Category: Travel

“An Austin Ramble”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“Scottish Wedding Day”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now with a very sweet flugelhorn sound:

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

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

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

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

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

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

And another one where Rateliff is practicing with Jon Batiste:

Finally, something new from the Band of Heathens:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

“Sonoma Wine Tasting”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something from my favourite Cracker album to kick things off:

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

And finally an interesting song from a relatively new band:

Coexist peacefully with kindness and compassion for all!

“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!