is there any more pie?

why did the turkey…

Posted on March 27, 2017 by is there any more pie?

…cross the road?

(A) to find bugs and/or acorns,

(B) for exercise, though they walk very, very slowly, with their skinny turkey feet planted firmly at every step they take, or

We haven’t seen turkeys in a long while. For many years we were on the “mother and babies” loop. Two mothers and a dozen or so turkey babies spent part of their day in our front yard. The “pit” was the perfect turkey play pen. And we spent many hours watching the mothers teach the little ones to fly from the tree on our patio. Each year there was always one little frightened turkey who didn’t want to make the leap and sat on the branch long after the others had wandered slowly into the brush. We would cheer him on until he tossed himself into the air.

The turkeys we saw yesterday were fully grown, a gang of ten looking for trouble. Or male turkeys. Or maybe a warm place to nest. Good luck with that, ladies.

Nothing is warm here. Cold, dreary, spitting rain, clouded with fog…that’s what it is like right now. I am grumpy.

And I have a new gadget, not that I really wanted this thing. But it was time to take control instead of relying on doctor visits and the machines at CVS.

Do I have high blood pressure? No one knows. It’s up, it’s down. Such is life. Have I tried medication? Yes, but it makes me very, very tired and therefore cranky. And it doesn’t seem to make much difference in the numbers, either. So my doctor said to stop taking the medication, but to check the pressure a couple of times a week to see what is going on. For now.

Let’s see…what else is going on…

I have been to Walmart twice in three days. No one should do that. It’s too crazy. The first day I spent most of my time in the toy department looking for Match Box helicopters (I found three!!!). The second day I bought groceries, though the chicken section was decimated. Note to self: do not expect to buy chicken breasts on a Sunday afternoon at Walmart.

I have some new recipes to try, including a fire-roasted tomato and cheddar cheese soup I saw on the Cooking Channel.

My daughter, the “baby girl” of the family, turns 37 on Saturday.

The Funny Grandson is in love with his new suede tool belt. Banjo Man told him that one of those pockets was designed to hold candy bars.

We have been feeding some very grateful neighborhood birds and chipmunks. I’m sure they’re wondering where the warm weather is, too.

We watched the 2013 documentary “Muscle Shoals” last night. Fabulous!

Here’s the trailer:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3591416089?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_1

I hope the skies are blue and the breezes are warm wherever you are reading this today! I will be at the lake in 71 days…

Posted in family, movies, personal female whining, rhode island | Leave a comment

brisket is king

Posted on March 24, 2017 by is there any more pie?

Yes, this is a t-shirt!

We can’t go to Austin without having a meal where Will works “in the pit”.

Another t-shirt!

So here are some pictures of Will working hard. That meat smoking business? It’s serious in Texas.

Briskets.

Homemade sausage. Yum.

Sign inside the restaurant. I agree!

Posted in austin, family, food, texas | 2 Comments

good times, 2017

Posted on March 23, 2017 by is there any more pie?

We’re home, we’re cold (it’s 20 degrees this morning) and we’re a tiny bit weary.

But boy, did we have fun.

Our 3 1/2 hour layover in D.C. was spent at a restaurant we’d tried before, on December 31’s return trip. This time we knew how to work the I-pad for our electronic ordering of drinks and sandwiches. I had trouble swiping the credit card and was miffed that one of the servers had to help me. The only thing that soothed my injured techie pride was that she had trouble, too.

I played a Cupid’s Arrow Scratch game and eventually won a tiny chocolate bar and a large bottled water.

Banjo Man thought I’d lost my mind. I don’t usually get involved in games like that, but I was determined to play (it was free, in case you’re worried I’ve become a gambler) until a prize was delivered to our table.

Besides, we had all the time in the world to hang out in the restaurant.

Both flights were on time and smooth. We slept. We read. We split the chocolate bar. We drank water.

And retrieving our car at the new-to-us giant airport parking lot? Easy! We even found our parking ticket, plus the coupon, without panicking (Banjo Man remembered where they were, not me).

We were home by 11, in bed at midnight.

We miss the Funny Grandson, but his last words to us as his parents hustled him to the car Monday night were, “See you at the lake, Grandma and Grandpa!”

(I can’t wait for July.)

Posted in austin, family, travel | 4 Comments

saturday in the bleachers

Posted on March 20, 2017 by is there any more pie?

I’m not a bleacher fan and didn’t go prepared with cushions or portable back rests, but Banjo Man and I sat for SEVEN HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES on a metal bench at Threadgill’s backyard on Saturday. Even though we arrived half an hour early, we still couldn’t snag folding chairs.

I can’t believe we sat that long, but we had one heck of a good time.

The reason? The Conqueroo Day Show, always a good time!

Kinky Friedman smoked a cigar while standing next to me as I waited for a sandwich. Then he went onstage, sang a few tunes and swore a lot. Pretty funny stuff, though I’m glad the Funny Grandson wasn’t with us.

Kinky Friedman, now 74.

Whitney Rose.

We’ve seen Whitney Rose before. She has a classic country voice and is adorable. I’ll bet she’ll be a big star one of these days.

http://whitneyrosemusic.com/music

Shinyribs!

This band came with two horns and back up singers! They rocked the house, with dancing and a ukulele. Who knew?

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=shinyribs+youtube&view=detail&mid=90574EA297D7F74EABE090574EA297D7F74EABE0&FORM=VIRE

Ray Wylie Hubbard

I loved Ray Wylie Hubbard so much. He sang “Texas blues” and told hilarious stories. I could have listened to him for hours, but everyone was limited to a 45 minute set (max).

This is an entertaining interview and a rendition of “Snake Farm”. We had a fun time singing along with this song:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ray+wylie+hubbard+youtube&view=detail&mid=0026CF09AA609ABCA16E0026CF09AA609ABCA16E&FORM=VIRE

Sunny Sweeney.

Sunny had a fabulous country voice and a great sound. She had just found out she was opening for Garth Brooks later on that evening! Garth had announced a surprise concert for the grand finale of SXSW on Saturday night. The 50,000 free tickets (you had to book online with a credit card to prove you had an Austin address) sold out in 5 minutes.

I’m a big Garth Brooks fan, but standing for hours in a crowd of 80,000 people (an extra 30,000 were expected from the SXSW attendees) didn’t seem all that appealing. Will went with friends and planned to listen from another location, but the word went out that they were letting more people in and he and his friends hurried over to the show.

He said it was great.

Anyway, back to Threadgills….

The last performer was the great James McMurtry, who brought down the house at the Panida in Sandpoint a couple of years ago.

James McMurtry

It was the second time we’d heard him this week and I sure don’t get tired of listening to his songs.

http://www.jamesmcmurtry.com

Will joined us around 4:30 and couldn’t believe we’d been there since 11:30. We waved goodbye to him at 7 and limped off to find our car in the lot next door. This year we paid to get a good spot for the day, which was a necessity because I think we’re getting older.

The chicken sausage creole had been cooking all day in the crock pot, so I made some rice and we debated about taking a walk down South Congress after dinner to hear more music for about twenty seconds before collapsing onto our lovely soft couch.

Our sons were amazed at the day we’d had, but on the other hand they’re used to our marathon music adventures. When you’re having a good time, why leave?

Posted in austin, music, texas | 3 Comments

one margarita, two margarita

Posted on March 19, 2017 by is there any more pie?

It was Friday afternoon.

I was thirsty.

My grandson was nowhere around.

The music was fabulous.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Posted in austin, music, texas | 6 Comments

new fans

Posted on March 18, 2017 by is there any more pie?

An afternoon at Lucy’s Fried Chicken means lots of new music and hours of people-watching, along with margaritas and chicken tenders, of course.

This sign is everywhere! The Bullock Museum gift shop had it on pot holders and t-shirts. Here it is at Lucy’s:

I thought the symbol was a telescope, but it’s a cannon. The Texans refused to give it back to Mexico during the Battle of Gonzales, the first battle of the Texas Revolution.

She sang harmony and played the fiddle AT THE SAME TIME. Can you imagine how hard that is to do???

Half of The Mastersons, a husband-wife duo from California.

Talented cutie pies!!!

The Peterson Brothers started performing at ages 11 and 14. Now they’re 18 and 21! Oh, my goodness! The Funny Grandson and I sat close to the stage, on bales of straw, so we could see the two (two!!) drummers up close. These boys never stopped smiling. And neither did their parents, who were under the tent near our table and selling cd’s.

Guess who bought one.

We’re going back again later on, to hear James McMurtry play at 6 PM.

Saturday there’s a “Women to Watch” day show at Opa’s Coffee and Wine Bar. I hope to hear some new artists and some new songs. I don’t think any of the guys are going to join me, so I’ll be drinking coffee and munching away on Greek pizza for the afternoon.

Will keep you posted.

And to read more about the Peterson Brothers and hear their music, go to:

http://www.petersonbrothersband.com/

Posted in austin, music, texas, travel | Leave a comment

king of texas blues

Posted on March 17, 2017 by is there any more pie?

Stevie Ray Vaughan: He’s a hero, a legend and a much-loved musician here in Texas. And on Tuesday morning Son #1, the Funny Grandson and I went to the “Pride & Joy: the Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan” at the Bullock Museum.

The Bullock Texas State History Museum, on 1800 N. Congress in Austin, is right downtown, at the edge of the campus and near the State Capitol. It’s huge! And we love going there. Over the years it’s become a “must visit” spot every time we’re here in Austin.

To read about the exhibit: http://austinot.com/stevie-ray-vaughan-exhibit-bullock-museum

The iconic guitar.

FG playing along:

Trying out some Stevie Ray Vaughan songs:

There was also a “make a guitar” workshop for children, which taught the little ones about vibrations and sound. FG was fascinated.

There was an exhibit for “Grandma”, too! It was all about the “concert experience” and had footage and photos from famous concerts, including the Newport Folk Festival, Woodstock and Austin City Limits. FG could have watched the films of the rock concerts for hours.

Muddy Waters’ guitar from the 1967 Newport Folk Festival, plus other memorabilia.

Check this out. I was there!!

I don’t think the Funny Grandson had any idea what I was exclaiming over, but my sons have always been impressed that I was actually present at a historical event.

It might be the only really cool thing I’ve ever done, historically speaking.

Even meeting Willie Nelson in an elevator in Las Vegas isn’t as big as the Dylan performance in Newport. My two friends and I (aged 14) played our guitars and sang for our fellow ferry passengers on the trip home.

So. Much. Fun.

We also saw a 16-minute documentary about Texas history, but that’s another story. I will tell you I screamed. Loudly. Because the theater seats were rigged to simulate rattlesnakes.

Yes, they were.

Oh, those Texans think they are so funny!

Posted in austin, family, music | 2 Comments

habaneros and sxsw food

Posted on March 16, 2017 by is there any more pie?

If you’re hungry for Mexican food, there’s a little place on W. Oltorf in South Austin that has the best!

This is Will’s favorite food in Austin (aside from where he works at Terry Black’s Barbecue, of course!). Banjo Man and Son #1 love it, too. And now my daughter-in-law is a fan, having had breakfast there after the “crane operation” yesterday.

You know how much I love taking food pictures, so here is what we had for lunch on Monday after yet another adventure in Home Depot.

I loved my crispy flautas and Banjo Man thought the bean soup was the best he’d ever had (the smoked ham pieces really gave the broth a delicious flavor). Will had the combo plate with tacos and an enchilada.

If you want to check out the menu, here’s the site: http://www.habanerocafe.com

Over the years of SXSW I’ve learned to make giant crock pot meals and let everyone eat when they want. Forget planning sit-down meals! Often there is not enough time between music venues to make dinner and having something to heat up in the microwave is the best option. Dining out can mean waiting in long lines and gets expensive, so we don’t rely on restaurants for our meals. So far we’ve had Italian meat sauce with spaghetti and Asian beef with rice, along with lots of salads and fruit and cheese.

Tuesday afternoon Banjo Man, Will, Son #1, the Funny Grandson and I walked down the street to Hopdoddy, the ultimate South Congress hamburger restaurant. We waited in line–of course!!!!–but it was worth it because we wanted really good burgers and Son #1 had never been there before. They use fresh and homemade ingredients (they even make their own rolls) and the French Fries are so, so good. The FG had an Oreo milkshake, ambrosia for a 6 year old.

This afternoon we are all heading over to Lucy’s Fried Chicken for music, margaritas and fried chicken snacks. I have two roasts crammed into the crock pot for beef sandwiches later, and Banjo Man inexplicably bought a watermelon.

I thought watermelons were for August, but what do I know? He is pretty excited about it, but he is also excited about painting the bathroom this morning.

It’s going to be an interesting day.

Posted in austin, family, food, texas | Leave a comment

our own crane

Posted on March 15, 2017 by is there any more pie?

If you are six years old and your grandparents are having a new air conditioning unit installed and that involved hiring a crane then you put on your hard hat and your construction vest and you watch the show.

The crane operators were really nice guys and went out of their way to say hi to the rather short volunteer on the sidelines. They even gave him stickers for his hard hat.

The Funny Grandson was uncharacteristically speechless.

This new unit cost as much as my last used car.

So it was an exciting morning, starting at 8 AM and ending at noon. This is an old apartment complex that was converted to condos 9 years ago, which is when we bought ours.

We’ve been making a few other repairs ourselves, such as new blinds in the living room, courtesy of blinds.com, which I absolutely love to do business with.

And some new paint in the bathroom. Will and I finally decided on a color last night after Banjo Man nagged us for three days.

We settled on a very pale shade of pewter.

The condo looks great, as Will always has new and interesting prints on the walls.

We’re heading to a day show at Opa’s Coffee and Wine Bar for the afternoon. I’m not sure who we’re going to see, but we should probably celebrate having air-conditioning again!