Food & Travel...

Dinner with my “green” architect Dave was delightful. I managed to choke down some chickpeas and even chew them! I must really like this guy.

After dinner we sat by the fire and he made us some amazing tea. I know. I never thought I ‘d hear myself say that ‘tea’ could be amazing but this was insanely tasty. The tea came in these really cool biodegradable pyramid-like tea bags.

We sat on this awesomely fluffy rug (that I totally want for my home) by the burning java-log fire. Dave told me about growing up in a large family with three brothers from Oregon. His dad actually had a Christmas tree farm! He shared with me how he’d work on the farm and they also gave sleigh rides to the local kids. It sounded like a fairytale.

“It would make me secretly sad though,” he said as I was hoping he wouldn’t be too sensitive. “Where would all these trees go after Christmas was over?”

Growing up Jewish in New York, such things never crossed my mind. “Where do old Christmas trees go to die?" I asked.

“You can turn them into mulch.” Mulch? It sounds Yiddish.

He looks at my city girl face and explains to me, “You chop or grind smaller branches for wood chips touse in flower, tree and shrub beds. Larger branches can be cut into smaller bundles for winter protective mulch around newly planted perennials and small shrubs.”

“So you do have a ‘green’ thumb too, huh?”

“Let’s take our tea to the back yard and I’ll show you some of my work.”

Cool. He leads me to the backyard and there’s this amazing wood deck with beautiful shrubs and flowers everywhere.

“I don’t feel like I’m in the city at all! This is such a little haven,” Dave said. Get this: he built this himself! Ok, I can’t even hang curtains without messing up my whole apartment. Color me impressed.

“I have something for you”, he said, with a sly sexy smile.

I wonder what it could be? He ducks into the kitchen for a minute and comes out with a couple of soy candles that he lights, and a decadent box of chocolates.

I bite into one of these organic fair trade beauties and before I know it, Architect Dave kisses me.

Wow. Now that beats a regular Hershey’s kiss any day!

Hey--did you miss the beginning of RiverWired's new Green Reality Series: Girls Gone Green? Come on, catch up. Check out Shari’s previous posts here.