A trip of firsts and expensive replacements:

Wednesday night Erik treated me to a lesson in how to make pasta. It was the first time I had ever made pasta from scratch. Erik let me help with mixing the dough, rolling, and cutting the pasta. I picked basil from their garden and Erik made pesto from scratch. I never knew I liked pesto so much! I think it tasted so good because Erik added a special ingredient. I promised not to share his secret. But go visit him in Encinitas and he'll make some for you and tell you the secret.

Erik rolling out the pasta.

Check out the rack full of pasta. Some of the pasta turned out to be almost 2 feel long. We had a lot of leftovers!

This morning I made a latte for the first time. Erik let me use his 30-year-old espresso machine. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, but it still tasted good and I got a caffeine buzz. Mission accomplished!


And now for the expensive repair list:
#1: A new Ipod: My Ipod decided to crash while I was in Durango. Apparently those things have harddrives which can crash, just like a computer. Who knew? Well, I lasted all of 2 days without an Ipod. While in Phoenix I broke down and bought a new one. Cost = $200. Ouch.

#2: Spark plugs for my car. Yesterday my "check engine" light turned on in my car, and the car started to shake. Not good. Luckily there was a Ford dealership nearby. The spark plugs that allow the cylinders to fire were toast. Literally. They were charred and black with soot. My V8 was down to being a V7. The dealership told me that is what happens when your car has 80k miles and you drive across the desert. I asked them if I really needed all 8 cylinders. Shouldn't 7 be enough? They answer was a resounding "no". Bummer. Cost to replace those spark plugs = $750. Double ouch. I am thankful that this didn't happen in the middle of the California desert. I think my guardian angel really likes me. Yay!