October 14, 2023 Brunch and Solar Eclipse. Dinner - Vara with fireworks

October 14, 2023 Brunch and Solar Eclipse. Dinner - Vara with fireworks 

I woke up at 7:00 and showered and dressed.

Suzette got up and exercised in the hot tub.

At 9:00 we grabbed bread, a bottle of pear wine, the box with a wedge of 

Brillat-Savarin cheese, five champagne glasses, and a bottle of Olarra Rioja Reserva and drove toAaron’s house near Academy and Tramway.

When we arrived the dining table was set with a quiche Lorraine and a broccoli quiche from Whole Foods, mixed olives, cheeses, and a bowl of broccoli sautéed with garlic.

 I Sliced baguette and Nine grain bread.

Aaron, served chilled Gruet Blanc de Noir champagne and we each filled a plate with food and took them up to the balcony where we could watch the eclipse.

It was 9:45 and the transit of the moon across the sun had already begun

This was a ring of fire annular eclipse. At about 10:30 the moon was completely encircled by the sun, leaving a ring of the sun visible around the moon.

It was not a total eclipse and the sky did not go completely dark, just slightly darkened.

After the eclipse we went back downstairs and I ate a slice of broccoli quiche and Monica unwrapped a round of a French muenster style cheese named Le Chablochon and Aaron opened the bottle of Olarra and we drank red wine and ate cheese until almost noon when we drove back home.

I rested until 5:00 and enjoyed TCU winning against BYU 44 to 11. The regular quarterback was injured so a freshman named Morris played and threw for five TD’s and ran for some yards. It was the best performance of a starting quarterback since 1990. Finally TCU looked like the winning team it was last year.

Willy came by at 5:30 to do laundry and we talked until 7:00 when we left for Vara.

When we arrived at Vara we took a table at the fence nearest the balloon park.

Soon there was an aerial fireworks displayed by four hang gliders and after that, a series of drone created images.

Finally, at 8:00 the fireworks started and they lasted 12 minute. We both ordered chicken skewers with onion and cherry tomatoes and we shared a super papas Bravas that turned out to be similar to the breakfast papas last Saturday, a bowl of baked tater tots covered with corn kernels, green chili, and chorizo.

I liked it but it did not go well with the glass of Albariño I ordered or Suzette’s white flight of Albariño, a dry Malvasia, and a Chardonnay.

 We left at 8:30 as the crowd was leaving the ballon field. The traffic on Alameda was heavy but after we turned onto 2nd St. It thinned out and we arrived home by 9:05 and were able to watch most of Death in Paradise.

Bon Appetit