De-Nesting Diaries: Sunday, April 14th

No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous. -Henry Brooks Adams, historian (1838-1918) 

The following recipe is taken from Francis Mallmann’s inspired cookbook Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way: 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH GARLIC AND WHITE WINE

Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3.5 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- Course salt and coursely ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 6 to 8 thin slices of crisp toasted Pan de Campo, or toasted fresh bread crumbs
- Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Peel and halve the butternut squash.  Discard seeds and fibrous center and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat butter and olive oil in caldero (Dutch oven can be used in place of caldero, if you happen to find yourself without a big iron pot).  Adjust logs and coals under caldero to stabilize over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.  Add squash and stir to combine, then add the white wine, 1 generous tablespoon of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.  Raise the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until wine has evaporated.  Add the stock (it should just cover the vegetables) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook gently, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until squash is very tender.

Next, puree the soup with an immersion blender (or, if using a regular blender, reheat as necessary). Adjust the seasoning and ladle into soup bowls.  Top each serving with a slice of toast or a generous spoonful of toasted bread crumbs.  Sprinkle with the remaining thyme and fresh Parmesan to taste and serve immediately.

P, please use this other e-mail address otherwise I do not get your message.  W

Great ride today, thanks. Hope the wind was with you on your return. It certainly helped me.  we can get soem rides in later this week. W

Hey Pat I was wondering if you could look over my resume and cover letter and see if you could give me any advice to make it better!!!!

Hi, Patrick:

Thanks for your most recent epistle and wonderful tales of curling, cycling, English travel plans etc.

Little news from my part, as my pleasant but somewhat constrained
routine continues in the wake of the foot situation.   Speaking of
which, the incision seems to have healed very well. Since the stitches
came out, I have been applying Vitamin E oil every day and it is looking
good.  But I'm not as sure about the deeper healing, as there is still
quite a bit of throbbing and joint pain, although it does seem to be
slowly improving.

So I am continuing to work on small computer-based projects, plan for
next India trip,  watch DVDs, etc.   I do find it difficult to be inside
all of the time, so I'm going out into the 'hood on a daily basis to
give my foot a bit of walking practice, do a few errands,  and spend
time reading at the coffee shop (Bean Brothers).    My big adventure
last week was taking the bus down to Dunbar and 41st to shop at the IGA
- my mother met me and drove me home with my bags.  It was my first real
grocery-shop in over a month.  My foot and ankle were aching by the end
of it!

Also, my friend Debbie came over from Victoria yesterday for a visit. 
We have known each other since we were two years old, and her folks
still live across the back alley from my mother.  When she comes over,
we sometimes manage to squeeze in a short visit, but most of her time is
spent with them and it's not so often that we have a more extended,
relaxed visit - so that was nice.

Guess what - I know your friends Andre and Rosemary.  Well, more Andre, though I have met Rosemary.  Dan -- the same friend who rescued me from
Iona that time -- is very good friends with Andre, since high school, I
think.    Well, around 2008-2009, I dated Dan (who lives here in
Kerrisdale) for a little while (just a few months) and we are still friends (long, complicated story, though I am under no illusions that it
is of surpassing interest to the universe).   Anyhow, during that time, we went over to Andre's and he made dinner for us (he's a great cook!) Rosemary was not there (in England, I think) but another time, Andre brought her by to my place when Dan was over, after having picked her up at the airport.   I'm not quite sure how and why that happened, but that's the only time I met her.  On another occasion, I went for a walk with Dan and Andre at Fraser River Park and we hung out at Dan's for awhile afterwards.

I like Andre.  How is he doing?  I know that he has chronic heart problems, which is somewhat alarming. Anyhow, Patrick - hope you have a great week with your cycling and other endeavours.  I look forward to seeing you on the 22nd. Janet

Hi Giorgio!

Glad that you made it home! Almost more than I can say for some of us! After we left you on River Road we made our way over a freeway, (I think it was the Queensborough Connector), on a bike/pedestrian overpass and then followed a trail which took us over the Annacis Channel Bridge. Very good bike way here so very easy/pleasant. Struggled a bit to cross over Cliveden Ave but once we did there is direct access to the east side of the Alex Fraser. Designated pedestrian/bikepath is not as wide as one might want but we encountered no oncoming cyclists or pedestrians so made it over without mishap.

Once over the bridge we found ourselves on an interlocking brick pathway which took us onto the west sidewalk of Nordel Way. Quite a good climb up to 84th Ave where we made a right onto 84th Ave and followed it past 120 St/Scott Road. I remember these coordinates as Sarge mentioned that we had just crossed from North Delta into Surrey. Bit hazy from then on as I really don't know exactly where we went. Sarge knows Surrey like the back of his hand and even he wasn't sure, at times, which streets went where. At any rate, we finished at his work place and I must say I was quite impressed with the building and surrounding site. He should be very proud of bringing this mega-project to fruition, under budget and on schedule.

After a quick wander through the part of the large parking area, (Sarge wanted to take a look at the recently installed signage.), we set off in the general direction for King George Blvd. From looking at a map as I scribed, I think we eventually followed 134th St to where it intersects with KGB and then followed this busy arterial thoroughfare all the way to the approach to the  approach to the Pattullo Bridge. I assumed that we could ride over this structure on the east side but it became quite apparent that this was not the case. I was quite distressed, as you can imagine, as up until this point I had been able, courtesy of dipsy-doodling, not to have to dismount! Had about 42 K on the clock so that was some slight consolation.

Grizzling under my breath, I unclipped and we had a brief confab about what to do. Of course, at this point the traffic is extremely heavy and moving at top speed. After a quick assessment we took our lives in our hands, or perhaps, more appropriately, our feet. We we waited for a red light further back on KGB and a marginal break in the flow of vehicles thundering off the Pattullo and managed to cross six or seven empty lanes to the relative safety an access road.

Once here, we found the route to the bridge itself. Before heading up the short incline to the sidewalk that takes one across the bridge, Sarge told me to go ahead as he felt he would be much slower on the fairly long grade. I wasn't fussed, either way, but decided to go ahead and took off. Climb itself isn't all the punishing but what is quite disconcerting is the fact that there is no barrier between you and the oncoming traffic. Imagine my consternation when I spied a cyclist heading towards me! I was on the left hand side of the sidewalk and I could judge that when we were going to pass there would be a steady stream of vehicles on the roadway at or near our passing/meeting point. Not really wanting to dwell on the certain outcome should I happen to end up in front of one of the oncoming vehicles, I concentrated on riding as close to the edge of the sidewalk as I deemed "safe" in order to give me as much passing room as possible. From the look on the other cyclist's face, I don't think he was all too happy about having to ride past me either. Anyway, I'm obviously here to tell the tale so I survived!

After that bit of adrenaline excitement, the rest of the ride was quite tame and I soon found myself on the New Westminster side of the bridge, on Albert Crescent, I think, and I commenced to "circle" here for a bit, expecting Sarge to show up. Became a tad concerned after about five minutes and when ten had elapsed I didn't quite know what to do. Had something happened to his chain? He seemed to have trouble shifting at certain points, earlier in the ride and I wondered if his gears had seized. I was debating whether to ride back over the bridge when I saw him just past the crest of the deck, walking his bike. I assumed he had suffered a flat and this was the case. Shortly after I went ahead of him he felt something go in his rear tire but was unable to make himself heard before the noise of the traffic and the distance between us drowned out his shouts!

He tried to repair the tube, (He carries a pump, a patch kit but no spare!), but we couldn't locate any discernible leak. We'd inflate the inner tube but it would slowly deflate. After a number of repeated, fruitless efforts, (He even poured water from his water bottle onto the tube to help locate any punctures but to no avail!), he decided he would walk his bike to the nearest Skytrain Station, (Columbia and 4th), and limp home that way. Wishing him luck., I set off, following the dedicated bike trail along Columbia, past the Royal Columbian Hospital where a few side streets later, I hooked into the Central Valley Greenway.

I've ridden this route a number of times before so I didn't have too, too much difficulty finding my way to the bike path, heading west, off E Columbia. At this point it is a fairly rough trail, along the Brunette River, I believe, with many rain/runoff induced pot holes and fairly recently applied crushed rock, in many spots, so not the best of surfaces for road bike tires. A mountain bike would have had little, if any difficulty, negotiating this terrain but I was more than happy when I emerged onto pavement, once again, I think, at Cariboo Pl.

From here it was pretty easy riding along Government and then Winston Street and then onto the Central Valley Greenway proper which starts to follow the Skytrain tracks around Rupert or Renfrew, or thereabouts. I was soon making my way across Nanaimo and then E Broadway near Victoria Drive. Then but a hop, skip and a jump past Commerical, Clark Dr and I was whizzing along Great Northern Way. Was near the corner of Quebec and 1st Ave at about 2:30pm with a little more than 81 K on my odometre. Decided I'd ride to West Point Cycles, on Alma and 10th, as I wanted to ask about my worn rear tire and a minor shifting problem which had resurfaced a few rides ago.
 

With this in mind, I headed past Science World, making for Stanley Park. I knew that if I turned back onto Beach, near the Inukshuk, and headed across the Burrard Bridge and then around Kits Point I would be well on my way to breaking 100 K. Did just that but needed to ride as far as the Hostel and playing fields at Jericho before turning around and heading for West  Point. Rolled up to store with 100.3 K on the clock to find the place very, very busy. After Andrea, (Saw her with a group of riders on the corner of Shell Road and Vulcan Way earlier that morning!), confirmed that I should replace my tire I said I'd call to make an appointment to have work done. They couldn't do it right away and I needed someway to get home so decided I'd risk a flat!

Happy to say I managed rest of ride without incident and logged 107.5 K over 5:58:06, AVG 18 KPH, MAX 50.6 KPH. Not too, too unhappy with AVG since this cannot be registered as an "official" ride, having had to stop three times en route. (Third time waiting for a light to cross busy Columbia/North Road. Longest while Sarge tried to fix his flat.) Nevertheless, a fabulous reconnaissance outing and second half of trip, from NW home, was warm and sunny so more than a delight after the rather biting chill of the morning wind. 

Tomorrow, I have to wait at home for a phone call from chap who will be replacing window at the loft so I don't know when I'm free to ride. Give me a shout anyway and we can chat about possibilities as I'll call glazier and see when he might be doing work. Cheers, Patrizzio!