The Outlawz Alcohol Markers Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Transportation) Challenge

Hey, our challenge this week is a mouthful, isn't it? Suffice it to say, you can use any form of transportation for your subject. Just be sure to color it with any brand of alcohol markers, OK?

Our sponsor this month is Mitzi Sato-Wiuff of AuroraWings. Love, love, love her fabulous images, which are so much fun to color! A randomly-selected participant will receive a $10 GC to Mitzi's Etsy store. I've said it all month--I wish I could play! Be sure to stop by to see her wonderful images!

I used a couple of AuroraWings images this month already, so I used a Jellypark Friends image this week. I think that Flying a Plane is just too stinkin' cute! And it fits perfectly into this challenge. 

But, before I get to my card description, I want to give you my report on last week's restaurant outing for our monthly dinner club. The person who chose the restaurant didn't show up to the dinner. Not sure why. But I know she missed a really fantastic meal, with a great group of peeps. We had so much fun, off-color naturally, with the gang that showed up Saturday night to Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix. (Say that three times fast.)

I was upset last summer because I heard that this restaurant was closing, and we had never been to it. It is in a secluded spot in the middle of town. On a farm property. Well, fortunately, although the former chef left, the property owners got a new chef to carry on. And I do mean fortunately! I highly recommend a trip to Quiessence, as long as you realize you are going to a pricey place.

We thought you had to park outside the property, across 32nd Street. Au contraire! After walking a rather goodly distance in high-heeled suede boots, over gravel and then uneven grassy ground, (well, I had the boots on, not Gary), we noticed that there were cars parked by the restaurant at the back of the property. Naturally. So Gary went back to get our car since it was still daylight, and he didn't want to walk back to the car in the dark after dinner. I kept on going and, huffing and puffing, made it into Quiessence just before 6:00 p.m. Which was our reservation time. 

Our waiter escorted me to a small room at the back of the restaurant. We were now at the back of the back. No matter. It was a mighty good thing, as our party got really rowdy for three hours. You just can't keep a good crowd down, especially our dinner club. I would tell you all the double entendres, but I might start blushing. And, it would take too long. Suffice it to say, it started with RK ordering the bone marrow appetizer, and went from there.  

I ordered the Brussels Sprouts Salad for my first course. The leaves were individually pulled off the heads, and mounded into an artistic, pretty mountain of sprout leaves, pecorino, almonds, and pomegranate seeds, covered with a lemon olive oil dressing. Who knew? Such a tasty combination! I savored each bite--and yes, of course, I finished it all. Just scrumptious.

My main course was a pasta dish: Ricotta Cavatelli. The chef makes the pasta fresh each day, and it was succulent and tender. And the ingredients were other-worldly. Seriously. There were Chanterelle mushrooms, (I am an any-kind-of-shroom lover), pecorino again, thyme, and the most melt-in-your-mouth duck confit. I think I died and went to heaven eating that dish. And to think, I almost didn't order it! Crazy Penny. It was, in a word, magnificent. (Gary had this also, and loved it as much as I did! We'd go back, just for this dish, if nothing else.)

So, was Penny going to have dessert? Does a bear poop in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic? Well, of course I had to have dessert. And I was not going to share with Gary. Which was fine with him, because he decided to be good and not partake in a sugary, fattening final course. He opted for a cappuccino instead. Which I had also. Naturally.

I asked our waiter, (who was greatly amused by us), what the best dessert was. He recommended the Chocolate Walnut pie. Hmmmm. Do I love chocolate? Check. Do I love walnuts? Check. Do I love the rest of the ingredients, like vanilla-bean whipped cream, caramel sauce, date marmalade, and candied orange peel? Check, check, check, and check. Now, I didn't feel too horribly guilty after eating this. (Although I did lick my plate clean.) (Just kidding.) Because the portion was very small. In my mind's eye, it was just right. Gave me a thrill to taste each bite, but didn't overstuff me. Poifect! I don't see how any of the other desserts could have been as good. Even though they sounded yummy, too.

I neglected to mention the two bottles of red wine we consumed. Among four of the eight diners. It was scrumptiously delicious. A fabulous blend. But, I forgot to get the name of the wine before we left. Terrible oversight, as I would love to have some again. It went perfectly with the pasta dish. I think Patty managed to take a photo of the label, so I will have to get in touch with her and find out what it was that we drank. Oh, and btw, since the dinner took about three hours, it was a nice, leisurely, fabulous meal. Punctuated with so much laughter. It was a great night.

Perhaps we did consume a bit too much wine. Because somehow Gary and I volunteered to host a Super Bowl potluck next Sunday. What were we thinking? Guess we weren't. Well, I have been stumped as to what to fix. But I am thinking a panini party. We'll see...more on that next week.

Oh, and also btw, we had our daughter, SIL, and grands over for brunch and cappuccinos on Sunday. It was a really fun meal. Everybody ate well. And I cooked. Scary, I know. I fixed a huge batch of cinnamon raisin bread pudding, and a large pan of roasted potatoes with bacon. We also had yogurt and fruit. Jon and Angela seemed to enjoy their coffee--I fixed them two cups each. We think we'll try to do this once a month now. As long as Gary cooks every other month. At least. I am kind of a one-trick pony. (And I performed my one trick.) 

Oh, we also spent some time in downtown Gilbert on Saturday--went to get coffee beans and ended up browsing the farmer's market and then ate at SoCal Fish Taco Company. We split the orders of shrimp and mahi-mahi tacos, which were reasonably priced and quite tasty. They were accompanied by really good rice and beans, so I was a happy camper. Do you get the feeling I ate well last weekend? Well, if you do, you would be right. Just sayin'.

Alrighty, on to my card for the week. I printed the boy flying a plane on MICBC and colored it with my Copics:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04, R20

Hair: Y21, YR24

Plane: T0, T1, T2, T4, T6, T8

Jacket/Hat: E40, E41, E42

Gloves/Scarf: E42, E43

A bit of Wink of Stella Brush Silver was added to his glasses, and then the glitter seemed to adhere to his entire head. Oh well...

I chose DP from the Carta Bella Well Traveled collection, Zutterized it, and paired it with Stampin' Up CS. I added die cuts using the following dies:

MFT World Traveler

Memory Box Typewriter Alpha Lower

Then I finished the card with a plane charm, baker's twine, Washi tape, and a Tim Holtz Adage Ticket. (I chose Sky Pilot, a song from the 60's, for my title. We had a cattery in the 80's called Mullodies. We named all of our cats after song titles. One of the first Persians that we bought was a blue male that we named Sky Pilot. I know you are thrilled for that bit of trivia.) OK, that's it. Rather long post for such a short card description, huh? 

Do check out the cool creations by my talented teamies, Carla and Dawn. And then join in the fun! 

Have a great weekend!