It's Been Real, Dallas, Now Eleven Hours to Nashville

The Family

The Grandchildren

We are both up early, 5:30, as we want to be off before 6:30, to avoid any heavy Dallas traffic on our way out of town.  It's going to be a long day and a sad one, having to leave Beth and family after a great week.  Not much to look forward to for the next two days, just lots of seemingly endless highways.

Yesterday was another relaxing day, as we did not have much on our plate other than plan and make dinner later in the day.  First, I took Cody out for a long walk, while it was still cool.  Then, around 10:00, after a great breakfast of challah bread French toast, compliments of Beth, Rami and I drove to REI, again, to return shirts we bought five days ago but were to wide, alas.  Fortunately, we were able to get our money back but we both spent whatever we got back, Rami on a shirt and I bought a Osprey Day Pack, a deal of course.  We then stopped at Trader Joe's and I picked up some salsa that Evie loves and a few bottles of simmer sauce which we also like.  We made one more stop at Total Wine and More, a huge wine emporium which is expanding across the US.  You can find just about anything you want at a good price.  I picked up a bottle of BV, five bucks cheaper than at the lake and Rami got a case of summer wines.

With My Buddy, Cody

When we got back, no one knew exactly what to do, so we just hung out until 2:00 when we decided to watch Marisa's favorite movie, INSIDE OUT, an animated movie that won all sorts of awards, deservedly so.  We all watched it, laughed (and cried a little), and loved it.  For Marisa, it was the fourth time she has seen it.  It's an animated movie that adults can relate to and the imagination and skill which went into both the script and the animation defies belief.  Where do people come up with such amazing films, ones that both the young and old can enjoy.  We had a light lunch of cheese and crackers during the movie because we had not eaten since breakfast.

Grillin ad Chillin

After the film, Rami and Mitch ran off to REI because Mitch decided he, too, wanted a day pack. The rest of us, especially Beth, prepped for dinner and sipped wine.  Around 6:00 when the boys returned, Rami fired up the grill and put five pounds of marinated flank steak on the grill, along with corn and onions. We were having fajitas, so Beth heated up the tacos, Evie made a corn salad and sliced the avocado as we waited for the meat to be done. After letting the meat rest for five minutes, Rami sliced it and we made great fajitas out of the meat with  homemade chimichurri sauce, avocado, onions, and sour cream.  They were better than any of the taco joints we have been to in the past week.  We finished our meal with cherry pie and ice cream and then the guys turned on the NBA game, the girls adjourned to the bedroom to watch their shows.  It's nice having two TV's when you have a crowd.  The girls went up to bed by 9:30, tired from the day, leaving Rami and me to watch the game.  I have to admit I was tired enough to just say heck with the game and check the score tomorrow.  But I didn't and I am glad because Stephen Curry's amazing play took the game over in the last  few minutes to lead Golden State to victory.

Late Afternoon Grilling in Sun and Smoke