Transport Modes
Every vacation trip requires transport: getting there and getting around. For our trip to France, getting there involved two modes of transport: air and rail. We elected to get around by car and on foot. Bicycling is also a possibility.
The ...
The Bulls of Arles
The first of our destinations is Arles, a UNESCO world heritage site. We are here for four nights, staying in a lovely VRBO apartment just outside of the vieille ville (old town). We will put up a few posts about our experiences here, not necessa...
Grilled Pork and Peaches
Grilled pork and grilled peaches are just about perfect together. The technique of first brining the meat and then cooking it with the residual heat built up in a heavy cast iron or aluminum griddle preheated on a charcoal or gas grill, which I also ...
Hey Siri! Open the pod bay door, please
I had hoped that Siri would get the movie reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey and come back with a witty reply, especially since I can’t believe that I am the first geek to name my garage door the “pod bay door” in Apple’s Home app. I ...
Homekit and Google Nest (Geekish)
I have been playing around with Apple’s Homekit home automation framework. (If you have deep religious feelings about some other brand of home automation, I suggest you stop reading now. This is about Apple’s stuff because that is what I have.) ...
Letting the market guide the menu
Of course, I mean the farmers' market, not the financial or stock markets. One of the joys of living in Southern California is the year-round farmers' markets. It is possible to fairly routinely prepare meals from what is market-fresh, in season and ...
Grilled Eggplant
Adapted from "Melanzane in Graticola" found in Marcella Hazan's Marcella's Italian Kitchen. This is best with small-to-medium eggplants, up to about 3" in diameter or so. Don't be afraid to be generous with the oil and garlic. The eggplants will ...
Garlic and Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snow Peas
This recipe is based on one I found in the NY Times Cooking section. It is quick and easy and very tasty.
We typically serve it over brown rice, but the dish is also excellent with jasmine rice or just plain white rice. If you prefer less ...
Two Months in Provence – Recommendations?
My wife used to run a boutique tour company, taking groups of a dozen or so travelers to France and Italy and Turkey. I helped out with her last tour, to Provence in 2013. Provence was magical, and we vowed to return, just the two of us.
Beginn...
