Two Tons of Steel

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After our jaunt to Gruene that Saturday evening in early February we took in the band "Two Tons of Steel" at the Broken Spoke.

Two Tons of Steel is a San Antonio rockabilly/country band who we had seen before at Guero's -- at one of the Sun Radio events and then again one weekend under the live oaks. They're a very good band with several records. They even do an interesting cover of Fred Eaglesmith's song "Alcohol and Pills".

The Broken Spoke is an old time dance hall and a bit of a country culture icon in Austin. People were there to dance, to hear the band and to click a check-box of places you must see while in Austin. You can also go there for dinner -- they, like many others, claim to have the best chicken fried steak in Texas. I can tell you they don't.

We arrived by Uber (a short but expensive ride from our nearby home) at around 8:30 for the 9:00 show. We're met at the door by James White (the owner and builder) who is decked out in fancy cowboy gear. There's dance lessons from 8:00 until 9:00 when there's a show and there are lots of people attempting the Texas two-step. The lessons went well past 9:00 and the show started later.

The dance instructor (I believe she's James White's daughter) kept the crowd entertained as she attempted to teach the fundamentals. I'm sure some learned a step or two. However, once the show started it became pretty clear that there are dancers and there are punters trying to dance. It's a treat to see people who can dance (I can't, Kate used to be a dance instructor), it's painful to see those who have no sense of rhythm. But everyone was enjoying themselves and I suppose that's all that really matters.

The last time we were here was to see Dale Watson on our visit last year. At that time we got in to find the place packed solid -- standing room only. We didn't like that and didn't stay. This time, when we were entering we asked if there were any seats and were told that had admitted 150 and had room for either 350 or 450. So we got in and took a table on the side with not much of a view of the stage. For the band pictures I got up close to the stage. But it did seem pretty crowded on the floor and at the tables. The sound was pretty good up front and on the dance floor but not so great we were sitting. We only stayed for the first set.

The Broken Spoke is a victim of it's own success. It's far too busy on the weekends. We could try going to the regular Tuesday night residency with Weldon Hensen. I suspect it's not as crowded and there are more dancers.

Ps. they have WiFi, James White gave me the password. It's "Keep it Country".

Gruene & Bill Kirchen

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Saturday February 1 was a lovely sunny day for a drive out of the city. We headed out to historic Gruene Texas (it's German, say "green") which is about an hour south of Austin and just north of San Antonio. It's actually part of New Braunfels (at least administratively). Bill Kirchen, who plays regularly at Mystery Mondays, had an afternoon gig at Gruene Hall that we wanted to catch. There's always music at Gruene Hall, it's one of those go-to spots we often visit.

Gruene was a sleepy little village with one of the oldest dance halls in Texas. Gruene Hall has become a big drawing card with a history of many important musicians having played here. This once sleepy little village is now a major tourist destination with a lot of shops, lots of restaurants and lots of music. We've been coming for many years now starting back in the 1990's when there were just a few shops, the Gristmill restaurant and the dance hall. We recall being here many years ago in February when everything was closed -- even the restaurant and the dance hall. These days it's busy every weekend with a huge field commandeered as a parking lot. Even with that parking can be a problem.

We had lunch at the Gristmill which overlooks the Guadalupe River. The restaurant was built on the remains of an old mill and has that rustic, barnboard and exposed brick ambience. The place has expanded over the years and is now quite large. But you can still get a nice spot outside along the river bank to enjoy the day. Servings are Texas sized so you need to be careful not to order too much. A couple of appetizers is enough for a meal!

We then dropped into Gruene Hall to see Bill Kirchen and his band. We recognize David Carrol on standup base (from the regular Mystery Monday band) but not the others. The crowd was mostly our age with some two-stepping to the music.

There is a smallish raised stage at the one end of the dance hall, a dance area about half of the hall, then some rough hewn tables with benches, a smaller area on the floor in front of the bar where the band was playing, and then the bar at the very front of the hall. This is the usual set up for afternoon shows. In the evening the stage is used and the crowds are larger. E.g. we have tickets to see Joe Ely here later this month.

We had our bikes with us and did a ride about town. There's a lot of new homes, bungalows, and development in town. We were quite surprised. I suppose it's an easy commute into San Antonio, quite a long commute to Austin, and I guess some have moved here to retire and be involved with the local scene. Not for us, Gruene has become a bit of Disneyland.

After our bike ride we stopped at "The Grapevine" (a shop with wine tasting) for a glass and bit of music at their outdoor stage. It's nice to soak up the sun when it's there. It's not always so warm this time of year in Texas.

A good start to a full day. That night we hope to see "Two Tons of Steel" at the Broken Spoke..

On the road

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That's me with Piscine on the road to Austin for our winter get away with Kate and the two boys — Little Moe and Radar. Yes we travel all that way, over 2,500km, over 3 days, with three cats!

We get away early on Tuesday January 28 having packed much of the car the night before. It's a clear but grey day with no snow. We're leaving Ontario so we don't get stuck in the snow and winter blues. Our Honda CR-V doesn't have snow tires (we don't want to wear snow tires out in the warmth of Texas) so we're thankful for the clear weather.

Crossing the border at Sarnia/Port Huron the US border agent starts with

He: "Where are you to going in Florida?".
We: "Ah, we're going to Austin Texas."
He: "What's wrong with Florida?"
We: "There's nothing wrong with Florida, we just like Texas better."
He: "What's this paper for?"
We: "The cats, we have three cats." (He really didn't care about them)
He: "Have you got any food or fruit?"
We: "We have some salmon sandwiches..."
He: "Salmon sandwiches? What's that?"

We've brought these sandwiches so we can make time and have them in the car. However, he couldn't understand what we meant by salmon sandwiches. We tried to explain and worried that the bit of celery in with the mayonnaise might mean we'd have our sandwiches confiscated.

He: "Is it like a filet of salmon on a bun?"
We: "No, it's mixed with mayonnaise."
He: "Ah, like a tuna fish sandwich."
We: "Yes, exactly like a tuna fish sandwich only canned salmon instead."
He: "Ok, off you go."

We've since discovered that canned salmon, like we have at home, is pretty rare in the parts of the United States we visited.

At the first Meijer grocery store we stop for fresh veggies, some lime juice, tequila and triple sec — Reg has had a "Dry January" and is looking forward to falling off the wagon with some margaritas.

The first night we stayed at a La Quinta outside of Louisville KY; the next at a La Quinta outside of Little Rock AR. La Quinta hotels are pet friendly, that's why we stay there. We're trying to break the trip into three equal parts. Both for us and the cats.

The cats are reluctant travellers. Piscine has done this since 2013 but still screams for a couple of hours to let us know she's not pleased. For Radar and Little Moe this is only their second trip to Texas but they're less of a bother. Moe hunkers down in one of the litter boxes and Radar hunkers down with Piscine in the back seat. The cats seem to like it when they get to the hotel room. They wander around, eat some food, and even climb on our bed in the night. However, the morning can be a challenge.

In Bryant, outside of Little Rock, we're able to find Radar and Little Moe who are hiding but can't locate Piscine. After an hour or so of searching Kate asks at the front desk if they've seen a cat and a helpful fellow suggests the common hiding spots. Having searched all those already he comes to our room to show us the extra secret hiding spot under the sink where there's a little cubby hole above the cabinets but below the counter where Piscine is hiding. We might have waited for several hours before the cat would have come out on her own in answer to our calls. That really slows us down!

We arrive in Austin by mid afternoon Thursday, unpack and settle in. Kate is quite sore from sitting and driving so I make a quick run to the local HEB to buy some supplies. That first night we order a take out enchilada dinner from the El Mercado on S 1st — not as great as our memories of meals at Mystery Mondays and Gospel-ish Brunch.

On Friday we're busy stocking up at CostCo (on William Cannon), the HEB (SoCo at Oltorf), Twin Liquors (nearby on Lamar), etc. That night we have dinner at the nearby Central Market South (a competitor to Whole Foods by HEB) where Bret Coats is playing.  It's a Blues/Rock combo and people are there to dance or to have a dinner. The store has a pretty good take away/sit in dinner service. I have a "Pasta Bowl" (penne with a very garlicy pesto) while Kate has "An Amazing Asian Bowl (with Shrimp)". You can order wine or beer, but instead we get a bottle of wine from the store and glasses from the take away.

When you place your order they take your cell phone number and then text you when your meal is ready — pretty slick.

We are pleased to be back in Austin and keen to explore our old haunts and discover some new ones.

I want to go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
The friendliest people and the prettiest women
You've ever seen.

(from) London Homesick Blues, by Gary P. Nunn.

Rock for Optimism

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Rock for Optimism Place was a fund raiser event held at the local St Marys Legion Hall to benefit the local women's shelter -- Optimism Place, which is located nearby in Stratford.

We attended for some of the show. Andrea Strathdee had a grant to organize the event with the help of friends and family. Dan Armstrong seemed to have organized much of the music side of things. That's him with his sister Dianne singing at left. They're both quite good.

For us it was pretty much an extension of the ceilidh event that Dianne and Chico host on Christmas Eve -- they're our next door neighbors. There were lots of friends and family in the Strathdee/Armstron families who are accomplished musicians. Frank St Germaine, who has a Friday night residency at Gordy's and the summer gig with the Front Porch Show, played as did many others after we headed home. We didn't catch it all.

Kate's on the board of Optimism Place. It's a cause we both believe in.

Galapagos Tour

Blue Footed Boobie

[Photo Album in progress]

We recently completed a week long adventure of a lifetime on the trimaran the M/T Camilla operated by Haugan Cruises arriving Isla San Cristobal by air from Quito and exiting again by air for Quito from Isla Baltra.

In between we cruised many of the islands (you need to be on a two week cruise to see them "all" and even then you can't see them "all" -- many are protected and no one can go there), we snorkelled every day and we explored the islands getting up close to all sorts of animals. We swam with lots of fishies, sharks, turtles, sea lions and even penguins. We chased a whale with its calf in our zodiak. We met the huge land tortoises which populate the green side of Santa Cruz (one of the very few populated islands) and visited the town of Ayora. And we shared the beaches with sea lions and their cubs.

The Camilla is a new boat and very well appointed. We picked it as a small boat with nice balconies. There are only 8 rooms and all are huge with king beds (actually two singles pushed together). There are 12 crew to serve you and at most 16 passengers. For part of our trip there were only 6 of us, for the remainder there were 14. We suspect recent riots in Quito may have dissuaded some tourists from coming. Sometimes the ship would travel at night and there were some rough nights at sea -- no one got sick but gravol helped while trying to sleep. We did have one served dinner on rough seas. But mostly it was cool and windy with calm waters.

We were sometimes up and about on walking tours of the islands before sunset and breakfast. Occassionally we only made it back on board after sunset -- there is a regulation that tourists may only be on the protected islands during daylight hours.

Every day there was 1-2 snorkelling trips (very good wet suits, fins, mask and snorkel are provided) and 1-2 walking tours on the beach or inland on rocky trails (walking sticks are provided) to see nesting birds. Marine Iguanas by the truck load! An occasional land iguana, Blue and Red footed Boobies, Frigate Birds, Albatross, gulls, flamingo, pelicans and more. Sea Lions and their young on sandy beaches. Our days were very full and sometimes quite strenuous -- the land is volcanic and often very rough. We skipped a couple of the strenous hikes. Each night, after dinner, the guide would give us a lecture on what we'd see the next day. After that, exhausted, we trundled off to bed and slept soundly.

Staff on the boat were outstanding as was their service. Breakfast and lunch were a buffet but dinner was always an excellent served three course meal. Chef Ramiro should be commended for doing so well in such confined space. Gabriela, the Cruise Director, was gracious, cheerful and always there to meet or exceed your needs.

The house cleaning staff were attentive and we luxuriated with fresh linens and fresh water showers several times a day (fresh water is a scarce commodity on the islands -- they sometimes trade fresh water for lobster or fish with fishermen). The guide Morris and zodiak drivers Jefferson and Manuel were friendly and always helpful. Sometimes our language was a problem with some of the staff (we have minimal Spanish) but the hostess and guide spoke flawless English.

The bar didn't open until 4:30 but often you were out adventuring with the guide until much later. Drinks were always available at lunch and dinner with barman Angel serving. The strenous workouts exploring the sea and shore meant that there was little time for and little alcohol consumed (although there is a full bar and a very good wine list). This most definitely is not a "Booze Cruise".

This isn't a luxury sea cruise where one rests in the shade by the pool with a cuba libre in one hand, an iPad in the other and a server at your beck and call. You are roughing it. It's an adventure tour for hardy souls willing to explore a unique, varied and demanding environment on sea and shore. There is no WiFi, no phone and most islands are barren landscapes with no human habitation. Nevertheless, it's an adventure well worth going. There's no place like it.

We are very blessed to have been there and done that! You can too.

Date of experience: November 2019

Quito

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Kate and I stayed in Quito Ecuador for a few days on either end of our Galapagos tour in November. We flew from Toronto, to Panama City and then to Quito where we stayed for a few days. From Quito to Guyaquil on the coast and then on to the Galapagos. Likewise on our return.

The tour company, Galapagos Adventures (we can't recommend them enough), had arranged for us to stay one night at the boutique Illa Experience Hotel at both ends of our trip. It's by far the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in. It's quite amazing, and ... quite expensive. It's the kind of hotel where you might never leave your room, it's that luxurious. They also have a fine dining restaurant but you need reservations for that. We did enjoy the breakfast they served and the fruit left in ours.

We arrive a couple of days early and stayed two nights at a nearby affordable Hotel Casa Alquima (oddly Google maps shows two by that name). We booked this ourselves, it was not part of the tour. Our hotel is near the old city by the Santo Domingo church/square at the foot of the Panecillo. Our Galapagos trip includes a shuttle service from the airport that takes us back and forth to our hotels. The airport is a considerable distance from the city; the city is huge and sprawling. But everything runs smoothly and drivers are efficient and friendly. I would not want to drive in this city, I would not want to navigate public transit. Taxis are abundant and nothing is very expensive.

The Alquima is a very old building built around an internal courtyard with rooms on the second floor. Two sides of the building are on the street, the other two sides are internal. We had a large internal room with no windows (a bit claustrophobic). I think we might have preferred the street side but it would have been noisy. We were served a nice breakfast in their enclosed roof top breakfast nook. I don't think they served any other meals. The host who ran the hotel was very nice to us. On arrival she was keen to let us know about all things we might want to see in the city. We were keen to go to bed. It's a nice hotel, a bit rustic but quite serviceable.

Quito is one of the cities that's very high and surrounded by mountains. It's near the top of the Andes at 2,850m (9,350ft) and is the highest capitol city in the world. Our host at the Alquima recommended we see the Panecillo (but not walk through the side streets to get there) and the gondola to the Cruz Loma lookout. The Panecillo (that's Spanish and means a little piece of bread) is a nearby peak at 3,016m -- we took a taxi up one day but the city was enshrouded in fog. We never made it to the gondola and the Cruz Loma lookout. The a gondola runs from the edge of the city centre, a short taxi ride away, up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to lookout Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising to 3,945m! I like hight views like that, but we never made it. Next time.

We spent much of our first day tromping around in the old city. It has a European/Colonial feel with lots of churches (it's a Catholic country), busy narrow streets, some plazas and lots to see. We visited some of the churches, especially the Basílica del Voto Nacional for the views from the roof and towers. My Spanish is pretty bad, I thought Basílica del Voto Nacional had something to do with honoring national voting. "Voto" actually means "vow", that makes more sense. The Basilica is modelled after Notre Dame in Paris ... lots of churches around the world make that claim.

Independence Plaza (sometimes I see it named the "Grand Plaza") is in the center of the old town. There's a monument to the "heros of 1809" when Ecuador fought for indepedence from Spain. They've been independent for a very long time, since 1822, but seem to still look towards Spain in the same way that Canadians and Australians favor Great Britain. Of the people you see on the street many if not most are clearly native south americans. See the young woman in the picture above.

Around the Indepedence square there's the presidential palace (Carondelet Palace) and government offices -- it was closed for tours because of the recent riots. On the one side there's another grand church, the Catedral Metropolitan. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe under the Catedral. The square is a lovely green space that people enjoy.

San Francisco Plaza is another large square dominated the San Francisco church. We had dinner on the square one evening and shopped for gifts in a very interesting store under the church next to the restaurant. We got a Panama Hat for Kate's brother Gord -- they're misnamed as they actually come from Ecuador. There's a lot of clay masks and figures in the gift shop representing different stages in the Andean cultures pre-Spanish invasion. I found the pained faces on figures fornicating rather odd. Did they not enjoy sex back then?

There had recently been poverty riots in the city brought about by the IMF putting the screws to the poor over the debt the country has accumulated. The riots are over now, but guards and barbed wire baracades remain around the presidential palace at Indepdence Square. Things got so bad during the riots that the government relocated to Guayaquil on the coast! There had been a Canadian travel advisory against going to Quito but that had been lifted by the time we got there. The riots have had an effect on tourism -- many have cancelled. This is one reason why our Galapagos tour has only the 6 of us (two Quebecois, two Bulgarians and us) but those adventures are in another blog entry.

On our last night, when we were returning from the Galapagos, we wandered the nearby streets to a restaurant we had read about -- La Purisima which serves fine dining Ecuadorian dishes. When we arrive we find our colleagues Anna and Marin, our Bulgarian friends from our Galapagos adventures, are there for dinner as well! We join them and enjoy our time together (although Marin, as a banker, has some right leaning ideas). The "Good Thursday Black Tart" recipe in the menu has us intrigued -- it has a long list of ingredients starting with holy water. Who would use holy water to flavor a dish? We share the dessert and are impressed. It's sort of like a sticky pudding.

Anna and Marin tell us their hotel is on the same street as ours. We walk home together to discover we're next door to one another! The entrances to the two hotels are right up against one another. We couldn't have been closer if we had tried.

We like Quito and would have liked to see more. Perhaps we'll visit again another time.

Ps. Ecuador does not have it's own currency. They use the American dollar.

Port Stanley

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Port Stanley is a lovely fishing village south of London on the shores of Lake Erie. When we lived in London we'd often go there -- for their summer theatre (Port Stanley Festival Theatre), for the beach or for a feed of Lake Erie perch. From St Marys it's a little out of the way.

This summer, to celebrate our 39th annivesary, we returned and stayed over night at the Kettle Creek Inn and repeated those joys -- took in some theatre ("Ed's Garage" by Dan Needles was one of the best things we've seen this summer), enjoyed the views and tried more perch.

It was fun, some things don't change.

Ps. I recall the theatre being called the Port Stanley Summer Theatre (acronymn PSST). I wonder when that changed?