Summer Salad

I may have to come up with new ways to pose food. This could get boring by the end of the month. At least this salad combines some of the lovely fruits and veggies that we’ve been enjoying. The lettuces are from our garden, the strawberries from the farm up the road.

M and I went to Akron last night for the Northside July 4th Fest followed by the city of Akron fireworks. We had intended to go listen to the Akron symphony for a little while before the fireworks but we were enjoying the music at the Northside so much that we stayed longer than planned.

We had dinner at the Northside (another plan gone awry as the restaurant we were going to eat at was closed for the holiday). The menu at the Northside was pretty limited due to the holiday. Most people were ordering the sausage and peppers sandwiches. We had the dinner special (about the only other thing being served) which was jambalaya. At first I wasn’t too sure about it as it tasted strongly of tomato soup. (I noticed later that they have a roasted tomato soup on their menu and wondered whether or not they used the leftovers as the base for the jambalaya.) Oddly enough, it was good. Not your traditional jambalaya, for sure. But tasty nonetheless.

We shared a serving of tiramisu for dessert. It was good. I had my first taste of a chocolate covered coffee bean with the tiramisu. I’ve only recently become a coffee drinker and generally chug it down cold for the caffeine rather than for the taste. I’ve never liked the taste. That’s beginning to change a little. I seem to be acquiring a taste for it, especially if it’s a crunchy bean covered in chocolate.

The Akron fireworks were good. We joined the crowd along the inner belt for a good view of them. Certainly a close-up view. One of the children sitting behind us summed it up well when he said “It’s raining fireworks!” Not only were we close but the wind was blowing in the right direction, bringing a shower of cinders down upon us. I can honestly say we brought some of the fireworks home with us (in our hair, on our clothing, etc.). Fortunately the stuff wasn’t hot when it hit. Nobody (that I know of) caught on fire.

I did not take my camera along on this excursion. I didn’t want to have to worry about it while carrying it through the crowds of people. I sort of regret it because there were opportunities for some great shots. On the other hand, going without it meant I could enjoy the evening firsthand rather than through the lens of the camera.

Today we’re going to be chipping and shredding some of the downed branches from around the property. The ice and snow of winter as well as the spring and summer storms have left us with quite a bit of clean-up. We normally do this sort of work in the fall when the weather is cooler. However, I want to mulch the garden to cut down on the weeding I have to do so we’re going to make our own mulch.

Tonight we’ll likely go to Kent to see their fireworks display.  I’ll take the camera and tripod.  I could use some new fireworks captures.