Category: Travel

“We Still Miss Austin a Lot”

I made a trip to see the hand surgeon on Monday.  He confirmed that the nodule on my hand is another incidence of dupuytrens disease – so we’ll have to get another surgery planned to extract it before it starts to hurt too much.

I stopped into the immigration office on my drive to Austin on Tuesday.  They had sent me an interview date and time that I thought was to do the usual green card biometrics, required every ten years.  After standing in line for a while, and then having picture and fingerprints taken, I assumed I was all finished.  But, the lady told me to head upstairs for another interview.  My name was called and off I went to an interview room with a pleasant lady.  After we chatted for a while, she asked, “So, are you ready for the test?”  I asked what kind of test is associated with a regular green card renewal.  Hadn’t experienced one in 30 plus years.  “Oh no, this is your citizenship interview.”  Missed that on the letter that was sent – no mention of studying for the test or anything even close to that.  I figured there was nothing to lose – so off we went with the test.

“How many members are in the house of representatives?”

“How many in the senate?”

“What are the first ten amendments to the constitution known as?”

The rest of the questions were straightforward.  I was able to get them correct and avoided any wasted time “studying” for the test.  If you haven’t brushed up on civics class lately, the answers are 435, 100, and “The Bill of Rights.”

The bad news is I am now working on a list of all international flights between 2016 and 2021 – going to be an interesting journey through the archives (including historical blog posts) to paste that together.  This is the final information necessary to complete my citizenship application.

After all that excitement, the drive down to Austin was smooth and easy.  I spent some time in the office and then picked up Diana at the airport – she was delayed by about an hour as they had to “reboot” one of the airplane engines prior to leaving Phoenix.  That gave me an opportunity to experience the “cell phone waiting lot” at Austin airport.  Quite fancy with a Whataburger and a flight arrival information screen.

One of the nice features of the Carpenter Hotel (other than it’s hip vibe and proximity to the office and fun restaurants) is that there is a Thom’s market right next door.  One can easily pick up some breakfast tacos on the way to work in the morning.  I spent Wednesday at the office, while Diana and Lisa relaxed by the Carpenter pool.  Thankfully some very tall trees provide good shade, as temperatures were 100 degrees plus all of this week.

I hosted a Happy Hour at The Tavern for all IT folks in the Austin area, and a few folks who were visiting.  This was a lovely evening with good food, drinks and company – all at a reasonable price.  Diana had a chance to do a detailed interview of Pepe, my new leader for Latin American IT – she was very impressed.  The only downer was when one attendee discovered that her car had been broken into, and her laptop stolen.  Never leave bags visible in the back seat!

I was entertained by the scooter and one-wheel gang that drove by The Tavern – Will is on the waiting list for a new one-wheel.  Don’t think I’ll ever have the balance for one of those.

 

 

I picked up Diana at the hotel for Thursday lunch with Pepe  and me at Salt Traders.  We had a very nice seafood lunch – Diana enjoying some tuna tartare.  After lunch, Diana took Pepe over to Walmart so that he could pick up some things that are much less expensive in the U.S.  Diana and I both agree that Pepe is a great addition to my team.

Dinner on Thursday was at one of our very favourite Austin establishments – Suerte, on the east side of town.  Everything was just as good as anticipated.  We sat at our “regular” table and enjoyed a couple of their creative cocktails.

Our first course was a pulpo (octopus) tostada – creative and yummy.  We followed that with the must have suadero tacos – still my favourite ever.

Suerte is always such a highlight of an Austin trip.  Great food and excellent service in a casual atmosphere.

Speaking of yummy food – I noticed that our office vending machine now carries the highly addictive Zappos Voodoo chips from New Orleans.  I was proud of myself for being able to resist the temptation.

 

One last Austin favourite restaurant before our drive back to McKinney.  We enjoyed Friday lunch at June’s All Day.  Diana couldn’t pass up her favourite steak tartare and frites, while I enjoyed a perfect boursin omelet.

The drive home wasn’t too bad – just the usual Waco and South Dallas snarl up spots.  We were home before 5pm.

Can you believe these temperatures forecast for the weekend?  One needs to get out early in the morning for any physical activity.

Santos came over on Saturday to trim up the trees – particularly the one in our neighbor’s yard that had the broken branch.  We finally got rid of all the branches hanging over our pool.  He also trimmed back the massive oak tree in the front significantly – no trees touching the house now.  It was interesting to watch the technique used to make the branches fall into the gap between the magnolias, and then control their descent.

Campbell sent pictures from a Saturday baseball game in San Diego.  He did not catch a foul ball, and Molly was getting irritated with him raising up his glove.  “It’s for your own protection,” he explained.  Things were fine after that.

I enjoyed my book this week much better than the one from last week.  “The Guide”, by Peter Heller was a quick and exciting read.  The fly fishing descriptions were wonderful, and the plot fast paced and engaging.  I did find the conclusion a bit gruesome and disturbing – but not beyond the imagination.

Here’s the Amazon summary:

“Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet, is known by locals as “Billionaire’s Mile” and is locked behind a heavy gate. Sandwiched between barbed wire and a meadow with a sign that reads “Don’t Get Shot!” the resort boasts boutique fishing at its finest. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients. Now it also promises a second chance for Jack, a return to normalcy after a young life filled with loss. When he is assigned to guide a well-known singer, his only job is to rig her line, carry her gear, and steer her to the best trout he can find. 

But then a human scream pierces the night, and Jack soon realizes that this idyllic fishing lodge may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation. A novel as gripping as it is lyrical, as frightening as it is moving, The Guide is another masterpiece from Peter Heller.”

I enjoyed the way the main character and background were linked to Heller’s last book, “The River”, which I enjoyed a few years ago – recommended by Issac’s Austin based “Manly Book Club.”

Here’s a paragraph that captures the joy of fishing:

“He was almost under the bridge when he raised the rod high and brought the exhausted trout in the last few feet and unshucked the net from his belt and slid it under this beauty and cradled her in the mesh.  She was a species of gold that no jeweler had every encountered – deeper, darker, rich with tones that had depth like water.  He talked to her the whole time, You’re all right, you’re all right, thank you, you beauty, almost as he had talked to himself at the shack, and he wet his left hand and cupped her belly gently and slipped the barbless hook from her lip and withdrew the net.”

Let’s start out with some relaxing, mellow saxophone – great for a Sunday morning with the paper:

We’ll keep it mellow with one of my top three Grateful Dead tracks:

And finally some entertaining mermaid music from Mississippi John Hurt:

 

Stay safe, kind and compassionate to everyone!

 

“Guatemala City and San Francisco”

We headed to the airport on Tuesday morning – me to travel to Guatemala City for work, and Diana to visit her Mom in San Francisco.  Both of our flights were on time and smooth.  I enjoyed dinner with our leader for the Guatemala business and called it an early night.  I visited my favourite breakfast place, Saul’s Bistro, the next morning and noticed that the tables were built on old sewing machine pedal mounts – very clever.

Damon and Doug traveled with me and we had meetings all day on Wednesday, followed by a team dinner.  We did take a break for a yummy Greek lunch – I really like this place and have eaten there each time we visit.

Another break in the afternoon for the COVID tests necessary to regain entry to the United States.  I chuckled at the name of the facility:

The team dinner was at a fancy steak house – Jorge’s steak came with some kind of smoky presentation, and Doug certainly got a lot of meat.  His father was a butcher and so he enjoys his steak.

After dinner, we were teasing Damon about having selected such an early flight.  So early that his car was arriving at 4am.  We should have kept quiet!  I woke at 2:30am to discover that American Airlines had canceled my 10am flight back to Dallas and booked me on the same flight the next day.  That wouldn’t have been awful, but necessitated getting a new COVID test etc.  I really didn’t relish having to fill out all the forms and going through that again.  I was able to book a seat on the 6am flight to Miami and then an onward flight to Dallas.  This meant – you guessed it – I had to share Damon’s 4am car.  That and wake up Doug and get him organized with a new flight to Austin from Miami.  This sign in the Miami airport reminded me to go with the flow and relax:

I was home at 5pm, not too much later than on my originally planned flight, just with a much earlier start.  Whew – early to bed.  I did notice this large, broken tree limb hanging in our yard before bed.  The storm that caused our flight cancellation must have been a pretty good one.  The upside is that branch needed to come down anyway as it was over the pool and spoiling the sun bathing area.

I met one of our Board members for lunch at Snuffer’s on Friday.  This is a place that I used to visit regularly 30 or more years ago – but I hadn’t been in quite a while.  The burger and chicken sandwich are just as good as they always were, and the cheese fries just as ridiculous.

Finn and I met at Fork and Spoon for Thai food on Saturday.  He entertained me with a story about all the shoppers complaining about how much food prices have increased.  “It’s just basic economics – if diesel doubles in price, then some of that has to be passed along to the consumer.”  We tried to get him signed up for health benefits, but the system had him locked and we’ll deal with that when they open on Monday.

Saturday was a busy day in Pacifica.  Diana and Clorinda watched two baseball games in the morning – Massimo and Luciano’s teams.  Then they hosted a party for Alicia’s birthday.  The weather was cooperative and so everyone was able to enjoy the deck and the view.

Fortunately there is plenty of room for parking:

The hoodlums from up the hill had fun in a tree – even Frankie in her party dress.

And of course pictures with Mom (favourite daughter and son):

Diana reports a really lovely event.  So exciting that it was close to midnight before she could get Clorinda to bed.

My book this week was “French Braid” by Anne Tyler.  If you are a regular reader, you know how much I admire Tyler’s ability to capture the day to day normality of families, with great characters.

“French Braid” is her latest offering, and I found it a bit disappointing.  Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood, or have read too many of her books in the recent past, but it just felt plodding and a bit boring.  I needed some more excitement and action of some kind.  I know that’s not her thing, but this one just needed something to spice it up a bit.  I didn’t even have a dog-eared page to share.

Saul’s Bistro in Guatemala always has an interesting soundtrack playing.  I heard this when enjoying breakfast.  Such an interesting cover:

I checked out some more of Kent’s music – some good French songs:

Vince told me he was enjoying this album on the deck of his lake house.  I decided to check it out.  Great jazz music:

And finally some wonderful Tom Petty:

Stay safe, compassionate and kind to everyone!

“Birthday Week Begins”

I made a quick trip to Queretaro, Mexico from Monday through Wednesday.  It’s an easy flight – just two and a half hours from Dallas, and a small airport.  No COVID test needed to enter and they have a doctor who comes to the office to do a test for return to the United States.  Work wasn’t a lot of fun as I dealt with some employee issues, but I did enjoy a couple of nice dinners.  Argentinian steakhouse with Francisco on Monday, and then a great Italian place, Il Duomo, with Manuel and Juan Pablo on Tuesday.  I was surprised to find a solid selection of French wines and steak tartare (prepared tableside) on the menu.

The queen clams were a delicious appetizer, and the service outstanding throughout.  The ash goat cheese on my salad was a real treat.  Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in the area.

When I returned home, Diana had been busy preparing for my “birthday week.”  Tulips, a card,  drinks, and lots of my favourites in the fridge.  Thanks, my D!

She even brought me my favourite crunchwrap combo lunch from Taco Bell on Friday – delivered to my office.  I am seriously being spoiled this week.

Earlier on Wednesday, Diana drove Finn to pick up his car from Tony.  Will had arranged for a ceramic coating on the new paint job.  It does look amazing.

Janelle came over to visit with Diana on Thursday.  They got a kick out of some of the pictures that I was gathering up for a presentation that I’m giving next week – younger and much younger K.

Out for our walk on Saturday morning, we came across the monthly Cars and Coffee gathering.  I had to take pictures of the original Toyota Supra model – the first car that Will learned to drive in – stick shift and all.

The weather wasn’t good on Saturday afternoon, so no pool time for McD.  I suggested she try a jigsaw puzzle.  She can’t stop after she starts – straight back to it when she got up this morning.  It’s a puzzle of “Where the Crawdads Sing” – just the right degree of difficulty so that she wasn’t at it for several days.

I found some new puzzles this week – Phrasle, works like Wheel of Fortune with allowance for up to 4 wrong letter choices, and then Phrazle, which works like Wordle, with up to 6 chances to guess the entire phrase.

At sushi lunch on Saturday, Finn was telling us a story about Clorinda educating him on how to eat arancini (Italian rice balls).  Apparently it’s important to tear them in two before adding sauce.  Neither D or I have received this advice.  And then what shows up in the crossword this morning?

I enjoyed a nice long swim this morning, and now I’m relaxing and watching the PGA golf tournament as I write this.  Diana is out working in the garden where everything is blooming and perking up – even C-boy the cactus.

My book this week was “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan.  The story includes several of the characters from her Pulitzer Prize winning “A Visit from the Goon Squad”, a book that I really enjoyed.  The first few chapters were engaging and funny and had me looking forward to the rest of the book.  But things went downhill for me – too many characters that it seemed were supposed to be related, but I couldn’t keep up with the connections.  Then changing into different formats – a chapter of email/twitter exchanges that didn’t work for me at all.  The concept of being able to store the history of one’s consciousness is quite interesting though.  Overall an enjoyable read, just didn’t live up to my expectations.

The critics seem to love the book, so maybe you’ll like it more than I did.   Here’s the synopsis:

“It’s 2010. Staggeringly successful and brilliant tech entrepreneur Bix  Bouton is desperate for a new idea. He’s forty, with four kids, and restless when he stumbles into a conversation with mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalizing” memory. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, Own Your Unconscious—that allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others—has seduced multitudes. But not everyone.

In spellbinding linked narratives, Egan spins out the consequences of Own Your Unconscious through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. Egan introduces these characters in an astonishing array of styles—from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter, and a chapter of tweets. In the world of Egan’s spectacular imagination, there are “counters” who track and exploit desires and there are “eluders,” those who understand the price of taking a bite of the Candy House.

Intellectually dazzling and extraordinarily moving, The Candy House is a bold, brilliant imagining of a world that is moments away. With a focus on social media, gaming, and alternate worlds, you can almost experience moving among dimensions in a role-playing game.​ Egan delivers a fierce and exhilarating testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy and redemption.”

The gentleman next to me on my flight to Queretaro was wearing a hat that said “Camel”, with a guitar logo.  I asked him if that was the band Camel that recorded the Snow Goose album.  It was, and a fun conversation ensued about his trip to the Albert Hall to see the band perform that album recently.  He is also a big Wishbone Ash fan, and was excited to meet someone who knew about the music he loves.

This one from Ray LaMontagne really caught my ear – lovely song:

Here’s an INXS cover from fellow Australians, The Teskey Brothers:

And finally, something from Amy Helm, Levon’s daughter:

Stay safe, compassionate and kind to everyone!

“Bastion is still just as good”

We had raved about Bastion, a tiny restaurant in Nashville, to Denny and Anne several times.  They were attending a carwash convention there this week, and suggested we join them for dinner.  I made the reservation exactly one month in advance, as necessary to get in, and we have been looking forward to revisiting for a while now.  More on that experience shortly.

The latest car wash in the Ogan empire opened Monday in Gentilly.  Then Denny and Anne flew to Nashville to celebrate.  They had been concerned that city approvals were going to cause delays and impact our trip.  Here’s a local councilman reading a grand opening proclamation.

 

 

Hotels were exorbitantly expensive this week, and so I booked a “Nashville Riverfront Loft”.  This worked out very well, with lots of extra space and a great location – half a block of Broadway.

Interestingly, there is a unique Taco Bell across the street – apparently has a special food and drink menu.  Didn’t have a chance to check it out.

 

After check-in, we met up with Denny and Anne for a tapas lunch and to sample some music at the honky-tonk bars on Broadway.

The Ogans were busy on Tuesday night with carwash stuff, and so Diana and I had dinner at an old favourite – the Butcher and Bee in East Nashville.  The whipped feta with honey is so delicious.  Not sure if Diana thought her champagne was more delicious?  We couldn’t resist the strawberry pavlova – a pretty faithful rendition with a creative twist.

 

After dinner, the carwash festivities were still underway at the Wild Horse Saloon (conveniently right next to our loft), and so we joined Denny and Anne for some shuffleboard games and were able to meet the carwash partners.

 

 

 

After some work on Wednesday morning, McD and I went for a walk across the bridge over the Cumberland river to check out the football stadium.  It was certainly starting to warm up as we took in the sites and enjoyed the riverside stroll.

It really is impressive to have the football stadium right next to downtown, and easily accessible with the pedestrian bridge.

I even learned a little history of Nashville on the walk.

While we were walking, the Ogans were touring the Glen Campbell museum – Anne really enjoyed it, with Denny commenting on having to read every little sign.  They shared pictures of Campbell’s Scottish outfit.

We enjoyed a casual Taco Deli lunch and discussed what to do next.  Denny found the Nashville Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), right under where we were enjoying lunch.  This was an outstanding museum – one of the best that I can remember visiting.  The use of technology, the variety of exhibits,  and the interactive opportunities were all excellent.  We were issued wrist bands on entry that were used to record many of our activities.  An email later shared all the songs you had listened to, beats you had created and more.

Here are some more of the interesting things in the museum – including a Louis Armstrong trumpet, and pictures of the first brass bands:

And here’s one of the most interesting sights I saw, Diana and Anne following along to dance moves through the years:

After the museum, we visited a rooftop bar and then freshened up and changed for dinner.

Anne had been given the action item to find the secret code to gain entry to the “Red Phone Booth” speakeasy bar.  She completed that with the concierge at the hotel with the rooftop.  So we needed to make that stop before dinner.

I think the code was a complete ruse, as there was no dialtone on the phone – suspect they just look on the camera and decide if they want to let you in.  It is clever how the backside of the phone booth opens for entry.  The place was lovely inside – lots of wood, comfy leather sofas, and a great cigar and drink selection.

Now it was finally time for the main reason for the trip.  Dinner at Bastion.

Here’s the menu for the evening:

Six courses with wine pairings – although several courses had multiple items involved – I think it was really thirteen separate dishes.  The first course was four appetizers – all great, and I think the group consensus was with the oyster.

So many things to love about this restaurant – wonderful food, creative presentation, the pride which accompanies the description of the food as the chefs deliver it, and the detailed explanations of the wonderful wine pairings.

The raw course was a delight – everyone raving about the scallops.

The pasta dish in the veggie course was Denny’s favourite.  It was an explosion of flavours in your mouth.

The salmon was beautifully cooked, with a yummy pumpkin seed sauce.

The duck might have been my favourite – perfectly cooked with another great sauce.

Dessert and the excellent wine pairing were a terrific end to a wonderful meal.

Chef was playing one of our favourite albums as we finished, and so we retired to the little bar to listen some more.

Whew – that was a busy day!

We had a relaxing, long lunch at Etch on Thursday as we killed time before our flight home.  Another very good Nashville restaurant.

Back home the magnolias are blooming nicely.  Can you see my red bird friend in the middle.  I whistle his song to him every morning.

I followed Finn to Tony’s car detail place on Saturday morning.  Tony is going to finish up protective coating that Will wants on the paint – ran out of time to finish before the car was shipped here.  We enjoyed a nice coffee in downtown Plano after drop off.

We had an early walk on Sunday morning – our later start on Saturday was a bit too hot for both of us.  After the walk I enjoyed a swim and picked up some new books from the library for my travels next week.

Some other interesting things from the week – Ollie earned his therapy dog certificate:

And my job made it into the puzzle as “data head”:

I had a good day on the puzzle yesterday, breaking five minutes, but lost to D by 5 seconds today.

My book this week was “Memphis” by Tara M. Stringfellow.  I enjoyed the last part of the jacket biography:

“Poet, former attorney, and Northwestern University MFA graduate Tara M. Stringfellow has written for…  After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, DC, she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing every evening with her hound, Huckleberry, listening to records and chatting with neighbors.”

Here’s a summary of the book – there’s a lot going on in every chapter, bouncing through generations and incorporating reactions to historical events like the MLK assassination and September 11th:

“Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father’s explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. This is not the first time violence has altered the course of the family’s trajectory. Half a century earlier, Joan’s grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass—only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected.

As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother’s mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger—that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush.

Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.”

An example of some of the descriptive narrative, capturing Memphis and the South:

“The beginning of fall in the South was something to behold.  The summer heat – a slow moving tornado – had finally left the area.  Nights were a pleasant cool.  We could sit on the front porch unbothered because there were fewer bees, fewer birds, fewer cats even.  Magnolias in Memphis, including the big one in the backyard, had blossomed their last flowers.  The plum tree alongside the house had dropped its last fruit some time ago, but the area around the tree base was still stained indigo.  The dogwoods and maples and cherry trees lining Poplar Avenue had a slight touch of corn husk yellow as if God had placed dabs of butter on each leaf, so that when a breeze caught, the trees ignited in soft flame.  Fall in the South meant Midas came down and touched everything.  The trees seemed to be made of gold itself.  Leaves became copper coins catching in the wind.”

A key theme of the novel, is Joan’s love of art and her desire to do only that as a career.  Here she receives support from her Aunt August:

“”I can sing,” she said, exhaling a plume of cigarette smoke, then taking another puff.  “You’ve heard me before.  Don’t do it that often.  Folk pass out.  Once, years back, at your mama’s wedding, man fainted in a back pew.  Had to be carried out.  Hadn’t even noticed.  Just went on singing Aretha in a way I do doubt Aretha could do it.  But I never did anything with it.  My voice.  Not sure I wanted to, how folk went on and on whenever I let out a note.  Any well, I knew Who gave me this voice.  But I did love piano.  Wanted to play jazz.  Loved Gershwin.”

She sat smoking in silence for a few moments before she continued.

“I will help you, niece.  And I’ll work on your mama.  Win her over.  Guess I must.  Because you have a gift.  I think it’s high time somebody in this damn family with a gift use it.””

A very good read overall.

I read an old article by Chris Rose (ex-husband of Kelly) that I think sums up New Orleans and why it’s so wonderful, in a perfect way:

 

Chris Rose on New Orleans Culture: “Life-Changing, Spirit-Avenging”

I heard this at Bastion and really enjoyed the mix of jazz, rock, and funk:

Here’s a deeper cut from Elvis Costello, showcasing the wonderful piano of Steve Nieve:

Stay safe, compassionate, and kind to everyone!

“Happy Easter”

Diana flew to San Francisco for Easter on Monday, and I joined on Thursday afternoon.  Julie celebrated her 50th birthday a few days earlier, and I was put to work on Clorinda’s “labor of love” – rolling up 50 dollar bills and bow tying them on to a necklace.  What a finnicky project.  It did look good when completed.

The weather was mostly very nice, and we were able to get out for some walks on Gypsy Hill.  Somebody has entirely too much energy on those walks:

 

 

Clorinda and I got to enjoy the sun on the deck, and enjoy the view for a while in the afternoon.

John and Maddie’s 5 year old son, Ben, was out showcasing his amazing swing on the golf course – he might be even better at golf than he is at baseball.  College scouts pay attention!

Andy and Jude (best neighbours ever) came over on Friday afternoon.  It’s always so much fun to hang out with them.  Alicia and her friend Yenni put together an impressive appetizer display – particularly Yenni’s fruit arrangement.

Easter Sunday dinner was quite the feast – lobsters from Adamo’s recent diving expedition, and our gorgonzola lamb chop lollipops – been way too long since we made those.

 

 

 

And Julie got to wear the “labor of love” necklace.

Diana and Alicia posed for some pictures – D looking like a teenager with Alicia’s funny hat.

Caroline recommended a “new” walk for us – along the levee by Sharp Park golf course.  Diana had never been there in all her Pacifica years.  This was a pleasant, well maintained trail by the beach and up into the hills.

I flew back to Dallas on Tuesday – the first day of masks not being required for air travel.  It was interesting to observe about 70% of folks with masks in San Francisco airport and maybe 10% at best in Dallas.

I enjoyed a long walk to Duino for coffee on Thursday afternoon.  Ended up being more than 6 miles – a bit more than I had bargained on.

I dropped the VW Atlas off at Discount Tire to get the wheels balanced on Thursday, and Finn picked me up there and took me to lunch at Mexican Cactus – those tacos are so good.  The tire guys called me at lunch to say they couldn’t find the wheel nut locking adapter anywhere.  Nothing’s easy.  I ended up having to pick up a new one at the dealership – must not have replaced it when they powder coated the wheel rims.  The wheels did get balanced ultimately on Friday, and I found an interesting sub-woofer mounted on top of the spare tire when replacing the tool.  I had no idea it was in there.

Diana and Alicia spent Saturday down in San Jose and McD enjoyed one of her staples – steak tartare at the Left Bank at Santana Row.

My first book was “Whiteout” by Ken Follett.  I don’t remember reading Follett before, other than the “On Wings of Eagles” EDS Iran hostage rescue story, and really enjoyed this tale.  Set in a castle in northern Scotland that has been converted into a medical research facility, the story revolves around a plot to steal a deadly virus from the lab during a blizzard.

There is a lot of family drama involved as the owner of the laboratory gathers with this extended family to celebrate Christmas.  I’ll have to try some other Follett books.

My next book was “Mother, May I” by Joshilyn Jackson.  Here’s the online summary:

“Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat’s single mother warned her that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Marrying into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree has all a woman could ever dream: a loving lawyer husband, two talented young teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world – until the day Bree awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window, an old gray-haired woman all dressed in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears.”

The witch ends up being the mother of a woman who was badly wronged by Bree’s lawyer husband many years ago.  As she is terminal with cancer, she decides to exact revenge by kidnapping their baby.  A decent, quick read, but nothing to rave about.

I enjoy reading the “5 Albums I Can’t Live Without” article in Spin magazine – similar to Desert Island Disks.  This week included a rave about this album by Larry Goldings – hadn’t ever heard his music, but really like this stuff.  The organ creeping in part way through is excellent:

Spotify took me on a trip through similar music as I enjoyed some quiet reading time.  This was a highlight of the mix – Mehldau is so creative with such an excellent touch on the piano:

And finally, a classic I heard on the soundtrack to an HBO series that I was watching last night:

Stay safe, patient and kind to everyone!

 

“Residency Week 9 – Time to Go Home”

The final week of the residency started with a Magazine Street ramble for Diana and Alicia.  They began with a beignet and grits at The Vintage, before wandering around the shops.

They worked up an appetite with all that walking and rambling, and stopped into Mahony’s Po-Boy shop for lunch – fried pickles and a shrimp and oyster Po-boy – that’s just half of it in the picture.  They had plenty of leftovers for me to snack on later.

The Ogans had us over for dinner on Monday evening, before Alicia left town.  It’s always fun to watch Denny with multiple pots cooking, and the ease with which he brings it all together.  Scallops on a purple sweet potato puree, shrimp risotto, and asparagus.  All delicious.  Thanks Chef Denny.  We even had a special guest appearance from Jack.

Alicia took these pictures of us on our balcony before packing up.

We dropped her at the airport on Tuesday morning – we’re both pretty confident that she really enjoyed her visit.  Then Diana met Debra (Tuesdays are her day off from Jacques-Imo’s) for lunch at Del Fuego taco shop.  Apparently they filled up on guacamole and tostadas – so no left over tacos for K.

We made it to The Franklin on Tuesday evening for dinner – you’ll remember that we canceled last week with the inclement weather.  The duck liver mousse appetizer was just excellent – satsuma marmalade on the bottom and herbs and nuts on top , with excellent bread – each bite was a treat.  I followed that with the burger and Diana enjoyed some wagyu beef.  Well worth the drive across town to the Bywater area.  Then there was a little langiappe, as so often happens in New Orleans – the local middle school band was practicing close to where we parked.

We met the Ogans and Kirschs for lunch at Gris Gris on far East Magazine for Wednesday lunch.  We sat at the kitchen counter, which provided great entertainment and a good preview of what we should order.  I watched a few plates of shrimp ‘n grits being put together and decided that was what I wanted – very good.

Thom had missed our Happy Hour at Monkey Hill last week, and so we had a reprise on Wednesday evening – the majority of the krewe made it out.

 

 

 

 

Torrential rain, high winds and possible tornados were forecast for later in the evening, so we left the boys at Reginelli’s pizza and ubered home just before the heavens completely opened.

Thursday was a pretty quiet last day of the residency.  Diana spent most of the day packing us up – she did get a break to meet Kara and Kenny for oysters at Superior Seafood.

We left right on schedule on Friday morning – just after 9:30am.  The extra few minutes were because Diana packed up all of her shoes and realized as we were walking out that she hadn’t left out a pair to wear.  We stopped at Athena Greek and Lebanese restaurant in Shreveport – this has become our regular stop for lunch when making the drive to or from New Orleans.  We arrived home around 7:30pm.

I had a treat waiting in the stack of mail.  A $75 fine for apparently driving 26mph in a 20mph zone on Napoleon Avenue – my parting gift from the city of New Orleans.  I haven’t had a speeding ticket in at least 25 years.

The house seems to have survived just fine – with the freezer repaired before we got back.  Thanks for helping with that Finn.  Penelope decided to show her displeasure at being left behind by turning on her check engine light – drives just fine, so I’m sure it’s just some overly persnickety German sensor that needs to be reset.

On a walk after lunch, our neighbor called us over to show us a hole that squirrels have gnawed through into our eaves.  He had watched them going in and out.  Time to call a “critter guy.”

We met Finn for a Mexican lunch on Saturday and listened to him grumbling about how hard he’s having to work these days.  We had made appointments to have our second booster shots before lunch but got a call from Walgreens that they didn’t have anybody to administer the shots.  I enjoyed watching Duke play North Carolina in the NCAA basketball final four in the evening – what an entertaining game for Coach K’s final appearance.

Sunday began with an all time record for me on the crossword – finally beat 5 minutes:

The morning featured another failed attempt to get booster shots.  No call to cancel this time – just a note on the pharmacy window saying no shots today.  We’ll try again during the week.

My book this week was “The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis.  This is another of the books that Diana picked up at Octavia books in New Orleans.  Here’s the Amazon plot summary:

“Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate – the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion – a building that, ironically, bears her own visage – Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family – pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly 50 years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career – and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home – within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she – along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua – is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.”

I enjoyed this book quite a bit – learning about the art and history of the Frick mansion in New York, while bouncing back and forth between two historical periods.  Davis did a cunning job of bringing the two periods together as the mystery is revealed in the concluding paragraphs.

I watched the wonderful movie CODA this week.  I really enjoyed it and was reminded a lot of Mr. Holland’s Opus – one of my very favourite films.  This song was featured in the movie and I like both versions equally.

I heard this song somewhere in New Orleans this week – another great funky Meters song:

This song isn’t really my typical kind of thing – but it caught my ear while having dinner at The Franklin:

And finally, something from Eric Clapton that was on the house CDs in the condo – an excellent Stevie Wonder cover:

 

Stay safe, kind and patient with everyone!

 

“Residency Week 8 -Francais Semaine”

Week 8 started with a very pleasant run/walk in Audubon park on Monday.

We planned dinner at the Franklin on Tuesday evening, but canceled when we saw very heavy rain and winds forecast.  Instead we walked down to La Petite Grocery and enjoyed a lovely dinner at the bar.  The turtle Bolognese had changed to alligator, so I had to try that – even better than the turtle version.  Diana had their amazing burger.

We made a good choice in not venturing far from home as the storm was very severe, including significant tornado damage a few miles away in St Bernard parish.  Thanks to all of you who texted to check on us after the storm.

Diana went to an exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) on Wednesday afternoon.  Anne, Kenny and Kara accompanied her.  Queen Nefertari’s Egypt was the name of the show, and all seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.  Here’s the description from the NOMA website:

“Queen Nefertari’s Egypt brings to life the role of Nefertari and other powerful women in ancient Egypt through 230 exceptional objects, including statues, jewelry, vases, papyrus, steles, wooden coffins, and stone sarcophagi, as well as tools and various items of daily life from the artisan village of Deir-el-Medina, home to those who created the royal tombs.”

Stela of Nakhi, “Servant in the Place of Truth”, Offering to Osiris and Anubis.  New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty (c. 1300 BCE)

 

 

 

 

The group stopped at Café Degas for a nice French snack before returning Diana and Anne to the condo.  Then Denny picked us up for dinner at N7 in the Bywater area.  This wonderful French restaurant is hidden away behind a fence with just a small stencil to indicate the location (as seen in this Denny does Hitchcock picture.)  We had chosen to sit in the covered patio area rather than the garden or inside – great choice – the setting was beautiful.  I think this was my favourite meal in New Orleans so far.  The tarte flambee with caramelized onions and lardons was a wonderful appetizer, and the steak au poivre was so perfect and flavourful.  Bon Appetit magazine calls this the most romantic French restaurant in the world.

Almost forgot dessert – I’m always wary of pavlova – expecting it to be nowhere near as good as the ones that Mum and Diana make.  The N7 version was yummy.

 

 

 

 

Kara suggested the Booker Sessions at the Maple Leaf Bar for our Thursday evening entertainment.  A nice early show at 6pm featuring John Paxson playing piano in the back bar in the style of James Booker.  I was able to sit close enough to watch his fingers fly across the keyboard – a real treat.  That’s a Frenchy painting of Booker atop the piano.

We enjoyed a slice of alligator cheesecake and a drink at Jacque-imo’s before the show.  I love that cheesecake!  And as a special langiappe, the wristbands for the Booker show were penguins.

 

 

 

We collected Alicia at the airport on Friday and made our way to meet the krewe for Happy Hour at Monkey Hill.  Alicia had asked for as much live music as possible – and it started with Johnny Sansone playing outside Monkey Hill.

The group was getting hungry and we ultimately decided on Cooter Brown’s for a casual dinner and March Madness basketball watching.   Sadly, the meat pies are no longer on the menu.  They do have fresh oysters though.

I almost forgot – Diana got a love letter when she parked the car in the neighborhood on Friday morning.  She’s making friends with the locals.  It was written on the back of a fax confirmation sheet – so at least one person still uses a fax machine.

 

 

I was impressed when Diana and Alicia were up and ready to go to yoga with Kara and Kenny at 7:30 on Saturday morning.  They attended a class in the sculpture garden in City Park – what a lovely setting.  Then they enjoyed iced coffee and beignets at the City Park outpost of Café du Monde – even saved one for me.

The French school down the street, Ecole Bilingue de Nouvelle Orleans, hosted Fete Francaise on Saturday afternoon.  They had food tents from a number of French and other local restaurants – including N7.  Some really wonderful food and drink options to choose from.  Live music was also available all afternoon – adding to Alicia’s requested intake.  I really enjoyed the whole afternoon – and so close and easy.

New Orleanians never miss a chance to dress up:

The music started with the Young Fellaz Brass Band – music that always makes me smile.  That was followed by Sunpie, Preservation Brass, and Sweet Crude.

The Preservation Brass were excellent, featuring Grammy award winning Craig Klein on trombone.  Sweet Crude were a Creole rock band – very energetic and creative and a favourite of Greg and Colleen.

 

 

I enjoyed watching the dancer that was part of the band:

Alicia seemed to enjoy all the music as well.

As if we hadn’t had enough excellent music already, we decided to make the walk to the Kingpin where Derek Huston and friends were performing outside.  We stayed until folks started feeling chilly, then ordered Theo’s pizza to pick up on the walk back.  What a full day of music.

 

Diana and Alicia walked to the Chloe for Sunday brunch, and enjoyed even more live music – this time from Andrew Duhon.  I think he has a really good voice – reminds me of Anderson East.

 

 

Greg and Colleen hosted a crawfish boil on Sunday afternoon.  I had never peeled a crawfish before, but do love the taste.  I had a lesson and gave it a shot.  It was great to see a few folks I hadn’t run into in a few years – Chris Pete and Randy Bush – along with the rest of the krewe.  Greg did a great job remodeling (pretty much completely rebuilding) their new house on State street.

 

I enjoyed watching the guys pour out the entire feast on to the long table.

I read another one of Diana’s books this week – “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley.  This was not the light, airy tour around Paris that I was expecting, rather a very dark mystery where every member of a bad family had a different and dark secret.  It passed the time, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it unless you enjoy dark mysteries.

Lots of music already this week, so stay safe and kind to everyone!