"Gay penguins break up after 1 goes straight"
It should have been on National Inquirer instead of CNN.com, or perhaps the anti-gay movement will seize on it as their latest argument in favor of banning gay marriage. Oh well, at least it shows that MJ's death is starting to take some perspective in the stage of world news.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A Weekend in the Big Easy
To celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary, which was a few weeks ago in June, we drove over to New Orleans last Friday. The trip took a bit longer than I thought it would, maybe 6 hours. We stopped at a little roadside restaurant just before we got out of Texas, called the Spindletop Diner. Excellent food, very well prepared, and reasonably priced. The staff were also very friendly.
We stayed at the Maison Dupuy, a nice hotel right in the French Quarter. We stayed there many years ago, when driving across the country from Florida to California, and had good memories of our stay. We were happy to discover they are doing well after the hurricane. As is most of the area. As we walked from the hotel to see the sights on Saturday morning, we noticed freshly washed sidewalks. How nice! Then as we approached Bourbon St, it became apparent that washing the sidewalks is a necessity. After most every evening, the sidewalks are a bit messed up with the results of folks over-enjoying the many bars on Bourbon St. and throughout the Quarter.
A carriage ride from Jackson Square gave us a broader perspective of the French Quarter, with some historical background filled in by the carriage driver. We tried to take a river cruise, but it was lunch time, and we were more inclined to fend for ourselves to eat. We went back to the hotel and got the car, so we could cruise the Garden District and the University area just west of that, all along St. Charles Avenue. Very pretty, lovely old buildings, mostly well kept or restored. We spent some time at Harrah's Casino after that, and I actually made a slight profit at the Blackjack Table. Cool!
That evening, we dressed up a little bit from shorts & sandals in order to "dine" at the Court of Two Sisters, a famous restaurant. The food and service and ambiance were every bit as wonderful as we hoped it would be. On the way back to the hotel, we had intended to stop and listen to some Zydeco music, but Bourbon Street was in full swing, and things were more than a little rough around the edges. We had a few nightcaps at the hotel instead.
Sunday, we drove towards home, leaving New Orleans by US 90 instead of the Interstate, in order to see a little of the countryside, Cajun Country. It was okay, not nearly the hustle and anonymity of the Interstate. But we had to join up to I-10 again at Lafayette, and made it home just fine.
We stayed at the Maison Dupuy, a nice hotel right in the French Quarter. We stayed there many years ago, when driving across the country from Florida to California, and had good memories of our stay. We were happy to discover they are doing well after the hurricane. As is most of the area. As we walked from the hotel to see the sights on Saturday morning, we noticed freshly washed sidewalks. How nice! Then as we approached Bourbon St, it became apparent that washing the sidewalks is a necessity. After most every evening, the sidewalks are a bit messed up with the results of folks over-enjoying the many bars on Bourbon St. and throughout the Quarter.A carriage ride from Jackson Square gave us a broader perspective of the French Quarter, with some historical background filled in by the carriage driver. We tried to take a river cruise, but it was lunch time, and we were more inclined to fend for ourselves to eat. We went back to the hotel and got the car, so we could cruise the Garden District and the University area just west of that, all along St. Charles Avenue. Very pretty, lovely old buildings, mostly well kept or restored. We spent some time at Harrah's Casino after that, and I actually made a slight profit at the Blackjack Table. Cool!
That evening, we dressed up a little bit from shorts & sandals in order to "dine" at the Court of Two Sisters, a famous restaurant. The food and service and ambiance were every bit as wonderful as we hoped it would be. On the way back to the hotel, we had intended to stop and listen to some Zydeco music, but Bourbon Street was in full swing, and things were more than a little rough around the edges. We had a few nightcaps at the hotel instead.
Sunday, we drove towards home, leaving New Orleans by US 90 instead of the Interstate, in order to see a little of the countryside, Cajun Country. It was okay, not nearly the hustle and anonymity of the Interstate. But we had to join up to I-10 again at Lafayette, and made it home just fine.
Some relief
After several weeks without A/C upstairs, we finally enjoyed a cooler more comfortable evening at home last night. The new upstairs unit was installed and the house feels cooler. The downstairs unit is getting cooler air into the air handler from the air return upstairs, so it takes less work to get cool. Now let's hope the downstairs unit can keep up the good work.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Summertime in Sugar Land
We have been experiencing some rather sultry weather. That's southern for "Wow! It's HOT!!!" It has been right around 100 every day for the last 5 weeks or so, and very little rain. And to make it interesting, our upstairs air conditioning unit has given up and died. Fortunately, we have a home warranty that came with the house, so its going to cost us just over 10% of the $3,000 or so that the new unit will cost. It is just the wait for all the paperwork to be right for the warranty company and the a/c contractor.
As a result of the upstairs unit being inoperative, the downstairs unit has run nonstop and at max during this time. Our electric bill was just over $600 last month and may be more this time. Both units are about 20 years old, with a SEER of only 8 or 9. Modern units are much more efficient with a SEER of 17 or more, but very costly. So we will live with this for the time being.
Another thing that we noticed is that the swimming pool temperature is higher than refreshing at 92 or so in the afternoons. In the morning it is a chilly 88 and feels better. But it still feels good when you are in it. Even if the water is warm.
The heat has affected other things too. I don't walk the dogs until 8 or later in the evening as the sidewalks are too warm for their paws. And it is better for me to wait until the sun has set a bit too. I have been told it will cool off a bit in September.
As a result of the upstairs unit being inoperative, the downstairs unit has run nonstop and at max during this time. Our electric bill was just over $600 last month and may be more this time. Both units are about 20 years old, with a SEER of only 8 or 9. Modern units are much more efficient with a SEER of 17 or more, but very costly. So we will live with this for the time being.
Another thing that we noticed is that the swimming pool temperature is higher than refreshing at 92 or so in the afternoons. In the morning it is a chilly 88 and feels better. But it still feels good when you are in it. Even if the water is warm.
The heat has affected other things too. I don't walk the dogs until 8 or later in the evening as the sidewalks are too warm for their paws. And it is better for me to wait until the sun has set a bit too. I have been told it will cool off a bit in September.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
