“Happy Birthday McD, Happy Christmas Finneroo”
We drove down to Austin last Tuesday afternoon, arriving in time to meet Brad and Jocelyn for a lovely dinner at Eberly. We drove by this iconic Austin restaurant many times and had never tried it. We were missing out. It was great to catch up with friends.
My work Executive Committee had a holiday meal at Garrison in the Fairmont hotel on Wednesday evening. This was another amazing meal – the octopus appetizer, and then the ridiculously decadent duck and foie gras tower, topped with black truffles (one of the best dishes that I remember from this year.) It’s so nice to work with a group of folks whose company I enjoy so much.
Our corporate center Holiday Happy Hour was on Thursday night at the Fairmont hotel. We had reserved a combination indoor/outdoor space and the weather was perfect for enjoying both. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. Here’s the motley IT crew (the official picture will be much better), and Diana with our friend Neffie.
I think Diana looks wonderfully sparkly and festive.
On Friday, we had lunch at June’s – steak tartare and bone marrow bolognaise, and then endured the very long drive back home to McKinney. This week was a great start to the holiday season.
On Wednesday, we had our Christmas gift exchange with Finn. We ordered in Thai food and then had Finn open his stocking and gifts. He was really spoiled and very appreciative. He also did a lovely job with his card and gifts – very creative and thoughtful. I love my whisky glass with Emperor penguin etching and Diana is quite proud of her hand-blown glass mermaid.
The Atlas came back from getting wheels “powder coated” on Thursday. Diana is quite happy with the way the all black rims now look.
I got a haircut on Friday and decided to have a snack at the neighboring Lion and Crown afterwards. Scotch Eggs! This place had all the classic pub food favourites and I’ll have to plan another stop in.
Diana added another year to her age on Saturday. We had dinner at the Capital Grille – we hadn’t been there in a while and were not disappointed. Such a classic steak house with excellent service. McD had the full experience – filet mignon Oscar style (crab, béarnaise, and asparagus) with a lobster tail on the side. Not to mention the sides of lobster mac ‘n cheese and mushrooms. We have lots of leftovers for dinner tonight. The hostess sprinkling sparkly confetti shapes on the table as we were seated to celebrate the Birthday was a fun touch.
Today we’re planning to pick up Finn from work for a sushi lunch, and then enjoy the Cowboys/Giants game.
I finished three books over the last fortnight. First was completing “Crossroads” by Jonathan Franzen. This book felt quite long at 575 pages, and a bit plodding in places. And then, to add insult to injury, Franzen used quite a twee technique to finish things up. The conclusion to the story was told in a couple of letters sent between the key characters. It almost felt as if Franzen realized the book was already too long and didn’t feel like editing things down and providing a satisfying conclusion. I would still recommend this book for a good holiday read – it’s the kind of book you can settle into for several hours and just enjoy the characters.
My next book, “Mayflies” by Andrew O’Hagan, is a Christmas present from Mum that I couldn’t resist sampling, and then couldn’t resist finishing. It’s in two parts – a group of mates from the Glasgow area attending a music festival in Manchester in 1986 as teenagers, is part one, and part two is the same group in their 50s in recent years. Part one got a bit repetitive after a while – kids being silly at a music festival, but part two was excellent.
Page one sets the backdrop for part one:
“Nineteen eighty-four was the end of old Woodbine, or 1985, when the strike ended and the Ayrshire men returned one by one to the pits, met at the gates by women giving out carnations. The miners had fought hard, but they were all sacked within a month. ‘He takes his shame out on us,’ Tully said. ‘I suppose Thatcher never really got it about the enemy within.’ And that comment was pure Tully.”
On the life-changing impact of a great school teacher:
“After the results came in, I went to school for the last time. She was sitting with a huge pile of jotters. ‘Ah, James,’ she said. ‘I gather you got a place.’
‘Strathclyde.’ She jumped up from her desk and hugged me right next to the blackboard. ‘Susan,’ I said.
‘Mrs. O Connor to you.’ She was smiling, I didn’t know what to say. It can take a whole lifetime to know how to thank a person.”
The mates are constantly arguing about top 3 lists:
” ‘Top three goals ever scored by a Scottish player,’ Tibbs said.
In unison: ‘Archie Gemmill.’
‘Too obvious,’ he said.
‘Have there been three goals?’ I asked.”
How a Kenny Dalglish header inadvertently led to the rise of Thatcherism:
” ‘In 1978,’ he said, ‘Ally McLeod whipped the whole nation into a patriotic frenzy so he did, which ended in ignominy and humiliation. The aftermath of the Argentina campaign is widely accepted to be the main reason the Scottish devolution bill failed in the referendum of March 1979. That led to the Scottish Nationalists withdrawing support for he minority Labor government and the subsequent vote of ‘no-confidence’ led to the election won by Margaret Thatcher.’
He was a juggernaut of reason.
‘Open and shut case,’ Tully said. ‘Goal makes Dole.'”
Some local colour, Elspeth’s wedding reception was in Seamill:
“Seamill – on the north Ayrshire coast. I see my father pointing to the Isle of Arran from a tartan blanket on the beach. He held my finger up when the sun was blinding and traced the shape of Beinn Tarsuinn and Goatfell. Forty years on, a caravan stood empty on a ridge above the beach, so I took it over and fixed it up, filling it with cushions and Chinese lanterns.”
Revealing the title’s meaning:
“‘A beautiful publication,’ he said. ‘Swammerdam believed that no being was higher than any other being, a revolutionary thought at the time. He wrote this book one summer in Sloten, outside of Amsterdam. He filled it with poetry and visions as well as anatomical observations.’
‘It’s really wonderful,’ I said. ‘Mayflies.’ “
What an enjoyable read!
My third book was “Lucky” by Marissa Stapley. This is a quick and fun read that I finished in two sittings this weekend. I think Diana will figure out the puzzle quicker than I did.
A grifter/con-artist wins a $390 million lottery, but can’t claim the ticket because she’s wanted by the police at a federal level. The book alternates between time slices each chapter, piecing the back story and the lottery plot together piece by piece.
As is typical, the ending was a bit far-fetched, but enjoyable nonetheless. Recommended for a rainy or cold weekend.
I went on a deep dive around Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” this week. Many versions exist and all are quite different. I’m partial to the “This Mortal Coil” version. What do you think?
That’s enough of that one, but there are many more interesting versions to explore.
I loved this Lyle Lovett song that popped up on a playlist – excellent musicianship and production:
This one from Mary Chapin Carpenter (one of McD’s favourites) has been on heavy rotation recently. Great guitar work:
I’ll leave you with this excellent instrumental from one of the great guitarists, Brian Setzer:
Stay safe, kind and patient with everyone!
Will, Christine, Campbell and Ollie arrived at the same time as we did, for their first Gypsy Hill Thanksgiving experience. Christine had to deal with a hungry Clorinda as she assembled this delicious appetizer. Grammie didn’t want to wait for the dill sauce and sprig and was happy to help herself to the cucumber and lox bases.
The girls (Diana, Alicia, and Caroline) spent a chunk of Friday putting up Clorinda’s Christmas tree and decorations. Clorinda was quite happy to sit and read “The Lincoln Highway” that I had shared with her, while all the activity took place around her. It wasn’t until Saturday morning that she really took time to investigate and enjoy all the decorations.
I needed to have a splint made to straighten my fingers out at night when sleeping. Leaving town the next day, I got an appointment for just after lunch. I stumbled on Mexican Cactus for a delicious taco lunch – great sauces. A nice new addition to the taco rotation. The splint appointment was painless and the lady also gave me a series of exercises to do every hour – I couldn’t say that I’ve been religious about doing them every single hour, but not too bad.
Last week I met some colleagues in downtown Dallas for dinner. We went to a place called CBD Provisions, where the signature dish is pig’s head carnitas. And yes, it comes served as a complete pig’s head – a bit strange but very tasty. Traffic was awful on the drive down, taking more than 90 minutes (typically 40) and so I maybe wasn’t in the mood to fully enjoy such a different appetizer.
A few months ago, on a whim, we bought tickets to see Bryan Adams in Las Vegas. The show was last Friday and we flew to Vegas on our way out to San Francisco. Our room at the Encore by Wynn was very comfy and modern (Alexa was available to close the curtains and turn on the lights). The show was at the Encore theater and so we just needed to ride the elevator down to attend the show – much easier than our typical drives to and from the Kessler for concerts.
Diana made us reservations at La Cave for pre-concert dinner. What a great find this was – tapas style small plates and very creative. The small plates weren’t really that small and we really enjoyed the meal in a lovely setting. Diana liked her “Fizzies flight” – more fun than just one glass.
We had a lazy start on Saturday with workouts in the fancy gym, lunch at the poolside restaurant, and then reading books by the lovely pool. BP kept watch from the room.
and weaving through the herds of people. When we finally arrived at Bardot we were seated inside next to a very loud table of guys. The entire place was soooo loud. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand it and so we moved out to the front patio – much better.
Monday was a busy work day for both of us, but things started to slow down on Tuesday and we were able to get out for a walk by the Pacifica beaches and to enjoy a coffee and a quiche at Soul Grind.
We went for a walk on the hill on Wednesday morning and ran into the whole crew coming down. It takes a while to make progress with Frankie collecting rocks, Luciano melting down when he falls off his skateboard, and Massimo moving along on crutches. Here are some short videos that capture the scene.
I finished a couple of books over the last weeks. First was “Oh, William!” by Elizabeth Strout. Similar in style to the wonderful “Olive Kitteridge”, this follows the life of Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William. I didn’t enjoy this as much as “Olive” but it was still a very good read. This is the third book in a trilogy and I might have enjoyed it more had I read the first two books more recently.
My second book was “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles. I loved “A Gentleman in Moscow” and was excited to read his new book. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale – quite different than “A Gentleman”, with much more action and a faster paced story. At the same time, there was plenty of detail from 1954 (the book takes place over 10 days) to settle in and enjoy. Here’s what Amazon had to say about it:
The new VW Atlas performed very well on the drive – very comfy and smooth and with all the modern electronics that Penelope is lacking. We met the Ogans for tacos at Nixta before checking into the hotel. This is a place that I had been hoping to try for a while, and it was excellent. Very creative and tasty tacos and tostadas. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the garden patio setting very much. I had a beet tartare tostada that had some kind of whipped avocado base – highly recommended.
We loved everything about the concert. Three terrific artists/band were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. We had excellent seats and plenty of room. I’m going to share the pictures in order with the setlist from the evening.
The Ogans flew back to New Orleans on Friday morning, and so we had the day to ourselves. We started out with a good long run along the river – that we seriously payed for over the next few days – not sure why our legs hurt so much. I made a lunch reservation at June’s and teased D by asking her where she would like to pick for lunch – she ultimately got to June’s and wondered if we could get a reservation 🙂 It was another lovely afternoon and we were able to sit out on the patio. What did Diana have for lunch? Yes – the trifecta of steak tartare was completed. I enjoyed some salt cod croquettes and delicious curried escargot.
It was time to move again. We walked about a mile and a half over to South Lamar and had a coffee on the wonderful Opa! patio. One of the places we really miss for Sunday mornings.
After Tiki, I gave D the option of TG BAD (two guitars, bass, and drums) at the Saxon pub or an earlier than planned dinner at the Odd Duck. She decided the Odd Duck couldn’t wait. Wise move.
anniversary tour on Thursday night. I enjoyed dinner with a colleague at Jasper’s before the concert. I always love their blue cheese chips – it really is a single serving. Here are a few members of my team at the event.
I was feeling quite cramped in Penelope on Friday morning, as I drove back from Houston to McKinney. Then a call came in from the VW dealership to tell me that the new car had been delivered. With a limited window to execute all the paperwork, I Ubered over and got it all taken care of. I really like the size and comfort of the Atlas Cross Sport.
me up at SFO and we headed over to Adamo’s for a party he was hosting to celebrate their wedding anniversary and several other events that had been missed over the last year. Will, Christine, and Ollie were able to come for a while and enjoy Adamo’s cooking and the Sam Hunt band. Ollie was sporting his Halloween pumpkin haircut and enjoyed playing with the other party dogs. The Sam Hunt band is the same one that played at Alicia’s 21st birthday party last year. They are really interesting with a cello and trumpet adding to the unique sound:
I thoroughly enjoyed the overall meal and experience. The shrimp empanada appetizer (served in a burlap sack) was a great start. My dry aged chorizo steak was a wonderful way to continue. I’ve never had such a large table side menu before. That’s Norma (my LATAM CIO) and Francisco (LATAM COO) in the picture.
I took Finn for sushi after I picked him up from work on Thursday. He loved the place I chose. The salsa dancer (pictured here) was a great dish, and we picked out a couple of others that were equally delicious. McD was surprised that I wouldn’t go for sushi with her but took Finn. Can’t win!
Ollie made a trip down to San Jose on Saturday and accompanied Will on the patio of Rosie’s Irish Pub while he enjoyed a shepherd’s pie. I’ve had that there before and it’s delicious.
I was texting my friend Tom in New York on Sunday to see what was new. Was not expecting him to reply that he had triplet grand-children. The guy in the middle, Michael, was only 1 lb. at birth and spent 4 months in the NICU- I’m sure he’ll catch up quickly.
I really enjoyed S. A. Cosby’s “Razorblade Tears.” Even better than his last, “Blacktop Wasteland”, with more complex and relatable characters and more vivid action. Not for the feint of heart, but really well done. Here’s the Amazon review:
I’m about 2/3rds of the way through “Away with the Penguins” by Hazel Prior. This was a book that Heather gave Dad for his birthday, and I thought it looked really interesting. It was described as being similar to “Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine”, a book that Diana and I loved last year.
Denny and Anne celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary last Thursday, and Anne chose this picture to commemorate the occasion. It was taken on a trip we took with them to Nashville in December 2017. Classic Denny and Anne.
We hung out for a while on the lovely porch and then called it a night. Coffee the next morning was challenging – the high-tech, automated house and equipment were almost too much for us. Diana finally rebooted the fancy coffee maker and we were in business.
This was one of the after dinner games we enjoyed. I laughed because Finn is someone that absolutely knows the answer to that question. Another game was a combination of Pictionary and the Telephone Game called Telestrations – highly recommended. That was a big hit with the group.
unday morning. He walked down to the French patisserie with us, we enjoyed breakfast (Croque Madame for me), and brought back a selection of pastries and quiches for the gang. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this T-Rex enjoying a Trump snack in a yard we passed.
I had mentioned to Mum and Dad that I was hoping they would have a stuffed quail on the new Autumn menu – and wouldn’t you know it, they had a delicious dish on there. The overall new menu was filled with things that are right up our alleys. Mussels, octopus, pork belly – all great. Uber back home was a bit more work, but not to huge a hassle.
We hung out at the hotel for dinner and Sunday night football watching. These are my traveling companions Blair and Damon exchanging views on the game.
I read “Lake Success” by Gary Shteyngart in a couple of days early this week. It’s a quick and easy read with a constant oscillation from quirky humour to truly sad situations. The challenge is that the main characters really do come across too much like caricatures, and the main plot of Barry Cohen, uber rich hedge fund dude, abandoning everything to cross the country on a Greyhound bus, just a bit too far fetched. The book made all the big top 10 lists when published in 2018, and I think part of that was driven by the back drop of the Trump election and how that features prominently in this tale. I did learn a lot about very expensive watches – Barry’s passion. Here’s the Amazon review:
My second book was “What’s Mine and Ours” by Naima Coster. It’s been a week or so since I read this book, and I couldn’t remember the plot or characters without some internet research – probably tells you this was not very exciting or memorable to me. I did enjoy the read but it certainly didn’t have too much to embed itself in my memory. Here’s the summary review:
The airport was eerily quiet – we were the only folks at all in terminal D security – very unusual. Even Heathrow was relatively quiet and a pretty painless experience. We’re always impressed with the service on the 1 hour flight from London to Glasgow – drinks, full meal, coffee or tea, with no fuss or rush. If only all flights were like those ones. Diana captured the view from the window as we came in to land in Glasgow. That’s the river Clyde in the second picture – where so many famous ships were built in years past.
Monday began with a run around Stewarton – I think we covered most of the highlights including Main Street, Avenue Square and a couple of different sections of park. In the evening we walked around the neighborhood – checking out some of the new developments since we last visited, and admiring the sunset behind Ravenscraig castle.
On Tuesday we tried out a new running destination – Elspeth had mentioned the new Lainshaw Woods trail along the Annick River was very nice. This was indeed a great running spot with nice views and a good path. Quite different than what the area was like when I grew up – quite seedy indeed. The trail follows the river for several miles and is really well done. Some calves had escaped their field and were enjoying the river also.
After that morning exercise we drove down to Culzean castle with a stop in Dunure on the way. Our attempt to show Diana the Electric Brae – an optical illusion where the road appears to be sloping in one direction but is really going in the other – was foiled by a ball that had seen much better days (maybe 40 years ago). Dunure is a very picturesque fishing village.
We had to wait on a reservation at Nardini’s and so had a nice wander along the front. This sign about the Vanduara house being used by Lord Mountbatten during World War II to plot the Normandy invasions was very interesting.
We skipped our run on Saturday and instead drove into Glasgow to get our U.S. reentry COVID tests. This was a very efficient and well organized process and we just beat Elspeth and David back to Stewarton. Heather and Michael arrived later in the afternoon and we gave Dad his presents and cake. It was such a shame that Struan and Emily could join us – both getting over the virus. The living room had been “Bramble proofed” on Friday night, and we were able to measure and see that Diana was in fact a bit taller than Geoffrey the giraffe.
Dinner was excellent – I enjoyed chicken liver pate and sole meuniere. Diana said that the mussels she had were perhaps the best she’s tasted. Here are some more pictures from the 85th celebration:
Elspeth, David and Bramble spent the night in a local hotel, and joined us again for most of the day on Sunday. We got to take Bramble for a run through Lainshaw Woods – risking off the leash as we were assured she was very good that way. She was mostly fine with only a minor incident when she wanted to join right in with another very similar dog who was waiting for her owner to throw a tennis ball. “But why can’t I play too?” Poor bramble was quite tired out by the time McD had her running up the final set of stairs.
Diana tried out the old school clothes drying technique with her running suit. Not something you see much of around Texas cities.
pleasant evening catching up with everyone. Saturday began with a run and walk for D and me, while most of the group went hiking by the coast. The roads were quite hilly and narrow – not completely ideal for running – but a good test for us. The first test was how to get out of the coded gate from the inside without the weight of a car on the sensor pad. We managed to squeeze through and later learned of a code box hidden on a fence post. The driveway is very long.
Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool, followed by a lovely dinner at “Pamplemousse” – a highly recommended local restaurant in Solana Beach. I really enjoyed my Duo of Game – a Venison Chop Au Poivre and Lemon Thyme Marinated Quail. This was the waiter’s number one recommendation and I’m glad I followed his lead.
Finn started work earlier in the week in the produce department at Market Street (a high end grocery store 2 miles from our home). He’s enjoying it and seems to be doing well in the eyes of his managers.
I read “Clever Girl” by Tessa Hadley over the last week or so. Having really enjoyed a short story from Hadley in the New Yorker, I thought I would give this a try.
While I was out and about, Clorinda visited Leah for a haircut. Leah can now proudly report that she has taken care of all three generations.
We had a wonderful anniversary dinner (number 4) on Thursday at C.T. Provisions in downtown McKinney. This is the place where I love the voodoo Benedict at brunch. Their dinner was even better than brunch. Those mussels may be the best that I’ve had, and D’s Hamachi was very fresh and tasty.
Meanwhile, in Amarillo, Will was attempting the Big Texan restaurant’s “Free 72 oz Steak, if you can eat it all” challenge. The key is that “eat it all” includes roll, baked potato, salad and I don’t know what else. What do you think his chances are? Well, Tina, owner of the place, thought them pretty slim and wagered him a pair of longhorns that he couldn’t do it – the same kind you see on the front of the limo that picked Will and Christine up and drove them to the Big Texan ranch.
The only difference is that Candy is attempting “the ole 96’er” – even more than Will demolished. He didn’t make the trip to Amarillo just for the eating contest, but was actually there for Alexis’ wedding. And of course he had to have a pair of cowboy boots – nobody told him your jeans are supposed to go over them – maybe a new fashion trend.
I had a good boys night with Damon and Sean on Tuesday, with stops at the Roosevelt Room for cocktails, followed by a nice cigar lounge. I loved the “Black Pearl” cocktail which was served in a treasure box.
I took a picture of the A’s lineup to show Ben that “Chappy” was playing. That’s his favourite player and he got to attend an A’s game recently in California to check him out.
Campbell flew to Hawaii with Molly on Wednesday and sent this great picture of a sea turtle that was enjoying swimming with them.
Speaking of cooking, Finn continued to explore his baking capabilities, this week with donuts. Here he is mixing up the ingredients, then leaving the dough to rise, and a yummy looking final product. I don’t imagine they lasted too long in a houseful of young men.
Here he is with one of his goats. His friend Derek Houston had been at the Grammy awards a few days before the oyster fest, and Macon told me the story of him calling to tell him they had a “Goat Check” at the Beverly Hills hotel – apparently the “Coat Check” sign was in a fancy font that made it look just like that.
I replaced “Terrorist” with “Babbitt” by Sinclair Lewis. This is a book published in 1922, and described as “a satirical novel about American culture and society that critiques the vacuity of middle class life and the social pressure toward conformity. The controversy provoked by Babbitt was influential in the decision to award the Novel Prize in Literature to Lewis in 1930.