Deer Stalker

The sun comes up early at the Broadmoor. We intended to get out early for a walk before the unusual heat set in. I was dragging a little as The Broadmoor went to emergency power around 3AM. No big deal unless you are on a CPAP machine. Nevertheless we headed out just before 8AM.

We started out on the lake path where the Canadian Geese contemplated crossing in front of Luc. Startled, they returned to the lake.

It was a pleasant four mile walk through the neighborhood with nice homes and trees. We returned to the Broadmoor grounds by the golf course cottages. The doe pictured walked up behind us and stayed within a few feet. It soon became apparent that she was after Luc.  Cherry picked up Luc and I stayed between the doe and Cherry until we got under cover and sat in some chairs. The deer followed us up under cover and watched us for five minutes before wandering up to some shrubs around the cottages. We took the opportunity to walk toward the tennis courts and the chase began. I maneuvered left and right to keep the doe off Cherry and Luc. We saw a Broadmoor truck with two employees drive up and we attempted to put the truck between us and the deer. That did not work but the employees saw what was happening and jumped out and helped keep the deer off of us.

Luc was quite exhausted and told us he preferred flowers and butterflies.

Jerry Windlinger
jwindlinger@comcast.net

Where's Poppy?

Green Mountain Falls, Colorado.

We arrived at Colorado Springs this afternoon and checked in at the Broadmoor for a meeting and a little golf. Colorado is experiencing drought and a heat wave. The lake at the Broadmoor looks a little low and temperatures hit the high nineties. We thought it would be a good idea to drive somewhere a little cooler.

We drove up highway 24 to Green Mountain Falls. It was quite pleasant up there at 7800 foot elevation in the shadow of the tall peaks. The gazebo pictured in the lake is 124 years old and was only accessible by boat until 1990 when a bridge was constructed in honor of the gazebo's centennial.

Luckily there was a hot rod auto show in town around the lake. Even then the Mucky Duck and Pantry were quiet.  The pizza place was hopping though.

Poppy, Moppy, and Mr. Luc headed to nearby Manitou Springs which was bustling.  There we discovered Blue Bell Ice Cream for sale. We were told that it has been sold in Colorado for about a year. Who knows, Chelsea, Blue Bell might get to California eventually.

In case you are wondering we only saw one small area that burned in the recent fires. There were quite a few signs thanking the fire fighters and we were told that the town of Manitou Springs was evacuated for three days.

So long from The Broadmoor.


Jerry Windlinger
jwindlinger@comcast.net

A Stroll in Venice - Should Have Worn a Hat

After Austin Blues Tri-pepper smoked pork and Buffalo, beef & pork with chipotle pepper sausages washed down with a Belgian Gouden Carolus, Chelsea headed back to her Sony Playstation world.  I had time to kill before a couple of conference calls and it was a rare ozone free blue sky day in Venice with temps around 70 degrees. I decided to put some steps on the Fitbit and walk to Venice beach and Abbott Kinney.

There are all kinds of opportunities to meet interesting people in LA.  My first stop was an interesting pet store where I found Koi, Goldfish, and Bearded Dragons for sale. I am not currently in the market for a dragon but I now know not to put sand in with the younglings.  I am curious to know if the dragon parents who live in nature know to keep their children out of the sand.

Not to far down the road I was asked by a nice man outside of an establishment of some sort if I would like to come inside for some refreshing coconuts. Now I was not sure if these were to be imbibed or otherwise applied so I declined.  I have seen many signs warning of falling coconuts so I consider them dangerous unless they are in a pie or a cake.

I next came along a couple of surf shops and some evangelists of the Big Kahuna working on their brakes on their "thugs against drugs" car.  I have to admit that I thought about my friend Dave back in Houston who surfs instead of playing golf.  I wonder if he would really like to hang with these guys in search of the big wave.

I rested on a bench outside Hal's Grill to check my messages.  Hal has some great memories of college celebrations, best chicken on the west coast, and someone locking her keys in her car.

I know some folks who have little dogs who wear clothes so I stepped into the Modern Dog store.  One of the proprietors and his partner were there and helped me pick out the right size for some little four footers. Turns out that the owner has lived in Houston on Virginia Street in the Upper Kirby district.  That is the same street my spouse inhabited in her childhood.  Small but very different world we all live in.

The eyes over Abbott Kinney appeared to be leftover fron a bye-gone era as they seemed to have nothing to do with the shop on the premises. I will bet that there is a story to be told.

By the time I returned to my car my head was a little pink.  My good friend, Andy, would likely agree that I should have worn a hat.

Jerry Windlinger
jwindlinger@comcast.net

Cima at Avon - Richard Sandoval

Cherry and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary at Richard Sandoval's Cima at Avon/Beaver Creek. Sandoval "reinterprets Latin cuisine, blending traditional Latino flavors with global ingredients...from as far away as Asia".

Lobster Causa - Maine Lobster / Red Bell Pepper / Yuzu-Siracha Aioli.....
The Lobster Causa reminded us of potato salad and was served cold.  It was delicious.  Cherry does not think she can reproduce it and the recipe is secret so we will have to come back for more.

Flatbread Oxtail - Quail Egg / Smoked Gouda / Caramelized Onion /  Tomato Aioli...
We had never experienced quail eggs. They taste just like chicken....eggs sunny side up

Berkshire Pork - Grilled Tenderloin / Carnitas / Squash Purée / Brussel Sprouts / Chipotle Almonds / Pickled Onion / Blood Orange Mojo / Veal Jus...
Cherry loved her entree.

Angus New York Strip & Maine Lobster - Potato Purée / Asparagus / Chipotle Hollandaise / Truffle Chimichurri...
Surf and turf for Jerry.

A bottle of Turley Juvenile Zinfandel complemented the meal. We toasted 36 great years and many more to follow!

No room for dessert but we finished off the night with a pour of Glenmorangie and a glass of wine by the roaring fire in the Westin lobby.

Beaver Creek

Hello from Beaver Creek! Here I am at the top of Bachelor's Gulch Lift just two days after returning from Seoul, Korea. After a day of work, a visit to the parents and a night of packing, and United losing my suitcase on the flight to Colorado, we made it to the slopes for the first time since 2009.

After a little trepidation about our rusty ski skills, we hit the slopes. No spills or falls and the snow provided good skiing considering it was mainly man made. As you can see in the photo of Cherry below there is no snow on the adjacent mountains. There was plenty of sun offsetting the near zero temperatures.

After skiing we took the bus to Vail. I received my first senior discount since turning 60 a few weeks ago. Seventy-five percent off bus fare!

You have to be amazed at one skier we saw boarding the bus. After blocking the bus from the bus stop for several minutes (apparently oblivious) he attempted to step onto the bus and bounced off spilling himself and his skis. He managed to board the bus after falling another time. Our driver told us to get on the other bus while he waited for the police. How this guy can ski in that condition is something to think about.

We ended the night with a nice dinner down by Gore Creek. That was after we found the hats in the photo. Cherry is wearing her fox and I am wearing a rabbit felt Stetson. I suppose the rabbit should beware of the fox!

Thanksgiving with Harris at Powderhorn - Cincinnati at Crossroads and Full of Fight

Cherry and I said goodbye to Harris after a great Thanksgiving visit. Harris can let you in his "Goodbye Club" if you learn the three quarter side arm open/close hand wave - and do not forget the smile.

Harris has a lot to smile about after his Texas Longhorns said goodbye to A&M with a 27-25 come from behind victory as Juatin Tucker's kick sailed through the uprights as time ran out. The Aggies head off to the SEC with the score branded in their memories much like their 13 -0 branding of the first Bevo. Harris is 1-0 versus A&M as the Horns improved to 76-37-5 in the 118 game rivalry.

Harris also had a special Thanksgiving dinner spanning four generations. He and Gramps chaired the ends of the table ten feet and 85 years apart. His mom and dad and Aunt Kacie, Uncle Jason, Granny, Cherry and I feasted on Cajun spiced fried turkey, crawfish stuffing, sweet potatoes, and three different pies. Harris had his own yummy sweet potatoes and a little of the spicey turkey while keeping an eye on Gramps.

Cherry and I left for the airport a little after the Taruns headed back to Austin. Powderhorn was fully decorated for Christmas inside and out so we knew that chore was done. By the time we arrived at the airport the clouds had burst and we had a steady rain as we waited to board. The forecast for Cincy was steady rain everyday so we canceled our plans to buy tickets to the Browns and Bengals. Shipley is out for the season and Colt is QB'ing the Browns but we can watch with Charlie and stay dry. Oh no, not on TV, must be blacked out. Not surprising that a town with a population of 300,000 cannot fill a stadium for teams with poor records.

When we arrived at the Westin downtown we thought the hotel was full of Cleveland fans following their team to a state rivalry game. At the bar we learned otherwise. These excited fans were from Atlanta and elsewhere. They were in town for the WBO Junior Lightweight World Championship:

Adrien Broner stops Vicente Rodriguez

Associated Press | November 26, 2011
CINCINNATI -- Hometown fighter Adrien Broner won the vacant WBO junior lightweight title Saturday night, stopping Argentina's Vicente Rodriguez in the third round at U.S. Bank Arena.

The 22-year-old Broner improved to 22-0 with his 18th knockout, flooring Rodriguez with a left hook following a right uppercut. Rodriguez dropped to 34-3-1.

We met a young man at the bar named Chris Seelbach. Chris and a bunch of local politicians were invited to the fight. Chris is 32 years old and newly elected to Cincinnati City Council. He is 100% German heritage and proud of it. He lives in Over-The-Rhine, is an endorsed Democrat, and is the first openly gay candidate for city council. Chris is keeping his CFO job at Seidewitz Group, a marketing and media consulting group that helps elect democrats. Chris and three other democrats, including a 26 year old, swept into office over the collective bargaining rights for city employees issue that brought heavy democrat and union turnout to the polls. Chris supports fixed rail and other changes that will make Cincinnati a better place to live for young professionals. We discussed the local strengths and weaknesses of Cincinnati over a couple of Hudepohl brews. It is going to be tough to revitalize the local economy. Good luck to Chris and his friends.

Cincinnati is dark and dreary, but we enjoyed seeing Charlie. This year he introduced us to Terry's Turf Club. Jim, with his bright tie, was in charge of packing everyone into shared tables. The burgers had options like burgundy wine sauce with mushrooms and truffles which I added to English cheddar with carmelized onions. Messy but delicious and washed down with Bell's White Winter Ale. As Charlie said there are only two things to do in the Midwest - grow food and eat it.

Steel City or Boom Town

Last night I sat at the Fish Market bar in Pittsburgh and had dinner while I talked to Texas oil men who were betting their fortunes on Ohio and Pennsylvania shale plays. Fortunes are being made investing in the leases prospective for the Marcellus and Utica Shales. One entrepreneur grew up dirt poor in Wichita Falls, Texas and never finished college but had made tens of millions of dollars flipping leases to independents. A couple of guys had started a business laying pipe and delivering thousands of barrels of water to producers for their hydraulic fracture treatments.

All this made me think of Jack London's book Call of the Wild. Jack set off for the gold strikes to make his fortune. Fortunes were made mining gold and selling picks and shovels. The shale plays are similar opportunities. Every generation has an opportunity for adventure and fortune whether it be from natural resources or computer chips.

After dinner I walked Pittsburgh's downtown streets in the cold night air. The streets were damp from one of the last rain storms before winter. Christmas decorations were on display signaling the snows to come. The buildings house a mix of restaurants, hotels, residences, and charter schools. Pittsburgh brings the industrial commerce on major rivers together with office workers from Mellon Bank, EQT, etc. It will be interesting to see how downtown changes with the shale boom. I ran across a theatre on Liberty Street that shouted out a welcome to my grandson by the same name:

P.S. Harris, HB Jones claimed that Call of the Wild by Jack London is the only book he ever read.