Comfort Food on a Dreary Day

Grilled salami, provolone, sweet onion and ripe tomato on a whole wheat baguette

About mid-morning yesterday I received word that my client’s massive facility would have an extended power outage over the weekend to upgrade equipment. Woo hoo!

I was planning to show up for at least a half day over the weekend, but immediately altered those plans and announced I’d only be in for a half day Friday. I was going home!

I grabbed the D7000 and a few items at my Philly apartment and headed south on I-95 before the weekend traffic madness. It was a perfect sunny spring day, and I was in the best of moods for the entire 3.5 hour trip.

I drove straight home to Piney Point nonstop, as I was also bidding on a dress on eBay for a friend it Korea which was ending at 4:26 pm. I made it home in time to log onto eBay with twenty minutes to spare.

But I lost the bid in the last nanosecond. I was disappointed but was just as well, as the item got a bit too pricey. I mean, I can see paying $500 for an iPad, but a dress? No way, even if it was authentic Ralph Lauren.

What remained was a perfect spring evening in Piney Point. I went for a walk at sunset, greeted some neighbors and grilled some fresh ahi tuna and veggies on the back porch. I finished the evening watching a quirky indie move streaming on Netfix called The People I Slept With. Indeed the title matches the content, but it proved a cute little movie with a moral (of sorts). I was in bed by ten and slept extremely well except for a few odd dreams placing me comically in the movie the I had just watched ;-).

Today was a dreary day with an equally dreary task. It was something I could put off no longer: a major clean-up the back porch. It has sat loaded with junk for far too long and I need to reclaim it for the summer.

To get me through the day, a little comfort food was in order, but I had little in the house.  Improvising, I grilled a fresh baguette in a sprinkle of olive oil, added salami, provolone (reduced fat) onion and tomato. Now for some, this may not be a perceived definition of comfort food. Yet for me it worked as the porch cleaning task got started anyway.

As I write this, incredible thunderstorms are rolling across the Potomac River – the same one’s that caused this seasons first devastation in the Midwest and South. I love weather, provided it doesn’t get totally out of hand.

Tomorrow the sun will be back and the wind will be blowing. I plan to head out early with an out-of-the-way stop in Lewes, Delaware. There’s a tulip festival ending today. To bad, as it was gloomy. I figure that all the people will be gone and the tulips will likely remain. I’m a sucker for flower photos, as they are near impossible to screw up.

Actually, I want a leisurely first-time drive up the northern Delaware coastline to check it out. I expect that area to become a great escape when the repressive heat of Philadelphia returns. I should have some interesting photos to post Sunday night.