Month: October 2022

“A ‘Work’ Trip to Roatan, Honduras”

Tuesday was passport day.  I had made an appointment at the downtown Dallas emergency passport office.  All the necessary documents were reviewed and I was sent to another window, anticipating receiving my shiny new passport.  Not so fast – “You have to come back tomorrow afternoon to pick it up.”  “But I live so far away and can’t afford to take time off work again, and if I don’t go on this trip I’ll get fired.”  My fabricated sob stories were all in vain.

Deciding to make the best of another drive downtown, I invited Diana to accompany me and have lunch afterwards in Oak Cliff.  The passport was ready – all set to travel again.  I surprised Diana with a new place for lunch – Paradiso in the Bishop Arts district.  We sat in the courtyard and enjoyed an excellent lunch – one of the best salads that we’ve had in a long time.  A nice new find to add to our Oak Cliff rotation.

 

After lunch we strolled around the corner and enjoyed a browse and a coffee at the delightful Wild Detectives book store.  This is my favourite retail establishment in all of Dallas.

We woke up very early on Friday morning, grabbed our passports and luggage and  headed for the airport to catch our 7am flight to Miami.  A quick change, and we were on our way to Roatan, Honduras.  Here’s a picture from the plane as we flew over the beautiful Caribbean islands:

“Where is Roatan?”, you ask.  Here’s a map to help you get oriented:

Roatan is a Caribbean island, about 40 miles off the coast of Honduras, with a population of around 100,000.  It has the second largest coral reef in the world, after the Australian Great Barrier reef.  We had the choice of attending year end award celebrations in Las Vegas, Roatan, or Cancun, and decided to try somewhere new.  What a great choice that ended up being!

A bus was waiting for us at the tiny Roatan airport (4 gates) to shuttle us to the Grand Roatan resort.

This is located on the very West end of the island and was just gorgeous.  Not too big, with an awesome beach and beach front restaurant.  Here are some pictures of the resort.

Our condo was behind the tropical forest on the right hand side of the last picture, and had a wonderful view out over the reef.

The advance party, Blair (COO), Lachie (CEO), Nikki (CRO) and Lisa (Blair’s wife) were already installed at the beach restaurant, and we joined them for lunch and margaritas.

We hung out chatting on the beach for the afternoon, and then an impromptu dance party broke out.

Jorge (VP for LATAM)  arrived in the late afternoon, just in time to teach McD some new dance moves:

And to sing for Lisa:

I am very fortunate to work with such fun and kind people.

After the sun set, we walked down the beach and enjoyed a yummy meal on the deck of the Argentinian Grill.  D’s lobster tails were gobbled up.

Lachie had planned on renting a boat on Saturday, but the rainy season was in full force in the morning, so we pushed that to Sunday.  As we were heading down to the beach in the afternoon on Saturday afternoon, we ran into Lachie, who joined us for the afternoon.  We told stories and he worked on both of us to try and push my retirement date out as far as he could.  “You want to work from the south of France?  That’s totally fine with me.”

I forgot to mention that we did get one workout in on Saturday morning.  The gym was brand new and very well equipped, with a terrific view.

When the rain let up, we had a nice walk down to the far end of the beach.

Sunday was one of those fantastic days that just evolve.  The rain came again during breakfast, so we relaxed for a while and waited for it to pass.  Around 10am, we made the short walk down the beach and boarded our boat for the day.  We cruised around the island, stopping for some snorkeling, and then pulled into an isolated restaurant, “The Cove”, for another great meal.  Blair and I hiked into the jungle to “The Brewery” in search of cigars – no luck.  I did have a good chat with the owner – used to work the front of the house at the Granada theater in Dallas – where we’ve seen many concerts.

The girls made me a bit nervous making their way to the bow of the boat for a better view and sunbathing.

Unfortunately the rain came again in the late afternoon.  We were out beyond the shelf in 2,700 feet of water, and so our captain put some lines out, hoping to catch some dinner.  No luck on that, but we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

There are not many better ways to pass a day than cruising around a lovely island with good people.

Our award winners arrived on Monday morning.  We greeted them at reception, got them checked in, and then participated in some games on the beach.  Everyone got a welcome bag with a swim shirt and button down shirt for the evening.  Here’s the crew in their swim shirts.

I really didn’t enjoy the “beach skiing”, but did well at the canoe race.

While we rested up for the evening event, Diana and Lisa went off down the beach shopping with the wonderful Alex as a tour guide.  He took pictures of them on the oversize chair.

I’m so fortunate that Diana has become such good friends with Lisa – they really enjoy hanging out together while we’re “working.”

The awards dinner was so well produced with so much heart.  The stories and videos of the winners were really touching.

The after dinner dancing got off to a slowish start until the two party starters took over – doing an excellent job of getting everyone on the dance floor.

Diana was having so much fun dancing that I kept getting the “Just 15 minutes more” story when trying to head to bed.

Tuesday was a free day and we spent it relaxing on the beach and reading.  BP made an appearance – although the park ranger did tell me “no penguins allowed on the beach.”

We enjoyed a late lunch with Pepe and Rebecca – such a nice couple, and Rebecca was a good, chatty addition to the D and Lisa duo.

Travel home on Wednesday was smooth – just a short delay in Miami and, as is typical these days, folks behind us that talked for the entire flight.  My new passport worked without any issues.

There had been some storms in McKinney while we were gone, so it was straight back into pool girl cleanup mode for McD.

My book this week was “The Dark Remains” by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin – two authors that I enjoy very much.

McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books were a completely new force in crime fiction when originally published years ago.  When he died in 2015, he left half of a handwritten manuscript about Laidlaw’s first case.  Ian Rankin finished what McIlvanney started.

This is an excellent tale of the criminal world in 1970s Glasgow, and the Laidlaw character is wonderful as always.

From a conversation with both authors transcribed at the end of the book – McIlvanney:

“I come from twenty miles outside Glasgow – “How can a Kilmarnockian write about Glasgow?”  It’s twenty miles!  There’s buses and things!  But it was regarded as kind of preposterous that he would have Camus and so on.”

Thanks for letting me steal this book, Mum.

“Walking Wounded”, McIlvanney’s short story collection, has pride of place in the Top 10 books I’ve read section of the bookshelves.

Somebody, likely Lachie (Aussie), was playing this INXS song on the trip.  Such a great band:

This was a staple on Jorge’s playlist.  Something a bit different for me but a super catchy hook:

And finally, some sweet singing and guitar from Gary Clark Jr.:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

 

 

“A busy travel month”

I’m back.

Did you miss me?  It’s OK – you can be honest.

This is the first time in 6 years of posting that I’ve gone a solid month between updates.  Sorry – been too busy bouncing around the country.

I started the month by finally taking the plunge into U.S. citizenship.  I showed up on a very hot Tuesday morning to stand in line with 800 other new citizens from 91 countries.  Almost an hour elapsed before I made it through the process and into the air conditioned facility.

The Oath that we all recited did make me wonder: “abjure”, “potentate” – not words I ever hear spoken – particularly not by a group of folks who may still be learning English.  Also entertaining in that I’m not renouncing my British citizenship.  Oh well – I went along with it and obtained my certificate, and a letter from the President.

The next day, I flew out to San Francisco to meet up with Diana and support Marco (and Julie) in his surgery.  We drove up to Sacramento, made sure they got checked into their hotel for the pre-surgery rest, and then checked into our Airbnb.

I picked a place in Midtown, Sacramento – a historic neighborhood just East of downtown, with a lot of old Victorian and other interesting houses.

While Marco was starting the lengthy surgery (9.5 hours with 6 surgeons), we walked to a local breakfast restaurant.  Jennifer, the owner of Morning Fork with her husband, was very welcoming.  When we asked her if there were always so many firemen in her restaurant, she replied, “Oh no, if I’d known I would have worn something cuter.”

Diana thanked her for her kindness and mentioned how important that was to us on surgery day.  She rushed off and came back with a complimentary bottle of champagne for us to enjoy at home.  We were really liking this neighborhood already.

Although very extensive, Marco’s surgery actually went a bit better than expected.  He looked amazing the next day, although in tremendous pain.

A few days later and Marco was on to a liquid diet – very exciting for him after eating nothing orally for so long.

We were amazed at Marco’s strength as he quickly was up and walking around – adding more distance each day, until he was able to quickly climb two flights of stairs.  Julie was a wonderful advocate, managing the doctors and nurses at a very detailed level and making sure she had all necessary information.

 

 

We continued to explore the Midtown neighborhood – enjoying a very unexpected dinner at Moxie – a few blocks from the farmhouse.  It looks like a real hole in the wall from outside.  Then you step into a lovely restaurant with excellent food and presentations.  The menu is very accommodating – if we’ve got it or can find it nearby, we’ll make it for you.  D’s seafood medley and my seabass were both wonderful.

Adamo came to visit on Saturday and we went walking around for several hours before he visited Marco.  All the way down to the Capital building and the river, before randomly bumping into Julie meeting her friend, and getting an unexpected ride home.

We couldn’t let Adamo leave without trying dinner at his namesake restaurant.  We had a very good meal and he loved telling everyone the place was named after him.

After a week, our time at the Midtown farmhouse was coming to an end and extending wasn’t possible.  We relocated to the Kimpton Sawyer hotel downtown – a very comfortable and kind establishment – more on that later.  Amy dropped off Frankie with Diana one day so that she could go and give Marco a Reiki treatment.  She is incredible at that – took Marco’s pain from a 15 out of 10 to zero for a while.  Even when he was standing up.  How does that work?  And why isn’t it being used more often?  Diana was exhausted after a few hours babysitting fearless Frankie at the pool – and had certainly earned her champagne flight at Fizz, just outside the hotel and beside the Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings basketball team.

We enjoyed dinner one night at the nearby Brasserie du Monde – wonderful duck liver mousse.

Diana worked with Nina at the Kimpton front desk to extend the room day by day as we anticipated Marco’s release from hospital.  This lady was amazing – said “Hi D”, every time we passed through the lobby, asked about Marco daily, provided D with drink tickets, and comped almost all of our room and other charges on checkout.  Wow!  If you ever find yourself in downtown Sacramento – this is the place to stay.

And finally the day was here – Marco broke free.  He was so happy to be out.

I forgot to share this silly picture he took with his favourite nurse, Boris.  Boris witnessed some of the crazy tales and behaviour the day that Diana sat with Marco during his delirium phase.  You’ll have to ask D for those stories.

We spent the night at the same hotel Julie had been using in Elk Grove, close to the hospital, and then Diana drove Julie’s car home, while I drove Marco’s Subaru to Clorinda’s house and then was dropped at the airport by the wonderful and lovely Caroline.

I had a few days at home before Diana was scheduled to fly back on the Monday.  Anne and Denny tag teamed trying to convince me to fly down for Gretna fest on Sunday.  I checked American Airlines and let them know it was way too expensive for a quick trip.  Denny persisted, and so late on Saturday I checked Southwest, finding prices not too bad.  In a weak moment, thinking of how much I would enjoy a day of music in New Orleans, I booked it.  I was at Denny’s home by 9:30am on Sunday and on the 11:00am ferry across the Mississippi to Gretna at 11:00am.

Jack, Thom, and Alex joined us for this wonderful day of music.  The crowds were very small, the weather perfect, and the bands all outstanding.  We started with the New Orleans Nightcrawlers on the Riverfront stage.  A perfect opener.  They are such a great local brass band with Craig Klein on trombone.

I always  enjoy a good sousaphone solo!

Anne joined us in time for Eric Lindell with their friend Derek Huston on saxophone.  Derek was happy to have his local cheering section on hand.  This was the best band that I’ve heard supporting Lindell – just outstanding musicianship.

We visited “Asian Village” for lunch and I enjoyed a combo plate of two different bao sandwiches – delicious.  I thought the t-shirt on sale at the stall was very clever.

Here are some pictures of the group enjoying the festival.

And then it was time for the band I’d been looking forward to – one of my favourites, Govt Mule.  Warren Haynes and the gang gave us a great show.  It was so nice to be able to stand comfortably up front and enjoy the guitar excellence.

The sunset on the 6:30pm ferry back to New Orleans was impressive:

We stopped in our old neighbourhood, Magazine Street next to our condo, for pizza on the way home.  Theo’s pizza is so yummy.

 

 

I worked from the Webster street patio on Monday morning, and then enjoyed a fun lunch with Anne and Jack at the Chloe.  It was a perfect day to eat outside.  The desert was really creative – sweet potato brulee served in a sweet potato.  The chef was quite proud of his creation when he delivered it to the table.  Then it was time for me to head to the airport and complete my last minute quick getaway.  I’m so glad the Ogans talked me into it.

I landed at Lovefield airport on Monday night, then made the quick drive over to DFW to pick up my D, finally returning from California.

At some point during the week, Diana chatted with Cat and decided that we should fly to San Diego last weekend for Kristina’s 60th birthday.  Another last minute trip was underway.  We flew out on Saturday morning, dropped our bags at the hotel, and enjoyed brunch at the nearby Mission restaurant.

After that we met up with Kris and Cat at their new house – getting there but a lot to be done before they attempt to obtain an occupancy permit on December 1st.

Cat suggested that we stop in La Jolla to pass some time before our dinner reservation.  Great idea – let’s go to Herringbone!  The ladies enjoyed happy hour oysters and I loved my “campfire Old Fashioned” – complete with toasted marshmallow, smoke, and a Graham cracker rim.

I chose “Et Voila” for dinner.  We chuckled thinking of David and his “Voila, Merci” commentary.

This restaurant was outstanding – great service and food, with Missy Burns doing an excellent job of managing the joint while the owner was away.

Everyone loved their meal – yummy baguette, scallops, mussels, and veal.  And all topped off with authentic profiterols.

The night wasn’t over yet.  Our hotel was right next to Petco baseball stadium and the Padres were in position to win their playoff series with the LA Dodgers on Saturday night.  We visited the rooftop bar and had a great view into the stadium.  It was funny to hear the roar of the crowd and then see what happened on TV after a delay.

I think we successfully distracted Kris and Cat from the home building stress for a few hours.

No visit to San Diego is complete without meeting up with Campbell and Mary Bartlett (Molly).  We enjoyed crab and lobster benedicts at the Harbor breakfast restaurant in Little Italy.  They both seem to be doing really well.

I was able to watch the first half of the Cowboys and Eagles football game on the plane home.  It didn’t go the way I wanted at all.  And another last minute weekend getaway was complete.

Mid-month, Will and Christine flew to Spain for a wedding.  Here are the well edited and doctored pictures from that expedition:

We were very pleased to get the news that Dad was finally accepted into a care home, after a year in the hospital ward.  He seems to be settling in okay on most days, with the usual ups and downs.  Here’s a picture of his new digs:

We hope he continues to adjust well to his new environment.

My book this week (I’ve struggled to find the time or inclination to read much recently) was “Upgrade” by Blake Crouch.  I loved this book – a combination of a perfectly paced thriller and near-future sci-fi.  I’m  not usually a sci-fi fan but this story about gene manipulation really didn’t seem too far fetched.

On initially having his DNA “upgraded”:

“Imagine walking through Times Square in New York City and registering each environmental stimulus equally and simultaneously.  The tiny chip in the sidewalk underfoot being given the same priority as every last detail of every incoming pedestrian and the smell of exhaust and food trucks and steam venting out of the subway and urine and every snippet of passing conversation crashing through the auditory inputs right alongside an avalanche of distinct sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations of a city in full operation.

The absence of sensory gating is a key maker for schizophrenia, and actually contributes to making people go insane.  An existence without gating would be torture.”

Miriam, the main character’s mother, on why humans continue to destroy their planet:

“”So you’re saying that people are too stupid?” Basri asked.

“Not just that,” Miriam said.  “It’s denial.  Selfishness.  Magical thinking.  We are not rational beings.  We seek comfort rather than a clear-eyed stare into reality.  We consume and preen and convince ourselves that if we keep our heads in the sand, the monsters will just go away.  Simply put, we refuse to help ourselves as a species.  We refuse to do what must be done.  Every danger we face links ultimately back to this failing.””

I highly recommend this book.

I watched a new Brian Wilson movie on one of my many flights this month, and really enjoyed it.  Most of the movie is a music reporter driving Brian around Los Angeles and visiting historically significant locations from his life and career.  They listen to music along the way, with Brian telling some great stories about the creation of iconic Beach Boys songs.

Here’s an excellent collaboration with Jim James of My Morning Jacket from the soundtrack:

And a lesser known Dennis Wilson track:

I enjoyed an interview with Sir Elton John in the movie where he talks about the chord structure in “Someone Saved My Life Tonight: being a copy of that in “God Only Knows.”  Can you here it?

Two of my dessert island disk selections for sure.  I’ll leave it at that for this posting, and remind myself that it’s too much work to go this long between postings.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!