Sunday, August 31, 2025
Slept in. Festive spice hot tea. Sunny and 93 degrees. Brunch visitors: Hao, Son, Albert, Russell, and five-year-old labrador mix Hanna. Brunch by Adrian: bacon cheddar egg croissant sandwiches, salad with dried cranberries, fruit salad. We spent the day lounging poolside with mai tais and various snacks. We enjoyed using a pool float resembling an avocado complete with a brown ball as the pit. Dinner and dessert by Mark with many helpers. Francis prepared the watermelon rondelles, and many of us learned what a rondelle is. Josh sliced onions with his mandoline. I prepared Italian parsley for the rice, prepared the bell peppers in the main course, and plated the salad. Watermelon salad with feta, roasted pine nuts, basil chiffonade, and balsamic vinegar drizzle; sea bass poached in coconut milk with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers. While Mark prepared dessert, many of us watched The Thursday Murder Club. The film got some of us spooked at one tense moment in the film, and we laughed about it immediately after. Dessert (served late): upside down pineapple cake with fresh pineapple and maraschino cherries.