And by triumphant return I mean not only my return to my precious blog, but also of my successful semi-annual Elko run, and I am pleased to report that Elko is, in fact, still there. As fate would have it I didn't end up having much time for anything while there this trip, but I did come back with some key bits.
First off, between rehearsal and concert time my travel partner and I had supper at the Star Hotel. I believe I said in a previous post that the Star was my least favorite of the three (now two) Basque fooderies in Elko (by no means saying it was poor - the Star was excellent and, in my opinion, the other three went up from there). THIS trip, however, the Star was in top form. Everything about it was superb, and the steak was perfect. When people ask how I like my steak cooked, I usually reply with "blue," or "purple," or "mooing" or some such. What I got was seared on the outside, lukewarm on the inside, with barely an eighth of an inch of gray 'round the outside where cow touched fire. It was, without hyperbole, the perfect steak. The. Perfect. Steak.
The. Perfect. Steak.
Another thing that caught me on this trip was how green the hills were (Nevada green that is). Eastern Nevada does have a bit more water, and gets a little more precipitation than those of us "out west," but considering how dry this winter was and that the hills were about as green as I've ever seen them, it was both remarkable and stunning. The cattle and the sheep were out grazing in force, adding to the pastoral serenity blissfully distracting me from the asinine lane closures (miles on end of lane closures for a few hundred feet of actual road work).
And, as I said in that same post cited above, I always Toki Ona on Sunday morning before heading home. There was maybe just a touch too much sauce on the Spanish omelette, but it was still excellent. More than the omelette churning through my innards on the long drive home, however, the men's room gave me this to contemplate...
Caption This
Alas! this was the only picture I took on this trip. Any insight? I'd sure like to hear it.
So even though I didn't get much time, and didn't get much accomplished, as always - between the food, the scenery, and playing music to the joy of many an Elko county resident - the trip was wholly worthwhile.
