"I worshipped at the altar of romantic completion." Donald Miller

The magical clafaoutis fairy struck again the other night. We missed some friend's birthdays during the course of the summer so going to their house for dinner last night, I whipped up an impromptu birthday cake-clafoutis. No cherries this time but I had some beautifully firm nectarines that were begging to be thinly sliced and arranged in a way that was impressive in a baking dish. I added some rum to the batter as the JoC suggested as well as WAY too much vanilla extract. No bigs though because it was delicious. The clafoutis puffs up in the oven and the angular nectarines looked like mountains, with purply-red freckled peels poking up from the bronzed custard. It was a win. If you ever think to yourself, "I want to make an impressive dessert but I only know how to make a smoothie," clafoutis is for you. As for crepe batter, whizzing the batter in a blender produces a frothy, aerated batter that is beautiful and fluffy.

Went for a kick ass bike ride around the Sea Wall with mah fave Beej. "September is the New July" is a common sentiment in Bankybear right now because July was seriously bummed out and I've gotten a tan to rival the tan I received in the tropics. An "Indian Summer" we called it in the Beef Province. Warm long days that slither to a perfect evening, lounging in fuchsia and yellow along the horizon line. Thus, the beaches are BUMPIN' and all the kids that are back in school are feeling gipped. All of these things considered, the bike ride today was that which you write home about, which is what I'm trying to do here I guess. My legs kicked ass over every bridge and hefty hill that came my way and there was this majestic breeze that was just present enough to cool my sweaty bod while still maintaining the glory of a hot summer day. My bicey, who is presently unnamed, gave it a really good go but bummed out right after we trouped over the bridge headed home. It did so, about six blocks away from home so not bad and I had my pocket bike genius (Beej) with me so all was well. The Sea Wall is mega fun though. It's breathtakingly scenic and if you make time to do 'victory pictures' where you lift your bike over your head as Beej and I did, it definitely makes the 'Awesome Category'. Don't worry, I wore a helmet and I was really only going as fast as one of those Fisher Price motorized cars. I used all the road signals I learned in Girl Guides and, in lieu of no bike bell, I screamed "on your left!" at regular intervals.

Life is fun right now, if life is only relaxed and in a fair routine. Moozh and I saw a sign that said, "Wine is proof that God wants us to be very happy" attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Apparently, this is erroneous but I don't care because it kicks ass. I also like the one from Virginia Woolf: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well." I am doing all the above with high achievement lately :)

My bronze-bodied culinarian is making me risotto right now and it smells so profound I am overwhelmed in this moment by the beauty of marriage. Hope y'all are eating and loving well. Mwah!