We Have Company From America! 19 Jun 2014

Dennis came!  It was so very good to see him!  We had a great time talking as he told us about his drive from London to the temple.  He came in and we decided what we would do for the evening.  It was agreed to go to dinner and he gave us an education and an experience.  He said when you go out to eat in England, you go to a curry house.  Well, Dad last ate curry when he was here on his mission 50 years ago and I have never eaten it, so we were in for a treat.

Barbara & Dennis

Dennis was so excited to see us and have someone to do things with.  We did a little thinking about where to go and he said he knew of a great place but it would be a bit of a drive.  We were game, so off we went in a Mercedes Benz rental.  Boy, he knows how to drive on the wrong side of the road; he got buckled in and away we went!  He curves and turns in and out of roundabouts like nobody's business.  The "bit of a drive" was an hour and a half, back to where he works in Reading, England.  (No it is not the railroad, and you pronounce it Redding.)

We safely arrived at the River Spice pub and restaurant that sits right on the Thames River.  We were seated at a table, one from the window, and enjoyed seeing a regatta go by as well as a family of swans taking a leisurely paddle up the river.  Across the river were flat complexes, houseboats people live in, and grass covered river banks with people scattered here and there.  There was a foot path between the restaurant and the river where we occasionally saw walkers.

The restaurant had limited parking and was an older building.  When we walked in, it appeared as any other pub, casual in style and patronage.  We were seated and the waiter placed the napkins on our laps.  That was a give-away that it was a fancy place.  We were dressed in jeans and hoodies.  Dennis was in his element and took over with helping us know what the dishes were on the menu.
He ordered for us and we began the meal with 4 different chutneys and some type of thin crisp saucer shaped bread.  The texture made me think of wantons.  Next came the meal with two different types of bread, a rice, a spinach/cheese dish and Dennis' chicken dish, Bob ordered a lamb dish, and I had chicken tikka missala.  The meal was served family style and oh, was it good!  He showed us how to break off parts of the bread, wrap a fork full of the food in it and enjoy.  We had a great time in a new experience.  When the meal was finished, the waiter brought the lady (me) a red rose.  He also brought warm disposable cloths for each of us to wipe our hands with and then a chocolate square with mint in the middle to cleanse the palate.  The manager stopped by for a visit.  He recognized Dennis from coming in before and Dennis introduced us to him.  We had a very nice conversation and then were on our way.  On the way home we came up with a plan for the weekend.

From Home:

Bobby & Mariah

Longbird are a Phoenix-based indie folk group. Bobby and Mariah Brown, the groups two consistent members, are a brother- sister duo who grew up playing the coffee shop scene of their small hometown together. The group strives to incorporate mathematical technicality and music theory into catchy melody driven folk songs with emphasis on a wide variety of instrumentation and strong vocal harmonies.

Pic a tune and listen!  http://longbird.bandcamp.com/releases