I could write and write on the weekend forever, but I won't. Not only would that take an insane amount of time, but it would bore you all to tears, I am sure.

So we will hit highlights:


On Friday evening, I ended up in a leopard print bathroom, in a green and red striped reading chair, with my eyes closed. Rice handed me a group of papers, saying, "No, these are not divorce papers."

Rice had solicited all my online writing friends for stories. Some sent stories, some told him how to find publications. It was an incredibly cool gift, and I'm really touched.

He doled stories out over the weekend, and I had a marvelous time reading.

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I wrote a bit on "End of the World" and edited "Feeding the Ancestors".

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There was fabulous sushi at the Happy Sumo with Akanthos and his lovely wife. We also popped into a local bookstore for a quick browse. Then it was back to the room, and we prepared for the evening.

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Saturday night was pretty mind-blowing.

We went and saw Pan's Labyrinth, which was absolutely wonderful. It was a gorgeous movie, and I am so glad we made the effort to see it. Simply amazing.

After the movie, we went and ate at La Caille.

When I was seventeen, my high school French club saved money all year long so we could go eat at La Caille. My French teacher took a bunch of farm kids and turned us into sophisticates. We were taught how to order in French, and how to eat at a fine restaurant, particularly one in Europe. Then she took us to La Caille, where we had to order in French.

A friend of ours suggested La Caille for dessert, but Rice asked me, "Do you want to have dinner at La Caille?" I said, "Do you think you can afford it?" and he said, "Do you want to go?"

Well, jeez. What's a girl to say?

I wore black accented by a beautiful bright blue shawl a special friend made for me, as well as some bright blue earrings (that match the shawl amazingly well) my neighbor made for me the other day. No jeans for me, or for Rice, either. It was really quite the thing.

Our dinner took 2 1/2 hours to eat. How do you know you're not eating at McDonald's? It takes 2 1/2 hours for a meal, and there are courses. (Just kidding. Well, not really, but you know...)

It was a little different than it was when I went the first time. The menu had changed, e.g. there are more Asian options now. Also, the sorbet to cleans one's palate no longer exits. And it was winter. (I had gone in the spring before.) All the fireplaces were lit, and it was just lovely.

We enjoyed our dinners, and had some great conversation. We explored the restaurant,

Afterwards, we went to a late showing of The Illusionist. We had seen it before, but I wanted to see it one last time before it left the theaters. It's a lovely movie, just gorgeous to watch. And, of course, for gorgeous movies, one needs a big screen.

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One of the coolest things about the hotel was its proximity to Sam Weller's, a huge used and new bookstore. Same Weller's was either just around the corner, or across a backlot, depending on how you went. If you went through the backlot, you could see a fabulous Heathian 55 foot by 70 foot bookshelf, including books like The Wizard of Oz. Fabulous.

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We had some lovely walks, and saw some fantastic buildings. I love walking and looking at interesting architecture; Salt Lake has some wonderful examples of beautiful old buildings. The hotel itself even had, what they called, gargoyles on the exterior.

There were lots of places to explore, but there's only so much time, and one must eventually sleep, and go home. More left for another day.

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The hotel was also across the street from the Capitol Theater, which currently has a production of The Sleeping Beauty ballet. Many, many years ago, Rice and I saw The Phantom of the Opera way back in 1996, I think. Salt Lake has a lot of really cool productions, but I suspect it helps if one plans more than a few hours in advance.

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Sunday was a beautiful day. The drive home was utterly fabulous. At one point we stopped to switch drivers. The air smelled like home -- everything was thawing and it smelled like damp wild grasses, and the desert at the end of winter. The light was golden, and muted. A perfect day to go walking.

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We got home just before seven, and the Spots brought the kids home, as well as a birthday cake the K-Spot had made -- a chocolate and strawberry checkerboard birthday cake with vanilla frosting and cherry chips. We ate cake and visited and had a great time.

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I ate chocolate mousse cake in bed that night.

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It was a great birthday.

More thoughts to come.