Sinatra in the Park and sushi on the Plaza

Last night Vernal and I packed the kids in the car and headed to Loose Park just south of the Plaza. They were hosting an event called Ballet in the Park and it was in the famous Rose Garden. As we were passing the exciting playground equipment, I had to inform Goose that we will come back but first we are going to watch some dancers. We found a spot inside the circular rose garden made of trellises with draping roses to lay our blanket down to watch the performance. The last segment featured about 6 or 7 Frank Sinatra songs which made for a festive atmosphere in the orange glow of the soon to be dusk sky.

Goose was soon up on his feet twirling in circles, imitating the dancers on the stage along with the myriad of other “little people and future ballerinas.” Later, Vernal and Goose off dancing together in an empty grass area close to the rose bushes. I let turkey loose on the lush soft pad of bright green grass. He crawled over to some roses and plucked a handful of pink petals and then tried to eat them. He looked up with eyes that echoed the words of Frank in the background, “I’ll have it my Way.”

We made good on our promise and let Goose play at the playground after the show. Other parents must have made the same promise, because that was on happening spot.

Today Vernal and I went out for lunch thanks to Grandma coming over to watch the kids. We went down to the Plaza to make and event out of it – eat, walk around, look at people, and shop or “just look.”

I wanted to try something new, so we picked the Kona Grill. Their menu had a little bit of everything, but mostly inspired by an Asian flavor. They had a sushi bar and since Vernal has never had sushi, I ordered a roll for an appetizer. It was a pretty safe selection: smoked salmon, cucumbers, cream cheese, rolled in rice with sesame seeds. It was good full of flavor. She said it wasn’t bad. I then went on to order Pad Thai Noodles. Yum! It has been a while since I have had Thai food. We then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, popping in and out of shops living the “good life.”