Celebrating Mitchell's Birthday And Graduation

Mitch, Mom, And Dad

With Granny

Happy It's Over

It's 7:00 and Marisa and Beth are up making chocolate chip pancakes.  Rami is flying off to Austin for the day and he left around 6:30, just as I got up.  It will be another warm day for us in Dallas, a mild one I suppose for the locals as it will only get up to 87º.  It's overcast, humid, and we are having thunderstorms as I publish this blog.

Mitch And Friends

Yesterday, a Sunday, began early as Baccalaureate was at 9:30 at the Opera House in Dallas.  So everyone but Marisa and me were out of the house by 8:15, as Mitch had to get there early. The ceremony was an hour long, some choral music and a religious talk by a graduate from ten years ago. I guess Baccalaureates both here and in KC cannot be organized by the school because of its religious nature so volunteer parents set it up, a result of the separation of church and state.  The opera house was stunning, with chandeliers that changed colors.  Marisa and I just hung out and I took Cody for a short walk until the group got home around 11:00.

 Buddies

A Handsome And Smart Grandson

We had a big breakfast, so Evie and Marisa made beignets, Rami scrambled eggs, Beth cooked the bacon and Mitch and I ate the results. We hung out the rest of the day until 3:00 when Marisa, Rami and I went off to REI which was having its once a year sale; everything was 30% off.  Rami showed me Highland Park's hip shopping area, Dallas's equivalent to Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive, with all the big name shops. We did not stop! REI was packed and while we were there browsing, the line at the cashiers always seemed to be at least 25 people long.  Rami and I picked out the same cool shirt and we laughed that if we both wore it to tonight's dinner, Mitchell would refuse to go with us, his weird father and grandfather.  We stopped at Starbucks so Marisa could get a mango black tea lemonade, a favorite.

Mother And Daughter

Proud Parents

We were back by 4:00. Evie and I decided to get some exercise, a mistake because of the heat and humidity, but we stayed out for 35 minutes, easily working up a sweat and ogling all the cool houses, the great trees that surround the neighborhood.

Baba And Granny, Marisa and Mitch

We left for Al Biernat's at 5:45 for our reservations at 6:00.  We were one of the first ones to be seated in the ornate but cosy dining area but by the time we left it was packed.  The first thing I saw as we entered was a great old bar, mirror, bottles and patrons.  Off to the left were two huge picture frames with the jerseys of Nolan Ryan and Troy Aikman, local sports heroes.  We sat down at a round table and from then on, we had a number of waiters at our beck and call, filling water glasses, bringing plates or dinner, taking away used plates.  We had two appetizers, a calamari and a chopped sushi with crispy lavash. And for dinner we all had Nieman Ranch steaks, of course, and most had the Filet Mignon, but Evie and I split a 24 ounce porterhouse, served nicely sliced so we could easily share.  We had sides of a mushroom risotto, sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, and a great macaroni and cheese, with a mixture of swiss, pepper jack, cheddar, and a dollop of ranch dressing.  For dessert, we had pecan pie with ice cream, coconut cream pie, and a peanut butter, chocolate and you name it pie.
They we all so rich that we shared them.  It was a great meal.  Yes, I would go back!

Dining At Al Biernat's

Al Biernat's Ceiling

When we got home, we were so full we could hardly make it to the couches to watch TV.  We watched Oklahoma City demolish Golden State, a big upset and just before bed, I took Cody out for a night walk which he loved.  It was a good way to end a great day for Mitchell.

Happy Birthday Mitchell

It's 8:15 and Beth and I just  got home from driving Marisa to school, as there are no school buses in Highland Park which means hundreds of cars converge on the school at the same time, so it's slow going and coming.  It took us 20 minutes to get to school and back.