“Can’t be more than 114”
We covered a lot of ground this week. I drove down to Austin on Monday to prepare for a presentation to the Board of Directors on Tuesday, driving back to McKinney when the session finished up. We worked from home on Wednesday, and then caught a flight to Palm Springs for an adventure with the Ogans and two other couples who I’ll introduce you to in due course.
We checked into the gorgeous Korakia (Greek for “crow”) resort on Wednesday night. This resort was restored in 1989 and has a Mediterranean style on one side of the street, and Turkish on the other. This place truly has the feel of an oasis in the desert, and has been featured in many architectural and travel magazines. The San Jacinto mountains provide an awesome backdrop to the views form the resort.
No wonder the New York Times dubbed the Korakia as “one of the sexiest hotels in America”.
We met up with Kenny and Kara (New Orleans friends of Denny and Anne that I met briefly years ago) on arrival at the resort around 9pm. The A/C in our original bungalow wasn’t working well and so we were transferred to a suite on the Mediterranean side of the road. The suite and furnishings, including a turntable and good vinyl selection, were lovely, the only issue coming from a very high stone platform bed. McD needed help in and out to avoid injury. The shower was off a similar rock disposition, giving the suite a bit of Flintstones feel. The neighbors were tired of hearing Diana yelling “Yabba Dabba Doo” as she attempted to jump up into the bed. More about those neighbors, “the arsonists”, later.
“Can you give me a boost?” We had a delightful evening, getting to know Kenny and Kara, and catching up with Denny and Anne.
Breakfast was included, and served on a gorgeous patio in front of the hotel, by some very happy and kind ladies. I really enjoyed the avocado toast with a sunny-side egg and tomatoes. The group managed to rustle up some champagne so that everyone could enjoy mimosas and get the day off to a good start. I should clarify – the rest of the group had already been on a strenuous hike, climbing around 1500 feet in the roasting temperatures, before D and I joined them for breakfast.
Our main adventure activity on Thursday was the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The 10-minute, 2.5-mile ride, begins at the Valley Station (elevation 2,643 feet) and ends at the Mountain Station (elevation 8,516 feet). It was amazing to see that the temperature at the base was over 100 degrees, while a cool 65 degrees at 8,516 feet.
It was First Responders’ month, and as Kenny is a Fire Chief, we enjoyed discounted admission, and he received a nice souvenir. I found the rotating of the tram car (a new feature introduced with a 2000 renovation) and the dips/swing after the towers a bit disconcerting – my Dad would have had a fit.
The tramway was first opened in 1963 after many decades of planning, fundraising, and logistical problem solving. Construction was mostly accomplished with helicopters, flying some 23,000 missions during the 26 months of construction, hauling men and materials needed to erect the four towers and the 35,000 sq. ft. Mountain Station. Over 20 million people have now enjoyed the ride, and the tramway has been designated a historical civil engineering landmark.
The rest of the group enjoyed a hike at the top, while our poorly planned flip flops were an excuse to just relax and enjoy the scenery from the rooftop lounge (world’s 8th best cliff side restaurant).
The descent took less of a toll on my nerves and I was able to enjoy the rotating views as the landscaped changed from high forest to salt desert.
I was amazed at how quickly the temperature rose as we descended back down to the desert floor.
We enjoyed an afternoon snack in downtown Palm Springs, followed by a somewhat refreshing dip in the Mediterranean side pool, and then headed to get ready for dinner. That’s when we first encountered “the arsonists”. A younger couple, clearly very much in love and in the room next to us, had decided to light a wood fire to set a romantic mood. In 114 degree weather? Really? No, REALLY? The flue wasn’t open or some other issue had caused the room to completely fill up with smoke. They ultimately had to transfer to another room later in the evening. You can imagine what our Fire Chief thought about these goings on.
For dinner we chose tacos and margaritas at El Jefe in the funky, retro Saguaro hotel. The shishito peppers, queso fundido, tacos (particularly the shrimp), and margaritas were all very good. Unfortunately “Karaoke Kenny” wasn’t able to perform as that’s only available at El Jefe during high season.
Some excellent banter followed back at the hotel and we all retired at a relatively early time.
After another delicious and leisurely breakfast on Friday morning, we packed up and headed to Desert Hot Springs (DHS), a bit nearer to the venue for the concert series that initially spurred the trip.
Diana and Anne made a visit to Trina Turk’s clothes shop, while the rest of us picked up coffees and a blue balloon dog for Anne. Denny and I were both looking for casual lunch spots en route to our next hotel, and both decided on Dillon’s Burgers and Beers at the same time. This dive bar has been operating for over 70 years and delivered exactly what it advertised – delicious burgers and beer. A highlight of the visit was playing pool, with Anne receiving detailed instructions from Karaoke Kenny – “Slow your roll, and see through the ball”.
From Dillon’s we made the short drive to El Morocco Inn and Spa. We were a bit circumspect as we arrived at the hotel – the neighborhood seemed a bit sketchy and the outside of the establishment was not overly welcoming. However, on embarking on the welcome tour with Debbie, our opinions were changed – this was a very welcoming hotel with lots of great features: a pretty pool, Moroccan features in the rooms, french press coffee on demand, late night port, Casablanca playing on repeat, and a wonderful spa garden featuring a full size Bedouin tent.
Trey and Dana (long first “a”) arrived from Las Vegas shortly after we checked in. Trey went to high school with Denny and Kenny, and now lives in Dallas. Everyone chilled in the pool for a while, enjoying Morocco-tinis, before we made the journey up to Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown for Campout 15. “What’s all that?”, you ask? Well, let’s see, here’s some history from the P&H website:
The legendary Pappy&Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace has been delighting locals and travelers alike since 1982, with its mesquite barbeque, live music, dancing and friendly service. There is also a long history here. In 1946, Pioneertown was founded by a group of Hollywood investors with dreams of creating a living movie set — an 1870’s frontier town with facades for filming and interiors open to the public.
On the outside were stables, saloons, and jails, and on the inside, were ice cream parlors, bowling alleys, and motels. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Russell Hayden, and the Sons of the Pioneers (for whom the town was named) were some of the original investors and personalities who helped build and invent Pioneertown. More than 50 films and several television shows were filmed in Pioneertown throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s.
In 1946, where Pappy&Harriet’s stands today, was a facade used as a “cantina” set for numerous western films well into the 1950s. In 1972, Harriet’s mother, Francis Aleba, and her husband, John, purchased the building and opened “The Cantina”, an outlaw biker burrito bar. The Cantina rollicked for 10 years, and when it closed, Francis and John made sure the building stayed in the family.
In 1982, Harriet and her husband, Claude “Pappy” Allen, opened “Pappy&Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace”. While the bikers still hung around, Pappy&Harriet’s presence created more of a family atmosphere. With family style Tex-Mex cuisine and live music featuring Pappy, Harriet and their granddaughter Kristina, P&H quickly became a local favorite with all walks of life getting along under one roof!
And what’s Campout 15? Two bands formed by David Lowery, Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, have hosted the Campout music festival at this location for the last 15 years. This was to be the final event. Lowery formed Camper Van Beethoven, an experimental indie band, in 1983 in Santa Cruz, CA, and then the more straight ahead, Cracker in the early 90s. I’m a very big Cracker fan – the “Kerosene Hat” album has been one of my favourites for many years.
Jesika Von Rabbit (I know, what kind of name is that?) kicked off the Friday extravaganza. I really enjoy their “Joshua Tree” song:
That was followed by a Cracker set. The theme for the evening was “black”, to recognize the end of the Campout’s 15 year run. Here’s their best known song:
Camper Van Beethoven played the headlining set on Friday. Here’s Diana’s favourite song of theirs:
The sunset behind the band was beautiful:
The founder of the band is David Lowery and one of their most popular songs is a cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men”. See if you agree with my theory here: Lowry was an English painter, known for his pictures of matchstick men:
Here’s some info on Lowry: L. S. Lowry (1887-1976) is best known for painting industrial scenes of North West England in the mid 20th century. His characteristic style has a dreamlike quality, populated by stylised figures referred to as ‘matchstick men’. Although Lowry was trained in academic drawing, he chose to develop his own naive style which has brought him widespread recognition. His mysterious, weatherless landscapes express a personal response to the world around him that never fails to bewitch the viewer. Lowry’s paintings tell the true tale behind English city life.
Do you think it’s interesting that Lowery covers a song by Status Quo about paintings by Lowry? Ok, after all that, here’s a clip of that song, interestingly not really representative of the blues rock typical of Status Quo. Trivia about Status Quo: they opened Live Aid at Wembley in 1985 on my first day of work in the oil business.
It was a late arrival back at the El Morocco, but we managed to hang out and tell stories in the Bedouin tent for a while – with a couple of lazy belly dancing characters. Here’s a picture of Denny and Anne in the spa garden pre-concert – don’t they look happy and relaxed?
The adventure for Saturday was a trip to the Joshua Tree National Park. Here’s some info from the park website:
After a dip in the pool at the El Morocco, we headed up for night two of the Campout. The order was reversed with Camper Van Beethoven starting, and Cracker headlining. In between was an interesting experience, The Minus Five performed. Who are they? Well, they were formed by Scott McCaughey in 1993 with Peter Buck of REM. Prior to this band, McCaughey formed The Young Fresh Fellows with Chuck Caroll. What? That Chuck Carroll?
Yes – my neighbour in Los Gatos, Joe Carroll’s brother Chuck. I met him a few times and he can play Anything on the guitar. The Minus Five were much more animated than expected – kind of a cross between Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello in the late 80s. Here they are with a Beatles cover. Can you see Mike Mills and Peter Buck from REM on the right (they are used to much larger stadium audiences):
100 degrees all week. Work was a bit less all consuming this week – thank goodness. I had a work dinner on Monday at III Forks steakhouse. Diana had been wanting to try their happy hour with oysters and champagne for a while, and so walked across with me. She ended up being invited to join us for dinner, which thankfully meant very little work talk. We ended up having a very nice evening all around.
episode of the Bachelorette, where two of the remaining four contenders for the love of the Bachelorette are sent home. She has a particular dislike for Luke P. (can’t blame her from what I’ve seen) and was looking forward to him going home. She decided to invite our friend Damon (he travels in from Philadelphia every other week, and was just hanging out in a hotel room) over to watch it with us. The next morning I got an earful – “first of all you were talking all through the episode, and then you and Damon fell asleep while I was making a pizza”. Oopsy – we must be working way too hard.
After a little time to cool off from walking a couple of miles in 95 degree weather, I drove over to the Austin Film Society to watch a documentary on Blue Note Records. “Blue Note Records – Beyond the Notes” covers the history from the start of the label in the 1930s through the present day.
After parking the complaining “P” in the Catherine garage, I walked across Congress Avenue bridge to the Fareground food hall and enjoyed the amazing chicken hawaiej hummus. While Odd Duck is atop my restaurant list, this particular dish is my favourite in Austin so far. The hummus is wonderfully creamy and on a par with Shaya in New Orleans (rarefied company) and the flavors with the chicken are amazing.
A few blocks further into downtown, Joe Ely was playing at Antone’s. I always enjoy a Joe Ely show and I’ve seen several, dating back almost 30 years to a memorable show he did in San Antonio, with Ian Moore on guitar. This was a full band show and quite different to the solo acoustic sets that I’ve seen recently at B.B. King’s in New York, and at the Kessler. Antone’s was quite full of a lively crowd of folks – quite the scene when Ely took the stage and started to get warmed up.
My friend Norma, from Guatemala, was trying to get to New Orleans on Saturday to see the Rolling Stones at the Superdome. This is the rescheduled concert from the Jazzfest 50th anniversary show that was canceled due to Mick Jagger’s illness. Wouldn’t you know she had to fly on Friday afternoon to get in ahead of the storm, only to find out that the concert was pushed back to Monday. We’re hoping she finally gets to see the band after so much effort. She was in Lima, Peru this week, planning for our new system to be implemented, and was complaining that it was mid winter and very cold. It will not feel like winter in New Orleans for sure.
Diana arrived on the afternoon bus on Friday and it reminded me to share this picture I snapped earlier in the week. One of the luxury Vonlane buses had broken down and the Corvette the mechanic drove over to repair it was hilarious. Zoom in and check out all that crazy air intake equipment.
The Boogie Kings, a band formed in Eunice, Louisiana in 1955, were billed as the headliners, but the crowd had cleared out a good bit for their set – most folks came to hear Marcia Ball.
Congress Hotel. There really are so many interesting stores and restaurants on this street – very unique. We enjoyed a drink at Craft and Commerce – commenting on the beautiful decor, and then walked across the street for dinner at June’s. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the people watching.
I enjoyed the book, “Machines LIke Me” by Ian McEwan, very much. What an excellent writer and a creative premise. The novel is set in 1982, the miners are on strike, unemployment is soaring, and Margaret Thatcher has dispatched the Navy to protect the Falkland Islands from take over by an Argentinian junta. These are all historically accurate, and then McEwan puts a twist on things – the war in the Falklands is lost with 3,000 casualties, Lennon and JFK are both alive, and Tony Benn is challenging Thatcher for leadership of the country.
workouts and then lunch at Toulouse in Legacy West. Diana was excited when her choice for restaurant stuck – the other two options we discussed were closed for the holiday. We enjoyed a delicious white wine and steak tartare with frites. I know, you’re thinking our diet is almost exclusively raw meat these days – only when we go to French places that do it well.
And did you know that I’m highly allergic to wasp and bee stings – swell up like the Elephant Man. Turns out hornets nests are not always in trees. We found five piles of sand in the beds next to the grill, looking just like ant hills without the ants. Further investigation showed some kind of bug burrowing into the ground and kicking out sand. We decided to leave well alone and wait for the pest control experts.
early dinner at the Grape. She says she had been thinking about going all week – must have some special ESP going. We started by sharing the chicken liver mousse, which now has the pistachio topping added back – last time we visited, over a year ago we guess, they had changed it, and not for the better. Then we split a delicious salad, followed by steak frites for Diana and scallops for me. A lovely evening and way too long since we’ve visited the Grape.
“The Parade” by Dave Eggers, a very favourite author, is a spare and powerful story of two men, Western contractors sent to work far from home, and tasked with paving a road to the capital in a dangerous and largely lawless country.
“Biloxi” by Mary Miller is quite different than any book that I’ve read in a while. Miller skillfully transports us to her unapologetic corner of the South—this time, Biloxi, Mississippi, home to sixty-three-year-old Louis McDonald Jr. His wife of thirty-seven years has left him, his father has passed—and he has impulsively retired from his job in anticipation of an inheritance check that may not come. In the meantime, he watches reality television, drinks beer, and avoids his ex-wife and daughter. One day, he stops at a house advertising free dogs and meets overweight mixed-breed Layla. Unexpectedly, Louis takes her, and begins investigating local dog parks and buying extra bologna. Mining the absurdities of life with her signature “droll minimalist’s-eye view of America” (Joyce Carol Oates), Mary Miller’s “Biloxi” captures every day life in the South perfectly.
The week started well with a relaxing and delicious lunch at June’s All Day brasserie on far South Congress. This is the place that Mark took me to for lunch when I interviewed for my job in Austin, and I hadn’t been back since. Diana and I both loved our lunch – delicious wines, smoked salmon nicoise salad for D and steak tartare for K. The heavens opened as we were finishing up and so we had to stay for coffee and wait for a brief respite in the rain. Temperatures dropped 15 degrees in a few minutes and the humidity was thankfully gone from the air for a while.
Then they met up with Sean at the Continental Club to see the amazing Peterson Brothers. These two young men have so much positive energy and interact with each other beautifully. May they never lose those positive smiles they have playing music together. I was able to join around 7:30pm for the second half of the show. We particularly enjoyed the rendition of “Amazing Grace” on violin by Alex – it was his first instrument in school before graduating to bass guitar virtuoso.
Changing over from music to the literary front, I finally finished “The Parisian” by Isabella Hammad. This was a very long slog of a book with lots of Arabic dialog and names. I did learn a lot about the history of Palestine in the early 2oth Century, and the influx of Jewish immigration that ultimately caused the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that still exists.
Our second wedding anniversary on Monday was welcomed with a pretty sunrise. After a long work day, we celebrated at Uchi, a sushi restaurant close to the apartment and rated one of the best in the United States. The food was excellent, as you can tell by the smile on D’s face. The service was equally outstanding, from the initial greeter, to Sam our waitress, and everyone else that interacted with us.
The rest of the week was busy with work and quite hot outside. On Wednesday evening we braved the heat for a walk along the river, passing by the movie on the lawn event on the way home. “The Goonies” was showing on a giant inflatable screen. Temperatures continued to heat up, with Thursday being the first 100 degree day of the year.
Friday afternoon took me to one of our stores on far South Congress to observe system performance during the peak time and close process. As luck would have it, C-Boys Heart and Soul was close by. Diana joined me and a couple of work colleagues for happy hour. The Rosie Flores Revue was playing (as they apparently do every Friday) – what a pleasant surprise. We’ll have to return again soon.
Sunday kicked off with a nice long swim and very relaxing sauna, followed by coffee at Opa! The puzzle was by creators and an editor we didn’t know – where did Fred Piscop go? It took us both over 30 minutes to finish the “Doing the Splits” crossword.
After dinner we finished off the evening at the Roosevelt Room. The bar is lovely and the cocktails good, but we decided it was just a bit too much work to get a drink in that place. I did like the interior and particularly the musician paintings – here’s one of Austin native Gary Clark Jr.
Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and all you others celebrating today. Being a Dad – the most challenging occupation I know, filled with terrific highs, tough lows and lots of unanticipated in betweens. Here’s a picture of my Dad, sister, and brother in law at Pitmedden Gardens near Aberdeen.
The only real respite all week was a very pleasant walk along the river trail on Thursday night. The city of Austin does such a good job maintaining the trail and the natural habitats. We enjoyed this guy with his long neck sticking up from the vegetation.
We walked down South Congress Avenue (SoCo) to the San Jose hotel for a relaxing drink and snack on their excellent patio. This is where we finished our evening with the Aussies and Diana sent Sue a picture of the patio. She replied that they were fighting through thunderstorms in Custer, South Dakota – those Aussies get around.
Our brunch started with shishito hashbrown, creamed corn, and braised goat – such a delicious combination of flavors. A close second to that was the next dish of smoked chicken skillet, sunny eggs, mushroom cream, and tobacco onions. The final dish of Mediterranean flavours – eggplant falafel, fenugreek sausage, cashew humus, and herb yogurt made it difficult to choose a favourite. We really enjoy the concept of smaller portions to share – particularly when each contains so many fresh flavours. Can you tell that I was very happy with everything about my brunch?
I was up early on Tuesday morning for a swim at the chilly Barton Springs pool. A very refreshing start to the day. After work, Damon and I had dinner at Chi’Lantro and then caught an Allman Brothers tribute band at the One 2 One bar. This was an excellent show, far exceeding our expectations. All the musicians were great – the dueling guitars, double drummers, bass and organ. Anne would prefer this to the original Allmans as the solos were short and tight – not the sprawling 10 minute guitar solos of the original band. Anne always complains that there aren’t enough words and the songs last too long.
On Sunday evening, we revisited on of our favourite Austin spots -the Townsend bar and listening room. The entertainment was by Michael Fracasso featuring Charlie Sexton on guitar and Michael Ramos on keyboards and accordion. 
It was a treat to see Sexton in such a tiny venue – he was about to head back out on the road as the guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band. I mentioned a week or so ago enjoying his playing on Boz Scagg’s latest album. And of course the Arc Angels, his short lived band with Doyle Bramhall II, has been a favourite of mine since living in San Antonio. Michael Ramos has an equally impressive resume, having toured with and produced many well known artists.
While we were in the show, everyone’s phone started alerting at the same time, for a flash flood warning. Apparently it was raining very heavily outside. Things had dried out after the show and we were able to enjoy the walk home at a temperature over 20 degrees cooler than when we entered the show, 2 hours prior.
Denny shared an excellent article, “The Memorable Mr. Hughes”, with me this week. Mr Hughes is retiring as the music teacher at Lusher, the school that Jack and Jason attend. Diana and I have attended several “Morning Meetings” in the Lusher courtyard and the music is always a big part of these. A highlight was Trombone Shorty getting down in the middle of the kids when his microphone didn’t work correctly. Here’s a quote from the article:
Happy Birthday to Alicia! She hosted 5 girls for a pool party on Monday afternoon. They were mostly very well behaved. 19 year olds don’t seem to be anything like 13 or 14 year olds – much less squealing and yelling. It took poor Diana a few minutes to get all the candles lit on the mini cupcakes.
couples we met at the Continental Club last week) were able to join us for the birthday celebration. I grilled burgers, chicken and veggies for dinner and Alicia and Diana made huge green and fruit salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. You can see the lovely purple orchid that Kerry brought for Alicia on the right hand side of this picture. Hopefully we can keep it alive for a while after Alicia leaves.
As luck would have it, Kerry and Yoshy live only 10 minutes from our friend Stan in Brisbane, Australia. We had just been having a FaceTime session with Stan the night before.
The morning sky on Wednesday seemed a bit gloomy and ominous. Waiting for the lift to head to work, I noticed a “stand up” meeting happening at the job site next door, where the new high rise building is starting. Made me smile, as I was headed for our 8:30 am daily stand up meeting. The ominous clouds cleared out nicely during the day and the evening was bright and sunny.
The set by Western Youth was excellent from start to finish and I think they made a number of new fans from folks who just wandered into Gueros. Several folks asked me the name of the band and what I knew about them.
Penelope is enjoying Austin. She likes cruising down Barton Springs Rd with her top down, and really enjoyed the new experience of backing into the slanted parking on South Congress.
I was getting peckish after all that great music, and made a stop at the Taco Joint on Riverside, a place very close to the apartment that for some reason we haven’t tried yet. The tacos here are very good – I enjoyed a portobello mushroom and a steamed fish. Another great food option in very easy walking distance.
I really enjoyed the swim and particularly the very long laps that are possible. It took about 10 minutes to adjust to the cooler than typical pool temperature water. One interesting fact about the pool – this is where Robert Redford learned to swim at age 5, when visiting Austin on holiday. Barton Springs is a federally protected habitat as it is home to the endangered Barton Springs Salamander. I didn’t spot any of them but it was pretty dark for most of my swim and the pool has depths up to 18 feet. I look forward to making a few swims in Barton Springs part of my regular weekly routine.
Thursday night brought a pleasant cultural experience – a showing of the new Miles Davis documentary, “Birth of the Cool”, at the Austin film society. Admission included a cocktail, trumpet music in the lobby pre-show, a discussion with the producer, and jazz records in the lobby after the movie. What a deal for $11.
I rode back to Dallas with Vinod on Friday and had the house to myself for the night. Diana and Alicia were enjoying a few days in Boston on the back end of a work meeting that Diana attended on Wednesday. On Thursday night they visited the Union Oyster House, established in 1826, and the longest continually operating restaurant in the United States. John F. Kennedy’s booth is marked with a plaque. Diana enjoyed the lobster (pronounced “Lahbstah” by the locals”.
trails while Diana handled some work meetings. Diana had duck for dinner and it looks absolutely delicious. They apparently sat next to a couple for Highland Park, Dallas and had a good chat. Later, they both took a ghost tour around the area.
Sunday started with a swim in the warm gym pool, followed by coffee and crossword. The evening brought a real treat – a return visit to the Kessler by Nils Lofgren, this time with his full band (including brother Tommy from Grin), and his own guitars. You might remember his equipment was stolen overnight prior to his last visit, and he had to borrow all the guitars he used.
Here’s the set list from the show – a very strong finish including “No Mercy”. I remember first hearing this on Radio Clyde with the DJ, Dougie Donnelly, raving about the song – I was sold.
I finished the book “The Paris Diversion” by Chris Pavone this week and really enjoyed the read. A fast paced, intelligent thriller with interesting plot twists, that is also well written with great descriptions and vocabulary – a rare combination.