Looking back over the Gull Reef Club archives, I realize I’ve only documented my birthday dinner from 2007. This is a shame because Mike has been making me increasingly incredible birthday dinners for well over a decade now. 2008 proved to be no exception.

This year’s menu included braised beef ribs in a red wine sauce/turned gravy, fresh herbed mashed potatoes, and baked acorn squash (as my grandma would have made). For dessert, oddly or usually enough, I asked for something involving ‘apples and puff pastry’ - looking back at last year, I guess I must be predictable for dessert choice.

The recipe I had found for Mike to cook the ribs was clearly lacking at the outset. Mike recognized this and managed to turn it into a perfect French/German style autumn meal. The fresh herbs for our potatoes, rosemary and thyme, came from our garden. All around, it was a delicious meal. Thanks, Mike.

The summer heat has finally broken, a few trees are losing leaves, and the daylight is a little shorter. It’s October and that means scary reading time. I’ve kept myself amused with some short stories found via The Literary Gothic (long running thanks to Cyan for that link).

Yesterday, I devoured the novella The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen. I feel like I should have read some Machen by now considering how prolific he was, and allegedly influential. Yet, I’m somehow just crossing this path now. I foresee me eating up a few other short stories of his before I’m done with my frightful fall reading.

Boo.

Here’s some eye candy I’ve stumbled into recently, worth sharing with you, Beachcombers -

Fear of Falling, Sophie Lewis & Emma Critchley

The artists have some high-falutin’ ‘concept‘ they allege is behind their work. I just think underwater posed photography is cool lookin -

Next up are some of Chicago’s Hidden Spaces, Jan Theun Van Rees

Finally, a friend of mine introduced me to the work of photographer Peter Lik

Enjoy.