Weekly Updates – Page 20 – Keith Robertson

Week in Review – January 23, 2022

“Spouting Volcano on the Horizon”

Monday was Martin Luther King Day. Here’s an essay he wrote in 1964, after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, for the Berlin Jazz Festival. What wonderful writing, capturing the role music has played in social change in a compact essay:“God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.

This is triumphant music.

Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument.

It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the modern essayists and scholars wrote of racial identity as a problem for a multiracial world, musicians were returning to their roots to affirm that which was stirring within their souls.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.

And now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith.

In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these.”

I caught a flight to Guatemala City on Monday afternoon for work. There were several guys sitting near us who were with an organization called “Stoves for Guatemala.” Apparently rural Guatemalans often cook on unventilated wooden stoves in single room dwellings, leading to bad respiratory disease. This organization has built 600 clean burning and well ventilated stoves already.

https://helping-guatemala.com/

Here are some aerial pictures of the Guatemala City area during landing:

BP was excited to be allowed on the trip, and insisted on having his picture taken on arrival at the airport.

I stayed in an area called Cuidad Cayala – a planned city done in the Colonial architecture style. The GoWork office and restaurants were all a short walk for the hotel, which made things very easy. Cayala is very pretty and safe – with many high end shops and restaurants.

I met some work colleagues for an Italian dinner at Tre Fratelli on Monday night. We sat outside and it was very chilly for Guatemala (high 50s). I needed my puffer coat as the evening cooled off, with no humidity at all. The city is at 5,000 feet and so cools quite quickly this time of year.

Here’s a picture of a volcano spouting in the distance, taken from my hotel room balcony:

Tuesday breakfast was at Cafe Saul – a great spot that I found on my last visit. It’s so nice to be able to get a perfect macchiato with no fuss.

My first meeting of the day was a one on one with Jorge, and we decided to sit out on the patio of Cafe Barista and enjoy another coffee. Such a pleasant way to do business and get caught up before the rest of the day inside.

Lunch was again enjoyed al fresco – this time a Greek place called Arena. The pulpo (octopus) and falafel were both delicious, and the setting delightful.

After a long afternoon of team meetings, we enjoyed a seafood dinner at Atuna. The croquette appetizer was delicious and then I enjoyed a very impressive lobster thermidor.

Sunset behind the volcanoes after dinner was quite something:

Back in Pacifica, the girls were enjoying the sunny day and then afternoon tea – complete with some very fancy finger sandwiches.

Diana sent me this lovely video of Frankie showing me her penguin sweatshirt. She can be so adorable when she’s not being quite stubborn and opinionated:

Wednesday was another busy day of meeting various teams. That was followed by a steak dinner with the leadership team at Montanos. We had a private room with a TV that allowed us to share videos and photos of hobbies. Damon gave a short talk about his basement garden where he grows peppers and vegetables during the winter. Josue shared videos of him drumming with his band that won the Guatemalan Battle of the Bands contest. A fun evening.

With the new US COVID rules – test no more than 24 hours prior to flight departure, I had to take a test before dinner. Here I am working away while awaiting the test:

We met with our Project Management team on Thursday morning, enjoyed another delicious lunch at Arena, and then made our way to the airport for the flight home. I had an Ensalada Fatouch that was very fresh and yummy. Finn always has a chuckle about “Fatouch”. I don’t really remember why – think there was somebody he worked with that liked it.

I was fortunate again, with a smooth and on time flight. Customs at DFW was very quick and I just had to wait a short while for Diana to arrive from San Francisco.

It’s always pleasant to return to my home office, and I worked in it most of Friday morning. Then we picked up Finn from work and had lunch at the Mexican Cactus. Diana tried the ceviche with barramundi and it was really fresh and delicious.

Will supervised the loading of Finn’s car on to a transporter that should deliver it here on Tuesday. Will has put a lot of time and money into getting the car absolutely perfect for Finn to enjoy. I only have a limited number of days to wake up at 4:30am to deliver Finn to work, and I know the retiree is quite happy about that.

Jens and Glenda are coming over for dinner tonight. We’re looking forward to it as it has been months since we’ve caught up with them. I think McD is planning her excellent shrimp and scallops – yum!

“The Blue Hour” by Douglas Kennedy was my companion on the trip this week. What a well written and constructed book. I was hooked on the first page and wasn’t disappointed after that. Page one:

“First Light. And I didn’t know where I was anymore.

The sky outside: was it a curved rotunda of emerging blue? The world was still blurred at its edges. I tried to piece together my whereabouts, the exact geographic location within which I found myself. A sliver of emerging clarity. Or maybe just a few basic facts.

I was on a plane. A plane that had just flown all night across the Atlantic. A plane bound for a corner of North Africa. A country which, when viewed cartographically, looks like a skullcap abreast a continent. According to the flight progress monitor illuminating the back-of-the-seat screen facing me, we were still seventy-three minutes and 842 kilometers (I was flying into a metric world) from our destination. The journey hadn’t been my idea. Rather I’d allowed myself to be romanced into it by the man whose oversize frame (as in six foot four) was scrunched into the tiny seat next to mine. The middle seat in this horror movie of an aircraft.”

A good plot summary from Amazon:

“Robin knew Paul wasn’t perfect. But he said they were so lucky to have found each other, and she believed it was true. When he suggests a month in Morocco—where he once lived and worked, a place where the modern meets the medieval—Robin reluctantly agrees.

Once immersed into the swirling, white-hot exotica of a walled city on the North African Atlantic coast, Robin finds herself acclimatizing to its wonderful strangeness. Paul is everything she wants him to be—passionate, talented, knowledgeable. She is convinced that it is here that she will finally become pregnant.

But then Paul suddenly disappears, and Robin finds herself the prime suspect in the police inquiry. As her understanding of the truth starts to unravel, Robin lurches from the crumbling art deco of Casablanca to the daunting Sahara, caught in an increasingly terrifying spiral from which there is no easy escape.

For fans of thought-provoking page-turners such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, Douglas Kennedy’s The Blue Hour is a roller-coaster journey into a heart of darkness that asks the question: What would you do if your life depended on it?”

An example of the excellent descriptions:

“Simo insisted that I sit in the backseat, where I had both windows wide open to rid the car of his incessant cloud of smoke, and to provide some ventilation on a torpid night when the humidity and the actual mercury level made the air seem as glutinous as maple syrup.”

For a pleasant change, the ending of this story wasn’t rushed but unfolded at just the rate pace.

I really enjoyed the story, the writing style and the surprising twists of this book very much. I understand that Kennedy is much better known in the UK and France than in the US, and maybe those folks appreciate this kind of writing for the same reasons that I do.

Cafe Saul in Guatemala plays an eclectic mix of music, with some really unusual covers of popular songs. I had to use Shazam to identify who was playing this hit from David Bowie. A typically subtle arrangement from M. Ward:

Something from my Spotify Discovery Weekly list. The level of musicianship on a Bela Fleck album is always extraordinary:

A song from The National that I think I heard on a movie soundtrack, but can’t remember the details:

And lastly, a lovely song from the excellent Rodney Crowell:

Stay safe and kind!

Week in Review – January 16, 2022

“Pretty Pacifica Sunsets”

I dropped Diana and Alicia at the airport on Wednesday morning, then dropped the VW Atlas off with Tony in downtown Plano – she’s (or is it male?) getting a ceramic coating treatment (Christmas present from Will). I enjoyed a coffee at the 1418 coffee house before the drop-off. They have really good coffee and a nice atmosphere. Tony is a character from New Orleans, who recently sold his shop there and has just opened the shop in Plano. I think he would have happily chatted with me all afternoon.

Diana sent some amazing sunset pictures from Pacifica. These from Wednesday night are the prettiest I’ve seen there:

And then almost as impressive later in the week:

I used my solo time to enjoy a couple of movies. I read “The Tender Bar” a few years ago, and was looking forward to seeing the recently released movie. As is typical, the movie didn’t really live up to the book, it was enjoyable, Ben Affleck pretty good, but just not what it could have been.

“Swan Song”, starring the wonderful Mahershala Ali and Glenn Close, is based on an interesting premise: Ali is a husband and father, diagnosed with a terminal illness. He is presented with a controversial alternative solution to shield his family from losing him – replace himself with a carbon copy clone. The acting is good, but the story just doesn’t have that much going for it after the premise is exposed.

After two mediocre movies, I was absolutely delighted with “Get Back”, the new Beatles documentary, directed by Peter Jackson of “The Lord of the Rings” fame. It shows the band on a sound stage, preparing for a TV show that will feature new material – the idea being a new album performed live with a studio audience.

It’s fascinating to see how much Paul McCartney is the catalyst that makes everything work – orchestrating the rehearsals, one minute telling George what to play on guitar, then immediately pivoting to dictating a rhythm to Ringo. How passive George Harrison is during the sessions is also interesting – he takes direction from Paul constantly and seems quite happy to just go along with what he wants. Paul and John really don’t seem to even acknowledge him when he does speak up. The band does a run through of “All Things Must Pass”, written by George, and it doesn’t really go anywhere. Of course, this became the title for the fantastic triple album that George released after the Beatles breakup. In one interesting sequence, George talks about how Eric Clapton can improvise an idea, shape it and take it somewhere, admitting that he doesn’t have that kind of talent at all.

George comes in one morning with a new song he’d written the night before, in response to a BBC2 program. The song is “My Me Mine”, and there’s a great moment when the band runs through it (sounding great) when John and Yoko dance a waltz. The rest of the time Yoko is just sitting next to John saying nothing for hours on end. Similarly, George has a couple of Hari Krishna friends who sit on the floor, saying nothing for the duration.

My favourite moment from Episode 1 is Paul creating “Get Back” from nothing – strumming chords and humming and then, out of nowhere, the song appears. Just stunning. Other favourites are the footage of Paul messing around on the piano, while the others are taking a break – the beginnings of “The Long and Winding Road” and “Let it Be” come out almost fully formed, except for the lyrics. I had been on the John Lennon was the genius, with Paul being the second fiddle bandwagon, but this documentary completely upended that perspective – Paul was clearly the creative driving force. The episode finishes with George quitting the band- and this diary entry.

I’m looking forward to the watching the remaining episodes.

Tony finished up the ceramic coating on Friday, and Finn drove Penelope to the shop so that I didn’t have to Uber over. The job looks very good and should protect well for several years. And Finn did a good job of not scaring me as he drove Penelope home solo up Central Expressway – a very intimidating highway.

Thanks again to Will for orchestrating all of this with Tony.

I’ve been in a pretty regular routine this week – wake up at 4:30am, drop Finn at work, come back and read for a while in bed, then fall back asleep for a couple of hours. He started at 4am one day, and that’s where I have to draw the line – he was helping his boss unload a truck before the day started.

I picked Finn up from work on Saturday, a very cold and windy day in McKinney with minor snow flurries, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bengal Bay Grill – an Indian/Mexican/American fusion place that has delicious food. Plenty of leftovers for both of our dinners.

Saturday afternoon looked like fun in Pacifica from these pictures of a get together with Andy and Jude.

Finn is coming over to watch the Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers playoff game with me this afternoon – a flashback to the classic playoff games that happened between both teams routinely in the 90s.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “This Tender Land” by William Kent Krueger this week. The story reminds me a lot of my recent read, “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles. Here are some of the quotes that led me to read this book – particularly the “Where the Crawdads Sing” reference:

“If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, you’ll love This Tender Land by best-selling author William Kent Krueger. This story is as big-hearted as they come.“ —Parade Magazine

“A picaresque tale of adventure during the Great Depression. Part Grapes of Wrath, part Huckleberry Finn, Krueger’s novel is a journey over inner and outer terrain toward wisdom and freedom.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Crafted in exquisitely beautiful prose, this is a story to be treasured – outstanding and unforgettable.” —Historical Novel Review

“If you’re among of the millions who raced through Where the Crawdads Sing this year and are looking for another expansive, atmospheric American saga, look to the latest from Kreuger.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Long, sprawling, and utterly captivating, readers will eat up every delicious word of it.” —New York Journal of Books

“Rich with graceful writing and endearing characters…this is a book for the ages.” —Denver Post

Here’s the Amazon summary of the plot:

In the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota’s Gilead River, Odie O’Banion is an orphan confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School, a pitiless place where his lively nature earns him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee after committing a terrible crime, he and his brother, Albert, their best friend, Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one summer, these four orphans journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

I enjoyed learning about how Native American children were rounded up and placed in these special boarding schools – just horrendous treatment and a huge effort to stamp out an entire culture by “Americanising” the entire generation. The description of the struggle by so many to survive during the “Great Depression” was also quite interesting.

As is typical lately with the books I’ve been reading, I was disappointed with the rush in the last 20 pages to tie up all the loose ends and bring the story to a conclusion. A slow moving and highly descriptive book moves to a rapidly paced and rushed ending.

I really enjoyed this read and am looking forward to exploring some more of Krueger’s books.

Let’s start this week with an excellent song by Rich Robinson, guitar player with the Black Crowes, and brother constantly fighting with Chris Robinson. I love the feel of this song.

It’s been too long since I listened to Jackson Browne. This song popped up on “The Tender Bar” soundtrack to remind me of what I’ve been missing:

One of my magazine’s had an interview that mentioned this soundtrack by Pat Metheney and friend – it’s excellent relaxing music:

I’ve been delving back into the Radiohead catalog this week. How does a band go from the relatively straight ahead rock of “The Bends” to the art pieces that comprise “OK Computer” in a couple of years?

and then…

I tell the story of going to see R.E.M in Dallas with opening band Radiohead, back when they had just released “Pablo Honey.” They blew R.E.M. off the stage with an excellent performance. I didn’t know any of their songs and thoroughly enjoyed the entire set. I can still hear the crowd going wild for their performance of “Creep.”

Stay safe and kind to everyone.

Week in Review – January 9th, 2022

“Congratulations to Retired D!”

This was the big retirement week for Diana. Can you believe it? Yes, after more than 35 years battling away in the IT world, she’s going to become what her Mom describes as “A Lady of Leisure.”

If you have worked with Diana, then you know nothing is done half-way. This was true of the last week also, with several 5:50am alarms to make sure she was fully prepped for her 7:00am calls. Here she is leading her last ever Thursday morning 7:00am call:

You can tell from the layers that it’s been very cold outside this week – temperatures down around 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings.

Friday was retirement day, and flowers and cards arrived to celebrate McD.

Here she is with the official retirement sign:

If you didn’t zoom in, here’s what the top part says:

I thought I was pretty funny with that one.

Diana showed me over 60 congratulations emails that she received during the week. Very impressive, I certainly don’t think there will be that many people sending me notes if I retire. Here’s the farewell note she sent to her NTT colleagues:

Scott is going to try and replace Diana, and he must have had the most complete turnover that I’ve ever seen. Would you expect anything less?

We enjoyed a lovely retirement dinner at C.T. Provisions on Friday, with Brent as our waiter. Finn and Alicia were able to join us. The food, company, and service were all excellent. Diana toasted her retirement with an Old Cuban (first experienced at the Moonshiner speakeasy in Paris.) C.T.’s was very busy, and Finn got a kick out of watching Brent buzzing around. Here’s D reading Finn’s retirement card, I think she liked his message about “sip and dip” and “fun in the sun”:

We tortured the kids with a mathematics problem during dinner. I was impressed that Finn remembered the order of operations and was able to get it right on the first attempt:

Yes – that’s the kind of exciting stuff we do when out for dinner.

So, what do you do with your first day of retirement. Well….it seems you get up early and attack one of your Christmas jigsaw puzzles. In this case, a hummingbird shaped challenge from my Mum.

You can see that the outline had to be completed before we decided to get dressed for the day. As I sit here at almost 1pm on Sunday, the puzzle is more than 90% complete. I’ve heard a lot of comments about how difficult this puzzle is – apparently all the pieces are almost exactly the same shape and size. I remember watching an interview with Rob Gronkowski after he retired from the Patriots and the NFL. He was doing a jigsaw puzzle and talking about how it was helping to heal his brain. I think D is substituting one challenge for another, and hopefully doesn’t do what Gronk did and come right back out of retirement. I don’t think I’d put any money on that happening.

Changing locations to Stewarton, Scotland. Mum sent this lovely picture of a snow scene in the back garden. Pretty to look at, but not ideal for driving.

Late breaking news, as I finish up this post, the puzzle was just completed. It’s a very pretty one.

And lastly, happy 26th birthday to Campbell, celebrating in San Diego yesterday, and finally feeling much better today. We’ll see you in New Orleans soon Campbell.

I thoroughly enjoyed “South and West: A Notebook” by Joan Didion this week. After her passing a couple of weeks ago, this was the only one of her books available at the library, and fortuitously, one of the few that I haven’t read at least once. She is one of those authors whose books you have to read a few times to really fully appreciate.

The book traces a road trip she took with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, in June 1970, through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. She interviews prominent local figures, describes motels, diners, a deserted reptile farm, a visit with Walker Percy, and a ladies’ brunch at the Mississippi Broadcasters’ Convention.

From the Foreword:

“The idea was to start in New Orleans and from there we had no plan.

This has been the idea of so many people who have come to New Orleans. It was the idea of the French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, who in 1684 set out to establish a city near the base of the Mississippi River, only to fail to find the river’s mouth from the Gulf of Mexico and, after three years, to be murdered by his mutinous crew.

It was the idea of William Faulkner, who quit his job as postmaster at the University of Mississippi and moved to New Orleans because he despised taking orders, and of Tennessee Williams, who wrote in his diary, ‘Here surely is the place that I was made for if any place on this funny old world.’ One does not have to stay long to learn how easily plans in New Orleans, like its houses, become waterlogged and subside into the mud, breaking to pieces.”

She writes about the stifling heat, the slow pace of life, and the preoccupation with race, class, and heritage she finds in the small towns they pass through. And from a different notebook: the “California Notes” that began as an assignment from Rolling Stone on the Patty Hearst trial of 1976. Though Didion never wrote the piece, watching the trial and being in San Francisco triggered thoughts about the city, its social hierarchy, the Hearsts, and her own upbringing in Sacramento.

Back in New Orleans:

“In New Orleans, the old people sitting in front of houses and hotels on St. Charles Avenue, barely rocking. They have mastered the art of the motionless.”

“They had many suggestions for understanding the South. I must walk Bourbon or Royal to Chartres, I must walk Chartres to Esplanade. I must have coffee and doughnuts in the French Market. I should not miss St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere, the Cabildo. We should have lunch at Galatoire’s (where I had my bachelor party lunch): trout almondine or trout Marguery. We should have dinner at Manale’s (where Diana has her oyster meetings with the girls), tour Coliseum Square Park. I should appreciate the grace, the beauty of their way of life.”

Some classic Didion as her road trip moves on to Mississippi:

“A somnolence so dense it seemed to inhibit breathing hung over Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at two or three o’clock of that Sunday afternoon. There was no place to get lunch, no place to get gas. On the wide leafy streets the white houses were set back. Sometimes I would see a face at a window.”

I highly recommend this short book. A delightful afternoon read.

Here’s an interesting version of the Todd Rundgren classic that I stumbled on this week. Rick Wakeman doing his thing on keyboards:

It would have been David Bowie’s 75th birthday yesterday, he shares it with Campbell. So here’s a couple of my favourites:

Keeping the Rick Wakeman theme alive, here’s his excellent take on the same song:

We had tickets to watch a Bowie cover band celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” on Friday night, but decided it would be safer to have a local dinner. Here’s my favourite from that classic album:

Stay safe and be kind!

Week in Review – January 2nd, 2022

“Happy New Year!, and Happy Birthday Jack and Mason”

Boxing Day afternoon was spent hosting Andy and Jude at Clorinda’s house. It’s always so nice to visit with the best neighbours ever. We had a very entertaining time and even had Clorinda telling some old stories to much hilarity. We have some good videos of the stories, but are still working on getting them in the right format to be able to share with you here.

Earlier in the day, Diana participated in a virtual Secret Santa with Alicia and John and Joey’s families. Bonna was D’s Santa and she put together a lovely champagne themed basket. Diana was really delighted with the detail and with everything in the basket, and she had the perfect hoodie to complement it.

We flew home on Monday and were subject to the delays that thousands of other travelers experienced. Our flight was delayed with a 3:30am arrival, and fortunately we were able to change to an earlier flight, making it home just before midnight. Not too bad considering all the cancellations.

We were able to get out for walks and runs during the week, after no exercise in California last week due to the cold, rainy weather. The weather in Texas was great this week with highs in the 70s – just like pleasant Spring days.

Wednesday was Finn’s day off and so I took him for a walk and then to Trader Joe’s to pick up some nice meals for the weekend, while we’re gone to New Orleans. The rest of the day was catching up on some admin tasks that had been ignored over the break – expense reports and health care claims all filed now. I know – very exciting stuff, but it feels good to have everything caught up and organized for the New Year.

“Emily in Paris” has a new season on Netflix and we’ve been enjoying that in the evenings. It’s way too long since we’ve been able to visit Paris.

We flew to New Orleans on Friday morning for the fourth annual celebration of Jack and Mason’s birthday on January 2nd. We spent the afternoon enjoying the new Ogan patio, and exchanged some gifts. Anne loved her “champagne clutch” and Diana her tennis skirt (in preparation for taking up tennis during our NOLA residency.)

After enjoying the lovely weather on the patio, we got changed for New Year’s Eve dinner at Costera.

Costera was an excellent choice for dinner (thanks Denny) with multiple courses of Spanish tapas. The menu was fixed and included a plethora of delicious courses – beef shank Bombas, scallops, and an amazing seafood paella were the standouts. We were joined at dinner by the Kirshes, Krieks, and Eisles – what a fun group.

There was a bit of a wild party in progress when we returned to Webster street after dinner (and a few minutes after midnight.) Things quietened down quickly and we were able to get a decent sleep. Apparently a good enough sleep for McD to pop right up on New Year’s Day and head out for a run in Audubon park with Laura and Kara. She particularly enjoyed the band playing at the park entrance. Great job of starting out on the right foot Diana!

Denny and Anne hosted an open house on New Year’s Day afternoon, with oysters served 7 or so ways. Frank and Macon showed up early to help shuck several hundred oysters – quite a special skill that Frank certainly has mastered.

Denny is an excellent chef, creating all kinds of delicious sauces for the oysters. My favourite is the grilled version, and I’m glad Fire Chief Kenny was on hand to supervise the process.

Merry Lee, Jeff, Donna, and Steve (our friends from California) were able to secure an invite to oyster fest. Merry Lee and Jeff have a condo in New Orleans now. They seemed to enjoy meeting everyone and sampling the various types of oysters.

Chef Denny was finally able to relax with old friends and enjoy the evening with a cigar. What amazing weather we had for both days.

The weather changed on Sunday as we planned to celebrate Jack and Mason’s 19th birthdays. Can you get a better birthdate than 01/02/03? We bundled up and headed to Cafe Sbisa in the French Quarter for brunch. Other than an overly loud but very talented jazz trio, the lunch was perfect. The boys invited some friends and seemed to really enjoy their lunch. We had a brief ramble in the Quarter after brunch, and then retreated to Webster Street to watch the Saints game – they still have a shot at making the playoffs.

Have you read a book by Stuart Woods? Apparently a lot of folks have. He’s written over 70 books, and occupied almost an entire shelf at my local library. I was looking for something light and easy to enjoy on the New Orleans trip, and decided to give him a try.

“Bombshell” is part of the series featuring ex-CIA agent and Hollywood producer, Terry Fay, and is co-written with Parnell Hall. This is certainly easy reading, with each chapter 3 or 4 pages long. You can tell that Woods has a formula that he deploys to crank out these books. I don’t have any quotes as the writing is quite basic and used to drive the action forward, rather than set the scene or develop the characters. I’m not sure I would select another Woods book, except maybe for some mindless poolside or beach reading.

Diana and I were chatting with Derek Huston, New Orleans saxophone player extraordinaire, at Oyster Fest, and D asked him who was his favourite musician. After some thought, Derek gave an eloquent explanation of why that was Charlie Parker. Here’s one of the more mellow and accessible Parker pieces:

Here’s a calm and relaxing guitar piece from an album that I love, Julian Lage’s “World’s Fair”:

And finally, the ultimate calming piece for me, Bill Evan’s “Peace Piece” – this is right up there with “Kind of Blue” as music that I can listen to every day and not tire of:

Please stay safe and be kind in 2022!

Week in Review – December 26, 2021

“We’re engaged, did you guys all know about this?”

Jose and his crew were coming to replace the kitchen floor last Monday, so we decided to exchange our Christmas stockings on Sunday night. I love these three little penguins nesting in my stocking.

There were a couple of gifts that I couldn’t resist for Diana, but which didn’t fit in her extra large stocking. She had mentioned enjoying spirograph a few months ago, and I was trying to describe the fancy set I had. She’s pretty excited to try out this classic set when we get back to McKinney. I’m not sure if that will be before or after she tackles the “Where the Crawdads Sing” jigsaw puzzle.

I saw the “Champagne Clutch” from Neiman Marcus and knew that McD needed one of those also. Enough room for a bottle of champagne, a credit card and an ID.

My favourite gift is this Pooh cushion. The other side has the “We’ll be friends for ever, right Pooh? Even longer,” classic quote.

We think we may stick with the stocking stuffer only Christmas gift tradition.

Spending the night at the Grand Hotel in downtown McKinney seemed like a better plan than getting in the way of Jose and the flooring crew. The Grand is such a lovely, old school hotel with a great location on the square. We had dinner at the Urban Bar and Grill – a new restaurant where Bayou Jack’s used to be (I loved that New Orleans style place.) Our meals were great – particularly Diana’s mussels.

We took advantage of some of the photo opportunities on our walk back from dinner. Diana always says we rarely get pictures of the two of us at busy times like this – so here you go D:

I saw storms and flight disruptions forecast for San Francisco on Wednesday, and so changed our flights to Tuesday. That way I could be sure to be ready to go to celebrate Will and Christine’s engagement. You hadn’t heard about that? Oh my goodness, what a production.

But before that, we celebrated McD’s birthday again with Adamo, Amy and crew. A creative cake indeed. It wouldn’t be a complete visit if Diana didn’t have kids hanging off her.

Now back to the engagement event – eleven of us were staged in a limo bus just down the street from the site of the proposal – in a “taxi” outside Christine’s house, where they first met. We were provided with a detailed set of instructions, including a dress code. As we exited the bus to offer congratulations, Christine said, “Did you guys all know about this? Oh, of course you did.” Pictures were taken in front of the old apartment, and then we all rode in the bus to the restaurant where Will and Christine were going to have a special celebration dinner.

It turned out the place Will had chosen for dinner was right next to the Tadich Grill, a favourite of mine when I would occasionally work in downtown San Francisco. This is the oldest restaurant in California, dating back to 1849. We decided to have dinner there rather than riding back in the bus and catching an Uber from the drop off point. This was a great decision – wonderful oysters Rockefeller, petrale sole and cioppino.

After dinner Diana wanted to check on the newly engaged couple. She asked the maitre d’ to take us to the couple with the white jackets.

We had our gift exchange with Will, Christine, Campbell and Ollie in Redwood City on Thursday night. That was followed by a delicious meal (outside so that Ollie could attend) at Terun.

The visit gave the girls a chance to admire Christine’s rock again.

I think I was a pretty good helper for Diana as we assembled Christmas dinner from the remainder of the seven fishes dinner from the previous evening. Marco and Giancarlo’s families joined us and we had a very nice time.

We certainly got plenty of celebrating and time with family in this week.

I did find enough time to finish up “I Dream He Talks to Me” by Allison Moorer. This is about her experiences raising a non-verbal autistic son, John Henry. The book certainly brings perspective to the challenges of raising our kids.

“I suspect he hears music all around him because he stops what he’s doing and he listens. My son has taught me countless lessons, but the biggest one may be that there is music in everything. I don’t know what role it will ultimately play in his life, whether he will pursue it professionally or if he will just enjoy it. I only know that music might very well be his language in some way. What he cannot say, he might one day sing too.”

A beautifully written book about treasuring all the small moments in life.

I love this song by The Delines, a band from Portland who describe themselves as retro-country:

And here’s one from the Scottish band The Blue Nile. Their music is always so well produced:

Stay safe (it’s getting crazy out there again) and kind.

Fortnight in Review – December 19, 2021

“Happy Birthday McD, Happy Christmas Finneroo”

We drove down to Austin last Tuesday afternoon, arriving in time to meet Brad and Jocelyn for a lovely dinner at Eberly. We drove by this iconic Austin restaurant many times and had never tried it. We were missing out. It was great to catch up with friends.

My work Executive Committee had a holiday meal at Garrison in the Fairmont hotel on Wednesday evening. This was another amazing meal – the octopus appetizer, and then the ridiculously decadent duck and foie gras tower, topped with black truffles (one of the best dishes that I remember from this year.) It’s so nice to work with a group of folks whose company I enjoy so much.

Our corporate center Holiday Happy Hour was on Thursday night at the Fairmont hotel. We had reserved a combination indoor/outdoor space and the weather was perfect for enjoying both. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. Here’s the motley IT crew (the official picture will be much better), and Diana with our friend Neffie.

I think Diana looks wonderfully sparkly and festive.

On Friday, we had lunch at June’s – steak tartare and bone marrow bolognaise, and then endured the very long drive back home to McKinney. This week was a great start to the holiday season.

On Wednesday, we had our Christmas gift exchange with Finn. We ordered in Thai food and then had Finn open his stocking and gifts. He was really spoiled and very appreciative. He also did a lovely job with his card and gifts – very creative and thoughtful. I love my whisky glass with Emperor penguin etching and Diana is quite proud of her hand-blown glass mermaid.

The Atlas came back from getting wheels “powder coated” on Thursday. Diana is quite happy with the way the all black rims now look.

I got a haircut on Friday and decided to have a snack at the neighboring Lion and Crown afterwards. Scotch Eggs! This place had all the classic pub food favourites and I’ll have to plan another stop in.

Diana added another year to her age on Saturday. We had dinner at the Capital Grille – we hadn’t been there in a while and were not disappointed. Such a classic steak house with excellent service. McD had the full experience – filet mignon Oscar style (crab, béarnaise, and asparagus) with a lobster tail on the side. Not to mention the sides of lobster mac ‘n cheese and mushrooms. We have lots of leftovers for dinner tonight. The hostess sprinkling sparkly confetti shapes on the table as we were seated to celebrate the Birthday was a fun touch.

Today we’re planning to pick up Finn from work for a sushi lunch, and then enjoy the Cowboys/Giants game.

I finished three books over the last fortnight. First was completing “Crossroads” by Jonathan Franzen. This book felt quite long at 575 pages, and a bit plodding in places. And then, to add insult to injury, Franzen used quite a twee technique to finish things up. The conclusion to the story was told in a couple of letters sent between the key characters. It almost felt as if Franzen realized the book was already too long and didn’t feel like editing things down and providing a satisfying conclusion. I would still recommend this book for a good holiday read – it’s the kind of book you can settle into for several hours and just enjoy the characters.

My next book, “Mayflies” by Andrew O’Hagan, is a Christmas present from Mum that I couldn’t resist sampling, and then couldn’t resist finishing. It’s in two parts – a group of mates from the Glasgow area attending a music festival in Manchester in 1986 as teenagers, is part one, and part two is the same group in their 50s in recent years. Part one got a bit repetitive after a while – kids being silly at a music festival, but part two was excellent.

Page one sets the backdrop for part one:

“Nineteen eighty-four was the end of old Woodbine, or 1985, when the strike ended and the Ayrshire men returned one by one to the pits, met at the gates by women giving out carnations. The miners had fought hard, but they were all sacked within a month. ‘He takes his shame out on us,’ Tully said. ‘I suppose Thatcher never really got it about the enemy within.’ And that comment was pure Tully.”

On the life-changing impact of a great school teacher:

“After the results came in, I went to school for the last time. She was sitting with a huge pile of jotters. ‘Ah, James,’ she said. ‘I gather you got a place.’

‘Strathclyde.’ She jumped up from her desk and hugged me right next to the blackboard. ‘Susan,’ I said.

‘Mrs. O Connor to you.’ She was smiling, I didn’t know what to say. It can take a whole lifetime to know how to thank a person.”

The mates are constantly arguing about top 3 lists:

” ‘Top three goals ever scored by a Scottish player,’ Tibbs said.

In unison: ‘Archie Gemmill.’

‘Too obvious,’ he said.

‘Have there been three goals?’ I asked.”

How a Kenny Dalglish header inadvertently led to the rise of Thatcherism:

” ‘In 1978,’ he said, ‘Ally McLeod whipped the whole nation into a patriotic frenzy so he did, which ended in ignominy and humiliation. The aftermath of the Argentina campaign is widely accepted to be the main reason the Scottish devolution bill failed in the referendum of March 1979. That led to the Scottish Nationalists withdrawing support for he minority Labor government and the subsequent vote of ‘no-confidence’ led to the election won by Margaret Thatcher.’

He was a juggernaut of reason.

‘Open and shut case,’ Tully said. ‘Goal makes Dole.'”

Some local colour, Elspeth’s wedding reception was in Seamill:

“Seamill – on the north Ayrshire coast. I see my father pointing to the Isle of Arran from a tartan blanket on the beach. He held my finger up when the sun was blinding and traced the shape of Beinn Tarsuinn and Goatfell. Forty years on, a caravan stood empty on a ridge above the beach, so I took it over and fixed it up, filling it with cushions and Chinese lanterns.”

Revealing the title’s meaning:

“‘A beautiful publication,’ he said. ‘Swammerdam believed that no being was higher than any other being, a revolutionary thought at the time. He wrote this book one summer in Sloten, outside of Amsterdam. He filled it with poetry and visions as well as anatomical observations.’

‘It’s really wonderful,’ I said. ‘Mayflies.’ “

What an enjoyable read!

My third book was “Lucky” by Marissa Stapley. This is a quick and fun read that I finished in two sittings this weekend. I think Diana will figure out the puzzle quicker than I did.

A grifter/con-artist wins a $390 million lottery, but can’t claim the ticket because she’s wanted by the police at a federal level. The book alternates between time slices each chapter, piecing the back story and the lottery plot together piece by piece.

As is typical, the ending was a bit far-fetched, but enjoyable nonetheless. Recommended for a rainy or cold weekend.

I went on a deep dive around Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” this week. Many versions exist and all are quite different. I’m partial to the “This Mortal Coil” version. What do you think?

That’s enough of that one, but there are many more interesting versions to explore.

I loved this Lyle Lovett song that popped up on a playlist – excellent musicianship and production:

This one from Mary Chapin Carpenter (one of McD’s favourites) has been on heavy rotation recently. Great guitar work:

I’ll leave you with this excellent instrumental from one of the great guitarists, Brian Setzer:

Stay safe, kind and patient with everyone!

Week in Review – December 5, 2021

“So Many Leaves in the Pool”

This was a very quiet week – not much to report at all.

This is the week when most of the leaves from the neighbor’s tree blow into our pool. Diana spent a lot of time keeping the skimmers emptied and leaves out of the pool. I appreciate a pool girl that’s on the job before she’s dressed for the day – that’s dedicated D.

I met some vendors for lunch at Rick’s Chophouse in downtown McKinney on Wednesday. The conversation was good and I was able to pick up a treat to take over to Diana who was getting her hair done just across the street.

Our two favourite NFL teams played each other on Thursday night – Cowboys vs Saints in New Orleans. The Cowboys didn’t play particularly well but did win the game – mostly because of good defensive play. Campbell found a Cowboys place near his apartment – some kind of barbeque restaurant.

Saturday was Christmas decorating day. We didn’t do too much this year – just a small tree and a couple of garlands on the mantels. We’ll be gone most of Christmas week and have the kitchen floors being redone, so it didn’t make sense to go to too much trouble. Not that I really went to very much trouble – just coached Diana while watching the SEC Championship game. Diana always enjoys unboxing her Dad’s refurbished angel.

The only excitement on Sunday was trapping a lizard that had made its way into the house. I was proud of my scientific method – trap it under a garbage can and then slide a piece of cardboard underneath. Diana didn’t seem overly impressed.

I’m working my way through “Crossroads” by Jonathan Franzen – another 600 page tome. About 400 pages in so far and enjoying the characters and their exploits. The story is mostly set on December 23, 1971. Here’s a brief review:

“A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen’s gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.”

I’ll let you know what I think when I finish up next week.

I received the latest Tipitina’s Record Club release this week – Ernie K-Doe. I’ve listened to the album several times and really like the sound. Classic New Orleans R&B. Here are a couple of examples.

Stay safe and kind.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2021

“Happy Thanksgiving”

What a lovely day on Gypsy Hill celebrating Thanksgiving. All three generations posed for this picture before we drove up to #3 to meet the rest of the family.

Will, Christine, Campbell and Ollie arrived at the same time as we did, for their first Gypsy Hill Thanksgiving experience. Christine had to deal with a hungry Clorinda as she assembled this delicious appetizer. Grammie didn’t want to wait for the dill sauce and sprig and was happy to help herself to the cucumber and lox bases.

Ollie enjoyed playing with the new #3 dog, Molly. I think they’re probably about the same age and really had a ball getting to know each other.

Everyone had a great time assembling snacks and dinner.

Luciano did a good job of making sure every last bit of turkey was carved.

Amy made a very passionate speech about being connected with the Earth and why we should all be thankful for that. The Robertson boys hadn’t heard a speech quite like that before, and it was the first time Amy had sat down at the Thanksgiving table and given a speech.

Frankie took full advantage of the after dinner cookies with a double fisted performance.

We’re not sure what Clorinda thought was so funny as she was taking a picture with Giancarlo and family. But it was clearly hilarious.

Soon it was time for Luciano and Massimo to relax with some TV. They really were very well behaved all day. Massimo reported the next day that “Uncle Keith is the best at spraying whipped cream into my mouth.” Not sure that’s what I want to be the best at.

Some sunset pictures from both #3 and #1 – the sunsets were just beautiful every day we were there.

I always enjoy this New Orleans Thanksgiving table with the classic Hubig’s pie and James Booker in the bottom corner.

Will and Christine did it all again on Friday for their lunch with Melanie and Guy (Christine’s Dad). Will was very proud of his bacon latticed turkey.

The girls (Diana, Alicia, and Caroline) spent a chunk of Friday putting up Clorinda’s Christmas tree and decorations. Clorinda was quite happy to sit and read “The Lincoln Highway” that I had shared with her, while all the activity took place around her. It wasn’t until Saturday morning that she really took time to investigate and enjoy all the decorations.

Diana went to sushi with Adamo and the boys on Friday night and had a good time meeting the owner and sharing some wine with her. She did bring home a yummy soft shell crab for me.

Our flight home on Saturday was very smooth with no issues. After all the warnings to expect disruptions due to low staffing of pilots, flight attendants and TSA staff, we had no issues at all on our three flights. The airports weren’t overly busy and all our flights were on time and smooth. Maybe we just got lucky.

Diana got this amazing aerial picture of Gypsy Hill as we flew home. It’s the dark green wooded area right in the middle, above the golf course. You can clearly see Adamo and Grammie’s houses as you zoom in. Nice job McD!

It was nice to sleep in our own bed on Saturday night and we were fully rested for a run on Sunday morning. Perfect weather – 55 degrees and sunny. After the run we spent some quality time scooping leaves out of the pool. Then I thought I would put the cover on the sunshade umbrella for winter. Diana suggested letting it fully dry from the rain first, and then we discovered that about 50 wasps and other critters had decided to make the sunshade their home. Note to self – open up the umbrella more often in the fall. I sprayed all the wasps to kill them off, then realized the spray was staining the umbrella. Some Spray N’ Wash and a good soaking with the hose and everything seems fine. The easy things that turn into projects. We finished up the manual labor portion of the day by retrieving Christmas decorations from the garage attic. Now I’m relaxing with football and typing this post.

Stay safe and kind!

Several Weeks in Review – November 24, 2021

“Watch my hand!”

You’ll have noticed that I haven’t posted in a while. Why is that you ask? Off to watch the Cowboys game? No – I had hand surgery a couple of weeks ago and it was a pain to type with the wrap on my right hand. The surgery was to remove something called dupuytrens – a cyst like growth and ligament hardening common after prior surgeries on your hand. Everything was very smooth with the operation and I was in and out of the Craig Ranch Surgery Center (wonderful facility and people) in less than 2 hours.

A week later I went to have the dressing removed and all seems to be progressing well.

I needed to have a splint made to straighten my fingers out at night when sleeping. Leaving town the next day, I got an appointment for just after lunch. I stumbled on Mexican Cactus for a delicious taco lunch – great sauces. A nice new addition to the taco rotation. The splint appointment was painless and the lady also gave me a series of exercises to do every hour – I couldn’t say that I’ve been religious about doing them every single hour, but not too bad.

Diana had been gathering special ornaments for a small tree that she got for Finn. All his favourite things – Pokemon, Star Wars and Pandas. We had him over to deliver McD’s Christmas tree kit – he loved it all.

What a nice job Diana did on this, and she was very pleased when he had it all set up the next day.

Speaking of Diana and Christmas, a friend was visiting Clorinda and brought over a box of photos – including this gem. Two year old Diana with the baby Jesus from the nativity scene. Hasn’t changed a bit?

And continuing on the Diana theme – her retirement from NTTData was officially announced this week.

I know Timmy is very sorry to see her leaving him. This note from a colleague made me smile – Diana used to tell me that if I would just work a wee bit harder then I could be a “rock star.”

I’m working with Diana on a list of activities to keep her busy in retirement – officially beginning on January 10th.

Last week I met some colleagues in downtown Dallas for dinner. We went to a place called CBD Provisions, where the signature dish is pig’s head carnitas. And yes, it comes served as a complete pig’s head – a bit strange but very tasty. Traffic was awful on the drive down, taking more than 90 minutes (typically 40) and so I maybe wasn’t in the mood to fully enjoy such a different appetizer.

A few months ago, on a whim, we bought tickets to see Bryan Adams in Las Vegas. The show was last Friday and we flew to Vegas on our way out to San Francisco. Our room at the Encore by Wynn was very comfy and modern (Alexa was available to close the curtains and turn on the lights). The show was at the Encore theater and so we just needed to ride the elevator down to attend the show – much easier than our typical drives to and from the Kessler for concerts.

Diana made us reservations at La Cave for pre-concert dinner. What a great find this was – tapas style small plates and very creative. The small plates weren’t really that small and we really enjoyed the meal in a lovely setting. Diana liked her “Fizzies flight” – more fun than just one glass.

The concert was almost 90 minutes late in starting. Somebody had taken a tumble on the balcony and apparently it took that long to deal with it. The crowd was definitely getting restless by the time the band took the stage around 9:30.

It’s been 37 years since Adams released the “Reckless” album with so many of the hits that he’s still playing. The first big hit in the set was “Heaven” with the crowd doing a great job on the first verse. We think this song is a good one for Diana to learn on the piano – one of her retirement plans.

Next up was the classic “Summer of 69”, perhaps his best known song:

I enjoyed the guitar work on “Cuts Like a Knife”:

As is typical, Adams finished up with a couple of solo acoustic songs. Here’s “Straight from the heart”:

A very enjoyable and well produced show all around. Diana was very happy.

We stopped by the Eastside Lounge on the way back to our room and listened to the dueling pianos version of “Hotel California”:

We had a lazy start on Saturday with workouts in the fancy gym, lunch at the poolside restaurant, and then reading books by the lovely pool. BP kept watch from the room.

I had made dinner reservations at Brasserie Bardot in the Aria resort. We thought it was a good idea to walk the mile and half down the Vegas strip to dinner – work up an appetite. Not a great idea – the strip was so busy and I quickly grew tired of bobbing and weaving through the herds of people. When we finally arrived at Bardot we were seated inside next to a very loud table of guys. The entire place was soooo loud. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand it and so we moved out to the front patio – much better.

We weren’t super hungry and decided to order a selection of appetizers. Every one was amazing. I highly recommend the food at Bardot, just make sure you sit on the patio or wear ear plugs. We enjoyed foie gras two ways – as a torchon with black truffles, and seared over pineapple – both perfectly prepared.

As my regular readers know, it’s very hard for McD to say no to steak tartare. In addition to that we had escargots en croute, and I think this was my favourite dish – so different from the typical presentation.

After dinner we called it an early night and were well rested for our flight to San Francisco on Sunday. Again the airport was pleasantly uncrowded.

Monday was a busy work day for both of us, but things started to slow down on Tuesday and we were able to get out for a walk by the Pacifica beaches and to enjoy a coffee and a quiche at Soul Grind.

Andy and Jude invited us for Happy Hour in the evening and we enjoyed the wonderful sunset views.

We went for a walk on the hill on Wednesday morning and ran into the whole crew coming down. It takes a while to make progress with Frankie collecting rocks, Luciano melting down when he falls off his skateboard, and Massimo moving along on crutches. Here are some short videos that capture the scene.

Frankie yelled goodbye from her spot on top of the hill.

Grammie has been enjoying the lovely weather and her new patio set.

I highly recommend the new Tom Hanks movie “Finch.” It’s amazing how much we come to care about robots. Just a really well done and quiet movie.

I finished a couple of books over the last weeks. First was “Oh, William!” by Elizabeth Strout. Similar in style to the wonderful “Olive Kitteridge”, this follows the life of Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William. I didn’t enjoy this as much as “Olive” but it was still a very good read. This is the third book in a trilogy and I might have enjoyed it more had I read the first two books more recently.

My second book was “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles. I loved “A Gentleman in Moscow” and was excited to read his new book. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale – quite different than “A Gentleman”, with much more action and a faster paced story. At the same time, there was plenty of detail from 1954 (the book takes place over 10 days) to settle in and enjoy. Here’s what Amazon had to say about it:

The Lincoln Highway might just be one of the best novels of this decade, which is a feat considering A Gentleman in Moscow, also holds that distinction (in this reviewer’s mind, anyway). Set in the 1950s, The Lincoln Highway is filled with nostalgia as well as the gentle naïveté and hijinks of those who are young, optimistic, and on a mission. The story follows four boys who set out to travel the country in search of a fresh start: Emmett and Billy want to find their mother who left them when they were young, and Duchess and Woolly are on the hunt for a stashed wad of cash. Sometimes their dreams are aligned but often they are not. In other words, adventure ensues: There’s train hopping and car stealing, and with that comes the inevitability of trouble sparked from both good and bad intentions. Each of these young men is chasing his dreams, but their pasts—whether violent or sad—are never far behind. A remarkable work of storytelling that is a 2021 favorite.

Enough music already, so I’ll save some of my new finds for the next posting.

Stay safe and kind!

Week in Review – October 31, 2021

“Careful with that finger!”

We flew back from San Francisco to Dallas on Tuesday afternoon, unpacked, did some laundry, re-packed and started the drive to Austin on Wednesday morning. I always enjoy looking out at the cloud formations on daytime flights.

The new VW Atlas performed very well on the drive – very comfy and smooth and with all the modern electronics that Penelope is lacking. We met the Ogans for tacos at Nixta before checking into the hotel. This is a place that I had been hoping to try for a while, and it was excellent. Very creative and tasty tacos and tostadas. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the garden patio setting very much. I had a beet tartare tostada that had some kind of whipped avocado base – highly recommended.

After hotel check-in, we had a few hours until dinner at Justine’s. We found a couple of new cocktail establishments. Higher Ground was just a few hundred yards from the hotel, and had great drinks and snacks – all cleverly named after the seven deadly sins.

Our next stop was at the Firehouse lounge. This is a classic speakeasy hidden behind a sliding bookcase in the lobby of a hostel. We enjoyed this stop a lot, with Diana and Anne very impressed that the bartender made them Old Cubans without any help on ingredients or proportions.

We sat on the patio at Justine’s and enjoyed a terrific evening. Denny loved the ambiance and the food. He and I both had a special clam dish with chorizo and frites. What did Diana have? Any guesses? Yes – her first steak tartare of the trip.

Both Diana and I had work most of the day on Thursday and so Denny and Anne were on their own. I ran into them (almost) on my drive to the office as they were scootering down Barton Springs. I joined them for breakfast at Biscuits and Groovy – a very good food truck that even serves French press coffee.

We all met up for dinner at Peche before the concert at Austin City Limits. What did Diana have here? You are correct – her second steak tartare. “But they’re all so good and so different from each other.”

We loved everything about the concert. Three terrific artists/band were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. We had excellent seats and plenty of room. I’m going to share the pictures in order with the setlist from the evening.

Set list:

Alejandro Escovedo (inducted by Lenny Kaye)

1. “Algo Azul” (with Alex Ruiz and Lenny Kaye)

2. “Sally Was a Cop” (with John Doe, Alex Ruiz and Lenny Kaye)

3. “Put You Down”

Alejandro’s set was my favourite of the night – such a variety of musical styles and excellent song writing. A highlight was him introducing his niece, Sheila E. from Prince’s band. Now we know what the E stands for.

Lucinda Williams (inducted by Jason Isbell)

Certainly the most poignant moment of the evening. We didn’t realize that Lucinda had suffered a stroke about a year ago – she can sing well but isn’t very mobile. Isbell gave the best induction speech – highlighting the amazing lyrics of her songs.

1. “I Envy the Wind” (performed by Jason Isbell)

2. “Crescent City” (with Rosanne Cash)

3. “Changed the Locks” (with Margo Price)

Wilco (inducted by the lovely Rosanne Cash)

1. “A Shot in the Arm”

2. “Sky Blue Sky” (performed by Bill Callahan)

3. “One Sunday Morning” (performed by Terry Allen)

4. “Jesus Etc.” (with Michelle Zauner)

5. “California Stars” (grand finale with almost all performers)

If you look very closely in the bottom right corner you can catch sight of my grey hair. It was about this time 2 years ago that I tried to cut off the tip of my finger in the J.W. Marriott door. McD had me on a very close watch. We introduced Denny and Anne to Velvet Taco for a late night snack – the chicken tikka tacos were a perfect end to a great and very unique evening.

The Ogans flew back to New Orleans on Friday morning, and so we had the day to ourselves. We started out with a good long run along the river – that we seriously payed for over the next few days – not sure why our legs hurt so much. I made a lunch reservation at June’s and teased D by asking her where she would like to pick for lunch – she ultimately got to June’s and wondered if we could get a reservation 🙂 It was another lovely afternoon and we were able to sit out on the patio. What did Diana have for lunch? Yes – the trifecta of steak tartare was completed. I enjoyed some salt cod croquettes and delicious curried escargot.

It was time to move again. We walked about a mile and a half over to South Lamar and had a coffee on the wonderful Opa! patio. One of the places we really miss for Sunday mornings.

After coffee, I took Diana to the tiki bar that I had picked out for Denny (before he had to leave early). Tiki Tatsu-Ya was amazing – we were really transported into another world with outstanding details. It has only been open a few weeks and is doing quite well, even though it’s hidden away behind the Saxon Pub parking lot. Denny really missed out. We’re looking forward to trying some food on our next visit.

Each drink had a very fancy cup. We did not like the Tiki version of a negroni in that scary shot glass at all – needs some work. A totally unique experience again. The menu itself was very impressive.

After Tiki, I gave D the option of TG BAD (two guitars, bass, and drums) at the Saxon pub or an earlier than planned dinner at the Odd Duck. She decided the Odd Duck couldn’t wait. Wise move.

The Odd Duck and Opa! are probably the two places we miss the most in Austin. The menu is always changing, so creative, and there’s no other place that mixes together so many flavours and textures so well.

We started with ceviche, quesadilla, and quail. All fantastic. Still a little hungry, we finished up with the scallops – perfectly cooked. We really love this restaurant.

What an excellent day wandering around Austin and enjoying our favourite places!

Saturday started with a walk (a run was out of the question with our sore muscles) along the river. Then we visited our last old favourite, El Alma, for their excellent brunch. Eggs Benedict are probably not a great option before a four hour drive – that hollandaise sauce put me in a very sleepy state. The Atlas made easy work of the drive back home – I think we’re going to get along just fine.

Finn came over for “football food” on Sunday after work. I had suggested wings to D and she did a great job of cooking them for the first time. The Cowboys didn’t play until the evening and were going with the backup quarterback, Cooper Rush. We were all quite nervous, but they ended up being able to eke out a win to bring their record to 6-1 – best in decades.

We had planned to distribute Halloween candy until the game started at 7:30. Business was light with I would guess a total of 30 kids or less. Here are Ben and Lilly dressed up and ready to go in California. And then Campbell and Molly are a bit scarier in San Diego.

I was too busy to get any decent reading done this week, and we’ve talked a lot about music already, so stay safe and kind!