A great time tonite at the wife's office holiday party, celebrated this year at a neat "super-green" home in the mountains above
the west bank of the French Broad River below Marshall, NC.
My favorite part of the house tour was the utility room, of course... a system that meshes- besides the intelligent site building itself- heated concrete floors, serious insulation, rooftop solar collectors cycling water through 120 gallons of storage, a backup ("instant") water heating furnace, etc. Plus a beautiful creek that the owners are restoring from years of cattle damage.
The centerpiece included a fantastic handmade brie by Viviana (a workmate of my wife Anne) who wanted to bring something from her Italian family heritage
Just one table of happy work friends and partners, including Mike (graewolf) and his beloved, left
Anne found an adorable baby to hold. I said he looked just like my plumber, which his parents found hilarious. Really- they didn't want to kill me.
The hostess has a wonderful Greek heritage, raised in Chicago with first-generation American Greek parents. Every year at the holiday party she "reads the empty cups" of anyone brave enough to drink a demitasse of Turkish-style coffee she serves after supper. Graewolf's reading- clearly seen in the photo as a sinuous, river delta-like line of coffee grounds- revealed "a successful flyfishing trip with friends" or something similar- honestly I can't remember the particulars of the reading- must have been too much Ouzo between plate fillings
. Graewolf, help me out with the exact reading!
Happy Holidays y'all!
My favorite part of the house tour was the utility room, of course... a system that meshes- besides the intelligent site building itself- heated concrete floors, serious insulation, rooftop solar collectors cycling water through 120 gallons of storage, a backup ("instant") water heating furnace, etc. Plus a beautiful creek that the owners are restoring from years of cattle damage.
The centerpiece included a fantastic handmade brie by Viviana (a workmate of my wife Anne) who wanted to bring something from her Italian family heritage
Just one table of happy work friends and partners, including Mike (graewolf) and his beloved, left
Anne found an adorable baby to hold. I said he looked just like my plumber, which his parents found hilarious. Really- they didn't want to kill me.
The hostess has a wonderful Greek heritage, raised in Chicago with first-generation American Greek parents. Every year at the holiday party she "reads the empty cups" of anyone brave enough to drink a demitasse of Turkish-style coffee she serves after supper. Graewolf's reading- clearly seen in the photo as a sinuous, river delta-like line of coffee grounds- revealed "a successful flyfishing trip with friends" or something similar- honestly I can't remember the particulars of the reading- must have been too much Ouzo between plate fillings
. Graewolf, help me out with the exact reading!
Happy Holidays y'all!
