“NOLA Residency Week 3 – Chief Kenny Retires”
Monday was a quiet day of chilling out after all the activities of the Harvey visit.
Activity levels picked up on Tuesday morning. Diana joined the tennis clinic, winning a lottery ticket for some kind of competition. We went for a walk in the park after the clinic, and McD was quite animated, telling me about a great shot she made, and all about the drills. Unfortunately she stopped quickly on that great shot and hurt her quad a bit – seems to be recovered now.
I asked Denny and Fred who I should see about my back hurting. “You need the tiny German, next to the coffee shop on Oak Street.” Fortunately Dr. Beaumont was able to see me as soon as I finished my lap of Audubon park. The tiny German is shorter and smaller than Diana, but was able to move me around very effectively, providing immediate relief. I was quite impressed with her – chiropractic adjustments, needling, and pulsing electrodes – all in the same visit.
We started to watch a new show on Tuesday evening – “The Last Thing He Told Me” is based in Sausalito in the houseboat community, and is off to a good start in the first few episodes.
Wednesday also started with a walk in the park. I think Diana did a 3 or 4 mile run while I walked. She’s really hugely back into running again. My back was almost pain free. We ran into Kara doing a workout in the park with Josh on her day off. She came over to sunbathe with Diana after all that exercise.
I stopped by Cherry Espresso while they sunbathed – great coffee and a very cool converted fire house building.
Tim and Dee were raving about Oofos flip flops during their visit – “super comfy and therapeutic”. I had to order some up and try them out. They arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Not quite the right fit for McD.
Kenny and Kara came over in the early evening. We wanted to give the Chief his retirement gifts before walking to Osteria Lupo for dinner. He was quite delighted with the gifts.
Denny and Anne joined for dinner. Osteria Lupo is a restaurant by the Costera folks (Spanish tapas place that we went to for dinner one New Year’s Eve) that opened a couple of weeks ago and is a short walk from the condo. The food was amazing and the restaurant very modern and nicely outfitted. Black truffle arancini, crab pasta, and some great wine.
What a great meal with good friends! There might have been a wee sing along session on the balcony after dinner.
Thursday began as usual with a walk and run in the park. Then we both went to the chiropractor – yes, I was so impressed that Diana decided to try and get her aches and pains treated too. Dr. Beaumont said that I was a lot easier to deal with than Diana. Apparently one leg is an inch shorter than the other and the pelvis has adjusted to compensate for that. I think she gave Diana some pain relief.
After our sessions, we walked down to Seafood Sally’s and met Kenny and Denny for Happy Hour. $1 oysters for Diana – such a deal compared to anywhere in Texas or California.
Kenny ran through his potential stand up comedy routine for his retirement party on Friday evening. We gave some helpful input on which jokes might not work with a large audience, and which should be earlier and later in the set. Hilarious stuff. The patio at Seafood Sally’s was really pleasant on a warm, sunny afternoon.
After Happy Hour we walked down to Jacques Imo’s to say hello to Debra. Kenny has been on a mission to organize an annual “Bookerfest” at the Maple Leaf next door. James Booker is a famous piano player from New Orleans that we all love – he passed away many years ago. He asked Debra for Hank’s (the owner of the Maple Leaf) phone number. “He’s right here at the bar – I’ll introduce you.” We enjoyed the entertainment of Kenny pitching his idea to Hank. I believe it was well received.
Friday was the day of the big retirement party. Diana and I walked over to the Columns for a pre-party drink and enjoyed the lovely porch.
The party was in the back room of Monkey Hill – so named because it’s close to the Monkey Hill at Audubon Zoo – the highest point in the city of New Orleans. Denny and Anne did a great job of organizing things – banners, food that Debra donated from Crabby Jack’s (Jacques Imo’s catering business), hats, and musical entertainment. Diana took these pictures before the festivities cranked up.
First up was Valerie Sassyfras. I had watched her performance on America’s Got Talent and thought this was going to be ridiculously silly. This picture is Kenny, in Booker shirt, explaining something to Valerie. Live and in person it was actually quite entertaining. Here’s a video with the girls joining Valerie for “Girl’s Night Out.”
After all that silliness, The Tin Men arrived to play some straight forward great New Orleans music. I loved their set. Here they are with “Such a Night.”
I enjoyed getting to see a few folks that I don’t see very often – Greg and Colleen (pictured here), Randy and Amy, Paul and Michelle, Tres and Party Phil. Greg has the perfect New Orleans accent and is a true Southern gentleman.
A highlight of the evening was Kenny and Kara’s kids, Ian and Nina, giving speeches for their Dad. Such great offspring.
Kenny had an absolute blast at his party. Mission accomplished.
I met Alex at Peaches for record store day on Saturday morning. This is an annual event where independent record stores release one of a kind and rare recordings until they sell out. I was greeted at the door with an offer of a beer and pizza – umm, not at 9am, thanks. I picked up a Status Quo album that Mum and Dad gave me as a Christmas gift many years ago. Who knows where that original version is now. Not familiar with Status Quo? They are a classic power trio, and were the openers for Live Aid in 1985 – my first day working for Gearhart. I still remember being invited to my boss, Howard Dunn’s, house for the festivities. Here’s the performance:
Alex, on the other hand, must have bought twenty albums – quite the large box that he toted out of there.
Some fun people watching was available from our balcony after record store day. The Buffalo Exchange was having a sidewalk sale for Earth Day. All items were $1 and the proceeds went to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. So funny to watch a hundred folks dig into boxes full of used clothes.
Alex invited us over on Saturday afternoon for a bourbon and scotch tasting event on his patio. We also sampled some of those twenty new albums. He subscribes to something called Flaviar, which sends 3 test tube samples of bourbon or scotch along with detailed tasting notes.
Denny, Anne, and Gary joined us for the tasting. I suggested that, after each trio of tastings, we all discuss what we liked about each whisky. That went really well until Denny complained that it was getting too much like a book club. “But I like book club,” I complained. We continued with the discussions and I think everyone really enjoyed the event. Thanks for sharing all those Alex!
After the tastings we enjoyed some yummy po-boys at Bourree around the corner. Our buffalo cauliflower was delicious.
On Sunday, we enjoyed a quiet brunch at Justine in the French Quarter. This is the sister restaurant of the wonderful La Petite Grocery, next to the condo. My shrimp and grits were delicious – the mushrooms adding a nice extra flavour. Diana enjoyed her steak tartare and would have liked a bit more seasoning.
After lunch we walked to the “Mostly Rock and Roll Gallery.” This is owned by a friend of Andy and Jude’s. They are Clorinda’s perfect neighbours in Pacifica. Steve also lived in Pacifica for many years. He was visiting New Orleans a year or so ago, met Ben Jaffe of the Preservation Hall Band, and moved shortly after.
His photographs are excellent. Many of them are from Live Aid – closing the circle on my earlier discussion about Status Quo. We had a lovely chat with Steve – he gifted Diana some pictures he had taken in Pacifica – including a gorgeous sunset. Here he is with Diana in his shop:
We stopped by Kenny and Kara’s home on the way home. Kenny showed us the spot where he plans to hang his plaque – we approve. We always have such a good time chatting with those guys.
And another perfect New Orleans week is in the books.
Speaking of books – I made very little progress on “The Nightingale” this week. We’ll pick that up again next week – maybe.
Here’s a local band that I discovered this week. Hoping to see them at Jazzfest:
And now a lovely voice that Allison Moorer recommended on her blog:
And finally, the Joe Krown song that he played to finish off his set at the Maple Leaf:
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!
Diana and I made a brief stop at the Milan bar on our walk home. I really appreciate the little neighbourhood bars in New Orleans.
Tuesday began with a run in Audubon park – Week 5 Day 1 for me. Later in the day, Diana met the girls for oyster Happy Hour at Superior Seafood. I love that Diana has a group of girls to get together with here. I invited Kenny and Alex over for a drink and we enjoyed some good banter on the balcony.
We shared Audubon park with the Harveys on Thursday morning, enjoying a nice leisurely lap. Lunch was at Juan’s Flying Burrito – one of Tim’s favourites. It’s easy to get meat and potatoes style dishes without vegetables. Our margarita pourer, however, needed a tiny bit more training:
I forgot to mention a special stop after our walk in the park – the prettiest pothole I’ve found. It’s located at the corner of Laurel and Webster streets, and the locals have planted some pretty flowers. Those are the same locals that hosted the wonderful porch concerts on our last visit – we should consider that neighbourhood.
Denny turned 55 on Friday! Still such a kid. We celebrated his birthday in the gorgeous patio at Bayona in the French Quarter. This is a pretty famous place that Susan Spicer opened many years ago. She’s one of the best known female chefs.
The food was delicious. McD and I split a fried oyster salad, followed by a steak sandwich. After lunch we wandered over to Jackson Square to take in some of French Quarter Fest, a free music festival with stages throughout the Quarter.
One of the few things on Dee’s list of things she would like to do on the visit was to try beignets. We checked that off the list on Saturday morning, meeting Kenny and Kara after they finished yoga in City Park. That location is much less busy than the French Quarter location. I think the beignets were a big hit with everyone.
There were some lovely wildflowers as we took a driving tour of City Park. After that, we stopped by Liuzza’s for some classic pre-jazzfest style Bloody Mary’s before lunch.
The crepe du crab that Kenzie recommended for me was delicious. Unfortunately, the heavens opened right as we were finishing lunch. No problem for McD – another bottle of that perfect Sancerre. I finally got antsy and got soaked retrieving the car.
There was some debate about whether we should rally off the couch to see Uncle Lucius on Saturday night. I had bought tickets early, but they were not expensive. We made a good decision and grabbed an Uber back to the Quarter for the show at the Toulouse Theater (previously One Eyed Jacks.)
Kenny and Kara joined us briefly after dinner and enjoyed a new band to them.
My book this week (and last) was “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. Kenny leant me the book and he loved it. I previously really enjoyed “The Great Alone” – I’ll need to share that one with Kenny.
In the evening, Denny and Anne picked us up early for our N7 dinner reservation. Denny thought it would be a good idea to catch a few songs from The Tin Men at DBA before our meal. Great idea Denny!
N7 was even better than we remembered. Just a lovely setting in the yard of a small house.
Britney Chauntae and band treated us (there were only a couple of other folks there) to some wonderful jazz and RnB singing, while MardiClaw (interesting name) took care of us at the bar.
After work on Friday, I met the guys at The Other Bar on Freret Street for Happy Hour. We were treated to a short stand-up comedy performance from Kenny. He’s been working on a “tight 10 minute set” in his retirement. Some of the krewe attended the Pelicans basketball game and were treated to a halftime performance by Shammar Allen – “The Weekend Dance.”
I completed week 4 of Couch to 5K on Sunday morning. That was my exercise ahead of a delicious Easter brunch at Atchafalaya – a short walk from the condo. The food was excellent and the service was, let’s see, spotty is the kindest word I can find. Diana chatted with the owner and we were treated to a blue cheese flan and some nice drinks. We were also able to secure a return reservation whenever we wanted – although everything was booked up online. Nicely handed by Rachel, the owner.
We were on the road by 8:30am on Saturday as planned. I wore my San Diego State University Aztecs shirt with pride, they played in the final four on Saturday afternoon.
We were quick to enjoy the lovely front balcony. Then Denny and Anne came over with food and a pretty plant to welcome us.
Finn had the day off on Monday. He came over to be educated on how to take care of Morrison when we’re in New Orleans. I think he was suitably entertained by the way I spritz the leaves using an olive oil spray bottle. Diana provided some instruction on making sure the pool is in good shape.
I enjoyed a swim on Sunday morning, and then tried out the new dry sauna – very nice and relaxing after all those laps. Then I treated myself to a coffee and a quiche at Filtered with my Sunday crossword.
My book this week was “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng. Her “Little Fires Everywhere” was one of my favourites of the last few years, and so I had high hopes for this one.
“The building of 1696 was small and the unpretentious spire remaining today was then in the centre of the place. The only other part of that church still standing is the Corsehill Aisle. The Lainshaw Aisle is built in line with the Corsehill one and may not be of much later date. In 1772 the roof was removed and the walls heightened. The minister of that time wrote: – “it is now well seated and holds a great number.” This minister may have been well pleased with his renovated Kirk, but his feelings were ruffled over the conditions of the manse. It had been built in 1642, fifty years before the church. The minister stated that, although it had some small repairs at different times, it was still in a “very bad condition.” That can be easily understood because the manses of those far-off days were usually small and thatched-roofed with not much more accommodation than the traditional but-and-ben.”
There had been a lot of concern about how many people would arrive at the Fenwick. It’s so hard to predict with weather and other plans. Apparently my sister and Mum guessed perfectly – we had seven tables of ten, and that was exactly what we needed. The funeral tea was very nice – I got to talk to Mrs. Dunlop, Dr. Bob Dunlop, Cousin Jean, Wee Jean, The Barclays (May and Les), Robin and Julie, Lorna and Russell (what a wonderful set of couples), George and Audrey, Caroline and Jim, Christopher, and several others. My Mum and Dad have so many lovely friends.
We left for Glasgow airport early on Wednesday morning. Our flight to Heathrow was delayed by about 45 minutes, but we still had plenty of time to make the Dallas flight. On arrival we were delighted (sarcasm again) to find that there was no jet bridge and we had to descend the stairs with suitcases and ride a bus to Terminal 5. After wandering through the terminal for about 20 minutes, we made our way to the bus to Terminal 3. Another 20 minutes or so and we were relaxing in the British Airways First Class Lounge – one of the advantages of flying so much on American Airlines. Diana enjoyed the Champagne Lounge for 20 minutes and then it was time to head for our Dallas flight.
My book this week was “Britt-Marie Was Here” by Frederick Backman. I bought this at the Book Nook in Stewarton and have thoroughly enjoyed the humour and care of this story. Here’s the online summary:
I borrowed my book this week from Mum’s library. I’m a bit over half way through “A Place Called Freedom” by Ken Follett. Here’s the online summary:
The report out was that some things were better (brisket), while others were not as good (okra). The “Texas Twinkies” – jalapenos wrapped in bacon and other stuff and deep fried, were a big hit.
Things got off to a strong start with the complimentary appetizers – focaccia bread, ricotta cheese, meats and pickled veggies.
As if we hadn’t eaten enough, we took the kids to C.T. Provisions in downtown McKinney for Sunday brunch. Our favourite here has been the voodoo Benedict – shrimp and crawfish in a delicious voodoo sauce and poached eggs atop excellent blue corn grit cakes. Apparently the chef changed recently, and while still good, this wasn’t as good as we remembered.
My book this week was “Night Music” by Jojo Moyes. Mum had recommended this author recently and I was browsing around for a paperback to take on my trip, this one caught my eye.
Diana arrived home from San Francisco on Valentine’s evening. I had some pretty flowers waiting and we exchanged cards.
Last Monday, our old friend Randy Clapp came to town for work. He moved from Denver to Toronto several years ago, and we calculated that it had been 9 years since we last saw him and Janice. We enjoyed a fun dinner at Pappadeaux’s, catching up on families and reliving old laughs.
My first book was “Siracusa” by Delia Ephron. Here’s the online summary:
My next book was “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman, a host of British quiz shows. This was equally as entertaining as “Siracusa” and even funnier. The characters who meet to solve murders on Thursday night at the old folks development are hilarious. Here’s the online summary:
My book this week was “Lessons” by Ian McEwan. I haven’t quite finished yet.