The highlight this week was a weekend in San Diego to visit Campbell and hang out with Kris and Cat who were celebrating Kristina’s birthday. We
arrived on Friday afternoon and relaxed by the pool with books until Kris and Cat arrived. Dinner was at Seersucker in the Gaslamp district and it was fun to observe all the folks out enjoying the evening in their Halloween costumes. The fantastic Whiskey House was an after dinner drink stop on the way back to the hotel. Kristina had quite a time selecting a scotch from the extensive menu of over 1,000 choices.
The afternoon on Saturday was spent exploring the Pacific Beach area. A quick google search of “Best beach bars in San Diego” led us to the Lahaina Beach House which had a great patio right by the boardwalk with great views of the beach and the ocean. Again we enjoyed the people watching of folks with crazy Halloween costumes on for an early Saturday afternoon drink. A ramble along the boardwalk continued to provide entertaining sights including a gaggle of roller blading “Ducks” from Oregon. We laughed as the last rollerblader 
bringing up the rear had “Robertson” on the back of his jersey. There were several beach cottages and hotels along the boardwalk that we noted for future visits. After a snack at the Firehouse restaurant it was time to head back to the hotel to meet up with Campbell and Molly. The Firehouse food was very good with oysters, char-grilled Brussel sprouts and an excellent ceviche.
Campbell and Molly met us for a very enjoyable dinner at Roy’s which backs up to the Marriott hotel pool on the marina side. We sat outside and enjoyed the gorgeous evening weather and views of the marina. I had the San Diego sea bass and Diana the shellfish combination. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food very much. Campbell and Molly headed off to celebrate Halloween with friends and we made a trip to the Nolen rooftop bar in the Gaslamp district. This was a very fancy rooftop with great views of downtown San Diego and again lots of Halloween costumes.
Sunday morning brunch was planned at World Famous in Pacific Beach which Will recommended as having excellent lobster Benedict. Shortly before departure they called to say that their block was having a power outage and they wouldn’t be able to do breakfast. Plan B was the Harbor breakfast restaurant in Little Italy and it was a very well received alternative. Diana had the lobster Benedict and I had a spicy Italian sausage omelet (when in Rome and all). After brunch Campbell was able to introduce Molly to his Granny and Grandpa over facetime.
Kris and Cat headed to the airport and Diana and I watched the first half of the Cowboys game at the pool bar and then did the same. We watched most of the remainder of the game in the airport lounge and then got the final victory score on the plane right before takeoff – a 33 to 19 win over the division rival Washington Redskins.
On the music front, we lost Fats Domino this week at the age of 89. Fats and Louis Armstrong were responsible for putting New Orleans so firmly on the world musical map. Here’s a performance he did at the New Orleans jazzfest in 2001 that sums up everything that’s so amazing about that festival.
I can remember first hearing Fats Domino on the jukebox at the student union on the Heriot Watt Riccarton campus in 1981. Somebody in that student union really liked “Blueberry Hill” because I don’t remember a time that I was in there when it didn’t eventually come on the jukebox. It’s amazing how many huge hits Domino had in the early fifties. Here’s my favorite. That’s Herb Hardesty with the excellent saxophone part – we saw him perform with Dr. John at Tipitina’s just before his passing last Christmas.
My current book is too fat to travel with so I started “Dirt Road” by James 
Kelman, who was born and lives in Glasgow but has taught at both the University of TX in Austin and at San Jose State University. The book follows the travels of a Scottish father and son who go to visit the father’s brother in Mississippi. I’m really enjoying the tale so far and particularly the son’s descriptions of the American musical styles he encounters. There’s a great scene where he joins in on accordion with a Zydeco band and plays Scottish jigs for the Louisiana crowd.
McD gave me a gift of the new Tom Hanks book, “Uncommon Type”, this
week. I haven’t started it but chuckled at the continuing antique typewriter theme. The reviews are very good and I’m looking forward to pulling this one out of my growing “to be read” stack.
Here’s the langiappe for this week if you made it this far:
Q: What do you call the combination of a Scotsman and an Italian?
A: A scallion
Just the kind of silly joke that I enjoy and courtesy of Cat in San Diego.
