Just Like Home

Wednesday afternoon I arrived in Charlottesville to spend a couple days with Robin and Jan, Lulu and Sable. As I walked in the door Robin was making me a special cake, one she makes just about every time I come to C-ville - Red Velvet!



The icing is a traditional cream cheese frosting. If I had a vat of this sublime creamy concoction I'd take a bath in it. Robin is too good to me! Here's the recipe:



...and the spoon I licked clean after taking on the bowl.

Jan had a pot of coffee on, so despite night sleeping too well Tuesday night (due in most part to all the wine, no doubt)after Jan's strong coffee I was wide awake in short order. I spent the afternoon checking and responding to emails. We later sat down for a dinner of homemade chicken soup Robin made earlier, and some toasted naan (that's Indian flatbread for the less culinarily inclined).



Robin insisted that I feel free to get caught up on everything. That's the really nice thing about being here. It is like being at home, and it's just marvelous to be here. It's been very, very cold here so we've snuggled up by the fireplace, both with laptops perched on our knees.



That's Jan, the Fire Master!

I pulled out the box of old postcards and travel memorabilia that Dad gave me last week, which belongs to my Geat Aunt Hazel. We poured over the beautiful prints and pictures and I told them about my idea of a novel, based on all this great historic material. Here's a teaser: