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| Our Valentine's Dinner at Seafood Market |
Because we travel a lot, we have celebrated Valentine’s Day in
different cities: Scottsdale, Kent, Miami, Seattle, and Orlando. We try to make
every year different, not just in location but also in character. This year it
is local and extended. It is local because we confined ourselves inside the
boundaries of Mesa, where our Resort is located. Extended because we celebrated
it for four days!
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| the night with Streisand's songs and wine |
On February 11, we had a Tennis Team Valentine’s Party at
the Upper Patio of Viewpoint’s North Point Clubhouse. It was a night of burgers
and dogs and sweet Valentine’s brownies with little hearts. On the 12th
we watched a Tribute to Barbara Streisand called “Memories” at the Viewpoint
Ballroom in Clubhouse Number 1. Sara Owens looked, played, and sang the part.
Her act is amazing! It was a night of love songs and wine which we spent with
our neighbor-friends.
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| my two-tone roses |
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| the smallest box of chocolates |
On Friday the 13th, we did not go anywhere but it was the
day Bill came up with those conflicted roses. I love yellow roses but this time
Bill found yellow roses whose petal tips have turned red! He tried to satisfy
my longing for the color yellow and yet include his Valentine’s message of
love! Then, knowing my determined avoidance for chocolates, he also gave me the
smallest box of chocolates he could find. It cost only $1.25 and contained four
small pieces of chocolates: with coconut, cream, caramel, and milk. To me it
meant “I love you lots!” Best was the card that read “I’ve got you and you’ve
got me. I win!”
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| front of the card |
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| inside of the card |
On the day itself, as soon as we woke up, we went to the
Mesa branch of IHOP. Bill had eggs, sausage, and pancakes while I had two crepes
florentine. We had been having steak dinners: for my birthday in November and Christmas
and New Year dinners. This time he let me choose what I wanted: seafood! Coming
from an archipelago of 7,107 islands, I have sorely missed this in our desert
country. So days before February 14, we surveyed the land and visited and
inspected the menus of four restaurants: 1) Joe’s Crab Shack, 2) Red Lobster,
3) Angry Crab Shack, 4) Seafood Market, and 5) Pacific Seafood Buffet. 1, 3,
and 5 are not really romantic places. Red Lobster did not entertain
reservations.
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| breakfast at IHOP |
We dressed up for the occasion and went to Vigil Mass at
Holy Cross Catholic Church. After mass, we drove to Seafood Market. The
restaurant is known for fresh seafood. Previously frozen selections had a lower
price on the menu. Bill had grilled swordfish while I ordered surf and turf,
top sirloin medium rare and King crab legs, paired with red and white wines. I
finally found out the difference between Dungeness, snow, and King crabs, or
sweetest, smallest and flakiest, to sweet, biggest, and firmest. I loved
Dungeness crabs before because they are most similar to the alimango/alimasag
in the Philippines. But after this dinner, I will now stick to King crabs. They
have very fleshy meat portions!
I loved this year’s Valentine’s Day celebrations. And I
thank only one person for that: romantic Bill!
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