Kicking Back(sort of) in Dallas

Yum, A Pork Chop Dinner

It's 7:50 at Beth's, and I've been up since 7:00. When I wandered into the living room, Beth was already up, and Mitch came in about 15 minutes ago, leaving Evie and Tyler still sleeping. Around 10:00, Beth, Tyler, and the dogs will take Mitch to the airport, leaving Evie and me behind to deal with the chimney guy. He sounded like a good old boy on the phone, so that should be entertaining.

Yesterday started at 6:00 for me, down in the Hampton Inn's breakfast room. By 9:30, we were packed and ready to say goodbye to our Hampton and move into Beth's house. When we arrived, she was just getting back from Central Market — she likes to go early before the crowds. Along with groceries, she brought home a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, Evie's favorite. Since I had to return the rental car by 11:30, Tyler followed me over in Beth's car once we got settled. The drop-off was next to Love Field, about a half hour away off of Mockingbird Road — easy enough, but plenty of lights and traffic. We took a different route home and ran into the same thing. Dallas roads are always crowded.

Krispy Kremes

Back at the house, Mitch was busy mounting a TV on Beth's bedroom wall, Tyler and Beth were working through some financial matters, and Evie was tending to the flower arrangements from Sunday's celebration, pulling out anything that had started to fade. My back has been bothering me, so I mostly sat around watching, offering advice where I could, with a heating pad in place. I did manage a short bike ride around the neighborhood, and I'm hoping to get out to the lake once I'm feeling better. Lunch was at 1:00 — Beth had made a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup, and I had a couple of bowls with rice, then finished off the leftover salsa from the weekend. By 2:00, I was down for a nap, wiped out from the drive and a busy morning of doing nothing.

Beth And Her Helpers

The afternoon rolled along much like the morning — a few things accomplished, helping Mitch finish up with the TV, and a fair amount of lounging with phones and laptops. For dinner, Beth decided to do pork chops sous vide, vacuum-sealing them first, then dropping them into the immersion circulator and letting them go until they hit 140°. We set up the outdoor umbrella because Evie wanted to sit outside despite the drizzle, but the wind had other ideas, and we had to take it back down. 

Dusk

Wine at 5:00, and Beth made the boys Old Fashioneds — their dad's drink. We sat down to eat around 6:00: the chops finished in a cast iron skillet, broccolini, Caesar salad, and mashed potatoes courtesy of Bob Evans. After dinner, we put on another Taylor Sheridan series, 1923, until everyone started drifting toward bed. I stayed up on my computer just long enough to watch the Cavs blow a 21-point lead and lose to the Knicks in overtime.