“A Dull Boy”
Another week of long work days for both of us. Becoming too much of a trend lately. We need to fix that soon. “All work and no play, makes Keith a very dull boy!”.
My comment about steak tartare last week prompted Raj to send me this hilarious clip of Mr. Bean about to enjoy the same:
We were paying close attention to Hurricane Barry on Friday, as it started to head towards New Orleans and surrounding areas. Denny and Anne returned form their European jaunt on Monday and had to move their cars out of their flooded street, and get ready for several days of being home bound.
Webster Street has never been this much flooded before, and the storm hadn’t arrived yet.
My friend Norma, from Guatemala, was trying to get to New Orleans on Saturday to see the Rolling Stones at the Superdome. This is the rescheduled concert from the Jazzfest 50th anniversary show that was canceled due to Mick Jagger’s illness. Wouldn’t you know she had to fly on Friday afternoon to get in ahead of the storm, only to find out that the concert was pushed back to Monday. We’re hoping she finally gets to see the band after so much effort. She was in Lima, Peru this week, planning for our new system to be implemented, and was complaining that it was mid winter and very cold. It will not feel like winter in New Orleans for sure.
Thankfully, New Orleans was not too badly impacted by Barry.
Out in San Diego, Campbell reported his best sales month ever, and best week ever to close out the quarter. Look at the salesman extraordinaire go!
This screensaver on my computer took me back to the gorgeous Scottish hillsides, covered in heather. Also made me picture Bramble, Elspeth and David’s new Labrador, out for a run and having fun. Correction – maybe she’s really Heather’s dog.
Our neighbours across the street are moving to a house with better “outdoor living” after 15 years in their current house. We’re very sorry to see them go – such happy people who would help us with anything. It’ll be interesting to see who moves in next.
I always enjoy waking up to the sunrise view and the Friday morning edition was very impressive.
Diana arrived on the afternoon bus on Friday and it reminded me to share this picture I snapped earlier in the week. One of the luxury Vonlane buses had broken down and the Corvette the mechanic drove over to repair it was hilarious. Zoom in and check out all that crazy air intake equipment.
Less than two hours after arrival, I had Diana over to Antone’s to see the amazing Marcia Ball. I just told her that I had a fun activity planned, and didn’t provide any more details. She was quite excited on seeing the billboard.
Part of the entertainment of a Marcia Ball concert is the way her legs and feet keep the beat. On good display in this clip:
We always laugh at the song, “Just Kiss Me Baby”:
Given Hurricane Barry bearing down on Louisiana, Randy Newman’s “Louisiana 1927” was quite poignant:
It’s amazing that a song about the flood of 1927 still seems relevant today. Here Marcia makes the song her own, following an excellent saxophone solo:
Ball is an impressive performer at the age of 70, having played in small clubs across the South for more than 50 years. Equally impressive are the charities she runs to provide housing and healthcare for Austin musicians.
The Boogie Kings, a band formed in Eunice, Louisiana in 1955, were billed as the headliners, but the crowd had cleared out a good bit for their set – most folks came to hear Marcia Ball.
Their soul music was very good, particularly the three horn players who had clearly being doing it for many years. Here’s the “Harlem Shuffle” showcasing the horns:
As we arrived back home to the apartment, the dull sheen of the work week was starting to wear off.
Saturday began with a swim and sauna, followed by a delicious Mediterranean lunch, coffee and crossword at Opa. Then a Target shopping run and back to the apartment for a nap for me, while McD joined the craziness of the monthly pool party, including a DJ playing music she didn’t enjoy.
Diana was in charge of entertainment on Saturday night, and she opted for a walk down South Congress. We paused outside the Continental Club to listen to a very good swing band – it wouldn’t have taken much to convince D to head on inside – and then continued our walk on down to the South 
Congress Hotel. There really are so many interesting stores and restaurants on this street – very unique. We enjoyed a drink at Craft and Commerce – commenting on the beautiful decor, and then walked across the street for dinner at June’s. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the people watching.
I was up early on Sunday to watch the Gentlemens’ Final at Wimbledon. Going to bed on Saturday, Diana said it started at 8am, and of course I had to argue – believing that was 8am Eastern. When I got to the TV at 7am Central, the pre-game show was just starting. Diana was right again. She always says, “What was that?”. I’ll repeat – Diana was right again! What an excellent tennis match. Federer’s single handed backhand is superb, but his forehand let him down too often to prevail. I think we shared the Duchess of Cambridge’s emotions.
Sunday morning continued with a swim and sauna, followed by brunch at El Alma – so good. I enjoyed an afternoon nap and some reading time. In the evening, we walked across to the lawn at the Long Center to enjoy the Austin Symphony brass section in a free outdoor concert. They really do take full advantage of the open spaces in downtown Austin. The concert was a good mix of Renaissance music, film scores, Texas songs, and marches. The crowd was the typical Austin mix of lots of dogs, kids, and even a guy doing yoga next to us. Here’s a view of the almost full moon over the Catherine from my lawn chair, as the sun set on activities.
Here’s a short video of the brass section performing the “Yellow Rose of Texas” with some views of the apartment and downtown:
I enjoyed the book, “Machines LIke Me” by Ian McEwan, very much. What an excellent writer and a creative premise. The novel is set in 1982, the miners are on strike, unemployment is soaring, and Margaret Thatcher has dispatched the Navy to protect the Falkland Islands from take over by an Argentinian junta. These are all historically accurate, and then McEwan puts a twist on things – the war in the Falklands is lost with 3,000 casualties, Lennon and JFK are both alive, and Tony Benn is challenging Thatcher for leadership of the country.
The biggest tweak to history is that Alan Turing is still alive and treated as a hero. He has built on his famous World War II code cracking machine, and created many of the foundational components of Artificial Intelligence, which he provides to all via open source. Charlie, the hero of the story, acquires one of 25 new androids, capable of developing a human-like personality over time. The novel deftly explores what can go right and wrong as androids become more and more human-like.
This book reminded me a lot of Roth’s “The Plot Against America”, with the slight tweaks on history. This one is equally well done. McEwan has certainly become more of a crowd pleaser with his last few novels, but still highly enjoyable and unique.
I include this first song just so that I can tell a short story that I learned recently. When receiving the rite of Catholic confirmation, participants choose the name a Saint that they admire. Diana chose “Bernadette”, best known for her visions at Lourdes.
Returning to Antone’s on Friday reminded me of my first visit there after moving to Austin, and the excellent Doyle Bramhall II show, featuring special guest Lukas Nelson.
I heard this wonderful Chopin Nocturne on Paradise Radio this week – they really do play a great mix of styles and genres.
A unique Prince cover finishes out the post for this week. Didn’t turn out being too dull of a week after all.
workouts and then lunch at Toulouse in Legacy West. Diana was excited when her choice for restaurant stuck – the other two options we discussed were closed for the holiday. We enjoyed a delicious white wine and steak tartare with frites. I know, you’re thinking our diet is almost exclusively raw meat these days – only when we go to French places that do it well.
And did you know that I’m highly allergic to wasp and bee stings – swell up like the Elephant Man. Turns out hornets nests are not always in trees. We found five piles of sand in the beds next to the grill, looking just like ant hills without the ants. Further investigation showed some kind of bug burrowing into the ground and kicking out sand. We decided to leave well alone and wait for the pest control experts.
early dinner at the Grape. She says she had been thinking about going all week – must have some special ESP going. We started by sharing the chicken liver mousse, which now has the pistachio topping added back – last time we visited, over a year ago we guess, they had changed it, and not for the better. Then we split a delicious salad, followed by steak frites for Diana and scallops for me. A lovely evening and way too long since we’ve visited the Grape.
“The Parade” by Dave Eggers, a very favourite author, is a spare and powerful story of two men, Western contractors sent to work far from home, and tasked with paving a road to the capital in a dangerous and largely lawless country.
“Biloxi” by Mary Miller is quite different than any book that I’ve read in a while. Miller skillfully transports us to her unapologetic corner of the South—this time, Biloxi, Mississippi, home to sixty-three-year-old Louis McDonald Jr. His wife of thirty-seven years has left him, his father has passed—and he has impulsively retired from his job in anticipation of an inheritance check that may not come. In the meantime, he watches reality television, drinks beer, and avoids his ex-wife and daughter. One day, he stops at a house advertising free dogs and meets overweight mixed-breed Layla. Unexpectedly, Louis takes her, and begins investigating local dog parks and buying extra bologna. Mining the absurdities of life with her signature “droll minimalist’s-eye view of America” (Joyce Carol Oates), Mary Miller’s “Biloxi” captures every day life in the South perfectly.
The week started well with a relaxing and delicious lunch at June’s All Day brasserie on far South Congress. This is the place that Mark took me to for lunch when I interviewed for my job in Austin, and I hadn’t been back since. Diana and I both loved our lunch – delicious wines, smoked salmon nicoise salad for D and steak tartare for K. The heavens opened as we were finishing up and so we had to stay for coffee and wait for a brief respite in the rain. Temperatures dropped 15 degrees in a few minutes and the humidity was thankfully gone from the air for a while.
Then they met up with Sean at the Continental Club to see the amazing Peterson Brothers. These two young men have so much positive energy and interact with each other beautifully. May they never lose those positive smiles they have playing music together. I was able to join around 7:30pm for the second half of the show. We particularly enjoyed the rendition of “Amazing Grace” on violin by Alex – it was his first instrument in school before graduating to bass guitar virtuoso.
Changing over from music to the literary front, I finally finished “The Parisian” by Isabella Hammad. This was a very long slog of a book with lots of Arabic dialog and names. I did learn a lot about the history of Palestine in the early 2oth Century, and the influx of Jewish immigration that ultimately caused the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that still exists.
Our second wedding anniversary on Monday was welcomed with a pretty sunrise. After a long work day, we celebrated at Uchi, a sushi restaurant close to the apartment and rated one of the best in the United States. The food was excellent, as you can tell by the smile on D’s face. The service was equally outstanding, from the initial greeter, to Sam our waitress, and everyone else that interacted with us.
The rest of the week was busy with work and quite hot outside. On Wednesday evening we braved the heat for a walk along the river, passing by the movie on the lawn event on the way home. “The Goonies” was showing on a giant inflatable screen. Temperatures continued to heat up, with Thursday being the first 100 degree day of the year.
Friday afternoon took me to one of our stores on far South Congress to observe system performance during the peak time and close process. As luck would have it, C-Boys Heart and Soul was close by. Diana joined me and a couple of work colleagues for happy hour. The Rosie Flores Revue was playing (as they apparently do every Friday) – what a pleasant surprise. We’ll have to return again soon.
Sunday kicked off with a nice long swim and very relaxing sauna, followed by coffee at Opa! The puzzle was by creators and an editor we didn’t know – where did Fred Piscop go? It took us both over 30 minutes to finish the “Doing the Splits” crossword.
After dinner we finished off the evening at the Roosevelt Room. The bar is lovely and the cocktails good, but we decided it was just a bit too much work to get a drink in that place. I did like the interior and particularly the musician paintings – here’s one of Austin native Gary Clark Jr.
Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and all you others celebrating today. Being a Dad – the most challenging occupation I know, filled with terrific highs, tough lows and lots of unanticipated in betweens. Here’s a picture of my Dad, sister, and brother in law at Pitmedden Gardens near Aberdeen.
The only real respite all week was a very pleasant walk along the river trail on Thursday night. The city of Austin does such a good job maintaining the trail and the natural habitats. We enjoyed this guy with his long neck sticking up from the vegetation.
We walked down South Congress Avenue (SoCo) to the San Jose hotel for a relaxing drink and snack on their excellent patio. This is where we finished our evening with the Aussies and Diana sent Sue a picture of the patio. She replied that they were fighting through thunderstorms in Custer, South Dakota – those Aussies get around.
Our brunch started with shishito hashbrown, creamed corn, and braised goat – such a delicious combination of flavors. A close second to that was the next dish of smoked chicken skillet, sunny eggs, mushroom cream, and tobacco onions. The final dish of Mediterranean flavours – eggplant falafel, fenugreek sausage, cashew humus, and herb yogurt made it difficult to choose a favourite. We really enjoy the concept of smaller portions to share – particularly when each contains so many fresh flavours. Can you tell that I was very happy with everything about my brunch?
I was up early on Tuesday morning for a swim at the chilly Barton Springs pool. A very refreshing start to the day. After work, Damon and I had dinner at Chi’Lantro and then caught an Allman Brothers tribute band at the One 2 One bar. This was an excellent show, far exceeding our expectations. All the musicians were great – the dueling guitars, double drummers, bass and organ. Anne would prefer this to the original Allmans as the solos were short and tight – not the sprawling 10 minute guitar solos of the original band. Anne always complains that there aren’t enough words and the songs last too long.
On Sunday evening, we revisited on of our favourite Austin spots -the Townsend bar and listening room. The entertainment was by Michael Fracasso featuring Charlie Sexton on guitar and Michael Ramos on keyboards and accordion. 
It was a treat to see Sexton in such a tiny venue – he was about to head back out on the road as the guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band. I mentioned a week or so ago enjoying his playing on Boz Scagg’s latest album. And of course the Arc Angels, his short lived band with Doyle Bramhall II, has been a favourite of mine since living in San Antonio. Michael Ramos has an equally impressive resume, having toured with and produced many well known artists.
While we were in the show, everyone’s phone started alerting at the same time, for a flash flood warning. Apparently it was raining very heavily outside. Things had dried out after the show and we were able to enjoy the walk home at a temperature over 20 degrees cooler than when we entered the show, 2 hours prior.
Denny shared an excellent article, “The Memorable Mr. Hughes”, with me this week. Mr Hughes is retiring as the music teacher at Lusher, the school that Jack and Jason attend. Diana and I have attended several “Morning Meetings” in the Lusher courtyard and the music is always a big part of these. A highlight was Trombone Shorty getting down in the middle of the kids when his microphone didn’t work correctly. Here’s a quote from the article:
Happy Birthday to Alicia! She hosted 5 girls for a pool party on Monday afternoon. They were mostly very well behaved. 19 year olds don’t seem to be anything like 13 or 14 year olds – much less squealing and yelling. It took poor Diana a few minutes to get all the candles lit on the mini cupcakes.
couples we met at the Continental Club last week) were able to join us for the birthday celebration. I grilled burgers, chicken and veggies for dinner and Alicia and Diana made huge green and fruit salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. You can see the lovely purple orchid that Kerry brought for Alicia on the right hand side of this picture. Hopefully we can keep it alive for a while after Alicia leaves.
As luck would have it, Kerry and Yoshy live only 10 minutes from our friend Stan in Brisbane, Australia. We had just been having a FaceTime session with Stan the night before.
The morning sky on Wednesday seemed a bit gloomy and ominous. Waiting for the lift to head to work, I noticed a “stand up” meeting happening at the job site next door, where the new high rise building is starting. Made me smile, as I was headed for our 8:30 am daily stand up meeting. The ominous clouds cleared out nicely during the day and the evening was bright and sunny.
The set by Western Youth was excellent from start to finish and I think they made a number of new fans from folks who just wandered into Gueros. Several folks asked me the name of the band and what I knew about them.
Penelope is enjoying Austin. She likes cruising down Barton Springs Rd with her top down, and really enjoyed the new experience of backing into the slanted parking on South Congress.
I was getting peckish after all that great music, and made a stop at the Taco Joint on Riverside, a place very close to the apartment that for some reason we haven’t tried yet. The tacos here are very good – I enjoyed a portobello mushroom and a steamed fish. Another great food option in very easy walking distance.
I really enjoyed the swim and particularly the very long laps that are possible. It took about 10 minutes to adjust to the cooler than typical pool temperature water. One interesting fact about the pool – this is where Robert Redford learned to swim at age 5, when visiting Austin on holiday. Barton Springs is a federally protected habitat as it is home to the endangered Barton Springs Salamander. I didn’t spot any of them but it was pretty dark for most of my swim and the pool has depths up to 18 feet. I look forward to making a few swims in Barton Springs part of my regular weekly routine.
Thursday night brought a pleasant cultural experience – a showing of the new Miles Davis documentary, “Birth of the Cool”, at the Austin film society. Admission included a cocktail, trumpet music in the lobby pre-show, a discussion with the producer, and jazz records in the lobby after the movie. What a deal for $11.
I rode back to Dallas with Vinod on Friday and had the house to myself for the night. Diana and Alicia were enjoying a few days in Boston on the back end of a work meeting that Diana attended on Wednesday. On Thursday night they visited the Union Oyster House, established in 1826, and the longest continually operating restaurant in the United States. John F. Kennedy’s booth is marked with a plaque. Diana enjoyed the lobster (pronounced “Lahbstah” by the locals”.
trails while Diana handled some work meetings. Diana had duck for dinner and it looks absolutely delicious. They apparently sat next to a couple for Highland Park, Dallas and had a good chat. Later, they both took a ghost tour around the area.
Sunday started with a swim in the warm gym pool, followed by coffee and crossword. The evening brought a real treat – a return visit to the Kessler by Nils Lofgren, this time with his full band (including brother Tommy from Grin), and his own guitars. You might remember his equipment was stolen overnight prior to his last visit, and he had to borrow all the guitars he used.
Here’s the set list from the show – a very strong finish including “No Mercy”. I remember first hearing this on Radio Clyde with the DJ, Dougie Donnelly, raving about the song – I was sold.
I finished the book “The Paris Diversion” by Chris Pavone this week and really enjoyed the read. A fast paced, intelligent thriller with interesting plot twists, that is also well written with great descriptions and vocabulary – a rare combination.
Shelley several times now, and always enjoyed her songs. Four Aussies took the seats in the row in front of us and we had a great chat while we waited for the band to start. Then the first of several surprises happened. Diana noticed Carolyn Wonderland setting up her guitar. She’s not a regular part of Shelley’s band and was obviously going to sit in. We love her singing and guitar playing – this is the lady that I took my sister and family to see when they visited almost 2 years ago now. I really enjoyed the smile on Carolyn’s face as she listened to Shelley and band before sitting in.
My birthday present from Mum and Dad was waiting when I got back to the apartment from the ER, a bit after 1am, and McD was quite insistent that I open it up. Meet Harris McCoo (left) and Donald McDee (right). There from the Scottish artist Steven Brown who is becoming quite famous these days. I really love his work and these selections.
While troubleshooting a big work issue, my amazing and fierce wife also whipped up a delicious made from scratch “end of birthday week” dinner of my favourites. Pavlova birthday cake and two kinds of meat pies (the best versions yet). Alicia gets a lot of credit for helping as Diana had to jump on and off calls and send update emails. The results of all their toil were excellent.
and shared a “Blues Burger” – blue cheese and crumbled onion rings. The visit was actually a scouting trip to see if this would be a good place to meet our friend Rob and his wife for dinner on Wednesday (he ended up having to cancel). Somebody told us a few years ago that the easiest test of a restaurant is to see if they make a good burger. Zax passed the test with a tasty and nicely cooked burger. The ambiance inside was a bit quiet and dated but the patio looked fun.
Having selected our apartment for the shortest possible (within reason) commute to the office, I was irked to see the news on Thursday night. A new high rise building going in next to us is requiring lane closures right next to the Catherine building for three months. Ugh! I’m sure it won’t add too much time to my commute, but I’ve really been enjoying getting to the office in 10 minutes rather than the hour it took in Dallas.
My official birthday week kicked off when I got home on Friday evening with a bowl of one of my favourite food groups presented by BP (Baby Penguin). All of the penguins also put together a very creative card to recognize the birthday week.
I tried something new on Saturday morning – swimming laps in the apartment pool. The temperature was a bit bracing initially but I had a nice long swim, followed by some relaxation time in the sauna. Swimming really eases my back pain and so I look forward to repeating this start to the day until the pool gets too hot.
I chose a new destination for coffee and a crossword with Keith. High Note is a new restaurant from the Kerbey Lane group and features fresh and healthy breakfast and brunch options with a Mediterranean flair. We shared blistered shishito peppers and I enjoyed a Kale Mary (very green and healthy). We both liked High Note and the food coming out around us looked very good. Another good coffee and brunch option in walking distance.
Arriving home after dinner, I was presented with this excellent gift. It’s a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a 19th century poet most famous for “Paul Revere’s Ride”. It makes me think of the Playing for Change series that I shared a couple of weeks ago where musicians from around the world collaborate on songs.
Sunday started with a swim and sauna. While Diana sunned herself by the pool, I walked down South Congress to the Continental Club to see the matinee show (3:30pm) with the Marshall Hood band. It was interesting to step into the dark and well air conditioned club from the bright, hot day outside.
A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who were celebrating on Sunday.
I meant to share this New Yorker cartoon last week as “May the 4th be with you” is a big day for Star Wars fans. Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in most of the Star Wars movies, also passed away last week. I didn’t realize that he was 7 feet 3 inches tall at his prime.
These were the inspiration for the Seventies sitcom featuring the antics of two Liverpudlian lasses. Guess what they called it? You nailed it – “The Liver Birds”. I didn’t remember it from the name, but after watching a YouTube video, I remember it quite well from my childhood.
Diana enjoyed the Saxon Pub experience and particularly the folks “dancing like nobody was watching”. This place is full of happy, friendly people looking to enjoy the music. An interesting couple joined us at our table. Bill and Marianne met in a Chinese restaurant in Peurto Vallarta during a thunderstorm. Bill attended UT before riding his Harley across country to San Francisco, where he got a job as a mailman, during the “Summer of Love” in 1967. He had just had ankle replacement surgery – did you know that was an option? We’ve heard of hips and knees, but I hadn’t heard of ankles.
We walked across the street from the Saxon Pub to Chi’lantro for a snack. This is an Asian Fusion, Korean style restaurant with excellent “Kimchi” fries and Korean chicken wings. Not familiar with kimchi? I wasn’t either but it’s kind of a cabbagey concoction. Wiki says: a staple in Korean cuisine, kimchi is a famous traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings including gochugaru (chili powder), scallions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood).
Greenwich Village was once the center of New York bohemia and, like many other artsy neighborhoods around the country, has gone through significant gentrification in recent years. But one shop in the heart of the Village had remained resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars. There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice, Cindy Hulej, build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches, and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they are embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou 
Reed, and Patti Smith. The film captures five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars, while examining an all-too-quickly vanishing way of life.
We reconvened at the Apartment for dinner and then walked across the bridge to Antone’s for a concert. Roxy Roca was opening for Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Diana chose this as her Mother’s Day eve show over Sis DeVille at the One to One Club. Unfortunately the show was over 21 only and so Alicia practiced her story on the walk over. No real problem getting in – just a couple of questions that she handled well.
We hadn’t heard of Roxy Roca and were going to skip the opening act, but some YouTube research showed a great brass section and music that we thought we’d enjoy. They are an Austin based band and put on a good opening set.
We enjoyed Big Sam’s Funky Nation a few months ago at the Kessler, when they opened for the Rebirth Brass Band. It was great to see them as the main attraction. Happy, fun music very well presented. So much so that we couldn’t drag Alicia out of the show. “Two more songs and we’re leaving!” “No we’re not!”. 
We did finally leave a little after midnight and tried again to make a visit to the Elephant Room for some late night jazz. The band was on a break and the place was crowded, so we made the walk back to the apartment earlier than we might have – probably a good thing.
At around the same time in California, Cat was finishing up a very grueling day of testing for his black belt. He’s trying to look mean and tough in this picture and I can tell he’s exhausted. A very impressive and dedicated effort he’s made to get this far over the last few years. Late breaking update as I’m about to publish – Cat passed the test and received his official black belt!
But wait, there’s more. I had read that the pastry chef was excellent and so we agreed to share a desert. The arugula cake with meringue, rhubarb, and strawberries was both completely unique and delicious. The presentation reminded us of the garden dish at Manresa on our anniversary dinner.
We dropped Alicia back at the apartment for some more “studying” and then walked across the 1st Street bridge and down the riverside trail to Rainey Street. This is the historic area that I took Denny on his visit, where small houses have been turned into bars and restaurants. The street was hopping on Sunday afternoon and McD and I chose the back patio at Lucille as a good spot to 
relax for a while. There was a lot of entertaining activity – karaoke in progress, various games with rings and bean bags, puppies entertaining themselves trying to eat the Jasmine plant and then falling fast asleep. We walked up the street and back over the Congress bridge, pausing to take a funny picture at the Little Brother bar.