May 24th, 2013 was a big day for the Emonds.  It was both our daughter Kristin’s 26th birthday and our granddaughter Melodie’s 2nd birthday.

Kristin – hard to believe she is 26.

Jordan and Alison (who just celebrated her 29th birthday on May 21st) had a birthday party for Melodie Saturday night.  Birthday buddy, Kristin, gave Melodie a yellow polka dot bikini which she modeled proudly with her handmade native slippers from grandma and grandpa.

Cousins and Auntie helping Melodie celebrate.  Oh yeah, and Dad too.

Blowing out the candles on Alison’s homemade birthday cupcakes.

I had BBQ’d some big beef back ribs and made a homemade plum BBQ sauce for the party a few days earlier on the backyard smoker.

The preparation with a dry rub for 24 hours.

The BBQ sauce ingredients.

The backyard smoker.

…and the resulting ribs

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the results.  I made a rookie mistake and went by time instead of temperature resulting in the ribs being too rare.  The sauce was excellent however.

Carry on folks, the muleskinner

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 – Cobourg, ON

Marca on the Wharf – 165 Division Street | Unit 201, Cobourg, ON 905 377 9100

Another dinner out with family and friends!  We arranged to meet my brother Don and his wife Karen for dinner.  Don made reservations for us at Marca on the Wharf, a new Italian restaurant in Cobourg.  My sister Janet, her daughter Jenny, and her sister-in-law Brenda all joined us for a wonderful night out.  The food and wine was terrific and the atmosphere and service was top-notch and the company of family and friends was outstanding!

Blurry picture of the group but it’s the best we have.  I am the good looking one on the end at the left.

Some of the delicious food selections – all freshly prepared to order in the open kitchen.

A family picture of the Emond kids – minus brother Dan.  Again, I am the good looking one on the right.

The fabulous dessert.

…and the remains

At the end of the evening we all fumbled for our wallets until brother Don generously picked up the tab.  That was a real treat for all of us. 🙂

Lesson for today – Act like George Costanza from Seinfeld when the cheque comes and let your brother pick up the tab. 🙂

…take care all, the muleskinner

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 – Cobourg, ON

Julie was given an LOA (Leave of Absence) from hospital duty for a few days.  We decided to visit family in the Cobourg, ON area.  We arrived on Tuesday afternoon at my sister Janet’s home.  Niece Jenny was nice enough to leave us a key for the house.  Janet didn’t know we were coming and was out on a shopping spree with her friends.

We visited for a while after they arrived home.  Later, we all decided to try the #3 Trip Advisor rated restaurant in Cobourg, ON – Stanley’s Fish & Grill.  Well actually, I made the decision because the day before Julie and I had a craving for fish and chips, after a long day at the hospital, but the Napanee fish & chip place was closed on Mondays.

Stanley’s didn’t disappoint!  The halibut was great.  The chips were fresh hand cut and the coleslaw was homemade, tangy and sweet.  And the featured Carlsberg draft was cold and satisfying.  The tarter sauce was a good compliment to the fish.

Jenny decided to try the chicken souvlaki with rice and salad.  She rated it a 7 out of 10.

Today’s lesson – don’t order the chicken at a fish place 🙂

…take care all, the muleskinner

Jim and Vera had a lot of visitors today.  Susan (Julie’s sister) was in early, as is her usual routine.  Mark and Randi (Julie’s niece), and Kristin followed in the morning.  Julie, Emily, and her brother Quentin were next.  Jaime and I went in later on in the afternoon.  It’s OK if you didn’t quite follow all of that.  I was there, and I couldn’t keep up.

Susan left for home while Mark, Randi, and our 3 girls went out for an early supper after visiting Grandma and Grandpa.   Once they returned, Julie, Quentin, and I went for some sushi, sashimi, and maki to the Trip Advisor #3 rated restaurant in downtown Kingston – SIMA Sushi.

SIMA Sushi, 66 Princess Street, Kingston, ON, 1 (613).542.8040

Quentin is a well known sushi lover in the family.  That love of sushi has carried over to his soon to be 5 year old son.  Isaac, when asked by his mom what he wanted for his birthday supper on Saturday, replied sushi! 🙂

Sushi-boy, Quentin, ready to enjoy.

The food and service was great.  It was a good break from the hospital visiting and a bit of a rejuvenation for us.

….take care all, the muleskinner

Our gourmet dinner club got together Saturday evening at Frank and Lola’s house.  They hosted a Mexican themed dinner with mango margaritas, Mexican beer, and other fine drinks.  The meat  was a baked chicken dish.  For appetizers, Nathan and Karen provided a taco “pie” and guacamole. Dave and Grace supplied sweet rolls and a mixed salad and dressing.  Julie and I prepared Mexican rice and grilled vegetables. Nathan and Karen’s dessert was a decadent chocolate brownie with coconut ice cream and spicy peaches.  Everything was excellent.  A fun time was had by all with our good friends, as usual.