The blog celebrates its fourth birthday today.

I've kept my promise to post photos daily. In the last year it was sometimes dicey to make that goal. In January and February, for example, I underwent four weeks of daily radiation that left me battered: radiation was more rattling than any of the chemotherapy treatments I'd had.* Things are better now, thanks to the great providers who oversee my care and a new drug the FDA approved late last year.

When I started blogging, I posted aggressively because I sought to ensure that the "core" family photos would be preserved on this site before I evaporated. As a result, most of the really interesting images have been posted. My supply of snapshots is finite. Although I will continue to blog daily, I likely will decrease the number of posts I publish each day.

Glacier National Park, July 1972. I've walked over to the Many Glacier Hotel, where I enjoy a cola in the lower-level café.

*It was during the drive home from one of those radiation treatments that I hit the deer!

Accordion Reunion

Seattle, Washington, July 29, 2014. Friends visiting Collections Café looked up at the ceiling and thought of us.

Northern Europe's first "cat café" ...

... opens in Vilnius.

"Tell everybody that a dog isn’t a toy. It’s a woman’s best friend, for life."

Dog carriers are devices that treat dogs like parcels.

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, August 2013. A Chihuahua visits the café.

Bistro Supper

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, September 1985. We pull up as dusk arrives. The mountains cast a blue shade on the village.

Coffee Break

 
Venice, Italy, April 1984. We're back at the Grancaffè Quadri.

Ready for the Tourists

Venice, Italy, April 1984. The tables are set at the Gran Caffè Chioggia. The Marciana is on the left, behind the café. You've seen this spot before from a different angle—and in different weather.

Šaltibarščiai

"Šaltibarščiai" is the Lithuanian word for "Cold Beet Soup." We never call it "Borscht." A bowl of Šaltibarščiai is a real summer treat. Here's our family recipe:

3 cups buttermilk (I use 2 cups buttermilk and 1 cup Tzatziki. Some people use kefir.)

8 ounces (1 cup) sour cream, stirred

3/4 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (McCormick "Grill Mates" Montreal Seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

One pound cooked beets, peeled or one 16 ounce can whole, small beets, drained (reserve liquid)*

8 ounces cucumber, preferably seedless, peeled

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1/2 cup freshly scallions, white and green parts (3 to 4 scallions)

1/4 cup fresh dill weed, minced (measures 1/2 cup, loosely packed, before mincing)

1/2 to 3/4 cup reserved beet liquid

additional fresh dill weed, minced

hot boiled potatoes

In a large (3- to 4-quart) serving bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, Tzatziki (if using), sour cream, salt and pepper, horseradish, cider vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Blend well to combine.

In the workbowl of a food processor, with the shredding disk in place, shred the drained beets and peeled cucumber. Transfer to the serving bowl.

Insert the metal blade into the workbowl of the food processor. Add the hard-boiled eggs, scallions, and dill weed. Process, using on/off turns, until the ingredients are coarsely chopped. Add to the serving bowl with the beets and cucumbers.

If mixture seems thick, add some of the reserved beet liquid. (How "thick" the soup should be is a personal preference. I come from the school of thick soup, so I rarely add more than 1/2 cup.) Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, garnish soup with fresh dill sprigs. Serve with a boiled potato on the side, topped with the fresh dill.

Makes 10 cups.

*It's summer, and it's hot. Why heat up the kitchen by boiling or roasting fresh beets? Canned beets work perfectly in this recipe.

UPDATE: My Toronto Cousin sends this image of a bowl of pink Šaltibarščiai, served with a side of boiled potatoes, in a Lithuanian café:

Ringstraße

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. We visit the famous boulevard. It's the place to find an elegant café.

Turkish Coffee

Ephesus, Turkey, April 22, 1976. We pause for coffee after touring the Ephesian sites.

Three men walk into a café ...

Athens, Greece, April 16, 1976. This looks like a conversation that matters.

Grancaffè Quadri

This photo captures another sweet memory from Venice. There's even a soundtrack.

Venice, Italy, April 1984. My Parents and I enjoy the Grancaffè Quadri on the Piazza San Marco.