Keith Robertson – Page 18

Week in Review – April 9th, 2023

“Residency – Week 1”

Monday started with a 4 mile walk down Magazine and back – all the way to the Gris Gris restaurant at the end of the street. I was ready for an iced coffee when we made it back to CR coffee.

After that, Diana headed off on an expedition to look at tennis shoes and shop at Trader Joe’s. That didn’t go as planned. Another slow leak – this time on the Atlas. A small nail had embedded itself in the wall of the front right tire. Of course this happened when she wasn’t in the best part of town. “Denny, I need some help.” Mr. Denny suggested Smiling Chuck’s auto repair. Chuck was able to put on the spare and order up a new tire – but that doesn’t arrive until Thursday – so were not driving far and being very careful of potholes.

Tennis shoes and snacks will have to wait until the full size tire is installed.

I settled in to watch the NCAA Final on Monday night, not too hopeful about the Aztecs chances against the University of Connecticut. Denny texted to see if I wanted him to pick me up and go to see John Fohl at Dos Jefes. Of course! How could I pass that up. We met up with Greg and enjoyed some hassle free and great music.

Tuesday began with another run in Audubon park – getting even more humid by the time we made it there. I worked in the afternoon while Diana braved the back deck sheep for some sunbathing.

We watched the movie “Tetris” on Tuesday evening. Interesting opening about the guy who developed the game in Russia and how the initial licensing rights were sold. Then things got pretty dry and elongated with the story of Nintendo acquiring the rights for Gameboy. I would probably skip this one.

Wednesday was a classic New Orleans day. Diana and Kara enjoyed a few hours of sunbathing and lunch at the Chloe pool. Then Kenny picked me up after work and we met the ladies on the porch at the Columns – such a great setting.

In the evening, Denny and Anne picked us up early for our N7 dinner reservation. Denny thought it would be a good idea to catch a few songs from The Tin Men at DBA before our meal. Great idea Denny!

N7 was even better than we remembered. Just a lovely setting in the yard of a small house.

Look at this menu – so many wonderful choices.

We all shared the delicious octopus salad and avocado salad. Then the wonderful duck liver pate – some of the best I’ve ever had. The tarte flambee with caramelized onions and lardon was as delicious as I remembered from our last visit. Denny and Anne split the steak au poivre, while Diana had the steak tartare and I had the king trumpet mushroom – such wonderful flavour. What an excellent meal all around.

And the night wasn’t over yet. The last time we ate at N7, Denny and I had planned to see some music at Madame Vic’s afterwards. That didn’t work out, but we were able to make it happen this time.

Britney Chauntae and band treated us (there were only a couple of other folks there) to some wonderful jazz and RnB singing, while MardiClaw (interesting name) took care of us at the bar.

What an excellent New Orleans day with good friends!

I was pleased that I was able to complete Couch to 5K Week 4 Day 2 in Audubon Park on Thursday morning. After all that revelry on Wednesday, I was nervous about my stamina. Got it done! I worked most of the afternoon, while Diana met up with Anne for lunch at Martin’s Wine Cellar and then did some shopping for tennis shoes. She’s all set to attend a tennis clinic next Tuesday to get started.

Kenny came over in the evening to drop off a bike for me that he borrowed from “Big Daddy.” Diana and I are all set to cruise around town.

After work on Friday, I met the guys at The Other Bar on Freret Street for Happy Hour. We were treated to a short stand-up comedy performance from Kenny. He’s been working on a “tight 10 minute set” in his retirement. Some of the krewe attended the Pelicans basketball game and were treated to a halftime performance by Shammar Allen – “The Weekend Dance.”

Diana and I walked around to Tipitinas to see the Brassaholics perform. Kenny, Kara, Denny, and Anne joined after the basketball game. The opening band, the James Martin Band, were very enjoyable. Here’s a good guitar solo:

And my favourite, a tuba solo:

Almost forgot, BP was invited to the show as well. He enjoys getting his picture taken with Professor Longhair.

Here’s some of the Brassaholics:

And finally some pictures of some folks having fun and dancing. See anyone you know?

Another busy day in New Orleans.

Denny and Anne invited us to brunch at a new place on Saturday. Kara and Jack joined also. Bspot had just opened and sported a really interesting Bee and Honeycomb theme. The food, service, and ambience were all very good.

Somebody put a lot of time, energy and money into this place. Another popular Denny find.

Jazzfest tickets were on sale without a convenience fee at Tipitinas on Saturday. One day only to save $10 per ticket. We loaded up the folding chairs and walked back around to enjoy the Kinfolk brass band set up outside.

We did finally see a Mardi Gras Indian at Tipitinas. Vince and I had made a very early morning trip there last Mardi Gras and never saw them.

We ran into Margaret and Anne who were also buying tickets. New Orleanians certainly know how to turn anything into a party.

After the ticket excursion, Anne and Diana played some tennis, while I continued to relax and enjoy the band.

Saturday night dinner was at the Ogans. Steak and a yummy chimichurri sauce. Such good cooks and hosts.

I completed week 4 of Couch to 5K on Sunday morning. That was my exercise ahead of a delicious Easter brunch at Atchafalaya – a short walk from the condo. The food was excellent and the service was, let’s see, spotty is the kindest word I can find. Diana chatted with the owner and we were treated to a blue cheese flan and some nice drinks. We were also able to secure a return reservation whenever we wanted – although everything was booked up online. Nicely handed by Rachel, the owner.

We rallied in the evening and went to see Joe Krown, John Fohl and band at the Maple Leaf. Everyone else was too settled in and sleepy to join us. What a show – maybe the best I’ve seen at the Maple Leaf. John Fohl was outstanding on guitar and Joe Krown excellent on piano and organ, as always. It was a release party for Krown’s new CD and we enjoyed the introductions he gave about each song. Here’s a sample of the music:

Jack, the chef and owner of Jacques Imo’s next door joined for the closing Boogie Woogie number – what a character:

Week One of the residency is in the books, and it was a very good week indeed.

Meanwhile, some silly Easter pictures from Redwood City:

This has been a long post and I’m going to skip the Book and Music sections this week. Should have a good book report next week.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – April 2nd, 2023

“Back to New Orleans”

I picked Diana up at the airport on Tuesday evening. The flight was mostly on time – good news given all the storms in the San Francisco area earlier in the day. Storms and earthquakes – she was awoken at 6am by a quake centered about a half mile from Clorinda’s house.

This video captures the winds and rain on Tuesday morning:

Much of the rest of the week was spent packing and organizing for our New Orleans residency.

We did take a break to meet up with Finn for lunch at Mexican Cactus on Thursday. As is normal lately, he seemed in really good spirits.

We went old school and watched a Netflix DVD on Thursday evening. “A Man Called Otto” was excellent all around. We both loved it. It’s been a few years since I read Backman’s “A Man Called Ove”, on which the movie is based, and I think I might have enjoyed the movie even more than the book – very rare.

We were on the road by 8:30am on Saturday as planned. I wore my San Diego State University Aztecs shirt with pride, they played in the final four on Saturday afternoon.

It worked – they won and play in the NCAA Final on Monday night.

We stopped for lunch at Athena in Shreveport, our normal spot. Still just as good, quick and easy. Arrival in New Orleans was around 5:30pm – not too bad at all.

We were quick to enjoy the lovely front balcony. Then Denny and Anne came over with food and a pretty plant to welcome us.

Sunday began with a run in the gorgeous Audubon park – already starting to get a bit humid in the mornings. We really enjoy this park for exercise – nothing like it anywhere near McKinney.

After the park, we stopped by to say hello to Kenny and Kara. Kara was off to an exercise class, and we enjoyed an excellent catch up with Kenny.

He had arranged a bike for Diana to use and planned to bring it over on Sunday evening. It had a slow leak and he wanted to repair that before handing it off to Diana. She’s looking forward to cruising around town.

It’s great to be back in New Orleans.

No book this week – I know, I’m such a slacker. I do plan to get some good reading in over the next few weeks.

I can’t remember what movie or TV show I heard this excellent Kate Bush song on, but it was a good reminder that I need to listen to more of her music:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7ijKen7rccf56qOMGkS22e?si=4ae7eb77a1a74ff2

An interesting one that popped up on a Spotify playlist:

And finally, a trip back to the High School days:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – March 26th, 2023

“Aztecs for the upset!”

Finn had the day off on Monday. He came over to be educated on how to take care of Morrison when we’re in New Orleans. I think he was suitably entertained by the way I spritz the leaves using an olive oil spray bottle. Diana provided some instruction on making sure the pool is in good shape.

In exchange for listening patiently to the instructions, we treated Finn to lunch at Square Burger in downtown McKinney. He didn’t think he’d been before but recognized it when we sat down. I started off with some pea soup – really delicious. This place makes great soup – I really like the corn one they have sometimes. Even Diana enjoyed the flavour, and pea soup (at least a certain kind) is certainly not her thing. The burgers and sweet potato fries were all great. Finn was in great spirits, telling stories about the goings on at the grocery department.

Storms had been rolling through the San Francisco area again on Tuesday, and Diana was wondering if power and internet would be back on by the time she arrived on Wednesday evening. No such luck – a transformer blew and power was unreliable until Thursday. It was a bit later before the internet was resolved – I’m not certain if it is fully fixed at this point.

To entertain myself with McD gone, I watched “The Offer”, a series that I had started on a British Airways flight. Miles Teller stars as the producer of ‘The Godfather”, and the series is based on memoirs of all the crazy activities that went into the making of that film. I really loved this series and the various back stories of getting Mario Puzo to create the screenplay with Francis Ford Coppola, bringing Marlon Brando on board, the negotiations with New York Mafia groups, and on and on. It’s shocking the film was ever made. I highly recommend this series.

The San Diego State University (Campbell and Molly’s alma mater) Aztecs defeated the number one seed, Alabama, in the NCAA basketball tournament on Friday night. This was a bit of an upset, although the Aztecs have had a terrific season. They now play in the Elite Eight round on Sunday afternoon. Campbell was quite excited at the watch party:

I made a trip to the APEX center on Saturday morning – kicking back up the Couch to 5K program. I started back at week 3 and plan to finish the program again by the time we leave New Orleans. After that, I treated myself to a coffee at Duino and enjoyed some of my book. Then I undertook something I really don’t enjoy – went shopping for a new suit for Will and Christine’s wedding. I think I was successful – we’ll see what all the critics think.

I enjoyed a swim on Sunday morning, and then tried out the new dry sauna – very nice and relaxing after all those laps. Then I treated myself to a coffee and a quiche at Filtered with my Sunday crossword.

I just finished watching the San Diego State Aztecs defeat Creighton by 1 point in the final second. What an exciting game. Campbell is very pleased. On to the Final Four for the first time in history.

My book this week was “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng. Her “Little Fires Everywhere” was one of my favourites of the last few years, and so I had high hopes for this one.

It was an interesting read, but quite different and not as engaging as “Little Fires.” The plot elements are not so far fetched given the anti-Asian sentiment during the early days of COVID, the separation of children from families at the border, and most closely aligned to this story, the banning of books in Florida schools. Here’s an online summary:

“Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left the family when he was nine years old without a trace. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, his family’s life has been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic.

Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s a story about the power—and limitations—of art to create change, the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.”

Here’s an early passage where a teacher explains why books are banned to her students:

‘”Every school makes its own independent judgments, his teacher said. About which books are useful to their students and which books might expose them to dangerous ideas. Let me ask you something: Whose parents want them to spend time with bad people?”

She looked around the circle. No one raised a hand.

“Of course not. Your parents want you to be safe. That’s part of being a good parent. You all know that I’m a mom, too, right?”

A general murmur of assent.

“Imagine a book that told you lies,” the teacher went on. “Or one that told you to do bad things, like hurt people, or hurt yourself. Your parents would never put a book like that on your bookshelf at home, would they?”

All around the circle, children shook their heads, wide-eyed.

Only Sadie’s stayed still, her arms folded, her mouth a thin straight line.

“Well, it’s like that, the teacher said. We all want our children to be safe. We don’t want them exposed to bad ideas ideas that might hurt them, or encourage them to do bad things. To themselves, or to their families, or to our country. So we remove those books and block sites that might be harmful.”

She smiled around at all of them.

“It’s our job as teachers”, she said, her voice soft but firm. “To take care of all of you, just like I’d take care of my own children.”

“To decide what’s worth keeping and what isn’t. We just have to decide on these things.”

Her gaze came to rest, at last, on Sadie.

“We always have, she said. Nothing’s changed.”

Chilling. Here’s a passage that explains the new PACT law, enacted following “The Crisis”:

“PACT: Preserving American Culture and Traditions. A solemn promise to root out any anti-American elements undermining the nation. Funding for neighborhood-protection groups to break up protests and guard businesses and stores, for make-work projects churning out flags and pins and posters encouraging watchfulness, and reinvesting in America. Funding for new initiatives to monitor China and new watchdog groups to sift out those whose loyalties might be divided. Rewards for vigilance, information leading to potential troublemakers. And finally, most crucially: preventing the spread of un American views by quietly removing children from un American environments.”

I recommend this book, but don’t come into it expecting similar story-telling to “Little Fires Everywhere.”

Here’s something interesting that I came across this week – a collaboration between the amazing New Orleans drummer, Stanton Moore, and Eric Krasno. I’ve been enjoying this album all week.

I love the Bob Dylan outtakes and bootleg series. The latest is from “Time Out of Mind”. I know Dylan doesn’t love the Daniel Lanois production on this album, but I think it’s fantastic – so much atmosphere and a great sound overall.

I enjoyed this cover of the classic John Lennon song:

I listened to my friend Matt on Houston public radio on Saturday afternoon. That was followed by a progressive rock show, and I discovered a number of overdone, bombastic prog songs:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – March 19th, 2023

“Goodbye Dad”

The funeral service for my Dad was on Monday afternoon. Attendance at the 427 year old St. Columba’s church was one of the highest in recent years. Walking into the church after so many years to see the coffin, flowers, all those people, and the pictures of Dad with family rotating on the screen was quite overwhelming. Family in the front row did a good job of keeping it together. The kids in the second row not so much – lot of emotions there. Here’s the order of service:

George Lind, previously the minister at St. Columba’s and who presided at Heather’s wedding, did a very nice job with the service. Much more meaningful because he had been Dad’s friend for many years. George included all the notes that Elspeth, myself and the family had provided in his eulogy. That meant we were all quite familiar with the material, but I’m sure some of it was new for the rest of the attendees.

Here’s the announcements that were included in the order of service from the service last Sunday:

Here’s some more about the history of St. Columba’s:

“The building of 1696 was small and the unpretentious spire remaining today was then in the centre of the place. The only other part of that church still standing is the Corsehill Aisle. The Lainshaw Aisle is built in line with the Corsehill one and may not be of much later date. In 1772 the roof was removed and the walls heightened. The minister of that time wrote: – “it is now well seated and holds a great number.” This minister may have been well pleased with his renovated Kirk, but his feelings were ruffled over the conditions of the manse. It had been built in 1642, fifty years before the church. The minister stated that, although it had some small repairs at different times, it was still in a “very bad condition.” That can be easily understood because the manses of those far-off days were usually small and thatched-roofed with not much more accommodation than the traditional but-and-ben.”

If you’d like to read more about the history, there’s a lot more information here:

https://stewartonstcolumbas.org/about-us/

After the service, we made the short trip to the crematorium in Dreghorn. I was interested to hear George say that the hymn sung there, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, was one of Dad’s favourites and he had signed that one in a hymn book George had when he retired.

The organist at the church was excellent. I only know that he is Joe, don’t know his last name. He had been out with knee trouble and we were fortunate to have him for the service. Joe also made the journey to the crematorium and played that favourite hymn.

There was a very chilly wind for the receiving line outside the crematorium, and there were a lot of people to thank for attending. It felt good to get back in the warm limo for the short ride to the Fenwick hotel.

There had been a lot of concern about how many people would arrive at the Fenwick. It’s so hard to predict with weather and other plans. Apparently my sister and Mum guessed perfectly – we had seven tables of ten, and that was exactly what we needed. The funeral tea was very nice – I got to talk to Mrs. Dunlop, Dr. Bob Dunlop, Cousin Jean, Wee Jean, The Barclays (May and Les), Robin and Julie, Lorna and Russell (what a wonderful set of couples), George and Audrey, Caroline and Jim, Christopher, and several others. My Mum and Dad have so many lovely friends.

Mum seemed pleased with the events of the day – which is what’s most important.

To finish off this section, here’s what was published in The Herald about Dad:

Elspeth and David stayed overnight and hung out with us on Tuesday morning. We enjoyed lunch together and then they left for Aberdeen. In the afternoon Mum and I tackled the cryptic crossword without the group think. We made relatively quick work of what seemed like an easier than normal puzzle – maybe we were just warmed up from all the chatter over the weekend.

Before they left, we looked through an art portfolio of Dad’s and I selected a couple of paintings to bring back. I just love this one of a guy fishing.

I came to understand how much better my sister’s memory is than mine. We were talking about a trip to Forfar for a Golden wedding on Monday night. She described the dress she was wearing (at the age of maybe 8), the dessert, the box of chocolates she won – what? I remember very little other than we drove through a snow storm and Dad thought it was a good idea to overtake the snow plough. There were many other topics during the weekend where I realized that Elspeth has a much better recollection of everything than I do. A bit disturbing.

We left for Glasgow airport early on Wednesday morning. Our flight to Heathrow was delayed by about 45 minutes, but we still had plenty of time to make the Dallas flight. On arrival we were delighted (sarcasm again) to find that there was no jet bridge and we had to descend the stairs with suitcases and ride a bus to Terminal 5. After wandering through the terminal for about 20 minutes, we made our way to the bus to Terminal 3. Another 20 minutes or so and we were relaxing in the British Airways First Class Lounge – one of the advantages of flying so much on American Airlines. Diana enjoyed the Champagne Lounge for 20 minutes and then it was time to head for our Dallas flight.

We rested up a lot on Thursday and Friday, and it was time to venture out in the cold on Saturday. We enjoyed a yummy but sad lunch at the Blue Goose. The usual sour cream chicken enchiladas for me, and chicken and shrimp fajitas for Diana.

“That does look yummy, but why sad?”, you ask. Well, today is the last day of operation for the Blue Goose at this original location. A lease dispute has brought the 39 year run to an end. Very sad indeed. I’ve been eating there since 1986.

Diana’s meal came with the fresh made tortillas from the inhouse machine:

We enjoyed a walk in the brisk weather this morning, and I’m now relaxing with golf and March Madness NCAA basketball.

My book this week was “Britt-Marie Was Here” by Frederick Backman. I bought this at the Book Nook in Stewarton and have thoroughly enjoyed the humour and care of this story. Here’s the online summary:

“Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.

But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs.”

The story started out well and then fell into a bit of repetition about Britt-Marie’s habits. I was getting disappointed and then it quickly picked up again, with the main section on the Borg characters and coaching the soccer team finishing very strongly.

I enjoyed a couple of albums while writing some of this post on the flight from London to Dallas. The first is the latest from the wonderful Avett Brothers:

And then the latest from Samantha Fish – a wonderful modern blues guitarist:

And let’s close out with one of Dad’s favourites:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – March 12th, 2023

“Cold, snowy and windy – typical Scottish weather”

We flew from Dallas to London on Tuesday afternoon. I was fortunate to get a last minute upgrade and so was able to get a decent amount of sleep overnight. Diana survived her exit row economy seat pretty well. We had a slightly longer than expected layover in the lovely (sarcasm) Heathrow airport due to snow in London and a French air traffic control strike – apparently causing the incoming flight to take a more circuitous route. We arrived safely in Stewarton in time for a warming bowl of Mum’s soup for lunch.

There were still a lot of pretty flowers left in the house. Here’s one of my favourites:

Mum had been going through old photos to select some for Dad’s funeral service, and had kept some out for us to enjoy. I’ll share some of my favourites here:

Dad with baby Finn and Will in San Antonio. Elspeth said Dad had “magic arms” as he could get the babies to calm down and sleep better than anyone else.

Brunch at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz

A “real” margarita at the Oasis, Austin

Dad always enjoyed an afternoon margarita from the Taco Cabana close to our San Antonio apartment. He found the “real” margarita at the Oasis, overlooking Lake Travis, much stronger. Will seems pretty pleased to be wearing his Mum’s sunglasses.

Whoever took this picture, likely David, was doing something to get Heather and Struan’s attention. Mum also found an envelope of photos of my final year University project – a submarine and the electronics to control speed and depth.

Here’s a couple of old classics that I don’t remember seeing before:

Grandpa and Mum (who says she can’t ride a bike)

In fairness, that is a tricycle and not a two wheel standard bike. There’s always a Cairn terrier around grandpa. We were watching Crufts dog show this weekend and remembering that Grandpa had judged there. We weren’t impressed with the winner of the Cairns at Crufts this year.

McD (seems appropriate given the Scottish location) and I braved the weather on Thursday and Friday mornings for walks around town, with complaints that we weren’t going far enough – “But my ears are numb.” We stopped into the local independent book store, The Book Nook, on Friday and I picked up something for the flight home. You should be able to read about that next week. I enjoyed chatting with the man working in the store about his book club selections and favourite recommendations. The selection was small but very nicely curated.

Diana took this picture showing the snow melting on the sunny side and not at all on the shady side.

Diana took Mum out for a coffee on Friday afternoon while I did some work. She enjoyed beating Mum to the payment device at the end of their session, even though an ex-pupil of Mum’s was waiting on them.

By the time we returned from our walk on Saturday morning (warming up and so we went a good bit further, including the full length of Lainshaw Woods), Elspeth and David and the kids (Heather, Michael, Struan and Emily) had arrived for lunch. I laughed at this sign outside my old High School that would appeal to Finn:

We enjoyed some more delicious soup – this time vegetable and an apple crumble. After lunch entertainment included doing the Herald cryptic crossword – hilarious as David played quiz master, trying to keep up with Mum’s cryptic decoder skills, and watching the Six Nations rugby. Michael was not happy with the way the match was officiated.

Diana and David took Bramble for a walk on Sunday morning and seemed to have worn her out.

Bramble actually preferred stealing Diana’s seat, whenever she stood up, to sleeping in her bed.

We drove over to the Laird’s Table at Craufurdland for Sunday lunch. What a lovely meal. I had a chicken liver mousse with outcakes appetizer, followed by a chickpea curry – both excellent.

The owners of the Craufurdland estate are quite creative about maximizing the return on their property. They have zip lining, mud running, fishing at the lake, and this exciting opportunity for Bramble:

We finished out Sunday in similar fashion to Saturday – cryptic crossword with David and then watching Scotland get a good beating from Ireland in rugby. A very pleasant day all around.

Meanwhile, in California, a big storm arrived on Thursday. It broke the tree around which Adamo had built such a lovely tree house:

I borrowed my book this week from Mum’s library. I’m a bit over half way through “A Place Called Freedom” by Ken Follett. Here’s the online summary:

“Set in an era of turbulent social changes on both sides of the Atlantic, A Place Called Freedom is a magnificent historical fiction novel from the undisputed master of suspense and drama, Ken Follett.

A Life of Poverty
Scotland, 1767. Mack McAsh is a slave by birth, destined for a cruel and harsh life as a miner. But as a man of principles and courage, he has the strength to stand up for what he believes in, only to be labelled as a rebel and enemy of the state.

A Life of Wealth
Life feels just as constrained for rebellious Lizzie Hallim, as she struggles with the less cruel circumstances of wealth and privilege. Fiercely independent, she is engaged to a man she doesn’t care for, a landlord’s son and heir to an exploitative business empire.

A Search for Freedom
Lizzie finds herself helping Mack after he becomes a fugitive. Separated by class but bound by their yearning for freedom, they escape to London. True freedom, though, lies further afield, in a new life that awaits across the Atlantic Ocean . . .”

Not my favourite of Follett’s offerings, but reasonably enjoyable so far and an easy read.

Dexter Gordon would have been 100 years old recently. I think he has such a great saxophone sound:

I read a story that Allison Moorer wrote about the recording of this song. Very poignant.

And finally something from singer-songwriter Kevin Morby that popped up on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. There’s something about this one that really keeps my attention:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – March 5th, 2023

“Excitable Will”

I had lunch with a couple of buddies on Tuesday. Robbie, Fred and I enjoyed a yummy lunch on the patio at Fork and Fire in Plano. Hard to believe I had shorts on in the 80 degree weather in late February. I hadn’t been to this place before and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.

Earlier in the morning McD and I had enjoyed a walk as the temperature warmed up. Diana enjoyed some early in the year sunbathing in the afternoon as I returned to work.

Will and Christine were due to catch a flight on Thursday afternoon to come and visit us and Finn. That flight was cancelled due to a major storm in Dallas right at the arrival time. We had thunder storms and 80 mph winds, bringing several branches down. Will tried to switch to an overnight “red-eye” arriving at 5:20am on Friday. “Would you be able to come and pick us up Dad?” “Oh sure, Will.” I wasn’t overly disappointed when that flight was also cancelled. They finally arrived around 1pm on Friday – Finn and I provided pick up service.

We stopped at the new Andretti facility in Grandscape to investigate go-karting options. I had read that this place provided some very fancy and futuristic karting. Will went in to investigate and a few minutes later they were all suited up and ready to go..

I hiked up to the observation deck and was quite intrigued with the track.

Here’s some video to show what the track and the electric karts look and sound like.

Finn was very proud of his win. “Will spent thousands of dollars learning how to drive on a race track, and I still smoked him by 4 seconds.”

After all that, Will had worked up quite an appetite. We drove around to the Hard Eight barbeque and he enjoyed selecting from the available smoked meats.

We laughed when Will asked the pit master, “Do you have a lean piece of brisket?” He’s definitely nailed you as being from California. I think he managed to put together a good tray of food.

Later on, Finn came over to the house to join everyone for dinner and helped Diana put together some delicious chicken enchiladas.

On Saturday, the kids wanted to visit Hutchins barbeque in downtown McKinney to contrast their offerings with those from Hard Eight.

The report out was that some things were better (brisket), while others were not as good (okra). The “Texas Twinkies” – jalapenos wrapped in bacon and other stuff and deep fried, were a big hit.

Diana and I enjoyed a coffee at Filtered, not ready for a meat fest prior to a big dinner on Saturday night.

Dinner was at Fachini in Highland Park Village – a very ritzy part of Dallas. I had received a gift card to this place from Will and the family for my birthday last year that needed to be used. The boys admired all the fancy cars parked around Fachini – McLaren’s, Lamborghinis etc.

Things got off to a strong start with the complimentary appetizers – focaccia bread, ricotta cheese, meats and pickled veggies.

We followed that with some delicious lobster raviolis for the group.

Everyone ordered a different pasta, the exception being Diana, who ordered a veal chop that was amazing. Here’s the group preparing for a feast.

We were so full that the wonderful tiramisu was taken home for later.

As if we hadn’t eaten enough, we took the kids to C.T. Provisions in downtown McKinney for Sunday brunch. Our favourite here has been the voodoo Benedict – shrimp and crawfish in a delicious voodoo sauce and poached eggs atop excellent blue corn grit cakes. Apparently the chef changed recently, and while still good, this wasn’t as good as we remembered.

Will decided to try another menu item – the chicken biscuit. That was really good.

Then it was time to deliver Will and Christine back to the airport. I feel like I spent a decent amount of the weekend driving around. Time for a break. Wait – I’m back to the airport again on Tuesday. More about that next week.

Meanwhile, Tim, our CFO, was spending the week in New Orleans with his wife. I loaded him up with restaurant recommendations. He loved N7, and we haven’t debriefed on the rest of his experiences yet. I tried to get him connected with Denny and Anne for a tour of the French Quarter, forgetting that they were en route to London – Anne’s Christmas present from Denny.

They seem to have had a great time as usual:

My book this week was “Night Music” by Jojo Moyes. Mum had recommended this author recently and I was browsing around for a paperback to take on my trip, this one caught my eye.

An online summary:

“Isabel Delancey has always taken her gifted life for granted. But when her husband dies suddenly, leaving her with a mountain of debt, she and her two children are forced to abandon their home and move to a crumbling pile in the country.

With the house falling down around them, and the last of her savings fast disappearing, Isabel turns to her neighbours, not knowing that her mere presence there has stirred up long-standing obsessions.

As she fights to make her house a home, passions and lives collide. Isabel will discover an instinct for survival she never knew she had – and that a heart can play a new song .”

Isabel is lead violinist for a London orchestra, and I enjoyed the descriptions of her playing and expensive violin. My favourite characters were the local shop owners – the fount of knowledge on all local goings-on.

I suspect this wasn’t the best Moyles book to try first. I would give it a solid B rating – well developed and interesting characters, just a bit of a slow narrative. Not bad – just not as good as I was expecting.

. .

Will’s visit reminded me of this song from the excellent album of the same name:

“Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd was released 50 years ago this week:

I’ve been enjoying the Springsteen Soul and R&B cover album – thanks Diana. This is a great song:

And the original:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all.

Fortnight in Review – February 26th, 2023

“Happy Saint Valentine’s Day, and Happy Mardi Gras”

Diana arrived home from San Francisco on Valentine’s evening. I had some pretty flowers waiting and we exchanged cards.

No fancy dinner or plans this year – just good to have my wife back home.

The flight path took Diana right over Pacifica and her Mum’s house.

Last Monday, our old friend Randy Clapp came to town for work. He moved from Denver to Toronto several years ago, and we calculated that it had been 9 years since we last saw him and Janice. We enjoyed a fun dinner at Pappadeaux’s, catching up on families and reliving old laughs.

Last Tuesday was Mardi Gras day in New Orleans. The Krewe tortured us with pictures of them out watching the parades. Campbell made it known that he would really like to go back next year – he and Molly had such a good time.

It seems that the Krewe of Campbell might have napped through Mardi Gras this year:

The weather has been unseasonably warm and we’ve been able to get out for several nice morning walks around the neighbourhood.

Our only really outing was to see a Carole King concert movie on Sunday afternoon. There were only two showings planned.

This is a concert from 1973 that Lou Adler, King’s record label owner, had in storage all this time. They added some intro documentary material that was well done.

Carole King walked out on stage to 200,000 people on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park, and started the show with just her and her piano – very brave. Half way through, she was joined by an amazing band of session musicians. This was a great movie.

My first book was “Siracusa” by Delia Ephron. Here’s the online summary:

“An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from best-selling author Delia Ephron that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from each other are exposed and relationships are unraveled.

New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist, travel to Italy with their friends from Maine – Finn; his wife, Taylor; and their daughter, Snow. “From the beginning,” says Taylor, “it was a conspiracy for Lizzie and Finn to be together.” In Rashomon style, with alternating points of view, the characters expose and stumble upon lies and infidelities past and present. Snow, 10 years old and precociously drawn into a far more adult drama, becomes the catalyst for catastrophe as the novel explores collusion and betrayal in marriage.

With her inimitable psychological astuteness and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none can see coming.”

I really enjoyed each chapter being written from the perspective of one of the four main characters. Finn’s chapters were often hilarious. Highly recommended and I have it on Diana’s list for her next book.

My next book was “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman, a host of British quiz shows. This was equally as entertaining as “Siracusa” and even funnier. The characters who meet to solve murders on Thursday night at the old folks development are hilarious. Here’s the online summary:

“In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together, they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?”

I just read that this book is soon to be a movie, directed by Steven Spielberg. It will be interesting to see who he gets to play Elizabeth. Big recommendation on this one also – a fun and easy read. I’ll wait a while before sampling the other two books in the series.

There’s a new tribute album out for Leonard Cohen. Here are a few of the great cover versions:

And maybe my favourite, an instrumental from Bill Frisell:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all.

Remembering Dad

“Ian Morrison Robertson, 1936-2023”

My Dad, Ian Morrison Robertson, died on February 17, 2023. He was 86 years old.

Here he is with me in the Whisky Cave at the Marine hotel at Royal Troon golf course, celebrating his 80th birthday.

And here’s Dad when we visited him in hospital before Heather’s wedding, 6 months ago.

My sister, Elspeth, did a lovely job of collecting some thoughts for input to the eulogy for Dad:

“Messages from the many cards we have received have shared a common theme, describing Dad as a true gentleman and a gentle gentleman. He was described as a dear and lovely friend and a family man at heart. There were many references to his sense of humour, exchanging merry banter, and the many laughs on church holidays. They described his “unfailingly thoughtful and measured opinions in discussions at session meetings”, his valued comments, and that he will be a loss to the church and community.

Personal reflections

I have many memories of wonderful holidays together as a family, firstly in our touring caravan, then at Glenluce, in our static caravan. We would travel there most weekends, and spend much of the summer there. Like Keith, I remember listening to music in the car, James Last, Herb Alpert, Tom Jones ( in particular “What’s New Pussycat?” and “Delilah”) and Simon and Garfunkel, remembering Dad singing along to “Cecilia”. It was always the highlight of the journey if you got to stop for ice cream at Ballantrae, or a fish supper at Girvan.

I have fond memories of dancing around the living room standing on Dad’s toes. I took this very seriously and truly believed I was learning to ballroom dance.

When teenage life made us too busy for the caravan, our holidays moved to France, and I have many wonderful memories. Dad , despite his limited knowledge of French, would read a paper every day, and had learned to order all our complicated ice cream flavours and combinations, but caused hilarity when he managed to order everything perfectly in French, but ended with please.

Dad had a lovely sense of humour. I remember being on a school trip to France. Dad spotted metal balls on the electricity cables and told us that this was how the French transported their cheese. He also told us to look carefully and we would be able to see the hunchback of Notre Dame. I couldn’t understand why I was the only one laughing, but he had sounded so convincing that everyone else believed him. We laughed about it later. I might add that he did this shortly after calling me “toots” in front of all my classmates!

Dad loved nature, and whenever we were walking, it would turn into a nature walk with him pointing out plants, trees, birds and animals. He loved to share his passion and continued this tradition with his grandchildren. He loved gardening and would spend hours pottering with his plants. Heather and Struan enjoyed “helping “ him with this when they were young, and I have a lovely memory of him pushing them around in the wheelbarrow.

His love of nature extended to water, so much so that he always connected with it, but not in the way he intended. He loved clambering over rocks, but was always so busy looking in rock pools that he invariably fell in.

Dad’s hobbies included completing jigsaws and crosswords. He had endless patience and was a mine of knowledge, although we used to tease him that he was full of useless information. This came in useful for quizzes, and there was always a fight over who would have him in their team for Trivial

Pursuit. He loved flower arranging and a favourite was a display he created of “The Burning Bush” which sat in front of the organ at the flower festival. His love of art has filled our homes with beautiful paintings which we will cherish forever. I only wish he had passed on some of his artistic talent!

Dad would do anything for any of us. He was always there for all events. He ferried me all over, and never missed a concert, dancing display, prizegiving, competition or BB display . This applied equally to Keith and I , and also Heather and Struan.

When Heather was born, we were very grateful for “Grandpa’s magic arms” as he had the perfect knack of calming her and getting her to sleep.

He enjoyed precious time spent looking after Heather and Struan, hearing all their stories and playing with them. Part of Struan’s weekly routine right up until he left school was watching Scooby Doo and Roadrunner with Grandpa.

Keith’s boys used to call Mum and Dad “Grannyampa”, which was lovely, because it highlighted that they were inseparable, and loved to do things together. They saw them as a combined entity.

Dad really enjoyed going on church holidays. There were many tales of the happy times he spent with friends.

I have always known how proud Dad was of me, and felt his unconditional love, but he was never overly generous with his compliments. If asked his opinion on, for example, outfits, he would often reply that they were “fine”. It amused me that when I moved to Aberdeenshire, I discovered that fine has a very different meaning, and actually means very good or special. I laughed with Dad that , of course, he knew that all along and that was always what he meant.”

Such great memories and wonderful writing. This is a link to some of Dad’s favourite songs:

Here are some of my thoughts that I shared for potential inclusion in the euglogy:

Artist

Dad was a great artist and enjoyed his regular art classes – I think maybe just as much for the story telling as the art activities. I remember being amazed at the knights in armour he would draw for me as a young kid. A painting Dad did of a Tuscan scene for my 50^th birthday has pride of place as the first thing you see on entering my home.

Music

Dad loved all kinds of music. A fond memory is driving around in the Renault 16, listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” on the 8-track player. I think I could still tell you where the “clunk” of the track changing happens on those songs. Some of his favourites were Abba, James Last, Neil Diamond and Tom Jones.

Dad invested countless hours ferrying me to band practice and patiently listening to many brass bands playing the same piece at competitions – and those were not popular hits type pieces.

Story Telling

One of Dad’s big enjoyments was telling a good story. “Jackanories” is what we called the detailed recaps of Dad’s day at school we listened to at the dinner table each night. Lots of detailed dialogue and plot lines. Dad did love to read and I enjoyed perusing his library for a good read during my visits and on flights home.

Boy Scouts

Dad put together and taught a course leading to the Conservation badge for my Boy Scout Troop. His teaching and story telling skills really made this a fun and popular badge.

Trying New Things

At the age of 80, Dad tried snorkeling for the first time at our wedding in Cozumel. He thoroughly enjoyed the plethora of colourful fish in the reef.

Here are some pictures of the many flower arrangements and cards that were delivered to Merrick View. You can see how many people in the community loved my Dad.

Here’s a plant that I received from work colleagues. His name is Morrison, and he’s a Bromeliad (according to Google lens). It looks like a species about which Dad would have had a lot to share.

A windchime that I received as a sympathy gift included this poem:

“A Letter from Heaven”, by Ruth Ann Mahaffey

“To my dearest family,

Some things I’d like to say
But first of all to let you know
That I arrived OK.
I’m writing this from heaven
Where I dwell with God above
Where there’s no more tears or sadness
There is just eternal love
Please do not be unhappy
Just because I am out of sight
Remember that I’m with you
Each morning, noon, and night
That day I had to leave you
When my life on Earth was through
God picked me up and hugged me
And He said I welcome you.
It’s good to have you back again
You were missed while you were gone
As for your dearest family…
They’ll be here later on.
I need you here so badly
As part of my big plan
There’s so much that we have to do
To help the mortal man.
Then God gave me a list of things
He wished for me to do,
And foremost on that list of mine
Is to watch and care for you.
And I will be beside you
Every day and week and year
And when your sad I’m standing there
To wipe away the tear.
And when you lie in bed at night
The day’s chores put to flight
God and I are closer to you
In the middle of the night.
When you think of my life on Earth
And all those loving years
Because you’re only human
They are bound to bring you tears.
But do not be afraid to cry
It does relieve the pain
Remember there would be no flowers
Unless there was some rain.
I wish that I could tell you
Of all that God has planned,
But if I were to tell you
You wouldn’t understand.
There is one thing is for certain
Though my life on Earth is o’re,

I’m closer to you now
Than I ever was before.
And to my very many friends,
Trust God knows what is best
I’m still not far away from you
I’m just beyond the crest.
There are many rocky roads ahead of you
And many hills to climb,
But together we can do it
Taking one day at a time.
It was always my philosophy
And I’d like it for you too
That as you give unto the world,
So the world will give to you.
If you can help somebody
Who’s in sorrow or in pain,
Then you can say to God at night
My day was not in vain.
And now I am contented
That my life, it was worthwhile,
Knowing as I passed along the way
I made somebody smile.
So if you meet somebody
Who is down and feeling low,
Just lend a hand to pick him up
As on your way you go.
When you are walking down the street,
And you’ve got me on your mind
I’m walking in your footsteps
Only half a step behind.
And you feel that gentle breeze
Or the wind upon your face
That’s me giving you a great big hug
Or just a soft embrace.
And when It’s time for you to go
From that body to be free
Remember that you’re not going,
You are coming here to me.”

I’ll finish with a few of my favourite photos that sit on my desk:

I miss you Dad!

Week in Review – February 12th, 2023

“Alone again”

I flew home from San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon. I snapped this picture of the flowers blooming on the hill before I left:

The San Francisco airport has a rotating exhibition that you can walk through on the way to the departure gates. The current show is celebrating 100 years of the San Francisco Opera. Clorinda would enjoy it – costumes and artifacts from Tosca and Rigoletto.

All the ice was long gone on return to Dallas, and the drive home was smooth. The house seemed in good shape – just a couple of small tree branches down.

While I was working away in my home office, Diana was struggling through the Dali melting clock puzzle that Amy and Adamo gave her for Christmas. Lots of whining and complaining about how difficult the black section was, but she persevered.

This was one of the busier work weeks in a while. I did manage to escape for lunch with our Enterprise Architect, Prabhjit, on Wednesday. Shiawase Japanese restaurant was mid-way between our homes and is always good.

Diana took her Mum to watch the kids swim lesson again on Thursday afternoon. No Frankie drama this time. The trio of Luciano, Massimo, and Louie were capable of jumping in without needing to be rescued:

I met up with a work colleague for a late lunch on Saturday. We tried to go to the Libertine on Greenville Ave (great food and cocktails), but there was a “Cupid Crawl” in progress. This is some ridiculous pre-Valentines event, and had the place absolutely packed. We diverted to The Hideaway and enjoyed a couple of hours of work gossip and story telling.

Saturday was busy on Gypsy Hill. Joey and family arrived to celebrate Leanna’s birthday. Seems like all had a good time. Pretty salad and flowers that Bonna brought:

Diana, Clorinda and Alicia are always happy when they are able to host family.

Later in the afternoon, Marco, Julie, and Gianluca showed up for a visit. Oh – and not to forget Yeti, who seemed pretty bored with the proceedings.

Marco just had a recent drain removed from his tummy and is in a lot of pain. I think we talked him out of trying to go back to work on Monday.

The weather in Pacifica got much better after I left and Diana has been torturing me with sunset views.

In additional torture, the Krewe was out to watch the first of the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. So much fun.

Sunday has been quiet so far. I drove to downtown McKinney for coffee and a quiche with my crossword. Then made a visit to Trader Joe’s for some essential supplies to tide me over until my D returns on Tuesday. Now I’m catching up on things before the Superbowl starts in a few hours.

My book this week was “Lessons” by Ian McEwan. I haven’t quite finished yet.

Here’s an online review and synopsis:

““Masterful…. McEwan is a storyteller at the peak of his powers…. One of the joys of the novel is the way it weaves history into Roland’s biography…. The pleasure in reading this novel is letting it wash over you.” —Associated Press

When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has closed, eleven-year-old Roland Baines’s life is turned upside down. Two thousand miles from his mother’s protective love, stranded at an unusual boarding school, his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.

Now, when his wife vanishes, leaving him alone with his tiny son, Roland is forced to confront the reality of his restless existence. As the radiation from Chernobyl spreads across Europe, he begins a search for answers that looks deep into his family history and will last for the rest of his life.

Haunted by lost opportunities, Roland seeks solace through every possible means—music, literature, friends, sex, politics, and, finally, love cut tragically short, then love ultimately redeemed. His journey raises important questions for us all. Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without causing damage to others? How do global events beyond our control shape our lives and our memories? And what can we really learn from the traumas of the past?

Epic, mesmerizing, and deeply humane, Lessons is a chronicle for our times—a powerful meditation on history and humanity through the prism of one man’s lifetime.”

I have enjoyed this book quite a bit, but maybe not quite as much as I anticipated. The pacing seems to drag a bit form time to time. I did enjoy reliving all the recent history that weaves in and out of the story. Maybe there is a terrific ending ahead for me to enjoy.

I read that Hugh Hudson, director of Chariots of Fire, died this week. Here’s some of the iconic Vangelis sound track to honour him:

I also read that Gustavo Dudamel is moving from his position as conductor of the LA Philharmonic to the New York Philharmonic. There’s been a lot of chatter in the media the last couple of weeks about ChatGPT, which can answer any question and generate papers on any subject. I asked it “What makes Gustavo Dudamel such a great conductor?” Here’s the response – very impressive AI tool:

Gustavo Dudamel is considered a great conductor for several reasons:

Musical Interpretation: Dudamel has a unique interpretation of music and a remarkable ability to bring out the emotional content of a piece. He is known for his energetic and passionate conducting style that inspires and captivates audiences.
Technically Proficient: Dudamel is a highly skilled conductor with a deep understanding of music. He has a strong sense of rhythm and is able to bring out the best in orchestras, ensuring that every section is well balanced and in tune.
Dynamic Presence: Dudamel is a charismatic and dynamic conductor who has the ability to engage and excite audiences. His enthusiasm and energy are contagious, and he often receives standing ovations.
Commitment to Education: Dudamel is committed to music education and has a passion for promoting classical music to new generations. He is the founder of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) and has been instrumental in developing programs that give young people access to music education.
Wide Repertoire: Dudamel has a broad repertoire that ranges from classical to contemporary music, and he is known for his interpretations of the works of Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven, and many other composers.

All of these factors have combined to make Gustavo Dudamel one of the most respected and sought-after conductors of his generation.

Bruce Springsteen performed in Dallas on Friday night. Three of his band members were ill and didn’t join the band, but this review would indicate he didn’t miss a beat:

https://amp.star-telegram.com/entertainment/article272399133.html

I was enjoying listening to the reprised River tour from Dallas several years ago this week. Thanks Matt!

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Fortnight in Review – February 5th, 2023

“Mexico City to Dallas – No go!”

We had some very light snow flurries last Tuesday – certainly an omen of what was to come.

Both of us had dental experiences last Tuesday. I had a cleaning and Diana went to the orthodontist to see about Invisalign stuff. I tried to go to a new empanada place I had read about close to Dr. Toney’s office but they were closed – next time.

The Ogans were in town for Cooper Clinic appointments on Thursday. Anne particularly likes to have Tex-Mex food when in Dallas – the only cuisine that they can’t find a better version of in New Orleans. We met them at Mena’s in Carrolton and had a lovely late lunch. They had carried a king cake all the way for us – so thoughtful.

Last Saturday was pretty typical – workout and a visit to Duino for avocado toasts. In the afternoon, I enjoyed this New Yorker article on the fantastic pianist, Brad Mehldau:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/30/brad-mehldau-trades-bach-for-the-beatles

Diana dropped me off last Sunday for my flight to Mexico City for our quarterly Board of Directors meeting. We decided it was smart to move her Tuesday flight to San Francisco up to Monday, given the increasingly bleak weather forecast for the rest of the week. I was able to watch the first half of the NFC Championship game between the Eagles and the 49ers on the flight.

Immigration in Mexico City was remarkably smooth and quick compared to prior experiences. After a 20 minute limo ride, I was comfortably installed in the Intercontinental El Presidente hotel. This is the sister hotel to the one we were married at in Cozumel.

Here are views of the city from my room and the elevator lobby on the 40th floor:

The hotel is in the Polanco district – apparently the fancy part of Mexico City. There are several excellent restaurants in the hotel, and we enjoyed an outstanding Italian meal at Alfredo di Roma on Sunday evening. They even provided a private room with a TV so that we could enjoy the AFC Championship game. The baby octopus (pulpitos) were yummy and the tiramisu was the best I’ve ever tasted.

There is a lot of theater in these restaurants – here Blair’s seafood pasta is being prepared:

I got up at night to adjust the thermostat and was tackled by this sculpture – those black out shades are very effective.

Our rooms came with access to the Club lounge on the 39th floor for breakfast and happy hour. I really enjoyed their chilaquiles with verde sauce, spicy chicken and eggs in the morning, and the excellent views.

I met Jose, who runs Latin America for me, for lunch at another hotel restaurant, Au Pied de Cochon, for lunch. The French food was very good – foie gras mousse and scallops on a bed of risotto. We enjoyed catching up face to face over a delicious meal.

I did some work in the afternoon, and then ran into Phil, our majority shareholder, who insisted that I join him and the Board members for dinner. Guess where that was – yep, right back at Au Pied de Cochon. I was able to sample some other delights. The theater continued with dry ice smoking over the oysters and table side preparation of my steak tartare.

Here I am with Jorge, who runs Operations in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras at the dinner.

The Board meetings on Tuesday were very smooth and my presentation was well received, without any tough questions. Then it was time for my favourite meal of the trip. We went outside the hotel for dinner at La Buena Barra. Pablo, our local Mexico City Board member, arranged a wonderful table on the terrace. Then he proceeded to order up some amazing appetizers – soft shell crab tacos (best thing I ate), tuna tartare tostadas, and various other treats.

I had a massive octopus for my main course, and it was perfectly cooked on top of a hot stone.

The churro dessert presentation continued the creative trend.

If you’re ever in Mexico City – this is the place to eat. Here’s a picture of the full group enjoying the meal:

I had planned to fly back to Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, but the ice storm caused all flights to be cancelled.

There are worse places to have to spend an extra night than the Intercontinental. Nikki and Sunil were also stuck and we decided to revisit the amazing Italian restaurant. I tried the mushroom risotto with truffles – so good.

I headed to the airport on Thursday morning to attempt a flight to Dallas. The ice was forecast to melt during the day and then refreeze in the evening. I was hoping flights would get out. But no, my flight was pushed back six or seven times with arrival scheduled after the roads would have frozen again. Time for a plan B. There was a direct flight to San Francisco, and I decided to go and visit Diana and Clorinda for the weekend, letting things thaw out in Dallas.

I had forwarded Diana this boarding pass, but she didn’t initially notice that it was to San Francisco. She did ultimately notice and picked me up in the afternoon.

We invited Andy and Jude down for Happy Hour on Friday. They insisted on bringing a bunch of yummy Italian food from a new Pacifica restaurant. We’ve been enjoying left overs for a couple of days.

Saturday was a rainy and miserable day and the only time we ventured out was for a coffee and snack at Soul Grind. They have a new menu item – empanadas. I chose a mushroom one and it was delicious. We’d love to pick this place up and move it to McKinney.

Gianluca joined Alicia, Carolina, and Lucas for art and craft time on Saturday afternoon. They created some really pretty pieces.

In the evening, the girls (Diana, Alicia, Aimee, Caroline and Carolina) went to the Eric Lindell show at the Longboard Margarita Bar – the local dive bar where I went to watch the Cowboys at Christmas. They had a great time. Aimee stayed over for a slumber party and we enjoyed catching up with her.

I stayed home and hung out with Clorinda, who was very well behaved.

The Ogans made a last minute trip to Park City, Utah for some skiing. The conditions look excellent:

In other news, Alicia started a new job as a Project Coordinator at Communiversity – a community outreach program at San Jose State. She had an internship there, and they liked her so much that they found a funded position for her to continue. Way to go A!

My book this week was “Lucy, by the sea” by the wonderful Elizabeth Strout. I loved this quick read and the way it captured all the fear and uncertainty of the COVID onset. Here’s the online summary:

“With her trademark spare, crystalline prose—a voice infused with “intimate, fragile, desperate humanness” (The Washington Post)—Elizabeth Strout turns her exquisitely tuned eye to the inner workings of the human heart, following the indomitable heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton through the early days of the pandemic.

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.

Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart—the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.”

There are several paragraphs that I had marked to include here, but I’m getting tired. Trust me – this is another excellent book from Strout.

I love the spare guitar sound on this one from the Teskey Bros – an excellent new band from Australia:

One of the Board Members, Matt, recommended this band after we had been discussing our musical preferences for a while:

I can’t remember how Andy and I got on the topic of Glaswegian singer, songwriter John Martyn. Oh now I do – I was telling him about Matt sending me every live Grateful Dead show on a drive, and he mentioned a bootleg recording he got in his record store from John Martyn.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

P.S. – the pilot on my United flight to San Francisco came out in the aisle and thanked everyone for flying with him. He went on to say he had flown for United for 23 years, and for the US Air Force for 10 before that, training up multiple teams. “You are all on my team today, and that means we treat everyone on board with kindness and respect.” What a great representative of the airline.