Week of February 24, 2025

My birthday was this week! I wrote a birthday post and later that night we went to Bridgeview Tavern in Tarrytown, one of our favorite places for a burger. They also are one of the few places around there that always has Hill Farmstead on tap, which I think is the best brewery in the US.

On Friday we had a birthday party at our house with our friends, and we mixed up tiki drinks for everyone and catered some asian fusion from Ramenesque.

I was too caught up in hosting and hanging out with friends to take photos during the party.

Meg Walter took a photo of the cocktails. Amanda made stirrers with my face on them:

Screenshot

Amanda also made a cool menu with the cocktails I mixed up:

I batched them a couple hours before so they were easy to serve.

For you rum connoisseurs, the various Jamaican rums I used were Smith & Cross and Appleton Signature for the Quarantine Order, and Hamilton Pot Still Black for the Banana Mai Tai.

The next morning Charlie wanted to open a couple of the coconuts we bought for decoration. We saved the water and coconut meat to cook with this week. Probably “The Stew“.

Saturday was very windy. Charlie wanted to walk out on the pier, and we had trouble walking at times!

Saturday evening Charlie and I hung out with the Lake Peekskill Dudes and kids while the Lake Peekskill Ladies hung out at a neighbor’s house for a Ladies Night. We had pizza, the musically inclined played music (including Charlie!), and chilled.

Spring is finally on its way.

Flowers are emerging about two weeks later than the past couple years. Daffodils and crocuses only started peeking through the ground this week. In 2023 the daffodils popped out of the ground on Feb 14 and by then the crocuses were already blooming! In 2022 I noticed the daffodils on Feb 18.

Robins are out in full force pulling up worms from the thawed ground.

We finally have enough daylight after work/school to play outside for a bit before dinner! Very much needed and appreciated.

Amanda had a migrane early last week. Charlie was concerned, and looked at her head closely for a moment and said, “Momma, I think your head just had a bad day.”

On the fly tying front this week, I tied some soft hackle wet flies with my homemade dubbing, some Japanese Lantern sakasa kebari, and my take on “what if a Pink Squirrel were a sakasa kebari?”.

I also submitted an article to Tenkara Angler, which got accepted and published.

Making Oversized Soft Hackle Fit Small Hooks

Sunday we hung out at home and did some grocery shopping. Charlie was feeling extra snuggly and Amanda and I both read a bunch of books to him today. Charlie and Amanda did a little puppet show. We played at the FDR State Park playground. I made pasta e fagioli for dinner. (Charlie isn’t into soup yet, so I made “cheesy pasta” with butter and parmesan out of the noodles, which he happily ate.)

That’s all I have for this week. Lots of party prep. I’ve been reading a couple books on wet fly fishing. No workshop time this past week, but I’d love to get out in the shop one night this week as long as work isn’t too taxing. I’d like to turn a couple tool handles or another bowl. I got some carbide lathe tools for my birthday that I am eager to try out!

See you next week