Springtime In Texas

Finished With School For The Day

Highland Park Dress Code: NO FLIP FLOPS

Well, it's 7:45 and Beth just drove off with Marisa to drop her off at school, less than a half mile away.  Why walk when you can get a ride.  In fact, none of my grandchildren walk to school as if it's anathema, not cool or something like that.  Or I am just a typical curmudgeon wondering 'why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way.'  I think the latter is the truth.

Yesterday was another busy day for both Beth and Marisa, but not for Evie and me.  Marisa was up late, up early, keeping up with the demands of a rigorous curriculum and a 4.32 GPA.  Beth was teaching an ESL class in the morning, working on prep work for school in the afternoon, as well as getting some tutoring for Algebra II.  Obviously, her math teacher, Trout, did not teach her very well!


So, what did Evie and I do?  We drove to the largest mall we have ever been to, North Park, with flagship stores, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.  It's three levels,  with 235 stores, and a vast courtyard, with lawns and trees, in the middle of the village. 

North Park Mall's Courtyard

We went basically to get in a good walk but ended up doing some browsing, unable to resist the temptation.  We did resist buying anything, or rather, most of what we liked even when reduced was close to a hundred bucks, not quite a TJ Maxx. It was fun to people watch and we were struck by how friendly everyone was, whether shopper or storekeeper.

Ultimate Selfie With Foot And Mirror :)

We were home by 12:30 and I had leftovers, the stir fry for lunch, then took Cody out for a walk.  Beth came home around 1:00 and we did not do much early afternoon, just hanging out.  I did get in a nap, read some more of the second volume of Don Winslow's Cartel Trilogy, THE POWER OF THE DOG.  Around 3:00, Evie and I drove off to Trader Joe's to pick up some things for Thursday night's dinner, the makings for chili because everyone was going to be busy around dinner time.  And we, of course, picked up a few more goodies including chocolate bars to take home to Chautauqua.  Everyone was home by wine time, so I opened a new bottle and we relaxed until it was time for Evie and me to pick up dinner, Texas fried chicken at Bubba's Cooks Country, the local chicken outlet.  It's what is also served to inmates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Highland Park's jail.  As food writer David Lebowitz said:

"To say I was in crispy-skinned heaven is an understatement and I was trying to be prudent after a week of stuffing my face with Mexican food in Mexico. But if faced with an entire chicken, fried, I could without question eat the entire platter. Or yes, the whole extra-crispy bucket."

Texas Fried Chicken

Fortunately, we ordered ahead because there was a line of 20 waiting to order, a popular place.  We realized the pick up was at an outside window so we did not have to wait in line.  We got the family pack, with amazing rolls, fries and a quart of cole slaw.  We sat around the table, licking our fingertips, as we ate the chicken and rolls with butter and honey.  We were a happy quartet of Bubba fried chicken eaters.

Frying Chicken

Marisa quickly went up to her room to study after we finished dinner.  There was little cleanup, just throw away the boxes and bags and wash a couple of plates.  We then watched TV until 10:00, some Colbert, basketball, and an HGTV network show. 

Pining For Those Lost Days Of Winter

Taller Than Granny (on tiptoes!)

Spring snuck up on me this year.  Sitting here in Dallas, I should have known it, but still, it's a shock to realize that when we will return to Chautauqua, it will be Springtime.   We are probably the only two people in Chautauqua County who mourn the passing of winter.  According to the Weather Channel, however, it's snowing at the moment in parts of Western New York so Spring may have to wait.

It's 7:15 and both Evie and I are up, waiting for Marisa and Beth to come downstairs. Marisa leaves for school at 7:45 so we won't have much time with her.  We watched Morning Joe interview Presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg.  He's impressive, both a vet and mayor, experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent, and articulate, so he probably has no chance of luring voters away from Trump.  Enough of politics for this early in the morning.

Mitch Flies To Colorado This Afternoon To Ski

Tuesday was definitely spring-like here in Dallas as the temperatures were in the 70's much of the day, warm enough for me to work up a sweat when I was out for a walk.  Evie and I were home alone much of the day because Marisa was in school and Beth had her art class in the morning.  We decided, then, to get out of the house and drove 15 minutes to North Haven Nursery, not quite as nice as my sister Ellen's favorite nursery, Merrifield, in Herndon, VA, but close.  We browsed for an hour, tempted to buy but didn't pull the trigger for any plants, just a cool welcome mat, and some sweet pea seeds.  It was tempting though but a 19-hour drive back to the lake discouraged us. After the nursery, we drove to Central Market and since Evie had not been there yet, we ended up spending quite a bit of time browsing all the aisles, picking up some veggies for an Asian stir fry.  It's a great store, full of temptation, and hard to get out of there for under fifty bucks and we didn't.

"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here," Dante's INFERNO

We were home by 1:00, time for a lunch of the last of the leftover vodka pasta.  After our morning, we just hung out the rest of the afternoon,  Beth is working on preparing for some courses she will be taking next week, in preparation for her Master's Degree work which will start this summer.  She is excited about getting back to school even if it means she will be very busy, as she is hoping to keep up with her volunteer work teaching ESL students.  I read and napped, took Cody for a walk, then around 4:00, I worked up a sweat walking uptown to the Highland Park Shopping.  As I browsed, I have yet to see a customer in any of the upscale shops, just bored salespeople.

Marisa was home around 4:30 and Evie had cooked up three artichoke hearts for her snack which both she and Mitch love.  So we sat around eating the leaves, then the hearts until Marisa went upstairs to do work because she had a chemistry tutoring session from 6:30 to 7:30, another busy girl.  Evie and I put together our dinner around 6:00,  a stir fry with the leftover teriyaki steak, rice, asparagus, bamboo shoots, bok choy, and various sauces. When Beth returned from taking Marisa to her tutoring class, the four of us sat down to dinner.  It was good, not great, and could have used more seasoning, more heat.  When Marisa returned, she relaxed with us and watched some TV before going up to finish her homework.  We watched some TV with Beth until 10:30 when we started dozing and called it a night.

Sunny And Warm In Dallas

School Ready

I am back, on the couch, in the dark, listening to Morning Joe, writing my blog, drinking coffee, waiting for Marisa get up along with Beth and get ready for school.  She has a sensible morning, not having to leave for school until 7:45.  She got home yesterday at 4:30, hungry, full of energy, and sat right down and did her homework before bugging her Granny the rest of the night.

Morning In Texas

Yesterday was Tyler's last day in Dallas because he had to fly home to Boston late afternoon.  He wanted to do one thing, eat lunch at El Come Taco, a joint all of us like, always frequent when we are in town, but they were closed on Mondays, unbelievable.  I was up early, saw Marisa off to school and later, Beth off to the dentist to check out a tooth that has been bothering her.  Since the boys did not get up till mid-morning and Evie wanted to shower, I put on my Beats and walked uptown, listening to music.  I decided to join the 'leisure class' at Starbucks and enjoyed people watching for a half hour.  When I returned home, the boys were up, Beth was at the dentist and Evie was showered and ready for the day.  After we found out El Come Taco was closed, we spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out where to go for lunch until Beth suggested R & D Kitchen, an upscale restaurant in University Park.  The boys have been there before, loved it, so they went to the gym to workout, returning at 12:30, then meeting their Mom at the restaurant at 1:00.

A Weekday Lunch With Family

We were a bit late for the lunch crowd so the restaurant was not busy.  We quickly found something we liked, with Beth, Evie and me ordering their chicken and noodle Asian salad with jicama, mango, and nuts, the boys' sandwiches.  We started lunch off with pressed sushi, a new method to me. Speaking for the three of us, the salad was terrific and plentiful although we did manage to eat all of it. We were back by 2:30, ready for naps and to just lie around, doing nothing, too full to contemplate dinner.  Tyler convinced his Mom to let him take an Uber to the airport so she would not have to drive home at rush hour.  He left at 4:30, giving everyone his bearhugs and we were just four.

A Skittish Blue Jay

Evie and I took Cody for a walk after Tyler left, hoping to walk off our lunch.  We pushed wine time back to 6:00, sat around watching TV while Beth organized her new MacBook Air, just like mine.  We ended up not eating until 8:00 and dinner was easy. Evie and Marisa had the leftover chicken tortilla soup, while Beth, Mitch and I had Sunday's teriyaki steak rice.  We watched another climbing film made in 2015, called MERU, chronicling the climb of the 'Shark's Fin' route on the Meru peak in the Indian Himalayas.  Mitch left to meet with some of his high school buddies around 8:30.  We were at a loss as to what to watch so Beth suggested a series on Hulu called Alone Together, about a couple of quirky twentysomethings making their way in LA.  I think Evie and Marisa liked it more than me although I stuck with it.  We all went up to bed around 10:30, tired from our easy day, at least for Evie and me.

Back To School, Back To Boston

Mitch

Marisa

Tyler 

It's almost 7:00 and I am comfortably ensconced on the couch, Cody at my feet, Morning Joe on the TV, coffee in hand.  It looks like another sunny day in Dallas.  I think I could get used to this.

Yesterday was not our usual Sunday, with no CBS Sunday Morning, no big breakfast, just a house full of grandchildren sleeping in until almost noon.  We love it.  I had my usual weekday breakfast, granola, blueberries, and yogurt although lately I have been enjoying whole milk plain yogurt, thick and rich, almost pudding-like. Yum.  The grandkids were up before noon and Tyler decided to get in a run on the Katy Trail, a three-mile asphalt trail that leads to downtown Dallas.  He came home, unfortunately, with a sore back, probably because he was breaking in a new pair of running shoes.

Long Legs

Evie and I decided to get out of the house because it was so nice and drove up to Trader Joe's and did some light shopping for things we wanted to take back to the lake.  It's fun just to browse Trader Joe's even if we don't buy much.  We then stopped at local sportswear store called Tylers, where just about everything is top of the line and expensive.  I passed on all the cool tee shirts, jams, and jackets but Evie bought a pair of cool shades.  When we returned home, Tyler was back from his run and I was hungry so I heated up the leftover salmon and vodka pasta for lunch.  Beth made breakfast for the kids, omelets with various goodies, depending on their whims.

We then hung out most of the afternoon, watching some basketball but mostly sunning out on the patio by the pool.  It was almost too hot in the sun.  Evie and I did get in a walk around the neighborhood, admiring all the distinctive houses before it was time for Margaritas by Beth and two of our favorite cheeses, Castello,  a brie with blue cheese and Saint Andre. We sat out with the three kids, enjoying the patio, listening to music, much of it composed by Tyler.  He's getting really good at mixing his guitar with a synthesizer.

Siblings

We were having another favorite family dinner, this time one we first enjoyed when we lived in Honolulu, teriyaki steak, rice, and salad.  We used to be able to get it as a plate lunch at Kenny Kaneshiro's Jolly Rodger Drive-In, Hawaii's answer to Mc Donalds.  Friday at Costco, we bought a rib roast, sliced it about a quarter of an inch thick, marinated it in a homemade teriyaki sauce and flash grilled the steaks, probably a minute or two a side.  Everyone helped with dinner, Mitch and I did the streaks, Marisa and Evie the salad,  Tyler and Beth the rice and roasted asparagus.  As is our wont, we had a mountain of teriyaki steak, enough by the end for another meal or two and most of us went back for seconds, even thirds.

A Hawaiian Dinner

After dinner, Tyler looked for a movie we might all enjoy and settled on DOUBT, with Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  It was a play on Broadway first, then made into a powerful film about a priest accused with little evidence of abuse of a young black child.  If you have not watched it, it's worth seeing.  We paused halfway through for dessert, blueberry pie, and ice cream.  We finished with the film at 10:30, most agreeing the Priest was guilty, especially in light of all the Catholic priests accused of sexual misconduct over the past ten years.

And Tyler, Too, For The Weekend

Tyler, Our Twenty Three Year Old Grandson

A Fine Looking Group

Hello, darkness my good friend popped into my head as I sat here in Dallas on a dark morning at 7:10, not even a glimpse of light yet.  It's 43º and clear, with a high in the '60s, perfect weather for St. Patrick's Day although most of the parades were yesterday in various parts of the city. And the house keeps filling up as Tyler flew in yesterday from Boston, joining his brother Mitchell who drove home Friday night.

Saturday was a sunny but cool day here in Dallas.  I was up early, of course, waiting for everyone else to get up.  Beth and Evie were up by 8:00, and we had our coffee together before I took Cody for a walk and Beth and I got ready for yoga.  We left at 9:00 and passed lots of St. Patrick's Day revelers, walking in their green tee shirts and silly hats or gathering for a march later in the morning.  It was another gentle yoga class with a new teacher, a professional dancer, who was quite good, meaning he was thorough and thoughtful in the way he organized our asanas.  Both of us liked the class, felt energized after it. We stopped for coffee before heading home. When we returned home Mitchell was up and Tyler was being picked up at the airport by his father.

Mitch and I had lunch, the leftover pad thai, just as good as the night before and we then waited for Tyler to get home.  As usual, he came in giving everyone hugs, with a bag full of dirty clothes to wash at home saving quarters at the laundry.  We got him settled and he was already wanting to do something instead of just sitting around the house watching basketball.  We waited for Beth to get home from shopping and finally decided on driving into Dallas's thriving bar/restaurant/music area called Deep Ellum, only six miles away but it took us a good half hour to get there because of traffic.

Sunshine In Deep Ellum

The main streets were packed with people and cars so that we had difficulty finding a parking space.  The six of us then spent the next hour walking along the busy streets, filled with a diverse crowd of revelers, many in green shirts, wearing beads.  We stopped in a couple of shops, then walked through the outdoor flea market which was packed with mostly locals. Unlike University Park, Deep Ellum was diverse, many cultures, many social classes, all having a fun time.

Outside The Brain Dead Brewery

We finally found an outdoor table at the aptly named Braindead Brewery, a Tyler favorite.  It was actually hot in the sun not that we were complaining as we drank our microbrews and people watched. Lots of guys and gals were on rented electric scooters and cool bicycle taxis drove by, with six peddlers on each side of the taxi.

A Bike Taxi

We headed home around 5:00 because we had yet to start prepping for dinner. Beth was making a family favorite, vodka pasta along with a nice filet of salmon with butter sauce.

Cook And Helper

The pasta takes a good hour to cook down, the sauce I mean, so we sat around the kitchen island, sipping wine, helping prep and eating shrimp with cocktail sauce from Costco.  We finally sat down to eat around 7:00 and dinner was just what we wanted, perfectly cooked salmon and a luscious vodka sauce with pasta.  Both Tyler and I went back for seconds even though we were full.

1,2,3 Testing

Around 8:30, after we cleaned up the kitchen, all of us sat down to watch FREE SOLO, the film about the climbing of El Capitan in Yosemite which Evie and I had watched the previous week with Tom's family.  It was just as riveting and amazing the second time around and everyone one was glued to the TV, only occasionally checking their phones, a minor miracle and a tribute to how interesting the film was.  We ended the night watching some Saturday Night Live before going to bed, at least Beth, Evie and me, at 10:45, leaving the others to watch what they wanted.

Beto O' Rourke Country

Mitch Is Back

Mitch And Cody

It's 7:00 on a clear 46º Dallas morning and we should have some sun for the next couple of days here in the Lone Star State.  I am trying to find a podcast I like, having started with Pop Culture Happy Hour, tired of it and am now listening to Pardon My Take, a sports show. 

A Destination Place

Yesterday was a big day for Evie because we were bagging yoga class and going to her favorite store, COSTCO.  What a perfect symbol of American consumerism. You can buy almost anything there and it's always a deal, cheaper than anywhere else.  So after our coffee and letting Marisa sleep in, we left at 9:40 so we could get there just as it opens at 10:00.  We were going for two reasons, picking up both salmon and a rib roast for dinners on Saturday and Sunday when the boys would be in town.  So Beth and I went to pick out dinner, leaving Evie to free range the store, wandering wherever she wanted, taking her time.  It's always hard to pick something out at Costco because there is, for example, three or four different prices for something as simple as salmon, whether its organic or not, whether it coho or farm raised, ocean or pond. We finally chose the salmon with a price in the middle, not most expensive, nor cheapest. The same went for the rib roast.

I admit to wanting and finding one item, a bag of dahlias for our garden this summer.  We were able to pick up a variety pack of 15 bulbs for twenty bucks, a deal when just one strain of one bulb might be that much.  We are not connoisseurs yet so almost any dahlia will do for Evie's garden.  By the time Beth and I were done, Evie joined us and helped us with the rest of the shopping.  We did not walk about with much actually, at least not much for Costco, having bought what we needed, not what we happened to see on a shelf and could not resist because it was such a bargain. 

We braved the always busy Interstate 75 back to University Park.  I decided to go for a walk before lunch, up to the tres chic Highland Park Shopping Center.   I decided I should play the part of a 'cool dude' so I put on my new Beats wireless headphones (a gift from my grandson, Nick) and walked uptown, listening to tunes.  I browsed the shop windows, then stopped at Royal Blue, an upscale deli for a coffee and sat around like the rest of the patrons, surfing on my iPhone.  To be honest, I felt woefully underdressed in my Columbia fleece, black jeans, and Van shoes.  I tried but it was no match for the glam of most of the patrons, young and old.  I just didn't' feel like  I fit in here like I do at the lake. 

I was home by 1:00 and had a bowl of Beth's chicken tortilla soup for lunch, something I was looking forward to all morning.  It's tres delish.  Beth and Marisa had an appointment in the afternoon so Evie and I had the house to ourselves, enjoying some TV and some basketball,  We are getting good at enjoying our leisure.  I did get in a nap before taking Cody out for a long walk, hoping it would not aggravate his hip's arthritis. 

The Big Spill

Oops

We received news from Mitch late afternoon telling us he was coming home Friday night instead of Saturday as he was finished with class.  In fact, when he called he was already on the road from Austin but was not expected until 9:00.  We decided earlier in the day to go out for dinner and had made plans to go to a ramen restaurant.  Since we had soup Thursday night and for lunch on Friday, we decided to have Thai food instead and it was much closer, just ten minutes away. 

A Night Out

It was a good choice, Asian Mint, a busy place on Friday night.  Beth ordered a Massaman curry, Evie pad thai and a salad, and I had one of my favorites, Thai basil chicken and shrimp.  All three dishes were good and when we left, we ordered a pad thai and pineapple rice for Mitch when he got home. 

Mitch was home by 9:00, starving so he quickly devoured his take out Thai food and a beer.  He's doing well at school, busy as he is an architectural engineering student.  In June, he moves to San Francisco for the summer as he has an internship at the ARUP Group, an international architectural firm, best known for designing the Sydney Opera House.  To say he's excited to have been chosen would be an understatement.  We sat around talking until 10:30, watching the Duke/North Carolina basketball game, a thriller down to the last seconds with Duke winning by a single point.

TGIF In Dallas, Texas

Two Petkovsek Sisters

It's 7:15 on a dark morning in Dallas.  I have been up since 6:00, on my computer, writing my blog and listening to the horrible news from New Zealand where at least 49 worshipers at two mosques were killed.  The shooter allegedly was inspired by white supremacists.  I find it interesting that when Muslims commit an atrocity like this, it's a terrorist attack.  When a white person does, it's a hate crime.

Yesterday was a pleasant day here in Dallas, partly sunny skies during the day, temperatures in the 60's so we needed a fleece when going out shopping or for a walk.  I took Cody out before yoga, fed him, made sure the blog was written, edited and published before heading to yoga with Beth at 9:00.
The class was called Gently Yoga, my speed, taught by a woman close to my age.  Cool beans.  It was nice to have a choice between two classes, one more difficult than the other.  Our class, of course, was overflowing with practitioners like me, wanting a mellow yoga class,

After yoga, Beth and I shopped at my favorite grocery store in Dallas, Central Market, right up there with Stew Leonards and Fairway in Connecticut, Wegman's in New York.  I'm like a kid in a candy store, looking at all the goodies, from fresh baked bread or tortillas to a wall of beers, aisles of wines and coffees, as well as delis, fast foods, and all the foodstuffs found in most stores.  As you can see, I was so impressed by the choices of yogurt that I was tempted to buy a gallon container of Bulgarian yogurt.

Happy To Shop Central Market

We were home by noon just as our granddaughter was getting up, lucky girl to sleep in that late.  I heated up the leftover Indian food for lunch.  Beth, however, got busy putting together her famous chicken tortilla soup, her own version of it.  It's made with the best of ingredients, simmered for a couple of hours on the stove and served with various condiments like avocados, hot sauce, sour cream, and tortilla chips.  Evie's sister, Jean, who lives in Denton, about forty-five minutes away was coming for dinner, thus the soup. I spent the afternoon a usual, reading, napping and watching some basketball. Evie and I also took a short walk with Cody while Beth and Marisa did some Algebra.

Jean arrived at 4:30, with the usual bottle of red wine and a pan of cheesecake for dessert.  We always get together with her when we are in town, either here at Beth's or at Jean's.  We enjoyed a glass of wine and appetizers, catching up on her activities, her grandchildren, always a topic when grandparents like us get together.  Dinner was already made except for cheese, black bean and chicken quesadillas which Beth put together just before soup, 

The Required Selfie

Dinner was perfection, just what we wanted on a cool, late winter day in Dallas. The only problem, it was so filling that I could not go back for seconds,  We then sat around after dinner, enjoying Jean's cheesecake for dessert until she left for home around 8:00.  Evie and Beth then cleaned up the kitchen, got the coffee ready for this morning before relaxing with their devices, watching some TV before it was time for bed, the end to another good day.

Quote I’m pondering — 

“Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed. He's making sure your imagination withers. Until it's as useful as your appendix. He's making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it's worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what's in your mind. With everyone's imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.” 

— Chuck Palahniuk