Happy New Year!
10,9,8,7….. 2018 was officially rung in at Thom and Libby’s new compound in New Orleans. Champagne, Alex and Laura, Denny and Anne, 2 crazy red hound dogs, and a gaggle of kids somewhere downstairs all helped with the celebration.
New Year’s Day was a very relaxing affair in the Ogans’ living room watching college football playoff games with a nice fire. The girls got adventurous and worked on a jigsaw puzzle which Jack, Mason and Aidan finished off later.
Pascal’s Manale and happy hour oysters beckoned the ladies around 5pm. Laura joined and Denny went along as the official chaperone. He chuckled when a guy at the bar asked him if all three blondes were with him. Girl time wasn’t finished and the ladies made an unchaperoned stop at the Kingpin. They did make it home in time to rest up for the big 15th birthday bash on Tuesday.
The 01/02/03 twins celebrated their birthday at Commander’s Palace, the classic New Orleans restaurant in the Garden District made famous by Ella Brennan. There’s a great documentary on Netflix called “Ella Brennan, Commanding the Table” if you’d like to learn more about the history of the fantastic Brennan restaurant empire.
Our gift was bobble-heads of the boys which we think captured their personalities very well. A highlight of a great meal was the bread pudding soufflé with whisky sauce. Jack and Mason enjoyed being offered whisky on their birthday while wearing their celebratory chef toques.
After lunch it was off to the airport and into our respective huffs about having to leave New Orleans again after such a relaxing and enjoyable visit.
Wednesday was back to work for me and a rest day for McD. On Thursday we reprised our annual get together with Judy and Scott who were in town to visit their new grandchild. Wendy joined as well and we had a great laugh together and fun showing the wedding album. We’re looking forward to the Dillings potentially moving to the DFW area.
The week finished up with some strong Team Robertson manual labor – breaking down the Christmas tree and storing it and the rest of the decorations in the attic. That followed by watching the Saints vs Panthers playoff game and catching sight of Denny and Anne in their fancy outfits. The score is 24-12 in the Saints favor at the time of this posting.
I finished the book “A Kind of Freedom” by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton this 
week. This story is appropriately set in New Orleans and follows three generations of an African American family from the 1940s until today. I enjoyed the read very much and gained a good insight into the class and racial struggles in the city through the years.
The music discovery this week is from Langhorne Slim, a singer songwriter from Nashville.