Yesterday afternoon Debbie and I ventured down to Maddox Ranch House for our “lupper”. We both had fried chicken for our entree. I thought it was the best I've had up here, but Debbie likes the fried chicken at Angie's better. They both are very good to be sure. I had soup (a cheesy broccoli and carrot cream soup) and Debbie had a salad (with homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing); both were outstanding. There were of course all the usual things about the meal to be fond of: the bread, the drinks, the excellent service. But then there was dessert: fresh strawberry pie for me, raspberry cream pie for Debbie. That strawberry pie was strawberry heaven on earth: perfectly ripe berries, a sauce that had just the right sweetness, and fresh (real!) unsweetened whipped cream. I didn't taste Debbie's raspberry pie, but judging from the noises she made while eating it, it must have been pretty spectacularly good.
While we were enjoying the meal, I saw one particular waitress walk by our table a dozen or so times. She was perhaps 35 years old, and not a beauty by conventional standards – but she had a wonderfully sunny and cheerful face as she greeted all the diners and coworkers she passed. Her smile was infectious; it cheered me up every time I caught her (which was often!). On our way out of the restaurant, she happened to be walking toward me, so I stopped and told her how much her beautiful smile had cheered me – and I got my own 10 kilowatt smile in response. That was fun :)