Good Friend, Final Visit?

Sharon was visiting from L.A. this weekend and we were so happy to see her - even for just a short visit. It really felt like she never moved away and we easily fell back into the usual routine of chatting about work and life, taking turns grossing each other out, and laughing out loud for hours at a time. Oh, and music. Boy did I hear a lot about music!

The weather this weekend was fickle to say the least, with temperatures ranging from 79 degrees down to 28 with a combination of clouds, sun, wind, and thunder. Friday night was horrible (except for the the good company of course) and we nearly sweat to death in our beds. I now regret complaining about the winter weather all month. The up side though, is that with two fans running at turbo-speed, it is nearly impossible to hear the drunk crowd on 18th Street. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll actually turn the air conditioning on this week.

On Saturday morning, after a refreshing shower and bagels from So's Your Mom, we set out to Eastern Market. There we were greeted with sunshine and then torrential rain and then some more sunshine. Despite the weirdo weather, we picked up some fish and fresh greens for dinner. Then we hopped on the Metro and headed to the Cowgirl Creamery for cheese. Luckily, they had Jesse's favorite, Humboldt Fog, and we also tried a round of their seasonal St. Pat. The St. Pat, a mild and flavorful cow's milk cheese that's wrapped in stinging nettles, is awesome! The rest of the afternoon we spent hanging out in the kitchen preparing dinner. I probably ate half a round of St. Pat all by myself while cooking that afternoon.

While dinner was a cinch, the dessert I chose to make, an almond pear tart, was in another category all together. Had I known how long it would take, I would have started the night before, but once I go the the crust and filling going, there was no turning back. Do I regret making the tart? Heck no! It was incredibly tasty and was welcome fuel during our epic Trivial Pursuit tournament. Jesse had the most wedges filled in his pie when we finally decided to give up, but I say, we're all winners for having such stamina after a giant dinner, a few drinks, and lots of dessert! This, unfortunately, is the only remnant of Saturday night. Probably by the time you read this it will be long gone!

I think it's pretty safe to say that this will be the last time Sharon visits us in D.C., so it was great to have her all to ourselves for a weekend. I think the next time we see her, she'll be in Seattle and we'll be in Portland. Only 3 1/2 hours and and a $65 Amtrak ticket away. I look forward to having our close friends within a reasonable distance again!