Quirky Tag

I've been tagged by Elizabeth at Gossamer Wings to write six quirky things about myself.

How to play

1. Link the person you tagged.

2. mention the rules

3. Tell six quirky, yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.

4. Tag six other bloggers by linking them.

5. Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged.

Please only play if you really want to and haven't done this already.


Here are my quirky things.

1. I rarely watch television.

2. I always mess up a joke. My family members tell me that my mess up's are frequently funnier than the original jokes.

3. I hate smoked salmon. In order to eat it and not offend my friend, I would get drunk on Aquavit and cover the salmon with bundles of dill whenever she served the wretched stuff. Now that I can no longer have alcohol, I don't know what I'll do the next time she invites us to over. Borrow a cat to take to dinner?

4. I cry when I hear bagpipes. They sound so beautiful and mournful.

5. If I find a shoe style I like, I buy a pair in black and a pair in brown. More than once I've looked down at my feet in public and found that I had on identical shoes, except one was brown and one was black.

6. I listen to the radio before I fall asleep (I use ear phones so that I do not keep Tall Husband awake.) Once I fell asleep listening to a call-in show on which a farmer and his son were describing aliens who had visited their farm and beamed up their cows. Upon waking in the wee hours, I mistook my new floor lamp for an alien being and nearly had a heart attack. O.K, I was groggy but what's that farmer's excuse!?


I will tag:

Carolina: Carolina Eclectic

Courtney: Inside the Loop

Kelly: Home in the Heights

Tara: Design on Post

Jay Lee: Bald Heretic

Grapeshot/Odette: Reading Proust in Foxborough

New Blog

Barcelona Chair (1929) Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; at DWR, Houston, Texas

My new blog, My Ranchburger, is named after my other home, a late fifties haunted (more about that later) ranchburger in Houston, Texas. I wanted a place in which to post about what I call modern minimalism.

In both of my homes many of the furnishings are from the early twentieth century (either original or reproductions of designs from that period.) In The Bunny Bungalow, most pieces are arts & crafts antiques or reproductions from Stickley; whereas, the pieces at My Ranchburger are modern, such as Le Corbusier or Marcel Breuer designs (reproductions from Cassina). These seemingly disparate styles surprisingly have in common the time period in which their designs were originally produced. With arts & crafts, the designers were looking backward, to a time when things were handcrafted. The designers of modern style, however, were looking to the future, so embraced industrial production. In spite of having been conceived in the same time period, the two styles seem to be in opposition to one another, yet they have in common a minimalist purity. Therein lies the reason a minimalist heart can love both styles.

New Neighbors

Hmm, what's that? Is our neighbor adding on?
(View from the front yard of The Bunny Bungalow in the Heights)

No, it's a midrise apartment at 2125 Yale in the Heights. That's the bad news. The good news, according to retail friends in the neighborhood: Kaplan's Ben Hur, the former property owners, were looking out for the neighborhood. They refused to sell to anyone who would slap a highrise there. More good news: the construction company has run a very clean construction site, as evidenced in the above photo. They even have a machine that cleans the streets used by their crew. They have also provided excellent site security to preclude attracting vagrants to the area.

If you would be a good neighbor, click here to check out these premier apartments:
http://www.2125yale.com/.

Confessional

My friend Linda and I were at dinner the other night with Cute Husband and Tall Husband. We were talking about foods we love. During the conversation, Linda and I discovered that we both have a passion for Nutella, that wonderful hazelnut spread. Neither of us is to be trusted with a jar in the house. We love it with peanut butter on just about anything; go crazy for it on a croissant; on toast; heck, we love it on the end of a knife. Never mind waterboarding: just promise us Nutella and either of us would tell you where the missiles are.

So the next day, I'm in the grocery store and I've just put my hand on a jar of Nutella when my cell phone rings and through my bluetooth I hear, "What are you up to?" It's Tall Husband. How did he know?

"Oh, you startled me. I'm just looking at the Nutella." A woman pushing her cart past me quickens her pace, as she thinks I'm some deranged maniac talking to a jar.

"Annie!"

"What's that? You're cutting out. Call you later." And I take off down the isle with the Nutella bouncing around the grocery cart.

"Get the Nutella, Annie! You're a person of great willpower and would never over indulge."

Oh, Tall Husband, ye of too much faith.

Patriot Guard Riders

Last Sunday was motorcycle Sunday. After meeting Ken and his Harley, Tall Husband and I were leaving Dry Creek Cafe in the Houston Heights when we spotted two interesting looking bikers having breakfast on the patio. We struck up a conversation with them and learned that they are members of the Patriot Guard Riders.

Jimmie of the Houston Heights

Richard of Houston Sharpstown

Motorcycle eye candy

Richard explained the function of the Patriot Guard Riders, stressing "by invitation from family" and "respect." He had some poignant stories about the rides in which he had participated.

According to their national website, the Patriot Guard Riders were originally organized to shield the families of deceased U.S. Military men and women from anti-war demonstrators who showed up at their funerals. This is accomplished through their flag lines, a "legal, non-violent and respectful" approach. Their mission, taken from their national website:

“

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us. We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is. You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect. Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors. We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means. To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you. We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.

”

Mark Hancock, a photo journalist, has some impressive coverage of the Patriot Guard Riders on his blog.

My eyes weren't dry after these two guys rode away with Texas and U.S. flags flying.

A Harley in the Heights

Ken Beckmann and his 1994 custom Harley

Everyone knows that in the Houston Heights there are more interesting people per square yard than in any other neighborhood. And there is just something about a quiet guy on a Harley. Tall Husband and I were having breakfast at Dry Creek Cafe in the Heights when we heard the familiar potato-potato-potato sound of a Harley engine, then saw Ken walk in. As I once rode passenger on a Harley from Houston to California and back, I just can't resist eliciting another Harley rider's stories. So I struck up a conversation. It turns out that Ken was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was a child and that his wife rides a "scooter." We hope to meet up with her some Saturday at Dry Creek.

I didn't mention this to Ken but I no longer ride a bike. After a dramatic spill with the Harley on a rainslick, cobblestone hill in San Francisco, I lost my nerve. Besides, mature guys look cool on a bike but somehow we grandmas don't effect an equivalent image. Ah but I have memories and can live vicariously whenever I run into a Ken.

All the Right Stuff!

(Ken is an intelligent man and plans to remain that way: he wears a helmet when he rides. As a therapist who has had numerous patients who rode without helmets, I cringe when I see someone without appropriate head gear.)

Click on photos to enlarge.

Carter & Cooley Delicatessen

Early morning before opening

In 1989, Neil Sackheim and Randy Pace bought the old 1921 Simon Lewis building on West 19th Street in the historic Houston Heights and began its restoration, then opened the best deli around. They named their deli Carter & Cooley Delicatessen in honor of the founders of the Houston Heights, Oscar Martin Carter (1842-1928) and Daniel Denton Cooley (1850-1933).

This Community Improvement Award from the Houston Heights Association is well deserved. The restoration has been faithful to the history and spirit of the old building and has been executed with exceptional skill and care. There is quality in every aspect of this restoration, from the reproduction tin ceiling, to the period ceiling fans, to the color selections and the restored transom windows. You can tell at a glance, this is an affair of passion; passion for historic architecture and for great food; all done to perfection.

This reproduction light fixture was chosen for its resemblance to the fixture that originally hung in the old building when it was a drugstore.

Note the beautiful tin ceilings and reproduction ceiling fans. The pendant lights behind the counter also add to the nostalgia.

Neil related that the wall clock is a circa 1940 piece that originally had another company's name on it and was redone with the Carter & Cooley Co. logo.

According to Neil, many of the antiques in Carter & Cooley have been slowly and carefully collected. He points out that Carter & Cooley's character has evolved over time, unlike a fast-food franchise.


For those of you who aren't from Texas, that "Blue Bell" sign etched on the glass means they have the best store-bought ice cream in Texas at their deli. Tall Husband and I resisted but only because we had just eaten huge sandwiches of hot corned beef on rye.

Did I mention that the bread and desserts are wonderful at Carter & Cooley?

Carter & Cooley has the best collection of Houston Heights historic photos. Perusing the gallery is a favorite activity for everyone. Love this place!


One last look at that wonderful tin ceiling and the transom windows before we head back to The Bunny Bungalow.


Click on photos to enlarge.