Food – Keith Robertson

Week in Review – March 23rd, 2025

“Fete Francaise”

I helped Greg load Buttercup (our Mardi Gras float) from under Hugh’s house onto his truck. Just a little bit too long, but made it home safely.

The Tuesday highlight was another Bayou Boys win at Dat Dog trivia. Denny wasn’t able to make it – hmmm. The equally good news – kevbot (our nemesis team) wasn’t in the top three.

I watched a movie later that evening, “Becoming Katherine Graham”:

Graham was the editor of the Washington Post during the controversial period of the Watergate investigations and the ultimate ousting of Nixon. She stood up to Nixon and others who bullied her very effectively.

Movie matinee was my activity on Wednesday. I visited the downtown Canal Plaza Prytania theaters for the first time to see “Becoming Led Zeppelin.” Parking and getting to the theaters was much easier than anticipated. There were a lot of very fancy shops around the theaters – I was not aware they even existed.

This was about the early days of the band and the studio work that brought Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones together. I chuckled at a story about them playing on Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger.” Dad was a big Shirley Bassey fan. Highly recommended for fans of the band.

After the movie, I met Anne for lunch at the Columns – always a treat on a nice, sunny day. Denny had made a mistake with his flight and wasn’t coming home until later in the day.

Sitting on the porch in the afternoon, Britney asked “Want to feel old, Keith?” Then she showed me Augie’s “Class of 2039” banner. We’ll be 75 when he graduates from high school. Yes, Britney, you did make me feel old. Here’s Augie in the shirt we brought him from Scotland:

Such a poseur.

Kenny and I attended Danny Barker fest at the Jazz Museum on Thursday. This was a very pleasant festival – outside in the courtyard and not too busy. Would you like to know about Danny Barker? Okay – here’s an overview:

Danny Barker was born to a family of musicians in New Orleans in 1909, the grandson of bandleader Isidore Barbarin and nephew of drummers Paul Barbarin and Louis Barbarin. He took up clarinet and drums before switching to a ukulele that his aunt got him, and then a banjo from his uncle or a trumpeter named Lee Collins.

From 1939 to 1946, he frequently recorded with Cab Calloway, and started his own group featuring his wife Blue Lu Barker after leaving Calloway. On September 4, 1945, he recorded with Ohio‘s native jazz pianist, Sir Charles Thompson, and saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker.^[1] In 1947, he was performing again with Lucky Millinder, and also with Bunk Johnson. He returned to working with Albert Nicholas in 1948 and in 1949 rejoined efforts with his wife in a group.

In 1965, Barker returned to New Orleans and took up a position as assistant to the curator of the New Orleans Jazz Museum. In 1970, he founded and led a church-sponsored brass band for young people—the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band. Reverend Andrew Darby, Jr., the Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church commissioned ‘Brother’ Barker to form a Christian band, and Barker went throughout the neighborhood of the church enlisting young musicians. The Fairview band launched the careers of musicians who performed in brass band and mainstream jazz contexts, including Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Leroy Jones, Kirk Joseph, Nicholas Payton, Shannon Powell, Lucien Barbarin, and Dr. Michael White, among others. As Joe Torregano—another Fairview band alumnus—described it, “That group saved jazz for a generation in New Orleans.

Here’s a couple of videos of Greg Stafford performing in the afternoon:

Kermit was up after Stafford. I love this picture of Kermit and Danny Barker together years ago at French Quarter Fest:

Fete Francaise was on Saturday. I always enjoy this small festival put on by the French bilingual school on Magazine Street. They have food tents from local French restaurants and always very good music. Anne suggested lunch at La Petite Grocery (right next to the festival location) as the tents often run out of the most desired food and drinks. Lunch was great – I enjoyed the fusilli pasta with short rib and mushrooms. The portion was just right for lunch on a hot day.

The theme for this year was “From the heart of Paris to the soul of New Orleans.” I like it.

The Preservation Hall band provided the majority of the entertainment. Ben Jaffe, leader of the band and tuba player, has a daughter at the school.

Here are a couple of videos:

The older gentleman on the saxophone in the second video is Charlie Gabriel – still going strong at 92!

There was an unadvertised band after the Preservation Brass – describing themselves as “French cosmonauts” and quite entertaining:

I really appreciated this story on 60 minutes on Sunday night. What a great job by Scott Pelley and the team:

Here’s an article claiming New Orleans as the best food city in the world:

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/new-orleans-best-food-city/article_f8cec324-ff82-11ef-963f-33baf8e7f63d.html

I think that’s quite a stretch – Paris, New York, Barcelona?

Spring is in bloom by the front porch:

I take these pictures so that Diana can enjoy the blossoms that she’s missing.

I read “The Futures” by Anna Pitoniak this week. This was a fast and easy read, not living up to the excellent reviews from several well respected sources. It seemed a bit light and fluffy as it covered the 2008 crash. Here’s the online review:

“In this dazzling debut novel about love and betrayal, a young couple moves to New York City in search of success-only to learn that the lives they dream of may come with dangerous strings attached.

Julia and Evan fall in love as undergraduates at Yale. For Evan, a scholarship student from a rural Canadian town, Yale is a whole new world, and Julia — blond, beautiful, and rich — fits perfectly into the future he’s envisioned for himself. After graduation, and on the eve of the great financial meltdown of 2008, they move together to New York City, where Evan lands a job at a hedge fund. But Julia, whose privileged upbringing grants her an easy but wholly unsatisfying job with a nonprofit, feels increasingly shut out of Evan’s secretive world.

With the market crashing and banks failing, Evan becomes involved in a high-stakes deal at work — a deal that, despite the assurances of his Machiavellian boss, begins to seem more than slightly suspicious. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past who offers a glimpse of a different kind of live. As the economy craters, and as Evan and Julia spin into their separate orbits, they each find that they are capable of much more — good and bad — than they’d ever imagined.”

I learned of a New Orleans based band, J & the Causeways, that I really enjoy:

Branford Marsalis has a new album out – a cover of Keith Jarrett’s original suite:

And David Lowery of Cracker also has a new album:

Coexist peacefully, with patience and kindness for all!

Week in Review – March 2nd, 2025

“Mardi Gras Part 2”

Finn and Holly drove down from McKinney on Wednesday, arriving in time to get inside the box caused by all the street closures for parades. We live inside the box, which can make driving a challenge during Mardi Gras season. They got settled into their room and then I took them out to their first parade:

This was an unusually quiet evening and a great way to introduce them to Mardi Gras.

Diana arrived back from San Francisco around midnight and got ready to participate in Mardi Gras.

We enjoyed lunch at Commander’s Palace on Thursday. Finn walked in, looked around, and said “Wow, Dad!” He was equally taken with the fancy surroundings and the costumes and parties underway. It was Muses Thursday – Muses being one of the biggest and most popular of all the parades. Diana had alerted the restaurant that we were having a late celebration for Fin and Holly’s engagement.

The food and atmosphere were excellent.

Here is a group of Muses riders celebrating before the parade behind Diana:

We exited through the kitchen so that I could show Finn the organized chaos that goes into serving all those meals with such precision. The garden patio was beautiful on such a perfect day:

Thanks to Mum for the gift certificate that we used for this lovely celebration.

The parades that night were very busy and maybe a bit overwhelming for newcomers:

Sometimes you just need to take some time out on the porch:

I dropped the kids at the zoo on Friday morning and Diana and I had a walk around the park. Then it was time to get back inside the box for the Friday parades.

Our house was Mardi Gras central for the extended krewe on Tucks Saturday. Our neighbours, Roeland and Jules, ride in that parade. Walking by their house a day or two before, Jules asked me to wait as he had something for me. A custom throw that he knew he wouldn’t be able to get to me in the parade madness – plunger penguin:

Everyone brought delicious food over to help feed the multitude of folks at our house. Busy inside:

Outside:

And on the porch:

Jack thought he could use all the confusion to execute a penguin “ransom situation”:

Oliver was enjoying his second Mardi Gras season at 18 months. Greg tried to copy his hair:

The core group remaining in the evening were kind to humour my request for a sit down dinner at the dining table. I enjoyed it. Phew – busy day at 1520 Washington.

We ventured outside the box early on Thoth Sunday to park at Denny and Anne’s and watch the parade on Magazine Street. Denny and Diana had matching pants:

Anne opted for a more understated outfit:

It was less crowded on Magazine Street than by our house on St Charles – a pleasant change:

We watched a little of the Oscars on Webster Street and then headed home as the box opened in time for the last two or three awards – no big movies that I really cared for this year.

I finished the wonderful “James” by Percival Everett this week. I highly recommend this unique and creative read. You’ll remember it’s a reimagining of Huck Finn, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

I started another book, read two chapters and gave up. Not even worth mentioning the title – it was that bad. Where do some of these reviewers that recommended it get the gall to waste my time like that?

I heard this song on Diana’s country music channel in the car – I liked the song and looked down and was surprised it was on that channel – a great voice and overall sound:

See – I can keep an open mind about that bro-country station:)

I can’t remember where I heard this, but it brings to mind early 1960s Kinks:

Finally, a wonderful cover of one of my all time favourites:

Coexist peacefully, with patience and kindness for all!

Week in Review – February 23rd, 2025

“Movie Week”

Kenny and Denny joined me at the Prytania theater on Monday afternoon to watch the Oscar nominated live action shorts. These were five short films with quite varied subject matter and styles.

I did get in trouble for talking during one of the films. We had dinner at La Cocinita to share our thoughts. No clear agreement. I thought “I am not a robot” from the Netherlands was the most entertaining. I think Denny and Kenny preferred “The Last Ranger” about rhino horn poaching in South Africa, but maybe Kenny liked “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” from Croatia – that’s the one the critics think will win and was my least favourite.

We did not do well at trivia on Tuesday night. I believe we were between eighth and tenth. Things started to go badly when Denny insisted on answering “Is chemical energy an example of potential or kinetic energy?” with kinetic, even after I gave the example of a battery which is stored up or potential energy. And they got worse from there. A bad night for the Bayou Boyz.

I talked Kenny into attending the Wednesday morning movie matinee with me at the Prytania. The offering this week was “The Conversation”, starring Gene Hackman and directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1974.

We agreed that this film was pretty slow, with a confusing and convoluted plot line. Coppola apparently was very committed to writing and directing this movie and only agreed to direct “The Godfather II” after the studio agreed to “The Conversation.”

Kara joined us for lunch at Martin after the movie.

It was a cold and early start for me on Thursday morning – 30 degrees when I left home at 6:30am for my flight to San Francisco. Diana picked me up at the airport and we resumed the routine of helping Clorinda.

Today was a busy day – visits from cousin Joelle and Jerry, Adam, and Victor and Jennifer – all three at slightly different times. We made a new recipe – orzo Mediterranean salad – and thankfully had enough for everyone. This was a good recipe from the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper.

Diana has fallen way down the rabbit hole of bracelet fabrication. Look at this whole enterprise and the tools involved:

This all started with a desire to make a “few” Mardi Gras bracelets.

Andy and Jude came down on Friday night. They are always such great company. Andy had to make a quick trip home when his new replica of Prince’s Telecaster was delivered.

Jeff and Merry Lee sent some pictures of penguins that they took in Antarctica:

I finished up “Rabbit is Rich” – an enjoyable read but not really my thing, and started “James” by Percival Everret. This is described as:

“#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER• NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.”

I’m not far into the book but am enjoying it a lot already.

Here’s an old classic that I heard on the local radio station, WWOZ:

And a couple from a band that’s been around for a long time that I just heard this week:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – February 2nd, 2025

“More of the same”

This week was quite similar to last week – helping to make Clorinda as comfortable as possible as she regains her strength. The good news is she has a very good appetite and is always so alert and responsiveness when her grandchildren show up:

We did manage to escape for lunch at Puerto 27, a very good local Peruvian restaurant, while Clorinda was at dialysis. Diana went for comfort food and was very happy with her burger, while I chose an avocado and crab sandwich.

I passed some of the time with the new documentary series about Saturday Night Live on Peacock. The episode on “More Cowbell” was hilarious and well researched, the episode on the musical guests, a pleasant walk down memory lane.

We flew home to New Orleans on Saturday and were surprised to see the airport so quiet on our arrival before 8pm. TSA closed, all stores and restaurants closed, so clearly no departing flights. Seemed unusual. It will not be like that next week when the Super Bowl comes to town.

We were getting parade updates for Chewbacchus, a walking parade that we’ve enjoyed in previous years. It has a science fiction geeky theme, and certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously. We were much too tired to venture into the fray and so missed Kara and Debra in their Wonder Women krewe. I think McD should join them next year – what are your thoughts? She just needs a little encouragement and some help with her outfit.

It’s always hard to wind down after a day of travel. We watched a very good movie, “The Peanut Butter Falcon”, to try and relax and it did the trick. Great acting and a nicely understated and calm storyline.

The weather today was the best of the year so far – 70 degrees, blue skies, and, most importantly, no humidity. We celebrated with a couple of laps around Audubon park – always a treat.

I started “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” by Bono this week. I’m about half way through just now, and am really enjoying the read. The writing is honest and lacks any of the bombast that you might expect, given his public persona. I’ll share some of my favourite passages next week. Here’s some of the online chatter:

“NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • Bono—artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2—has written a memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, Surrender is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him. • A VOGUE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“A brilliant, very funny, very revealing autobiography-through-music. Maybe the best book ever written about being a rockstar.” —Caitlin Moran, award-winning journalist

“When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim’s lack of progress … With a fair amount of fun along the way.” —Bono

As one of the music world’s most iconic artists and the cofounder of the organizations ONE and (RED), Bono’s career has been written about extensively. But in Surrender, it’s Bono who picks up the pen, writing for the first time about his remarkable life and those he has shared it with. In his unique voice, Bono takes us from his early days growing up in Dublin, including the sudden loss of his mother when he was fourteen, to U2’s unlikely journey to become one of the world’s most influential rock bands, to his more than twenty years of activism dedicated to the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty. Writing with candor, self-reflection, and humor, Bono opens the aperture on his life—and the family, friends, and faith that have sustained, challenged, and shaped him.

Surrender’s subtitle, 40 Songs, One Story, is a nod to the book’s forty chapters, which are each named after a U2 song. Bono has also created forty original drawings for Surrender, which appear throughout the book.”

I didn’t save off any new songs this week – that’s a first. Not sure why. Here’s a classic that was in the soundtrack to a movie I was watching, can’t remember which one:

The wonderful guitarist, Julian Lage, has a new album out with a lot of very varied content:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – January 19th, 2025

“Back to Pacifica, CA”

On Monday, we walked to Walgreens to drop off a Kate Spade FedEX return. I bought Diana an iPhone bracelet for Christmas and it’s the wrong size. I got quite confused and called Kendra Scott to ask about it, prior to realizing that the bracelet was actually from Kate Spade. I even tried to visit the Kendra Scott store for help, before realizing I had made the same mistake twice.

After the walk, we drove over to Frenchy’s gallery on Oak Street to look at a painting that he did of Jon Batiste at Jazzfest last year. We had a very nice visit with Frenchy, just back from the Big Easy music cruise. He told us stories and showed the paintings he made on the cruise. I liked the Marcia Ball one, and he also had a great one of Keb Mo.

We liked the Jon Batiste painting very much – it captures the show that we saw at Jazzfest very well. It is now hanging on the wall behind my piano.

Frenchy said he snuck Tab Benoit in as the middle marching Jazzfest guy.

Here’s some biographical information on Frenchy:

“Born to a boxer and a saint on August 16th, 1970, in Lowell, MA, Randy Leo Frechette – a.k.a Frenchy – has been drawing since he could grip a pencil.

In grade school he impressed friends with caricatures, but he realized his true calling when The Boston Horns persuaded him to paint their Orlando performance LIVE. Since that day, Frenchy’s presence has filled venues around the globe with an explosion of creative spirit.

New Orleans has been his home, and his muse, since 1997, where the eclectic street and music scene continuously inspire his creative expression. Immersed into the sights and sounds of New Orleans, he could be found in music clubs such as the Maple Leaf Bar almost any night, mastering his “acousti-optics” with musical legends such as the Grammy Award-winning ReBirth Brass Band and more.”

I really enjoy seeing the painting each time I come in the front door.

We dropped “Table for Two” by Amor Towles off to Kenny after Frenchy. After that I tried Mint for a Vietnamese lunch – closed on Monday. Val’s Oaxacan Mexican was our backup. Delicious – mushroom queso fundido and an empanada for me, very unique and creative nachos for Diana.

Julia dropped off these pretty tulips as a get well from back surgery gift:

Clorinda was admitted to the hospital again, and so we flew to San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon. We spent the majority of the rest of the week shuttling back and forward to Mills Peninsula hospital to spend time with her. The NFL playoffs provided a little bit of distraction:

Alicia shared the annual report from her work with us. She had a big part to play in the content and layout, with particular attention on the Director’s message. Communivercity seems like a wonderful organization that brings together Community, University (San Jose State), and City in partnership to solve problems and encourage our youth.

It’s nice to see Alicia so happy and rewarded by such a worthwhile job.

My sister Elspeth’s birthday was on Sunday. I enjoyed telling her that it was also:

My first book this week was “Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and 500 Miles across Spain,” by Andrew McCarthy:

“Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor, travel writer, and television director. He is most known as a member of the Brat Pack, with roles in 1980s films such as St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, Mannequin, and Weekend at Bernie’s. He is ranked No. 40 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Teen Stars of all-time list.”

The book had me remembering a wonderful movie, “The Way”, where Martin Sheen walks the Camino de Santiago with his son filming and directing. A great movie, and this is a pretty good book. A quick and enjoyable read.

McCarthy’s son takes a while to settle in to the routine of the walk and to feel comfortable opening up to his dad:

“Then—I’m not sure exactly how—the topic turns to school. “School lowered what I perceived I’m capable of,” Sam says. “It did me more harm than good.” There is suddenly real emotion in his voice, real hurt. This is not fresh hurt, like the hurt he has been working through regarding The Ex, but a more saturated hurt. A hurt he has carried for years, for most of his life. It is the hurt born of lazy definition and judgment thrown heavily upon him like a wet overcoat. A hurt that blindsided him, then threatened to define him. His is the hurt of someone who was misunderstood and dismissed out of hand, before he had a chance to define his own experience. It is a hurt that, for a time, came closer to swallowing my son than I knew. It is a hurt with calcified edges.”

A fellow walker comments on the father-son relationship of the McCarthys:

“James nods. We sit. “I want to thank you,” he says softly. “For what?” “For showing me what a father-son relationship can be.” I wave the remark away. “You don’t see us when I’m trying to get him out of bed, or when I’m tired, or when he’s hungry, or, or, or…” “Just accept the love.” James smiles, throwing my words back at me. “I’ve wanted to walk this with my son… so thank you.” I sit with his remark. “You two talk about a lot, don’t you?” he begins again.”

McCarthy really opens up to his son:

“I went to my dad while he was dying, after years of estrangement. His eyes betrayed him, his terror. I took his cool, now lizard-like, hand in mine. I wanted to let go but didn’t. I sat with him. I apologized for not being the son he had wanted. I loved him. When we were beyond words, we released our past—let it fall to rot on the ground where it belonged. More than a vestige of love remained. I had gone to my father selfishly—and it must be said, at my wife’s urging. I did so that I might be a better father to my own children. The gifts children bear us are complex. Sam hurries to catch up. “Wow, Dad.” “I’m sorry, Sam. I shouldn’t have spoken like that.” I shake my head. “I’ve learned nothing.” “No, you were right.” “That doesn’t matter.” We walk. “Dad?” “Yeah?” “Your Spanish has gotten really good.””

As the duo approaches the end of the 500 mile trek, they are joined by many more walkers who are just doing the final section and haven’t endured the full experience:

“Older couples march with determination. Teens whoop and holler. Long-haul pilgrims stride with confidence. Gone is any resentment over newbies or interlopers to the trail. “All these people,” Sam says, “this is so cool.” He begins to sing Bruce Springsteen’s “The Promised Land,” loudly. Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man And I believe in a promised land.”

On completion of the 500 miles:

“We order Coke and coffee. I go into the bathroom and, as the door locks behind me, I’m surprised by a burst of sobs. Relief, sadness, joy, somehow disappointment, confusion, exhaustion, exhilaration, comingle—the awful truth of the sweetness of life throbs in an unguarded mix of emotions.”

I’m about halfway through my second book, “Martyr” by Kaveh Akbar.

Here are some online reviews:

“NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW’S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • ATIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR • A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.

“Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite writers. Ever.” —Tommy Orange, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of There There

“The best novel you’ll ever read about the joy of language, addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness.” —Lauren Groff, best-selling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies

Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.”

I have mixed feelings about the book so far – hasn’t really sucked me in too well. Hoping for a pick up in the second half.

The New Orleans Jazzfest 2025 lineup was announced this week, and it includes the jamband Goose. I heard a great set from them on my friend Matt’s Houston radio show a few weeks ago. I’ve been doing some listening, and am not sure I love them – a bit too much sameness to the guitar noodling. What do you think?

And yes, I’m having trouble embedding Spotify links over the last two weeks – always upgrading and breaking things. After an hour or so of putzing around, I think it’s fixed:

Open in Spotify

I do like this Goose song quite a bit:

Open in Spotify

And finally, something from the latest Chuck Prophet album. We were supposed to go and see him at Chickie Wah Wah on Thursday night, but will have to wait on the next tour now:

Open in Spotify

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – January 5th, 2025

“Happy New Year, followed by tragedy in New Orleans”

We rode a real rollercoaster of emotions this week. The joy and camaraderie of our New Year’s Eve party, followed by the tragic news of terrorism that we woke up to the next morning. Thanks to the many folks that contacted us to check on the safety of our family and friends.

The early part of the week was spent on party preparations – several shopping trips, put up decorations, set up the Bartesian bar area, and finally, pick up the Saj (local Mediterranean restaurant) catering.

We invited folks to begin arriving at 6:30pm, not expecting anyone until around 7:30pm. Wrong – John and Julia showed up right on time and helped with the final preparations. We had around 35 folks, including the various kids (really young adults) that came and went over the night. Here are some pictures of the group:

Those are our neighbours, Roeland and Jules, on the right. Jules brought his famous meatballs to share with the group. Kenny is standing to the left of Diana, and he brought his very popular open-faced muffulettas. Here are Nina (one of Diana’s favourites) and the leader of her fan club:

Diana repurposed Mardi Gras throw hats with New Year’s Eve appropriate bands:

Denny and Kenny organized a special performance from the original New Orleans character that is Valerie Sassyfras:

She set up in the side yard and everyone moved outside to enjoy the performance. Very well received by most (Bad Fred isn’t a huge fan.) I was amazed that McD was oblivious to the whole thing until I invited folks into the backyard.

We’re all getting older. Only six of us made it to midnight:

We woke up to the tragic news of the terrorist attack around 3am on Bourbon Street. I love what Chris Peet, one of our party attendees did to send a message when Bourbon opened up again:

I was reading the paper and thought, “that looks like Chris Peet,” – sure enough that’s exactly who it was, “reclaiming the route for love.”

I joined the guys at the Bulldog on New Year’s afternoon to watch the UT vs Arizona State college football playoff game. UT had a comfortable lead and then Arizona came back to tie things up. Double overtime was very stressful for Thom – he had to go inside and away from the chatter of the group to watch the last portion of the game. UT ultimately prevailed.

On Thursday we celebrated Jack and Mason’s 22nd birthdays (born on o1/02/03) with a dinner at Pascal’s Manale. The girls (including a special appearance by Julia, whose daughter works at Pascal’s) started with oysters at the stand up bar, and then we had a great time in the “Manning” private dining room. That was followed by ice cream cake back at the Ogan residence.

Happy Birthday boys!

On Friday we had the pre-op appointment for Diana’s back surgery. It’s starting to get real and bit nerve wracking for both of us.

In the afternoon we went to the Broad to see the new movie about Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown.”

The movie was very well done, with Timothee Chalamet excellent as the young Dylan.

After the movie, we walked across the parking lot to the Broadside Theater for the Willow High School band fundraiser. This was a well done event, starting with a performance by the Willow band. That was followed by the Hot 8 Brass Band – a group that I always enjoy.

Shamar Allan’s son is in the Willow band, and he had organized the event as a fundraiser for a trip the band plans to take for a competition at Disneyland. Shamar’s band gave a fun performance, including a solo from his 13 year old son.

Saturday began with a couple of laps around Audubon park, and then we got to work on taking down the Christmas decorations and loading them up into the third floor attic. We needed to get those down in preparation for putting up Mardi Gras stuff on Twelfth Night – Monday. Not much of a break between the two this year.

Meanwhile, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, David was quite pleased with his completed puzzle:

I started “Table for Two” by Amor Towles this week. I’ve had it for over almost a year and have been waiting for a quiet time when I can really savour it. The book consists of six short stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood.

I’ve heard mixed reviews on this from friends – some preferring the short stories, and others the novella. I’ve enjoyed the first couple of short stories quite a bit – very entertaining and well written.

I heard this wonderful song, co-written by Bobby Charles and Rick Danko of the Band again this week. Great music.

A wonderful cover by the Scotsman, John Martyn:

I really like this cover of “Treme” by Mahmoud Chouki, originally from Morocco and now based in New Orleans:

And let’s finish up with something celebrating the good aspects of the Crescent City:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – December 29th, 2024

“Holiday gatherings – and another one, and yet another one”

Diana’s friend, Amy, joined us in Pacifica on Monday. I encouraged the girls to get out of the house for a while and they took me up on it. Champagne at Nick’s and a view of the waves:

You don’t really get the perspective from the video, but those were some large swells – the same ones that washed away the pier in Santa Cruz. After that the girls shopped at Sirens and then ran some other errands. Diana always enjoys hanging out with Amy.

Tuesday (Christmas Eve) started with a visit from Campbell, Will, Christine, and Ollie.

Will brought some very yummy Indian food from Redwood City. I don’t remember the name of the lamb dish, but that and the chicken Tikka were both delicious. Thanks Will!

We had a fun gift exchange – I’ll have to show you a picture of my fancy purple hat when I wear it for the first time.

One of the more entertaining episodes was Will reminding us of his track and field and cross country activities in high school. Funny that Campbell and I don’t remember anything about that. He called his friend, Otter, who verified that they did high jump and long jump. Hmmm.

I do remember Will skateboarding ALL THE TIME. Told him to bring his board next time and take advantage of the new half pipe in Adamo’s back garden:

Immediately after that, it was time to start preparing for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Do we really need to go to this trouble every year? Absolutely, apparently! The seven fishes were:

Petrale Sole with prep by Giancarlo:

Scallops and lobster by Adamo:

Smoked salmon from Diana and Marco. Regular salmon from Diana. Anchovy pasta from Diana. Shrimp wontons from Carolyn. And it seems like we had a bonus fish that I’m forgetting. I would ask Diana, but she’s having a well deserved nap.

There were a total of nineteen people for the fishes. Clorinda had a great time holding court with everyone.

That feast was a lot of work and delicious. Everyone had a good time.

Next up – Christmas dinner. We worked on lamb lollipops, baked ham, and scalloped potatoes. Carlo did a great job with the lamb, Alicia with the potatoes, and Giancarlo with a very healthy salad. This was a more manageable group – Marco and Julie and family, Giancarlo and Carlo, and the residents of 1 Gypsy Hill road.

We wondered about adding the livestock outside the kitchen window to the feast:

Dinner was followed by a gift exchange. I should have made a video of the dancing dog singing “We wish you a Merry Xmas” that Marco got his Mom. She has quite a collection of those silly things now – that she loves.

Boxing Day – we met Sean and Sheri at Buck’s in Woodside for lunch – halfway point between south San Jose and Pacifica. We hadn’t seen these guys in a while and we had a lengthy catchup on family, jobs and everything else. A very pleasant few hours.

Friday – time for another group. A lovely group consisting of Diana’s stepsons John and Joey and their families. The four kids are so wonderfully interactive and well behaved. Diana did a great job raising those two boys.

You don’t hear about these guys too often, so from left to right:

Bonna, Joey, Lilly, Ezra, Diana, Clorinda, Lianna, Ben, Alicia, Maddie, and John. Such a great group of people.

We had leftovers and a gift exchange for the kids. One of the highlights was a mask for Lianna that Diana got her in the French Quarter after her birthday brunch.

She has a masquerade ball dance coming up and was very excited. Grammie is sporting a mask that she’s had in her closet forever.

This was such a nice visit and so calm – maybe my favourite of the week.

Saturday – time to pack up and head home. I couldn’t believe how quiet the airport was. We left early, expecting a very crowded situation. There was nobody in front of us in the TSA line and the entire concourse was empty:

Gave us time for a drink and a salad at the Lark Creek Grill – very good. We had a very friendly flight attendant that made the flight to New Orleans fun. Fortunately our flight arrived just as the thunder storms moved out of the area – the three flights ahead of us were diverted to Dallas, which would have been a real pain.

We dropped off my library book and made a visit to Martin to stock up for New Year’s Eve. Interestingly, Jude Law was spotted there this week:

I pulled up to the intersection of Prytania and Washington and it was all blocked off by police vehicles. After discussion, they allowed us in to park in our drive, just before a second line parade came down the street in front of our house. This is unusual – they usually turn on St. Charles.

The rest of today will be spent watching football and prepping for New Year’s Eve.

Look at this gorgeous view from my sister and brother in law’s home in Aberdeenshire this week:

I finished up Demon Copperhead this week – finally. Kelly had recommended this to me with:

“This is a book that is funny, sad and endearing. 5 stars for sure.”

It won the Pulitzer prize and was an Oprah’s book club selection.

All that is well and good, but it really wasn’t a great read for me. I must have missed the “funny” parts. It was a slog through all the sad things that happen to disadvantaged children in the midst of the opioid crisis in underprivileged parts of the country.

I think Kingsolver did an amazing job of putting herself into Damon’s mind and writing from his perspective. Really amazing.

The last quarter of the book held my attention much better than the earlier sections – likely because a bit of optimism crept in.

The last page was maybe my favorite, as it uses an oyster metaphor for the relationship between Demon and Angus:

“I was extremely unclear about where we were headed. Was she still my sister?

She smacked her forehead. “Oh my God. Oysters.”

“What about them.”

“You can only eat them in winter! June, July, August, they’re poison.

You have to wait till the months that have the letter R.”

This sounded highly doubtful. “Why is that?”

“Believe it or not, with my amazingly advanced degree, I don’t know.

It’s one of these things you pick up. I went to New Orleans a few times with friends.”

There he was, the friend. “And you’re saying it’s worth the wait? Because I’m saying Mrs. Peggot used to cook them in soup at Christmas, and I was not a fan.”

“This is nothing like that. At the beach they’re fresh. You crack them open and drink them right off the shell. Raw. Technically I guess still alive.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“You won’t believe how good. It’s like kissing the ocean. Demon.” She leaned forward so I could see her face, and drilled those bad-girl eyes into me with a look that threatened my perfect driving record. “And it’s kissing you back.”

Oh my Lord. The girl has set her cap. Not my sister.

We talked the whole way through the Shenandoah Valley. The end of the day grew long on the hills, then the dark pulled in close around us. Snowflakes looped and glared in the headlights like off-season lightning bugs. Ridiculous nut that I’d been to crack. I drove left-handed with my right arm resting on her seat back, running my thumb over the little hairs on the back of her neck. The trip itself, just the getting there, possibly the best part of my life so far.

That’s where we are. Well past the Christiansburg exit. Past Rich-mond, and still pointed east. Headed for the one big thing I know is not going to swallow me alive.””

I don’t think I agree with all the hype around this book, and really don’t recommend it unless you want a deep view into the tough life of disadvantaged children from many aspects.

I really enjoyed the guitar sound and atmosphere of this new one from T Bone:

This sounds like something modern from the Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” album:

Kathleen Edward’s voice is so pure on this Springsteen cover:

Another great version of this song:

And finally, Nick Lowe showing all the age in his voice to great effect:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!

Week in Review – December 22nd, 2024

“Multiple Birthdays”

When I left you last week, Kenny was coming to pick up Diana and shuttle her to the “Birthday Girl’s Brunch” in the French Quarter. The ladies loved their time at Broussard’s and the location was a complete surprise to Diana. Kenny and Keith know how to keep a secret!

Anne and Kara had spent some happy hours together crafting special cat eye glasses and bracelets:

Here they are modeling them in the Broussard’s lobby:

The ladies thought Diana needed a commemorative ornament:

Kenny had been trying to find a time when Diana would be gone for a few hours, so that he could execute on his birthday gift. He spent over three hours pressure washing the front bricks while the girls were at lunch. What a great job, and such a kind gift:

Look at the handmade card Kenny attached to the top of the stairs:

The ladies weren’t quite finished yet – they walked down Bourbon Street to Bar 33 (the bar owned by and next to Gallatoire’s) for French 75s.

Kenny drove down to the House of Blues to see a friend, Nina, perform and several of the ladies met him there. Thanks to Kenny and Kara for delivering the almost sixty year old home safely.

We surprised Merry Lee for a late birthday dinner at Acamaya on Monday evening. We arrived early and she was very happy to see us there. Jeff pulled off a great surprise. I love this restaurant – wonderfully creative Mexican seafood and different drinks.

After dinner we were looking for some music and I finally found a piano player at the Saturn bar – a short stroll from Acamaya. BC Coogan treated us to “Classified” by James Booker on arrival.

Tuesday brought another birthday – Kenny this time. Diana made some jambalaya, and the trivia group assembled at Kara and Kenny’s home for dinner and cake pre-trivia.

We did all right at trivia but did not place in the top three. After that, we got to the Maple Leaf in time to catch a good amount of Bookerfest – the annual tribute to James Booker on his birthday. This has become an annual celebration event with Kenny. It was entertaining to see our trivia master at the show – we had a good chat about music and trivia.

Here are two song clips from the wonderful Joe Krown:

The night finished up with six hands on the piano – so, so good and fun to watch:

A very enjoyable Tuesday night all around.

Are you feeling sleepy after all this activity? Well, time to catch a second wind because we have another birthday on Wednesday to talk about.

Beautiful birthday flowers from Kris and Cat:

And an excellent birthday song from Andy. He’s getting so good and seems to have quite the recording setup going these days:

I had reserved a section of Oak and Ale to host a birthday dinner for Diana. We had about twenty four people there.

We love that our friends kids are part of the group and wanted to attend the event:

Here’s a selection with friends:

Chickie called a few minutes before we were leaving for the restaurant – his flight to Vegas had been diverted to New Orleans due to an emergency. He wanted to know what we had planned. So we added him to the party list:

I think Diana had a good time with everyone.

Merry Lee came over for a walk with Diana on Thursday morning, and suggested that we meet Jeff downtown for lunch. We had another yummy meal at Meril – the restaurant that Emeril named after his daughter.

Friday was packing and organizing day. We had our own Christmas gift exchange in the evening, followed by an impromptu visit from Anne with some gifts.

Saturday came with an early start. Out the door at 4:30am for our 6:30am flight. Adamo picked us up at San Francisco airport around 9:30am. We made it smoothly and a bit early. Time to catch our breath and relax a bit. I enjoyed the UT and Clemson college football playoff game (UT won).

Today, we did some shopping for Christmas Eve dinner and I’m looking forward to the Cowboys game this evening. I’m comfortable enough to admit that I’m currently watching “A Merry Scottish Christmas” – a classic Hallmark style movie – with McD.

With all that activity, I had little time for reading or finding new music – so we’ll skip those sections this week.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all.

Week in Review – December 15th, 2024

“Retirement Celebration”

We flew to Austin early Monday morning and checked into the Carpenter hotel. I had an executive committee meeting on Monday night, which turned into an early retirement party for me.

We went to the Guest House, which is an amazingly delicious Austin establishment. I had a parmesan crusted filet that was ridiculously tasty.

There were lots of toasts and speeches that almost brought me to tears. This has been such a wonderful work experience because of the people that I work with. The team gave me a $500 gift certificate to Shaya, one of my favourite New Orleans restaurants.

Nikki and I shared a martini that came with quite the presentation. Dry ice poured over the bottom:

Desert was quite a show:

What a lovely dinner and memory.

Tuesday was the annual holiday party at Bar Peached. Great food, drinks and company. They had a “Braveheart” cocktail in my honour:

Here I am with the IT team:

And here is a reprise of the “girls” from Roatan:

Here’s’ one of my favourites – the EXCO group (three of the people it has been a complete joy to work with.)

And finally with Neffie:

We had our usual pre-flight lunch at June’s. Lisa joined us and we saw Lachie (CEO) walking by and he joined us for a drink. This is where I had lunch after interviewing for my job, and where I had the last meal of my retirement celebration – seems appropriately bookended.

Here are my two cards:

And a ridiculously expensive bottle of bourbon from my team:

I enjoyed two separate free outdoor concerts on Saturday afternoon with most of the krewe. “The Walrus” performed Beatles songs at the corner of Marengo and Dryads. Such a good band.

That was followed by the Panorama Jazz Band at the Kingpin, which also had an outdoor Christmas market going.

Kenny will be arriving soon to shuttle Diana to her ladies brunch to celebrate her upcoming birthday. All she knows is that it’s somewhere in the French Quarter.

I continued to work my way through Demon Copperhead this week. Slow progress due to all the travel and holiday excitement. I look forward to finishing it up next week in the lull leading up to the real holidays.

I love this Ethiopian song that I heard at the Carpenter hotel:

And another one from the same source:

Very relaxing:

And finally, some classic Bonnie Raitt:

Coexist peacefully, with patience and kindness for all!

Week in Review – December 8th, 2024

“Xmas parade and Meads visit”

Diana was back out in California to be with her Mom this week until late Thursday. This is an amazing sunset picture.

I went for a walk in Audubon park on Monday and made a small diversion for brunch at Tartine. Diana had told me about going there with Kara and it sounded very good. The baked eggs in brioche was excellent and I look forward to returning soon. Every plate I saw going past looked tasty.

I suggested to Kenny and Kara that we might want to attend the free concert by John Boutte in St Louis cathedral. Kenny drove down, parked us at the fire house and then we had a drink at the Pirates Alley bar by the cathedral. We got there fifteen minutes before show time and were very surprised to find the place completely full – standing room only. One can go and see John Boutte at DBA during the week and have five to ten people join you – but a free concert draws thousands of folks?

The show was very good – including a version of Ave Maria where Boutte didn’t remember all the words the first time through. The band was very nuanced and accomplished. Video was not allowed in the cathedral and so here’s a taste of Boutte’s soulful voice from Jazzfest:

We had a drink at Fives bar after the show. This is a sister to the Columns and has excellent craft cocktails.

I took this picture of Kenny and Kara on the walk back to the fire house. The city has some lights to repair on the riverfront tree.

Diana was scheduled to fly home midday on Thursday. She let me know there was a tsunami warning in place as she was packing up. What? Yes – there was an offshore earthquake north of San Francisco and they were evacuating the kids from the schools down the hill from Clorinda’s house. The warning was lifted just before McD left for the airport.

Diana made it home safely late on Thursday night.

My friend Mike Mead was in town for the weekend – his wife had a girls trip for a cruise down the Danube (tough life), and Mike and his three boys decided a trip to New Orleans would be fun – they have not visited before.

I invited them to meet me for lunch at the Columns on Friday – we had a very entertaining time catching up and revisiting stories from our past. Mike’s son, Simon, is very into music and audio equipment. He asked me if there was any Japanese style jazz playing in town. What on earth is that? He described it some more and I called Denny for input. There was a show at Snug Harbor in the evening that totally met the requirements.

Mike reports that Simon loved it. And I get ahead of myself yet again. After the Columns lunch, I invited the crew back to the house to check out my Linn audio setup and listen to some music. We picked up Diana from her hair appointment on the way. A walking tour of the Garden District ensued. And then Diana was quite happy to host the group for oysters at Superior Seafood. I had a very nice time hanging out with the Mead boys.

I heard the next morning that the boys had played poker at Caesar’s casino by their hotel until 3:30am. Just nuts!

I talked Diana into going downtown for the Christmas parade on Saturday morning.

This was a two hour long parade – over thirty floats, at least ten marching bands, many marching krewes and balloon floats like Rudolph above. Diana got quite a haul of throws, including a riding Elvii scarf and a light up ornament necklace. Here’s one of the marching groups that put a smile on my face:

And of course I’m a fan of the balloon penguin:

Diana was excited to see Santa and his reindeer:

The Meads caught the parade outside their hotel:

I got tired of standing in place and so we walked down to Canal Street to see the end of it. “We’re almost at the Roosevelt hotel, why not go in and see the lights?” What a silly idea. There were oodles of families taking their Christmas card pictures – a complete zoo. Note to self – don’t do this after the parade next year.

We got home in time to freshen up for the Happy Hour that Kenny and Kara were hosting for his brother, Andrew, and his partner Todd. Kenny was an excellent host – he had cooked up some gumbo, muffulettas, potato salad and all kinds of other goodies. It was fun getting to know Andrew better – such a good sense of humor, and the same curious intelligence in his eyes that Kenny displays.

Diana and Kara were determined to go and listen to music, the rest of us quite happy to relax – so you can guess what we did. Yep, over to the Bayou bar at the Ponchatrain hotel to listen to music.

The music was really good and the good news is that we were able to walk home. We should frequent this place more often.

Sunday started with Diana getting her second shingles shot. We followed that up with a trip to the grocery store, and now the Christmas decorations are going up. Fun all around!

I received an interesting gift this week. It’s called Bartesian and is like a Keurig machine, but for cocktails. You fill up the big bottles with whiskey, vodka, gin and tequila and then insert the pods for various cocktails. We’re looking forward to trying it out for New Year’s Eve.

I watched “Churchill at War” on Netflix this week. Very interesting series that tracks his life and decisions before World War II – did he really have such a big opportunity to avert the rise of Hitler?

After the disappointment of “Bee Sting”, I moved on to Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver. This is a modern take on Dickens’ David Copperfield and is off to a good start. Much more to come.

I’m listening to a podcast, “The Wonder of Stevie”, that I love. It covers his five classic albums from the early seventies and is very well done.

I watched a short documentary, “Only Girl in the Orchestra”, about the first lady to play in the New York Philharmonic – so well done. It featured the second movement from Beethoven’s symphony number seven – amazing.

Finally, I found a new band this week called The Stews that I like very much:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!