Category: Books

“Happy Birthday to Us”

Alicia chauffeured us from San Luis Obispo on Monday afternoon.  Grammie was glad to see everyone.  She’s been asking about our arrival for several weeks now.

I received a hilarious video of Campbell and Molly doing karaoke with the Texas relatives, back in San Diego:

Another birthday for me showed up on Tuesday.  They just keep coming!  I received a lovely song from the New Orleans group in Roatan, Honduras.  Denny reported it was very nice but very hot and humid – something coming from a New Orleanian.

 

The little monsters all made me lovely birthday cards that they delivered to Grammie’s:

Hand made cards really are so special!

And then there is this hilarious card from Patty and Brent.  Where do they find these?

The boys and Melanie gave me a gift certificate to La Costanera in Half Moon Bay.  This is a wonderful Peruvian seafood restaurant.  Caroline and Clorinda joined us, and Clorinda certainly enjoyed the food, consuming more than anyone else.  It was nice to see her enjoying things.  The only thing not readily consumed was the green mocktail that we chose for her.  The restaurant is located by the marina and offers great views.

I had picked out a few interesting things on the menu before going, and ended up sampling most of them.

The ceviche sampler, mushroom empanada, pulpo and elote were all delicious.

We got to watch Massimo and Luciano compete in a baseball championship game on Wednesday evening.  The game was tied 15-15 at the end of regular innings.  They had a heartbreaking loss in the extra inning.

A walk by the beach on Thursday offered pretty flowers and great views of several pods of migrating hump back whales.  After the walk, I used the Dinosaur’s gift certificate from Caroline to buy one of their yummy Portobello sandwiches.

 

 

 

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/whales-spotted-san-francisco-bay-area-coast-18121919.php

Andy and Jude joined us on Friday afternoon and we enjoyed listening to music and telling stories.  Always so fun to visit with them.

 

 

On Saturday it was time to cede Birthday Week privileges to Alicia.  She had requested a 70s theme, and Diana did a great job of coordinating flower colours and decorations to that request.

Diana whipped up some of her delicious jambalaya – an ideal dish for a party where folks show up over several hours.

I invited Sean to join us since his wife has been gone for several months, taking care of her Mom.

We had a great turnout and I think Alicia enjoyed herself very much.

Here’s my favourite birthday picture – three generations:

Diana was finally able to sit down, relax and snuggle up with Yeti.

Sunday was a travel day for me.  Time to head back home to McKinney and an empty, quiet house for a week or so.

My book this week was “Solar” by Ian McEwan.  Here’s what The Guardian had to say about it:

“Solar is a sly, sardonic novel about a dislikable English physicist and philanderer named Michael Beard. He’s a recognisable Ian McEwan type, a one-dimensional, self-deceiving man of science. We have met others like him before in McEwan’s novels – such as Joe Rose, the science writer who narrates Enduring Love, or Henry Perowne, the brian surgeon protagonist of Saturday – but none is quite as repulsive as Beard. Perhaps McEwan should have written against expectation by choosing as his protagonist a scientist who has a profound artistic sensibility in the model of his friend Richard Dawkins, or an artist who is articulate in the language of science, as McEwan is himself. As it is, he remains a determined binarist; what continues to interest him are stark dichotomies, the clash and interplay of stable oppositions. Repeatedly in his fiction he sets reason against unreason, science against art, the mind against the body, technology against nature.

Beard, who we are encouraged to believe won a Nobel prize in physics as a young man for something called the Beard-Einstein Conflation, is a short, fat, balding, much-married man of immense bodily appetites and scant self-discipline. He rapaciously consumes food, women and drink, with little regard for the consequences. He’s a resolute short-termist, fearful of commitment and of becoming a father, living for the here and now. His behaviour is a local example of the more general problem of human over-consumption: just as Beard devours everything around him, so we are devouring our world, with its finite resources and fragile ecosystems.

The trick of the novel, its central comic turn, is to make Beard, the greedy, selfish uber-consumer, an accidental expert on anthropogenic climate change. Through his expertise as a physicist, and then his opportunism in stealing the research ideas of a graduate student who works with him at an institute in Berkshire known only as the Centre, Beard is engaged in a programme to create cheap renewable energy through a process of artificial photosynthesis (you’ll need to read the book to be filled in on the science).

McEwan’s great gamble is to narrate Solar, which is in three parts and spans nine years, from 2000 to 2009, entirely from Beard’s point of view. Some of this is satisfying, especially the pithy scientific elaborations: McEwan, who has a precise, technician’s vocabulary, has swotted up to PhD level on physics, just as he did on neurosurgery for Saturday, musicology for Amsterdam and molecular biology for Enduring Love. None of this extracurricular learning feels perfunctory, especially when compared with, say, a novel such as Martin Amis‘s The Information. In that novel, disquisitions on infinity, black holes, dwarf planets and astronomy felt imposed on the narrative rather than being intrinsic to it. In Solar, the physics never feels forced or unearned but rather is embedded in the deep structures of Beard’s consciousness. We see the world just as he does, in all its cold reductiveness.”

I kept having a nagging feeling that I’d read this book before.  A search of all the blogs says that wasn’t in the last 7 years.  Maybe I read an excerpt somewhere – the ending certainly seemed familiar.

I think The Guardian is a bit harsh on the one-sided, unlikeable nature of Beard.  I did enjoy the satirical tone, but didn’t find it particularly comedic.  I certainly didn’t chuckle at any part of it.

Not too bad of a read, but far from McEwan’s best – which in my opinion is “Saturday.”

I heard this Aretha classic on the radio, and had to look up who was drumming.  Of course, it’s Bernard Purdie, and it turns out the song was built up from his drum pattern.  I didn’t know he was Franklin’s musical director for 5 years.  So good!

Here’s the angelic voice of the late Jeff Buckley, recorded in a tiny club.  Such a talent.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

 

“NOLA Residency Week 6 – the last week”

Denny was moving slowly on Monday, so we picked up Sean and Sheri for the afternoon.  We made a stop at Octavia books so that I could pick up Kevin Griffin’s “The Greatest Song.”  He gave a talk and played some songs last Thursday when we were having dinner at La Petite Grocery.  I was sorry to miss the event, but happier to have dinner with the group.  The book talks about how to ignite your creativity, using songwriting as an example.  Griffin is the lead singer for Better than Ezra, and was in town for some performances between jazzfest weekends.

Sheri was hungry so we drove over to the Columns to get some snacks before they stopped serving lunch.  It was very pleasant to get some quiet time to really catch up with the Meeksies.  I worked in a couple of quick work calls from the lovely garden tables.

After lunch, we did a brief driving tour of the mansions in the Garden District, including a gander at John Goodman’s place.

Denny and Anne regrouped and met us at Hungry Eyes for dinner.  I was so happy to get some more of that wonderful seafood curry and roti bread.  Mason, the owner, was quite happy when I told him I couldn’t get enough of that dish.  We challenged each other to guess the 80s songs that were playing on the patio.

After dinner, we continued that theme at the condo, playing Kahoot music trivia.  I won the first round with D and then failed on the extended second round.

Tuesday, sniff sniff, was our last day in New Orleans.  During the day, I watched “The Last Five Years,” a Bowie documentary that Sean had recommended.  It was quite good.

Diana had organized a final oyster Happy Hour with the girls – adding Merry Lee and Lynn to the normal group.

Kenny and Denny organized the boys event at Cooter Brown’s.  Not quite as fancy with classic bar food and pitchers of beer.  I added Jeff to the usual group, and he seemed to have a lot of fun.

We will truly miss all these great friends.

Pack up and drive on Wednesday were very smooth.  Not much traffic and none of the bad weather we were worried about.  We were back in McKinney about 8pm.

The rest of the week has been uneventful – a few morning walks, some time to relax and read.  We did pick up suits and dresses from the tailors, and are preparing for the wedding next week.

This crossword clue made me chuckle.  Taking me back to a Crowded House show several years ago, where Diana asked me what “No Mosheing” meant.

Will had a good night at a Warriors versus Lakers basketball playoff game, while I watched on TV.

My book this week was “Network” by L.C. Shaw.  I picked this up randomly at the library and hadn’t read any reviews or recommendations.  Here’s the online summary:

“A pulse-pounding, page-turning thriller involving corruption, secrets, and lies at the very deepest levels of government and media.

“This is mandatory reading for any thriller aficionado.”—Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author

A shadowy group is manipulating society—and they’ve only just begun.

Late one night, investigative journalist Jack Logan receives a surprise visit from U.S. Senator Malcolm Phillips at his New York apartment. Disheveled and in a panic, the senator swears that he’s about to be murdered and pleads with Jack to protect his wife Taylor, who happens to be the only woman Jack has ever truly loved.

Days later, Phillips is found dead in a hotel room in Micronesia, the apparent victim of an allergy attack. While the nation mourns, Jack and Taylor race to find the one man who knows the truth. As they’re pursued by unknown assailants, their desperate hunt leads them to the Institute, an immense facility shrouded in mystery that has indoctrinated a generation of America’s political and media power players. Led by the enigmatic Damon Crosse, the Institute has its tentacles everywhere—but Taylor unknowingly holds the secret to the one thing that Crosse needs to carry out his plan.  

Taking readers on a thrill ride from the back halls of Congress to the high-rise offices of Madison Avenue and a remote Greek island, The Network is a provocative, pulse-pounding novel that dares to ask the question: who’s really in charge?”

I agree this was a quick paced, page turner.  The premise was just a bit too far fetched for me to really enjoy it.

Here’s something different from the new album from The National:

And a classic from Freddie King:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

 

“NOLA Residency Week 5 – Sean and Sheri, and jazzfest Week Two”

Monday was a quiet recovery day.  I had the Board Audit Committee meeting in the afternoon – all smooth and pretty dry.

I caught an early flight Austin on Tuesday morning, arriving at the office just as the Board Meeting started.  This was our most productive meeting yet, and we finished early in the afternoon.  I got checked into the hotel and then met our executive team at Comedor for dinner.  I really love this restaurant and was pleased that Tim had chosen it.

Such creative preparations of steak tartare, octopus, and bone marrow tacos.

I flew back to New Orleans on Wednesday morning, entertained to see an outpost of the Saxon Pub at the airport.  I arrived back in time to make a lunchtime visit to the chiropractor.

 

 

Sean and Sheri arrived at Denny and Anne’s cottage after midnight on Wednesday.  We all met up for a delicious early dinner at La Petite Grocery on Thursday evening.

The food was better than ever – blue crab beignets appetizer and then my favourite – alligator Bolognese.  The group was fired up and ready to go after dinner.  We started with a stop at DMACs – apparently there was an entertaining band playing – I ended up sitting outside and chatting with some locals.  Back to the condo to freshen up and regroup.  Then Denny talked us into the Soul Rebels in the tiny back room of Le Bon Temps Rouler.  We ended up getting our cover charge back as it was way too packed to even get to the back room.

Denny wasn’t giving up yet – there’s an excellent Papa Mail ska show at Chickie Wah Wah.  Okay, okay, it’s Sean and Sheri’s first day – let’s do something crazy.

I’m so glad we opted to attend – the music was excellent and the place wasn’t crowded at all – even seats and tables available.

We arrived home around 4am – it’s been decades since that happened!

The Ogans and Meeksies were real troopers on Friday, making it back out to jazzfest, and reporting an excellent closing show by Jon Batiste.  We took it easy in the morning and then enjoyed our typical Friday afternoon on the porch of the Columns.  Alex, Laura, Kenny and Kara all joined us over the course of a pleasant couple of hours.

 

Saturday was a very rainy day and called for inside activities.  We started with lunch at the Cochon Butcher’s shop – a counter service sandwich shop.  The food was excellent and I can see why Denny’s been suggesting this place for a while.

After lunch, we made a visit to the Sazerac House – this is a very interesting and free museum about the Sazerac drink and associated other liquors.  Highly recommended way to pass an hour or two – the building has been beautifully restored.

 

 

 

Denny suggested catching a bit of Mashaiya Lake at the 21st Amendment bar, before heading back Uptown.  I always forget about this place and their typically solid musical offerings.

Some entertaining people watching ensued back on the Magazine Street balcony.  A new white Rolls Royce pulled up and parked in front of the Buffalo Exchange thrift shop.  I suspected a musician in town for jazzfest, but didn’t recognize the lady who exited the back door to head inside.  Also didn’t recognize the man who joined her about 20 minutes later.  He didn’t look like a chauffeur and didn’t open the door for her on return.  Just interesting that she rides in the back while he drives.  This is how we pass our time on the balcony…

On Saturday evening, Denny had arranged for us all to see Low Cut Connie perform at Gasa Gasa on Freret street.  This is a small club and it was sold out.  The piano player and lead singer was a terrific showman and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Kind of a cross between Gerry Lee Lewis and Brian Setzer.

We made a relatively early night of it, knowing we were headed to jazzfest to set up camp in the morning.  This time we used the normal entrance and I made a quick beeline for the area where I wanted to set up an expanded camp for everyone joining during the day.

The main stage opened with guess who?  Low Cut Connie again.  From a tiny club to the huge stage.  They really got the early crowd going.

Diana walked 8 miles on Sunday – definitely the most solo rambling she’s ever done.  Must be getting comfortable after so many visits.  She found herself standing in front of Kenny and Anne at Fais Do Do, with none of them noticing initially.

Galactic put on a strong show in the early afternoon main stage slot.  Greg and I enjoying the songs they played from the classic “Coolin’ Off” record.

Then it was time for a 2023 jazzfest highight.  Mumford & Sons were joined onstage by Trombone Shorty and Jon Batiste for “House of the Rising Sun.”  One of those moments that only happens in New Orleans:

Diana made a lap around the track to see Tom Jones perform a few classics at the Gentilly stage, followed by Melissa Etheridge in the Blues Tent.  She got there just in time to enjoy “Come to My Window.”

We regrouped with Trombone Shorty closing out the festival, as he has for several years now.  It took a while to exit and rejoin the crew for pizza at Midway on Freret Street.  The 2023 edition of New Orleans jazzfest is in the books!

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

“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!

 

 

 

“New Orleans Residency Week 2 – Tim and Dee”

We enjoyed a real musical treat on Monday evening.  Stanton Moore, drummer for Galactic and one of my very favourites, is hosting music at the Columns on Mondays.  Kenny, Kara, Denny and Anne joined us for an evening of excellent jazz musicianship.  All in a room the size of a living room, and for a reasonable price.

I think David Torkanowsky is the best pianist in New Orleans.  Yes, I put him ahead of Joe Krown and Jon Cleary.  Unfortunately, Jason Marsalis on vibraphone was a special guest and somewhat drowned out the piano.  It was still an amazing show.

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.

Feeling adventurous, we did another run on Wednesday morning.  You guessed it, Week 5 Day 2.  We walked down to The Daily Beet for lunch (it feels healthy but is also yummy.)  After lunch, we picked up some macaroons from Sucre as a treat for Tim and Dee’s room.  I drove out to the airport to pick them up around 6pm.

We had a special surprise in store for their arrival – a celebrity chef cooking dinner at the condo.  Denny had agreed to help Diana prepare some jambalaya for the welcome meal.  It was delicious.

So fun to have Tim and Dee in town, and to have Denny and Anne join us to make them feel welcome in New Orleans.

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:

After lunch, I led a walking tour of the fancy homes in the Garden District.  The architecture is so very unique.  I probably didn’t keep up with some of the other guided tours that we ran into, but I think everyone enjoyed the ramble around.

Theo’s pizza, downstairs from the apartment, was a very easy dinner solution.  I love their pizza and Greek salad.

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.

I love this picture of the group celebrating with Denny.  The couple you may not recognize on the left are Tod and Lori, friends of Denny and Anne from Boulder, CO.

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.

Here’s the group passing the legendary Preservation Hall en route to the fest:

Alex McMurray hit the stage right on schedule at 2:20pm and played an excellent set with his band (not Tin Men – that’s a different band.)

We were fortunate to meet Kenny’s brother, Andrew, in town from New York, and clearly a Kirsch.

Tim snapped these pictures of Denny and me enjoying the music – front and back views.

My back was hurting from standing still (more on that next week), and it was getting hot, so we took Tim and Dee for a tour of some classic French Quarter spots – Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith bar and the Hotel Monteleone Carousel bar.  The girls did some quality shopping in between.  A healthy debate about Lafitte’s claim to be the oldest bar in America was led by Tim.  His thought was that McSorley’s in New York was older than 1722.  Later research by Dee showed neither correct.  The oldest bar is in Rhode Island, dating from the 160os.

We made it back to the condo at a reasonable hour, after fighting downtown 5 o’clock traffic.  Later, a dance party broke out on the balcony.  I laughed when some strangers passing on the street below joined in on “Dancing Queen.”

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.

 

 

After those delicious treats, we had a pleasant stroll through the sculpture garden – one of the beautiful free attractions.  Here are some pictures:

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.

 

 

Now it was time for lunch at Cafe Degas.  Such a unique location with the tree growing through the middle of the restaurant.  Kenzie was an awesome waitress – full of recommendations and banter.  Turns out she lived in Austin and Sydney previously – two of Diana’s favourites.  They became fast buddies.  Cemented by their mutual appreciation for this wine.

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.

The Ogans were finishing up at the fest just as we were driving back from the City Park area, and so we arranged for a quick stop at the Columns.

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.)

Regular readers may remember that we’ve seen Kevin Galloway several times over the years – mostly at small venues in Austin.  Uncle Lucius is the band he was in prior to going solo.  What a good show they presented at the Toulouse.

Kenny and Kara joined us briefly after dinner and enjoyed a new band to them.

I was pleased that it wasn’t too busy at all at the show – plenty of room to move around.  I’m sure the band would have liked a few more people.

 

 

On Sunday, we convinced Tim to try a new food type – Israeli Mediterranean.  He ended up really enjoying Shaya.  The wonderful mushroom hummus was not something he tried.

The falafel sandwich was my entree – wonderful – and I had half leftover for later.

Tim and Dee’s departure was delayed from 5ish to 7:50pm.  Some good time for them to hang out some more and enjoy Jordan Spieth almost winning a golf tournament, but a late arrival for them back in Newark and then Pennsylvania.

Another excellent week in New Orleans with great friends.  Tim’s summary, “just and absolutely awesome visit.”

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.

I’m about half way through the story, and things are really starting to heat up with Isabelle working for the resistance in Paris.  Here’s the online summary:

“France, 1939 – In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.”

I’ve really enjoyed the detail on what it was like for women and families in rural France to endure the German occupation.  I look forward to the resistance stories that I’m expecting to develop in the second half.

I was playing a Chet Baker album on the balcony one afternoon, and particularly enjoyed this song:

Here’s our favourite Uncle Lucius song – so poignant:

And finally, The Tin Men featuring Alex McMurray, with our wedding classic:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

 

“Goodbye Dad”

The funeral service for my Dad was on Monday afternoon.  Attendance at the 427 year old St. Columba’s church was one of the highest in recent years.  Walking into the church after so many years to see the coffin, flowers, all those people, and the pictures of Dad with family rotating on the screen was quite overwhelming.  Family in the front row did a good job of keeping it together.  The kids in the second row not so much – lot of emotions there.  Here’s the order of service:

George Lind, previously the minister at St. Columba’s and who presided at Heather’s wedding, did a very nice job with the service.  Much more meaningful because he had been Dad’s friend for many years.  George included all the notes that Elspeth, myself and the family had provided in his eulogy.  That meant we were all quite familiar with the material, but I’m sure some of it was new for the rest of the attendees.

Here’s the announcements that were included in the order of service from the service last Sunday:

Here’s some more about the history of St. Columba’s:

“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.”

If you’d like to read more about the history, there’s a lot more information here:

https://stewartonstcolumbas.org/about-us/

After the service, we made the short trip to the crematorium in Dreghorn.  I was interested to hear George say that the hymn sung there, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, was one of Dad’s favourites and he had signed that one in a hymn book George had when he retired.

The organist at the church was excellent.  I only know that he is Joe, don’t know his last name.  He had been out with knee trouble and we were fortunate to have him for the service.  Joe also made the journey to the crematorium and played that favourite hymn.

There was a very chilly wind for the receiving line outside the crematorium, and there were a lot of people to thank for attending.  It felt good to get back in the warm limo for the short ride to the Fenwick hotel.

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.

Mum seemed pleased with the events of the day – which is what’s most important.

To finish off this section, here’s what was published in The Herald about Dad:

Elspeth and David stayed overnight and hung out with us on Tuesday morning.  We enjoyed lunch together and then they left for Aberdeen.  In the afternoon Mum and I tackled the cryptic crossword without the group think.  We made relatively quick work of what seemed like an easier than normal puzzle – maybe we were just warmed up from all the chatter over the weekend.

Before they left, we looked through an art portfolio of Dad’s and I selected a couple of paintings to bring back.  I just love this one of a guy fishing.

I came to understand how much better my sister’s memory is than mine.  We were talking about a trip to Forfar for a Golden wedding on Monday night.  She described the dress she was wearing (at the age of maybe 8), the dessert, the box of chocolates she won – what?  I remember very little other than we drove through a snow storm and Dad thought it was a good idea to overtake the snow plough.  There were many other topics during the weekend where I realized that Elspeth has a much better recollection of everything than I do.  A bit disturbing.

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.

We rested up a lot on Thursday and Friday, and it was time to venture out in the cold on Saturday.  We enjoyed a yummy but sad lunch at the Blue Goose.   The usual sour cream chicken enchiladas for me, and chicken and shrimp fajitas for Diana.

“That does look yummy, but why sad?”, you ask.  Well, today is the last day of operation for the Blue Goose at this original location.  A lease dispute has brought the 39 year run to an end.  Very sad indeed.  I’ve been eating there since 1986.

Diana’s meal came with the fresh made tortillas from the inhouse machine:

We enjoyed a walk in the brisk weather this morning, and I’m now relaxing with golf and March Madness NCAA basketball.

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:

“Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.

But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs.”

The story started out well and then fell into a bit of repetition about Britt-Marie’s habits.  I was getting disappointed and then it quickly picked up again, with the main section on the Borg characters and coaching the soccer team finishing very strongly.

I enjoyed a couple of albums while writing some of this post on the flight from London to Dallas.  The first is the latest from the wonderful Avett Brothers:

And then the latest from Samantha Fish – a wonderful modern blues guitarist:

And let’s close out with one of Dad’s favourites:

 Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“Cold, snowy and windy – typical Scottish weather”

We flew from Dallas to London on Tuesday afternoon.  I was fortunate to get a last minute upgrade and so was able to get a decent amount of sleep overnight.  Diana survived her exit row economy seat pretty well.  We had a slightly longer than expected layover in the lovely (sarcasm) Heathrow airport due to snow in London and a French air traffic control strike – apparently causing the incoming flight to take a more circuitous route.  We arrived safely in Stewarton in time for a warming bowl of Mum’s soup for lunch.

There were still a lot of pretty flowers left in the house.  Here’s one of my favourites:

Mum had been going through old photos to select some for Dad’s funeral service, and had kept some out for us to enjoy.  I’ll share some of my favourites here:

Dad with baby Finn and Will in San Antonio.  Elspeth said Dad had “magic arms” as he could get the babies to calm down and sleep better than anyone else.

Brunch at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz

A “real” margarita at the Oasis, Austin

Dad always enjoyed an afternoon margarita from the Taco Cabana close to our San Antonio apartment.  He found the “real” margarita at the Oasis, overlooking Lake Travis, much stronger.  Will seems pretty pleased to be wearing his Mum’s sunglasses.

Whoever took this picture, likely David, was doing something to get Heather and Struan’s attention.  Mum also found an envelope of photos of my final year University project – a submarine and the electronics to control speed and depth.

Here’s a couple of old classics that I don’t remember seeing before:

In fairness, that is a tricycle and not a two wheel standard bike.  There’s always a Cairn terrier around grandpa.  We were watching Crufts dog show this weekend and remembering that Grandpa had judged there.  We weren’t impressed with the winner of the Cairns at Crufts this year.

McD (seems appropriate given the Scottish location) and I braved the weather on Thursday and Friday mornings for walks around town, with complaints that we weren’t going far enough – “But my ears are numb.”  We stopped into the local independent book store, The Book Nook, on Friday and I picked up something for the flight home.  You should be able to read about that next week.  I enjoyed chatting with the man working in the store about his book club selections and favourite recommendations.  The selection was small but very nicely curated.

Diana took this picture showing the snow melting on the sunny side and not at all on the shady side.

Diana took Mum out for a coffee on Friday afternoon while I did some work.  She enjoyed beating Mum to the payment device at the end of their session, even though an ex-pupil of Mum’s was waiting on them.

By the time we returned from our walk on Saturday morning (warming up and so we went a good bit further, including the full length of Lainshaw Woods), Elspeth and David and the kids (Heather, Michael, Struan and Emily) had arrived for lunch.  I laughed at this sign outside my old High School that would appeal to Finn:

We enjoyed some more delicious soup – this time vegetable and an apple crumble.  After lunch entertainment included doing the Herald cryptic crossword – hilarious as David played quiz master, trying to keep up with Mum’s cryptic decoder skills, and watching the Six Nations rugby.  Michael was not happy with the way the match was officiated.

Diana and David took Bramble for a walk on Sunday morning and seemed to have worn her out.

Bramble actually preferred stealing Diana’s seat, whenever she stood up, to sleeping in her bed.

We drove over to the Laird’s Table at Craufurdland for Sunday lunch.  What a lovely meal.  I had a chicken liver mousse with outcakes appetizer, followed by a chickpea curry – both excellent.

The owners of the Craufurdland estate are quite creative about maximizing the return on their property.  They have zip lining, mud running, fishing at the lake, and this exciting opportunity for Bramble:

We finished out Sunday in similar fashion to Saturday – cryptic crossword with David and then watching Scotland get a good beating from Ireland in rugby.  A very pleasant day all around.

Meanwhile, in California, a big storm arrived on Thursday.  It broke the tree around which Adamo had built such a lovely tree house:

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:

“Set in an era of turbulent social changes on both sides of the Atlantic, A Place Called Freedom is a magnificent historical fiction novel from the undisputed master of suspense and drama, Ken Follett.

A Life of Poverty
Scotland, 1767. Mack McAsh is a slave by birth, destined for a cruel and harsh life as a miner. But as a man of principles and courage, he has the strength to stand up for what he believes in, only to be labelled as a rebel and enemy of the state.

A Life of Wealth
Life feels just as constrained for rebellious Lizzie Hallim, as she struggles with the less cruel circumstances of wealth and privilege. Fiercely independent, she is engaged to a man she doesn’t care for, a landlord’s son and heir to an exploitative business empire.

A Search for Freedom
Lizzie finds herself helping Mack after he becomes a fugitive. Separated by class but bound by their yearning for freedom, they escape to London. True freedom, though, lies further afield, in a new life that awaits across the Atlantic Ocean . . .”

Not my favourite of Follett’s offerings, but reasonably enjoyable so far and an easy read.

Dexter Gordon would have been 100 years old recently.  I think he has such a great saxophone sound:

I read a story that Allison Moorer wrote about the recording of this song.  Very poignant.

And finally something from singer-songwriter Kevin Morby that popped up on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist.  There’s something about this one that really keeps my attention:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!