Zara Forest Grill | Peaches Prattlings

{March 28, 2024} Step one… get to dad’s

And here I am!

Finished work, gave the dogs lots of hugs, got some kisses, put them in the crate, turned on the radio, loaded the car, called PSM to tell him I was off, and Annie and I were on the road!

The ride to dad’s was uneventful, I stopped for some Muscinex DM and cough drops, did some planning with SDL, put on a podcast and all was right with the world.

I didn’t hit traffic until I was about 30 minutes out from his house in Bayonne, NJ. And… no rest stops…I needed a bio break! Oh well…

Finally got to dad’s, he knows me, he opened the door and stood aside! Whew!

When I could breath again, went back to my car to get my stuff, we turned around and went back out for some dinner, to…you guessed it, our new favorite place…Zara Forest Grill for some Turkish food. Yup, same place, same order, I’m ok with that and so is he!

We talked, laughed, and ate, and talked, and laughed, and ate. And cheered for the flaming meat platters and the birthday celebrations, not sure, but I’m pretty sure they sing the same thing, just add Happy Birthday!

Back to the house, catch up, look at stuff, change into jammies, and sit down to watch something. We settled on Bitconned, the documentary about crypto currency. When we realized neither of us was paying attention and falling asleep, I said good night, time to tuck in.

Here I am, snuggled in my childhood bed, talking to you and getting ready to sack out.

Tomorrow is work, I’m sure breakfast with dad at Z One, back to work, then off to your airport.

Can’t wait! Gotta get to sleep so I can start my trip! G’night!!

{March 2, 2024} Breakfast with dad, drive to Bahston, dinner with my sis

All is a day, of course!

I got up way to early for a Saturday, why can’t I sleep past at least 6am!? I decided to linger, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, going out into the rain, and the bed got softer and I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the warmth and comfort of my childhood bed. Don’t roll your eyes, it’s a very comfortable bed, the mattress is just right, and the blankets were piled on and just cozy! It’s a twin, yup, you know how much I love a king or california king bed, but I grew up sleeping on a twin bed. You should have seen the number of pillows and stuffed animals I had, used to give people ‘hives’!

I got up eventually, got dressed, got the dogs out of their travel crate, and took them out for a walk. It was still raining, not too hard, but enough, hoping it wasn’t going to get too bad on my way to Boston, but I was not so lucky! We walked around the block I grew up on, back to the house, say good morning to paw-paw, fed them, let them hang out for a few minutes, then back in the crate and dad and I went to Z-One for breakfast. First, we tried to go to Zara Forest Grill, we saw they had breakfast, but it turns out they don’t open until 11am on Saturdays, that’s brunch, not breakfast!

I love my one-on-one time with my dad, we talk about everything and nothing, we reminisce, we plan, we strategize, we joke, we tell stories, it’s just that good!

After breakfast, we made a pit stop at Michael’s, it was for him, not for me! But who am I to stand in the way of creativity! I had so much fun crafting with him last night! When we got back home, I packed up the pups crate, food, and bowls, and of course, the dogs, got in the car, made sure the window cover was secure, plugged in the address of the hotel and headed out into the rainy day for parts, I can’t say parts unknown, I know where I’m going! ha ha.

It was about a 4.5 hour drive with no stopping, well, we know me well enough to know that’s not possible! With the rain, stopping for gas, and one or two potty breaks, I made it in about 5-5.5 hours, that’s not bad at all! I got the dogs out, walked them in the rain, got them into the room, unloaded the car, got the crate and their bed set up and then I got to work feeding them.

After a bit, I got in touch with GES and we worked out that I would go over to their house so I could see MGS, and we would order take-out, but if they bring it to you, is that take-in? hmmm…it was good, we had pho, and it was pretty good. I definitely had leftovers to bring home! We hung out, talked, played with Bailey, their dog, and Piper, the labradoodle they were dog sitting for the weekend. We talkd, laughed, enjoyed just spending time together, then EJS came home, and then ACS, the gang’s all here!

It was nice, I hung out until about 10p and I was getting a little tired, only because I knew I had to drive back in the rain, then drive back to PA tomorrow, with a pit or dinner stop at dad’s. I got back to the hotel, they let me park my car at the entrance, so hopefully the plastic holds and no rain gets in, thank you Romeo!

I’m back in the room, the dogs have been walked in the rain, I think I’ll let them sleep with me tonight, I have this whole bed to myself, and I know they would love the cuddle. I’ll love the cuddle, except for the part where they push me out of the giant bed! grrr…

Tomorrow, it’s a birthday party for Uncle A, I get to see PSM, and his whole family, celebrate, then drive to dad’s and then back to PA. I need a nap!

G’night!

{March 1, 2024} Dinner and crafting with my dad!

Heading to Boston for a party on Sunday, so…since Staten Island, NY is mostly on the way, just a slight detour, so…

I worked all day, then loaded up the car with my bags, my Cricut Joy, the dogs, and me…and we were off! On the road again…ha ha, you are welcome for the ear worm!

It’s about 2.5 hours to get to my dad’s house from ours, not too bad, didn’t hit much traffic, thankfully! We got to my dad’s house, I took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood, gave them dinner while I unloaded the car, and then they explored their ‘paw-paw’s’ house. Check out this shirt I made him for ‘pawther’s day’ last year! World’s Best Paw Paw, with pictures of his grand-doggies! could you just diah! [you need to read that last word with a southern accent!]

I set up the travel crate and, after a bit, got the girls in, then dad and I went to dnner. We were debating where to go and I mentioned mediterranian and we went near the house to a place that used to be a Perkins, which is a 24-hour diner, and now is Zara Forest Grille, a very nice Turkish restaurant. I would say at least 90% of the people there were Turkish or somewhere from the mediterranian.

It was quite the experience! We sat at a small table for two, they brought out a long platter with a giant piece of pouffy bread and olives. We ended up ordering a Shephard Salad, cheese on the side, and an appetizer plate, it had tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, eggplant salad, and aci ezme. Everything was amazing, except for the aci ezme, it was sssppppiiicccyy! O M G! No thanks! It stayed on the plate! Dad had a soda, he was hoping for Turkish wine, he absolutely fell in love with Turkey and all things Turkish when he and my mom were there for her 50th birthday trip. No Turkish wine dad, sorry. I had a pot of green tea, maybe next time I’ll get Turkish tea, they said it was very strong, I think I’ve had it, but I’ll try it next time.

For dessert, we had…baklavah! It was soooo good! We reminised about living in Israel and him going to the Arab market and coming back with a giant pink box with nothing but baklavah, and I think it weighed about two pounds, and it cost… about 2 dollars! What an amazing experience that summer was…I need to think about it more, maybe share some stories, at least what I can remember!

What a great experience at this restaurant, they had this one dish, we asked about it because there was such a celebration when it came out! First of all, the lights go out, next the music and clapping starts, then the waiter, well almost the entire wait staff, singing over the flaming plate of meat! It was awesome! Not something I’ll ever get, but still fun to see! Thanks for the great evening out, dad!

Then, back to the house, I was going to show my dad how my little Cricut Joy works, I had been telling him about it a few weeks ago, so now he can see it in action. I helped him with an art project that he was working on, it was a win-win! We discussed, rearranged, and figured out where he wanted what and I was able to print some stuff for him to place. That was a lot of fun! Dad, if you need more stickers, or whatever, just let me know!

Eventually, it was time for the girls to go to be, for dad and I to climb the stairs, get in our jammies, and for me to get in my childhood bed, sink into the covers, tallk to you, then pass out. Sounds pretty good!

Tomorrow…Boston!

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