Parade of Stars

I closed out my summer with a bang.

It started last Tuesday when Katie (my carpool shark) asked me if I was hungry. I said yes and that we should go to Bread & Cup that night instead of Thursday, as we had planned.

Wednesday, as well documented in my previous post's comments, I went to Bread & Cup with Karen and Wendy. It was nice to be recognized by the Mrs. of the establishment, and the cheese plate was good too. I guess seven attendances between the 7th (the second day they were open) and the 29th, managed to make me recognizable at the establishment.

Thursday Bryant and his brother Bradley (and Bradley's wonderful miniature Australian Shepherd dog Sebastian) were in Omaha, so Karen, Wendy, and I went to eat with the Reynolds boys, Bryant's friend Val, her boyfriend Matt, his brother John, and John's wife Sarah. Espana (Omaha's tapas restaurant) was pretty good. I had rabbit, divers scallops, and snails along with Spanish tortillas and cannelloni stuffed with a tuna salad of sorts. Because of Sebastian, who wasn't allowed to stay at Val and Matt's apartment, I was happy to host Bryant and Bradley for the night.

Friday after a busy, busy day at work, I drove to Champaign, IL to visit Ellen.

Saturday Ellen and I went to Allerton Park, Montgomery's in Monticello, Turkish Restaurant Pasha, and Bombay Indian Restaurant. Allerton was great, but has very poor maps. Montgomery's was my first wine and cheese tasting: Danish blue with a syrah and Emmenthaler and a blanco. Pasha had a server, Dila, who really liked the phrase "You're so welcome." At Bombay, I had rasmalai, a dessert I'd never had, but oddly enjoyed.

Sunday Ellen and I had breakfast at The Crepe Cafe, where I also partook in some nocciola gelato (hazelnut). Then we went to the library, and Spurlock Museum, before we realized her amount of homework, and my desire to see Michael and Buffy, since they were only two hours away, added up to me going to Lafayette while she went to her computer.

Sunday night, I got to join Michael and Buffy, Casey and Gretchen, and Brian at Sgt. Preston's on the River. I really enjoyed getting to meet in person personalities I'd only known in the blogosphere and MySpace.

Monday, I stopped in Champaign for lunch at Papa Del's for some super stuffed deep dish pizza with Ellen. I also gassed up in Newton, IA so that I could get some of their local Maytag blue cheese. I haven't tried it yet, but apparently it is the tits.

As for dogs and their names, you already heard about Sebastian. At Allerton there were a sibling pair of fawn boxer/pitbull mixes, whose mother was a collie, named Honey and Baxter or Buster, some "B" name (maybe Ellen remembers). And during a pit stop in Malcom, IA, I met a chocolate laborador named Hershey.