Salmon House on the Hill

The festivities continued for my parents at their residence the following day. Amica always has excellent food and the Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa we had along with an artichoke salad for dinner was excellent. I did however have yet Another Dinner scheduled for that evening with defacto son-in-law Dino and his new bride Krista at Salmon House on the Hill
We started with a table full of appetisers: the Salmon House Sampler, which featured candied salmon, smoked wild sockeye, smoked salmon spinache roulade, aldergrove salmon with salsa, chutney and creme friche; along with panko mango prawns. Mmm, more mangos. Do I get a nuclear reactor with them? Thankfully, a bottle of Stella's Jay Brut accompanied the appetisers. What the Mahi Mahi at Amica missed was some accompanying wine.
I didn't think I'd be able to eat an entree after that, but I bravely ordered the Fennel Spice Seared Ahi Tuna with seared potatoes, yellow curry vinaigrette and mango.
Krista asked the server to pair a wine with her order so I did as well and she recommended a red. With fish? Well it was worth the adventure. As the server had promised, the pepper crust on the tuna went perfectly with the red. Wasnt paying attention to what it was, but if you order this tasty dish, your server will no doubt tell you.
I ended my massive food intake with a cup of the Salmon House Coffee, which includes Frangelico and Kahlua. Excellent end to a magnificent meal. Perhaps it reminded Dino of
a previous visit.
Thankfully my hosts had a large truck to take me home in. That's the most food I've eaten for "dinner" since Fumiyo and I were in Europe. Fumiyo is in England for the week, hopefully eating well.

A birthday get together

My father celebrates his 89th birthday.

My mother's three sisters come to visit.

Probes

The words in the bottom left corner of the picture are:
"Man in the electronic age has no possible environment except the globe and no possible occupation except information-gathering."
Marshall McLuhan's Book of Probes, images by David Carson.
McLuhan had a great effect on me when I discovered him in high school in the 60s. He seemed to make sense of everything I found puzzling, and gave me great hope that I could too. "Reading" his latest book is just like that. Some other quotes I like are,
"How can children grow up in a world in which adults idolize youthfulness?"
Japan summed up well.
"What happens when the ad makers take over all the popular myths and poetry?"
Something I was conscious of when I was writing ads for my fathers' Ford dealership in the early 60s, as well as when some friends and I were started Adbusters in the late 80s. Seeing fairy tales come to life complete with the right vista for best appreciation choreographed by Kodak at Disneyland in the late 50s.
"Radio comes to us ostensibly with person to person directness that is private and intimate, while in more urgent fact, it is really a subliminal echo chamber of magic power to touch remote and forgotten chords."
McLuhan said it. The Firesign Theatre did it.
"Only puny secrets need protection. BIG SECRETS are protected by public incredulity. You can actually dissipate a situation by giving it maximal coverage. As to alarming people, that's done by rumours, not to coverage."
More true in Bush's america than ever.
Next week I'm going to McLuhan's city for the first time in 22 years. Will it still resonate with his perceptions? I'll soon find out.