Category: Weekly Updates

“Going to California”

Week Ending December 11th:

When I left you last week, we were headed to see a concert at the Kessler.  Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland, and Shelley King, affectionately known as King Wonderball, shared some excellent Xmas and holiday themed music.

Jens and Glenda joined us.  We enjoyed dinner at Paradiso in the Bishop Arts area and all thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The highlight of the show for me and Diana was this cover of The Band’s “Christmas Must be Tonight”.  It took us a few days to get the chorus out of our heads.  Such a great song!

Here’s the original version:

The show reminded me of the impromptu birthday concert that Diana arranged for me in Austin a few years ago.  We were only expecting Shelley King, and then the other two showed up to jam.  That was the night we met the two wonderful Aussie couples.

I missed the Cowboys versus Indianapolis game due to the show.  And what a game that turned out to be.  The Boys won 54-19 with a massive 4th quarter.  Campbell had texted during the show that Dak didn’t look too great.  Well – that all changed at the end of the game with 33 points in the last 15 minutes.  The defense and Tony Pollard were amazing.

After my doctor visit on Monday morning, I helped McD rake and bag way too many leaves from our massive oak tree.  There has to be a better way for next year.  It took us a collective five hours to complete the task.  99% of the leaves are now off all trees – Diana has been busy emptying out the pool skimmers and Stanley’s (the pool sweep) bag.

Penelope’s brake pad warning light came on and Diana was kind enough to pick me up and drop me off at Auto Hans to get them replaced on Tuesday.  Always a hefty hit on the wallet.

By mid week, both of us were coughing up a storm with some kind of cold/flu bug that we haven’t quite beaten yet.

We finished up Christmas shopping at Cost Plus World Market on Friday – they always have some unique and different stocking stuffers.  After that we dropped off jewelry at Tiffany’s for cleaning, and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Tommy Bahama’s.  My Thai curry shrimp and scallops and crab bisque were delicious.  We always forget what a good place this is.

 

The World Cup has been very entertaining this week.  I particularly enjoyed the underdog stories with Croatia besting the favourite, Brazil, and Morocco playing a wonderful game to beat Portugal, and become the first African nation to advance to the semi-finals.

We were back at the Kessler on Saturday night for Marc Broussard.

Jon Muq, a young man from Uganda, was the opening act.  He had wonderful intra-song banter and a very smooth voice.  He was very excited to announce that he had recently been signed to Dan Auerbach’s record label.

Marc Broussard and his band were excellent.  A much better experience than the last time he played the Kessler – it was all standing downstairs that night and very noisy.

I had an early start to attend the Cowboys game on Sunday morning, and so we decided to stay at the Doubletree hotel – pick up point for the bus to the game.

A vendor took several of us from work to the game, including a lovely brunch at a new hotel by the stadium.

 

 

I lost track of how many compliments I got on the special Cowboys jacket that Diana made me for the Saints game, several years ago.

The Cowboys tried very hard to lose the game to the Texans, pulling out an exciting last minute win.  Tim and Robbie joined us back at the house for a small celebration after party.  Thanks Diana for leaving us a meat and cheese platter before heading out for the day.

While I was at the game, Diana and Janelle enjoyed brunch and the Dallas Symphony Christmas Pops concert.  Don’t get her started on what shouldn’t be included in a “Christmas” concert.

Phew – that was a busy week.

Here are a few pictures from California that I enjoyed.  Grammie on the loose in Target:

Marco and his friend Jessica posing by the Golden Gate Bridge – he looks better and better every day:

Will with some artificial intelligence app that doctors his pictures:

Week Ending December 18th:

Christmas gift exchange with Finn was on Monday night.  He was delighted with his stocking and the new coffee table that I labored so hard to assemble for him.  He had some very thoughtful gifts for us.  I laughed at my “Nope” Sunday t-shirt and our new penguin blankie.

The penguin key ring has a great message:

Diana has rarely taken off her penguin slippers since:

What a lovely night we had with Finn.

I dropped Diana at the Cooper Clinic early on Tuesday for her full head to toe physical appointment.  She’ll be happy to tell you that she accomplished a “Superior” score on the heart stress test – one of only twelve this year.

After that, we made the drive down to Austin for my work holiday party at Bar Peached, a creative restaurant on West 6th street.  Some folks were very festively dressed, including Tim:

We enjoyed the Nido rooftop restaurant when the party ended, staying out way too late for old folks.

I went to the office for a while on Wednesday and Diana met up with Lisa for a Mediterranean lunch.  I chuckled as a colleague reported back that he had spotted them going out for a “coffee” on the patio.  In fairness, there is coffee on the table.

We had an early fancy birthday dinner for Diana in the evening.  The bar at Jeffrey’s was perfect – a lovely setting with wonderful food.  Steak tartare amuse bouches, foie gras, duck with seared foie gras, and pork with lobster, finished up with a chocolate granache desert – all very decadent indeed.

After the traditional lunch at June’s All Day, we made the drive back to McKinney on Thursday afternoon.  We had time for a quick unpack and pack again for the flight to San Francisco on Friday afternoon.  And then it was time for our Christmas gift exchange.  I think we did very well with our stockings and gifts – much more sensible than trying to cart gifts to San Francisco.  Diana loved the fuzzy Christmas pants from Ogan Enterprises in New Orleans.

I watched an excellent movie, “The Swearing Jar” on the flight.  A very emotional tale that was wonderfully acted.

Sunday was Diana’s birthday, and we were treated to a visit from John and Joey and their families.  It was very sweet of them to make the drive up to celebrate with us.

The kids were a delight and wonderfully behaved.  Lilly made a card for Diana based on what Alicia had told her were her favourite things.  I love the “Itfulle tower” with the Koala climbing up.

Clorinda enjoyed having the kids around:

Brianna really has some flower arranging talent:

Caroline had a yummy lemon bar as a cake for the birthday girl:

Diana had such a lovely time!

My reading companion this week was “Like a Rolling Stone” by Jann S. Wenner.

Rolling Stone founder, co-editor, and publisher Jann Wenner offers a “touchingly honest” and “wonderfully deep” memoir from the beating heart of classic rock and roll (Bruce Springsteen).

I only made it a couple of hundred pages into this massive volume, so will save some more commentary for when I finish it up back in McKinney.

We’ve had a lot of music already, so I’ll skip that section this week.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all.

“Give Thanks”

The Pacifica weather has been unusually beautiful all week.  Only very minor bouts of fog rolling in.  Amazing sunsets have been served up every evening.  It’s hard to tire of the view from Clorinda’s deck.

Here’s the view South from our room with interesting contrails on a pleasant day, and then with the fog rolled in:

We enjoyed a coffee at Soul Grind and then a pleasant walk along Lindamar beach on Monday afternoon.  I captured this picture of the sun going down over the Pacific Ocean on our walk back to the car.

The exercise put us in the mood to join the 24 Hour Fitness gym, down the hill from Clorinda’s home, and we’ve been there every morning since for a workout to start the day.  Don’t get the wrong impression, I’m not complaining – I’ve enjoyed watching World Cup matches from the elliptical.

So much work goes into preparing a Thanksgiving feast.  I did provide a little assistance as McD slaved away with the meat and vegetarian stuffing creation.  We eye-balled the proportions of bread, veggies, and meat, and I have to say the end result was delicious.

Diana and I were trying to plan out the Thanksgiving Day oven schedule at Clorinda’s home – ham, various dishes of stuffing, artichoke dip, all had to be warmed and transported up the hill.  Thankfully Adamo took pity on us and took the ham up to his oven – he was scared we were going to dry it out as we shuffled trays in and out of the oven.

Campbell came to Clorinda’s house early in the afternoon to watch the traditional Thanksgiving Cowboys game – this year playing the New York Giants.

It really was a rare treat to watch the game with Campbell (and later arriving Marco and Gianluca) – I typically just get to exchange text messages with him as we cheer or groan about plays during the game.  Maybe we can do it again over the Christmas break.  We had to migrate up to Amy and Adamo’s home mid-game, but got to see the conclusion – another great win for the Cowboys!

Here are a couple of pictures that I love that were snapped before we migrated up the Hill:

We had 24 folks for dinner.  The view from outside looks very welcoming as you can’t get a good sense for the volume inside.

Here’s what it looked like inside as dinner was served:

Will and Christine joined us for dinner, with Christine providing some excellent appetizers.  Will really enjoys Adamo’s company.

It really was heart warming to see Marco and Julie both looking so great:

After dinner, it was time to head out for some pictures before the sun was completely gone.

We had to reprimand Uncle Marco for encouraging more loud vocal activity from the youngsters:

And another crazy Campagna Thanksgiving was in the books!

Some other interesting activity from the visit.  Diana entertaining her Mom with some instructions:

A sign that we saw in the coffee shop that really resonated with me:

Earlier today, I enjoyed Clorinda’s company for breakfast on her deck.  It’s a joy to sit and listen to her stories and commentary with such a wonderful view:

We’ve been enjoying the Stanley Tucci series about food in Italy with Clorinda in the evenings – she really enjoys all the commentary and food.  I do highly recommend this series.

In other movie/TV news, I started watching a movie called “The Swimmers” in the gym this morning, and it looks excellent.  About a couple of girls, excellent swimmers with Olympic aspirations, trying to escape from the horror of Syria.  I left the movie at a particularly traumatic boat journey scene, and have some trepidation about picking it up again:

What I saw so far is excellent, and I will hope to finish this movie soon.

My book this week was “Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm” by Laura Warrell, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  It’s hard to imagine this is a debut novel from Warrell.  This was reviewed on the Today show, and I remember Diana turning to me and commenting that she thought I would enjoy it.

“It’s 2013, and Circus Palmer, a forty-year-old Boston-based trumpet player and old-school ladies’ man, lives for his music and refuses to be tied down. Before a gig in Miami, he learns that the woman who is secretly closest to his heart, the free-spirited drummer Maggie, is pregnant by him. Instead of facing the necessary conversation, Circus flees, setting off a chain of interlocking revelations from the various women in his life. Most notable among them is his teenage daughter, Koko, who idolizes him and is awakening to her own sexuality even as her mentally fragile mother struggles to overcome her long-failed marriage and rejection by Circus. Delivering a lush orchestration of diverse female voices, Warrell spins a provocative, soulful, and gripping story of passion and risk, fathers and daughters, wives and single women, and, finally, hope and reconciliation, in answer to the age-old question: how do we find belonging when love is unrequited?”

A passage that ties into the title and features Maggie, Circus’s true love:

“‘How do you know what your doing?’ Kamar asked.

‘Rhythm,’ she answered over the shimmy of the high hat. ‘Everything is rhythm.  Our bodies, time, the plane, man.  It’s all moving in beats you just have to catch.’

Maggie struck a slow roll against the snare because she’d missed hearing the sound, her eyes closed so she could feel its hum deep in her fingers.  She doubled her stroke, building to a buzz, then let the beads of the sticks roll against the toms before shifting to the pattern she’d dreamed up the night before and had been drumming into tabletops all day so she could get it into her hands.  Within seconds, she found it and played the pattern until her muscles started to know the rhythm’s shape.”

This is what I imagine Circus from my book sounds like:

A classic John Lee Hooker/Van Morrison collaboration that I came across again this week:

And finally, some typically English music that popped up on a playlist:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“The Busy Travel Season Begins”

The fortnight began with a mostly quiet week.  On Monday we watched the latest Olivia Wilde movie “Don’t Worry Darling”, starring Harry Styles.  This was a really interesting film, featuring an alternate reality in the 1950s that virtual reality clients can sign up to participate in.  Styles wife is a stressed out doctor working 30 hour shifts and he plans to offer her a better life as a 50s housewife – and then it all starts to go awry.  Worth a watch.

Our midterm elections happened on Tuesday.  For the most part, we’re just delighted that all the crazy, inflammatory  commercials on TV are finally over.  I’ll spare you the rest of my political commentary.

I love the New Yorker magazine regular “Table for Two” articles.  They are wonderfully written and feature so many wonderful gems of New York dining.  The example this week is a very good sample:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/07/a-dominican-celebration-at-jalao-nyc/amp

As I said at the start, the week was pretty quiet – we went for a walk on Monday, a run on Tuesday, and a swim on Wednesday.  We took Finn to lunch at the Legacy West food hall on Thursday – maybe the first time he’s been outside the McKinney city limits in months.  He and D chose Velvet tacos (Finn said his brisket might have been the best ever taco), and I chose a really tasty Indian street food place.

We drove down to Austin early on Sunday so that I could watch the Cowboys and Packers game at the hotel.  That was a mistake – poor coaching decisions caused the Cowboys to lose in overtime.

Sunday wasn’t a complete loss though – we ran into my CEO in the lobby on our way to dinner in the hotel roof top restaurant, Nido.  It was his birthday, and we had a lovely celebration dinner – great service, yummy food, and entertaining story telling.

I loved my redfish Provençale and squash beignets, D her octopus carpaccio and oysters.  The view of downtown from the8th floor across the river was lovely.

The Loren is a brand new luxury hotel on the Austin riverfront.  It has a lot of kinks to work out.  On our first night the smoke detector was shining some kind of bright green laser light in the room every few seconds.  We moved to a new room, with the same problem, and then learned that the lights are controlled by a solar powered heat sensor – problem is the sensor isn’t anywhere close to light.  The engineer came up and shone a torch to charge the sensor.  The next morning a fake fire alarm woke us very loudly at 5am.  Good grief – two nights with interrupted sleep.  Tape on the smoke detector had improved things, only to be replaced by loud announcements.  The next morning at 6am, we had a reprise of the loud fire announcement.  Needless to say we have free rooms to use in the future.  A shame because the hotel and staff were really nice.

On Monday night we were lucky to score a reservation at Este, the new seafood restaurant from the Suerte (one of our favourite Austin places) folks.  The food was fantastic from start to finish – amazing ceviche, and several other seafood delights whose names I can’t remember.

Este is in a small house in an East Austin neighborhood and I can’t recommend it enough.

We met our old CEO (still a Board member) back at the rooftop Nido after dinner and that was interrupted by some Pacifica health scares – all fine in the end.  I did learn a new toast “Here’s to cheating, stealing, fighting and drinking.  May you cheat death, steal the heart of a woman, fight for your friends, and drink with me.”  I love it.  Nido has this beautiful fig tree in the entrance.

I had Board meetings all day on Tuesday, followed by a wonderful Executive Committee dinner, with special guests Diana and Lisa, at Qi – a wonderful Chinese place in downtown Austin.  That was followed by a very entertaining after dinner session at Nido – our CFO telling a more detailed version of his first trip to Burning Man.

On Wednesday, we executed our typical drive to Dallas day ritual – lunch at June’s all Day – always a lovely experience.  And the drive was very easy for once.  My Boursin omelet was delicious, as was D’s standard steak tartare order.

As if I hadn’t spent enough time with my work colleagues, I had another work dinner with the Executive crew on Thursday night.  It took forever to get to downtown Dallas, but we had a delicious meal at Sachet.  The octopus appetizer was a real highlight.

Friday morning came early, and fortunately our flight to San Francisco was delayed a few hours.  We Ubered down to Redwood City to borrow Marco’s car and then had an early night in Pacifica.

For some reason I thought a jazz show in San Francisco on Saturday night would be a good idea.  Diana was too tired to make it, so Alicia and I made the drive up.  An Arcade Fire concert, Opera, and Symphony were all going on at the same time within two blocks of each other.  Parking was a disaster.  I’m glad Alicia was driving, because I would have given up and driven back home.

We were only a few minutes late to SF Jazz, and quickly got our seats to watch Joe Lovano and John Scofield – two giants in the jazz world.  I have enjoyed Scofield in New York a few times, but had never heard Lovano.

There was a lot of what I call “noodling” in the early parts of the show – showing off musical ability without necessarily being musical.  The drummer, Joey Baron, was the star – demonstrating the amazing acoustics, as we could hear every delicate brush stroke and cymbal tap.  McD would certainly have been sleeping early on.  Things picked up towards the end with better musicality and this gorgeous saxophone sound:

Alicia did a very nice job of driving us home, just in time to say “Hi” to Julie and Marco as they collected Gianluca from his boring day hanging out on the Hill.

Watching the Cowboys game today was much more pleasant.  From the first play – Parsons sacking the Vikings quarterback, until the last it was total domination, leading to a 40-3 final score.  Where was that team last week?

Marco and Julie came by after Gianluca’s soccer game in San Francisco.  Always so much fun to spend time with them.

My book this week was “All This Could Be Different” by Sarah Thankam Matthews.  The wonderful Lauren Groff (author of my book last posting) says:

“This book is spiny and delicate, scathingly funny and wildly moving.  Sarah Thankam Matthews is a brilliant writer, one whose every ringing sentence holds both bite and heart.”

I found this book a bit silly and plodding to begin with, but was completely hooked and invested in the characters by the last hundred pages or so.

Springsteen has a new R&B cover album out this week.  Great stuff:

The wonderful Lukas Nelson with a song I first head this week, reminding me of Nathaniel Rattelife’s “It’s Still All Right”:

And finally, some classic Credence jamming:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

“A ‘Work’ Trip to Roatan, Honduras”

Tuesday was passport day.  I had made an appointment at the downtown Dallas emergency passport office.  All the necessary documents were reviewed and I was sent to another window, anticipating receiving my shiny new passport.  Not so fast – “You have to come back tomorrow afternoon to pick it up.”  “But I live so far away and can’t afford to take time off work again, and if I don’t go on this trip I’ll get fired.”  My fabricated sob stories were all in vain.

Deciding to make the best of another drive downtown, I invited Diana to accompany me and have lunch afterwards in Oak Cliff.  The passport was ready – all set to travel again.  I surprised Diana with a new place for lunch – Paradiso in the Bishop Arts district.  We sat in the courtyard and enjoyed an excellent lunch – one of the best salads that we’ve had in a long time.  A nice new find to add to our Oak Cliff rotation.

 

After lunch we strolled around the corner and enjoyed a browse and a coffee at the delightful Wild Detectives book store.  This is my favourite retail establishment in all of Dallas.

We woke up very early on Friday morning, grabbed our passports and luggage and  headed for the airport to catch our 7am flight to Miami.  A quick change, and we were on our way to Roatan, Honduras.  Here’s a picture from the plane as we flew over the beautiful Caribbean islands:

“Where is Roatan?”, you ask.  Here’s a map to help you get oriented:

Roatan is a Caribbean island, about 40 miles off the coast of Honduras, with a population of around 100,000.  It has the second largest coral reef in the world, after the Australian Great Barrier reef.  We had the choice of attending year end award celebrations in Las Vegas, Roatan, or Cancun, and decided to try somewhere new.  What a great choice that ended up being!

A bus was waiting for us at the tiny Roatan airport (4 gates) to shuttle us to the Grand Roatan resort.

This is located on the very West end of the island and was just gorgeous.  Not too big, with an awesome beach and beach front restaurant.  Here are some pictures of the resort.

Our condo was behind the tropical forest on the right hand side of the last picture, and had a wonderful view out over the reef.

The advance party, Blair (COO), Lachie (CEO), Nikki (CRO) and Lisa (Blair’s wife) were already installed at the beach restaurant, and we joined them for lunch and margaritas.

We hung out chatting on the beach for the afternoon, and then an impromptu dance party broke out.

Jorge (VP for LATAM)  arrived in the late afternoon, just in time to teach McD some new dance moves:

And to sing for Lisa:

I am very fortunate to work with such fun and kind people.

After the sun set, we walked down the beach and enjoyed a yummy meal on the deck of the Argentinian Grill.  D’s lobster tails were gobbled up.

Lachie had planned on renting a boat on Saturday, but the rainy season was in full force in the morning, so we pushed that to Sunday.  As we were heading down to the beach in the afternoon on Saturday afternoon, we ran into Lachie, who joined us for the afternoon.  We told stories and he worked on both of us to try and push my retirement date out as far as he could.  “You want to work from the south of France?  That’s totally fine with me.”

I forgot to mention that we did get one workout in on Saturday morning.  The gym was brand new and very well equipped, with a terrific view.

When the rain let up, we had a nice walk down to the far end of the beach.

Sunday was one of those fantastic days that just evolve.  The rain came again during breakfast, so we relaxed for a while and waited for it to pass.  Around 10am, we made the short walk down the beach and boarded our boat for the day.  We cruised around the island, stopping for some snorkeling, and then pulled into an isolated restaurant, “The Cove”, for another great meal.  Blair and I hiked into the jungle to “The Brewery” in search of cigars – no luck.  I did have a good chat with the owner – used to work the front of the house at the Granada theater in Dallas – where we’ve seen many concerts.

The girls made me a bit nervous making their way to the bow of the boat for a better view and sunbathing.

Unfortunately the rain came again in the late afternoon.  We were out beyond the shelf in 2,700 feet of water, and so our captain put some lines out, hoping to catch some dinner.  No luck on that, but we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

There are not many better ways to pass a day than cruising around a lovely island with good people.

Our award winners arrived on Monday morning.  We greeted them at reception, got them checked in, and then participated in some games on the beach.  Everyone got a welcome bag with a swim shirt and button down shirt for the evening.  Here’s the crew in their swim shirts.

I really didn’t enjoy the “beach skiing”, but did well at the canoe race.

While we rested up for the evening event, Diana and Lisa went off down the beach shopping with the wonderful Alex as a tour guide.  He took pictures of them on the oversize chair.

I’m so fortunate that Diana has become such good friends with Lisa – they really enjoy hanging out together while we’re “working.”

The awards dinner was so well produced with so much heart.  The stories and videos of the winners were really touching.

The after dinner dancing got off to a slowish start until the two party starters took over – doing an excellent job of getting everyone on the dance floor.

Diana was having so much fun dancing that I kept getting the “Just 15 minutes more” story when trying to head to bed.

Tuesday was a free day and we spent it relaxing on the beach and reading.  BP made an appearance – although the park ranger did tell me “no penguins allowed on the beach.”

We enjoyed a late lunch with Pepe and Rebecca – such a nice couple, and Rebecca was a good, chatty addition to the D and Lisa duo.

Travel home on Wednesday was smooth – just a short delay in Miami and, as is typical these days, folks behind us that talked for the entire flight.  My new passport worked without any issues.

There had been some storms in McKinney while we were gone, so it was straight back into pool girl cleanup mode for McD.

My book this week was “The Dark Remains” by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin – two authors that I enjoy very much.

McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books were a completely new force in crime fiction when originally published years ago.  When he died in 2015, he left half of a handwritten manuscript about Laidlaw’s first case.  Ian Rankin finished what McIlvanney started.

This is an excellent tale of the criminal world in 1970s Glasgow, and the Laidlaw character is wonderful as always.

From a conversation with both authors transcribed at the end of the book – McIlvanney:

“I come from twenty miles outside Glasgow – “How can a Kilmarnockian write about Glasgow?”  It’s twenty miles!  There’s buses and things!  But it was regarded as kind of preposterous that he would have Camus and so on.”

Thanks for letting me steal this book, Mum.

“Walking Wounded”, McIlvanney’s short story collection, has pride of place in the Top 10 books I’ve read section of the bookshelves.

Somebody, likely Lachie (Aussie), was playing this INXS song on the trip.  Such a great band:

This was a staple on Jorge’s playlist.  Something a bit different for me but a super catchy hook:

And finally, some sweet singing and guitar from Gary Clark Jr.:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

 

“A busy travel month”

I’m back.

Did you miss me?  It’s OK – you can be honest.

This is the first time in 6 years of posting that I’ve gone a solid month between updates.  Sorry – been too busy bouncing around the country.

I started the month by finally taking the plunge into U.S. citizenship.  I showed up on a very hot Tuesday morning to stand in line with 800 other new citizens from 91 countries.  Almost an hour elapsed before I made it through the process and into the air conditioned facility.

The Oath that we all recited did make me wonder: “abjure”, “potentate” – not words I ever hear spoken – particularly not by a group of folks who may still be learning English.  Also entertaining in that I’m not renouncing my British citizenship.  Oh well – I went along with it and obtained my certificate, and a letter from the President.

The next day, I flew out to San Francisco to meet up with Diana and support Marco (and Julie) in his surgery.  We drove up to Sacramento, made sure they got checked into their hotel for the pre-surgery rest, and then checked into our Airbnb.

I picked a place in Midtown, Sacramento – a historic neighborhood just East of downtown, with a lot of old Victorian and other interesting houses.

While Marco was starting the lengthy surgery (9.5 hours with 6 surgeons), we walked to a local breakfast restaurant.  Jennifer, the owner of Morning Fork with her husband, was very welcoming.  When we asked her if there were always so many firemen in her restaurant, she replied, “Oh no, if I’d known I would have worn something cuter.”

Diana thanked her for her kindness and mentioned how important that was to us on surgery day.  She rushed off and came back with a complimentary bottle of champagne for us to enjoy at home.  We were really liking this neighborhood already.

Although very extensive, Marco’s surgery actually went a bit better than expected.  He looked amazing the next day, although in tremendous pain.

A few days later and Marco was on to a liquid diet – very exciting for him after eating nothing orally for so long.

We were amazed at Marco’s strength as he quickly was up and walking around – adding more distance each day, until he was able to quickly climb two flights of stairs.  Julie was a wonderful advocate, managing the doctors and nurses at a very detailed level and making sure she had all necessary information.

 

 

We continued to explore the Midtown neighborhood – enjoying a very unexpected dinner at Moxie – a few blocks from the farmhouse.  It looks like a real hole in the wall from outside.  Then you step into a lovely restaurant with excellent food and presentations.  The menu is very accommodating – if we’ve got it or can find it nearby, we’ll make it for you.  D’s seafood medley and my seabass were both wonderful.

Adamo came to visit on Saturday and we went walking around for several hours before he visited Marco.  All the way down to the Capital building and the river, before randomly bumping into Julie meeting her friend, and getting an unexpected ride home.

We couldn’t let Adamo leave without trying dinner at his namesake restaurant.  We had a very good meal and he loved telling everyone the place was named after him.

After a week, our time at the Midtown farmhouse was coming to an end and extending wasn’t possible.  We relocated to the Kimpton Sawyer hotel downtown – a very comfortable and kind establishment – more on that later.  Amy dropped off Frankie with Diana one day so that she could go and give Marco a Reiki treatment.  She is incredible at that – took Marco’s pain from a 15 out of 10 to zero for a while.  Even when he was standing up.  How does that work?  And why isn’t it being used more often?  Diana was exhausted after a few hours babysitting fearless Frankie at the pool – and had certainly earned her champagne flight at Fizz, just outside the hotel and beside the Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings basketball team.

We enjoyed dinner one night at the nearby Brasserie du Monde – wonderful duck liver mousse.

Diana worked with Nina at the Kimpton front desk to extend the room day by day as we anticipated Marco’s release from hospital.  This lady was amazing – said “Hi D”, every time we passed through the lobby, asked about Marco daily, provided D with drink tickets, and comped almost all of our room and other charges on checkout.  Wow!  If you ever find yourself in downtown Sacramento – this is the place to stay.

And finally the day was here – Marco broke free.  He was so happy to be out.

I forgot to share this silly picture he took with his favourite nurse, Boris.  Boris witnessed some of the crazy tales and behaviour the day that Diana sat with Marco during his delirium phase.  You’ll have to ask D for those stories.

We spent the night at the same hotel Julie had been using in Elk Grove, close to the hospital, and then Diana drove Julie’s car home, while I drove Marco’s Subaru to Clorinda’s house and then was dropped at the airport by the wonderful and lovely Caroline.

I had a few days at home before Diana was scheduled to fly back on the Monday.  Anne and Denny tag teamed trying to convince me to fly down for Gretna fest on Sunday.  I checked American Airlines and let them know it was way too expensive for a quick trip.  Denny persisted, and so late on Saturday I checked Southwest, finding prices not too bad.  In a weak moment, thinking of how much I would enjoy a day of music in New Orleans, I booked it.  I was at Denny’s home by 9:30am on Sunday and on the 11:00am ferry across the Mississippi to Gretna at 11:00am.

Jack, Thom, and Alex joined us for this wonderful day of music.  The crowds were very small, the weather perfect, and the bands all outstanding.  We started with the New Orleans Nightcrawlers on the Riverfront stage.  A perfect opener.  They are such a great local brass band with Craig Klein on trombone.

I always  enjoy a good sousaphone solo!

Anne joined us in time for Eric Lindell with their friend Derek Huston on saxophone.  Derek was happy to have his local cheering section on hand.  This was the best band that I’ve heard supporting Lindell – just outstanding musicianship.

We visited “Asian Village” for lunch and I enjoyed a combo plate of two different bao sandwiches – delicious.  I thought the t-shirt on sale at the stall was very clever.

Here are some pictures of the group enjoying the festival.

And then it was time for the band I’d been looking forward to – one of my favourites, Govt Mule.  Warren Haynes and the gang gave us a great show.  It was so nice to be able to stand comfortably up front and enjoy the guitar excellence.

The sunset on the 6:30pm ferry back to New Orleans was impressive:

We stopped in our old neighbourhood, Magazine Street next to our condo, for pizza on the way home.  Theo’s pizza is so yummy.

 

 

I worked from the Webster street patio on Monday morning, and then enjoyed a fun lunch with Anne and Jack at the Chloe.  It was a perfect day to eat outside.  The desert was really creative – sweet potato brulee served in a sweet potato.  The chef was quite proud of his creation when he delivered it to the table.  Then it was time for me to head to the airport and complete my last minute quick getaway.  I’m so glad the Ogans talked me into it.

I landed at Lovefield airport on Monday night, then made the quick drive over to DFW to pick up my D, finally returning from California.

At some point during the week, Diana chatted with Cat and decided that we should fly to San Diego last weekend for Kristina’s 60th birthday.  Another last minute trip was underway.  We flew out on Saturday morning, dropped our bags at the hotel, and enjoyed brunch at the nearby Mission restaurant.

After that we met up with Kris and Cat at their new house – getting there but a lot to be done before they attempt to obtain an occupancy permit on December 1st.

Cat suggested that we stop in La Jolla to pass some time before our dinner reservation.  Great idea – let’s go to Herringbone!  The ladies enjoyed happy hour oysters and I loved my “campfire Old Fashioned” – complete with toasted marshmallow, smoke, and a Graham cracker rim.

I chose “Et Voila” for dinner.  We chuckled thinking of David and his “Voila, Merci” commentary.

This restaurant was outstanding – great service and food, with Missy Burns doing an excellent job of managing the joint while the owner was away.

Everyone loved their meal – yummy baguette, scallops, mussels, and veal.  And all topped off with authentic profiterols.

The night wasn’t over yet.  Our hotel was right next to Petco baseball stadium and the Padres were in position to win their playoff series with the LA Dodgers on Saturday night.  We visited the rooftop bar and had a great view into the stadium.  It was funny to hear the roar of the crowd and then see what happened on TV after a delay.

I think we successfully distracted Kris and Cat from the home building stress for a few hours.

No visit to San Diego is complete without meeting up with Campbell and Mary Bartlett (Molly).  We enjoyed crab and lobster benedicts at the Harbor breakfast restaurant in Little Italy.  They both seem to be doing really well.

I was able to watch the first half of the Cowboys and Eagles football game on the plane home.  It didn’t go the way I wanted at all.  And another last minute weekend getaway was complete.

Mid-month, Will and Christine flew to Spain for a wedding.  Here are the well edited and doctored pictures from that expedition:

We were very pleased to get the news that Dad was finally accepted into a care home, after a year in the hospital ward.  He seems to be settling in okay on most days, with the usual ups and downs.  Here’s a picture of his new digs:

We hope he continues to adjust well to his new environment.

My book this week (I’ve struggled to find the time or inclination to read much recently) was “Upgrade” by Blake Crouch.  I loved this book – a combination of a perfectly paced thriller and near-future sci-fi.  I’m  not usually a sci-fi fan but this story about gene manipulation really didn’t seem too far fetched.

On initially having his DNA “upgraded”:

“Imagine walking through Times Square in New York City and registering each environmental stimulus equally and simultaneously.  The tiny chip in the sidewalk underfoot being given the same priority as every last detail of every incoming pedestrian and the smell of exhaust and food trucks and steam venting out of the subway and urine and every snippet of passing conversation crashing through the auditory inputs right alongside an avalanche of distinct sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations of a city in full operation.

The absence of sensory gating is a key maker for schizophrenia, and actually contributes to making people go insane.  An existence without gating would be torture.”

Miriam, the main character’s mother, on why humans continue to destroy their planet:

“”So you’re saying that people are too stupid?” Basri asked.

“Not just that,” Miriam said.  “It’s denial.  Selfishness.  Magical thinking.  We are not rational beings.  We seek comfort rather than a clear-eyed stare into reality.  We consume and preen and convince ourselves that if we keep our heads in the sand, the monsters will just go away.  Simply put, we refuse to help ourselves as a species.  We refuse to do what must be done.  Every danger we face links ultimately back to this failing.””

I highly recommend this book.

I watched a new Brian Wilson movie on one of my many flights this month, and really enjoyed it.  Most of the movie is a music reporter driving Brian around Los Angeles and visiting historically significant locations from his life and career.  They listen to music along the way, with Brian telling some great stories about the creation of iconic Beach Boys songs.

Here’s an excellent collaboration with Jim James of My Morning Jacket from the soundtrack:

And a lesser known Dennis Wilson track:

I enjoyed an interview with Sir Elton John in the movie where he talks about the chord structure in “Someone Saved My Life Tonight: being a copy of that in “God Only Knows.”  Can you here it?

Two of my dessert island disk selections for sure.  I’ll leave it at that for this posting, and remind myself that it’s too much work to go this long between postings.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

 

 

“An Austin Ramble”

I made the drive down to Austin on Monday, arriving at the hotel in time to check in and relax a bit before the Bob Schneider concert at the Saxon Pub.  Denny and Anne had made a last minute plan to join me in Austin for a few days, and they arrived just in time to catch some of the concert.

These Lonelyland concerts are always such a treat.  You never know what kind of music is coming next and the band is excellent.  Schneider always brings his own special brand of humour.

After the show, we walked around the corner to the excellent Tiki Tatsu-Ya.  We enjoyed some snacks (spam sliders and taro tots anyone?) and fancy Tiki drinks.

It was a short walk downhill to the Carpenter Hotel and the week was off to a good start.

After work on Tuesday, I met Denny and Anne downtown for appetizers at Peche (Diana’s favourite Austin restaurant).

Tuesday was HAAM (Healthcare Alliance for Austin Musicians) day, with bands playing all over town throughout the day.  One of my very favourite charities, started by the lovely Marcia Ball.  Denny and Anne had enjoyed a bike ride around the river trail and some music during the day.  Researching bands, Denny selected C-Boys Heart and Soul as our first stop.  There was confusion on the band scheduling and the rockabilly band expected was in fact a 1950s lounge style band.  We didn’t stay long – opting to walk down to Guero’s and see Jonathan Tyler perform in the Oak garden.  Tyler put on a good show after he warmed up a bit.  We listened for a while and then enjoyed some tacos at the restaurant next door.

Anne was intent on catching the last band at the Yeti flagship store, but apparently Denny and I didn’t walk quickly enough and they had just finished.  I did find a new colour of coolers that I knew Diana would like.

Having been stymied at Yeti, we walked across to Ego’s, where karaoke was in full force.  We spent a fun couple of hours being greatly entertained by a very diverse group of performers.  Highly recommended.

A quick stop at Barton Springs Saloon and another excellent rambling adventure through South Austin was complete.

Denny and Anne decided to attend the Austin FC soccer match on Wednesday evening.  I had a Board meeting early on Thursday and so decided to  have a quiet evening.  I did meet up with the New Orleanians at June’s All Day for a snack before they left.

And as is typical – just one more quick stop.  They talked me into dropping them (and joining) at the Half Step on Rainey before catching the light rail service out to the soccer arena.

Austin FC is really a big deal locally, with all the games selling out.

Denny and Anne reported having a great time at the game.  And I had an excellent meal at the Carpenter restaurant – shaved zucchini salad and wild boar ragu – both really tasty.

The Board meeting on Thursday morning was very smooth, gaining approval for all that we needed.  I met a colleague for lunch in North Austin, enjoying the wonderful seafood at Salt Traders, and then made the drive home in the afternoon.

I got both my flu and new COVID booster shots on Friday afternoon.  No effects on Saturday, but a light flu feeling on Sunday morning.  Friday and Saturday were quiet days at home – good to relax after all the excitement in Austin.

I met Finn for a Thai lunch today.  He’s in great spirits, having received much praise from the store manager about his new truck unloading process.  He also hired the final member of his team – finally at full strength after many months.  The spicy Thai curry seems to have cleared up some of my flu symptoms.

I’m currently watching the Cowboys play the Cincinnati Bengals.  The much maligned Cooper Rush (backup QB) is playing very well with the score at 14-3 Cowboys.  As usual, we are experiencing multiple silly penalties that let the Bengals stay in the game.  I’m pleased that it’s at least a competitive game so far.

My book this week is “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin.  With the travel and adventures this week, I’m only a bit less than half way through this novel, and am really enjoying it.  I was quite skeptical given the online gaming backdrop, but am very pleasantly surprised with how well the story is flowing.  Here’s the summary:

“In this exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry two friends–often in love, but never lovers–come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.”

I’ll have a lot more to say about this book next week – and I suspect some very positive commentary.

I’ve been trying some ambient music to quieten down my brain at night and let me drift peacefully off to sleep.  I really enjoy this one:

There’s a new Miles Davis collection out that I’ve been loving.  Check out this live cover of Cyndi Lauper:

Finally, I heard this song on the radio in Austin and thought it was really different and creative:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!