Thanks

See

In September, I moved to Beacon Hill with my better half, to this wonderful house:



After living on Capitol Hill from 1995-1999 and then again from 2001-2007, I was ready for the transition to a quieter, even remotely suburban neighborhood. The house was built in 1954, has 4 bedrooms, a garage, huge laundry room and an actual dining room! I am most thankful to have this as my home.

The main drag of Beacon Hill is Beacon Avenue:



Here you'll find authentic Mexican restaurants, a dry cleaner, a fantastic little coffee shop, a grocery store, Filipino restaurants, a bakery, a library and a few other neighborhood jewels.

We also have one bar, the Beacon Pub:



I have only been four times since moving to the neighborhood, but it's a fun place to knock back a few and sing some karaoke (on Friday nights only, starting at 8:30pm). It is also a popular spot for this local celebrity

Eat

I am still full from yesterday's festivities. The brunch went swimmingly and there was more than enough food for the five of us. My favorite dish was the turkey bacon-gruyere quiche. I went back for a huge second piece.



Later, we went to Wallingford for the Dembiczak turkey dinner at my sister's house. She put on an impressive spread - and with equally impressive table scaping!



For dessert, I had a piece of cranberry-coconut-peach pie. Yum. I was so ready to explode, though.

Drink

My main contribution to our dinner last night was bringing 2 bottles of this wine.



It pairs nicely with turkey, if a bit sweet for my taste. I still much prefer Pinot Grigio as my main squeeze in the White department, but it was a pleasant off-roading experience.

According to about.com, "Gewurztraminer can be made in dry or sweet varieties and are generally best if enjoyed sooner rather than later post-bottling. Flavors qualities include: honey, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apricot, pear, and rose."

I think it's the honey aspect that makes this wine a 2-3 glasses affair for me, as opposed to the 5-6 I can take of my preferred white with its crisp green apple flavors.

Read

Last night at the dinner table, my brother-in-law read an excerpt from this article on gratitude in yesterday's Seattle Times.

The highlight is below:

Gratitude has been called the gateway to the virtues. As Cicero put it, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the parent of all others," opening the heart to deeper appreciation, compassion, repentance, forgiveness, generosity and wisdom. Giving thanks should be cultivated as a habit. It is a kind of therapy for the spirit.

It's worthy of a read. Being grateful is something I have been working on ever since returning from my last trip to Hawaii. Once you slow down, breathe and appreciate all that you have, happiness undoubtedly will follow.

Remember

There is a new boutique on Beacon Hill called Buggy, featuring new and used clothing for kids along with some toys and books. They will be hosting an open/house gift getting extravaganza the weekend of December 8th-9th and will soon be offering knitting workshops. Check this new small business out!



Buggy is located on the west side of Beacon Avenue, about a block south of Galaxie, and is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.



Worry

Between carbo-loading meals yesterday, we went for a walk to both take advantage of the gorgeous day and walk off the ten bricks in our guts. After stopping at the Red Apple to pick up some tupperware, we were called "faggots" in the parking lot by some very young children in a car.



Yes, these are kids and it's not uncommon behavior. What is unfortunate is that these kids were racial minorities. Homophobia is disappointing all-around, but when it comes from a group that has suffered from the same blows of discrimination, it's incredibly frustrating. Dan made them own up to it by asking them to repeat the word and then telling them now rude it was. I think it made them a little scared, as it should.