“Football’s Back”
This was a relatively quiet week. Walking or running in the park early most mornings, and back and forth to the new house to check on repairs were the regular activities. The foundation repairs and all the miscellaneous things from the inspection report were completed. Diana made sure to get before and after pictures of all the foundation fixes. The owner of the company said we shouldn’t expect to seem him again in our lifetime – great news.
Jack invited me to join his trivia team at Dat Dog on Tuesday evening. Kenny and Denny also participated, with McD providing some support. Dat Dog is a very colorful hotdog restaurant on Freret Street. Diana and I opted for the vegetarian versions in lettuce wraps. Those and the tator tots were yummy. The trivia was all over the map – history, geography, business, sports and more.
I did laugh at the rooster that wandered in and was quickly shooed away by management. Not something one typically sees in McKinney.
I really enjoyed the competition and we won third place, apparently the first time the team has ever won a prize ($15 gift card to Dat Dog for Jack.) The group gave me the MVP award for answering a few questions correctly. “How many pounds in a stone?” was easy for someone who grew up in Scotland – not something Americans know. I’m hoping this might become a regular Tuesday night event.
I tried Aidan Gill’s barber shop on Magazine street on Thursday afternoon. I wanted to compare it to the other barber shop I tried during our residency. Aidan greeted me personally, offering a shot of Irish whiskey, a draft Guinness or a soft drink. He guessed that I was from East Kilbride based on what remains of my accent. Not too far off. Gill is from Dublin and moved to New Orleans many years ago.
Derek, who recently moved from Boston, gave me my haircut. I think he did a good job, and he was full of restaurant and other recommendations. I’ll be back to see these guys again soon. Here’s an article from several years ago that talks about how Aidan led the resurgence in old school barber shops:
https://www.inc.com/best-industries-2011/the-king-of-the-barbershop-resurgence.html
I’ve been wanting to try Turkey and the Wolf sandwich shop for a while. It has won many awards and has been featured on several television shows, including “Somebody Feed Phil.” It was right around the corner from Aidan Gill, and seemed to be calling me. This is the original restaurant from Mason Hereford who recently opened Hungry Eyes – a place near the condo that I really enjoy.
Their most famous sandwich is the collard green melt, and I decided to give it a try. It was ridiculously delicious – collard greens, coleslaw and Russian dressing come together to create a fabulous combination, with just the right amount of spice. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to attempt to recreate this:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/the-collard-green-melt
I was irritated to find I’d left my credit card at Turkey and the Wolf when I got home. Back across town to pick it up.
I dropped Denny, Anne, Fred and Kelly at the airport on Thursday evening. They’re off to London to visit Brennen. The NFL season opener was in progress when I got home. I texted Campbell saying I thought the Lions were going to beat the Chiefs (defending champions.) The Lions did win in a large upset. I’m so excited to have football back.
We kept up our tradition of a late Friday lunch at the Columns on Friday. It was quiet on the patio and not too hot. Such a nice tradition.
On Saturday morning, we picked up Kara and drove over to the sculpture garden for early morning yoga. No, I didn’t participate, choosing instead to do my puzzles and enjoy a coffee at Café du Monde. I resisted the urge to order some beignets to go with my coffee.
I enjoyed college football and the US Open women’s final on Saturday afternoon. Deion Sanders is doing some amazing things in Boulder at the University of Colorado. Coco Gauff rallied nicely to win the Open. Thom came over on Saturday evening to watch some of the University of Texas versus Alabama. UT had a nice upset win. It has been a big week for sports. I’m currently watching the Saints season opener, and looking forward to the Cowboys game this evening.
I started “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah this week. All the sports watching resulted in slow progress. The book starts in the Texas panhandle during the Great Depression, and is really good so far. More to come next week.
I’ve been on a bit of a Tom Waits kick lately. Here’s one of my favourites:
And here’s something that never gets old from Richard and Linda Thompson. Sublime guitar.
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion from all!