The weather Saturday was cool, overcast, and breezy. Very breezy - like it is just before a big storm blows in. In other words, it was a great day to be outside.
After having lunch with Dustin and Emily Sue at the Hyde Park Grill, I met up with Mollie at Art City Austin:
There was some interesting stuff to see, but with so many vendors, the art and booths got mind-numbing and repetitive after a while - which is just a good reason to break for dessert. Luckily, Trace in the W Hotel has a nice patio and even nicer desserts. It didn't hurt that it was also happy hour. This would be my Deep Eddy sweet tea vodka martini, which was quite tasty:
And for proper desserts, a dark chocolate pot de creme (Baileys Ice Cream, Fried Truffle,Roasted Bananas & Toasted Banana Marshmallow) and some drunken doughnuts (Vodka Whipped Cream, Tequila Chile Fudge Sauce & Bourbon Dulce de Leche):
They were incredibly good:
After the high of the bike race, Monday morning started off lazily. We checked the map for Olive Et Gourmando (a bakery/sandwich shop in Old Montréal):
and hung around the hotel a bit (these chairs were next to the purple felt pool table in the bar/restaurant area):
On our walk to Olive, we passed the Victoria Square metro station, with its Hector Guimard entrance.
The Palais des congrès (convention centre), with its multi-colored glass facade, is also pretty cool:
Sadly, the bakery we were looking for was closed on Mondays, so we had lunch across the street from it, in a little French bistro called Marché de la Villete. The food was traditional French fare and was excellent:
On our way out of Old Montréal, we passed these gals on the corner:
And this poster:
We spent the day visiting markets and drinking espressos. And in the evening, took a stroll in the rain to Bonaparte for dinner:
Bonaparte is a very traditional French restaurant, with waiters in formal attire and antique furnishings. I had one of their tasting menus, which was a nice way to sample their food. Jill, being the vegan eater, had a salad.
Our walk back to the hotel was very Midnight in Paris-y. With some silliness thrown in for good measure:
Just got back from seeing the Shawn Colvin / Patty Griffin show at the Paramount. The show was pretty amazing - just the 2 women, with 3 acoustic guitars between them, trading songs and banter throughout the evening.
Overall, it's been a pretty packed weekend (and week). Friday, I saw The Tourist at the Alamo. Despite the horrible reviews, I thought it was a charming film. Having Angelina Jolie saunter about in seductive evening wear doesn't hurt either.
Saturday, I did my usual 10 mile run around Town Lake. My legs felt dead, however, so it wasn't a very enjoyable run. Afterward, I checked out the Cherrywood Art Fair at Maplewood Elementary School. Lots of talented artist were in attendance. These were my favorites:
I also picked up some herbs as part of a fundraiser for the school:
Sunday morning, Pete and I rode the Spicewood Springs loop. Damn, it was cold! And windy. With my light windbreaker, I was definitely under-dressed for this ride (bonus post-ride helmet hair and glazed eye photo):
I thought about returning to the house to put on more layers, but decided that I would eventually warm up. Yeah, I did warm up - when I was back at the house, soaking in a long, hot shower. I was pretty useless the rest of the afternoon. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten off the couch if I didn't have tickets to the show tonight.
Oh, and this was also my first week back at Dell. I'm working in the Global Solutions Lab, in a newly created group to develop and certify ISV partners. I don't have all the details of my job description - my boss told me to be flexible. He and the rest of my team will be out of the office until the new year, so I've been attending meetings and reading documentation to learn about the various partners I'll be working with.
And finally, check this out. The hill country peach pits I've been soaking for 3+ months have finally decided to grow some roots. And to think I came close to tossing these so many times over the past few months:
Looks like the cover has been finalized by ASME Press for Pipe Stress Engineering. The book should be published in a few weeks. The world tour starts soon after that.
Linda just returned from the state Latin competition in Dallas. Of the 86 or so schools that entered, her kids took home the seventh place trophy - Congrats, Sis!
Something I never thought I'd see, Kate in Manolos. Nice. The big question - to cuff or not to cuff?
Taking next week off as vacation.
This about sums it up...
Still in Chicago. Well, actually in the burbs of Chicago. Woke up to some snow - shocking, I know.
Decided to take the train into downtown and wander a bit. I was walking to the Art Institute of Chicago, but it was damn cold, so I ducked into Exchequer, a rib joint, for some lunch. The place opened in 1969 and certainly looks its age. I liked it. And the ribs were good too. And no beans and coleslaw to ruin it - just seasoned potatoes.
Spent a bit of time at the Art Institute. They have a large collection of European and early American antiquities - but most of that didn't interest me. I was more into the industrial design, architecture and photography exhibits. I did check out their extensive Asian collection, which includes a number of Buddhas. Apparently, it's common in some American societies to display Buddha with his/her head decapitated. However, this practice is usually frowned upon by most Eastern cultures.
Need to get to bed early tonight. Have an 18 hour drive back to Austin tomorrow.
