Last weekend I had a cooking class for four hours Sunday, so Dad agreed to come down this weekend to celebrate Father's Day. Friday night we all took it easy. Julien and I snuck out a bit early from work so that we could buy some groceries for dinner, and Julien prepared jumbalaya as a treat for all of us. We had a pretty relaxed evening and went to bed early -- I had been feeling shot since Tinariwen kept us up 'til midnight the previous Tuesday.

Saturday morning I got up early to go to ballet class while the gentlemen slept it. I think it was the first time that I didn't leave ballet class feeling invigorated. I don't know if it was my sweating problem, or the fact that I couldn't stop stressing about all of the work assignments I need to complete before our vacation, but when I got back I was testy and unfortunately everyone could tell. Dad did his best to cheer me up while Julien made us a nice lunch of asparagus, sausage, and omelet. Dad had brought down his Julia Child cookbook for us to admire, which we had been quite interested in since seeing "Julie and Julia" Thursday. We followed her directions for preparing an omelet, and came out with the very best ones Julien had ever made. They were crispy on the outside but tender and moist on the inside, and all around wonderfully delicious and satisfactory.

After breakfast we decided to go to Sauvie Island to go raspberry picking. I think this was what really cheered me up. We went to the same farm as last year, which I find inspiringly beautiful. It was still rather early in the season, so we had to hunt around for the berries. We started with the variety that the host had recommended came in earlier, and after picking nearly a flat's worth, we decided to try the other variety just for fun. These, the Tillameens (I think), turned out to be far more delicious, so we ended up picking a second flat. Then we went to check out the blueberries, but these were definitely still too early.

We dashed home to drop off the berries before taking the Max to meet the Steiners for the Organic Beer Festival at Overlook Park. We didn't find the beers as outstanding as the ones at the winter beer festival, but there were a lot of fun varieties to sample and it was very pleasant to sit under the shade of a large tree, with bright sunshine all around. After a few hours we headed home and had a nice dinner of lamb shank, pasta, and green beans. After dinner I completely passed out, leaving poor Julien to make all of the jam.

When I was a kid I used to get pretty bad stomach aches, and my Dad always had the most amazing technique for curing them. He would systematically massage my abdomen (helping what was usually just a severe case of trapped gas escape) while telling me comforting and soothing things in a style learned from a hypnosis class. I had forgotten all about this, but as soon as he offered to help that evening, and he began the first ritual words, I could feel a whole class of tension escape my body. He soon had my tummy feeling much better, and I slipped into a deep and restful sleep.

Sunday morning we all slept in. Julien and I had apparently traded places, and after slaving over the jam he was exhausted and ill. I left him at home to recuperate and took Dad out for a tasty brunch at screen door. Afterward, the two of us went for a long walk up the waterfront, to Jamison Park. Along the way, we stopped at Saturday market and did a bit of shopping. Once at the park, we stopped for ice cream before catching the street car back home. All in all it was wonderfully lazy.

Once Dad had headed home, I did some laundry and made a Berry Glace Pie out of the remaining fresh raspberries. We had it for dessert later that evening, and it was delicious! I had also picked up a stash of books from the library, and devoured almost entirely the excellent "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, which I had been awaiting eagerly for months.

Tags: book, cook, dad, movie