Pasta al pesto

Eastside Road, Healdsburg, Aug. 10—

PASTA AL PESTO tonight, one of the nicest pestos we've had in quite a while. Two bunches, nearly, of particularly nice Genovese basil from the Kiff farm; good pine nuts and that expensive French rose-violet-colored garlic; some Pecorino along with the Parmesan; the Turkish olive oil.
A few sausages, too, and nice sliced tomatoes, and of course a green salad, the vinaigrette flavored with pickled-sour-cherry vinegar. And for dessert, something I've never tasted before, in nearly 74 years: watermelon chunks with blackberries. And good company. What a pleasant evening.

Rosé, TT, 2007; Zinfandel, Neyers, Napa county, 2004