Category: Music

“A ‘Work’ Trip to Roatan, Honduras”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And to sing for Lisa:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for letting me steal this book, Mum.

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

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

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

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

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“A busy travel month”

I’m back.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I always  enjoy a good sousaphone solo!

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

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

Here are some pictures of the group enjoying the festival.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On initially having his DNA “upgraded”:

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

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

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

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

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

I highly recommend this book.

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

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

And a lesser known Dennis Wilson track:

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

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

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“An Austin Ramble”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“Scottish Wedding Day”

We traveled to Scotland on Monday night, arriving into Heathrow on Tuesday morning.  The flight was pretty comfortable and we both got a decent amount of sleep – that meant we were reasonably refreshed for the 90 minute security queue on arrival.  Like so many other outfits, they just can’t get enough folks to work the security lanes.  Our flight up to Glasgow in the afternoon was again amazing – drinks, coffee or tea and a full meal, all with a smile and chat in less than an hour.  And McD left with several small bottles of bubbly “for the road.”

The size of the Rolls Royce engines on the double decker A380 jet that flew us across the Atlantic is amazing – like a truck bolted on to the wing.

The rental car offered in Glasgow wasn’t exactly what I anticipated, but we made it work just fine, arriving in Stewarton in time for dinner (mince and tatties.)

I attended a memorial service for a colleague last Sunday, and remarked to Diana on returning that I had chatted with Woody’s neighbour of 31 years – that just doesn’t happen here anymore, with everyone moving around all the time.  Well – my Mum and Dad’s house in Stewarton is the same one they’ve lived in now for 52 years – and there are a number of the original neighbours still there, including the Harrows next door.  There’s a lot to be said for those kind of roots.

We visited Dad in Crosshouse hospital on Wednesday, and that was a very emotional experience.  He was very pleased to see us and we had a good visit.  Dad enjoyed a trip downstairs and outside in his custom wheelchair – giving helpful directions and instructions along the way.  I smiled when pushing him back into the ward – “Hello everybody, we’re back.  And for those that aren’t aware I’m Ian Robertson and this is Keith.”

The Millhouse restaurant fed us dinner on Wednesday evening.  Always a fun spot and so close to home.  I’m always taken back to the Christmas Eve we spent in the Millhouse bar with David doing his best to get Diana to perform the “You Dancin’?, You Askin’?” routine.  She has it down now and was disappointed when David beat her to it at the wedding dancing.

We visited Dad again on Thursday prior to making the drive up to Aberdeenshire.  The drive is about three and a half hours and Diana did a good job of finding us a coffee/lunch stop – after we finally found it – Google had it on the wrong side of the street.

The Meldrum house made a wonderful first impression – Mum checked into her luxury suite and we were assigned to a room in “the stables.”  Don’t worry it was very comfortable and had a lot of character.  The Pineapple restaurant served us a delicious meal on Thursday night – from their brand new menu.  The seafood dishes were excellent with Diana easily creating her own feast with a lobster tail on the side.  We were ready for an early bed, but met up with family in the very old Whisky cave bar before retiring.

Those lockers are for private whisky stashes – none other than Sir Alex Ferguson (football fans will know the name) has his name on one.  The bar was amazing and well deserving of the Hotel Bar of the Year award.

I was up early on Friday and captured some interesting sunrise shots – the dining “domes” afire with early morning sun.

We enjoyed exploring the grounds and the beautiful golf course before breakfast with Mum.

The Highland cattle live in a field right next to the dining domes, and the adults are named Glen and Garioch, after the local two hundred year old distillery.  They had two babies this year – I don’t know their names.  Shall we have a naming contest?

Mum had been really looking forward to a quiet day with her book, and we headed off to explore the North East coast.  We started in Banff, me remembering a caravan holiday we enjoyed there many years ago.  From there we drove down the coast to Portsoy – famous for the local marble.  We rambled around the harbour, visited a wee shop and had a nice coffee break overlooking the harbour area.

From Portsoy, we continued Westward down the coast to Cullen – a very picturesque wee fishing village.  A stop for lunch at the Cullen Bay Hotel was a real treat.  I got to try the local delicacy, Cullen Skink – smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions in a creamy soup.  It was a very hearty and filling lunch.  Diana opted lighter with some amazing scallops.

We walked off lunch with a couple of mile hike down the coastal trail, lovely views abounding.

We made the drive back to Old Meldrum in time to regroup for dinner at the wonderful Indian restaurant in Inverurie – Rajpoot.  Diana shares my opinion that it’s perhaps the best Indian food we’ve ever had.  Mum, Suzanne, (Oxford comma) and the three girls joined us and we had a wonderful dinner.

And the day wasn’t over yet.  Robin, Julie, Russell, and Lorna were waiting to continue the fun in the Cave bar.  It was great to see them again and we had a blast with them the following day at the reception.

At some point during these happenings, David and Michael were “assembling” bows for the getaway car.  I’ve watched this a number of times and it just keeps getting funnier and funnier – particularly the expression on David’s face as he fails to complete a successful assembly:

Now the big wedding day was upon us.  Diana started with a run – enjoying the cool Scottish morning weather.  We laughed when the breakfast hostess commented that she was amazed she could run “in this heat.”  I enjoyed the full Scottish breakfast, not knowing options to eat again prior to the wedding dinner.

A bus drove about sixty of us to the chapel at Aberdeen University.  Heather attended a year of law school there and so had privileges to be married in the chapel.  We were warned about no pictures inside but did manage to get a few before things started.

The organ in the chapel is quite famous, being one of only two of its ilk in the UK – the other in Westminster Abbey.  Here’s some more detail:

“The University Chapel of King’s College is home to a fine organ built in 2004 by Bernard Aubertin, one of the world’s leading organ builders. The French Ministry of Culture conferred on him the title of Maître d’art Facture d’Orgues, the highest accolade ever given by France to an organ builder. Although Aubertin’s work is to be found in many countries, this is the very first Aubertin organ in the United Kingdom.

The new organ has three manuals and pedals, with 26 speaking stops. The great organ includes a reconstructed ‘medieval blockwerk’ – in recognition of the age of the building and to replicate the sound the original organ might well have made. The sound quality is built on the French Montre stop – the original inspiration for the staple British organ sound called Diapason. These two sounds encourage congregational singing at services. There is a Trumpet stop to welcome brides, a characteristic French Voix Humaine, and several stops are suitable for accompanying both singers and instrumentalists.

One of the unusual features of the pedal division is a wooden reed stop – Buzene – which gives clarity and depth to the full organ sound. The organ provides a variety of different sounds and colours and has a highly responsive action. The appearance of the instrument enhances the interior of the Chapel and the unique design, with pipes on all four sides, enables the organ to speak freely and naturally throughout the whole building.”

I enjoyed listening to the organ throughout the service – particularly with all the stops pulled out at the conclusion.

We had some time to capture some pictures before the bus took us back to Meldrum House for the reception.

The bus driver selected a particularly narrow road for the return, requiring a few very close passing incidents with cars, and then this:

The thought of the driver backing up and finding a place to turn wasn’t inspiring a lot of confidence.  Fortunately, the road wasn’t really fully closed with a worker quickly moving the sign to let the wedding group through.

We enjoyed some hors d’oeuvres and drinks and then it was time for the reception to start.  I don’t think entrances get much better than this:

David’s speech was excellent – all seventeen minutes of it.  The “alternative vows”, modeled after my Dad’s speech at Elspeth and David’s wedding, a highlight:

After a delicious meal, it was time for the excellent band to set up and the dancing to begin.  We had a break to take some photos outside before that all started.  Here’s the wonderfully precocious Alex all the way from Australia:

And of course the cutting of Lorna’s beautiful cake:

Diana seemed pleased with my commitment to participating in the dancing.  I wasn’t up to the standard that Russell demonstrated during the extended intro to a song that left him stranded on the dance floor with Diana for a while – I think the band was messing around.   They both took it in stride beautifully.  Then there was Diana dancing the Gay Gordons with Heather’s law firm boss.  And all the jumping around with Robin to “Shut Up and Dance With Me!”  Can you tell a great time was had by all?  No?  Well, maybe this will convince you:

Oh yes, I almost forgot a character that also had a lot of fun – apparently getting into all sorts of trouble when we were dancing:

As if Elspeth and David hadn’t done enough over the weekend, they had an open house and barbeque at their home on Sunday afternoon.  It was lovely to relax in the sunshine after the big day, and catch up with folks we didn’t get a chance to talk to much at the reception.

Heather and Michael really enjoyed our wedding gift – the lyrics to an Imagine Dragons song that they had considered for the first dance, but thought better about the speed and beat:

Now it was time for an early night back at Meldrum House.  What a memorable weekend!

My book this week was “An Honest Living” by Dwyer Murphy.  I really enjoyed this crime story set in the New York area.  The reviews are very mixed with some folks disappointed that the story didn’t have more oomph and complaining about all the asides and descriptions – that’s what I particularly enjoyed.  Murphy’s style was just the stuff that I like.  Here’s a typical paragraph that must have frustrated the folks looking for more direct crime story telling:

“Newton would have liked that.  He liked going places and seeing what was on the shelves.  Got thrown out of a party once for berating the hosts over color coding.  That’s how they had them arranged, all the books by the color of their jackets and spines.  They didn’t care what the books were about or who had written them so long as the bookcase looked like a rainbow.  Newton thought that was the most deranged thing he had ever seen.  He was drunk, and that didn’t help.  He could summon up outrage when it came to book though.  Not bad.”

“Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few!”

We drove down to Austin on Tuesday afternoon, arriving in time to join Timmy and his finance team for drinks and appetizers at Bar Peached.  This was a new place on West 6th street for us to try – Tim did well – creative food done really nicely.  Diana enjoyed meeting the various members of the finance team during our brief stay.  Oh, forgot to mention that I introduced Diana to a great little Greek place in downtown Waco for lunch – Alpha Omega has yummy food and good coffee – a nice way to break up the drive.

We left Bar Peached early as we had a reservation for dinner with Damon at The Odd Duck – a place we try to visit on each Austin trip.  The experience was as wonderful as ever – we enjoyed ceviche, watermelon and cucumber salad, falafel, scallops, and pork loin – all relatively small shareable plates.  Guess what?  Yes – Damon was still hungry.  So we ordered the burger and let him have most of it for himself.

Tuesday was back to school day in California.  Gianluca and Olivia look a wee bit less thrilled with the photo experience than Ben does – I suppose they’ve had to endure for a few more years.

Wednesday was a full work day for me – I’m just not used to being in physical meetings with live people all day – no opportunity to catch up on emails or do my puzzles.  I enjoyed lunch with my team at Salt Traders – always such fresh seafood.  Diana was enjoying pool time at the Carpenter hotel with Lisa – so glad they have each other to hang out with when Blair and I are working too much.

Only in Austin do you find a dog boarding place next door to the hotel where the dogs on the sign are sporting David Bowie face paint.  “They call them the Diamond Dogs” – very clever Patty.

Then more food – we had an executive team dinner at Sammie’s Italian.  This is apparently the latest hot spot in downtown Austin.  The food was outstanding all around and we enjoyed some lovely wines.  One of the more entertaining quotes of the week came from Tim over after dinner drinks – “There was the time I was checking in at Burning Man and had this girl we smuggled in the trunk of the car.”  That certainly required further investigation.

I was in the office again for most of Thursday.  Then Diana and I had a night just for ourselves.  We visited two more of our favourite haunts – Peche for a lite dinner and then the Parker Jazz Club.  I miss both very much.  What do you think Diana had at Peche?  Indeed – her usual – steak tartare and fig foam Manhattan.

If I had to design a music club just for my tastes, it would be exactly like the Parker.  Wonderful sound and lighting, comfortable seats and tables, great drinks, excellent service and management – just perfect all around.  Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few were the band for the evening.  We had seen a portion of them at the Continental Club Gallery several years ago and enjoyed the musicianship and positive energy.  Warden has written songs that have been chart toppers for several folks, including George Strait.

We had such an enjoyable evening.  Here are some of the performances I liked best, starting with “Martini”:

The trumpet player does a lot of the band arrangements and is quite the virtuoso – here he is showing how to handle a wah-wah mute:

And now with a very sweet flugelhorn sound:

We miss being able to walk to this world class venue so much.

I worked in the office for a few hours on Friday, then we had our last Austin meal at June’s All Day, and started the drive back home.  Diana resisted their wonderful steak tartare and frites – opting for the Nicoise salad instead – better chance of her staying awake to keep me company on the drive.  There was a bit of rain but we made good time and were home before 5pm.  Diana did stay mostly awake for the duration.

My book this week was “The Mars Room” by Rachel Kushner.  I enjoyed one of her short stories in the New Yorker and decided to give this a try.  Great writing but so dark and disturbing.  Here’s the Good Reads summary:

“It’s 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living, which Kushner evokes with great humor and precision.”

I see the “precision” but can’t say I found “great humor” anywhere in this book.  Not sure I’d recommend this unless you are doing some deep research on what it’s like to spend a long time in prison.

Here’s a treat from the wonderful Nathaniel Rateliff.  I’m looking forward to this Leonard Cohen tribute album coming out in October:

And another one where Rateliff is practicing with Jon Batiste:

Finally, something new from the Band of Heathens:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“Sonoma Wine Tasting”

I flew to San Francisco on Wednesday.  “The Duke” was a great airplane movie – Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren in a fun caper about a bumbler stealing a very expensive painting of the Duke of Wellington.

Diana was kind enough to collect me from the airport and shuttle me to Clorinda’s home.  Ken showed up with a salmon he had caught earlier in the day – doesn’t get much fresher than that.

Will and Christine joined us for dinner – not salmon but some delicious vegetarian dishes that Alicia cooked up for us.

Clorinda was enjoying dinner too much for the picture.  That’s Caroline on Clorinda’s right and Yenni, Alicia’s friend, on her right.  We had a very nice evening catching up with the engaged couple.  They shared the album of their engagement pictures.  Here’s a brief sampling – they have so many good ones.

Will also shared this picture of the new artwork that adorns the dance floor on the top of his festival Durango.

We picked up Tim and Dee at the airport on Thursday afternoon, stopped for a quick bite to eat in Sausalito (barely making it out of the San Francisco summer fog), and then made the drive up to Glen Ellen in Sonoma.  Denny and Anne showed up a bit later – they took on an “overly adventurous” biking tour of some wineries.

Friday morning started with some special coffees from Barista Denny – it took him a bit of work to figure out the fancy machine – and pastries from the local patisserie courtesy of Tim and Dee and their early morning coffee expedition.

We bummed around the beautiful house for a while and then enjoyed an excellent Mexican lunch at El Molino, before making the drive up to the Russian River valley for our wine tasting adventures.  I can’t say enough good things about the food at El Molino – delicious sauces, beans, tortillas.

Our first tasting stop was at Gary Farrell winery, situated right above the Russian river with lovely views.  This place was first class – comfy seating, personalized menus, cheeses to match each different wine, and perfect service.  We were off to a strong start.

The Chardonnay was a big hit with the group.  Our next stop was at Sonoma Cutrer winery.  A pleasant spot with okay wines – a bit of a let down from our first winery.  Sheri gave up on waiting on quarantining Sean, and drove up to join us at this stop.

We enjoyed a casual dinner at Lo & Behold in Healdsburg, a charming small town, and then headed back to the house to relax.

Saturday again started out with Barista Denny and then some custom omelets from Chef K.  We opted to stay local with wineries all within a couple of miles of the house.  The first was Talisman – some very good pinots but nothing too exciting.

Diana had maxed out on pinots and so we opted to have lunch at the Jack London saloon while the group visited Lassiter family vineyards.

We enjoyed some local characters and learned a bit about the history of Jack London in Glen Ellen.  The group came back raving about the Lassiter vineyard, and had arranged a tasting for Sunday afternoon so that we could experience it as well.

Dinner was at the Glen Ellen Star – a Michelin notable restaurant and reviewed as the best in the area.  I really enjoyed my wild boar pasta and reviews from others in the party were less positive – I think they were tired from a long day of wine tasting and ready to relax at the house.  The walk home was a bit daunting as there are no street lights at all.  Tim and Denny encountered a skunk that was determined to have a stand off until they turned around – fortunately a car came by and scared it off.

Sunday was a wonderfully relaxing day.  Hanging out in the pool and hot tub, playing ping pong and cornhole, fighting over the music – all the fun stuff of a group vacation.

We did take a break to visit the Lassiter family vineyard in the afternoon.  I’m glad we did – their wines were very varied and all quite tasty.  I love the label art work.

Sean made a socially distanced appearance and so we had all four couples together as originally planned.

Chef Denny cooked up a delicious dinner on the overly complicated grill.

What a wonderful trip and so nice to see Tim feeling well and enjoying life again.  We’re all planning to reconvene in New Orleans for jazzfest next spring.  I did find this picture of what would be an excellent next vacation rental – it’s in the Maldives:

My book this week was “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley.  Not nearly as dark as “The Paris Apartment”, but similarly full of clever plot twists that I should have seen coming.  You really needed to pay attention to the personal histories of the guests to find out who was the culprit.

“A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times best-selling author of The Hunting Party.

The bride – the plus one – the best man – the wedding planner – the bridesmaid – the body.

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why? 

This was a quick and enjoyable read with an interesting setting – a very remote Irish island, mostly covered in peat bog that acted like quicksand if not traversed skillfully.

Something from my favourite Cracker album to kick things off:

And why not follow that up with one from perhaps my favourite band:

And finally an interesting song from a relatively new band:

Coexist peacefully with kindness and compassion for all!