My favorite room in the house is my Moroccan lounge.
I built everything in the room except for the 1941 Philco console radio, which I rebuilt and adapted for USB and Bluetooth remote input then pumped up the output to 80 watts to subtlety modernize that old radio, which must have received the first reports of the bombing of Pearl Harbor when the radio was new. It was worth the hundred mile drive up there.
I got it from Craigslist for $75 from a kid in Phoenix, who probably spent the money on weed and couldn’t even guess how to upgrade the antiquated electronics.
I also added a color Philips Hue light behind the speaker grill for effect. Now you can use your phone to play music through it or stick in a thumb drive with MP3 songs loaded onto it. Either way, it’s easy to operate.
Every Halloween, I play Orson Wells 1938 broadcast of “War Of The World’s” as a tradition.
But this holiday season, I followed through with another tradition, a Middle Eastern dinner between Christmas and the New Year.
For appetizers, I made Hummus, Baba Ganoush and a plate of Labheh with Zaatar. Of course, I had Pita bread to eat all of it with.
For the entree, It was Kefta, Red Pepper Albanian rice, Black-Eye Pea Salad and Tabouli – self-served with a good red wine from the wine rack in the mini-bar I designed and built.
I don’t think there are many lounges in Arizona like this, or in the United States, for that matter.
If you spent any time in the Middle East, you’d probably enjoy having a few drinks in this timeless room.
Regardless, the food turned out great and there was more than enough for my guests and me to enjoy.
Here’s hoping that 2022 isn’t going to be as bad as it looks from here. CHEERS!