Month: May 2026

“Sail 250 – tall ships in New Orleans”

On Monday, Sheri really wanted a Muffuletta sandwich (a classic New Orleans original) before leaving, and so we met at Cochon Butcher which has great sandwiches and sausages.  I agree with Diana that while those at Butcher are good, they’re not a whole lot better than one you can pick up easily at several of the local markets.  I’m confident Denny would strenuously object to that opinion.

Here’s a video of Phil Rosenthal meeting up with Wendell Pierce (famous New Orleans actor) at Butcher:

After lunch we had agreed to meet at the Columns and sit on the porch while it rained outside.  The foursome were not able to secure a table there and so we met them at the Avenue Pub instead, where we played entertaining card games to pass the time.  Anne didn’t like the game we chose and refused to learn the rules in process – adding to the entertainment.

Later in the afternoon we migrated to the Bon Temps to play some pool.  Diana was delighted to find that her experience on Christmas day was not a fluke – they regularly carry Veuve Clicquot at a very inexpensive price.

The next stop on the moveable feast was Denny and Anne’s home for dinner.  Denny whipped up his usual yummy spread – hangar steak and shrimp/salami kebabs, harissa carrots on yogurt, salad, chimichurri sauce.  He really is a master with his sauces.  The foursome left to play trivia after dinner.  We were too tired and so stayed back to clean up and then headed home.  They got to trivia late (close to halftime) and were still able to secure third place – very impressive.

Diana had pickleball on Tuesday morning and I met Sheri and Sean at Juan’s Flying Burrito for lunch.  Diana joined after she finished to share my Luau quesadilla (shrimp, pineapple, etc. and my favourite thing on their menu.)  Our visitors left for the airport right after lunch – Sean to Dallas for work and Sheri back to San Jose.

At trivia on Tuesday evening, we tied for first place.  The final question involved putting four Chinese cities (Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, and Bangalore) in order from North to South.  Nobody was sure and we all had different answers, so our team captain decided to bet zero – a wise decision that paid off.  The tiebreak question asked when George H.W. Bush was born.  Whoever got closest to the date won.  We chose June, 1922 and the answer was June 12, 1924.  We were close but the other team got within a couple of days of the correct answer.  Chatting with them afterwards, one team member admitted to having a photographic memory and remembering having read the date somewhere.  Is it fair for folks with photographic memories to play trivia?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

Diana had her usual Wednesday yoga session in the park.  She and Kara met up for oysters and snacks at the Pascal’s Manale Happy Hour – ostensibly to use an expiring coupon that I was supposed to use for our New Year’s Eve catering and forgot about.

Sail 250 hit New Orleans on Thursday.  This is a collection of tall sailing ships from various countries that have come together to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America.

Sail 250 New Orleans

We decided to be early birds on Thursday afternoon and try to beat the inevitable crowds for a free event.  I parked at the Jazz Museum with the understanding that the ships would be lined up from the Bywater to downtown.  Oops – they were all clustered downtown around the aquarium area – so we had a nice mile plus walk down the riverfront – would be fine if it wasn’t so humid.

We boarded the “Union” a gorgeous ship from Peru.  The sailors were all so young and smart in their dress white uniforms.

They were kind enough to give us some time at the helm:

The thought of climbing up the rigging to unfurl the sails made me queasy.

This was such a nice event and I’m sure the sailors will say they were welcomed better and entertained more in New Orleans than on their next stops in Virginia, New York, and Boston.

After the excitement of the tall ships we tried the Happy Hour at the new Charmant restaurant by City Park.  I had read reviews, looked at the menu and thought we would enjoy it.

And enjoy we did.  The food and cocktails were excellent and at a very good price.  Diana absolutely loved the wagyu burger, as did I, and we both thought the savory bread pudding was creative and delicious.

We will be back soon to try their brunch and dinner menus.

I watched the San Antonio Spurs tie up their semi-final 7 game series 3-3 on Thursday night.  I used to love going to their games when we lived in San Antonio and it’s been a number of years since they had such a good team.  Very young and inexperienced, and very good.

Diana had 3 hours of pickleball on Friday – just can’t get enough.  In the evening we were planning to see the blues master, Marc Stone, at the Constantinople porch stage.  We parked easily and saw there was nobody there.  The host was on his porch and let us know we had the wrong day – not until Sunday.  Geez – I rarely get the dates and times wrong.

No worries – I had a plan B.  Fred and Kelly had send out a text that they were going for drinks at the Gilded Perch.  We drove over there and had a fun discussion on the porch while it poured buckets around us.

Saturday began with a walk in the park in the already humid weather.  Then we stopped at the store for supplies to make our chopped chickpea Italian salad.  That was our offering for Greg’s pool party later in the afternoon.

We had a really nice group at Greg’s and Diana was reminded of how much she likes hanging out in a pool for the afternoon – not helpful, Greg.

I watched the last game of the NBA semi-finals when we got home on Saturday evening.  The Spurs beat Oklahoma on the road!  What a great performance.  Now they face the New York Knicks in the finals.

Sunday again began with a walk in the park.  Didn’t seem quite a humid as Saturday.

I’m currently watching the French Open tennis – an excellent battle between Rudd and Fonseca – tiebreak in the second set.

Earlier in the week in California, Luciano had a graduation and the other two were as supportive as ever:

I finally finished up “Doxology” by Nell Zink this week.  You probably know by now that if it takes me more than two weeks to finish a book, it doesn’t have me engaged and excited.  This GoodReads review kind of summed up my thoughts:

Miles Davis would have been 100 this week.  I enjoyed this article about his career:

Miles at 100 article

I loved this chat with Boz Scaggs about the recording of “Loan me a dime.”

Loan me a dime – Scaggs talks about recording with Duane Allman

And finally some Tedeschi Trucks band – an amazing Sly and the Family Stone medley:

“Meeksies Visit and Happy Birthday to me”

Paul, a financial advisor that Denny and I share, invited us to lunch at Porgy’s seafood restaurant.  I had never been and was looking forward to it based on all the positive reviews.  The place is run exclusively by ladies and they were busy cleaning and stocking fish when we arrived.  They have a few daily specials based on what’s fresh and I selected the crawfish roll.  Denny and Paul split a triggerfish (never heard of it but it looked good) and a soft shell crab sandwich.  We shared a ceviche tostada to start and I’ll go back just to have that.  It’s also one of McD’s favourites.

Here’s the fresh fish cabinet selection – not huge but a good variety:

The restaurant is fresh and modern inside:

Kenny and Kara picked me up for a drink before our event on Wednesday night.  We enjoyed the fancy inside room at the Columns.

Our event was a book reading and discussion across the street at the Garden District Book Store.  The book was the 331/3 Violent Femmes edition from Nic Brown.

For any youngsters that stumbled on this, 331/3 is the speed that a long playing (LP) record spins at.  The Violent Femmes are an 80s band best known for “Blister in the Sun” – they have a very unique style and musical makeup that was reviewed at the talk.

The group gathered in the Chicory coffee shop rather than the book store – a first and one that worked out well for a decent crowd.  It makes me wonder about the economics of these book tours.  30 people attend and buy a $15 book – the $450 wouldn’t even cover the travel expenses for Nic alone.  Maybe they think folks like us generate a bunch of buzz?

The evening finished up with a cool performance:

Diana arrived home shortly after the event concluded.  No more babysitting of me required.

Diana dropped into pickleball on Thursday while I got my teeth cleaned.  My hygienist is very pregnant (due 6/18) and I felt fortunate to get in before she goes out on leave – she does a very good job.

The Stephen Colbert show ended on Thursday night.  This is the 10:30pm show that I watch most nights before bed.  Colbert has been uber critical of Trump and became a casualty as some media moguls wanted to do a merger that needed Trump administration approval.  Paul McCartney was the main guest:

There were a couple of excellent musical performances to finish out the show.  This was at the Ed Sullivan theater where the Beatles first performed.

The Meeksies (Sean and Sheri) arrived on Friday afternoon – staying in the cottage at Chez Ogan.  They had a bit of hassle from the thunder and lightning – bags couldn’t be unloaded until the lightning passed etc.  That meant they were late to meet us and Denny at Chais Delachaise for their excellent Happy Hour.  They ultimately arrived and we had a good time.

The octopus was excellent.

After this stop, we drove over to St Joe’s bar to meet up with the extended Krewe – Alex, Thom, Fred, Kelly, Peggy, Mason, Jack, Brennen and probably several others that I don’t remember.  Diana and I didn’t stay for very long.

My birthday celebration was at N7 (possibly my top New Orleans eatery) and included Kenny, Kara, Denny, Anne, Sean and Sheri.  What a treat:

I had some beets that were deliciously smoky and charred, followed by a wonderful croque madame.  Thanks to Diana for organizing this festivity so far in advance.

After N7, Denny tried hard to entertain me – music at BMC (way too loud and no seating), R Bar (now famous for Shia LeBouef’s Mardi Gras incident) – also too loud – seemed like everyone in there was yelling to each other.  We made quick exits from both.   I took some flack for being old and intolerant – it was my birthday and I wasn’t going to do what I didn’t want to do.

We retired to our home and relaxed on the porch.  Much better.

Diana ordered some Theo’s pizzas for dinner and I had a very nice time visiting and opening gifts.

We met the group at the Red Dog diner for brunch on Sunday.  The company was good and I didn’t love my huevos rancheros – way too salty.  I’ve had a couple of dodgy meals there and have no reason to return.

Kenny picked up Diana for a French Quarter ramble with the group on Sunday afternoon.  I was happy to chill at home.  They had a good time, including a Taro reading for Sean.

I’m still working my way through “Doxology” by Nell Zink.  I don’t love it and continue to get sucked in deeper and deeper.  We’re now at 9/11 and the impact on various characters.

Here’s a review of the new Tedeschi Trucks band album.  They were a huge favourite of mine at Jazzfest – orders of magnitude better than most of what you saw there.  This is a great album.

Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and their band are one of the hottest items in the blues rock world. Some write them off as a a rock band, but they are truly more than that.

I’ve watched Trucks expand his repertoire over the years. Adding his wife to the band certainly places a larger emphasis on the blues and roots music in their releases and shows. What I’ve always felt is that Derek grew up in the shadow of the Allman Brothers and internalized the essence of what Duane Allman was doing before his untimely passing. Duane spent years at Muscle Shoals and gained a superb knowledge of so many genres of music. I see what Truck has done as a continuation of where the Allman Brothers might have gone had Duane lived on.  The deep ties to the blues, the jazzy and improvisational nature of the jams that are so much more than just a local jam, the R&B infusion into the mix, the expansion of instrumental use in the music, a strong set of vocalists to lead and back the band, and just an amazing depth of knowledge and feeling for what makes music tick.

This album offers us 11 new songs to savor. Susan fronts the band for ten of the cuts and plays guitar on most of them. Mike Mattison is up front for “Under The Knife.” Trucks, of course, is on lead guitar. Mattison sings on all but one track and adds his guitar to many of them. Brandon Boone is primarily on bass; also appearing on bass is Mike Elizondo. Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady share the drumming duties. On B3 and keyboards is Gabe Dixon. Adding backing vocals and percussion are Alecia Chakpur and Mark Rivers. Horns are provided by Emmanuel Echem (trumpet), Elizabeth Lea (trombone) and Kebbi Williams (sax). Elizondo also adds keys to a few tracks. Austin Hoke is on cello and Abe rounds is on percussion for “Shout Out.”

“Crazy Cryin’” gets the album started. It’s a cut with a slick groove and features Tedeschi singing of a relationship that has not worked out.  It’s funky and cool, and Trucks comes in with an amazing short guitar solo late in the cut that makes it even better. Backing vocals add nicely to the mix.

Next is “I Got You” with some acoustic guitar added to the electric guitar. It’s an up tempo and fun love song. Derek offers an early restrained guitar solo. The organ and horns are sweet in support here as are the backing vocals. Trucks takes us home with a prolonged guitar solo that eventually fades to wrap it up.

“Who Am I” is a pretty ballad that Susan sings with passion as Trucks strums out some equally pretty licks with restrained poignancy until the end when he lets go to again take us home with some vibrant signature guitar to enjoy.

Up next is “Hero” is a passionate and emotional cut where Tedeshi pleads to leave where they are at as she reiterates the theme as she sings, “I’m not your hero, I’m number zero.” The song builds into a dervish of instrumental anguish to conclude, a wild ride that finally comes to resolution.

“What In The World” is another cut with sweet acoustic guitars, some ethereal organ and horns. and Tedeschi testifying with true feeling. Trucks steps in to punctuate the tune with his electric slide guitar. Beautiful stuff here.

The title track is next and picks the pace up significantly. Vibrant guitar, strident vocals and a driving beat make this one a winner. Trucks offers a concluding solo to once again finish things off and it’s in your face and it’s just wickedly cool guitar.

Mattison leads the fray for “Under the Knife,” a song with a very cool groove, great horns and a sweet pacing that makes the song interesting. Derek offers up an echoey guitar solo and Susan backs Mike to add a nice touch to the sound.

“Be Kind” bounces along  with the horns and organ helping to drive the song as the electric guitars layer over each other to cool effect. Dixon adds a sweet and distorted piano solo that is quite cool. Overall, it’s a driving and fun number.

Then it’s time for “Devil Be Gone,” as Tedeschi  casts our the devil while the guitar rings loud and clear in support of that idea. It’s a driving and vital cut with a heavy beat and the players and the singers give it their all in support. Susan and Derek take us home vocally and on guitar on this one.

“Shout Out” is a lighter track with Tedeschi shouting out to ask the person to return to her for support. It’s got a ton of feeling and the cut builds and builds in vocal and instrumental intensity to hearken the person to return.  Nicely done.

The album concludes with “Ride On,” where Tedeschi sings, ”I guess I’m just along for the ride.” The songs is a country/southern rocker that is emotive and quite slick. Slide guitar adds emotion to the sing as Trucks wails his way to the end to add to the tension and feeling.

This is another superb studio album for Tedeschi and Trucks. Every song is crafted well to allow each musician to become part of the continuum they create in every song. I truly loved this album; it is another winner for the band that will garner many an accolade for them. Well done!

“Happy Mother’s Day”

As you can tell, I’m way behind on the blog again – worst ever.  Given that, this will be a short and concise post.

I tried to have an MRI early on Monday morning and they didn’t have the right kind of anesthesia.  Will have to be rescheduled at a different location.

Diana had pickleball on Tuesday and Saturday.

We had a couple of maintenance appointments on Tuesday – I had my hearing aids checked and Diana had a checkup at the orthodontist – no issues with either visit.

I had a haircut on Friday, followed by a visit to Juan’s Flying Burrito next door for a Luau (shrimp, pineapple etc) quesadilla.  Diana enjoyed some leftovers.  My barber is going to be out for a few weeks and so I got an extra short trim.

Kenny and Kara joined us for dinner and a movie on Saturday evening.  Both Diana and Kara had read “Remarkably Bright Creatures” and were looking forward to the movie version.  This is a book/movie about Marcellus the octopus in captivity in the Seattle area and the work he does to try and help the humans who take care of him every day.

Sally Field is the star and the scene that I remember most is her going on a date with a guy who wears his prized Grateful Dead t-shirt.  She thinks he was dressed like a slob, not realizing that he took the shirt, worth several thousand dollars, out of a frame to wear it on the date.

Diana, with a little help from me, made a chopped chickpea Mediterranean salad and sablefish.  Kara brought dessert that we enjoyed with carajillos (espresso and Liquor 43.)

Alicia had some beautiful flowers delivered for Mother’s Day:

We enjoyed Sunday Mother’s Day brunch at Cafe Degas – perhaps Diana’s favourite New Orleans restaurant – it’s what The Grape used to be for her in Dallas.

We ordered way too much food and had yummy leftovers for several days.

My book this week was the wonderful “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout.  While not my very favourite of her books, it is still a remarkable accomplishment.  Highly recommended.  I read it in just over a day and look forward to revisiting parts of it.  Here’s an accurate online review:

“Artie Dam is living a double life. He spends his days teaching history to eleventh graders, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbors, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad—at himself and the people around him—and turns a question over and over in his mind: How is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us?

And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear—and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.

Elizabeth Strout, as we have come to expect, delivers a moving exploration of the human condition—one that brims with compassion for each and every one of her indelible characters. With exquisite prose and profound insight, The Things We Never Say takes one man’s fears and loneliness and makes them universal. And in the same breath, captures the abiding love that sustains and holds us all.”

Here’s something from the trumpeter with the super high register and the funky band, Maynard Ferguson:

A track from my favourite band at jazzfest, the understated and laid back Deslondes: