Fourty Three Minutes

That's how long the first load took to dry in my new dryer. How sublime. So much better than 90 minutes to two hours. I am happy happy happy.

It's another scorcher today. Sweet Hubby left this morning to ride the Coeur d'Alene Bike Trail for 30 miles or so. Personally, when it's hot I'd rather find ways to get cooler, not hotter. But that's my hubby. He loves riding his bike.

While he's gone, Ruth is sleeping in, so I gave myself a luxury. I watched the 2004 movie of Andrew Loyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera musical.

This movie has probably the best beginning of a movie I've ever seen. We start with a black and white movie. People are coming to an old run down theater to attend the auctioning off of old stuff. At one point, they present to the bidders the old chandelier that used to hang in the center of the theater. When they yank the cover off the chandelier, the organ starts out with a powerful piece of music, and color sweeps into the theater along with the music as if to blow away all the detritus and decay and everything becomes bright, shiny, and fantastic. It sends chills and thrills up and down my body every time I watch it.

The music is so heavenly. I love the voices of Gerard Butler (the Phantom) and Emmy Rossum (Christine). They are amazing talents. Gerard Butler has awesome voice control. Such passion in his voice. He can sing the highest note so lovingly and so softly you can hardly hear it, and then suddenly belt it out like nobody's business full of rage and anger. Emmy's voice is what I would expect an angels voice to sound like. Clear and sweet as honey, it slides soothingly over the eardrums. I like to just sit and close my eyes as I listen to these singers perform. It brings me the most wonderful peace. Of all the Phantom movies out there, this one is the best.

Last night we went out to dinner with Sarah and Frank. They were dying for us to go to the Bonsai Bistro in downtown Coeur d'Alene. I have to say, it is one of the nicest places to eat I've been to in a long long time. They feature scrumptious Asian style food, served family style. I had the Loin of Lamb-tender slices of seared lamb with a ginger, rice wine, and garlic sauce and green beads and such. It was pure heaven. We also had Mongolian Beef, Honey Glazed Chicken, Thai Peanut Chicken, a Lamb salad with a lime dressing, rice, and garlic noodles. Everything was cooked to perfection. Even the veggies!. Not overdone and soft, but nice and crispy, the way they should be. My taste buds danced a jig the whole time.

The atmosphere was wonderful too. They had a pool with koi fish in it, and there even was a little island in the middle with a few small tables on it. It was very pleasant and peaceful.

After that we took a walk in the cool of the evening on the Coeur d'Alene dock. Then Sarah insisted we go to Dockside (a restaurant in the Coeur d'Alene Resort) and share a banana split, also known as Monkey Business on the menu. Sarah ordered one, with 5 spoons. I had my doubts one banana split would be enough for 5 of us, but I was wrong. It was HUGE! The dish itself was over a foot long. Two sliced bananas smothered in fudge, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream, real whipped cream, thick gooey chocolate sauce, real strawberries, shaved bits of toasted almonds, and a large coconut macaroon cookie (which I divided into 5 slices so we all could have some). Oh yes, and topped with 2 cherries. Mmmmm..... was it ever tasty. I'd forgotten how good a banana split is.

Have a good weekend.