Notes from the W. G.

There are no coincidences

2012-01-23T12:53:00.002-06:00

Oscar Wilde's Grave - then and now

2012-01-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

headstone in 2003, photo by Steve Adams

Recently in the New York Times, we read an article about Oscar Wilde's grave in Pére Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. During our visit in October, 2011, we noticed that Wilde's grave was shrouded in plastic, and appeared to be undergoing renovation. We have since learned that the renovation in question includes the installation of a large plate glass box surrounding the headstone, which has been cleaned of all the lipstick kisses. Apparently Wilde's descendents feel that the marks left by fans are acts of vandalism rather than expressions of admiration.

Tomas van Houtryve for The New York Times, 2011

Guys Cook Night

2012-01-16T13:50:00.003-06:00

Newly dubbed the "Guys Cook Night" by our friend Bruce Lowry, Saturday night's event at our house was a smashing success. When we, the Carpenters and the Lowrys got together last November, Walt mentioned that he had a special half bottle of 1980 d'Yquem to open sometime soon. It was determined that in January all six of us could reconvene at Chez Adams and celebrate the new year with this particular after dinner wine. Which meant that a dinner was in the offing as well!

butternut squash gnocchi, from Bon Appetit Magazine

The men outdid themselves with recipes both old and new and the meal was quite the gourmet accomplishment. It started off with Walt's warm homemade salt cod brandade spread on Bruce's homemade bread. Bruce also made homemade sweet potato crisps as well, and all was washed down with a little prosecco. At the table we sat down to Steve's homemade butternut squash gnocchi in a browned butter and sage sauce. That was followed by two kinds of Walt's homemade sausages (chicken and pork) in an apple reduction sauce, with homemade pear chutney. What better on a wintry night than a rabbit cacciatore with rhubarb chard? The salad course was a crispy, crunchy delight of sliced Granny Smith apples and celery root with a light dressing. A cheese course was offered and rejected because we were so stuffed. But we did have a dessert: two kinds of oranges sliced with zabaglione.

My apologies that this photo is not of the dish we actually had, but the resident photographer went off duty that night.

Movie Review time

2012-01-10T15:33:00.000-06:00

Four movies in four weeks, or something like that! We're on a jag.

First up was The Descendants, with George Clooney. Nice scenery, interesting story, George Clooney being pretty much George Clooney, have to give it a thumbs up.

Second movie not the same as the first. The scary and violent story of The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo should bring award nominations to its female star, Ronney Mara . We've read the book, seen the Swedish movie version, and were prepared to think the American version would not live up to either one. But it did! And surpassed! The story was even slightly improved, the cinematography was gorgeous, the violence there but not gratuitous.

The third movie we saw was totally up our alley: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. What's not to like? Set in 1970's London, a thoroughly engrossing mystery, incredible acting from a lot of well known British actors, but especially Gary Oldman who disappears into John Smiley, it's everything a quiet thriller should be. There's no going to the bathroom during this movie. It's not that the action is so fast, it's that the clues are coming so stealthily that you have to watch and listen carefully. Loved it!

Lastly, and most surprisingly, was a small French film called The Artist. It's a silent black and white movie set in the late 1920's just when film was turning to the "talkies." You won't believe how charming this actually rather simple story is. As they say in Sunset Boulevard, it's all about the faces. Plus a cute little dog almost steals every scene (even I thought he was adorable).

Christmas past and present

2011-12-31T12:58:00.003-06:00

Lots of changes happened in the last year, and so we changed up Christmas. But in point of fact, it was not so much a change as a reversion to Christmases past, but with a twist.

We had not spent Christmas Day in Carmi since Max was
one year old, which puts it at 1981. When Emily arrived in 1983, we declared that our family would have Christmas at home, and whomever wished to join us were warmly invited. That meant two sets of grandparents were automatically on board from then on.

This year, though, Emily was in Gettysburg, PA, with Steve H.'s family. Mary Lou is sadly not with us, and my mom and dad did not feel like making the trek to Webster Grove having just been here for Thanksgiving. So we packed up and went over the river and through the woods to their house, with Papaw Jack in tow. He also felt the circling of life, as he and Steve A. went to church in his hometown, Galatia, with his old friend Buddy Peyton in the pulpit giving the message. Max and his girlfriend, Jen, were the "youngsters" and it was jolly time with my two brothers, Bill and Rob. Bill's family including Aric and April made our table complete.

Christmas Eve dinner was an homage to all the Christmas Eves of my childhood spent at Big Mimi's house. Cheeses, tuna salad, a nice pork pate, gingersnap cookies - all reminders of lovely past Christmases.

Temples and tombs

2011-12-22T08:23:00.001-06:00

I think the look on my face in the picture at left captures all the awe and delight that I felt on our recent trip to Egypt.

The temples at Luxor and Karnak, Edfu and Abu Simbel were all simply amazing and breath-taking. One of my most vivid memories, though, is of this crypt in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. To reach this crypt, you had to climb down a very steep stairway, and then double yourself over at the bottom of the stairs to half crawl, half wiggle through a small opening to emerge in a dimly lit space. The hieroglyphics on the walls are spectacularly detailed. On many of them the original colors are still visible. This is the closest I came to feeling like Howard Carter discovering King Tut's long-lost tomb.

King Tutankhamen

Speaking of which, we did indeed get to view King Tuttankhamen's treasures at the Cairo Egyptian Museum. We were also able to view King Tut's tomb and mummy at the Valley of the Kings. When you see the treasures and think of the fact that King Tut was really only a minor Pharaoah, you can only imagine what treasures were stored in the Great Pyramids that were ultimately plundered and robbed.

An Egyptologist that rocked our trip!

2011-12-16T10:14:00.002-06:00

Hesham Abdulla was our guide and Egyptologist during our entire trip to Egypt. I can say without equivocation that Hesham made our trip the spectacular experience that it was.

Hesham is a consummate scholar of Egyptian history. He is enthusiastic about his subject. He is personable and charming. And he is incredibly patient with his group of 24 tourists. Some of us asked tiresome questions. Some of us got lost from the group at times. Some of us were slow walkers. All of us mispronounced his name frequently, some up till the very last day of our eight days of togetherness! Always Hesham was perfectly calm and imperturbable.

Hesham Abdulla on Lake Nasser, near Aswan

We had two particularly memorable experiences with Hesham. One was our felluca ride around Kitchener Island in the Nile near Aswan. Originally scheduled to be a one-hour tour, it lasted about three hours because we became becalmed near the end of our sail. Hesham used that time to answer any and all questions about Egypt and its history, the revolution, the current election and other recent events. The time passed by and we were all entertained and informed at the same time.

The other was our visit to the mosque of Sultan Hassan in Cairo on the last day of our tour. Hesham gave a mini lecture about the Muslim religion, its history and its beliefs, and made us feel perfectly comfortable to ask anything we liked about this subject.

Inside the mosque of Sultan Hassan

All this, and everything you ever wanted to know about Pharaohs and temples and tombs!

Mysterious and Magical

2011-12-06T11:15:00.002-06:00

The ancient pyramids, and the Sphinx – they belong to the world, not just to Egypt. So romantic and mysterious – I am completely amazed that I am viewing this landscape in person. The Sphinx has held an unwavering gaze toward the east for nearly 5000 years. How many sunrises have bathed it in a glowing light? Over a million and a half. Think about that!

The three pyramids are arranged in the pattern of Orion’s belt. Each one is the burial place of a single powerful Pharaoh, and they are the only one remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Almost equally amazing is our very short and bumpy ride on a ship of the desert – a camel. Equal parts kitsch and comedy. So what if we are not Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. I would say we are two American tourists who are as pleased to be here as the Egyptians seem to be pleased that we are.

Tradition, tradition

2011-12-01T18:44:00.000-06:00

Traditions are lovely, and making new ones is nice too! Last year we were in Geneva, Switzerland, with Emily and Steve H. for Thanksgiving, so my brother Rob hosted the rest of the family at his house for his very first Thanksgiving dinner event.

It went so well, and his guests loved it so much, that Rob said he'd do it again this year! Emily and Steve joined us, and we had a ball. Rob's got his turkey dinner down pat, with help from Trader Joe's. Unfortunately I had pumpkin pie failure, so that part of the meal needs to be improved for next year.

A rousing game of Cranium capped off the day's festivities. Fun! I like this new tradition.

The turkey's revenge

2011-11-24T00:01:00.004-06:00

Lovely video from Paris Metro

2011-11-21T10:36:00.000-06:00

Watch this full screen, please!

A film by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason
Concept by Jennifer McClory
Locations by Yoann Casals
Music by Duke Ellington
Finishing effects by tracevfx.com
Special thanks to Anne Labro

It's cooking in Barcelona

2011-11-20T12:26:00.000-06:00

Yes, after looking at Miro’s art, and Gaudi’s magnificent architecture, it was time to have some hands-on experience with Barcelona’s wonderful food. A cooking class at Cook and Taste was good way to learn a little something, enjoy a nice meal, and meet fellow travelers.

If you are a novice, there is nothing that will really be beyond your capabilities at this class. If you are already skilled in the culinary arts, it is still fun to share in the communal experience of meal preparation. Our instructor, Lluis, had just the right amount of charm combined with seriousness about teaching his craft to our class of twelve students from the USA, Canada and Australia. We opted for the one hour visit to the market prior to the class, but really we had explored that market on our own the day before, and found it to be one of the best markets of its type. Though smaller than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, it reminded me of that one all the same.

The menu items up for preparation were a tomato soup with pesto and aioli garnish, a seafood paella, tomato and garlic toasted bread, and a creamy mildly lemon dessert with a burnt sugar top, reminiscent of a creme brulee.

A fellow student, Dave from Philadelphia , and I rocked the tomato soup. Evidently Lluis recognized that Steve was the best student for helping with the paella. He was in front of the class for over an hour, helping Lluis with chopping, stirring, etc.

The course took almost five hours, and seeing as how we had no food for the first three hours, nor even a glass of wine to keep us going, all of us were more than ready to devour the feast we had made.

If you don't use it, you lose it.

2011-11-20T12:21:00.001-06:00

Is exercise of our Constitutionally guaranteed right of peaceable assembly and free speech going to be met with pepper spray and truncheons? As Rosa Luxemburg so perfectly put it: “Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”

Occupy - Clayton?

2011-11-02T10:57:00.001-05:00

Heretofore I haven't written about this event, but as Occupy Wall Street goes on, I am taking a little exception to my personal ban on political items on my blog.

As the summer's wrangling over raising the debt ceiling went on and on, I thought "this is no way to operate a country." The debt ceiling had been raised many times under Pres. Geo. Bush, without comment and seemingly rubber-stamped by Congress. Frankly, I hadn't even heard anything about these things till summer of 2011.

Two things seemed obvious: that it was detrimental to our nation NOT to raise the debt ceiling, and that Republicans were doing this to make Obama look bad. The debt situation is bad, for sure. But not raising the debt ceiling was only going to make things worse, not better.

Therefore, on the day of the vote, Aug. 1, I responded to a Move On email to appear at Sen. Roy Blunt's office to protest the way this whole thing went down in the weeks leading up to the vote. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, a melting one hundred degrees or so. I took metrolink from the studio into Clayton and walked to the office building housing Sen. Blunt's offices arriving exactly at the noon time set for the protest.

Unsurprisingly, there were only a handful of other "protesters" on the scene already - less than 10 of us. Old hippies, I guess - only two people were younger than myself. There was a black woman of in her forties, along with her twenty something son. There was an older man with walking stick accompanied by his gray haired wife in a denim jumper. There was a fit looking older woman with a backpack. There was a woman about my age who said she'd never attended such a thing, but was upset about how things had evolved.

Here's the surprise. As I walked up to the office building, I was met in the lobby by a Clayton policeman who asked me why I was there. I responded that I was going to Sen. Blunt's office. He said I would not be allowed on the elevator. In fact, I would have to leave the whole building. It was "private property" and I had not been invited to enter. I was trespassing, to quote him. And he had back-up, to keep me out. There were a total of roughly twenty uniformed policemen in the lobby, lining the steps of the building, in cars parked on the street, all armed with weapons and walkie-talkies.

Yes, it did surprise me. My right to speak my piece as a constituent of a duly elected public servant was deemed worthy of a phalanx of policemen to deny.

Money talks, and the voices of regular people are stifled. I don't know if Occupy Wall Street will have any effect or not. I didn't think my appearance at Blunt's office would have any real affect. I wanted my voice heard, regardless, tiny and puny though it is. Is that too much to ask?

Halloween Eve

2011-10-27T13:07:00.000-05:00

Jim Morrison's Grave

Pére Lachaise – this is an enormous Parisian cemetery that has become a sort of pilgrimage destination for many people. Jim Morrison, lead singer for The Doors, died in Paris in the late sixties when I was in high school. He is buried here and his grave is a shrine to many. Flowers and liquor bottles constantly adorn his grave. A small crowd seems to be gathered here at almost any time of the day.

Other famous graves are those of Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Moliere, Heloise and Abelard, Chopin, and more. Wilde’s is also a shrine now, as he has become an icon of the gay community. On the day we visited recently the headstone was covered up completely as it is undergoing restoration.

But you don’t need to visit this cemetery just to see famous graves. It is beautiful in its own right. The mausoleums and headstones are quite distinctive in their architecture and design. The plane trees in the autumn were losing their leaves, forming a pretty gold carpet on the cobblestone paths. It's also home to ravens that perch picturesquely throughout the grounds.

Happy Halloween!

Mélange a Paris

2011-10-25T03:33:00.001-05:00

Steve's Greque Salad

When Steve's brother Dave and wife Blair moved to Paris, we knew we'd come to visit. But we really wanted to get in a trip while Emily and Steve H. were still in Geneva! Since they are coming back to the USA on November 1, that meant we had to make another trip in 2011, rather more soon that we otherwise would have. All six of us are having a splendid time in the City of Lights for a few days.

Over the years Steve and I have tried to see the Pompidou Center more than once. Each time we have been thwarted, and this year has been no different! The museum opens at eleven a.m., and we left in time to get there before noon. Upon arrival, we noticed that the line for buying entry tickets extended out the door, across the courtyard, made a turn and stretched out along the sidewalk. Inside, the line held even more people! Plan B was to just have lunch atop the museum, and then mosey around Notre Dame.

Barb and Blair inside Pompidou Center

Yeah, that's my hometown! Carmi, Illinois! World Leaders in environmental clean-up.

2011-10-19T10:02:00.003-05:00

Stepping out in style

2011-10-18T11:11:00.001-05:00

In high school, I was one of the dweebs who loved marching band. Our band leader, Mr. Croghan, had just come from Murray State University, and was really down with very intricate marching sequences, pinwheels, interesting formations, weaving in and out, wearing white spats so our high-stepping footwork would show off to best advantage. In fact, you had to try out for marching band in those days and we were known as the Marching One Hundred. All the music was memorized so we didn't have ugly lyres attached to our instruments, or pages flapping in the wind. Our practices began in the early dawn before school, rain or shine, every day of the week. Everyone kept a pair of ratty old marching practice shoes in an unused hallway near the bandroom, and those shoes had to be thrown away at the end of the season. They were caked with grass, leaves, and mud, and were sopping wet at the end of each practice. It was best to hold your breath as long as possible when retrieving those shoes before practice.

Emily sent me this music video, which I just loved.

A new route - new adventures

2011-10-12T14:13:00.006-05:00

Piasa Bird Cliff Painting

on the road again

Elsah wildflowers

Yesterday Steve and I lit out for Alton, IL, the starting point for a new bike ride. Directly underneath the cliff painting of the Piasa Bird is the parking lot for the Great River Road Trail. The trail itself is older than many of the Madison County trails, and not quite as well maintained. Still, it was fun to head north from Alton and bike to Pere Marquette State Park, a distance of twenty miles.

waterfall in Chatauqua

Along the way were many interesting little villages. We made a small loop through Elsah. The entire small town is very cute and historic. At one time there was a restaurant called Elsah Landing which was famous for its pies, especially lemon custard pie. Alas, the restaurant is no more, and we didn't see any establishment at all for refreshment.

site of Pere Marquette's
landing in Illinois

Just up the road from Elsah is Piasa Chatauqua, a sort of summer resort village. Founded in 1885 by Methodists, Piasa Chautauqua attracted thousands of people from the St. Louis area and other places in Illinois in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Arriving first by packet boat, and later by automobile or the trains that ran by as often as six times a day, vacationers were entertained, educated, and inspired by such luminaries as William Jennings Bryan, evangelists like Billy Sunday, and John Philip Sousa’s band. We saw a brand new pavilion where it seems that people gather for worship or entertainment, even today. A sign written on a large chalkboard promoted Wednesday game nights and a pig roast that will happen there this coming Oct. 22. There is also a large swimming pool with a clubhouse and boardwalk surrounding the pool that looks in wonderful condition. As in Elsah, the homes are quaint and perfectly preserved.

The next town up was Grafton, and it is filled with places that looked like good stops for lunch. Sometime I'd like to eat at either the Fin Inn (specializing in fish native to the Mississippi River) or the Hawg Pit (specializing in pulled pork BBQ). On this day, though, we had planned to make it all the way to Pere Marquette State Park.

After puffing up the hilly path from Grafton to the park, we locked our bikes on the rack and made our way into the 1930's style lodge. Lo and behold, at 12:30 the huge dining room was completely filled, and we were told there was a 45 minute wait! Apparently the month of October is an especially popular time for carloads of visitors seeing the bright colors of fall foliage. We didn't ride all that way to go away hungry, so we sat on the deck outside with a view of the river in the distance. Soon enough we were called into the dining room. A specialty at the lodge is fried chicken, so that's what I ordered, and Steve had a girly salad (spinach, strawberries and grilled chicken). Frankly, on the ride back I kind of wished I had also opted for the salad. But when in Rome, etc., etc.

The ride home seemed long though it was two miles shorter than the ride up since we did not make any side trips through the little towns as we had in the morning.

Another 42 miles chalked up in fall, 2011!

Corn Day 2011 - another one is history

2011-10-10T11:25:00.005-05:00

I "heart" Corn Day!

Chowder in progress

Nathaniel

My Granddad Max's chowder pot was filled to the brim on Saturday. The most perfect Corn Day weather you could ask for made it a pleasure to sit outside and stir the pot. Everyone took a turn with the old wooden paddle, and the end result was declared the best chowder ever. It helped that this time we did not get the fire too hot so that the chowder on the bottom did not get scorched like it did last year.

Almost fifty people ended up stopping by to fill their bowls, and we had plenty to take home to Max, too.

My old friend Ray Lytle and his friend Sandy popped in, and it was a pleasure to sit and chat for a while.

Good-bye to a genius. . .

2011-10-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

Food for thought

2011-09-30T12:14:00.000-05:00

In a recent op-ed piece in the NY Times, Mark Bittman proposes that the fast food that so many Americans rely on for cheap, fast food is not in reality any cheaper than buying fresh ingredients and preparing a meal at home. He gives examples of what you could buy at the market, prepare at home, and get a lot more nutrition at a price equal to a meal at McDonald's. Click HERE to read Bittman's article.

I just read some follow-up letters to the editor in the Times repudiating some of his thinking. In most homes these days, both parents are working, which means that time is a premium. One letter writer spoke of the amount of time spent in shopping, prepping, cooking, and clean-up taking away from the eat at home experience. I really understand that this would be a hindrance, especially if the actual cooking is seen as a chore rather than something fun and interesting to do.

Further, Americans have for the most part lost skills in cooking and food preparation which is another hurdle to overcome. Most just don't have the knowledge necessary to whip out a meal in twenty minutes, Rachel Ray notwithstanding. The schools are burdened enough with teaching the basics of reading, writing, math and science, without adding in teaching basic "how to live" skills. Both of my children took FACS in junior high school. That is a class that did indeed try to teach some skills in cooking and sewing, as well as health and hygiene, and well worth the short period of time that was spent on these things.

It is really a conundrum, but all things considered, it seems like the value in healthy eating would outweigh the negatives in time and effort.

Farewell to a dreamer and a doer. . .

2011-09-27T09:02:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, after writing the previous post, I learned that Bob Cassilly was found dead in a bulldozer at the site of "Cementland" after an accident. This was Bob's new project: creating an adventureland from an old abandoned cement factory along the banks of the Mississippi River. On our bike ride Sunday, we had seen the row of brightly painted cement-mixers which formed part of a fence surrounding the 55 acre tract under development.

Now, the amusement park will probably remain unfinished, another structure left to be overtaken by weeds and wildflowers. Hopefully, the very successful downtown St. Louis City Museum created by Cassilly will continue to amaze and delight visitors.

R.I.P., Bob Cassilly. Click HERE to see some photographs of the unfinished Cementland.

Sunday bike ride!

2011-09-26T13:56:00.009-05:00

We struck out in new territory Sunday morning. Up and out early after a big bacon and egg breakfast, we headed for downtown St. Louis. A bustling crowd was already staking out their tailgate positions for the pre-Rams game festivities (unfortunate aside: that was all that was festive about the Rams game).

We were able to park right on the riverfront at the Riverfront Trail head. We immediately hopped on our bikes and struck out to the north, alongside the river. The sights are varied. You have to use your imagination, but there are some fantastic old abandoned buildings all along the river front. Would that someone could have the vision to put these to good use one day. Before they are completely torn down, that is.

Then there are the enormous piles of salt, ready to be spread on snowy and icy streets this winter.

There are incredible piles of junk, being crushed and made ready for landfills.

There are mountains of sand, that I suppose are used in the production of concrete, or other construction purposes.

There are sad little encampments of homeless people, just a stone's throw from our bike path.

There is the huge water treatment facility, turning the water from the muddy Mississippi into nice tasting drinking water.

There are sunflowers growing wild in profusion alongside the trail, in cracks in asphalt on old parking lots, and at the river's edge. So pretty!

There is a gigantic brand new biodiesel fuel factory, pumping clouds of smoke into the sky. Railroad cars by the hundreds were ringing the factory.

I could go on and on - we even saw three wild turkeys strolling about in a meadow close to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Up about 13 miles to the north, we crossed the Mississippi into Illinois, and turned to the south. At the McKinley Bridge, we came back to Missouri and headed to our car. Another 25 mile trek was completed. By now, it was early afternoon and the wave of Rams blue and gold gave way to the flood of red that the Cardinal fans were sporting. Busch Stadium was filling up with fans saying perhaps good-bye to Albert Pujols and another baseball season.

The Elizabeth Warren Quote Every American Needs To See

2011-09-21T16:23:00.001-05:00

The Elizabeth Warren Quote Every American Needs To See

My favorite bit from Emmy 2011

2011-09-19T12:06:00.000-05:00

Amy Poehler’s Shock Emmy Stage Rush

You say it's your birthday?

2011-09-17T15:00:00.002-05:00

Well it's his birthday, too, yeah.

Woody is fifteen years young today. Still likes to chase his tail. Still leaps onto the kitchen counter for a look-see. Still takes off like a jack rabbit if he manages to get outside.

Woody - 2011

Woody (and Max) - 1996

Missoni + Target = Krispy Kreme?

2011-09-16T12:56:00.001-05:00

Is this going to turn out like Krispy Kreme Donuts? At one time those were a hot commodity. It was a big deal to get a fresh-out-of-the-oven donut. Then they started selling them everywhere: grocery stores, convenience stores, stacks of boxes of Krispy Kremes at Walmart. Now who think twice about a Krispy Kreme donut?

I have never owned a Missoni article of clothing. I've come close a couple of times. We've been in London at the Harvey Nichols store in January when they've marked down stuff by as much as 90%. I tried on some Missoni gloves; I wound a Missoni scarf around my neck. Both were tempting, but at still over $100 - I couldn't really justify that expense.

But now that Missoni is in Target, would I even be tempted? Everyone would think I got the inexpensive Missoni for the masses. Has Missoni devalued its brand, practically overnight? I wonder.

Nip is in the air

2011-09-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

It's not fall yet, though it feels like it. The recent rain gave relief to our grass and gardens, though most of the blooming things have just plain given up. The knock out roses are giving us a little burst of color, though.

Just now the liriope lining our little sidewalk has sent up its purple blooms. They will last quite a while, and remind me that summer will come again.

In the meantime, all sorts of critters and bugs will probably be trying to make it inside of our warm, cozy house.

Block Party!

2011-09-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

The countdown is on till our official pool closing. A week from today, the heavy green cover will be snapped into place over the pool. There will be some warm days, but no regrets about closing the pool because the cool nights bring down the temperature of the water to an unacceptable level.

Last night we had about 24 neighbors over. Master pizza-maker Steve dazzled them with his skills, and he never tires of explaining how he arrived at the best dough recipe, and showing off the amazing repertoire of different toppings he's come up with. Last night we topped pizzas with pepperoni, mozzarella, blue cheese, chicken & spinach sausage, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, feta cheese crumbles, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, corn, tomato sauce, pesto sauce, mushrooms, red peppers, nicoise olives, and probably some other things that I can't remember now.

Book of Mormon - the musical

2011-09-13T15:24:00.002-05:00

Sharing from Vogue.com

Adam Green, writing for Vogue Magazine:

In the February issue of the magazine, I wrote that The Book of Mormon may just be the funniest musical of all time. This was based on seeing a workshop of the show that was put on last summer. Now, after seeing the fully mounted Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, which opened to rave reviews, I have to revise my opinion: It is hands down the funniest musical of all time and, what’s more, among the best new American musicals of the last 25 years. (The Producers, by comparison, seems square and stale and of another era.) The opening-night performance was more like a revival meeting than a night at the theater, with an ecstatic audience—including Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kristen Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden, and Aaron Sorkin—laughing, screaming, stomping, and all but speaking in tongues. Musical Theater, of course, is a quintessentially American art from. And Mormonism is a quintessentially American religion. The show succeeds because it makes fun of and celebrates them both. That combination of sarcasm and sincerity is, I believe, an expression of where we are at this particular cultural moment—and it’s a joyous thing to behold, especially in the hands of South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, who wrote The Book of Mormon with such gleeful, affectionate subversiveness, and Casey Nicholaw, who codirected and choreographed it to perfection.

—Adam Green

And I'd say it's the funniest play we ever saw!

More eating in NYC

2011-09-09T10:29:00.003-05:00

We had some highlights and higher-lights and only one low-light (not mentioned here) on our eating adventures in New York.

noodles at Dohyo

Sushi! We never think of going out for it in STL, though we like it a lot. The Yotel had a great sushi bar which made for a good place for a quick pre-theater dinner (Book of Mormon!!!!! Wonderful!!!!) Anyhow, after all the great tuna we had in Hawaii, I order sashimi-style tuna whenever I get the chance. Dohyo (that's the name of the restaurant at Yotel) let us explore that and other wonderful dishes as well, at a price that was certainly in the acceptable range.

My birthday champagne

Alta! No pictures from this restaurant, but it was my birthday dinner. We met up with our St. Louis friends Walt and Marcia, had some lovely champagne at their hotel (chilled in our sink), then traveled on to this loud and fun tapas restaurant. Top dishes of the night: fritto misto de mare (shrimp, calamari, whiting, crisply fried and dashed with sea salt) and skirt steak with chimichurri and Parmesan potatoes. The restaurant itself was loud and raucous, so be prepared to either shout at your dinner companions or eat in silence.

The Dutch! A new restaurant in NYC - very clubby, chic and I'd love to go back for dinner. We had lunch here, and our salads were spectacular. I chose the arugula, sugar kiss melon and Kentucky ham salad; Steve chose the heirloom tomato, American burrata and basil salad. I won in this contest. When we got back home, we found out this place was featured in the latest Bon Appetit magazine as one of the 10 best new restaurants of 2011. We felt very smarty-pants having already been.

The Modern!, another Danny Meyer enterprise. This was Steve's birthday dinner. Spent mucho big bucks on it. Very elegant restaurant, wonderful service, nice food, but just a bit on the too precious side.

Danny Meyer - NYC restaurateur with St. Louis roots

2011-09-09T07:15:00.001-05:00

On our birthday extravaganza weekend last August, we gave a couple of Danny Meyer restaurants a try. We'd already been to Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and Blue Smoke in years past.

Friday upon arrival in the Big Apple we tried The Shake Shack. This little franchise has taken New York by storm, with long lines out the door and around the block at lunch time. Our wait for lunch on our recent visit was about 45 minutes altogether. What we noticed was that it was a total riff on our home town favorites, Ted Drewes concretes and the ubiquitous Steak 'n' Shake. And they sure do not have the Ted Drewes speed of delivery down, by a long shot. I got the burger, Steve got the Chicago-style hot dog, all accompanied by chocolate malt, beer and fries. Worth a visit, but think we do it better here, actually.

YO - it's the Yotel

2011-09-08T10:51:00.001-05:00

We stayed in a cool, brand-new hotel in NYC on our birthday weekend this August. Billed as a "luxury pod" hotel, the Yotel gave us a lot for our money. Free wireless and a free continental breakfast were two of the extras that you don't normally have in a big city hotel.

The rooms were indeed tiny, but fully appointed with big television mounted on the wall, built-in drawers and desk space, a docking station for your iPod, high thread count sheets, a spacious shower with a rain forest shower head, and cool lighting.

The futon style bed was set up as a couch when you check in, but at the touch of a button it transforms into a flat bed.

The window in the room was floor to ceiling and we had a great view of the Empire State Building from our vantage point.

The public spaces were very large and spacious with an enormous roof top deck - they say it's the largest outdoor deck in NYC. We tried the restaurant there, and had a great sushi dinner pre-theater.

I recommend it!

On Eagles Wings. . . .

2011-08-24T10:14:00.002-05:00


Mary Lou Adams 1933-2011

And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,

Bear you on the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine like the sun,

And hold you in the palm of His Hand.

This could be me. . . .

2011-08-21T09:01:00.001-05:00

http://youtu.be/sP4NMoJcFd4

School's starting

2011-08-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

I guess this means the end of summer. This morning Steve and I saw a yellow school bus wending its way through the residential streets. It was probably taking a test run through its route for the coming year.

Somehow, this makes me sad. Even though I'm not going back to school, I don't like the thought of school starting already. As a child, I was a good student. Even so, it seemed very melancholy for a summer of lazy days to end. No more trips to the swimming pool. No more bike trips down to the library to get a new Nancy Drew. No more playing kick the can in the back yard till bedtime.

Instead, there was a trip to the shoe store for new "school shoes." A visit to the drugstore to pick up tablets, pencils and glue. A long walk to Lincoln School scuffling along in the falling leaves.

Oh, well. Time marches on.

Riots in the UK!

2011-08-12T17:29:00.001-05:00

As readers of my blog know, England is my favorite travel destination.

Last spring, Steve, Emily, Steve H. and I witnessed a huge protest in Trafalgar Square. As we rounded down into the square from Covent Garden one evening rather late, the scene was very eerie, kind of like a dream-scape. Overhead helicopters were hovering, shining huge lights down into the crowd. Buses were lined up all around the square, empty of passengers and at a dead stop. Battalions of police in riot gear stood shoulder to shoulder, shields up and face guards down, truncheons at their sides. Young people were lying in the street in front of cars, hanging off the lion statues, and massing on the steps of the National Gallery. There was silence, mostly. The four of us just walked along, winding through all of this with utter non-concern. Frankly, it didn't seem real.

Now, again, there are massive riots all over the UK, and they are much, much worse. You wouldn't think a comedian, and a kind of louche one at that, would have anything pertinent to say. And yet he does. Russell Brand writes, "I feel proud to be English, proud to be a Londoner (all right, an Essex boy), never more so than since being in exile, and I naturally began to wonder what would make young people destroy their communities. " Brand goes on to say:

However "unacceptable" and "unjustifiable" [this rioting] might be, it has happened so we better accept it and, whilst we can't justify it, we should kick around a few neurons and work out why so many people feel utterly disconnected from the cities they live in....
If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.
As we sweep away the mistakes made in the selfish, nocturnal darkness we must ensure that, amidst the broken glass and sadness, we don't sweep away the youth lost amongst the shards in the shadows cast by the new dawn.

Full text of Brand's article here.

Pizza Summer 2011

2011-08-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

Pepperoni! My fave

I haven't blogged about pizza nights all summer long. We've still had'em, and pretty much the same motley crew as in years past has shown up!

Swiss chard and egg

pesto, goat cheese, black olives

We started out slowly, getting the damp out of the wood-fired oven in the backyard in mid-May.

Caramelized onions, olives, bleu cheese

Our first group was just us and our friends, Ron and Ken. But it went on from there, on regular Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, whatever worked best with our schedule. Large groups of ten, smaller groups of just six - it's been a blast seeing how everyone loves getting to see each other again, or meet each other for the first time. Ranging from the humble red sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella to ambitious pizzas with caramelized onions, bleu cheese and raisins, to the chard and egg topping (not for everyone, actually) - they have run the gamut. And Steve's pizza dough continues to amaze and delight.

Though it's only mid-August, we see the night's darkness gathering sooner than later, and know that pizza nights for 2011 will too soon be drawing to a close. Salute!

Adventures in Chi-town

2011-08-09T15:30:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since we had a couple of nights in a downtown Chicago hotel, hitting the good restaurants and doing the tourist thing. Last week was slow at the studio, so we took a spur of the moment excursion.

We nabbed a hotel deal at $110/night in one of Chicago's grand old hotels, the Chicago Hilton. Just south of the Art Institute, the dowager hotel may be redolent of days gone by - but I loved the large open spaces in the lobby, and also on each floor at the bank of elevators. A gigantic bouquet of fresh flowers also graced the lobby and I appreciated this bit of opulance. This hotel was once the Stevens Hotel, and when it was built it was the largest hotel in the world, and the first to have en suite bathrooms with every room.

Chickpea & Squash Blossom Fritter

Tuna Tartare

Our first night in town, we took a big chance and went to Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard's year old restaurant, Girl and the Goat. We had no reservation, and put our names down to wait for a table. In the meantime, we watched the scrum at the bar, and in the end (after waiting more than an hour and a half for that elusive table) we scooted into

two seats at the bar. The bartender was our server, and was friendly, cheerful and helpful, even though she'd been working fast and furiously the whole time we were there. You know how sometimes a place can't live up to your expectations, because you've heard so much good about it? Girl and the Goat met and exceeded all expectations. And I admit, by the time we sat at the bar I was feeling grumpy - so there was already a hurdle to clear. The plates are small, and meant for sharing, and are inexpensive enough that you have no worries ordering four right off the bat. We had a delightful tuna tartare, goat empanadas, a chickpea fritter dish, and grilled squid. All terrific. To finish off the meal, we had grilled and fresh peaches accompanied by bleu cheese ice cream. And the final bill was agreeably right. Book your table now!

After hitting the Art Institute in the morning, we did something new for me, and maybe just the tiniest bit adventuresome? We took a three hour tour on Segways up and down the waterfront, going as far south as the old Miggs Field. Though I didn't ever get the hang of going backwards, fortunately there were no untoward incidents.

Our restaurant meal that night was worse than below expectation. We splurged for the tasting menu at Rick Bayless' famed Topolobampo. I won't dwell on the details, but will say it is the worst restaurant food I have had in years. Far from living up to the hype, it was a major, major disappointment. And it cost more than double the meal from the night before.

Best part of the trip: we got to see Sheila, Greg and kids both coming and going!

Good eating in KC MO!

2011-07-28T12:08:00.004-05:00

Extra Virgin's Striped Sea Bass Ceviche

We ate at lots of good places in Kansas City - some almost worth the drive over by themselves. We'd been looking forward to this trip for many reasons, and eating at some of Kansas City's well-regarded restaurants was one of them.

On Thursday night, we drove into downtown and landed at a superior little restaurant called Extra Virgin. You'd have to say it was a tapas bar, I suppose, as all the plates, hot and cold, were small. The clientele appeared to be young professionals, and it had a really good vibe. Our waiter was a helpful young man who gave us a good recommendation on wine, a rosé of pinot noir. The winning dish of our five plates was the striped sea bass ceviché, with fried banana plantains accompanying (see photo above). On a hot night, this was a cool treat.

Sam & Martha Endicott at Lidia's

Interior of Lidia's

Of course, as a huge Lidia Bastianich fan, Steve was looking forward to eating at her Kansas City outpost, which we did on Friday at lunchtime. The surroundings were elegant in a converted railroad freight house very close to Union Station. The chandeliers were especially arresting. Both Steve and I opted for the lunch special, a trio of pastas. On second thought, we should have each ordered something different. I am going to say the three pastas were very ordinary, and one was not even especially tasty at all. We were served table side by three waiters carrying huge pans of the pasta: a spinach ravioli, fusilli bolognese, and shrimp linguini. Billed as all you can eat, we couldn't even eat all of our initial serving. The wait staff was wonderful - but not so good as to make up for the bland food. Mom and Dad got sandwiches, and it was so much food that they made two meals out of it. But, their steak sandwiches were nothing to write home about after all.

Trio of Pastas

Jack Stack's Baked Potato

How could you go to Kansas City, and not partake of their highly touted BBQ? It was hard to pick one of the many offerings in that category, but we landed on Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbeque for a Saturday lunch. We arrived well after one o'clock in the afternoon, and still had a wait for a table. Again, maybe we chose our food badly. Steve had read that the thing to get was a plate of burnt ends, which he did. The tip off should have been the word "burnt." His meat was so dry, that he had to dip it in the little side bowl of extra sauce for every bite. It was still tasty, though. I got the loaded baked potato in an effort to reduce consumption. Don't think that worked, but the huge potato kept me satisfied till dinnertime. The real star of the meal was the cheesy corn on the side.

One more shout out should go to the well-kept and friendly coffee house we found while waiting for a museum to open. It's called Crossroads, and it was the perfect place to pass the half hour we had before the opening time of the World War I Museum. My chai tea was perfect!

The last hurrah!

2011-07-26T13:50:00.003-05:00

Last weekend brought the curtain down on a wonderful gathering of veterans of the 99th Infantry Division. After 62 consecutive years, the World War II veterans decided that it was time to bring their annual reunions to a close. About 90 vets, who numbered in the thousands at the first few reunions, gathered with their families in Kansas City, MO, to say their farewells.

Sergeant Sam Endicott

My dad Sam Endicott was one of the "Battle Babies" sent to hold the Allied position in the Ardennes Mountains, Belgium. Battle Babies was a term for newly minted soldiers, aged about 18 to 20. Arriving in France, October, 1944, fresh off the troop carrier ship from Boston, Dad and his fellow infantrymen were trucked to the front lines in Belgium. They had waded ashore in France, from their landing crafts, and sat with wet boots for the three day drive to Belgium in army transport trucks. Upon arrival, they were interspersed throughout the forest, overlooking a valley, in two-man foxholes. The winter had already arrived, and the now-November bitter cold meant that the young soldiers sat, ate and slept for weeks in holes in the snowy ground with no way to warm and dry out their feet. My dad finally went to the camp doctor to ask about the way his feet were looking, and the doctor immediately ordered him to hospital after diagnosing a severe case of trenchfoot. He was hospitalized for weeks in both Liege, Belgium and southern England to make a recovery.

Silver-lining to this cloud: Dad's Company K was overcome three days later by massive German forces in the Battle of the Bulge. Company K's men were all either killed or captured. Sam Endicott was reassigned to the Air Force, and was thence forward stationed in or near Paris, and later Wiesbaden, Germany.

Every man at the reunion had a story to tell. Every man is a hero, though none would claim this title for himself. They all said they were just ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and did the best they could. That is the definition of a hero, isn't it?

At the final banquet, an old bottle of cognac was brought out, as it is every year. It was reserved for the last man standing in the old 99th. However, it was divided up into 90 sips, and they raised their glasses and saluted each other as the last men standing.

These lines from Shakespeare's Henry V, were quoted in one of the final speeches and are worth repeating here:

But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Frank Lloyd Wright House at Ebsworth Park, St. Louis, Missouri

2011-07-20T09:22:00.001-05:00

Last night, Steve and I took a "twilight" tour of a very special house in Kirkwood, Missouri, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Born in 1867, Mr. Wright lived to be over ninety years old, and in 1951 he designed a small Usonian house for a young St. Louis couple, Mrs. and Mrs. Russell Kraus. They had no children, and lived in this home for over forty years. Everything inside the home, including all the furniture, upholstery, draperies, light fixtures, etc. were specified by Wright. The Krauses did not change a thing (except to add central air conditioning after living there for ten years). They also owned 40 acres of land that the house sat upon, which eventually became surrounded by suburbia and interstate highways.

When Mr. Kraus decided to leave in the mid 1990's, it was a wrenching time for him. As one might imagine, developers were itching to get their hands on this property, subdivide it, and build many, many homes. The house itself had fallen into disrepair over the years, as some of Wright's designs did not withstand the long term vicissitudes of the weather well.

To the rescue came many wealthy benefactors who were aware of the unique value of having a pristine example of a late FLW designed home in St. Louis. Having spent millions of dollars on the restoration, the home is now a jewel of a museum. Devotees of Frank Lloyd Wright are able to come and marvel at a perfectly preserved Frank Lloyd Wright design.

All the fifties ranch style homes (such as the one I grew up in, see below) were based on Wright's cutting edge prairie school designs originating around the turn of the 20th century. So tip of the hat to you, Mr. Wright!

218 Montgomery Circles, Carmi, IL

Memorial Day in June

2011-06-29T17:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I visited my mom and dad, Martha and Sam Endicott, in my hometown, Carmi, Illinois. We had a wonderful time - and not doing what you might expect.

I missed the Memorial Day excursions to cemeteries this year. As a child, I went on cemetery outings with both sets of grandparents, and frankly, I always had a ball! Little Mimi had huge baskets that she filled with fresh flowers, set out for the Memorial Day weekend, and then retrieved later in June. In later years, these baskets were replaced by the ubiquitous plastic flowers (that were also retrieved and stored in plastic wrap for reuse the next year). But my recollection is that of cutting red roses from her rose bushes, maybe some peonies if any were still around, and perhaps even some Queen Anne's lace, or other kind of abundant wildflower. This was a morning trip, after the downtown parade along Main Street to the Old Cemetery in town. Stokes Chapel, Maple Ridge, and Marshall's Ferry were on our route.

We did the same with my dad's parents in the afternoon, except Big Mimi usually used old Mason jars and definitely used roses from the bush that arced over the walkway between their house and garage. This itinerary included the Big Wabash Cemetery and the Phillipstown Cemetery. The latter one was especially fun. It was extremely secluded, and high on a hill. To get there, you had to go to Phillipstown and take a tiny gravel road that seemed to actually be someone's driveway. At the top of the hill, there was quite a vista, and my brother Bill and I loved to run up and down the hill and over to the woods behind.

This year, we went to a cemetery I am sure I'd never visited. One lone pioneer woman started life in Baden, Germany, in 1828, crossed the ocean with her husband and two children (one of whom died and was buried at sea), gave birth to at least eight more children in her new land, and ended up in a rural cemetery just north of Burrel's Woods without any kinsmen around in 1880. Her husband survived her by several years but donated his body to science so is not interred beside her. Her children scattered over the county and beyond. Her name was Barbara, and she was my great-great-great grandmother. Dad and I stood beside her grave not with sadness, but a sense of respect for her life.

Then off we went to Marshall's Ferry Cemetery in Rising Sun, Illinois. I've got a whole flock of relatives on my mom's side there. We were silly, though, because we didn't remember exactly where their graves were, and never located them! We'll have to go back another time.

It's not hi-falutin' - it's drama at its melodramatic best!

2011-06-23T11:28:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while a human being flashes by just like a comet, and illuminates the world with his or her brilliance. A couple of them came by at nearly the same time: Michelangelo and Leonardo. I think William Shakespeare could be in this category, and undoubtedly Einstein. That's not to say that each of them may not have had serious personal flaws, but their body of work lives on and and enriches us all the same.

Another such bright light was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

We went to the opera last weekend and saw Don Giovanni for the fourth time (three times here in St. Louis at Opera Theater, and once in London at Covent Garden). Once again, the thrilling music and story with its everlasting theme gave us great pleasure. How many people admire Don Giovanni? He did awful things, but did he not just play upon people's natural impulses to be bad? And when he was ordered to repent or be cast into hell, he defiantly took his place in the fiery underworld, true to himself to the end.

Patio dinner and secret concert

2011-06-13T10:18:00.001-05:00

Poached salmon, grilled asparagus and grilled sourdough bread with 3 kinds of toppings, along with a cherry tomato and fresh mozzarella salad - that's what was for dinner on our patio last Saturday night. We shared it with two Illinois Marks (Rich and Meyer) and their lovely wives, Pam and Nicole.

After that, we headed off for the 9th Street Cellar to hear a fabulous concert by Javier Mendoza backed up by two other wonderful musicians, Grover Stewart and Jim Peters.

My brother Rob is a lawyer by day, and musician/music impresario by night. When he bought his new home a year and a half ago, the basement was totally bare. Now it has been kitted out into a cool little club-like setting with a stage, great acoustics and lighting. Rob's friends who are accomplished musicians are invited to perform there. Chairs, sofas, small tables, etc. are arranged so that other friends (and relatives!) can enjoy the musical offerings from time to time.

All in all, it was one great night!

Shakespeare in the Park - 2011

2011-06-11T09:48:00.003-05:00

Taming of the Shrew in Forest Park - June, 2011

Barb and Max

New York City's got nothing over St. Louis when it comes to a Shakespeare in the Park experience. This year the production was Taming of the Shrew.

Steve, Max and I hied ourselves off to Forest Park last Thursday evening, the final day of a week-long heat wave. What better than to have a basketful of fried chicken, cole slaw and steamed asparagus, along with a chilled bottle of white wine for our pre-theater dinner? Homemade chocolate chip cookies were in the bag, too.

The play itself was delightful. The director updated the setting to the 1950's, though the language was the original early 1600's version, and somehow it all worked. What a hoot!

It's running through June 19, so if you haven't gotten out for it yet, better make plans soon.

Great, great mystery!

2011-06-10T11:13:00.009-05:00

Once upon a time, I read mysteries almost exclusively. Starting with reading my mother's old Nancy Drew books, I've been a voracious reader of mysteries by many different authors. Beautifully written in the early 1930's and not at all like the dumbed down version of the 1960's, and the unrecognizable later versions of the books, Nancy Drew and her chums fascinated me. She drove a blue roadster! She wore frocks! I moved on to the Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, etc. but none were as filled with danger and excitement as the Nancy Drew series.

As an adult, I reveled in Agatha Christie's wonderful detective stories of Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, etc. English writers seem to be the best: the dead body in the library doesn't concern you so much as all the interesting characters that are involved.

Dorothy Sayers' chief investigator, Lord Peter Wimsey, was everything a British upper crust gentleman detective should be, wearing a monacle, driving a Daimler through the English countryside with his hamper from F&M in the back seat, and having a London pied-a-terre near Piccadilly. His valet Bunter (formerly Wimsey's batman during The Great War) is to Wimsey as Alfred is to Batman (in other words - no Jeeves and Wooster relationship).

And even though Ngaio Marsh was actually a Kiwi, her CID officer Roderick Alleyn fulfilled all the requirements for a proper English detective in her 32 mysteries. Some of the titles which I remember being especially good were A Man Lay Dead, Artists in Crime, A Clutch of Constables and Death at the Dolphin.

When I say I am an afficianado of these books, I actually mean I have read every single one of these authors' books.

And if you like a little history thrown in with your mystery, you can't do better than Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time, focusing on the legend of Richard III, the evil hunchback of British history accused of murdering his young nephews.

There are of course many more authors (Arthur Conan Doyle, Ruth Rendel, P. D. James, Reginald Hill, Michael Innes, etc.) whose works I have read.

Now comes a new one (British, of course): Kate Atkinson. I just finished the most amazing mystery which baffled and confused me up to the very end, and even left a thread unfinished which I hope may carry on in future books. It's called Started Early, Took My Dog. Do you have a long, lazy summer afternoon coming up? Indulge!

Webster Groves in May

2011-05-24T11:42:00.000-05:00

Primrose wall

Except for not rhyming, nothing could be finer than to be in Webster Groves, Missouri, in the spring.

Rain not withstanding, this has been a great year for our peonies. Other good things about the spring - we can eat outdoors on our patio, and the temperatures have been mild enough that a ceiling fan can keep us cool at night.

Granddad's peonies

A baby bunny has taken up residence in the burm near our house. Even though he sometimes nibbles on plants that we like instead of the abundant weeds, we have enjoyed sharing our space with him. At least until he is a full grown rabbit, that is, which comes sooner than later.

Max's new kitten - Niko - a Russian Blue

2011-05-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

Video courtesy of Jen Ballew

DART

2011-05-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Tower Grove Park was the scene of lots of happiness last spring. Steve H. and Emily's one year anniversary is fast approaching.

I recently trekked back to Tower Grove Park to create a photo entry for DART, a group of photographers who are raising money for a charity in St. Louis. Steve threw a dart on a map of St. Louis, and the one he threw for me landed squarely on Tower Grove Park. I arrived at the park just after a group of kids had finished having a picnic lunch in this pavilion. They were boarding their big yellow buses, and I snapped this picture just as the last bus was loaded.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-14T11:01:00.001-05:00

We were so happy that Steve's mom, Mary Lou, was able to make it to our house for Mother's Day brunch. The only thing that would have made it better was if my mom, Martha Endicott, could have been there too. On the plus side - my mom did make it into St Louis that evening, and we enjoyed a good old-fashioned shopping excursion and lunch on Monday.

It's hard to beat fresh asparagus in the spring. I topped the roasted spears with eggs cooked to order. Strawberry smoothies, and English muffins were on the side. Our "dessert" was a medley of fresh fruit. With the weather cooperating our patio made a nice setting for the gathering.

fruit in my grandmother's bowl

Coincidence? Methinks so, and yet . . . .

2011-05-12T13:14:00.000-05:00

Another graduation

2011-04-30T13:10:00.002-05:00

Max and his EMT instructor

Max Adams, newly minted EMT basic training graduate! His father and I are so very proud. This represents a lot of hard work, and a future filled with more of the same.

What I watched while having tea and English muffins this morning

2011-04-29T10:52:00.000-05:00

Rain - AGAIN

2011-04-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

OK - I get it. April showers bring May flowers. But enough is enough.

Earth Day 2011

2011-04-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

It may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the process of doing. --Elizabeth Kolbert, Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Pessimistic, no? And yet - evidence is mounting and is overlooked or denied that we are making our planet inhabitable for us as well as other plants and animals. As a resident on this small fragile planet - it makes me sad to see what humans do to their landscape.

Hubble Space Telescope photo released 4/21/11

And yet, is it of consequence? Look at the two galaxies spiralling together. Someone else will get another chance on another planet if we fail.

Was it three cups of tea? Or only two?

2011-04-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

I have never read Three Cups of Tea. But the controversy over the facts of Greg Mortenson's popular book prompts me to think about memoirs. I love to read them, and I know that a memoir is not the same thing as a biography.

Everyone sees the events of their own lives through a different lens than perhaps what might be termed "reality." In fact, is there any such thing as reality? We perceive all sorts of events differently from each other.

When a memoirist begins to write, perhaps he or she remembers stories that were told to them by their own parents about their lives. Or that day in fifth grade when your best friend did something horrid to you - do you remember it as it happened, or with the anguish that a a ten year old felt at the time?

Later, do you remember things that you wished had happened? Or that you wish had not happened? Maybe it makes a better story to swirl two or three people together into one for a book.

Augusten Burroughs' books were fun to read: But did I think for even a moment that each of those books recorded a factual history? No, I did not. But I do think that that's how Burroughs perceives his life history, regardless.

Maybe Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids seems to be fairly factual. But I don't really care if it is or isn't. She writes of what it was like to be young, poor and an artist in New York City in the late 1960's, and that part comes through brilliantly, whether her chronology of events is perfect or not.

James Frey was called out on Oprah for making up his life story in A Million Little Pieces. He originally wrote it as a novel, loosely based on his own life. His publisher said it would sell better if they called it a memoir. What's a writer to do? He thinks it's a good book, he wants it published, so he goes along. And then is trashed for it. Why do you read a memoir thinking every detail is true? It's true enough.

Now with Mr. Mortenson, there is a problem in that many people donate to his cause, and apparently less than 50% of what is received gets to the school children in Afganistan. That is absolutely unacceptable. However, whether or not his book is 100% faithful to the events that actually occurred, maybe that is not so unacceptable.

Barb's little indulgence

2011-04-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

Facing Sloane Square just a five minute walk from our flat is a wonderful department store called Peter Jones. Steve and I are planning on ordering draperies for our bedroom and in the process we tried to see the person who is in charge of VAT refunds for purchases sent to the USA.

When that person was unavailable to see us, the woman at the desk gave us a coupon for tea and dessert in their café. Nice!

Steve's little indulgence

2011-04-20T08:15:00.000-05:00

Steve got his shirts freshly laundered and ironed in London.

Just your average walking human debris here, at your service

2011-04-14T15:25:00.000-05:00

According to Rush Limbaugh:

On his Thursday show, Rush Limbaugh tore into what he called President Obama's base.

Limbaugh said that the president was attempting to placate his base during his deficit reduction speech, and he used a panoply of epithets to describe the base.

"His base is made up of people even more vile than he is," he said. "You've got...a lot of it is just walking human debris on the Democrat base side." He noted that many on the left have been unhappy with Obama.

It's getting ugly already. How are we going to get through 2012?

Cat and dophins

2011-04-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

Lazy Sunday afternoon for Woody and The Beence

2011-04-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

Food, glorious food!

2011-04-08T18:05:00.006-05:00

In the courtyard of the George Inn

That's a song from the musical "Oliver" and quite appropriate for our meals in London. Far from being the Siberia of food that many people think of when they think of British food - meat and two vege - we had many memorable meals this time around. It's getting harder and harder when we travel to London. We want to eat at all our favorite places, and eat at new places too.

Let's start with The Wolseley. In fact, that is where we started on the day we arrived. We were able to get a seat as walk-ins, and were comfortably ensconced in the small room just off the front door. There I had crispy duck confit, and some yummy pommes frites. Steve got the calf's liver, and it was also scrumptious.

Steve H & Em at George Inn

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

At London's only surviving coaching inn, The George Inn, dating from the 1600's, I indulged in Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. I am going to say that this was not first rate roast beef, but the setting made up for it. Just soak in that history!

Lunch at Dinner

Though we'd eaten in the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (a gorgeous old behemoth of a hotel, full of marble, mirrors, doormen in full regalia, thin hostesses in the requisite white blouses and long black skirts, heavy silverware and starched white linens), it didn't have the big name chef then that it now does. Heston Blumenthal's restaurant called "Dinner" gave us an unforgettable lunch. The view, looking out over Hyde Park, is spectacular as well.

The River Café did not disappoint when we had the fixed price lunch there. The beautiful space was no more beautiful than the lovely lunch. This is where I indulged in calf's liver. . . fork tender.

River Café's mise en place

Finally, afternoon tea, again at The Wolseley, was proper in every respect. A tower of plates including tea sandwiches of salmon, egg salad, and watercress, a plate of light, fluffy scones, and another plate of six different sweets and tiny cakes was placed before us. Teapots with fragrant lapsang souchong tea were alongside. We introduced Steve H. and Emily to the joys of clotted cream.

London to Paris, via chunnel for a reunion

2011-04-04T11:41:00.003-05:00

Steve, Stan and Dave

I was really surprised to see a sign that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the chunnel opening. Can it have been that long? At any rate, it was the first time we'd ever used it. Fast, easy, and uneventful is what I'd call it. None of the drama of our night crossing in 1978 on a wheezing, freezing ferry from Dover to Calais. Nor, the misery of taking the hovercraft across in 1983 on a choppy, sickish kind of ride. This time, we took a last look at rolling hills with English sheep, vanished into a tunnel, came out seeing the French landscape with its tall poplars lining the roads.

The interesting thing about this trip is that though it was booked in November as a Harry Potter pilgramage, through various missed signals, it ended up being a convergance of three brothers in Paris. Steve's brother Dave moved to Paris in January, Emily and Steve H. already live in Geneva, and another brother, Stan, is an almost 30 year resident and citizen of Italy.

During our first full day together, we took a walking tour in the Montmartre area of Paris, stopping at three different restaurants. Our group of eleven (the tour guide from Webster Groves and his partner, Stan's partner, Cicci, plus Dave's daughter Brooke and her friend topped up our numbers) enjoyed a first course of fromage and saucisse, a second course of pot au feu, and a third course of crepes. As we climbed the hill towards Sacré-Couer at the end, it felt like quite an achievement, especially considering that wine or fermented cider was consumed at each stop.

Whew!

That magic moment

2011-03-31T04:22:00.000-05:00

Hampton Court Palace

Each time we come to London, there's that little moment where we turn to each other and say, "Nowhere but here could you have such an experience."

That happened again last night. Steve had noticed that the National Garden Society was having an event at Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday evening. The head gardener of Hampton Court was going to lead a small group around the grounds viewing the spring flowering plants. We tried Monday and Tuesday to ring up for tickets, and left multiple messages with the answering service. We also left email messages asking for tickets.

Finally, the morning of the event, I rang once more, got through, and spoke to a someone about getting tickets. At the end, she said, "Right, I guess I can cross your name off my list of phone calls and email messages to return." Apparently both Steve and I were on the list several times. Don't know when she was planning to deal with these messages!

We tubed to the end of the District Line which was the Wimbledon stop. There we boarded a train to continue to Hampton Court. It had been roughly 30 years since we'd last seen Henry VIII's splendid castle of red brick. The sun was low in the sky as we crunched up the gravel drive to the spot where our fellow garden enthusiasts had gathered. They poured us each a glass of sparkling wine in a plastic cup and offered us some crisps.

The head gardener was not much of a speaker, but the gardens spoke for themselves. Acres of every sort of daffodil in every shade of yellow spread out in the woodland portion of the garden.

Around in the more formal, sculpted gardens, the hyacinths, pansies, primrose and tulips were a riot of color.

Finally the sun set, and we were back on the train. Another unique experience that will be enjoyed in our memories for years to come had passed.

London Walks

2011-03-29T17:33:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite things to do is take a London Walk when we are in town. Or two. Or maybe three. That's what we've been doing with Steve H. and Emily this weekend.

Our first walk was entitled "Little Venice" and was in and around the canals close to Regents Park, and in Maida Vale. Our guide, Shaun, was very good, and gave us a bit of word/phrase entomolody during the walk. For instance, we were on on Randolph Road, where at one time there were many, many houses of ill repute. Gentlemen would climb into the hansom cabs and say take me round to Randy Road. Hence, the expression "feeling randy?" came about.

The second expression, "legging it" came about in this area as well. The small canals had several tunnels that had to be navigated. The barges on the canals would unhook the horses who were towing them along the paths on the side of the canal. Then the boatmen would lie down on top of the barges with their legs upward and push with their feet, propelling the barges through the tunnels.

Lastly, we learned the origin of "robbing Peter to pay Paul" - at least one version. The abbey of St. Peter in Westminster had funds that were appropriated to pay the debts of St. Paul's Cathedral. I think there are many versions, but that's the one we heard on our walk.

Who needs Whole Foods?

2011-03-28T16:48:00.002-05:00

The grocery stores in London are great, and better still are the outdoor markets that pop up in different places close to our flat.

On Saturday shortly after Steve H. and Emily arrived from Geneva, we four made our way to the market happening in Duke of York Square.

You say you want cheese? The man from Neal's Yard is there to slice off whatever size hunk you want.

Need a bit of a sweet to top off your meal? There are gorgeous cupcakes by the dozens. Chocolate and strawberry meringues tempted Steve H. enough that he got one of each.

Jams, jellies, preserves? Check.

Freshly made pumpkin tortelloni found themselves on our table for dinner on Saturday night, along with a beautiful arugula salad.

Arrived London, Friday morning

2011-03-26T04:27:00.000-05:00

Right now, I am sitting in our flat on Sloane Gardens, with the view of the Victorian era red brick homes lining the street. It feels like home.

We lugged our two large suitcases, my biggish carry-on, Steve's computer bag and his camera bag, and my well-stuffed purse from Heathrow onto the tube. It was the cheapest way - the Heathrow Express was £36 for two tickets, a cab around £50, and the tube only about £5 each, or less. However, at both South Kensington where we changed to the Circle line and then at Sloane tube station were sets of stairs where all this stuff had to be lugged up about 40 steps. Poor Steve! I give us a couple more years before we join the other older folks in queuing up at the taxi stands at Heathrow.

The arrival at 27 Sloane Gardens, Flat #2, was everything we hoped for. Last year we opted to try Notting Hill. While interesting to be in a new neighborhood, it didn't feel like "home." Here just steps from Hans Sloane's statue in the square, we are feeling like it's good to be back.

First things first, and it was off to Waitrose to stock our little kitchen with essentials: coffee, heavy cream, muesli and yogurt, a couple of nice cheeses and biscuits, olives, and a bottle of wine. We also picked up nice green salads for lunch at the flat.

The afternoon was filled with a little lie-down, then a whirl through the Chelsea Antique Fair, and dinner at The Wolseley.

Updates on previous blog entries

2011-03-23T09:44:00.000-05:00

I was telling Steve's dad about the incident with the woman who locked her keys in her car. As soon as I started the story, he interjected, "and she asked for $40, didn't she?" Apparently it's a well-known and often used scam. OK - how did I live this many years and never hear about it? As W.C. Fields said, there's a sucker born every minute.

Also, regarding Kona Village Resort: we learned that the recent tsunami washed away about 20 percent of their little huts plus both their restaurants, their separate bar and their water sports store. In fact, the most destruction occurred in the pond area where our unit had been. At any rate, it is now closed, most likely for good. The Four Seasons Lodge owns Kona Village, and is right next door. No doubt they will tear all the little old-fashioned huts down and expand the Four Seasons over to where Kona Village was. It had a perfect sandy beach, and the Four Seasons had just a rocky horrible beach.

What would you do? Or maybe you know what Jesus would do?

2011-03-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I went up to the St Louis County Election Board office to cast an absentee ballot for the April 5 election. (Small plug here: please vote for Jake Zimmerman. I know him and he's a great guy).

After voting, I was driving home and had just crossed the track for the Metro Link at Sunnen. A woman on the sidewalk flagged me down, and so I stopped to see what she wanted. She told me that she had locked her keys in the car, and she had called a locksmith to come open her car for her. But he wanted cash before he opened the car. And she did not have enough. She asked for $40, and said she would pay me back as soon as he came to open the car for her.

You see where this is going, don't you. I gave her the cash and my phone number. She was to wait for the locksmith and call me as soon as he got to her car, and I would come back and get my $40.

OK - that should have been my tip off - why were her keys and cash in the car, but she still had her cell phone?

End of story - no phone call and I am out $40. Steve says I should consider that to be my poll tax, Max just rolled his eyes, and Emily says I should consider it to be my charitable contribution for the week.

I guess in the end I would rather be out $40 than to be the kind of person who drives away from someone in distress. But $40 is my limit from now on!

Headline! Stop the presses!

2011-03-18T09:41:00.002-05:00

Julia Summar

(third in a series of three)
The lede sentence is the MOST important thing in the article. This is what I learned in journalism class with Mrs. Julia Summar in my junior year at Carmi Township High School. Using the guide words of who, what, when , where and how, our class learned to craft newspaper articles that were informative and interesting, and sometimes even provocative. It was the sixties, after all. Summer of love and Vietnam protests were swirling all around us.

This was a class that was the opposite of being full of angst. It was fun and we learned a lot. Doing everything except going down to the print shop to set the type, we came up with the topics, took the pictures, wrote the headlines, and in general ran a real newspaper that came out every six weeks. It was called "The Bulldog Barks", and I suppose it still exists today. But I would bet anything that the current teacher, if a separate journalism class still exists, is not the the newspaperman or woman that Mrs. Summar was. Her credentials were A+, and she insisted on nothing less than the kind of quality that would do a small town newspaper proud.

Thank you, Mrs. Summar!

Happy weekend from me and Ceelo

2011-03-12T10:48:00.001-06:00

Journals - old fashioned blogs, I suppose

2011-03-04T13:27:00.002-06:00

(second in a series)

Freshman year ('66-'67) in high school landed me in Mrs. Cook's advanced English class. Besides studying classic literature (Romeo and Juliet, for example), Mrs. Cook was very big on writing essays and journals.

Mrs. Cook

In fact, her class may be the genesis of this blog, because we had to write journal pieces three times a week in our spiral bound notebooks - in our best cursive handwriting, no less. Once in a while, Mrs. Cook would throw out a topic for our journal writing. But mostly, we sat there staring at the blank lined paper, wondering what in the world we would write about. Part of our consideration was that if it were particularly good, in Mrs. Cook's estimation, we would be required to read it aloud to the rest of the class. You certainly wouldn't want to confide any deep, dark secrets or reveal too much about what a dork you were in all actuality.

Freshman year in high school is always full of angst, and the refuge that English classes usually were for me was not to be found this year. I loved to read, and still do, but writing was another matter entirely. However, Mrs. Cook's methods must have worked because here I am, journaling away on the internet. Thank you, Mrs. Cook, for teaching me that I had interesting things to say, too.

Note to self: never start a sentence with "but" or "however". One of the rules I don't abide by. Or I should say, by which I do not abide. I know the rules; I just don't always apply them.

Belated thank you to my 7th grade English teacher

2011-03-02T08:44:00.001-06:00

(First in a series)

I like to write. I like to write with good grammar. I have my seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Imogene Ferren, to thank.

Mrs. Ferren was known, and dare I say dreaded, by all the seventh graders passing through Carmi Junior High School in the 1960's. She had a fierce, no-nonsense demeanor, and would not hesitate to rap you on the head with her thumb and finger for a transgression in her classroom.

Rule Number One: every sentence has a noun and a verb. This basic element was drummed into our heads during the first couple of weeks of English in 1964 in Mrs. Ferren's class. We began immediately to diagram short sentences, progressing to ever more difficult and complicated sentences.

Diagramming sentences is the best way to learn grammar. It is the foundation of being able to write properly. It seems people don't see the value of diagramming sentences anymore. However, in order to communicate your thoughts effectively, you absolutely must be able to put your sentences together correctly. Here's an example of a compound (and fairly simple) sentence which has been diagrammed:

Frankly, I loved diagramming a particularly long and difficult sentence, with the little lines going off in every direction. And by the way, I have been going over and over this short essay with an eagle eye, as if Mrs. Ferren were grading it. Hope I pass.

Hope I'm not like this

2011-03-01T11:10:00.000-06:00

But I might be.

Cue the theme music from Twilight Zone

2011-02-24T09:46:00.002-06:00

Okawville Original Spring Hotel, est. 1867

Yesterday Steve and I drove to my hometown, Carmi, Illinois for a quick visit to the 'rents. We've driven this route on I-64 for 35+ years, always zipping by the Okawville exit. Or sometimes we would pull off there and get pie at the Hen House, or buy gasoline, or get a DQ shake. All three businesses are clumped together just at the exit ramp. The little town of Okawville itself is a mile or so on down the road. I had heard of the old hotel with a mineral spring which still exists in Okawville. In fact, I'd always wanted to take a look at it, but we never spent the extra 15 minutes it would take to drive into the old town and look around.

Yesterday I was at the wheel of the car, and as we came upon the sign for the exit at Okawville, I just decided on a whim to turn off, go into town, and take a look at the Okawville Original Spring Hotel. Didn't need gas, a bathroom break, or an ice cream cone. I just thought, man, I've wanted to look at that old hotel for over thirty years. Why not now?

We found it easily because Okawville is really small, and one loop down the main street took us right by the creaky old hotel. Curiosity satisfied, we drove on to Carmi.

After lunch with my mom and dad, we started talking about old postcards. Mom brought out a little tin box filled with old, old postcards my grandmother had saved, and we started sifting through them.

I came upon one that my great aunt Lucille had written to her mother (my great-grandmother), Minnie Parvin, June 1, 1908.

Unbelievably, it was addressed to Mrs. E. C. Parvin, who was staying in Room 17 at the Okawville Original Spring Hotel.

Guest blog from my mom

2011-02-20T10:28:00.001-06:00

A View From the Past

Sam and I spent this past Christmas with our son, Rob, who lives in a town house in the older part of St. Louis. When we woke up on Christmas morning the entire area was covered in a deep snow and as I looked out his front window I could almost see the city as it must have looked in 1900 at the turn of the century with horse drawn carriages clopping down the street and gentlemen in their top hats and ladies in their sweeping skirts strolling by. I had no photograph, but I could see it clearly in my mind’s eye. So when Cathy asked if I would write a memory for our newsletter I thought I might try to bring to mind a mental image of how our home town would have looked 60 years ago from the steps of our church here on the corner of Church and Main.

Imagine, if you will, that you have just left morning worship with the Rev. W. A. Robinson preaching. He would have gone about 10 minutes past the hour because he always asked for “just a few more minutes”. If you were a woman you would certainly be wearing a hat and gloves with hose and high heels and if you were a man you would likely be in a 3 piece suit with a fedora hat. You have come out on the Main Street side and look west towards the Ford Automobile Dealership where the latest models are on gleaming display in the front windows. Just beyond you see the marquee of the Carmi Theater where the latest Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn movie is being advertised. Directly across the street to the north stands The National Bank with steps leading down from the sidewalk to Taylor’s Barber Shop in the basement. A flashy red and white barber pole marks the entrance clearly. A bit to the west is the Chamber of Commerce office and then you see Cole’s Monument Shop.

Across Main St. to the northeast you will see Sutton’s Shoe Store, Maxine’s Dress Shop, Ball’s Drug Store and the Apple and Griffith Hardware Store.
Next comes Graham’s Men’s Wear, Wagner’s Grocery and then that fantastic confectionary and town “hang out”, The Innovation. And you have looked only half way down the block! Directly across Church Street to the east is a Standard Gas Station – or “filling” station you might call it. It is closed today, of course, because it is Sunday. Just east of that is the Strand Theater which is currently showing a Gene Autry movie. You turn the corner and head south because your new Dodge (purchased from Rice Motor Co. located just east of the Court House) is parked on Church Street right across from Dr. Brown’s office. You walk past the shady lawn just south of the church and the large two story Methodist parsonage on the corner. You notice the inviting wicker rockers sitting on its big front porch and glance across the street at the lovely old Victorian home (later to be a parking lot) where the Brimble-Combe family live. Well, time to hurry on now. You must get home before the beef roast you left in the oven is over done.

Workers may need to sacrifice, but should not lay down and play dead.

2011-02-19T10:28:00.001-06:00

Public employees in Wisconsin have been asked to sacrifice, which they agreed to do. However, Gov. Walker wants take away their collective bargaining rights altogether - not just sacrifice some of their benefits. There's a HUGE difference between giving up benefits, and giving up your place at the bargaining table altogether.

Hitting the Unions Where It Hurts

Author: Daniel DiSalvo is an assistant professor of political science at the City College of New York-CUNY. He is the author of "The Trouble With Public Sector Unions," in the fall 2010 issue of National Affairs.

For over a century, the Badger State has been an incubator of public policies that have been adopted across the nation. In the early 20th century, university-trained social science experts collaborated with politicians to turn Progressive ideas into reality. In 1959, Wisconsin became the first state to permit collective bargaining for public employees, which sparked a rapid unionization of government workers.

In a birthplace of modern liberalism, a battle that would fundamentally alter the relationship of unions to government.

Led by new Gov. Scott Walker, the state’s latest policy innovation is to roll back those bargaining rights to improve the state’s fiscal future. In the state that can justly claim to be the originator of modern liberalism, the unions and their Democratic party allies have met this move with stiff defiance, including what amounts to an illegal strike by teachers and Democratic state senators. They rightly fear that if Walker is successful, his plan could again serve as a national model.

The impetus for reform is clear. Wisconsin faces a $3.6 billion deficit over the next two years. In the governor’s words, the state is “broke.” Walker therefore proposed that public workers pay half their pension costs, roughly 5.8 percent of wages (rather than zero as they currently do) and 12 percent of their health care costs (up from 6 percent now). The net effect would be an 8 percent cut in take home pay. This part of the “budget repair” wasn't especially controversial. Despite the unions’ rhetoric during last year’s election campaign, they knew they would have to give some ground. On Friday, the largest state workers union said it would make the concessions on the benefits -- if the governor would give up his collective-bargaining demand. He said he wouldn't.

There you have it. If this isn't union-busting, I don't know what is.

World on fire

2011-02-18T09:31:00.004-06:00

Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia - and even Wisconsin!

Wisconsin protests

Riots in Cai

It boggles the mind to think what's going on in the world. I remember the sixties, when the National Guard was called out against student protesters against the Vietnam War. Heck, I even remember farther back when black people had fire hoses and dogs called out to quell their protests. So it's nothing new; it's just that we haven't seen it for a while.

What does it take to get people into the streets? We are finding out.

New Preacher came to town

2011-02-17T13:51:00.004-06:00

Peter Fonda

And his 18 year old son looked like Peter Fonda to me.

Steve Adams

My friends and I saw "Easy Rider" in the winter of 1969, and by July, 1970, Steve and I were a "thing."

Are books out?

2011-02-16T10:46:00.000-06:00

The headlines today included the story about Borders going bankrupt. Are Americans reading less?

I am reading just as many books as I ever was (except maybe as a child when I had my nose inside a book cover for hours and hours and hours at a time). In fact, I am even buying more books than ever. I used to use the library almost exclusively for all my leisure reading materials. Lately, I have have reverted to buying books. If it is a good one, I almost always want to pass it on to friends and relatives to read. If it is not so great, I list it with paperbackswap.com and send it on to someone who wants to read it.

Bye-bye, Borders

Admittedly, I love the ease that shopping on Amazon provides. And the price. But it does make me sad to think of bookstores just going out of business. Kindles and other e-readers may be nice, but there is something about the actual paper of a real book that is satisfying.

Run a little faster, jump a little higher

2011-02-13T10:52:00.001-06:00

That was the slogan of some sneakers I really, really wanted as a kid. I was convinced that the advertising was all true, and actually felt the spring in my step once I finally got that pair of Red Ball Jets. Okay, so I didn't learn to tie my shoes till second grade. Getting those Red Ball Jets made the graduation to sneakers all the more satisfying after all those years of buckle shoes.

Steve and I were reminiscing at dinner about the silly things we were desperate to have as kids, but had to besiege our parents to get. It seems that I got the things I was pining for more often than Steve. The conversation began when a notice for an upcoming dental appointment arrived with a big picture of red and white striped toothpaste on it. That was one of the things that was all the rage back in the early sixties - a toothpaste cleverly called "Stripe." I guess they lost their marketing advantage when everyone started making it.

That reminded me of the cool band-aids that came in bright primary colors and had stars, stripes, etc. on them. They cost a lot more than regular old flesh colored band-aids. And of course, they didn't last long because each tiny scrape called for application of a band-aid if we happened to have the special ones. We didn't have them often, but just a box now and then made us kids really feel special after the liberal application of Bactine (doesn't sting!!).

Well, I could go on with all the things highly desired, and mostly gotten: hula hoops, silly putty, Archie comics, root beer fizzies, Suzy-Qs........

Max and Emily - what did you want that required a little finagling to get?

Forget "climate change" - the new thing to watch is

2011-02-09T09:54:00.000-06:00

Climate Adaptation

Climate change has already happened, radically and drastically.

You may believe that the earth's climate has changed constantly over millenniums, and you would be right. I just read yesterday that the "greenhouse effect" was happening big time in the days of the dinosaurs.

But now, human activities have sped up the normal path that Earth's climate would otherwise have taken. Regardless of whether we have contributed to this weather craziness or not, it is still possible to make changes and adapt to what lies ahead.

Floods, drought, rising sea waters, mass extinctions of animals are all underway. Who will best adapt? It may not be Americans, as we are loathe to prepare for something we deny is happening.

Example: The Netherlands have a new 200-year plan to prepare for the rising sea level.

Example: Niger's farmers are currently dealing with drought by methods which reclaim large desert areas and make them arable.

Our recent visit to Hawaii makes me realize that the earth is always changing in ways that we have little or no control over. I have faith that humans will (at least in the short run) figure out ways to survive. And Americans are fast learners, especially when our backs are to the wall, or when some enterprising person sees economic value in changing course.

Maybe people at the World Meteorological Organization are already working on this?

Kona Village Resort - the way a resort was, once upon a time

2011-02-05T16:28:00.000-06:00

Our last three nights in Hawaii were practically in a time warp. Kona Village Resort was built in the 1950's on the site of an ancient Hawai'ian village, and on top of a lava field. It's the sort of place that generations of families return year after year. There are no televisions or telephones in the rooms, and of course no wi-fi. It is a true escape!

As recently as 1968, there were no roads to this resort, and visitors were either flown in on a Piper cub or took a boat over. Nowadays, there is a fine road to the resort, but once you go through the gate, you don't want to leave for anything. Steve and I spent four afternoons on the beach snorkeling, kayaking, sunning, reading and watching whales spout and cavort in the distance.

The 85-acre resort is on the best beach available for miles and miles. Each living unit is separate from the others, and each is built to resemble a little grass hut of varying styles: Tahitian, Maori, Polynesian, etc. Ours was Tahitian, and overlooked a small pond that had once been part of the old fishing village hundreds of years ago. Now, the pond is a home to ducks, egrets, little shore birds and frogs.

The paths throughout the village are lit each evening by tikki torches which lend a romantic glow to the warm evening breezes. Aloha, Kona Village - may you outlast the huge developments that surround you on every side!

Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T15:45:00.000-06:00

Today is the Chinese New Year, so greetings one and all, and goodbye to the Year of the Tiger.

We all should welcome the Year of the Rabbit. According to Taoist principles, here is a quick summary of what we should expect, and model our behavior toward, in the coming year:

In this year of the hare, there are five Taoist elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. This happens to be the year of the metal hare. And in feng shui, the metal aesthetic is clean, pristine. So clean your home, no clutter. Clean everything down and live minimally.

This is probably good advice at any time, but let us keep it in mind especially right now!

It so happens that Steve was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and these are the attributes that are linked to people born in this year:

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise.

But beware! Next year - 2012 - is the Year of the Dragon! Things will be different then. . .

Girl on Fire

2011-01-26T22:13:00.000-06:00

(reference in blog title to the second volume in the Hunger Games trilogy)

In keeping with my new policy of not saying "no" to doing challenging things, last night I walked five miles, round trip, over a lava field to view an eruption.

Mt. Kiluaea began its current eruption last November. The hot molten lava is flowing in underground lava tubes toward the sea on the eastern rift. We hired a local guide to take us over the rocky, uneven terrain with only a flashlight each to illuminate our path in the pitch dark.

I cannot begin to describe how incredible it was to walk up in the blackness of the night and begin to see a red glow in cracks in the dark gray lava. As we got closer, the heat became intense. In the distance, we could see a steady orange glow. At the precipice of the cliff overlooking the ocean, we began to see pools of hot molten lava pouring in rivers to the ocean. As the enormous waves crashed up over the lava, it would immediately cool and break off and bounce into the surf. Mesmerizing!

One of our hiking companions only had tennis shoes on, and her soles melted away, leaving her hobbling back to our starting point in great pain! I had on my trusty Lowa boots, so felt very safe and secure even on the scorching surfaces.

It was after eleven o'clock when we return to our tidy little B&B just outside Volcano National Park. It felt good to spend 20 minutes in the jacuzzi before turning in for the night. Visions of fiery lava danced in my head.

Snorkel Barb

2011-01-24T20:40:00.002-06:00

tang fish

I guess you won't get my play on words with the title of this post unless you've been to Hawai'i before. There are dozens of shops called "Snorkel Bob's" all over the islands in Hawai'i where you can rent wet suits, fins, masks and snorkels.

parrot fish

Learning to snorkel in 1999 on Maui at Kapalua Bay was a revelation to me. I had actually been quite hesitant about it, but agreed to try. I strapped on all my gear way up on the beach and flapped down to water's edge with my flippers on. Later, I realized that you wait till you are AT water's edge before slipping on the flippers. At any rate, I finally got into the water about waist deep and leaned over with my mask. Wow! It was as if I were in a giant aquarium with the most beautiful fish, coral and sea urchins literally just at my fingertips.

Now it is one of my most favorite, albeit infrequent, things to do. We enjoyed 3 different snorkel trips here on the west side of the island. In fact, we kayaked over to Captain Cook's monument twice - it's the only way to get there - for some of the best snorkeling we've ever done. Just a bit of history, it is at the exact site of Captain Cook's death at the hands of native Hawaiians. I am so grateful that I was able to have this experience!

Captain Cook's Monument

Strange, but true

2011-01-24T20:20:00.002-06:00

Barb, Linda and George

We booked our trip for Hawaii's Big Island last February. Our friends George and Linda Rolby booked their trip to the Big Island last summer. Unbeknownst to each other, we booked on the very same flight over from St. Louis on the very same day. We discovered this not long ago, and were delighted to discover this amazing coincidence.

Linda, being the wonderful hostess that she is, invited us to share a sunset toast of sparkling wine on the beach followed by dinner at their condominium. She served a wonderful fish ceveche, and a fresh caught local fish with risotto. Thanks, George and Linda!

In the Tropic of Cancer

2011-01-23T14:29:00.002-06:00

No astrological reference here - we are on the Big Island of Hawai'i. They use that apostrophe here - I guess it's too much trouble for us to use it on the mainland, and from here on out, I'll skip it too. I just finished skyping with my brother Rob back in St. Louis, and he tells me the snow is coming down like nobody's business. Another good reason to be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean right now!

The coffee barn at Lucky Farm B&B, with our Jeep in front

Yesterday was our first full day here, and we are starting out on the western side of the island, just south of Captain Cook. Our B&B is on the rustic side. We have a small refurbished coffee barn for our bedroom. Admittedly, it's on the ragged side, but then, it's also inexpensive. As with most things, you get what you pay for. The hosts are warm and welcoming, which goes a long way towards compensating for the lack of other amenities. There is free wi-fi - something we find indispensable now.

Steve, Barb, Viviane and Stephanie

What we didn't have to pay for, however, was meeting two young women at breakfast who are working in Volcano National Park as part of a research team. They are working on the reintroduction and propagation of native plants species to Hawaii. Their names are Viviane and Stephanie, and we found that we have many common interests. While we each went our separate ways after breakfast, we reconnected on the lanai near the end of the day, and decided to go together to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. Meeting interesting people adds another dimension to traveling, and the enjoyment of good food and a nice chianti with Stephanie and Viviane was a highlight of the day.

Webster in Winter

2011-01-20T14:53:00.001-06:00

No fire in the oven

No burgers on the grill

No flowers blooming. . .

By the rivers gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois

2011-01-19T12:25:00.000-06:00

Illinois is putting its financial house in order. Can any other state say the same?

From the news wire:

Post-game analysis over Illinois' new income tax hike has already hit the east coast media, and continues on the editorial page of today's Chicago Tribune.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and that state's House and Senate leaders (all Republicans) have an op-ed piece in the Trib today pressing their ``Open for Business'' theme: That Illinois residents and companies mad about the Illinois tax hike should head north, to the land of cheese and low taxes.
``To those who are frustrated with the high cost of doing business in Illinois, our message is clear: `Escape to Wisconsin!' '' writes the trio.
One problem: Wisconsin's taxes aren't actually lower. Even with Illinois' new tax structure, its 7 percent corporate income tax is below Wisconsin's rate of 7.9 percent. Walker et al get around this in their essay by noting that, if you add Illinois' separate personal property replacement tax of 2.5 percent on top of the new corporate income tax, Illinois is higher.

They completely ignore the issue of personal income taxes, perhaps with good reason: Illinois' new rate of 5 percent across the board is the same as the one paid by Wisconsin's lowest earners; Once you earn $10,220 in Wisconsin, its rate climbs to 6, and keeps climbing to 8 percent. (Missouri taxes at 6 percent on $8,000 or more of income.)
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, the Democrat who pushed the tax hike, counters the Wisconsin invasion on the same Trib page today. ``Facts are stubborn things,'' he writes, before pointing out some of the above.

Being from Illinois, I have always thought it is one of the best states in the USA. The city of big shoulders, Chicago, ranks right up there with NYC and LA in terms of restaurants, big business and entertainment. The beautiful farmland of downstate means that Illinois is important to the whole country as part of the "bread basket". And finally, the gorgeous forests of Southern Illinois are an ecological jewel.

So good on you, Illinois, for doing the hard stuff! You'll have good roads, good schools, be able to pay for state police, etc. Maybe a few Wisconsites will be jealous in the end.

It's in the stars. . . .

2011-01-13T15:52:00.003-06:00

I just read that scientists have been studying the Earth's relationship to the rest of the universe in terms of the Zodiac. Come on, admit it. You know what your sign is, and sometimes you scan the horoscope hoping for something good.

But guess what, maybe you've been reading the wrong horoscope all these years! Apparently the signs of the Zodiac were set by ancient Babylonians in the early first millennium BC. In the 3000 years since then, the Earth has shifted in relationship to our sun, and things are different now!

Check out the new dates:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus:* Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

* Discarded by the Babylonians because they wanted 12 signs per year.

So I am still squarely in the middle of Leo-dom, as is Steve, and I would have been surprised to find otherwise. But apparently our daughter Emily is a Leo, too! And she seemed so much like a Virgo - will I start seeing more Leo-ness in her? And Maxie, too! He is no longer Scorpio. Now I will have to learn what qualities a Libra has.

Winter Wonderland by Doris Day

2011-01-13T09:19:00.000-06:00

Apropos for today, in many ways

2011-01-12T10:24:00.002-06:00

“I have a Glock 9 millimeter, and I’m a pretty good shot.”

2011-01-11T10:43:00.005-06:00

The title of this post is a direct quote from Gabrielle Giffords, made to the New York Times during an interview in 2010.

As evidenced by Arizona's gun control laws, or lack thereof, Arizonians like their guns, like to have them on their person, concealed, don't want anybody checking up on them before they buy them, like to take them to restaurants, take them to work, and like them to be high-powered.

The price for all this "freedom" is that sometimes people will be shot. They may be killed, or just horribly injured to the point that it ruins their lives and their families lives. But the fact is that Arizonians are willing take the chance that it will just be their friends and neighbors, and not themselves, who are in the crosshairs. It may even be that 20 people will be shot all in the same shooting event, with 6 killed, including a nine year old girl. But then the millions of other residents have escaped, so what the heck. Let's not have a bunch of talk about renewed efforts at "gun control." That ship sailed, and the USA is not on it.

Even Ms Giffords was willing to take the risk. She was not in favor of much gun control at all, because guns are a part of the Arizona culture, the wild West. It's just that her number came up on Saturday.

Addendum: I just read, though I would also have guessed, that the current debate in AZ is not whether there should be more restricted access to these types of handguns. The debate is whether or not more citizens should be armed. As the sheriff said, some people will not be satisfied until babies are sleeping in their cribs with Uzis.

Another home town boy makes good in the Big Apple

2011-01-09T17:27:00.001-06:00

The NY Times has a big profile of Andy Cohen, (Clayton High School, Class of '86), the brains behind all of Bravo TV's wonderful programing (e.g. Top Chef, Project Runway, Real Housewives, etc.). I'm a fan!

Fall of Heaven

2011-01-08T11:59:00.003-06:00

Last year we enjoyed good theater at The Studio, the small downstairs playhouse at the Rep. We had season tickets, which meant three plays over the course of the season. They were all great, or at least very good. It made me want to see a whole season of six plays at the larger Mainstage theater this year.

Bad idea. Kind of expensive, for starters, but after all, it's live theater so you have to pay a little. BUT, the first 3 plays were really, really bad. So bad that at intermission, we would look at each other and say, "This is terrible. Do you want to stay?" We always did make it through to the end, but were seriously doubting the wisdom of this use of our time and money.

Last night, the fourth play of the season was Walter Mosely's newest play called The Fall of Heaven, and it was the first one that kept us interested, awake, and eager at intermission to see how it would all turn out. The actors were all talented, and the material was alternately funny and thought-provoking. Here's a short synopsis:

When streetwise Tempest Landry is accidentally killed in a shooting, he finds himself at the Pearly Gates. Sentenced to hell by Saint Peter for his misdeeds, Tempest has only one thing to say: No. Hell, no. So it's back to earth for a second chance that leaves the fate of heaven and hell resting in his hands. Accompanied by an angel named Joshua, Tempest is faced with the error of his ways but refuses to take responsibility. In a tangled web of temptation and relationships, The Fall of Heaven is a daring, imaginative and fanciful tale that brings heaven and hell together to take on Tempest's challenge.

I guess that doesn't really tell you that much, so I will add that it leaves you wondering about whether there is an afterlife, and if yes, will we really be held accountable for all our misdeeds? And like the main character, wondering if some of our good deeds might cancel out the bad ones!

Finally, I found it interesting that at the first three plays of the season, we heard theater-goers surrounding us saying things like, "It's really good," or "this is so funny" and we looked at each other in disbelief. This time, at intermission, we saw a few people leaving at intermission and others saying things like, "Well, this is just so-so." How are we so off from everybody else? I don't get it.

The next offering is Shakespeare's Macbeth. So we know it's a good play. . . . we'll just have to see what kind of staging and acting we get. I am hopeful.

New Year's Day - 2011!

2011-01-01T15:08:00.002-06:00

We rung in the new year last night at Jeff Bell's 11th annual New Year's Eve party. Twenty gathered in his Central West End home, and the many wine geeks shared their bounty. The good thing is that on this occasion, no one wants to have brought the worst bottle, so people pull out all the stops (or should I say pull out all the corks?) in order to showcase the best their cellar has to offer.

Some of the more memorable wines were a 1945 Bordeaux, a 1982 Margaux, and and 1994 Angelus.

Might I mention also that the food was good, too! Our offerings, prepared by Steve, mostly, were endive lettuce leaves topped with smoked trout and a dill cream cheese, and braised red cabbage. Mains were medium rare beef tenderloin, and a grilled salmon with Moroccan spices.

Hoppin' John for good luck in 2011

Now on to New Year's Day - a fantastic hoppin' John dish with black-eyed peas, bacon and a dash of cayenne pepper. That'll be good for what ails me.

Decadent beyond belief!

2010-12-26T23:20:00.001-06:00

Pictured on the December issue of Saveur Magazine was a beautiful trifle. I have made trifles for Christmas dinner in the past, and they were always well received. However, this particular one caught my eye as something special. The ginger cake intrigued me very much, for one thing, and so I decided to attempt this for our Christmas dinner.

Little did I know that the preparation time (always a full day ahead of serving time with a trifle) meant that for a little over three hours I would be toiling away in our kitchen. The layers began with baking from scratch a ginger cake with cranberries. That was easy enough, athough it required the purchase of Lyle syrup, which I'd never heard of before. Steve found it at Whole Foods.

While the cake was baking, I started on the next layer, a white chocolate mousse with blueberries, whisking milk, sugar, corn starch, butter and vanilla over a low heat. This was to be poured over the cake, and a layer of fresh raspberries.

The next layer was raspberry jam which had been heated and poured through a sieve, then cooled slightly before smoothing over the white chocolate mousse.

Another mousse was then concocted using very dark chocolate. When it had cooled sufficiently, it was layered on top of the raspberry jam.

Now it was ready to sit in the fridge overnight. About an hour before serving, I made the last layer, a syllabub with whipped cream, some brandy and zest of lemon.

Let's just say that on Friday while I was making the cake, the mousses, etc. I was thinking that this dessert was definitely a one-off. It looked like it was going to be good, for sure, but I didn't think it could possibly be worth all this time and effort. After the 13 guests had each had a serving, and several guests had two, I decided that this might become a regular on the Christmas Day menu. If I have a whole afternoon to spare the day before Christmas, that is.

Barb's trifle

Well, let us just say that I welcomed the toasts made to the creator of the trifle upon serving it on Christmas Day! And I don't believe I have ever made a better pudding, as they say in Britain.

Saveur's trifle