Weekend Frolics

This past weekend was a wonderful mix of friends, food, and music. A most enjoyable and relaxing weekend!

First, Nate was in town for a workshop, so we got together and tried a new place. New place for me, but been open for a long time. Five Seasons Brewery. It's close to here, and I was in the mood for a cool one. When we arrived, there was a 45 minute wait for a table, so we sidled up to the bar and found two seats right in the corner. Score! The beer was wonderful, dark, nutty, slightly bittersweet, and filling. The food was exceptional for bar food. They have "small plates", so i tried the mixed olives, then a beet salad (with cheese and small greens), and then some calamari with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Nate had the fish and chips (trout and homemade French fries). Everything was fabulous.

Saturday was Sam's birthday party. I drove three of his friends up to QZar so they could play laser tag and then brought everyone home. That was an experience - and although somewhat stressful, it was easy to get through.

Saturday night was another enjoyable repass with my friend, Joanna. We tried another restaurant that i had been wanted to try for awhile, Rice in Roswell. It was lovely. Again, when we arrived (early), they asked if we had reservations, and no, we did not. We were able to procure a table on the porch, however, and enjoyed an elegant tai iced tea while we waited for our meal. The first course we shared was a shrimp dish with red onion and fresh ginger. Yummy. Then, our main dishes, which were also good.

Later, we had been invited to listen to some music at a coffee house. The coffee house unceremoniously closed and the venue was moved to Joanna's friend's home. It was lovely. There was a nice group of people who came, a lot of food and drink, and really wonderful music. The first band played a lot of Celtic music - with a bit of a bite. The second band was more classic rock. It was really wonderful, relaxing, and unique. We were on a very large screened in porch and there was a large pond outside. During breaks we walked down and listened to the bull frogs. Very cool.

Sunday, a road trip to Dahlonaga proved to be another great culinary adventure. Although we were looking for properties, we didn't have much luck finding what we were looking for. The Welcome Information Center didn't have a map large enough to show us the roads leading away from the center of town, and we were confused by the road signs. Also, motorcycles abounded - apparently very popular area with the curvey mountainous roads. We stopped at the Crimson Moon Cafe for a late lunch, which was very nice. Also, there was an "open mic" afternoon, and various artists were invited to bring their instruments and play. Again, a wonderful mix of music - mostly bluegrass-ish this time.

All in all, a very welcome weekend. Now, it's back to work.