DB at RLP

That would be (DB) Dickie Boy at (RLP) Rancho La Puerta.

Yes - Dickie Boy's time at Rancho La Puerta was SO epic, 
it requires it's own special abbreviation.

To kick off my explanation, I must confess I actually didn't get a full week at the Ranch.  Due to work constraints, I could only join the crew on Wednesday morning.  But by the time I arrived, the whole Ranch knew me.

As I my mom escorted me from the Welcome Desk to our villa on the other side of the property, every single person that passed us would greet me in 1 of 3 ways:
"Oh, you must be Dickie's granddaughter!  Welcome!"
"You must be KK!  We just ADORE your grandfather!  So glad you're finally here."
"Oh, are you the final member of Dickie Boy's clan?  We've had so, SO much fun with him and have heard so much about you!"

Obviously by the end of our 10-minute walk, I felt awesome.

But Dickie Boy's fame on the Ranch went beyond his omnipresent among patrons, he was an international celebrity when it came to people on the Ranch.  EVERYONE wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

When we'd walk across the property to a class or a meal, anyone we passed would greet him with adoration.
"Dickie - how ARE you?"
"Oh Dickie - are free for a drink at The Bodega tonight?"
"DICK! Are you going to the lecture at 7pm?  I'm debating, but if you're going, I will too."

To give you a candid, albeit brief, glimpse into the legend that is Richard Gallun (that would be Dickie Boy), I thought it best to show you what kind of magic DB worked while on the Ranch, namely, his "dance-in-place performance" during circuit training at 10am (shown here with one of his many (many) admirers):

Need I say more?

No.

xoxo

KK

cooking school at rancho la puerta

For their cooking classes, Rancho La Puerta invites a different chef each week to guest teach a week of classes.  We were lucky enough to be there for the week Joey Altman - a San Francisco star celeb chef - was teaching.

He kicked off the class with lots of jokes and tons of super useful tricks in the kitchen.

Like how to peel garlic in 10 seconds:

Simply take your unpeeled cloves, put them in a bowl, put another bowl on top, and shake the Dickens out of it.  When you open your bowls, you'll find your cloves perfectly peeled.

Or how to keep your avocados from turning brown:

You know that green slime-like substance on the outside of the avocado after you peel it?  Simply wipe that off with a paper towel and your avos are good to go, brown-free.

After the intro tricks, we were each assigned a recipe for the evening.

Gretters got the gluten-free sesame crackers:

Mom got the cashew hummus:

Together, the two were a total hit:

Dickie Boy got the cauliflower puree, but he was so quick and flawless in his execution, he was done before I had a chance to snap him in action.  Here's the amazing finished product:

With so much free time on his hands, Dickie Boy offered to help me with my dish: shrimp-stuffed avocados with a mango salsa.

The process involved "stuffing" the shrimp (marinated in a citrus-cilantro dressing) in a sliced avocado,

rolling said avocado into a ball with plastic wrap, and then after a half hour of chilling, unwrapping them and placing them onto a bed of mango salsa: 

The process ended up being more than I could handle on my own, so it required calling in the special forces.

But the final product was well-worth the extra work.

Other delicious dishes included a beet, feta, citrus, arugula salad, fresh-from-the-garden ratatouille, and  a basil-crusted sea bass.

And because no good meal is complete without dessert, Joey surprised us with gooey, chocolaty, luscious lava cakes with homemade coconut ice cream.

Unreal.

For these recipes and more, check out his awesome cookbook Without Reservations.  You won't be disappointed.

xoxo
KK

well, hello!

Boy oh boy, it's been quite awhile since I've checked in last.  But my absence was not without good reason - I landed a new job!  While very exciting, the last month has been a whirlwind of trying to orchestrate my exit from my current gig as well as schedule some summer fun.  (More on that to come.)  

In addition, we've had time for some exciting, action-packed weekends.

Watching my baby brother graduate summa cum laude (!!) from Williams:

so proud of Sam Richard Krieg

the family crew of Williams grads

Helping said baby brother move into his new apartment in NYC:

my sister Gretchen working her magic with IKEA

My 5-year college reunion:
(which coincided with my parents' 30th and included a whole lotta mud)

charlotte and me

A wedding up in Healdsburg:

we obviously had to do some wine tasting

(at kunde's mountain top)

and some beer tasting

(at the fermentation bar in downtown healdsburg)

and some hiking in the redwoods

And finally, doing some much-needed spring cleaning:

color-coded books - yay or nay?

 

More details on these fun weekends to come.

What have you been up to?

xoxo

KK

the walk

This past weekend, Stefan and I headed out East for my brother Sam's homecoming football game.  Given he's a senior and the last one in the family to go to Williams for awhile (the potential next-in-line is still in middle school), we got a big turn-out from the Williams alums in the family.

Alby Gallun ('89), Liz Krieg ('83), Al Mathews ('10), Gretchen Krieg ('10), Sam Krieg ('13), Me ('08), Stefan Fischer (honorary eph), Dickie Boy Gallun ('57), Todd Krieg ('83)

 

For those of you unfamiliar with this little liberal arts college tucked away in the Berkshires' purple mountains, it is a school full of rich tradition and with extremely proud and passionate former students.

So proud, in fact, that when Stefan travels with his Williams sweatshirt on (which is very, very often), he'll almost always be bombarded with fellow ephs yelling at him from across the terminal:

"What year were you?!"

"Which team did you play on?!"

"In which entry did you live?!"

 

One of Williams' most famous traditions is that of "The Walk."  In 1992, Sports Illustrated called it the BEST POST-GAME TRADITION IN AMERICA.  Kind of a big deal.  But this tradition doesn't occur just any old day.  It ONLY happens when Williams is victorious on Homecoming day. 

 

Lucky for us, after a tough nail-biter, Williams won.

 

lining up for some serious football!

the grandfathers and father approve!

an avid (and very well-dressed) fan

Note the scoreboard in the background - 19:7

Two proud sisters!

 

 

Post victory, the team - in full uniform - marches up Williamstown's main street - singing Williams' spirited fight song the whole way - to the St Pierre Barber Shop.

 

 

Once at the Barber Shop, ALL the players head inside (with some cigars and a thirty-pack), close all the curtains, and watch as the seniors shave the freshmans' hair in anyway they please.  Hair that has been left uncut since the first day of the season.

 

The fans wait eagerly outside.

Dad trying to sneak a peek

 

Once each seniors' masterpiece is complete, he presents it to the crew of onlookers waiting outside.

 

Sam's masterful creation

 

Which hairstyle would you prefer?

 

xoxo

KK

wedding photos!

After what seemed like years of waiting, our wedding photos finally arrived!  And boy oh boy, was it worth the wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos by Cooper Carras

 

Hungry for more?

 

Hop on over here.  Password is kunde.

 

xoxo

KK