July 31, 2010

White Dog and The Other White Dog were resigned to this being our last Opera Saturday, once again abandoning our family for the highbrow glamour of the diva world...so they were a little confused when Richard came over in the early afternoon and began cooking up a storm. Could it be, their sparkling eyes asked, that mom and dad were NOT going? Alas, Richard was joining us and he had insisted on preparing a pre-Opera tailgate picnic for when we arrived in Santa Fe...wine, grilled vegetables with tarragon, an antipasto platter with cheeses, salamis, and Italian meats, garlic laden humus with lavosh, giant olives stuffed with slivers on garlic, fresh peaches and plums, and almond cake. The smells were heavenly, we all agreed. Time was running short as Steve packed up the car but Richard had "a last minute bit of finishing to do." Next to the White Dogs' usual chicken vegetable and rice dinners, Richard placed a personal antipasto plate for each dog, as perfectly arranged and garnished as the platter resting in our basket. (Another awaited Michael in the refrigerator). WD and TOWD looked grateful, surprised, and very happy as we walked out of the door...White Dog daintily nibbling bits from her plate; Quinn going for the gusto, snout fully plunged into the food!