Chinese Noodles & Chicken

Becky made some nice Chinese noodles and chicken in the wok this evening. It was delicious. She hadn't done this in awhile. 

This was a wonderful dinner. We like using the Gomashia sesame salt rice seasoning with it too.

Dinner at Jack Rabbit

This evening Becky and I had a very nice dinner at Jack Rabbit's on Elmwood Avenue. This was our first time there after we couldn't get into our first choice Coles. 

We sat in their upstairs backroom which was very fancy in a hip way. We sat next to the piano.

I had their fish fry which was huge and very good although the coleslaw and noodles which were so-so. Fries were good. I had a Guinness on tap and then later a lager from 42 North Brewery. Becky had a chicken finger snack wrap.

We had a wonderful and interesting time hanging out with Mary Ellen earlier this afternoon and after her visit we decided to go out for dinner. She was talking about getting a fish fry to bring home to her sister and that made me want a fish fry too. I haven't had one in a while.

Our plan was to go over to Coles. We parked in our usual spot and walked down the street to the restaurant. It was about 5:30 and didn't look to busy. We saw plenty of empty tables but the staff person said reservations only. Apparently there was an event at Buff State and the folks were all coming to Coles for dinner. She showed us the list of reservations. All of those tables would be full by 6 pm. So we got turned away and then walked down the street to the Jack Rabbit restaurant.

This was our first time going to dinner at this restaurant. We tried once before a few months ago on a Saturday evening when we couldn't get a table at Coles but they were full too. This time there were plenty of tables for two available.

It was interesting to be there again because over the years this had been one of our favorite go to restaurants and bars when it was JP Bullfeathers. Bullfeathers closed in 2015 in a complicated legal and family situation. They were originally supposed to refurbish the restaurant into an apartment building and construct a new restaurant someone else on Elmwood Ave. Nothing turned out and the building was empty for several years until the new owners over the summer of 2019. Then of course the pandemic came along before they could get their new restaurant going. Eventually they did and they renovated the building along with having a live music venue.  We had been wanting to get over there but just wasn't motivated enough until recently.

They really did a great job with the renovation and it's hard to believe it's the same place we spent so much time at over the years. They really expanded the restaurant into the second floor that hadn't been used previously by the restaurant. That is where we sat this evening. They also expanded down at the lower level which back in the day was the Wine Cellar. Now there is a bar and dining room down there. The main bar area has been very nicely improved along with the patio.

Definitely a place we will go to again. I'd like to sit in that main bar area for a meal sometime.

Mary Ellen Visit

Yesterday Becky's friend Mary Ellen called. It was a funny call because we were messing with Becky's phone at the time trying to access a message when suddenly there was Mary Ellen on the line. She was in town and wanted to come by and see us. So we set it up for her to come by for lunch today.

Mary Ellen lives in Texas near Dallas. I haven't seen her in many years although Becky has met her at a coffee shop when she has been in town recently.

We had a nice time hanging out at home. We had some sandwiches in the kitchen for lunch then sat around the living room talking. Then Becky took her upstairs to her studio where she got very excited over Becky's work that she has been getting ready for her show. Then we sat around and talked more.

Mary Ellen hung out with us for about three and a half hours. From 1 pm to 4:30. Then she had to go to her sister's house but first she planned to stop to get a fish fry dinner on the way.

She was in town taking care of some legal issues having to do with the death last year of one of her sisters where a niece has been trying to take over the estate. Complicated and awful.

Becky and Mary Ellen go back to when they worked together as waitresses at the Upstairs Downstairs restaurant on Elmwood Ave in the early 80's. Mary Ellen also made Becky's wedding dress. 

A Murder of Crows

Over the past couple of days our backyards have been full of crows that have been passing through. They stopped in our trees because they had easy access to Mark's bird feeder which they filled before going out of town for a week. Usually Mark would chase any crows at his feeder but since he wasn't home they made themselves at home. I tried chasing them a couple of times but there just came right back over and over. The only thing that would get them to move on would be if there was no more bird seed for them. It was amazing to see so many of them in the trees as a few at a time went to the feeder. 

It took them just a little over two days to finish off Mark's bird seed. Now they are gone. The birdfeeder is empty. During this period our birdfeeder saw a lot of activity because the crows drove all the other birds away from that feeder. The small birds came to ours and I had to refill it during the week. 

Little Feat Live - Kitchen Listening

One of my all-time favorite live albums has been Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus which they released in early 1978. I went out and got this double LP shortly after that. We played this crowd pleaser a lot in our house on Seymour Street. I had seen this band a few years earlier with John in 1975. 

Today I put on the expanded double CD version of the album which came out in 2002 and of course I had to have. Recently in 2022 the record company released a super deluxe 8 CD version which is actually a collection of several live shows from that time period. I don't think I need that but I could listen to it on Spotify.

I also put on their second live album Live from Neon Park which is a double CD released in 1996 which I hadn't listened to very much over the past nearly 30 years. Certainly not as much as Waiting for Columbus. It was nice hearing it following the first album and made for an interesting morning and afternoon of live Little Feat.

We had it on while doing a little cleanup around the house before Mary Ellen comes by for a visit tomorrow.

Atlantis The Lost Continent - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #5. Atlantis, The Lost Continent, 1961. George Pal, dir. 

I was 10 when I first saw this in the theater around the corner. I really like this movie and saw it many times over the years. I was fascinated with the idea of a lost continent and unknown ancient lost civilizations.  

I also went to see any movie that George Pal had anything to do with. He was the early standard for special effects.

Bob Dylan's Chronicles Volume One - Book Shelf

Book Shelf post #168 on Bluesky. Music Memoir. Chronicles Volume One by Bob Dylan, 2004. Another Dylan post.

I read this book over the summer of 2005. I've read a few books about Dylan over the years but it was very fascinating to experience his story with him telling it. I really loved this book and have been very disappointed to be waiting 20 years for the next two promised volumes. I guess writing a book for him is harder than writing great songs.

We still have his music and there are still plenty of books about his life and music but I wish he would get motivated to write those other two planned volumes of his Chronicles.

I've previously written about Reading About Dylan here.

Club Paradise - Film Favorites

Film Favorites #36. Club Paradise, 1986. A wonderful vacation comedy in a fictional Caribbean island banana republic with a great cast including Robin Williams, Twiggy, Jimmy Cliff, Peter O'Toole, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, etc. Loved it. So 80's.

Neil Young Stories - Kitchen Listening

Listening to some later Neil Young this morning. Mostly acoustic and solo. Story telling about many different issues... social and political. And of course some romance too. These albums I listened to today were from 2014 to 2016. I hadn't given them a listen in a while and not together as a group probably ever. The Storytone album was actually a 3 CD set. These albums were on the stereo all morning and into the afternoon.

Most of the music was stripped down and acoustic. Some of it was a little rough around the edges. The A Letter Home album sounded like it was purposefully recorded on a cheap cassette player. 

Overall a very interesting music kitchen listening session with Neil Young.

• A Letter Home, 2014
• Storytone, 2014
• The Monsanto Years, 2015
• Peace Trail, 2016

Burger Time

Burgers for dinner along with Becky's special home fried potatoes and some tomato and cucumber salad. So very good.