Gary V. Powell, Author

This time of year it's difficult not to reflect on the months past and hopes and dreams for the upcoming year.

We've had both highs and lows this year. Overall, more highs and lows.

Here's how it shook out for us in 2007.

Children

The year got off to a rocky start with Ashley's visit. We were set to meet with her probation officer on January 2 of 2007. Instead we ended up in the emergency room. Read more about it in my Perils of Nurse Ratchit entry. Ashley made a come back (only to stumble later on)--to the best of my knowledge she's been drug free for a year. although she's still struggling to keep her life together.

I visited my daughter Jessica and her husband CJ in Omaha earlier in the fall. Things are challenging for them, raising two babies on a modest income. But I am really proud of how these kids are doing it. They don't complain, don't ask for anything, and remain cheerful and loyal to one another in the face of money shortages, dirty diapers, job frustrations, and sleepless nights. Seeing them making it in a tough world is a real high for me. There's more about this in my Jet-Setter: A Tale of Two Cities entry.

It's hard to nail down my best and worst experiences with Reilly, because I spend so much time with him each day. Looking back, years from now, I suppose we'll remember 2007 as the year Reilly started first grade. Overall, the best experience was taking Reilly to see the State History Museum when we visited Austin, Texas back in the spring--the two of us had a great one on one day together. The worst experience--seeing him melt down at the Boot Barn with his cousin Brendan just a few days later. I could've killed them both.  You can read more about Reilly in my entry A Very Bright Light.

Mary

Several nights last summer, after Reilly went to bed, Mary and I sat on the screen porch and listened to the crickets and nightingales. We drank wine and I read stories, or we just talked about how amazing it was that we 'd found each other and managed to build this life together. I loved those nights. Does it get any better than that? You can read more about Mary in my entry Lightening on the Water. It's from 2006, but it's as on target now as then.

Writing

Writing is a huge part of my life. I spend half of my working hours, at least, writing and polishing stories and novels. I had some successes this year. Boat to Build was published by the Briar Cliff Review and Homecoming won third prize in the SEAK Fiction contest for lawyers. Another story won first prize in another contest and yet another story was selected among the Best of 2007 on a writer's board I participate in. My novel Pointe of Contention is under consideration by a publisher I met at a writer's conference last spring and I finished my second novel Beyond Redemption last week. Several other stories and another novel are in the works.

Overall, I'm writing better than I've ever written and I'm beginning to get some recognition for it.

Work

Work plays a big role in our lives. For years, I've owned and ran, along with Mary, a small consulting firm out of the house that specializes in instructional design and development for the financial services industry. You can learn more about out business at www.centerginc.com.

For a number of reasons, we struggled with CenterG this year. I lost interest and Mary had challenges with a major client. We're still trying to figure out where to take CenterG next year.

I started a new business this year, Joie de Cuisine. I really enjoy the writing and cooking I do in connection with that business. So far, it's not made any money, but there's some up side potential into the new year. So far, we've done some great dinner parties and served some beautiful and delicious food.

Dining

I wish I could report that my best dining experience this year was at a new restaurant on Lake Norman, but alas that’s not so. Instead, the award goes to Alice Waters’ restaurant, Chez Panisse, located in a modest wood-frame house on a pleasant street in Berkeley, California. You can get there by car from San Francisco in under thirty minutes.

What makes the menu exceptional is the array of local, fresh items that find their way into the dishes. That’s not surprising, because Ms. Waters is a spokeswoman and long-time advocate for what has become known as the Slow Food movement.

On the day of my visit, I began with the summer squash and sweet corn soup. For an entrée, I chose Alaskan King Salmon. My salmon was a perfect medium rare and was complimented with green beans, roasted peppers, and artichokes. A tapenade of olives and tarragon topped the fish. For dessert, I settled on a pear and huckleberry tart with Grand Marnier whipped cream.

You can read more about Chez Panisse here.

New Food

This is really tough and came down to a tie.

The first dish I enjoyed while in Philadelphia last summer. I dined at a Spanish tapas restaurant, Amada, which won the 2007 Zagat award for best Newcomer. I began with North Carolina Razor Clams and Chorizo in a delicate sauce of garlic, butter, clam juice, parsley, and red peppers. The clams were large and tasty, the chorizo smoky and rustic.

I’d go back to Philly tomorrow for this dish.

The second dish was served to me not at a table, but on the cooking line at Carlos restaurant on the Chicago North Shore. Through a program offered by Chef Ramiro Valasquez and owner Carlo Nieto, I spent a day in the kitchen just prior to starting my personal chef business.

That evening, after the rush of the first wave of customers, one the line cooks assembled a dish for me of seared duck breast, parsnip custard, foie gras, and a deep red cherry sauce. I’d tasted all of these components individually or in combination with other foods before, but enjoying them together, while standing up, sweating in a kitchen, waiting for the next order to come in, was tough to beat.

You can read more about Carlos' here.

Travel

We enjoyed some great travel with Reilly this year. I loved taking him to New York and DC. And San Francisco remains one of my favorite cities. But the most moving travel experience was our visit to Gettysburg. Read more about it in my entry Gettysburg.