“Willow wins State!”
Campbell sent me these pictures from an engagement party he put together in San Diego for Molly last weekend. They look so happy!
We’re so happy that we were part of the proposal and celebration in New Orleans.
Denny and Anne had me over for dinner on Wednesday – they always take care of me when Diana’s out of town. Denny’s hanger steak with chimichurri sauce was delicious as always.
As a thank you, I drove Denny, Anne and Thom over to Hammond for the state soccer final on Thursday night. Jack is an assistant coach for the Willow school – he and Mason won the state championship a few years ago at that school (called Lusher at the time.)
It was about an hour drive, and we stopped at Middendorf’s for dinner on the way. This is a place that has been around forever, and has recovered from several hurricanes and floods. Denny talked about it being a destination when he was a kid – his parents would drive him out there for Sunday lunch. Here’s some history from the menu:
I chuckled at the wine list, and was glad Diana wasn’t there to critique – Kung Fu white wine would not be atop her preferred list.
Middendorf’s specialty is “thin catfish” and it was really good:
The game was a lot of fun – the Willow team was incredibly well coached – the passing and vision so good it was hard to believe this was a high school team. They dominated the midfield, but just couldn’t get at the goal. That finally happened at 70 minutes, with Trent’s son scoring the first goal. They ultimately won 2-0, winning 3 of the last 4 state championships. That’s a heck of a coaching accomplishment.
I didn’t get home until almost midnight, but really enjoyed the evening. It’s been a while since I watched some really good soccer live.
We went to the Broadside concert venue on Friday night. This is just across from the Broad movie theater. I loved the venue – outside and with all kinds of seating options. Tinsley Ellis started the show. According to Billboard magazine, “nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums than Atlanta’s Tinsley Ellis.” I enjoyed his songs and his stories. Here’s a recording and some live music:
Marcia Ball was next – always one of my favourites. She had a number of ballads mixed in with her boogie woogie piano hits. Here’s “Saint Gabriel”, such a good song:
And one of her boogie woogie numbers, with the foot kicking in time:
There is a food truck embedded in the venue – Cochon BBQ – I loved the food they offered and the stickers on their window – “Music the Healer.”
Saturday was a gorgeous day – 74 degrees and no humidity. Perfect for the kickoff of the Kingpin bar Saturday music series. This is a local bar that showcases music out front and encourages folks to bring chairs to set up in the small park out front. This week was the Bessarabia brass band:
Diana flew back to New Orleans during the show – “Would it be ok if you Ubered over to the Kingpin instead of me coming to pick you up?” She was a trooper and did exactly that. She did get to meet up with the extensive krewe out enjoying the show – including rare Libby and Laura sightings. I’m looking forward to the next few Saturday afternoon shows before it gets oppressively hot.
It’s nice to have my wife back home. Off to Miami Beach tomorrow.
We’re skipping the book and music sections again until I catch up on the few weeks I missed. I do have a few hours on airplanes and so should get some reading done this week.
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!