Happy Birthday to Alicia! She hosted 5 girls for a pool party on Monday afternoon. They were mostly very well behaved. 19 year olds don’t seem to be anything like 13 or 14 year olds – much less squealing and yelling. It took poor Diana a few minutes to get all the candles lit on the mini cupcakes.
We had a pleasant surprise when Yoshy and Kerry (one of the two Aussie 
couples we met at the Continental Club last week) were able to join us for the birthday celebration. I grilled burgers, chicken and veggies for dinner and Alicia and Diana made huge green and fruit salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. You can see the lovely purple orchid that Kerry brought for Alicia on the right hand side of this picture. Hopefully we can keep it alive for a while after Alicia leaves.
As luck would have it, Kerry and Yoshy live only 10 minutes from our friend Stan in Brisbane, Australia. We had just been having a FaceTime session with Stan the night before.
I finally drove Penelope down to Austin on Tuesday morning. I had been worried that the 4 hour drive in her hip-hugging bucket seats would be too much for my back and sciatica pains, but it really wasn’t too bad. Seems the swimming that I’ve been doing lately is really helping with that. Penelope mentioned that she’s looking forward to exploring some of the twisty Hill Country roads after the straight shot on Interstate 35 – a very boring ride.
The morning sky on Wednesday seemed a bit gloomy and ominous. Waiting for the lift to head to work, I noticed a “stand up” meeting happening at the job site next door, where the new high rise building is starting. Made me smile, as I was headed for our 8:30 am daily stand up meeting. The ominous clouds cleared out nicely during the day and the evening was bright and sunny.
I was pleased to read that Western Youth (my favourite Austin band) were performing at Guero’s outdoor taco bar on Wednesday evening.
Sun Radio hosts a weekly showcase of two local bands every Wednesday evening at Guero’s from 6-8pm and also broadcasts live. This station always does an excellent job with sound quality and so it’s a treat to hear bands playing for them. No difference with Western Youth – easily the best sound that I’ve heard from them yet – just loud enough with clarity across all instruments.
The set by Western Youth was excellent from start to finish and I think they made a number of new fans from folks who just wandered into Gueros. Several folks asked me the name of the band and what I knew about them.
I’ll start with my favourite of their songs, “The King is Gone”:
That song always sticks in my head for a few days after I hear it. Another good song was “Dying on the Vine”:
And finally here’s “Black Freight Liner” with some high paced guitar jamming, and inspired by the Jimmie Dale Gilmore classic, “White Freight Liner Blues”. Jimmie Dale was sitting right in front of me at this show – only happens in Austin.
The extended jam version of “Norah” that closed out this excellent show was amazing, no video though – I was too busy enjoying the performance.
Penelope is enjoying Austin. She likes cruising down Barton Springs Rd with her top down, and really enjoyed the new experience of backing into the slanted parking on South Congress.
I was getting peckish after all that great music, and made a stop at the Taco Joint on Riverside, a place very close to the apartment that for some reason we haven’t tried yet. The tacos here are very good – I enjoyed a portobello mushroom and a steamed fish. Another great food option in very easy walking distance.
An overnight thunderstorm woke me early on Thursday morning and so I decided to try something new that I’d been considering for a while – a morning swim in Barton Springs pool. The pool is located in the 358 acre Zilker Park and is conveniently located on my short commute to work. The pool itself is 3 acres in size, and is fed from the underground springs of the Edwards Aquifer. The average temperature is 68-70 degrees year round, and it’s quite bracing on initial entry. Here are aerial pictures that show the impressive length of the pool and the view of downtown that one experiences when swimming lengths.
I really enjoyed the swim and particularly the very long laps that are possible. It took about 10 minutes to adjust to the cooler than typical pool temperature water. One interesting fact about the pool – this is where Robert Redford learned to swim at age 5, when visiting Austin on holiday. Barton Springs is a federally protected habitat as it is home to the endangered Barton Springs Salamander. I didn’t spot any of them but it was pretty dark for most of my swim and the pool has depths up to 18 feet. I look forward to making a few swims in Barton Springs part of my regular weekly routine.
Thursday night brought a pleasant cultural experience – a showing of the new Miles Davis documentary, “Birth of the Cool”, at the Austin film society. Admission included a cocktail, trumpet music in the lobby pre-show, a discussion with the producer, and jazz records in the lobby after the movie. What a deal for $11.
I enjoyed the movie, albeit a bit lengthy at 2 hours. I learned a few things about Miles that I didn’t know previously – his father was a very successful dentist in St Louis, and he attended Julliard to learn about music theory and composition. There was a lot of detail on the incident when Miles was assaulted by a police officer when taking a break outside Birdland in New York. The policeman told him to move along, while Miles explained that was his name on the Marquee above him. Another policeman came in and beat him severely with his night stick. Hard to believe.
I rode back to Dallas with Vinod on Friday and had the house to myself for the night. Diana and Alicia were enjoying a few days in Boston on the back end of a work meeting that Diana attended on Wednesday. On Thursday night they visited the Union Oyster House, established in 1826, and the longest continually operating restaurant in the United States. John F. Kennedy’s booth is marked with a plaque. Diana enjoyed the lobster (pronounced “Lahbstah” by the locals”.
trails while Diana handled some work meetings. Diana had duck for dinner and it looks absolutely delicious. They apparently sat next to a couple for Highland Park, Dallas and had a good chat. Later, they both took a ghost tour around the area.
Sunday started with a swim in the warm gym pool, followed by coffee and crossword. The evening brought a real treat – a return visit to the Kessler by Nils Lofgren, this time with his full band (including brother Tommy from Grin), and his own guitars. You might remember his equipment was stolen overnight prior to his last visit, and he had to borrow all the guitars he used.
Here’s the set list from the show – a very strong finish including “No Mercy”. I remember first hearing this on Radio Clyde with the DJ, Dougie Donnelly, raving about the song – I was sold.Would you like to see some pictures from Scotland? Of course you would!
I meant to share this great picture of my Dad at Troon beach last week on my birthday. My Mum said it was a lovely day, just like the day I was born. I think she’s referencing the weather, but I like to interpret it being a lovely day because of my arrival.
The next picture form Scotland is my sister and familys’ new puppy, Bramble. It might take some time to grow into those paws. I believe Bramble is about 9 weeks old in this picture.
While we’re sharing puppy pictures, my friend Damon’s doodles have grown up quickly.
I finished the book “The Paris Diversion” by Chris Pavone this week and really enjoyed the read. A fast paced, intelligent thriller with interesting plot twists, that is also well written with great descriptions and vocabulary – a rare combination.
Pavone was an editor for 20 years before moving to Luxembourg when his wife was transferred for work, and starting to write “The Expats”. I look forward to reading that one in the future. Here’s an excerpt from the book, where Pavone describes a very annoying habit perfectly:
“Teenage girls were the worst offenders. Posing was second nature for these kids, selfie smiles rehearsed in mirrors, poses perfected after thousands of variations in body angle and head tilt, hair fluff and lip purse and peace sign, a permanent regimen of fine tuning, akin to practicing piano or laying down a sacrifice bunt, skills never attempted by these kids, who instead know how to do mainly this one thing: look like they’re having a great time in social-media photos, exposure and exclamation points compulsory, soliciting other exclamation points, an ouroboros of manufactured enthusiasm.”
Video of Carole King performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973 was released this week. This was her first performance outside of the United States. The first half is her solo performance of “Tapestry” hits, and the second is with a jazz funk band performing songs from her “Fantasy” album. I love this performance with the 10 piece funk band – excellent drummer and horn section.
Anders Osborne, singer songwriter extraordinaire from New Orleans, and good buddy of Anne, released a great new album this week. Here’s a song from that:
The late, great Rory Gallagher has new music released this week. His blues songs really grow on you with each listening. I go back to play his 1982 “Jinx” album frequently.
And finally, some local Austin music from the Black Pumas, regular performers at C Boys Heart and Soul (Continental Club sister venue). They just released a major label album after a lot of striving in tiny clubs.
Shelley several times now, and always enjoyed her songs. Four Aussies took the seats in the row in front of us and we had a great chat while we waited for the band to start. Then the first of several surprises happened. Diana noticed Carolyn Wonderland setting up her guitar. She’s not a regular part of Shelley’s band and was obviously going to sit in. We love her singing and guitar playing – this is the lady that I took my sister and family to see when they visited almost 2 years ago now. I really enjoyed the smile on Carolyn’s face as she listened to Shelley and band before sitting in.
My birthday present from Mum and Dad was waiting when I got back to the apartment from the ER, a bit after 1am, and McD was quite insistent that I open it up. Meet Harris McCoo (left) and Donald McDee (right). There from the Scottish artist Steven Brown who is becoming quite famous these days. I really love his work and these selections.
While troubleshooting a big work issue, my amazing and fierce wife also whipped up a delicious made from scratch “end of birthday week” dinner of my favourites. Pavlova birthday cake and two kinds of meat pies (the best versions yet). Alicia gets a lot of credit for helping as Diana had to jump on and off calls and send update emails. The results of all their toil were excellent.
and shared a “Blues Burger” – blue cheese and crumbled onion rings. The visit was actually a scouting trip to see if this would be a good place to meet our friend Rob and his wife for dinner on Wednesday (he ended up having to cancel). Somebody told us a few years ago that the easiest test of a restaurant is to see if they make a good burger. Zax passed the test with a tasty and nicely cooked burger. The ambiance inside was a bit quiet and dated but the patio looked fun.
Having selected our apartment for the shortest possible (within reason) commute to the office, I was irked to see the news on Thursday night. A new high rise building going in next to us is requiring lane closures right next to the Catherine building for three months. Ugh! I’m sure it won’t add too much time to my commute, but I’ve really been enjoying getting to the office in 10 minutes rather than the hour it took in Dallas.
My official birthday week kicked off when I got home on Friday evening with a bowl of one of my favourite food groups presented by BP (Baby Penguin). All of the penguins also put together a very creative card to recognize the birthday week.
I tried something new on Saturday morning – swimming laps in the apartment pool. The temperature was a bit bracing initially but I had a nice long swim, followed by some relaxation time in the sauna. Swimming really eases my back pain and so I look forward to repeating this start to the day until the pool gets too hot.
I chose a new destination for coffee and a crossword with Keith. High Note is a new restaurant from the Kerbey Lane group and features fresh and healthy breakfast and brunch options with a Mediterranean flair. We shared blistered shishito peppers and I enjoyed a Kale Mary (very green and healthy). We both liked High Note and the food coming out around us looked very good. Another good coffee and brunch option in walking distance.
Arriving home after dinner, I was presented with this excellent gift. It’s a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a 19th century poet most famous for “Paul Revere’s Ride”. It makes me think of the Playing for Change series that I shared a couple of weeks ago where musicians from around the world collaborate on songs.
Sunday started with a swim and sauna. While Diana sunned herself by the pool, I walked down South Congress to the Continental Club to see the matinee show (3:30pm) with the Marshall Hood band. It was interesting to step into the dark and well air conditioned club from the bright, hot day outside.
A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who were celebrating on Sunday.
I meant to share this New Yorker cartoon last week as “May the 4th be with you” is a big day for Star Wars fans. Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in most of the Star Wars movies, also passed away last week. I didn’t realize that he was 7 feet 3 inches tall at his prime.
These were the inspiration for the Seventies sitcom featuring the antics of two Liverpudlian lasses. Guess what they called it? You nailed it – “The Liver Birds”. I didn’t remember it from the name, but after watching a YouTube video, I remember it quite well from my childhood.
Diana enjoyed the Saxon Pub experience and particularly the folks “dancing like nobody was watching”. This place is full of happy, friendly people looking to enjoy the music. An interesting couple joined us at our table. Bill and Marianne met in a Chinese restaurant in Peurto Vallarta during a thunderstorm. Bill attended UT before riding his Harley across country to San Francisco, where he got a job as a mailman, during the “Summer of Love” in 1967. He had just had ankle replacement surgery – did you know that was an option? We’ve heard of hips and knees, but I hadn’t heard of ankles.
We walked across the street from the Saxon Pub to Chi’lantro for a snack. This is an Asian Fusion, Korean style restaurant with excellent “Kimchi” fries and Korean chicken wings. Not familiar with kimchi? I wasn’t either but it’s kind of a cabbagey concoction. Wiki says: a staple in Korean cuisine, kimchi is a famous traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings including gochugaru (chili powder), scallions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood).
Greenwich Village was once the center of New York bohemia and, like many other artsy neighborhoods around the country, has gone through significant gentrification in recent years. But one shop in the heart of the Village had remained resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars. There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice, Cindy Hulej, build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches, and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they are embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou 
Reed, and Patti Smith. The film captures five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars, while examining an all-too-quickly vanishing way of life.
We reconvened at the Apartment for dinner and then walked across the bridge to Antone’s for a concert. Roxy Roca was opening for Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Diana chose this as her Mother’s Day eve show over Sis DeVille at the One to One Club. Unfortunately the show was over 21 only and so Alicia practiced her story on the walk over. No real problem getting in – just a couple of questions that she handled well.
We hadn’t heard of Roxy Roca and were going to skip the opening act, but some YouTube research showed a great brass section and music that we thought we’d enjoy. They are an Austin based band and put on a good opening set.
We enjoyed Big Sam’s Funky Nation a few months ago at the Kessler, when they opened for the Rebirth Brass Band. It was great to see them as the main attraction. Happy, fun music very well presented. So much so that we couldn’t drag Alicia out of the show. “Two more songs and we’re leaving!” “No we’re not!”. 
We did finally leave a little after midnight and tried again to make a visit to the Elephant Room for some late night jazz. The band was on a break and the place was crowded, so we made the walk back to the apartment earlier than we might have – probably a good thing.
At around the same time in California, Cat was finishing up a very grueling day of testing for his black belt. He’s trying to look mean and tough in this picture and I can tell he’s exhausted. A very impressive and dedicated effort he’s made to get this far over the last few years. Late breaking update as I’m about to publish – Cat passed the test and received his official black belt!
But wait, there’s more. I had read that the pastry chef was excellent and so we agreed to share a desert. The arugula cake with meringue, rhubarb, and strawberries was both completely unique and delicious. The presentation reminded us of the garden dish at Manresa on our anniversary dinner.
We dropped Alicia back at the apartment for some more “studying” and then walked across the 1st Street bridge and down the riverside trail to Rainey Street. This is the historic area that I took Denny on his visit, where small houses have been turned into bars and restaurants. The street was hopping on Sunday afternoon and McD and I chose the back patio at Lucille as a good spot to 
relax for a while. There was a lot of entertaining activity – karaoke in progress, various games with rings and bean bags, puppies entertaining themselves trying to eat the Jasmine plant and then falling fast asleep. We walked up the street and back over the Congress bridge, pausing to take a funny picture at the Little Brother bar.
This bar is most famous for featuring in one of the late, great Anthony Bourdain’s television shows. Particularly the taco truck that parks out front. I do think that this is a great place to settle in with a good book.
Dos Jefes cigar bar doesn’t look like much from the outside (in typical New Orleans fashion) but features great live music every night of the week. John Fohl, best known as the guitar player in Dr. John’s band for many years, has a standing Monday night gig. We saw him there a few years ago and really enjoyed his set. I enjoyed this riff on James Booker’s “Classified”:
Anne was able to join us for the show and, as is pretty typical, took time to have a long conversation with Fohl. Mr. “Good Lord” Alex was also able to join us about half way through the first set. Here’s another one of the songs from an excellent first night in New Orleans:
Tuesday festivities started at a new restaurant, “Justine”, in the French Quarter – thanks to Anne for “Oganizing” reservations. This is the new venture from Justin Devillier, the chef/owner behind “La Petite Grocery” – a place we’ve loved for several years. Justin appeared on Top Chef season 11 and has won many awards since beginning his career as a line cook in 2004.
Diana and Anne didn’t have much of a rest before heading out for oyster and champagne Happy Hour at Pascal’s Manale. This is always one of the highlights of McD’s trips to New Orleans, as she gets to catch up with her New Orleans girlfriends.
As we were getting ready to head out for the evening, Denny’s neighbor asked for some help pushing his 1956 Thunderbird into the garage, resulting in this entertaining video:
We hadn’t had quite enough music yet, and rode over to the French Quarter again to see Dragon Smoke at One Eyed Jacks – now having rendezvoused with Diana. This band is a kind of New Orleans supergroup that has come together on the Tuesday night of the week between Jazzfest weekends to perform a one of a kind show for the last 19 years. The members are Ivan Neville (Neville Brothers and Dumpstaphunk), Eric Lindell, Stanton Moore (Galactic) and Robert Mercurio (Galactic). I laughed at the sign outside the venue stating “Early Show – Dragon Smoke – Sold Out” which I saw after 11pm still waiting for the band to assemble from their other various gigs and start.
We had an excellent dinner experience at Patois, just down the street from Denny and Anne’s home. I started with a duck mousse pate that was amazing and Diana had some beautifully cooked octopus in a sizzling skillet.
Thursday also began with a pleasant stroll through Audubon park. I always enjoy seeing the moss in the trees that is so typically Southern. This was used to make mattresses and I’m sure was pretty comfortable.
Norma, my CIO for Latin America and based in Guatemala, bought tickets to Jazzfest when the Rolling Stones were originally scheduled to play on Thursday. She kept her plans to visit New Orleans and met us for a delicious Peruvian dinner at Tito’s Ceviche and Pisco. The weather was good and we sat on the patio and enjoyed a good sampling of the menu. The lamb shank and hanger steak with pesto linguine were my favourites.
legend, Johnny Sansone, in the event space of Monkey Hill bar. This was an excellent show in a great small venue. The blue lights at the front of the stage made it challenging for me to get good pictures and video. Things started out very well with Luke Winslow King and Roberto Luti. Luke is a good friend of my old boss, Vince, who had sent me a signed copy of his last album – it was very nice to hear it live.
The excellent evening closed with some Blues royalty. The band including Fohl, Crowne, and Sansone, were joined by Benny Turner, younger brother of Freddie King and bass player for years in the Freddie King band. What a treat and what a character.
Our Friday at Jazzfest was upon us. This is the 50th anniversary of this wonderful institution and we were hoping for good weather and a great day. As you can see, the skies started off a bit overcast and threatening rain.
From Congo we made the walk through to the Gentilly stage for Shamarr Allen. What an amazingly small cornet he uses, but still gets a great sound. McD was annoyed when Shamarr started her favourite “Weekend Dance” song only to be shut down by the festival police as he reached the end of his time slot – nobody goes over time at Jazzfest.
Next was a quick jaunt back to the Fais Do Do stage (Anne’s favourite) where a lot of local Cajun style music is featured. Cedric Watson was a classic example of this style. I was entertained by his punk rock, Joan Jett looking, washboard player.
Getting tired of walking and too hot in the sun yet? Me too, so we stopped into the paddock area for a breather and some shade.
Diana faught her way up front to get a better view and got this picture from the screen looking out on the extensive Jazzfest crowd. Can you see us back there on the left side?
Our New Orleans vacation started to wind down on Saturday. We had a midday flight but managed to work in one final meal with Denny and Anne before heading to the airport. Echo’s Pizza offers a very nice brunch – Diana and I shared the Echo’s Breakfast – avocado toast, eggs, bacon, and potatoes (delicious). The heavens opened just as we were leaving and so Denny and Anne very kindly dropped us at the airport. Those two are the best hosts you could ever hope for and have been to us for so many years – very special!
rocker still touring strong in his mid 70s – and grew up in Essex. He joined Procul Harem (best known for “A Whiter Shade of Pale”) in the late 60s and played on their 5 first albums. Trower then formed a power trio and is best known for his 1974 album “Bridge of Sighs”. I remember Andy Bull had that album on heavy repeat in one of our University flats. Here is a portion of the title song from that album from the Moody theater:
I read two good books this week. The first, Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan is quite the crazy saga. The story begins on the Faith Plantation in Barbados in the 1830s, where sugar cane is grown and harvested. Edugyan is brutally honest in her portrayal of the physical and emotional brutality of slavery. We meet George Washington Black, a six year old child born into slavery. Wash’s family is unknown to him and his desperation to “belong to” another human being is palpable. Serendipitously, Wash is chosen by the younger brother of the plantation owner, to serve as his scientific assistant. Under the watchful eye of Christopher “Titch” WIlde, the boy learns some reading and math skills, but especially hones his ability to draw natural objects. This first section of the novel is well written and credible but, after the two prepare for a trip aloft in a hot-air balloon, the novel begins to unravel quickly and become much less believable.
I enjoyed my second book, “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah, more than the first. I read this book over the course of the weekend and struggled to put it down. The novel revolves around the family of Ernt Allbright, a veteran returning from Vietnam and suffering from what we now know as PTSD. He moves his family to the wilds of Alaska to start their lives anew. Initially it’s a welcome change, but as winter approaches, and Ernt’s mental state deteriorates, his wife and daughter find themselves in an increasingly precarious position. Leni and Cora are the heart of what is as much a mother-daughter love story as it is a pressure cooker of the pain of living with PTSD. Together they reckon not only with the elements, but with some bad decisions, born from the stubborn faith that Ernt will somehow recover and become the loving person he was before the war.
Grissom happy hour residency. You’ll remember me raving last week about the film we saw about the Saxon Pub at the Dallas International Film Festival. One of the more entertaining characters is Chris who works the sound board and absolutely loves his job. He does an amazing job on the sound. Here is on Tuesday night working the sound and also the lights (using some special tool comprised of a rod with a tennis ball on top).
having been cooped up in meetings all week and then on the bus trip down. We had an early dinner at 2nd bar and kitchen – some of our usual favourites: smoked salmon rilletes and avocado fundido. After dinner we walked up Congress Avenue to the Listening Room at the back of The Townsend. This is an amazing room with perfect acoustics that only seats about 60 people.
We were walking back home down Congress Street when I heard a good cover of “Have you ever seen the rain?” by CCR coming from the Shiner Saloon. I had never been in this particular establishment and found it very pleasant – good music and a very nice upstairs patio with various games. We enjoyed watching these kids playing a very large Jenga game.
Easter Sunday morning started with workouts and then Diana joined me for a walk along the river trail – this time on the South side. Much of the trail on this side is an elevated boardwalk style path that is very well done. The views back into downtown are quite impressive.
Mott the Hoople’s Greatest Hits has been one of my favourite albums for more than 35 years now. I also enjoy the Ian Hunter (lead singer for Mott) solo albums and have one in my collection that I bought on holiday in France with my Mum and Dad (it’s aging very well). The band reformed recently for a few shows. Here they are in Boston performing “Saturday Gigs” and “All the Young Dudes” (a song written by David Bowie and gifted to the band as they were trying to get started).
James is the son of Larry McMurtry, the famous Western author (best known for Lonesome Dove), and his songs feel more like short stories than songs – so much colour and detail. His 12 string guitar playing was also very impressive. Here’s a clip of “Choctaw Bingo”:
Poor Diana had to leave on the bus back to Dallas on Wednesday morning – leaving the two of us unsupervised. She’s had poor luck on the bus trips lately and that continued as a truck dumped an entire load of lumber a few trucks in front of the bus. This caused Diana to be late for her client meeting in Dallas but at least she had a good story and accompanying picture.
Denny’s visit finished up with a very pleasant and relaxing lunch on the patio at Shady Grove. Denny bought himself a Continental Club t shirt that he’s sporting in this picture – he must have enjoyed that venue. Such a great visit but too short – looking forward to a return visit with Anne included.
Perry’s in Grapevine and Diana and Penelope picked me up there. We (Penelope was left outside glaring at a Jaguar parked in front of her) enjoyed some of their excellent steak tartare and then headed home. I complained about how spread out everything is in Dallas and McKinney after the compact, walkable area around the Catherine.
The documentary director, Jeff Sandman, and his team were on hand for a Question and Answer session after the film. This was an unexpected treat and it was obvious how much Jeff cares for the venue. A very nice experience and well worth the trouble we took to drive in extended thunder storms to get to the theater.
After the usual Sunday morning routine, we watched Tiger Woods pull off the amazing feat of winning his 5th Masters tournament. After that relaxation, I fixed Penelope’s windshield wipers and did some light weeding and trimming around the pool. Everything is in full bloom with all the rain and warmer weather. Our maple in front of the house seems particularly happy:
quiet time to finish up a book that I’ve been reading for several weeks. “The Unwinding of the Miracle” by Julie-Yip Williams is not a positive, uplifting book by any stretch. I won’t bring everyone down with a lengthy review, but it tells the story of Williams childhood in Vietnam, with cataracts that render her mostly blind, the family’s escape on a barely seaworthy boat, ultimate arrival in America, surgery to restore most of her sight, her graduation from Harvard Law and then, in her early forties, a 4 year battle with colon cancer. The book is very well written and brutally honest about all the challenges. The Epilogue by her husband is heart-breakingly hard to read. Let’s pick things back up now with some new music discoveries.
Thursday was another quiet evening – I spent my first evening on the bedroom balcony, enjoying the great weather and reading, while Diana finished up work calls.
The evening began with a pleasant walk over the 1st Street bridge to Le Politique. When we found this place last week, the gentleman next to me at the bar was raving about the Texas quail dish he was having. I opted to give it a try and was very happy with it – stuffed with a mushroom mix and perfectly cooked. We appreciated the way the food was described as it was served – a very detailed and enthusiastic run down on everything on the plate and how the sauces were made. The best presentation that I’ve seen yet.
After dinner, we attempted to execute Shu’s recommendation at the Elephant Room – it was too busy with a line waiting for seats to free up. No worries, Antone’s was just around the corner and we caught the end of Shamarr Allen’s opening set and some of Flow Tribe before walking back home. Shamarr’s “Weekend Dance” song was particularly entertaining as he picked random crowd members to show him their “weekend dances”.
Saturday was very wet and dark – Austin recorded 5 inches of rain over the weekend – and so we stayed indoors with morning workouts and lots of quality reading time. We did take a few minutes to decorate the guest bedroom ahead of Denny’s visit.
Apartment decorating was rounded out by hanging (with some really nifty new hanging hardware) the beautiful snuggling penguins painting that Patty and Brent had made for us. We think it looks great in this location where we have a good view from the sofa.
My arrival at the Catherine on Monday night was greeted by six packages that needed hauling up to the apartment. Thank goodness for the hotel valet style trolley that they make available. This time most of the boxes were of my own doing – cushions, a painting, and a lampshade to finish out my interior decorating. I think they all look quite nice.
Patty, Brent and Diana all arrived in Austin on Thursday for a long weekend. They share our love for good and interesting food, and we ate well all weekend long.
Saturday started with workouts and some of my special breakfast tacos, which seemed to be well received. We enjoyed looking down on the “National Taco Championship” in the parking lot of the Austin American Statesman. This not only included a taco championship, but also Mexican wrestling and a chihuahua beauty parade. You can almost spot the wrestlers with their masks in the picture.
I drove over to downtown to pick up the shoppers who had spent quite a bit of money on jewelry and ceramic bats. We had a small naming contest for the blue ceramic bat that now nests in our desk area. After some initial rejections, Brent came up with a winner. “He’s into the blues, so he must be Bats Domino”. Perfect! And another example of that amazing piece of human anatomy that is Brent’s brain.
Dinner was at Juliet Italian, which fortunately is almost a mile walk from the Catherine. We all loved our food and had lots of leftovers to carry home. The cioppino was a particular highlight and I loved my mushroom fettuccine. A night at Juliet wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Carpenter next door to play a record. This time, Al Green was Patty’s choice.
After the long walk back (at least a mile and a half), we enjoyed a low key dinner and a movie. Then we ventured across the street to see if we could see the bats flying for the first time. There is a colony of over 500,000 bats that nest under the Congress Street bridge and are quite the tourist attraction. No bats flew on Saturday night due to the cold, blustery weather and so we weren’t sure we’d see any on Sunday either. The sun had almost set by the time the first few bats ventured out and then many more of them took flight. It’s tough to capture them in a photo due to the flight speed but you can see some little smudges (if you zoom way in) in the picture where they are moving.
