In the second of, what apparently, will be a series, I highlight my wife’s choice of clothing accented by jewelry. It’s truly amazing – and thank you to those who have commented and thus validated my feelings – what she can do with a few strands of necklace combined with her clothing choices. I, personally, am thankful to have her always on my arm; when my friends talk about getting a trophy wife, I can proudly say, I already have one.

This is a simple black sweater that has been made extraordinary by the addition of several strands of amber.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 February 2011)

Tags: Amber, Amp, Black Sweater, Cheers, Clothing Choices, Feelings, jewelry, Strands, Trophy Wife

We’ve been working at the Rahr for several weeks now; for the last two weeks, Marita Beth and I have been manning the front door rather than actually pulling the beer (which would be my personal preference). It’s pretty astonishing how many pint glasses I hand out on any given Saturday. We set up three cases of pint glasses to begin the day and then it’s been my job to continually refresh the glasses to keep up with the throngs of people coming in. It’s an important job, critical, in fact, to the continuation of what we’re doing with the brewery. So, I’m good with what I’m doing even though my preference would always be behind the bar.

This is a top-down view of a portion of my table mid-way through the day.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 February 2011)

Tags: Any Given Saturday, Cheers, Continuation, Job, Mid Way, Personal Preference, Pint Glasses, Throngs

Some time ago, Marita Beth bought Artemis (aka The Bitch Cat) a little portable cat bed. That bed is now the de facto “place of rest” for the cat; which, I’m sure, will offer dozens of photo-ops over the years.

So, here’s what will probably be the first of many.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 February 2011)

Tags: Artemis, Bitch, Cat Bed, Cheers, Dozens, Marita, Nbsp, Photo Ops

The tempura fish burrito bowl at Yucatan Taco Stand is nothing short of brilliant. The explosion of flavours and colours is a true delight. Couple it with the excellent house margarita and you have a nearly-unbeatable meal for my wife and I.

This photo is the happy remains of our dearly departed burrito bowl from Yucatan Taco Stand.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 February 2011)

Tags: Cheers, Colours, Explosion, Fish, Flavours, margarita, PHOTO, True Delight, Yucatan

24 February 2011

Well, Curtis’ waistcoat is done and all that remains now, for me to be ready for his party is one small cravat and whatever-the-#*&% I’m gonna pull out of thin air for myself to wear! It is obscene, I know, that in my world of costumes galore, that I do not have anything I really want to wear to this Moulin Rouge-themed party. I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up in my purple ruffled can can skirt … but then what? Hopefully, inspiration will strike.

Today’s photo should have been of the gorgeous waistcoat (which fit perfectly, I might add, despite my patterning frustrations), but I forgot to take a photo of it in my workshop, and the ones I tried to take tonight, of Curtis wearing it, didn’t come out very well. So, I’ll plan to take a good photo of him Saturday night.

As I was northbound, to deliver the waistcoat to Curtis at the Pub Guys show, I drove through the Alfred Hitchcockian intersection of Eastchase Parkway and I-30. It’s a good thing I don’t have some bizarre fear of flocks of birds, because if I did, I’d still be traumatized by them, hours later! What has to be millions of black birds—are they grackles? starlings?—populate this area around sundown. They move sometimes, in seemingly choreographed tandem. Other times, they are the embodiment of chaos. Always, they are creepy. As I was stopped at the red light, something spooked them and it seemed they all lifted off at once. The sky was black with wings and I grabbed for my camera. By the time I had it on and the window down, this photo is what I got.

~MB

Tags: 24 February, Black Birds, costumes, Cravat, Embodiment Of Chaos, Fear, Flocks Of Birds, Frustrations, Hitchcockian, Inspiration, Intersection, Moulin Rouge, Red Light, Saturday Night, Sky, Starlings, Sundown, Thin Air, Waistcoat, wings

23 February 2011

It was a wonder-full day! I worked in my workshop most of the day, making good progress on Curtis’ waistcoat. Then, I quit my workday a bit early to get ready to head toward Dallas where I picked up Shannon at Love Field. (I was amused at the construction project going on there that they are calling: LOVE-EVOLution … and they mirror-image the E and L in evolution. Cute.)

So far, so good. Then I made my first mistake—I believed my GPS. It sent me on a path toward Grapevine that took us through crazy construction and it took nearly fifty minutes to travel fifteen miles. I was very frustrated, but, the company was good and eventually we reached our destination. I had made plans with David, the owner of Vetro Glassblowing Studio, for him to stay a bit later than their posted hours, and meet with Shannon and me. Shannon had never been there, and I knew she’d groove on chatting with another experienced glassblower. It was a good plan! We enjoyed a nice visit with him, got to walk all through the studio, and even shared some business and industry tips about things like Group-on and conducting “experience” events for customers and even on buying the colour red—a tough one in the glassblowing world.

Kyle met us at Vetro, just as we were pretty much wrapping up our visit. We said our goodbyes and were in the process of discussing where to go for dinner and some decent beer, when Kyle got a text from Starr and Joe. They had seen him check into Vetro on Twitter, and decided to have dinner on Main Street … would we join them at Tolbert’s? What a great idea … the power of social media at work to make our lives better! Yay!

As we were leaving Vetro, Shannon happened to notice what was going on in the workshop next door. Two men in what looked like heavy duty haz-mat-type suits (temperature protection, I’m sure) were balancing a cauldron of hot molten metal and we watched as they poured it into a mold. A third man, less protected, seemed to be in charge, and watched from the side. At Kyle’s suggestion, because I was too amazed to think of it, I quickly got my camera in hand and snapped a couple of shots. It was something I’d never seen before, and may never see again!

From there to Tolbert’s where we got seated just moments before Starr and Joe arrived, and we all enjoyed a good dinner and great conversation. Although we’d have loved to stay to listen to Big Mike play music, it was nearing bedtime and I had to drive Shannon back to Mockingbird Lane before going home. So, more goodbyes, and a much quicker drive back to Dallas, and then home.

It was a good day.

~MB

Tags: Cauldron, Construction Project, Decent Beer, Experience Events, First Mistake, Glassblower, Glassblowing Studio, Goodbyes, Grapevine, Groove, Heavy Duty, Mold, Molten Metal, Temperature Protection, Third Man, Tolbert, Twitter, Two Men, Waistcoat, Workday

22 February 2011

I love oranges. Growing up at my house on Christmas morning, there was always an orange in the toe of your stocking. Maybe that’s why I like them. But, really, I seem to like anything that is remotely related to an orange. I have always liked tangerines … and tangelos … and mandarin oranges … and now, I’ve been reintroduced to—and learned that I like—Clementines.

These lovely little clementines (a cross between an orange and a mandarin orange) came to me all the way from California, where Shannon’s wonderful “Gnomie,” Gail, lovingly packed them up and sent them to me, because they wouldn’t fit in my suitcase!

And, fittingly, when I pulled them from the box, I put them in the hand-blown glass bowl I made (with Shannon’s help) a couple of years ago.

I learned the week I was there, that they were an awesome and super fast snack in the middle of a hot work day in the glass studio. And, even here at home, it turns out they’re the perfect pick-me-up that only takes about a minute to “prepare.”

Thanks, Gnomie!

~MB

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Morning, Clementines, Darling, Fit, Glass Bowl, Glass Studio, Hand Blown Glass, Mandarin Orange, Mandarin Oranges, Shannon, Snack, Stocking, Suitcase, Tangelos, Tangerines

21 February 2011

I have never “watched” a gas station being built before. We watched the lot transform as they deconstructed the old theatre and leveled the ground. We saw the concrete being poured and the little store being built. Now, there are giant cardboard boxes where gas pumps will be. (Or maybe they are already hiding under those boxes!) Anyway, this scene amused me as we pulled into the parking lot at No Frills Grill next door. It won’t be long now before their new neighbour is up and running!

I wonder what the price of a gallon will be by then!?

~MB

Tags: Cardboard Boxes, Concrete, Gas Pumps, Gas Station, Gasoline, Giant, Neighbour, Parking Lot

20 February 2011

For the first time since my husband bought his cute little Mitsubishi, she is totally, technically, street legal, today! Sadly, that means that gone is the very cool Scottish flag plate that has adorned her front bumper all these years. The law requiring actual registration license plates on both back and front changed somewhere along the line—don’t look it up and tell me it’s always been that way … I don’t want to know (LOL) —and we loved the flag plate so much we took our chances. But, when two little burned out light bulbs caused a nice Arlington police officer to follow us home last night, and give Kyle only a friendly warning … he decided that was his one “chance”. It was time.

Incidentally, I am now an expert on using a tiny phillips head screwdriver to replace light bulbs in a small crevice between bumper and plate, while lying on my back in a parking lot! There is no way a man’s hand could do that job, I’m pretty sure of it!

I took this photo to show my success. The lights work and the plates have been changed.

Tags: Arlington Police, Crevice, Friendly Warning, Front Bumper, Job, License Plates, Light Bulbs, Mitsubishi, Parking Lot, Phillips Head, PHOTO, Police Officer, Registration License, Scottish Flag, Street Legal