JONATHAN TOLMACH'S 2004 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
July 2004
We ventured to Chez Tolmach on a sunny, warm summer day in
early July.
We found Jesper busy slicing, what else?, bread.
And Lucy Tolmach was working her fingers to the bone with an assortment of
vegetables.
Jonathan, meanwhile, sliced some of the famous "beer radishes" to pair
with a Tolmach beer.
The Menu du Jour:
We then had a stroll through the garden...
No, this is not a Duckhorn wine!
Lucy shows off some of her roses...
The lavender was exceptionally aromatic!
We found a lizard lounging on one of the name-plates for a rose bush.
Definitely it was time for some Ros!
Meanwhile, a little mermaid was busy in the swimming pool!
Alanna FitzJensen.
Her brother Dane is nearly 3 years old and already training for the Olympics.
Their mother is in training, too...
...probably for the Federal Witness Protection Program.
After the kids had a swim and our bottle of Rosado was empty, we ambled back to
the hacienda.
Alanna is learning to be a wine-taster.
"I don't care how you spell Grner Veltliner, this is delicious!"
The kid has good taste...
F.X. Pichler's 2002 Loibner Frauenweingarten "Federspiel".
Jonathan and Lucy had some of Laramie's (one of the guests) famed Margaritas.
These potent drinks will knock you on your coconut!
The Margarita Queen, Laramie.
Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms, Oven-Roasted Zucchini and another Pichler Grner
Veltliner, this one a Smaragd bottling.
Lucy is wondering where our friend Giulia Masi is and what she's doing to
celebrate the Fourth of July.
Meanwhile, Jonathan & Jesper were busy at the wood-fired oven. They
had a pan of beets roasting, along with potatoes and some lamb.
Lucy, meanwhile, had steamed some peas and carrots.
The Paul Lehrner 2001 Blaufrnkisch was superb! Served at cool cellar
temp, this was a wonderful match for the lamb.
Alanna was busy making several plates of food disappear.
She is an eating magician!
Jonathan then offered some exceptional aromatic cheeses, so I opened a bottle of
Umathum's fantastic Saint Laurent. This was a delicious red wines,
somewhat reminiscent of a top French Burgundy.
It then was time for some birthday partying and that meant cake.
Since we were out in the wilds of Woodside, we used only 4 candles out of
respect for the fire department.
Jonathan and Lucy had prepared a Zuccotto, a special "dome" of a cake.
When it comes to birthdays, you can never have enough cake, can you?
Zuccotto Tolmach.
Can birthday presents be far behind???
No!!!
Jonathan shows off an Alanna FitzJensen original card.
And an oven "sweeper."
"Know how I say Happy Birthday to people who Never Look Older?"
"Pfthfhtpfthpfthpfthpfth!!!"
Another birthday gift.
A box filled with all kinds of curiosities!
Wow...toilet gaskets, a tool apron, some bolts, a box of nails and a container
of new car smell.
After so much excitement, we ventured out to the berry cages.
Red currants.
Dane enjoyed picking some berries.
Whisper points towards Denmark.
Alanna is excited to pet a duck that doesn't bite!
Dane is hanging out with the onions and garlic.
Meanwhile, the berry pickin' is going along smoothly.
What a lovely party! We attempted to help clean up the disaster we had
created.
Happy Birthday to Jonathan.
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