Tonight was a wonderful night.  Zoa and I sat outside at Oregon Grille and toasted Amy's new babies, Maggie and Mollie.  They were born today and we felt compelled to "toast" these two new babies and welcome them into this world and our circle.  It was a beautiful night so we decided to eat outside.  A light breeze made a comfortable night even more comfortable.  The food is always excellent here and there's never any question as to what I want to eat.  The sliced steak with fries is amazing and I can never resist ordering it.  As always, it was delicious!  I recommend the outside patio to everyone.

The Oregon Grille

1201 Shawan Road

Hunt Valley, MD  21030

PH: 410-771-0505

I got back into being an Orioles fan about three years ago and am I glad!  The O's are doing great and I'm loving every minute of it (almost).  Last night I got to watch them in person at Camden Yards.  Vicki and Clare and I had a great time.  We were in the third row at third base waiting for that slide into third that never came.  The weather was perfect and even the Red Sox fans around us were decent. Winning helped too!

Every May is Emerald Isle time!  Six to eight couples rendezvous at Kathryn's (previously blogged) for dinner on a Wednesday night.  We then settle in at our hosts' duplex on the beach.  We stay and play as a group until Sunday when we all part to drive home.  We play golf on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  This year we went for breakfast on Friday together before our golf round.  YanaMama is a fun spot!  It's a trip back in time with a jukebox that plays 50's music.  The walls are covered with shots of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, I Love Lucy, and more.  The room is not big, but they offer a great breakfast and plenty to see.  Their specialty is apple and banana fritters.  Very delicious and very filling!  We passed them around the table as a breakfast appetizer.  Now that's my kind of crowd!!


YANAMAMA
117 Front Street
Swansboro, NC  28584
PH: 910-326-9052

When I returned from Italy, Vicki was returning from Belize and Georgia was getting ready to go to Italy.  The three of us managed to squeeze in a fun dinner at a relatively new restaurant in Historic Fells Point in Baltimore City.  It was a night to share our experiences and plans and be together.  Thames Street Oyster House is on Thames Street (duh), a very popular street along Baltimore's waterfront in its Fells Point Neighborhood.  We met early which is recommended, because after 7pm  there is little parking available, and that includes weeknights.  Our dinners were wonderful.  They serve seafood and offer an a la carte raw bar.  There is seating downstairs in the bar area, upstairs, and in the outside back garden.  I think they will be very busy this summer, hopefully I will be part of the crowd!









THAMES STREET OYSTER HOUSE
1728 Thames Street
Fells Point, MD  21231
PH:  443-449-7726

               

Buongiorno!  This year I celebrated a "Big" birthday, one that ends in zero.  Whenever this happens, I celebrate the entire year.  I don't find that excessive since it only happens once every ten years.  My son joined me in celebrating and graciously treated me to a week in Italy, just the two of us.  We spent two nights in Venice, two in Florence, and two in Rome with stops in Tuscany, Assisi and Pisa.  What a great trip!  Everything was perfect!  I'd like to feature my favorite dinner at a restaurant we stumbled on  walking the streets of Florence. Trattoria  Armando.  We spoke no Italian, they spoke hardly any English, but the outcome was amazing.  The pasta melted in your mouth and the presentation made you feel like you were eating art.

By the way, that's not coffee in my mug, it's hot chocolate.  I heard that it would be super rich and it was.  Kinda like drinking a melted chocolate bar.  Amazing!

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted and blogspot's new format confirms this.  I'm a little slow, but no big deal.  My next few postings may not be in exact order, but hopefully close.  After all, how much could have occurred in the last three months or so??