The Punishment That She Deserves by Elizabeth George

I do not usually write about murder mysteries, even though I read them at a pace of about nine for every one book that I blog about.  I make an exception for Elizabeth George's Lynley series because they are so character rich and well written that I think they deserve some attention.  That, and the fact that it is 700 pages built around a small British village with all sorts of intrigue going on make it well worth a gander.
For those not familiar with the backbone of the story, Thomas Lynley comes from the landed gentry and is a flat out rebel for joining the police.  there are a number of crime fiction series that use this formula, but this one, in my opinion, is by far the best.  His preferred partner in solving crime is Barbara Havers, who doggedly pursues every inch of a case, infuriating all those who work with her, with a few exceptions, Lynley included.  Havers is on a last chance agreement, her superior is looking to boot her to the boonies, and she is assigned a case where he is sure that she will fail.  She sort of does and sort of doesn't at first and Lynley joins her for the second half of the book where they unravel what really happened when a well liked church deacon was taken into custody and was then found hanged in his cell.  Well done all around.

RBG (2018)

We went to see this movie to escape the oppressive (and early) heat.  This documentary about both the life and career of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is well worth seeing.  The backbone of the movie is related to her own personal experience of discrimination as a woman, and then, as a young lawyer (as well as wife and mother), how she systematically and thoughtfully went about making the argument to the US Supreme Court on six occasions that to treat men and women differently was inherently discriminatory.  I was less aware of that aspect of her life than any other portrayed, and yet in many ways, it changed the course of options for women after these 1970's decisions were made.  Lots to still do, of course, but she pointed out the glaring inconsistencies and the lack of equal protection under the law.  I loved the scenes with her husband, with her grandchildren, and her family's views of her.  She is shier than I would have thought.  Her husband was the perfect choice for her, he obviously put her career in the place that it belongs, but I did not know that he had cancer as a law student, and almost died.  It all could have been very different, so thankfully he made it. 
The bottom line is that she is an icon and everyone should watch this.

Wilted Greens and Rice Gratin

• 1 bunch greens
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup low-fat milk (2 percent)
• 1 cup cooked rice, preferably short-grain
• 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs, or a mixture of breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add a generous amount of salt and add kale. Blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, remove from the water with a deep fry skimmer or a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and, taking the greens up by the handful, squeeze hard to expel excess water. Chop medium-fine or cut in thin ribbons.  Can be stir fried if you prefer
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add fennel. Cook, stirring often, until the fennel begins to soften. Add salt to taste and continue to cook, stirring often, until the fennel is very tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and kale, stir together for another minute, then stir in dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in milk and salt to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon). Stir in fennel and kale mixture, rice and Gruyère, and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scrape into baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top if using, and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until set and the top and sides are beginning to color. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. This is good hot, warm, or room temperature.

Five Carat Soul by James McBride

I am not a huge fan of the short story as a genre and so the reason that I read this collection of short stories is because it was on the list of recommended reading from Obama.  He is a great reader, and I have almost uniformly enjoyed the books on his reading list.  This one did not change my idea about short stories but it is well worth reading.  I like what one reviewer said of this collection, that it is strategically doleful.
A sort of jazzy, generous spirit animates this story collection. The best stories here feature a teenage band called Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band. Set in a poor Pennsylvania neighbourhood called The Bottom, they are narrated by a kid named Butter with a kind of bemused innocence that gives the stories much of their “aw, shucks” humour. The stories also feature telepathic zoo animals, a zealous toy collector and an eavesdropping Abraham Lincoln. All these disparate voices could lend the collection a circus-like feel, but McBride succeeds in tempering absurdity with insight, and camp with poignancy.

San Diego Public Art Surprises

On a recent trip I realized that I had sold San Diego short.  I am not a beach person.  I like a bucolic water view almost as much as the next person, but it doesn't send me.  So I had somewhat low expectations of my time in the self proclaimed America's Finest City.
The airport in San Diego is so close to the downtown area that you can easily walk there.  Landing is a bit disconcerting, because I swore I could wave at people in their offices in skyscrapers we passed.  Stepping off the plane after a surprisingly pleasant flight, I was greeted by this sculpture entitled Figure of Speech, a whole series of rolled tongues that was both beautiful and it made me laugh.

Next stop was a walk around the Gaslamp district, which is near the waterfront.  I love the late nineteenth century architecture, which is both surprising in a California town and reminiscent of my own house.  There was a lot of street art in this neighborhood and I would definitely recommend spending an afternoon walking along the waterfront then venturing inland to see what is on offer.

Juniper and Ivy, San Diego

 We ate at this great restaurant in San Diego on a recent trip.  This is my birthday dinner for this year, and it was all kinds of wonderful.  The first thing, which is less important to me, is that it is a beautifully designed and laid out restaurant. We had a cozy corner table that was just perfect, and there were all sorts of other options for special seating.  The wait staff was also very pleasant.  Also not high on my priorities, but a nice addition to a memorable evening.

 Then there is the food.  Which was just flat out wow.  They had a couple dozen dishes on the menu and the majority of them were tiny or small plates, ranging in price from a few dollars up to fifteen and twenty dollars.  That may sound like a lot, but think of it this way--the quality of the preparation and the inspiration of the dishes is like a high end fixed price meal, but you get to choose each of the courses, and in the end we spent about $100 for two.  Not an everyday meal by any means, but we felt like we got a deal.  We cook, and we would never accomplished this at home.

The best dish was a huge portion of a beef crudo on toast cut into four portions, each topped with a perfectly poached quail egg.  I am not a beef eater, and I do not care for it raw, but I have to admit, this was delicious.  The pictured dishes are cod and shrimp poached in a richly flavored broth, with cherry tomatoes.  It was perfectly cooked and had such balanced flavors.  Next down is abalone with an avocado gazpacho and an olive, pine nut, and herb side salad.  Abalone is always kind of a crap shoot and this was delicious.  The surprise dish was a sous vide chicken with a mole made with carrots and topped with Mexican pickled carrots and fresh thinly mandalined carrot, so basically carrots three ways and super moist chicken.  Really delicious, and the one dish that we might actually be able to replicate at home.

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

This is not my favorite book by this author (who I am very fond of), but if you are a fan, it is a solid follow up to her book, Case Histories.
One Good Turn returns to the now ex-private eye Jackson Brodie two years after the events of Case Histories. Wealthy, retired and bored, he is mooching around the Edinburgh festival while his girlfriend Julia, another of Case Histories' damaged souls, has a part in a dreadful fringe production and ducks his emotional demands. Julia is as absent to us as she is to Jackson, who finds his purpose in the shape of a dead body washed up on Cramond Island and then snatched back by the tide - another lost girl, doubly lost this time. Her death is somehow connected to the road rage incident that begins the book and links the disparate cast of characters while a crowd spectates.
The book is a reasonable murder mystery, would that it fit squarely in that genre, but as literary fiction it is just not her best work.  

Navajo Rugs, Mingei International Museum, San Diego

 I have always been very partial to Navajo rugs.  My parents had a Two Grey Hills and a Ganado rug that they acquired in the early 1970's that I have always loved.  Then as a young adult, I would wander through Navajo country every couple years, and even bought two for myself at the Hubbell Trading Post in the early 1980's, once I had some cash of my own. 
The recent exhibit of Navajo weavings that I saw in San Diego was spectacular.  The rug above is a Crystal District rug from 1940 and the Ganado Eye Dazzler below is an 1890 rug.  Wowza.

The Mingei has an incredible collection of turn of the century Navajo rugs of a quality that is rarely seen in rugs this age.
What do they symbolize? 
Two of the earliest known design elements to be utilized by Navajo weavers are the diamond and the triangle. These elements were incorporated into old wearing blankets and continue in the modern day Navajo rugs.  Navajo grandmothers say that the diamond is a symbol of the Dinétah or Navajo homeland with its four sacred corners that are marked by the four sacred mountains.
Triangles are basic building blocks of Navajo design. Placed on top of each other, triangles can become a series of prayer feathers or songs or become the backbone of a mountain Yei figure.

Tamarind Salmon

This is the best salmon recipe we have had in a long while.  Just delicious, and also pretty straight forward.

1 side of salmon
olive oil

Sauce:
1 tomato chopped (or tomato puree)
1/2 c. tamarind paste
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 chipotles in adobo
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Directions

1. puree all sauce ingredients in a blender.
2. preheat broiler.
3. line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.
4. brush fillets with olive oil, them brush with tamarind sauce.
5. season with salt& pepper.
6. broil salmon for 6-8 minutes, adding more sauce halfway through.
7. serve!  We had a nice tossed salad for a low carb and delicious meal

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

This is the third book in this series which began with Me Before You.  It is not a tear jerker, which is refreshing, but it is pretty much entirely modern romance.  Even though my spouse reads much of what I do, I returned this one to the library without putting it on his side of the bed. 
Louisa is back, and she is following in the foot steps of her hero and going to New York.  She is a paid companion for the much younger wife of a wealthy man.  She is trying to maintain a long distance love, which doesn't work out all that well.  She loves New York, but she runs into trouble both on the job and in her relationships.  However, as the feel good conclusion to this trilogy would have it, she finds a job where she is appreciated and also gives her a path to the next phase in her life.   I enjoyed this, and read it all in one day while traveling.  It is light and frothy but well written in an Emily Griffin kind of way, and not quite Curtis Sittenfeld material, but good.