The Perfect Sunday Afternoon

The Tourne/Cafe Metro, Denville, NJ

 

The views were nice and apparently I like to climb things. Poor Frankie had to climb things too. Well, kind of. Well, not really he was just placed there.

 

 

 

 

Cafe Metro was a fun time. The food was great and Frankie was even allowed to join us. I love the warm weather it make owning a dog much more fun. He loves people and watching but we are working on the barking. I have to imagine that it is frustrating for him. He barks at people as if he is talking to them. I'm sure he has lots to say. He's a smart dog.

(Fresh calamari lightly sauteed with extra virgin olive oil, roasted and hot peppers, kalamata olives, garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, and balsamic vinegar)

We started with the Summer Wind Calamari. It was very spicy but we were very hungry and ate it all. The calamari was perfectly cooked. Maybe slightly over seasoned but the heat kind of numbed that out.

I ordered the Marinated Grilled Tofu and Jessica had the Grilled Chicken and Eggplant we decided to share.  

(Marinated Grilled Tofu topped with grilled zucchini, sundried tomatoes, marinara, and regular or soy mozzarella cheese, served with a side of pasta)

(Grilled chicken breast topped with grilled eggplant, roasted peppers, marinara, and mozzarella cheese, served with a side of pasta)

 

We finished with a piece of vegan chocolate raspberry cake. It was surprisingly dense, chocolaty goodness.  Over all another really nice weekend with good food, trails and friends. 

JOCKEY HOLLOW

Jen and I went hiking today at Jockey Hollow. It was such a beautiful day. We followed the long loop (the white squares, which was about 6 miles. Not expecting the mud was difficult and slightly wet, Frankie loves it. Since when are Pomeranians water dogs? He really loves the water and apparently mud. Belly deep in the mud, stopping to smell the skunk cabbage and having a ball.

Frankie has his new summer name... The Trail Blazer.... jersey shore inspired of course. It was just beautiful in the woods and the trails were clearly marked despite our poor sense of direction.

The log vs. Frankie - woo hoo Frankie won! I thought pulling would work.

 Jenn decided to give a helping hand. Thanks! He is a trooper. Under all the poof he's a real dogs dog. He went right though the water and mud. He even scratched his eye lid on a thorny bush... Poor baby.

We found a tree that had fallen about 20 ft over high over the trail. We decided to climb on it and take pictures. I was convinced it was going to break. I would get stuck underneath and some how have to explain to a cute EMT why I thought it would be cool to climb out on a fallen log and take my picture.

And then we found this little guy. I named him Harry. There was a fallen tree that had created a pool of water that all the frogs and at least a couple dozen eggs were thriving there. It was so neat. This little guy had burrowed himself into the cool mud and was just chilling. They were so vibrantly green. I loved them.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!