferson Memorial, there was also something else. The unmistakable silhouette of a scooter beckoned from the end of a pathway. Within moments I was rolling up and down and all around the deserted tree-lined drives and shady lots on the south side of the grounds.

In the years since 2001, all the roads that lead directly to the monuments, memorials, and government buildings have been barricaded and blocked; usually I find the added security a depressing reminder of the contentious world we live in, but today? It was a scooter's paradise.

10 minutes later, the scooter was parked, locked and ready for the next free spirit who chose it, and we were on our way.

Going Bananas

There is one crop that thrives every year in my garden-- whether I have one plant or many, I always have lots of banana peppers. Heidi and Victor like them pickled, and every summer I oblige, but how many pickled banana peppers does anyone eat, really?

The answer is, less than we have, since we still have at least a pint or two, and so this week I've been looking for some other options for that huge bowl of peppers on the counter. After reading several recipes, I decided that I would do a riff on aji amarillo paste, a staple of Peruvian cuisine, but one that kept the traditional flavor profile of the banana pepper, specifically part of an Italian sub, or as we called them growing up in South Jersey, a hoagie.

With that in mind, I seeded my peppers, blanched them, and shocked them in some ice water. After a thorough draining, I combined them in the food processor with a hefty portion of fresh garlic, some oregano and basil, black pepper, really good olive oil, and a little red wine vinegar. The result?

Mwah!

Hoagie in a jar! (With a little sunshine thrown in!)

Punch in the Gut

Those dang infinity stones!

As I sat in the cool darkness of the theater this afternoon enjoying the light-hearted family fun of Ant Man and the Wasp, I had completely forgotten about the catastrophic ending to the latest Avengers movie... until the credit scene.

Tomatoes? What Tomatoes?

There's been a lot of rain here, and we're expecting more. Generally, I try to go with whatever weather there is, especially in summer, because whether the day is hot or rainy or both, it is still a day of vacation.

Even so, I have kept a sharp eye for standing water and the predicted flash floods, but I was a bit surprised, when they closed our pool yesterday due to "dangerous conditions." After that, perhaps I should have expected that when I arrived at the Wednesday afternoon farmers market today many of the usual vendors were simply not there.

Oh, I was disappointed in my quest for summer tomatoes, but I did spot a scooter just across the street, and after a quick 10 minute ride, all was forgiven.

Home Boy

Josh is taking a 2-day motorcycle safety course in an outer suburb, and so he asked if he could stay with us and borrow the jeep.

"You sure can!" I texted him back, and when we rolled in at 8 last night we found the boy lying on the couch, watching TV, and petting the cats. "Want to go out for ramen?" I asked, needlessly.

"How about ribs and potato salad for dinner tomorrow night?" Another needless question. "And some cream of broccoli soup to take home with you?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" he answered. "Thank you!"

He has had to rise at 6:30 the last two days to make it to his 10 hour class, and so right now he's back on the couch snoozing way, as the ribs braise and the soup cools. It's good to have him home!

Scoot 4 Life

"Wow!" I said to Annabelle this morning at 8:45, "you're up early!"

"I want to go scooter before you leave," she told me and checked the app on her mom's phone. "There's one right down the street!"she reported.

"Let me finish packing the car," I said, and a few minutes later after closing the hatch on the Subaru, I crossed the street and looked around the corner. I could see the scooter half a block away, but to my dismay, I also saw a guy approaching it, phone in hand. I lurked hopelessly on the corner, but my heart sank when I heard the beep beep of the scooter unlocking. The guy straddled it, but then shook his head in either frustration or confusion. Miraculously, he stepped off, and walked away.

By this time, Annabelle had joined me on the corner. "I wonder if there's something wrong with it," I said pessimistically as we walked down the hill. But there wasn't. The scooter unlocked and I rode it back to the house so Annabelle could get her helmet.

"We don't have much time," I told her as we rolled up the hill in the golden morning light. A light breeze blew as we approached the park, and a few glorious minutes later we were scootering up and down the rolling pathways.

"You guys look awesome!" smiled one woman as we passed. "I wish I had a camera!"

Taking Flight

And on our last day in Atlanta...

There was scootering!

At noon, I checked the app and saw that there was an available scooter a few blocks away. "I'm going to get it!" I announced. "I might be back!" Then I paused, reconsidering my words. "Well, okay, I'll definitely be back, but I might have a scooter." And off I went.

The first scooter was nowhere to be found, and so I pressed on. As I neared the location of the next closest ride, I kid you not, a white BMW pulled up and a young woman hopped out, phone in hand. Her driver shrugged and smiled at me. Unfortunately for both of us, though, there was no scooter at that location. But there was an icon down the road and around the corner on the map, and so I power walked that way, making sure to enjoy the pleasant breeze and the lovely shaded southern sidewalks along the way.

Turning the final corner, I knew that today? Three's the charm. I stepped up to the scooter, and unlocked it with my phone, scanned my driver's license, and at last! I was off.

I scootered up the sidewalk and into the shady street. Zig-zagging here and there, and marveling that such a device might be so easy to ride and so fun. It was on the last three blocks, straight up hill, to my sister's house that I really appreciated my convenient little ride, and I rolled triumphantly up the driveway.

Not long after that, Courtney, Annabelle, Heidi, and I were all at the park with my trusty scooter, AKA, BY17. Everyone gave it a roll, but no one quite loved the ride as much as I did. That is until Annabelle and I bent the rules and rode double down the path. And that was how we spent the next hour-- sun on our shoulders, wind in our hair, nodding to the many, many other scooters, rolling through the park.

Props to Josh for being exactly right-- it was more fun than I thought it would be, and you all know how much fun I thought it would be!

I can't wait to ride again!