Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you are barbecuing, swimming and having fun. I miss you all terribly, but would be lying if I said I didn't love Nelson.

Yesterday, the weather was fine - just a bit fresh. We donned our trainers, put petrol in Ruben and went for a tramp in the bush (actually mostly pasture). All this within a fifteen minute car ride. (You can see Nelson in the distance in one of the pictures).

The boxes are here! OK, for the record, it took right at 4 months to ship them over. They went to who knows where in the USA. Then over to London. Offloaded and repackaged onto the slow boat to China. But here they are, all intact without a single broken item, delivered to our doorstep. Amazing, really. Good thing we weren't waiting on the edge of our seats. In fact, at times I began to forget just what was in them - did we really need ANY of it?

But now, as we unpack, I pull out a load of stuffed animals and children's books...

There's a non-logical aspect to the cost of it - around two thousand dollars. Couldn't we have just bought half this stuff (and forgotten about the other half?)

Ah, but what about the signed Dynamo ball? The family collection of board games? Or the pieces of art that made the trip? Yup, there's Dickerson, and look, Honey Bunny made it. A Mary Fisher house came over wrapped in a sweater, along with turtle from the Foelbers and a bird from Terry Powell.

Terry, your piece now hangs over the stove, a perilous location where bird will take its chances.

That's OK Barb says, if it gets covered in, I don't know, bacon grease, she can always copy it.

Again.

We were on school break and we went to the west coast. On the way back from Arthur's Pass, we stopped at a lake and there was a totally awesome rope swing.

Me and Dean first just swung on it like you were supposed to. But then we tried some other ways like hanging on with your hands and swinging out over the water. Another way was to put your arms through this loop and hold on that way.

You would also hold onto a knot on the rope and run up the sand and then let your weight pull you back. Andrew

A couple of people have written me about what I miss about Houston. One says they never missed food when they left their home, another observes I must be homesick.

Let's face it, on one level food is just that food, sustenance. But, food works on yet another level. It gives one a sense of place, evocative in its ability to feed memory. When I long for Christi's pasta, I am missing the conversation, the people, the at-one-time-in-our-lives Wednesday night ritual. If Christi had made cabbage, then by God I would be pining for cabbage.

Half an Italian toast with one egg over easy would not taste nearly as good without the company of Erin or Suzanne or Nancy..Lisa...Monique……. or any of the other women who would come out for breakfast. And, a tuna bagel, that's a Sunday afternoon family bike ride. I've been going to that crazy bagel place since I first moved to Houston. At the time I loved it because it was the only place that could make bagels like they did in New Jersey!

And, I'm quite sure I can make my own raspberry pie thank you very much. But, when Judy would call up and say, "Go get some ice cream, I got some pie" it was irresistible. Hot out of the oven, sitting at Neighbor Judy's table it tasted of friendship and community.

If one is lucky enough to exercise choice, when it's beyond filling the belly, then food is emotional and powerful. It is why every single time I make and eat plum cake I think of my mother (and sometimes shed a tear). Plum cake embodies the crisp fall days of my New Jersey childhood. It is my beautiful German mother recreating a piece of her home.

So, no, I guess it's true, I really don't miss the food so much. It's the people with whom I ate it.

A quick plug for Radio Paradise. Duane discovered this years ago, he's streamed it onto our stereo. http://www.radioparadise.com/ They just played Death Cab for Cutie, when I turned it on Neko Case was playing. Along the way heard "The Only Living Boy in New York." The movie Garden State resurrected the song (and for good reason). Bridge Over Troubled Water always makes the short list for desert islands discs. Paul Simon is brilliant.

So, we sold our house to a lovely Australian woman. She writes every once and a while and even sent photos of the garden. Penny has asked if there is anything I would like shipped. Funny how it's people and food I miss the most. There are few places outside of Glassell (and that's really about the people, too) that I miss - especially in the city itself.

Anyway, Penny, here's my list:

A little sweet something from John George - preferably made in the toaster oven

Sopa Azteca from La Mexicana

A raspberry pie from Judy - berries must be hand-picked, crust homemade - I'll provide the store bought icecream

A Shiner Bock from the Alabama Icehouse

Christi's homemade pasta and meat sauce - please accompany with a little political conversation, lots of wine and a sidebar conversation on desert island discs (I'm working on mine - it ALWAYS changes).

Kimberley's secret seasoning mix

Chocolate Brownies from the French Gourmet Baker - Erin will pick up

A margarita from ANYWHERE

A tuna bagel with Cheetos from The Hot Bagel Shop on Shepherd - I know they say they're open until 2:30 pm, but get there by 1:00 they may decide to close early.

A little hitchy- hotch from one of Joanie's catering jobs (yummy) followed with a game of Scrabble. Rick will pick up dessert.

Finally, I'll take 1/2 Italian Toast and one egg over easy from the Empire Cafe - who's in?