A Restaurant is Born

It may seem a little crazy to compare building a restaurant to birth, however, surprisingly there are some similarities. Just as it takes nine months for a baby to form, it takes at least that long, and in most cases, about twice that amount of time to secure the space, get all the permits, have architectural drawings made, and then of course the actual building of the restaurant. Just as all the body's systems need time to develop, so too does that happen in a restaurant. You begin with a blank space, adding systems one on top of another. For example, all of the plumbing and air conditioning is installed in the ceiling; when you see the finished product, you can now imagine what is behind it all.

So, let's get started having a look at the brand new Earls Kitchen & Bar located in Tysons Corner, VA! My first view was from the plaza...

and here's a look at the back side, which in addition, shows a leather guy who is doing some repair work on a few of the bar stools.

Now you understand how it is situated in the bottom of a thirty story residential tower. On the bottom right is the bridge that spans the eight lane highway leading to the Metro station that I traversed multiple times in the three days I went into the city. Those stories will have to wait for another day, however, one photo I really like I took on my return to Tysons when the sun was beginning to set. This is the front door area.

What does it look line inside you ask?

Open kitchen line with gorgeous marble above it. Another direction..

And yet another direction...

The light fixtures are super great, as are the furnishings. So far you've been looking at the main dining area. Those are huge concrete beams that support the ceiling throughout the space. Adjacent to the areas above is the bar area, and more dining tables, overlooked by the art work created for the space. Remember when Bruce kicked the box because a part of the artwork was thrown out? Well, now it makes sense.....a pewter map of Washington, DC streets, times two.

The patio adjacent to the front door looks like this in the day time:

Bruce remained at work on Monday night until dark when I took this before we went to dinner.

The plaza area connects the Tysons Corner Center to the buildings, one of which is a residential tower, and one is an office building.

Tuesday night arrived and with it the opening party!! All of the glass you saw on the front of the restaurant is actually what is called a Nano wall, basically glass doors that fold like an accordion. The weather was pleasant on party night, allowing all the doors to be open when Steve (Bruce's boss) gave a little speech before the party kicked off.

I had Steve pose with Bruce for a photograph while both are breathing a sigh of relief that they've nearly made it!

Folks started pouring in, and the bar tenders started pouring as well! A good deal of the furniture was removed so folks could move around more readily to the food stations that offered bite-sized food from the menu. The chefs prepared the food on the spot.

The large piece of art on the wall you see pictured above was created by Tim who lives both in DC and California. In his younger days he actually painted on local Washington DC trains, thus the piece above. Earls is all about local. Here he is with Ellie who works out of the main office in Vancouver as part of the design team. I'm sitting across from them and both were very nice.

Sadly I did not get many photographs of the patio area which is really something, with seating for more than 100 people.

You can just see that not only are there lights on those huge umbrellas, but heaters as well! Inside here is Steve, once again, talking to Mike who was the superintendent for the general contractor. To say that he worked crazy hard is putting it mildly, seriously almost losing his mind on this job. Bruce told me he was a big guy and he sure wasn't exaggerating.

Without Mike's expertise the job would still be ongoing. Below is George who is an IT guy from Vancouver. He spent quite a few weeks on the job making sure all the systems work as they should. He's talking with a sweet young woman, whose name I've forgotten, who is an Earls manager from Calgary, here to help with the training, and the first few weeks of operation.

I told you it takes an army to build something like this, with the light fixture below as an example of that. Nearly a week of work by three men to make it happen.  Of course the carpenters first had to install the wood, following the plumbers, electricians, and ac guys work in the ceiling. Not to mention the $75,000 price tag for the fixture!
Outside, once again, the man seated on the far right is Dylan, the general manager who arrived about two months ago to begin hiring staff and coordinating training.

It really shines at night--no pun intended.

Well, the night was a success with the drinks flowing like water, evidenced by the multitude of empty glasses at our table.
The fellow on the right is Ricky, the Vancouver artist who created the pewter map, who kept telling me I reminded him of his Mother which I took as a compliment.  To say he was crazy about Bruce is putting it mildly.

People gathered around the bar. As the evening wore on, we gathered around the fire pit, and much to the Earl's folks delight, Bruce was finally having a good time.

Seated next to Bruce is Wendy, the head of design for Earls, and Jen's boss who was the designer Bruce worked with on this project. Here she's giving him a bemused look.

Yes, she is just as young as she looks! It was a long haul, but in the end, the space is gorgeous, and each and every part of the army should be very proud of their part in it, from Steve securing the space, to the guys who were washing the windows on Monday night before the party. I sure know I am proud of my darling husband. :)

And tonight, they open to the public.....

Part of the support staff,

Gail

p.s. sorry, two more photos of the small lounge area with super great furniture, and a small bar that is actually one of my favorite parts of the restaurant...

the bar...

And to think I even left stuff out...

Variety Show

While Bill and I were chatting last week, he asked when I was returning to the market to which I replied, I'm not quite sure if I will be going back. Surprised, he followed his earlier question by asking if I was going to stop taking pictures. "Not on your life!" At present, I may not be selling, but that does not mean I have quit seeing! Let's have a look now at some taken this week because I seriously can't help myself!

Who could resist capturing the sunlight/shadows on this house adjacent to the dry cleaners? Not to mention it is framed by a blooming Golden Rain Tree.

Yes, it is that time of the year when the trees are filling the skies with their brilliant yellow blooms.

I adore seeing them everywhere, made even more resplendent against a brilliant blue sky on a sunny day, of which we've had plenty this week. Hallelujah! For a few days I had the windows open, however, later in the week, the humidity got to be a little too much. Maybe a week from now I will open them, and they will stay that way for months? I sure hope so!

Driving to Leu Gardens on Monday, I took a street running parallel with Mills Avenue and came across this scene which left me wondering who are the people who have four classic cars parked like this in front of a building which is not a business? Not quite sure what it is, but it is fun to speculate.

That would be a Porsche on the left, a Ferrari, a Jaguar and finally a Riley. Never heard of a Riley? Me neither, but this link provides some information, however, this link is better, explaining that it was a British pedal cycling (!) company before making automobiles. Speaking of bicycles, I was super sad the other day when, while riding along Pershing I noticed that I'd lost my daisy! People think I'm observant, but where and how I lost it is a mystery to me. Maybe I'm losing my skills?

A few blocks from the car scene I saw this super cool dumpster.

At one time this image would have been a complete fabrication, however, these days I see nail polish in turquoise, and every other color of the rainbow! In fact, Tina, the nail girl I visited yesterday was wearing baby blue on her toes.

Wondering what she's doing in the photograph? Well, my big toe has either a plantar's wart, or something in it. Saturday Bruce, using a needle and tweezers, spent about twenty minutes poking around; Tina spent about twenty seconds, announcing there was nothing in it, or something to that effect. At times her English is just fine; other times, I've not got a clue what she says.

Back to the Leu Gardens trip on the free day, first Monday of every month, the roses were not only spectacular but oh so fragrant as well!

I've mentioned this before, but every visit I am newly amazed at the sheer number of Moms and their little ones. The sidewalks are clogged with strollers, and more often than not, they are empty as the children are running around. During my last visit the deck bordering the lake was closed, however, it is now open and brand new. These children were making use of the deck, running here and there. I overheard the Moms saying they were both sets of twins. Is that redundant? Can't decide.

Try as I might I can't recall the name of the girl twin in the striped dress, however, her brother in the red shirt is named ROMEO!! What are they thinking? For the record I was not eavesdropping, they just were talking loud. While some children were mostly running around, others were peering into the water at these guys.

There are loads of plants and trees in bloom at the gardens, none more interesting than this one.

Can you believe it....Indigoferia tincotria is the proper name. No, I did not remember it, I had to photograph the sign hidden below! Anyway, turns out this plant was the original source of indigo dye. 

Today's title suggested this post would be full of variety, and I've yet to disappoint you on that score, have I?

I also told you I was becoming obsessed with the horses...

Lest you think I'm entirely crazy, one reason for documenting them regularly is to see how this field changes now that the incessant rain has mostly stopped. Or, maybe we'll get a freeze this year? It's been quite some time since that happened...we are probably due.

Here's a change I can get excited about!! It must have been Monday, or maybe Tuesday, that I saw a truck with fencing arriving and two ideas came to mind. Either the fencing was going up to keep junk out, or maybe, just maybe, it was coming done.

Well, sure enough it was the later thought!

Will the corner once again be lovely? I sure hope so!

Finally, the calendar says it is fall, and along with dropping temperatures, well, just below 90 degrees, there are some Cyprus trees beginning to show their orange side.

This is along the shores of Lake Davis which is filled to the brim.

Mr. Peck is just about to board his plane to come home! We learned yesterday that the President of the company is delaying the opening for two days, so instead of Wednesday, the restaurant will open on Friday of next week. Why did I do that? You can do the math! Anyway, the good news is that it is not the construction causing the delay, but not quite enough staff for the "front of the house" as they say in restaurant lingo. Although this is the first time ever that construction has been completed on time, Bruce has made me swear I will not brag on him when I meet everyone at the opening party. Stopping short of swearing to that, I promised to do my best. I'll let you know how that goes...

Happy weekend to you,

Gail

Birds, a Bedtime Story, and the Ballet

Well, with a title like that what say we start with a bird picture?

This, my friends is a Limpkin. Not that I knew what it was before a strolling birder told me, but who was I to argue with a man carrying binoculars? I saw it on this morning's stroll around Lake Cherokee with Baxter. Aside from the type of bird it was, he also mentioned that it has quite the call and by golly, if you listen here, you most certainly will agree!

Because it has been quite some time since last I posted a bird picture, I'm taking full liberties today and posting a gazillion, some I took yesterday, a few from about a week ago. I was freaking out when I saw what I was sure was a new little bird visiting the Peck Casa. Because the weather is fairly nice (!), I sat on the front porch waiting for it to return. Sure enough...

I did not have any idea what type of bird it was, however, soon thereafter, well not before I took this picture of the cute little Downy Woodpecker, chewing up our palm tree I might add,

that Pam arrived unannounced. Because I'm not a great planner I welcome pop-in visitors! Anyway, continuing to impress me with her vast storage of knowledge, she told me it was a Chickadee. The iPad appeared next and sure enough she was right, however, there was a teeny bit more to the story. As in, there are two birds that look nearly identical, one is a Carolina Chickadee, which is what we were watching, and the other is called a Black Hooded Chickadee. Confused? Can't say as I blame you. Anyway it has to do with geography....

Another one of my very favorite birds was flitting about, landing on the side of our Laurel Oak tree.

Tiny little thing, right? Super cute and lively. The cardinals are finished with molting and their feathers are never so bright...

Oh friends, there are more to come!! I spotted this Great Blue Heron at Lake Eola.

One thing that just fascinates the heck out of me regarding birds is the wide variety of eye colors, particularly in shore birds. I was thinking today how I see these shore birds regularly but not everyone has that luxury. I suppose folks who like birds in India, say, think the same when they see birds I've never seen. Not saying they don't have Ibis in India, because, perhaps they do, but you get my drift.

For the very first time ever, I got a picture of a bird, in this case, an egret, out in the wild having just caught a fish. Unfortunately, the sun was so bright on the white feathers it is not great, however, it is a first so I'm showing it!

Had enough birds? Well good because that's all you are getting.

Most of you know that I'm completely obsessed with the writing of Ron Rash. Although some might find his books depressing, and let's face it, he writes about very dark material, I find his stories powerful in an unassuming way. Sunday night, after returning from the Hill's house, Bruce sat down to tackle some work emails before coming to bed. Me, I got in bed with a book of Ron Rash's short stories called, Nothing Gold Can Stay. I read the first story called "The Trusty" which appeared first in the New Yorker. Appeared, that's how they always put it, like it is magic. Anyway, just as I was starting the second one, in came Mr. Bruce looking slightly unsettled. Probably some problem or other, not to mention having to leave in the morning, so what did I do? Well, here's what I did. I said, "honey, would you like me to read you a bedtime story?" And so I did, not really finishing it before he fell asleep, but it did soothe him in spite of the nature of the story. The link I provided is an interview with Mr. Rash on Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Forgive me for being such a nuisance about my favorite authors but who knows? Maybe you will find time to read him and I've not doubt you will be better for having done so!

The ballet? What's that all about Gail? Well, here's what it is all about. My friend Ha invited me to an event at the Abbey last evening called  Orlando Ballet UNCORKED.  Billed as an event for audiences to learn what goes into the choreography of ballet it was that and more. Robert Hill, pictured on the right was explaining all about mime in ballet, specifically a scene from Giselle which they will be performing on October 30.

As you can see we were very close to the action. It helped that we arrived early. :)

Although not in costume there danced a few scenes from the ballet, as well as a really cool part when Mr. Hill, the artistic director, chose from the company dancers and made up a dance on the spot. It was quite interesting to watch his thought process, not to mention how quickly the dancers picked it up. Following that there was a Q & A session with a surprising number of questions asked.

Although I can't recall every attending the ballet before, and maybe I have but you know my faulty memory, it sure whet my appetite for me. Wasn't it nice of her to invite me?

Now this was a fun post wasn't it? Not a controversial subject in the lot!!

Smiling at my computer,

Gail

A Perfect Weekend

Just having the man of the house home for the weekend is cause for celebration, but I was blessed with more besides! The weather...always the weather, right? Friday afternoon the skies were filled with gorgeous bands of wispy clouds.

Sue sent me a text after lunch saying the shelves were in, and I scooted right over to see them for myself. I was not in the least surprised to find she was already filling them up with her vintage goodies. She wouldn't let me take her photo, but her husband Dylan was home and he wasn't one bit shy about showing off their brand new kitchen!

The subway tile looks great doesn't it? Everyone's doing it.

Bruce came home exhausted, but happy to see us, as we were him. I was super surprised that following dinner at home he was able to stay awake, probably because the series I found on Netflix to watch was very engaging. Called "Longmire", I have no idea how I found it, but apparently, according to this link, we are not the only ones who like it. If you enjoy a good mystery/drama, with both good acting and plot lines, not to mention, fine acting, you just might want to get on the Longmire bandwagon.

Saturday morning broke gray and overcast, however, that time was put to good use around here chatting with Matt on Facetime, with Tom making sporadic appearances. For the first time in what seems like ages, our Internet connection was perfect, and we chatted for nearly two hours on subjects ranging from urban foxes to the shootings in Oregon which has everyone up in arms.  (no pun intended!) The skies cleared, I jumped in the pool to be cool, and mowed the lawn, not really breaking a sweat, which is good news indeed. Clean sheets, clean clothes, FSU won their football game, albeit in a super sloppy fashion--what more could a girl ask for? And what was Mr. Bruce doing during this time? Need you ask?

That said, he did quit working long enough for a dinner date to North Quarter Tavern. He is seriously needing a haircut soon!

Don't ask me why I did not get one of him smiling because he is such a good smiler. Anyway, the night air was "coolish" as we walked to and from the car adding much to the evening's enjoyment.

Sunday morning we experienced a first! How can this be at our age? Haven't we seen it all? No, apparently we haven't. We are still figuring out the timing for our drive to Winter Park, thus we were about twenty minutes early. As Bruce was checking his phone for work related stuff, I pulled my camera out of my purse to amuse myself. Well, I'm glad I had it with me. Our first clue that something was not quite right was the sighting of this truck.

I see now, after looking closely at the photograph, that they have their own website, which I will NOT be checking out. That young woman you see in the gold t-shirt? Verbally accosting us, she wanted to know if we thought homosexuality was a sin? We explained otherwise, which as we learned later was not exactly the right move. Her rantings followed us as we crossed the street.

Who these folks were, I do not know, however, the use of children in this protest against both abortion and homosexuality did not set well with me. Music was blaring, and a passionate "preacher" was "preaching" in front of the church entrance.

Visitors welcome indeed. At the door we were given a little handout explaining the reason for the protest, and in very gracious language suggested it was best not to engage with them because it was unlikely you would change their mind, anymore so than they could change yours. During the service you could just barely hear their chanting outside the sanctuary, but, although there weren't quite as many as we left, they were anything but subtle in their message.

Well, that's one way to put it, or maybe five ways? Aside from that, or maybe in addition to how the church staff handled it, we are very much enjoying attending a worship service again.

Following church we made our way to the MINI dealership so I could see for myself the orange MINI that Jonathan and Alissa got a few weeks ago. Well, color me orange!

Sorely tempted, I resisted buying one for myself, however, who knows how long I can hold out? Inside they have this:

Woo-Hooooo! Indeed. An original MINI. Love it!!

Next up was heading over to Bill and Fallon's to pick them up for lunch. Not only did we see the beautiful job Bill is doing on grouting his new pool deck, but the inside looked super as well. Following a discussion we decided on Firebirds, and we were glad we did. A lively discussion and good food. What's not to like?

One of these days I'm going to take a photograph of Fallon without her sunglasses atop her head!

Are you beginning to understand why I said the weekend was perfect? Spending time with two of our sons always makes things better. If all that weren't enough, we joined our friends for Hill's Happy Hour ,which was fun as usual, and made even better because no one was sweating! Bunker hoped I had brought my camera, which I had not, so that I could photograph his flowers, which I intend to do as soon as I click on publish. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'm up early to be with Bruce before he left again for the final week before opening. Won't be long now, and in fact, next Monday at this time I will be beside him on the plane heading to DC! To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement!

Some folks have been making "friends" online since they got on Facebook. Me, that happened some years earlier on Flickr. One "friend" I made through that site is an Italian woman, living in Southern California. and practicing law.  A Brown graduate, she has provided me with hours of entertainment over the past nine years, including a recent post about a trip she and her Mom took to meet some long lost relatives in San Fransisco. My sister Lisa has been there multiple times, and I'm wondering if she ever went to this place. The little film about Sutro Baths is fascinating, made even more so to me because some of the footage was shot by none other than Thomas Alva Edison, one of my childhood heroes! Check it out!

Now, about Bunker's flowers.....

Gail

Friday the Second

Having watched a fair amount of documentaries in the last year, I can say without question the one that had me in tears from beginning to end is Alive Inside. Have you heard of it? In the last few years I've listened to a few radio pieces about the power of music, but actually watching people come alive after years of unresponsiveness is both inspiring, and heartbreaking.

You can watch it on Netflix if you have it, and I hope that you do! I suspect it will set your heart soaring!

Combining two of my favorites, music and older folks, I will definitely be donating to this worthy cause.

It was only last evening, while talking to Pam about sleeping problems, that I shared with her how the year that I was not well, I would go to sleep with my iPod to distract me from the pain. It was such a blessing to me, and to see the folks in the nursing homes come to life while listening to personalized music had me bawling. Apple, where are you in all this???

We were chatting during the intermission of the play we'd gone to see at the Mad Cow Theater. Called "You Can't Take it With You," it won the Pulitzer Prize back in 1937 for best drama.  Pat invited me to be her date, which I was happy to accept rather than face another night home alone. Plus, there was food! Pam made another spectacular meal. I mean seriously good. There is nothing Pam does not do well.

The mayonnaise in the foreground, or I guess I should be calling it by the fancy name, aioli, was so delicious when paired with the perfectly cooked asparagus. Oh my! And the truth is, the meal was more enjoyable than the play! Not that the play wasn't good, but it is what might be called zany, and loud, and let's face it, the Mad Cow theater is pretty small for all that. Or, it seemed that way to me. A very large cast of characters...

It was my first time seeing a play in the new space, well they've been there two years, but it is new to me and it is really nice. Walking over to Church Street from a parking garage on Pine Street, the sun and clouds were putting on a show.

Closer to home, on my morning bike ride I saw this...

The folks on the other side of this wall have listed their home for sale, and while there may be other reasons, this wall may be contributing to their desire to move. It was only just a few months ago that another careless driver did the same thing; I'm thinking it was only repaired a month or so ago! Pay attention folks!

I wish I knew how to download photos from emails because I would give you a preview of the restaurant which looks smashing, to say the least! Bruce took a bunch this morning before heading to the airport for his afternoon flight. Seeing the chefs in the kitchen with food on the counters is thrilling. Soon...I'm bound to be able to figure it out.

The wind chimes are going like crazy outside and I think what it means is a COLD front is moving in!!! I saw that the overnight temperatures were to be in the mid 60's this weekend! Oh happy day.

Happy weekend to all!

Gail

p.s. Ignore any critical reviews of the film...they are just plain cold hearted folks who've probably never once set foot into a nursing home!!!

p.p.s I was thinking about Matt Stromberg in the last few months of his life--his iPod was on constantly and I remember Angela saying if she heard Talking Heads one more time she was going to scream but it sure brought Matt comfort. :)