The Year of Turning 50

Happy Birthday

2007-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

So this is it.

Today I am 50, and this is the last post in this blog. It has been fun.

When I stated this blog I was wondering if there would be anything of significance happening this past year. As with any year, lots of things happened. Some good some bad.

I lost two uncles this past year.

Doreen had a brush with the health care industry. (We are still fighting over that)

We ate plenty of good meals (too many to link to here)

We experienced fun in Houston and abroad. (more abroad later in the year, too)

I worked and worked and worked.

We celebrated our Fifth Anniversary!

I learned how to make a video and post it on You Tube.

I thought about what happened 30 years ago when I turned 20.

We made our house a protected landmark.

I bought a new car. No, not a midlife crisis. Just a new car after ten years and 140,000 miles on the old one.

We found out that my brother Chas would be getting married and move to Wyoming.

I baked my first Italian Cream Cake for my sweet ever lovin’s birthday.

We had many more good meals in Houston. Here is one.

One of my nieces wanted to cook gumbo, and she got plenty of advice.

It was a good work year. We added an investor, and opened several offices.

We went to NYC and the Rodeo in the same month. Click here to read about both.

Spring came early and with plenty of flowers.

We celebrated birthdays and weddings and more in Door County, WI. It was a blast.

We made another trip to Europe (work) and took some time off in Lisbon, and had some time in Paris

About two weeks ago I was named to the board of directors of a Geophysical Acquisition Company.

And that brings us to the end of the year.

We will be going to a wedding and then a nice dinner this evening to celebrate the birthday.

It was a very good year.

This is the last post here. I will now move back to my normal blog. Come visit me there.

What's for dinner?

2007-07-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

My brother Matthew has a cool thing on his website where he talks about what he is cooking that evening. I don’t have an interesting spot like this, but last night we had a grilled bonanza.

Doreen’s friend Paul was in town from San Francisco, so we had him over for dinner. We decided to grill some steaks, and since we didn’t want to waste charcoal, we decided to grill some other things, too.

So we grilled asparagus, corn, and portabella mushrooms. It got a little crowded on the grill (a standard Weber kettle grill) but it all turned out delicious!

51 weeks

2007-06-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

I only have one more week in my year of turning 50. I am trying to figure out if the dividing of our age into decades is an artificial construct, or if we can learn something from these divisions in our lives. I am not deep enough to quote Rilke or something from Gail Sheehy’s books, so I will have to make do with my own pitiful observations.

I have been trying to remember back on earlier, significant birthdays. I sort of remember the first time I had a two digit birthday. That would have been in 1967 (obviously) and I probably celebrated it in Franklin, LA. But in all honesty I cannot recall anything beyond that. Did it make a difference? Certainly not.

The next significant (though not round) birthday would have been my 16^th. That is when I took the driver’s test (and passed on the first go). I can remember the test, I can’t remember anything after that.

In Wisconsin when I was a youth, the drinking age was 18. So of course my 18^th should have been memorable. I remember going out to dinner with my folks, but that is about it. No, I didn’t get drunk, it was just a nice meal where I had my first legal beer that I shared with my father.

I turned 20 while living in Illinois. I don’t remember that birthday at all. There is probably a good reason for that. There was not too much to do there, so we didn’t do much.

I turned 30 in Houston, right after I first moved to the Houston Heights. I think it was not celebrated, as we would have been poor because the house was a stretch, and we also had another house that had to be rented out. (That first house in the Heights was purchased for $112,000. You can’t buy dirt for that now)

40 I remember quite well. I spent the day alone trying to have an existential crisis. But mainly what I had was a nap.

And that brings us to 50. The search for meaning in the numbers has turned out to be fruitless. How about a search for meaning in the decades?

When I was a child, I acted as a child. No need to go into that.

In my 20s I got out of college and went to work. I held three jobs – Exxon Minerals and Exxon Synthetics as a Mining Engineer, David P Cook and Associates as a Customer Support Rep, and Terra-Mar as a, well, whatever it is I did there. (Sales, Development, Management). I was still optimistic enough about the world to believe that it was rational.

I was wrong about the rational part.

In my 30s I worked. This is where I really “grew up” professionally. I had a short year at Terra-Mar, and then I worked for Landmark Graphics in Houston, Caracas, and Singapore. That was a good run. I turned 40 just after that deal was done. I would venture that I learned more and worked harder in my 30s than in my 40s.

My 40s have been a pretty good decade. I worked for Bell Geospace, initially as the VP of Sales, then the Chief Operating Officer, and finally as CEO and took them though a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After that I goofed off for a couple of years. Then I took a job with Input/Output as a Business Unit Manager. Now I am the CEO of OpenSpirit Corp as well as a Director for PGS.

So what did I learn?

You are not always right
The world is not rational
The US is as close to a meritocracy as you will find
Houston, TX will give you all the opportunities you need to pursue your dreams
It is better to be lucky than smart
Fortune favors the prepared mind (Louis Pasteur) or
The harder I work, the luckier I get (Satchel Paige)
Most importantly: Grab a hold of the one you love and never, ever let go.

My dream of sitting on my front porch thinking great thoughts get closer and farther everyday.

Good short article about what VCs want

2007-06-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Are You Sexy Enough to Attract Venture Capital? - Small Business Focus - Entrepreneur.com

Mathilde, meet Hippolyte

2007-06-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Not your average Tom, Dick and Harry - Polly Vous Francais?

The History of Dog Domestication

2007-06-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

The History of Dog Domestication

Garbage

2007-06-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

We have little rolling dumpsters here in Houston. The city picks them up with one man trucks.

We have one rolling dumpster, and Silvia, who lives in our garage apartment has one as well.

We seldom fill up even ONE dumpster, but today we had two at the curb.

Someone stole one of our dumpsters!

How low can you possibly go to steal someone’s dumpster?

Picasa Web Albums

2007-06-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have posted many more photos at our Picasa Web Album. You can see them by clicking on the Picasa Web Album link to the right--->

V, The Movie

2007-06-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ellie May, did you see the Cement Pond???

Lisbon Pastries

2007-06-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is a little out of order, but this is a photo of some of the pastries that Lisbon is famous for. We would eat these every morning.

They have a custard filling, and a very flaky crust.

Delicious!

I don't think we had a bad meal in Lisbon. Big places, small places, expensive or cheap. They are all good.

Paris - The V

2007-06-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

We woke up at about 4:15 from a night of fitful sleep. I am not sure why neither of us had a good night’s sleep. Doreen usually sleeps like a soldier after a night patrol. But I seldom seem to be able to get through the night without waking up at least once.

But we had our breakfast treats and our coffee and grabbed a cab (waiting at the airport at 5:30!) to head to the airport.

One of the things we had to do the night before was to offload much of our luggage. You need to understand this: We do not travel light. It doesn’t help that I had to work for five days, but we had to visit three cities (one of them twice) and make do with what we carried. So on our outbound trip we had one suitcase that was 23 Kilos, and one that was 21. The limit is 20k per person. Continental doesn’t mind as we were flying biz, but Air France was not happy. I am not sure how we got away with it from Paris to London, but as I said earlier, we got nicked for £63 from London to Lisbon. So we were determined to NOT hit that limit again.

We unpacked an offloaded a bunch of stuff to our carry-ons (now how silly is that? The stuff was still in the plane. Just a different part of the plane) and made them VERY heavy. But instead of weighing in at about 47 (our London weight) we hit 37 Kilos. We paid for it as we walked, though.

The Lisbon airport was very nice. They zipped us through all the formalities and even let us use the lounge without a hitch. Probably not well trained.

We got to Paris and had no real problems getting our luggage or a cab. (traffic was terrible on the outbound side, as it is the biggest Arms Trader’s convention in the world going on here right now – the Air Exposition) As we got close to our hotel, the roads just stopped.

Now, you need to understand that we are staying at a hotel that is way out of our class. Both money and culturally, we just don’t stay at places like the George V. So we were sort of expecting some troubles when we arrived. Oh, we are paying for the hotel with miles. We have more miles than I think we will ever use.

So we finally got to the hotel and had a €58 cab bill for what should have been a €42 cab ride. I was not happy. Then when we walked in the hotel, there were Arabs and security men everywhere. The front desk told us that the new French President (Sarkozy) had asked them to close the hotel and house an Arab delegation to the arms show. Oh, I thought. We get kicked out like the zchlubs we are. He said that they tried to get in touch with us so that they could move us to another hotel. We were unreachable.

So he said, as it is only one night, they would find us a room. And by the way, could he buy us a drink while we waited? Doreen made sure we got the upgrade we used the miles for and he said that was not going to be a problem.

We had a very nice vintage (1999) rose champagne, and then decided to go for a walk. We were told our room, a suite, would be available in about 20 minutes. We said fine and walked out to find a light lunch.

We bought a couple of small quiches and a half bottle of Bordeaux and had a picnic down by the Seine. We wandered around the new Quay Branly museum of native peoples (we didn’t go in) and slowly made our way back.

When we got back to the hotel we were told our room was ready. Room 627. That meant nothing to us, but it should have.

This room is at least 1,500 square feet. We have a powder room, and enormous bedroom (with a sitting area) a huge bathroom, a walk-in closet, a living room, a small dining area, and a work desk as well.

All I can say is, Thank you Sarkozy and the Arab delegation!

quay branly w tour eiffle

2007-06-21T07:02:00.001-07:00

more quay

2007-06-21T06:59:00.001-07:00

quay

2007-06-21T06:56:00.001-07:00

Santa Justa Elevator

2007-06-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

We visted the top of this Elevator last evening. It was built by a contemporary of Eiffel (of Tower fame) It was really nice, but I could not even think about where I was. My fear of heights would make me woozy each time I thought about my actual location.

There is a cafe on top, and we had a beer up there. It was an hour or so before sunset and the shadows started sweeping across the city. It was very nice.

Last evening we ate at a fancy place called Olivier's Cafe. The food and service were great.

We have not had a bad meal here in Lisbon.

Walking Around Lisbon

2007-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we walked around without the camera. Today we made up for that (more later)

The most interesting things that happened yesterday were that we saw a submarine heading down the river, we negotiated for tiles at the Thieves’ Market, and we saw a guy get caught on the train without a ticket.

Seeing a submarine is always an interesting thing. They sort of exude a malevolence that you don’t see in other ships. They exist only to attack from beneath, you cannot couch their activities in a defensive sense. So it was interesting to see it heading out to sea.

We walked and walked yesterday. Up to the Moorish Castle in the city (though we tried to take one of the Trams. The infamous 28). It was a nice walk, and you really got the sense of what a medieval city must look like. Around the castle there had been no renovation, so you got to see all the little higgly piggly streets in their full glory (we saw similar streets today in Sintra)

We ultimately reached the Thieves’ Market – or Flea Market. It was mostly junk. Doreen had been wanting an old tile, so we found one that she liked. The woman was asking €20, which I felt was outrageous. She kept telling us it was from the 17th century, as if that really mattered to me.

She ultimately dropped the price to €15, but I still thought that was too high. We looked at another tile that she said we could have for €4. I said I would give her €15 for the two of them. Oh the caterwauling! You would have thought I was stealing her first born son! She brought her friends over from the other booth. They commiserated, and I held firm. She stated saying how lucky I was to have such a beautiful wife, and how she needed beautiful things, like this 17th century tile. I agreed, and said that she would have them for €15.

More caterwauling and going on, but she finally said that she would do it for Doreen, not for me. She said I was cheap. But my wife deserved these tiles. We all walked away happy – she kissed Doreen good bye on both cheeks.

Finally we saw a poor man get busted on the tram (Tram 15). The trams cost €1.30 for a one way ride. They are more or less an honor system. You have to validate your ticket (we would get a day pass for €3.35) at these little machines, and occasionally a guy from CARRIS would come in and check. One of these fellows got on our tram and he checked our tickets, which flashed green (no problem). When he had his back turned, a scruffy looking fellow tried to get off the train at the next stop. The Enforcer saw him, and told the driver to lock the doors. He went back and caught the guy, and fined him €78 ON THE SPOT!!! The poor bum had to gather money from other passengers, all of whom felt sorry for him.

We felt sorry for him, too. But we didn’t give him any money. That was just because he didn’t ask.

Not believing Fernando

2007-06-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here I am, being skeptical of Fernando's response.

Chatting with Fernando Pessoa

2007-06-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here I am, making a point to Fernando. He is the biggest poet to come out of Lisbon since Riberiera.

Grilled Sardines

2007-06-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

The more we travel, the more our travels are about food. So it is no surprise that we seek out local dishes and try to find something unusual where ever we go.

This is the end result of some grilled sardines. They were great. They have very rich flavor and should be accompanied by a dry white Portugese wine.

Outstanding!

Doreen and Vasco de Gama

2007-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here is Doreen holding hands with Vasco de Gama. (in Lisbon museums, they encourage you to touch the displays)

Doreen's Godchild is named after Vasco. Well, about 475 years after Vasco!

Better photo of the Palace

2007-06-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Check this out, too:

Bad Travel Days.

2007-06-17T01:57:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when you travel, it just all goes wrong. And not wrong as in delayed or canceled flights (though that happens with horrible regularity as well) but wrong as in that is seems that the entire travel industry is populated by angry old people telling you to get off their lawn. They are the ones who hold the ball, and they just don’t want to share.

Yesterday we got to Heathrow airport in good time, and get to the Air France (avoid at all costs, by the way) to check it. It seems to be going well except for the fact they simply will not give us the exit row on the Paris – Lisbon leg. (I am 6’6” tall. If you want to see what it feels like for me to fly, go to a first grade classroom – one with those little desks with the attached chair and desk that opens to reveal pencils and books and such. Cram yourself into that desk. Then sit there for three hours while someone yells at you not to get up). OK, I though, we can try to get the exit row in Paris.

Then the real joy of the adventure started. “You are overweight” I was told. Now, I know I can lose a few pounds, but… “You will owe £63.50 for excess baggage” I am elite, I replied. “Not here, you are not”. I was not happy.

We paid, and went through security (zip, zip. Not a problem there. My congratulations to the English Security System) and got to the waiting room. Fun times again. We go to the elite lounge (I am a member of the Continental Airlines lounge) and are refused entry. With a smile. “That card does not work, sir. I am sorry” I doubted that.

But, thank goodness for the Italians! We went to the Alitalia lounge and were greeted by a confused, but friendly woman who let us in gladly.

Now we are relaxing in Lisbon. Seems like a nice place.

Looking South

2007-06-17T01:07:00.001-07:00

Lisbon

2007-06-17T01:02:00.001-07:00

This is a view from our apartment in Lisbon. This is the Presidential Palace. We are right across the street.

The apartment is in Belem. It is to the west of Lisbon proper, but on a tram line.

Entering Portugal seems to be like entering a South American country. I will write more from my real computer later. this is still a mobile blog

Greenwich, England

2007-06-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

The two domes are part of the Royal Navy College. It was designed by Christopher Wren. Up and to the right, out of sight of this photo is the Royal Observatory of Greenwich. Home of the Prime Meridian and Time. (GMT or UTM)

Tonight we walked past the observatory to see the green laser that is broadcast along the Prime Meridian from the top of the observatory. Quite a sight. Eastern and Western hemispheres at our feet

This is why I am in London

2007-06-14T05:31:00.001-07:00

This is our booth at a trade show

test takers

2007-06-13T03:53:00.001-07:00

this is a big room with a bunch of people taking some sort of test

leaving Paris

2007-06-10T22:39:00.001-07:00

We are packing and getting ready to head to London (and work)

Days in Paris

2007-06-10T08:01:00.001-07:00

We have spent a couple od days in Paris doing little more than walking about and sightseeing.

We had a nice dinner at the Atelier of Master Albert, and lunch at the Fromagerie 31.

Night before last we ate at our old favorite, Le Fou d'Enface. The Fou himself, however, was not there.

Today we had treats (cheese and sausage) for lunch and will have dinner at the Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

We are all over attics on this trip

view from apartment

2007-06-08T04:35:00.001-07:00

That is the Panteon.

For the first time in I don't know how long, we cannot attach to someone's wireless. (that is known as wardriving)

So I have to moble blog from my phone.

just landed in Paris

2007-06-08T02:28:00.001-07:00

finally on the plane

2007-06-07T16:07:00.001-07:00

We are having a drink and waiting for takeoff!

In the airport

2007-06-07T15:07:00.001-07:00

Here we are, waiting for the plane.

Travels for Two Weeks

2007-06-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

We will be traveling for the next couple of weeks. We are leaving for Paris this evening (luckily for us, nephew Quinn is taking us to the airport and picking us up!) for three days. Then I have a convention to attend in London (EAGE), and finally a week of real vacation in Lisbon.

This is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing for such a short time, but it is what we will be doing.

I hope to post while on the road.

The rest of the office

2007-06-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have a little side table in my office as well. Now, doesn't that look nice?

New Offices

2007-06-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

We will be moving our offices this weekend. I will be out of town (a convention in London and then some vacation in Paris and Lisbon) Here is a photo of my new office.

This is the cleanest this office will ever be - there is only one piece of paper on it!

I had nothing to do on this hot afternoon

2007-06-03T20:03:00.001-07:00

We had a slow day today, and relaxed before our upcoming two week trip to Europe for work and play.

I cooked some Spinach Roman Style and Oven Roasted Chicken (reg req) for dinner. Great stuff! We had a Louis Latour Chassagne Montrachet to go with it which made for a great meal.

During diner, I had put on an old Tom Waits disc – A Foreign Affair. That has one of my favorite songs from that era by the same name. Here is a verse:

Planes and trains and boats and busses.

Characteristically, invoke a common attitude of blue.

Unless you have a suitcase, a ticket and a passport,

And the cargo that they're carrying is You.

So we started talking about how music reminds you of earlier times. We ended up talking about Rod Stewart, and how his verses, particularly from Every Picture Tells a Story reminded me of my senior year in High School and my older brother Mark. Here is an example:

I had nothing to do on this hot afternoon
but to settle down and write you a line
I've been meaning to phone you but from Minnesota
hell it's been a very long time
You wear it well
A little old fashioned but that's all right

Well I suppose you're thinking I bet he's sinking
or he wouldn't get in touch with me
Oh I ain't begging or losing my head
I sure do want you to know that you wear it well
There ain't a lady in the land so fine

Remember them basement parties, your brother's karate
the all day rock and roll shows
Them homesick blues and radical views
haven't left a mark on you, you wear it well
A little out of time but I don't mind

But I ain't forgetting that you were once mine
but I blew it without even tryin'
Now I'm eatin' my heart out
tryin' to get a letter through

Since you've been gone it's hard to carry on
I'm gonna write about the birthday gown that I bought in town
when you sat down and cried on the stairs
You knew it did not cost the earth, but for what it's worth
You made me feel a millionaire and you wear it well
Madame Onassis got nothing on you

Anyway, my coffee's cold and I'm getting told
that I gotta get back to work
So when the sun goes low and you're home all alone
think of me and try not to laugh and I wear it well
I don't object if you call collect
'cos I ain't forgetting that you were once mine
but I blew it without even tryin'
Now I'm eatin' my heart out tryin' to get back to you

After all the years I hope it's the same address
Since you've been gone it's hard to carry on

Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now

Last Harvest

2007-06-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I love reading books about other people’s jobs, especially if they are well written and you learn something. Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder comes to mind. Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe. Liar’s Poker and Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Of course, so does Moby Dick, Lord Jim, and The rise and fall of Cesar Birotteau.

Today I just finished Last Harvest by Witold Rybczynski. It is about the development of a subdivision in rural Pennsylvania. I like his books (I have read several) and his style. He goes into great detail about real estate development, and makes it interesting. With all the hoopla about the real estate bubble it is interesting to read about the people who make the properties.

Four Years

2007-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today is my fourth anniversary as CEO of my company. It is hard to believe that it has been this long – it feels like just yesterday that I started here. But things have certainly changed.

When I joined, the company had about 22 people total. One office, and the previous year the company had sales of about $1.7 million, and a loss of about $1.6 million. This year, we have four offices around the world, close to 50 people (I think we hit the 50 mark next week), will sell about $12 million this year, and have been turning a profit for three years.

Of course, I don’t take all the credit for that (I will take some) as we have a great team of people here. As with every company, it has its ups and downs (back a couple of years ago I worried about making payroll. Now I worry about hiring enough people) and we are still a couple of years away from being a home run success. But I am pleased with what we have done. No, I am proud of what we have done.

There is still a lot of work to be done, and we are growing into the company that will be able to solve a lot more problems. But it has been a good four years.

A very good four years.

Vote Caging: Where is the outrage?

2007-06-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

What the heck is vote caging, and why does nobody care? - By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine

Will wonders never cease

2007-05-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

new york new york - Google Maps

Click on the New York City map above and then on the "Street View" button. Pick a street, and Voila! You are there.

Think of the bandwidth and storage needed!

Amazing.

RHIP

2007-05-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

Rank has its privileges.

The first time I heard that I was working in a coal mine in Kemmerer, WY. It had to do with our local mine manager being able to take off early on a Friday afternoon, while the rest of us schlubs had to put in our full eight hours.

He said it gleefully, as he was walking out the door looking at all the young engineers, administrative staff, and assorted operators who were in the office at the time. It rankled, but was not devastating. But I made a vow to make sure that if I would ever be in such a position, I would not abuse it, but play fair with everyone in the company.

And that is why I work until at least 5:00 PM, even on a Friday before a holiday weekend. (I usually stay in the office until between 6:00 and 6:30. That has as much to do with traffic as it has to do with dedication)

But last night we had an interesting example of how RHIP works in a more banal part of our lives.

We were invited to a meal by some big patron’s of Doreen’s park. They donate a lot of time and money, and she values them as friends as well as donors. They are good people, whom you would expect to be just “normal” folks.

So it was interesting when they picked the latest “hot” restaurant in town – one which it is extremely difficult to get reservations for, even though it is just a Mexican menu.

We arrived at the designated time (I am sort of crazy about being on time) and gave our host’s name – assuming that they had made the reservations. There were none in his name. But Doreen noticed that his name did pop up on the reservation system. He must go there plenty.

As we were standing around wondering if we had the right night, a woman came up to the hostess and gave her name. She was told that her reservation was held for 30 minutes, and that since she was not there on time, they had given her table away. The woman protested (traffic, I don’t know what all) and complained, and left.

After hearing that I wondered what would happen if we really did have the correct night. So we went to the very crowded bar for a margarita and to wait. And I mean this bar was PACKED with people waiting for their tables.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes later they showed up. I was not really paying attention to what happened at the hostess’s station, but we were immediately (and I mean immediately!) seated. No waiting at all.

It must be nice to be an Alpha Couple!

Front Yard Flowers

2007-05-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Our day lilies are blooming:

From Front Yard, M...

From Yard Photos M...

Nice time of year in Houston

Self Portraits

2007-05-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

We like to take Self Portraits when we travel. It is a nice way to store memories.

So of course, in Door Count we took a couple.

Here is one:

and here is a photo my sister took of us taking our self portrait:

Door County

2007-05-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have under two months in my Year of Turning Fifty. This last weekend I spent with family (All my siblings and our step mother as well) in Door County, WI. that is the little part that jabs into Lake Michigan - the part that separates Green Bay from the actual lake itself.

One of my sister's inlaws generously allowed us to use their "cabin" (it was more like a lodge) for our get together. It was a blast.

Door County is a beautiful place - bay on one side:

and Lake on the other:

I will write more later.

Here are some of the NextGenners (along with my sister in law Becky) who visited:

From Oslo and Wisc...

Old Creepy Ads | Weirdomatic

2007-05-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Old Creepy Ads | Weirdomatic

I especially like the Thorazine ad.

Jag talar inte norrman

2007-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

While walking down the street in Oslo yesterday, I was stopped and asked directions.

This has happened to me all over the world. Where ever I go, people ask me for directions.

I must have an honest face

The label

2007-05-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Heavy Water in Norway

2007-05-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is the original heavy water equipment that my father trained to destroy in WWII.

It was destroyed (at great cost) by Norwegian sabatours.

City asks for input. My sweet ever lovin' is quoted

2007-05-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Main Street residents, business leaders seek pedestrian-friendly environment | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Brown Anole Close up

2007-04-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Brown Anole

2007-04-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

(click on the photo to enlarge)

Here is a photo of a Brown Anole that I took this afternoon. They are an invasive species, native to Cuba and the Bahamas. They outbreed our local Green Anoles (also known as Carolina Anoles). I will try to get a photo of one of our Green Anoles, but they are becoming few and far between.

This is a fairly new species here. As recently as two years ago I did not see any, and now they are the predominate lizard species in our yard.

We see skinks in the yard, too, but they occupy a different niche than the anoles.

Summer is back in Houston

2007-04-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

The above is the chart from a local weather station (you can see it live here. It is about six blocks from our house). If you click to enlarge it, you will see that it is about 86 degrees F here in Houston as I type this.

The wonderful news is that summer is back. I hope that it is a long one. I love the summers here.

Hot, humid, and long. That is what we like about Houston summers.

Migrating Birds on Radar! (this is cool)

2007-04-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

SciGuy: The United States has gone to the birds!

Sitting here in Limbo...

2007-04-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

What happens to the babies who used to be in limbo? - By Michelle Tsai - Slate Magazine

Three great videos from our local Science correspondent

2007-04-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

This is a blog from the Houston Chronicle science writer:

SciGuy: Weird science (and three very cool videos)

Wilde Quote

2007-04-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.

Oscar Wilde

Bummer for the baby

2007-04-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Taser used on dad leaving hospital with baby | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

On a side note: Who knew that the past tense of To Taser is "Tased"?

Daniel Bernard Roumain

2007-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

We went to see Daniel Bernard Roumain tonight. It was quite the event. That lad has some hair bones! I tell you what.

This wouldn't work for me.

2007-04-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Storming the Gates - Diner’s Journal - Dining & Wine - New York Times Blog

Brilliant video about the future of the Web

2007-04-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Yard in Bloom III

2007-04-05T17:23:00.001-07:00

The Yard in Bloom II

2007-04-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

The Yard in Bloom

2007-04-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

La Cazardilla

2007-04-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Death in the early evening.

2007-04-05T14:45:00.001-07:00

I got home last night to a quiet house. The animals are still being locked up in our bedroom/closet/bathroom area because of work being done in other rooms (more bookshelves mostly). So walking it there was not that usual frenzy of cats begging for dog, the dog wanting to go out and the general cacophony of being welcomed home.

I jumped upstairs to let everyone out, put some wet cat food on the counter, and poured myself a glass of cheap (but delicious!) red wine from Chile (Los Vascos Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) and walked outside to get the mail.

That is a dramatic event with the dog. She LOVES getting the mail. It is one of our three routines (Policing the yard, Last Rounds, and Getting the Mail) that keeps her on her toes. She cries by the door and runs to the fence as I check to see if anything interesting has arrived.

As usual, nothing had. But many of our flowers are now in bloom (Bottle Brush, Roses, Oleander) so we walked to the back yard.

That is when it happened.

A squirrel had the misfortune to fall off the wall surrounding our back yard just as we passed by. Blaze, in her hyperactive state, leapt on it.

The poor squirrel. It tried and tried to get away. Let me just say that its end was swift and painless. (Well, I hope it was painless. It was certainly swift). I had to physically restrain Blaze from doing more to the poor lifeless little gray body as she was dancing through the rosemary. At least she caught the thing while I was nearby, so she didn’t have time to eat it or to roll in it.

After a proper burial, and a proper squirrel eulogy, I finally had time to finish the wine.

It is so sad to be a squirrel in the city.

Another Good Service

2007-04-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Bad Cookie - Real Web Chinese Fortune Cookie

This might be a useful service

2007-04-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ransom Note Generator {joshuarey.com || Sherston's Progress}

Glycerin Spill in Houston

2007-04-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

10 Tons Of Glycerin Spills Onto Roadway - Yahoo! News

This is why are roads are so nice and smooth here.

Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum

2007-03-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes: US museum

I am on TV! Well, not TV, really...

2007-03-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here I am in Person, talking about things that are sort of boring:

World Energy Television - Are Open Standards an Oxymoron?

Cool, eh?

Pickets

2007-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we have a white picket fence around the house. We have lived here since September of 2002, and in the past 4.5 years we have had the fence assaulted three times.

Once, after the Super Bowl (when it was here in Houston) someone coming from the bar down the corner broke one of the pickets. I think they kicked it. I replaced the picket the next day.

Then, the oddest thing happened. Several months after the Super Bowl, someone came and stole ONE picket. Yes, they took one picket out of the fence, and it was gone. I replaced that picket the next day as well. But about 6 weeks later, THE ORIGINAL PICKET WAS RETURNED!!! Yes, we came home one day, and the picket (it was the same one) was lying in the yard.

Then about a week ago, we noticed that another picket was gone. Just gone. No reason why, no evidence of where it had gone. We replaced it with the one that had been mysteriously returned.

People are just so odd.

SWAT in the 'hood!

2007-03-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

As we got out to walk the dog this morning at 5:30, we noticed the end of our street was blocked off with cop cars. We asked them what was going on, and they said that there was a "situation"

This was the situation:

6-Hour SWAT Standoff Ends - Local News

By the time we went to work, it was all over.

Chicks

2007-03-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

HERE is a video of some newly hatched chicks.

Leaving the Rodeo

2007-03-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Bye, bye!

See you next year!

Sleeping Pig

2007-03-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Lookit all them cows!

2007-03-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Baby Cow (AKA Calf)

2007-03-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Boy and Rabbit in Costume

2007-03-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

This boy was dressed the same as his rabbit.

Texas Ranger.

They won first place

Cow's Birthday

2007-03-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today was this cow's birthday

Girl with Rabbit in Costume

2007-03-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

They are wearing the same outfits.

Bunnies at the Rodeo

2007-03-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Doreen wanted to see the Rabbits in Costumes competition.

Here are some rabbits. THEY ARE HUGE

NYC Last Day

2007-03-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how COLD it was. It was very cold. 13 F at night. It didn't get much beyond 25 during the day.

The next day we got up and went to the Morgan Library. Doreen had a little business to take care of so I wandered about.

For lunch that day we went to Spice Market which I am pretty sure is in Chelsea. That was a GREAT meal. We had Chicken Samosas, Black Pepper Shrimp, Cod, Salt and Pepper Skate, Corn and Broccoli, Ovalitine Banana and a bottle of a Spanish Albariño. I would go back there in a heartbeat.

I think it was that day that we went to another play called The Voysey Inheritance. It was set in England in about 1905, and the story was about a family firm of solicitors who had been swindling their clients for two generations. Excellent play. It resonates, I guess. (There have been crooks for hundreds of years. Don't expect them to change) It was amatinee, and we were then able to go and eat at The Modern. What food! Following is our Chef's Tasting Menu. (We did the wine flight as well, but I don't have them written down, much to my chagrin):

Foie Gras Terrine Flavored with Juniper Marinated Raisins, Grilled Country Bread

Tartare of Yellow-fin Tuna and Diver Scallops Seasoned with Yellowstone River Caviar

Maine Lobster Poached in a Spiced Broth with Winter Vegetables

Chorizo-Crusted Chatham Cod with White Coco Bean Purée and Harissa Oil

Long Island Duck Breast with Black Trumpet Marmalade, “Fleischneke”, and Banyuls Jus

Artisanal Cheese Selection

Chocolate Tart, Chocolate “Crémeux” and Sorbet

Everything we ate was fabulous. But the Long Island Duck is what I will remember from that meal. It was crispy and fatty, Juicy and delicious. Worth a trip to New York just for that.

The next day our flight was out at 7:30 (!) and this was the night we lost an hour to that Idiot Senator who advanced Daylights Savings time three weeks. He should be defeated soundly. But we made it to the airport early enough to make the earlier flight, and got home before 10:00 AM!!!

NYC 2007.03.08

2007-03-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

The next day we got up late and stopped at a Starbucks for Lattes and Muffins. Decadent. Then we went to several art galleries. We at lunch at Via Quandronno and had some outstanding sandwiches. Great!

Then we went to the Met to see two shows - one centered on Barcelona, the other on Tiffany Glass. Both were great. That is a wonderful museum.

We also visited the Frick to see a show by George Stubbs . Great stuff. You would recognise some of Stubb's paintings.

Then we went back the hotel, and got ready for dinner at the db Bistro Moderne. And what a treat THAT was! we started with a fancy Cheese Toast - more like a big piece of flatbread with cheese melted on top and some Duck Pate. (We accompanied the meal with a bottle of Burgundy wine) For our main course I had Coq au Vin and Doreen had a Lamb Chop. We ordered some French Fries and Brussels Sprouts to go with the meal. Doreen's came with Viennese Potatoes. We finished off the meal with a Banana Tart.

The next day for lunch we met up with Doreen's buddy Bruce Norris. and here. It is always fun to talk to Bruce. His life is so much different from ours. And the great thing is that he enjoys it so much. Maybe he enjoys seeing us (Corporate sellout and non-profit do gooder?) as a change from his normal routine as well. We ate at Kelly and Ping with him. It is a noodle house in Chelsea. No, it may be in Greenwich Village. I don't really know.

We went to some more shops and galleries, and then back to the hotel. That night, as we had theater tickets, we ate at the London Bar which is in the hotel. We shared the Onion Velutte Soup with Duck, a Salad Frisse, Corn Rissoto, Fois Gras Terrine, and some Pork Belly. We had a bottle of Greuner Veltliner to go with it

The show we saw that night was Spring Awaking. This is a show about kids coming of age. But the age in this case was Germany in the 1890s. And it was a Rock musical.

Then we went back to the hotel.

NYC 2007.03.07

2007-03-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

We had another culinary and cultural trip to New York City about a week ago. As with all these trips, the reasons we go are generally twofold - one, to eat at some places we have never been before, and two, to gain some culture with visits to museums and art galleries, and to attend The Theater.

We had the good fortune to get a cheap rate at the London NYC hotel. It is real new, and right close to the Theater District. Very nice place, we had a view of Central Park. (Sort of a view, anyway). We will go back if we can get another low rate. Not sure we will, though. The good thing about NYC is that there are a ton of new hotels opening up all the time, and they always have introductory rates.

The first day we were there we stopped and had a pizza at Angelo’s Pizza. It is a coal fired pizza place that does its pizza with a very thin and crispy crust. We had it with mushrooms and procuitto. And it was delightful.

Then we sent to see a "workshop" of one of Doreen's friend's plays. Life Sciences is the name of the play. It was a how about kids coming of age. It was interesting to see a play in development, as well as Jack (Doreen's Friend) working the crowd to get a commitment to get the show produced.

After the show we went with Jack and Bruce to Molyvos and ate lots of good Greek stuff (Baby Octopus, flaming cheese, lamb braise, baklava). We were stuffed by the end of the evening.

How fast do you talk?

2007-03-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

I was deposed today for some foolish lawsuit in which I am merely a peripheral player. It wasn't that interesting, except for one thing.

After the depo, the court reporter came to me and asked if I could give her my e-mail address. She said that I spoke so fast that she could not get all my words down. She said that she is good up to 240 words per minute, that most people speak at about 220 wpm, and I was jabbering away at 280 wpm.

I don't have the perception that I talk fast.

But I may be wrong.

IAH

2007-03-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

We flew back from New York City yesterday. It was a very early flight – we arrived in Houston about 9:30 AM. The Houston airport (IAH) was SWAMPED with people. There were lines going out the door at every check in and security point.

Spring break.

(I will be posting more about our trip to NYC soon)

Cedar Waxwings

2007-03-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

This morning when I pulled up to the office there was a flock of Cedar Waxwings eating berries near our parking garage.

See a nice drawing here:

coe_cedwax.jpg (JPEG Image, 356x408 pixels)

Chas and Momos

2007-03-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Brother Chas simulating the Momo stance. The momos have been in the family as long as I can remember. Now they are part of a Tontine, where they change hands in the family once a year, on March 18th.

They next go to Mark, as he is the next in line in the Family. I will get them in 2010. The youngest (Matthew) will get them in 2012.

More Jon Katz. This time, a chicken

2007-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

My hen is aggressive, audacious, curious, sociable, and baffling. - By Jon Katz - Slate Magazine

OTBN

2007-02-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

Every year the wine writers for the Wall Street Journal (John and Dottie to their fans) encourage readers to open that special bottle on the last Saturday in February.

This year we did.

Read about it here.

Da Da Da

2007-02-25T13:35:00.001-08:00

I bought a leather club chair about ten years ago. It was a nice chair, and I liked it plenty.

Unfortunately, so did our cat. She felt it was much easier to use that chair rather than her litter box.

I finally had enough and we put the chair out for curbside recycling this morning. It was gone within an hour.

Why do I think it will be like a Volkswagen commercial?

Catalan

2007-02-19T17:28:00.000-08:00

We had dinner again at Catalan last Saturday night. Some friends of ours joined us, so we were able to try a nice variety of food.

Before the meal, we stopped in at some gallery openings on the Colquitt Art Gallery strip. There were some nice pieces at the Dean Day gallery that we will probably return to and see if we still like the art. Gallery hopping is always fun.

We had to take separate cars from the galleries to the restaurant, so we had a great idea. We drove on the freeway (Kirby to 59 to the Loop, to I-10, to TC Jester to Washington) Our friends drove cross town (straight up Kirby to Shepherd to Washington to TC Jester). We ended up at Catalan at THE EXACT SAME TIME!!! Traffic is like water. IT seeks its own level.

So we got into the bar a few minutes late (7:50 or so) and were seated immediately. Did I mention that this was a Saturday? They place was very crowded, but in my experience they do a great job of honoring reservations.

When we sat down our waiter immediately greeted us and left our menus and the wine list at the table. He asked if we wanted drinks to start and I said we would get a bottle of wine. He said he would be back to take our order and tell us about the specials.

I looked at the wine list and was impressed by the selection available. No real surprise considering the heritage of the restaurant (Ibiza). I selected a nice Burgundy (the 2000 Jean Chauvenet Nuits St George premier cru “Rue de Chaux”) while the waiter (Adrian) told us the specials.

There were too many specials for me to repeat, but they all focused on a Mardi Gras theme. Shrimp Creole, Bisque, Sardines (I know, Sardines don’t seem to be too Mardi-Gras-y, but there you have it). The main course special was a fish (grouper?) blackened and duded up like Cajun fish.

After a glass of wine (excellent!) we ordered appetizers – Foie Gras Bon Bons, Pork Bellies in Steen’s Syrup, and the Shrimp Creole. The Foie Gras Bon Bons are something to behold. Little brown and crispy balls – about the size of a “shooter” marble. Dry and crispy on the outside, dripping with foie gras goodness on the inside. I would eat these all day if I could afford to. (Monetarily as well as salutarily). Then the pork belly. As I have been told there before, those crispy pork bellies will change your life. They do. You can’t even really describe how good they are. The Shrimp was OK, but it didn’t really have the same whomping effect that the other two appetizers did.

We then had our first plates. I had the Sardine special. (I am a sucker for small fish). My sweet ever lovin’ had a cup of the bisque, our friends had a salad and a bowl of the bisque.

My sardines were outstanding. Oily and crisp at the same time. I could have eaten a school of them. The bisque, too, was outstanding. I had one spoonful. It may have been the best thing of the evening.

I ordered the Paprika Dusted Bone-in Rib eye for my main course. My wife had the trout, our friends had the grouper and the shrimp and grits. The steak was done exactly as ordered, and was accompanied by a potato gratin and asparagus. A did not have a chance to try the other meals. My better half said that the trout was good, but not outstanding. A little bit dry (overcooked, perhaps).

For dessert we has the white chocolate bread pudding (highly recommended), the Nutella crepes (good, but not transcendent) and the off the menu local goat cheese cheese cake. Now that cheese cake was indeed transcendent. I am a sucker for cheese cake anyway. But goat cheese??!! The Best.

Overall a wonderful meal.

Tree of Life Web Project

2007-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Tree of Life Web Project

Cool site!

Steve Jobs on Teachers

2007-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

newsalert: Apple CEO Jobs attacks teacher unions

Famous County Judge Retiring

2007-02-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here is an article about Judge Eckels (made famous by Hurricane Katrina a couple of years ago):

County Judge Eckels unfazed by criticism over departure | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

He was good for Harris County. Certainly good for the Katrina evacuees. (He and Mayor Bill White made sure that we in Houston did the right thing)

The reason that I am posting this here is that he is turning 50 this year as well. (Mayor White turned 50 a couple of years ago) and he wants to get into the private sector.

So I wonder what changes I will see this year in my year of turning 50?

A Panoply of Gumbo Recipies

2007-02-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Gumbo coming out of our ears!

Here are the results of a request for Gumbo recipes for my sweet Valentines Day Born niece Madeline.

Enjoy!

Cousin Randolph LeBlanc’s Gumbo

1 Large Yellow Onion
2 Stalks Celery
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Large Bell Pepper
3 C (0r cans) Chicken Broth
1 Whole Chicken, cut up.
1 Lb smoked sausage (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 Can diced tomatoes
1 Bag Frozen Sliced Okra

Chop one large yellow onion, two stalks of celery, three cloves of garlic, and one large bell pepper.

Put all except the garlic in a large Dutch oven or stock pot with just enough oil to brown the vegetables.

Cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened and caramelized.

Add about three quarters of a cup of dry roux. (see below)

(I like my gumbo little bit thicker than the traditional Franklin gumbo. You can add more or less roux to taste.)

Stir the roux with the vegetables until it's completely moistened.

Immediately added three cans of chicken broth. (Have them ready ahead or you'll burn the roux. I like Swanson's fat-free chicken broth. You can use just water, but the chicken broth makes a richer gumbo.)

Add one whole chicken, cut up into pieces with the skin removed.

Add 1 pound of smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces.

Add the chopped garlic.

Add one can of diced tomatoes with the liquid. (This definitely strays from the traditional Franklin recipe, but I find it also makes a richer gumbo.)

Add one bag of frozen sliced okra.

Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, two bay leaves, and if you have it about a half teaspoon of file'.

Add enough water to fill the pot.

Bring to a boil, and let simmer until the chicken starts to fall off the bone.

Like AR, at this point I remove all the chicken, let it cool, pull the meat off the bone and put it back in the gumbo.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a scoop of rice. If you have file' sprinkle some on top the gumbo in the bowl.

DRY ROUX

Take a baking pan and fill it about halfway with flour. I put it in the oven at 400°. Stir in the flour about every 10 or so minutes. Be careful, just like regular roux, this stuff can burn you.

You definitely have to put your vent on, or the kitchen will be very smoky. After about a half an hour to 45 minutes, the flour will reach equilibrium and won't get any darker.

At this point, turn the oven to 450° and stir about every one or two minutes. When the flour is about the color of milk chocolate it's done.

You'll find lots of little lumps from the moisture in the flour. After the roux has cooled, you can run it through a sifter and throw away all the lumps. You can store this in a jar or a Ziploc bag for six to 12 months. I always make as much as possible, so I don't have to make it again very often.

Noey’s Gumbo

2 lbs Chicken
2/3 cup flour
¾ cup canola (or similar) oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 gallon of water

First of all, the ROUX:
A heavy pot is a must to make a pretty roux. The heavier the pot, the easier your job will be. Before you start your roux, start heating water in a kettle, the amount depending on whether you are making a gumbo or a stew. You must always add hot water to a roux. It is very important not to change the temperature of the roux by adding cold water to it. It could curdle the roux, or separate the flour and water from the oil. The measurements given below make a roux large enough for a gumbo with about 2 pounds of chicken.

Before you make your roux, brown all your pieces of chicken (it could be drumsticks, thighs, breasts -- whatever you would like) in your heavy pot, using a little oil in the bottom of the pot. Brown the chicken pieces well, then remove them all from the pot.

Now you make your roux.
Mix about 2/3 c. flour and 3/4 cup oil (like Canola oil) in your heavy iron pot. Turn the fire on medium to low, stirring constantly. Stir all over the bottom of the pot to be sure that no particles stick to the bottom. As you stir, the roux browns slowly. Don't cook your roux fast, because as it reaches the done point, it will be too hot and burn. When your roux is a rich dark brown, cut off your fire immediately, while continuing to stir. Add hot water to lower the temperature slightly so the roux will stop browning. You could also add a cup of chopped onions to lower the temperature. Either way, you continue to stir until the temperature is lowered sufficiently. Then you may turn your fire on again under the pot and add the rest of the ingredients.

CHICKEN GUMBO:
Add these ingredients into your roux:
A cup or so of chopped onions, if you haven't already put them in the roux
A cup or so of chopped celery
About 2 lb. chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts that you have already browned
About 1 gallon of water

Let cook slowly until chicken is done. Season with Tony Chachere Creole seasoning. Add 2 teaspoons chopped parsley and 2 teaspoons chopped onion tops

Serve over rice.

Gumbo is better after it is left in the refrigerator for about a day.

My Godmother’s Gumbo

½ cup flour
½ cup oil
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Green Pepper
2-3 cups water
Salt
Pepper
Red (cayenne) Pepper
1 ½ links of good sausage
1 chicken, cut up

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
First you make a roux.

Do you know how? In a large heavy pot (black iron or Magnalite) put equal amounts of oil and flour - 1/2 cup each.

On a medium heat brown the flour in the oil (stirring constantly) until it's a dark brown color, darker than caramel. The darker the better but when it starts getting really dark, it's easy to burn it.

Have an onion and a green pepper chopped and ready to place in the roux when it gets to the dark stage. T

urn the heat down and let the onion and pepper cook for a minute or so.

Add 2 -3 cups of water, salt, black pepper, and a little red (Cayenne) pepper and let this cook for a while.

In another pot, or in the oven, brown your cut up chicken. 1 chicken should be enough.

After the roux has been cooking for an hour or so, add the browned chicken and sliced sausage.

We use a local brand sausage, but you can use Hormel or any brand like that of smoked sausage.

For a pot of gumbo, I use about a link or a link and a half. They usually come 3 links in a package.

Let the gumbo cook until the chicken is starting to fall off the bones.

I like to debone it at this stage but you don't have to.

People like their gumbo at different consistencies. We like ours more soupy than thick --- thick is a stew, thin is a gumbo -- so you may have to add more water as it's cooking.

Chop some onion tops and place in gumbo about 15 minutes before serving.

Seasoning is important so taste and make sure you have enough salt & pepper.

Serve gumbo in a bowl with a scoop of rice.

Oh, don't forget to have your rice cooked before the gumbo is ready.

If you have filé available, sprinkle a little filé on gumbo after it's served. Enjoy.

Cousin Claire’s Gumbo

½ pot water
½ lb sausage
Roux (1/4 of a jar)
1 chopped onion
2 celery stalks
½ chopped bell pepper
Chopped green onion
Chopped garlic (2-3 toes.)
2 T chicken base
1 whole chicken (or breasts and legs)

Gumbo at my house is fast. A little more than an hour, start to finish.

Fill a soup pot half full of water, turn the heat to medium high.

Add some sliced sausage, half a pound or more Roux from a jar is the best way to go. Maybe 1/4 of the jar.
(Stir or the roux will just sink to the bottom and stick)

1 chopped onion
2 celery stalks
1/2 chopped bell pepper
chopped green onions
chopped garlic, 2 or 3 toes, or the kind from a jar Let it boil for about 10 minutes.

2 TBL chicken flavor base (the kind in a jar, it's by the soup) Chicken on the bone (breasts and legs, or a whole one cut) (Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper)

When the chicken floats, it's done.
It's easier to add more salt and pepper than to have too much. The sausage is salty and will flavor the broth.

Steamed rice is good, but not necessary. Baked sweet potatoes are a wonderful side dish. Ginger bread is another good side dish. So is a mayo-potato salad.

Cousin Ellen’s Gumbo.

are u able to buy roux already pre-made, like Savoy's or Richard's? It will be in your local grocery store with the seasonings or with the condiments.
Follow the directions by melting the roux in water, then adding onion mix ( I use the pre-diced onion mix) and I add chicken breasts and your choice of sausage. The longer you cook the better, and season well with salt and Tony's Chachere. Usually gumbo tastes better when it is cooked several days before serving. After cooking store in Tupperware containers in the frig and then heat up several days later, yummy. Good luck, oh several with rice!

Interviews

2007-02-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

There are two types of interviews I can't stand:

Musicians.
Sports Figures.

Both have other means to get their messages across.

Let 'em

Good News!

2007-02-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

OpenSpirit(R) Announces Addition of Paradigm as Equity Investor: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Competition and marginal costs

2007-02-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

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