Not such a great dinner

We had the chance to eat out Saturday night, at The Metropolitan. Dinner, however, wasn't great. It may have been doomed from the outset though: our server, B----, was a strange combination of perky and dismissive. We waited for nearly half an hour to even give our orders, and another 10 minutes for cocktails (and had to remind her to get them). I don't mind leisurely dining, but neglectful service isn't the same thing.

The kitchen was out of three entrees, substituting Mahi Mahi for local Utah trout in one dish (??). The floor was dirty, and the line chef (we could see him from our seats) was chewing gum while he cooked. My fish (the bass) was overcooked, despite my asking B---- to have it done medium rare. And, just a picky detail, we asked for cream in our after-dinner coffee but were served milk.

Anyhow, it was still a night out - without kids.

Summer's nearly over

Well, now that the kids are back in school, the summer reading programs at the library and the movies in the park have ended. Also, the county's outdoor pools close after Monday.

Don't despair. The Salt Lake County library system has some wonderful programs coming up: we're planning on attending the owl show and the kids' zumba workout. The Salt Lake City library and other nearby county library systems have programming, too (and it's free!).

And, even if we can't hang out poolside in the sunshine, don't forget the local indoor pools, with all of the slides, lazy rivers, waterfalls and swim teams or swim lessons.