go fly a kite!

BLOSSOM KITE FESTIVAL
This annual kite festival was held on the grounds of the Washington Monument today. This popular event lures people from all over the country and the world. A couple on the Metro down to the Smithsonian Station said they had driven over an hour just to attend the festival.

Part of the Cherry Blossom Festival that runs from March 17 to April 20th this free event is a beautiful sight. Kites fly everywhere as the Monument, ringed by American flags, serves as a background. Families and professionals come to fly. Some soared, others flopped on the ground, but when the winds picked up mid afternoon countless kites floated in the sky. For those rookies there was a tent to build your own kite or kite tail, or buy one decorated with D.C. images. There was even a kite hospital tent!

There was a demonstration of aerial acrobatics where the kites flitted along to music and a first time display of kites through the decades with the narrator filling us in on the types of kites popular throughout the years. One such kite from the 70's had a 40 foot tail. Even without flying our own kite it was fun event to attend.

Here's a link to the rest of the events for this year's Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.
2016 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

PILLOW FIGHT

On Saturday April 2nd is the 7th annual WORLDWIDE PILLOW FIGHT DAY. Not sure why people do it, but I first witnessed it In Union Square, New York City. A huge crowd went at it with pillows that day, laughing and filling the air with feathers! It was a hoot to watch. 

Well tomorrow part of this global flash mob will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., although they are asking participants not to use down pillows because the make too much of a mess. Your favorite traveling duo is down in D.C. for a quick weekend trip to celebrate our 10th anniversary of being together, and to visit my lovely daughter. We're sure to make it... it is free.

This bit of whimsy in a world of strife is worth the effort to see in order to evoke the inner child. 

 INTERNATIONAL PILLOW FIGHT DAY

WASHINGTON D.C. PILLOW FIGHT 

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD©

Austin Texas

Our planned long weekend to visit Texas finally began with a 5 am Friday plane ride out of Philadelphia and finally arriving in the weirdest place in America later that morning. In a “RED” state, Austin is a “BLUE” dot; this factoid shared with us by our Uber driver who picked us up at the airport. Tired from the logistics of the flight we squinted into the bright Texas air looking for the telltale stamp of weird, but the approach to the Texas capital was all highway ribbons and fast food enterprises.

It was not until we reached our South Congress destination to meet Janet’s daughter did we see the graffiti, the food-trucks and bars that make up the landscape of Austin that  gives her a unique place in the Texas sunshine. Though the majestic capital presides over Austin the city is not the Texas you may expect.

The city certainly has its share of “artistic” types; all seemingly tattooed and culling a gritty look of slap dash attire, stressed hair styles and magnificently man-scaped beards and moustaches; with everyone striving to be, well, weird. Perhaps I’m too conservative in my approach, but the entire city seemed to go out of its way to be strange? Indeed, the city and citizens revel in being different and the patented slogan “Keep Austin Weird” is everywhere. Being weird is not just a lifestyle and attitude in Austin; it is a commodity. This copyrighted phrase is emblazoned on everything, from t-shirts to shot-glasses, and the weirdness has a theme park quality.

Just wondering…. Are you weird if you are aware that you are weird? Indeed many old-timers bemoan the “institutionalization” of Austin weirdness. Some question whether you are, or can be, weird enough.

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD 

MAS CERVEZA

Thankfully one can ignore the whys and wherefores of weird and just go out and have fun. Austin does bulge with watering holes and mouth-watering food-trucks, restaurants, art and music.  I first happened upon Austin while driving through Texas to research my second novel, “The Music Made Me Cry” and waded through the lively Pecan Street Festival which inspired a turning point in the book for me. I remember the place was packed and music blared from several different stages.

CRAFT PRIDE AUSTIN on RAINEY

Here is the now corporate sponsored web-site for the Pecan Street Festival:

PECAN STREET FESTIVAL 

The South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) will be held mid-March and features not just music but film and gaming, although it is considered the largest music festival in the world. Two thousand musical acts were featured two years ago.

SXSW FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 

But the music scene isn’t regulated to just the festivals, and daily music venues all throughout the greater Austin area throb with activity regardless of the calendar. The Pecan Street entertainment stretch isn’t the only center of music though, as there are bars with stages all along South Congress, Lamar and Rainey Streets. Of course any list I attempt here will give short shrift to the enormity and scope of Austin’s venues, so here’s a great website to plan your pub crawl next time you’re in town.

AUSTIN MUSIC VENUES 

In our very short time in Austin we were able to get to a couple of places along Pecan Street, but personally I liked the Rainey Street Historic District. Rainey Street is just a short walk from the Central Business District and features a collection of older bungalows that have been renovated and turned into bars with great backyards, porches and stages. We were lured to Rainey Street our last afternoon in Austin at the prospect of carousing at Bangers. Not only does Bangers offer over 100 beers on tap, a huge stage and fantastic beer garden, but they also make their own sausage! Sadly when we got there they were closing to prep for a private event. Disappointed, we had to drown our sorrows at other places along Rainey, first at Blackheart, a whisky bar, and then later at Craft Pride.  

 BANGERS BEER GARDEN

BLACKHEART WHISKY BAR

CRAFT PRIDE AUSTIN 

HOW IT WORKS

Of course, there’s food in Austin to go with the carousing and despite the hipster outlook on life, the portions are all Texas-sized. Sadly we didn’t get to sample the food at Bangers, but we did eat some impressive BBQ at Terry Black’s on Barton Springs Road.

Instructions

Texas BBQ in Texas is an entirely different experience than anywhere else. The animal involved is usually different too. The BBQ of Eastern North Carolina is chopped pig and served with a vinegary sauce. In Texas it’s mostly cow, and it comes chopped, beef ribs and brisket. You can also get turkey and pork ribs, but why?

There’s no table service at any Texas BBQ joint I’ve been to, and Terry Black’s does not deviate. You go cafeteria style along a railing, picking out your sides and drinks before ending up at the meat counter where they cut as much as you want and then you find a seat. Bigger eyes than stomachs usually prevail here, so mind your sides and meats!

Warm mid-February weather in Austin allowed us to sit outside to savor our food.

When leaving we poked around out back to gawk at their smokers. The guy happily pointed out the wonderful delicacies slowly cooking!

Now, in researching this article I couldn’t find Terry Black’s BBQ on any Austin top BBQ list, but it must be good, because we saw the actor Luke Wilson in the queue for his ‘que.  

TERRY BLACK'S BBQ, AUSTIN 

BEST AUSTIN BBQ?

ANOTHER AUSTIN BBQ LISTING 

Another place we hit was Iron Works which is within walking distance of the convention center on Red River Street. At first glance Iron Works looks like a foundry of sorts, but we got our BBQ and sat outdoors at tables overlooking the Waller Creek. It was a quiet setting despite being on the very edge of downtown. It may not be considered the best BBQ in Austin, but there was certainly no 90 minute wait for a table.

IRON WORKS BBQ AUSTIN

PRIMO

There’s something like 1,000 food-trucks in Austin, offering everything from cupcakes to breakfast tacos. Some are stand alone, some are clustered in a food-truck trailer parks. Here’s a website for the top 17 best food-trucks to visit. We ate breakfast tacos from Primo’s on First Street. You can visit Primo’s FB page here:

 PRIMO'S FB PAGE

ESSENTIAL FOOD-TRUCKS IN AUSTIN

FOOD-TRUCKS IN AUSTIN 

VEGETARIANS IN TEXAS?

Yes there are these types of people in Austin. I can’t vouch for the rest of the Lone Star State, but Austin definitely has their share of vegetarian delights.

One place we went to was the Bouldin Creek Café. There was a bit of a wait, but the brunch was decent and they served great coffee. They were a bit expensive.

BOULDIN CREEK CAFE 

The Magnolia Café is equally popular with locals and tourists alike. Cheaper and consequently very busy, Janet and I both ordered the Eggscape. It features a mini-mountain of home-fries and sausage topped with eggs for just $6.95.

MAGNOLIA CAFE AUSTIN

GOING BATTY

You would think that with all this drinking and eating Austonians or Aussies (?) Austinites, would be fat, but there are a lot of activities in town. The Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, started by THAT Lady Bird Johnson of LBJ fame, follows the Colorado River and is very popular with runners.

Bicycling is also very popular and promoted by the city not only as a form of recreation but as a mode of transportation. Here is a map of the city for bikes.
BIKE MAP AUSTIN 

Paddleboarding on the Colorado may seem odd, especially in February, but we saw plenty of people out on the river in this fashion. Here’s a place to rent from:
PADDLEBOARDING ON THE COLORADO

Swimming at the Barton Springs is an option on a warm day. Clothing optional though family friendly, the water is fed from a spring that keeps the water around 70 degrees. It’s a place for picnic and a dip as well as a ribald drum circle.

BARTON SPRINGS AUSTIN TX 

The largest urban bat colony in the United States lives under a bridge in downtown Austin. At sunset bats emerge to feed and at high season there’s over a million of these critters flapping about. Here’s a guide to where to go for the best sights. You can also take a bat boat if so inclined.
GUIDE TO BAT SEASON IN AUSTIN

Yeah, Austin may be weird, but there’s a lot to do and see there. Young, vibrant, weird, and well fed Austin is quite a destination.

AUSTIN WEIRD

YOU DON’T NEED UNTIL YOU NEED IT

INSURANCE WHILE TRAVELING

What could go wrong? Well, anything at any time. Sure, you can deal with the consequences of unforeseen events, but insuring yourself against them is where we’re going here. I’ve grown to accept that the hassle of dealing with things that come up in traveling is not worth the grief it causes. Perhaps as I am getting older and I just don’t want to deal with crap anymore? Janet certainly has shown me how smart it is to purchase insurance while on the road. If anything, parting with a few dollars certainly reduces anxiety when things go wrong. 

Car Insurance

Sure, your car insurance will cover your rental, but your deductible will need to be satisfied before the company will cover your costs of an accident. When we traveled to the Big Island a couple of years ago we rented a car and bought the insurance, thinking we would never need it. Well, we did. That darn palm tree ran into the rear bumper of the car. At first I was distraught, but the whole matter was taken care of with a few phone calls. I never had to pay any more. When it was time to fly home we dropped the car off at the counter and said, “oops”. They smiled and said, “Aloha,” and nothing more.

Travel Insurance

Well before I would never have considered purchasing travel insurance. People usually spend more time planning trips than planning for their retirement, so if you’re going on a trip, you’ll make sure you’re going to go on that trip. That is, until a family matter delays it. The airline charged us nearly $900 to change the tickets, but we’ll get that back when we put in a claim.

What could go wrong? Nothing if you’re prepared properly.

Safe travels everyone… or at least buy insurance.

  

NANTWICH PUB CRAWL DAY #1

Team VFH visited family in northwest England over the Christmas holidays in Nantwich, Chesire, and as promised our time there brimmed with family and friends and featured hours of couch sitting and conversations, catching up with the in-laws and the kids, watching a lot of “Patrick TV” (Janet’s year old grandson) and plenty of trips to the area pubs. Before our departure for England Janet worried it would be a boring time for me, but I could not disagree more. Life is fleetingly short and days can be a blur and it was quite comforting to just let the days unfold for once. We often scurry about to get the most for our airfare, which for me was just over $1,000, but our pace in Nantwich was just perfect. There was some idle chatter about traveling to Chester, just to be tourists, but logistics got in the way and that destination thankfully dissipated. No, we basically hung around the Bereton Drive home of the in-laws, crawled our way to a number of pubs and began Sweet ’16 drinking and dancing at the Nantwich Club. As midnight loomed we all trundled out into the nearby square and listened to the bells of St. Mary’s Church chime in the New Year.

SHORT AND SWEET

I was in England for all of 6 days, with work constraints holding me back and I did not land until Monday. Janet was able to celebrate Christmas and Boxing Day with her extended family in England. Boxing Day is the day after the holiday and the day servants were traditionally finally able to celebrate the holiday with their family rather than waiting on their masters. Often the servants were sent home with boxes, containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover foods… Now it’s really when all the after Christmas sales kick in, and a really great excuse to get drunk.

TIED AND FREE HOUSES 

As Boxing Day fell on a Saturday, the following Monday was the “bank holiday” and the “official” closing of everything….except the pubs. After I had a quick nap we embarked on our sojourn through to some of the favorites of our hosts. Janet had already gone out on Boxing Day, but was up for the challenge. … of course.

 

THE TALBOT

Our first stop was The Talbot Bar and Grill on Beam Street under the pretense to see a football/soccer game, but also to drink. The Talbot serves food and has musical acts and  mostly serves Marston’s Beers.

I’m not sure if The Talbot is “tied” to Marston's beer, meaning it was a public house or “pub” required to carry a particular brew, whether it was owned directly by the brewery and managed or mortgaged through the brewery or just a free house. It is too complicated for me to ponder such things for what is for me a difficult libation to quaff.

MARSTON'S BEER, UK

THE TALBOT NANTWICH 

BITTER ABOUT BITTERS

Served usually in 20 oz pints and weaker alcohol content and flavor than the current U.S. rage of hoppy IPAs bitters are good, for one. But, when you’re out on a pub crawl, especially on a long weekend holiday like this, you have to make a show of it. Truthfully though I could never drink like our hosts no matter what, but the filling, low alcohol bitters usually served gives me a bloated feeling more than a buzz. So I nursed the pint given to me and happily paid the next round.

A DABBER’S PARADISE

Despite all this carping on my part about the beer I thoroughly enjoy going out to the pubs in Nantwich. The atmosphere is pleasant and the company is great and I get to experience a Dabber’s life while out and about.

Like the whole bit about tied and free pubs the meaning behind Dabber is equally complicated. Suffice it to say that anyone born in Nantwich is a Dabber, whatever the hell that means, but being a Dabber-by-proxy is fun if not expansive.

To read about the complicated and convoluted history of the Dabber name, here is a great little article.

WHAT IS A DABBER? 

If you are interested in becoming a Dabber-by-proxy by managing a pub or mortgaging the property with a "soft loan" from the company; many of the main breweries have properties for your own franchise if not in Nantwich then somewhere in England. Here are current Marston opportunities:

MARSTON'S PUBS FOR SALE 

PROPER AND POSH

Well the game at The Talbot was an illegal feed and was buffering too slowly so we moved on to the recently renovated Vine on Hospital Street. It was crowded with a whole different selection of beer. I believe it once was a “tied” house, but is now “free”. The game was on a big screen though one had to feint and weave to catch a glimpse. One thing I noticed about crowded rooms in England is that the participants are very tactile, a trait somewhat unnerving at first for this “don’t-invade-my-personal-space” New Yorker, where another person can get within an eyelash of you, as long as they don’t touch! Colin, our host, clapped me on the back at one point while at the Vine and said this was a proper pub.

THE VINE NANTWICH

Later we trundled across the River Weaver to Welsh Row and The Chesire Cat, a posh bar, restaurant and inn. It was labeled as such by Colin. A former disco with weaving corridors and an open outdoor garden in the middle, the Chesire Cat had a lot of women inside. Many of the ladies were related to our hosts. Everyone remembered me from the kids’ wedding in 2011, though I just smiled broadly with every hello to cover up my faulty memory. The place was relatively empty of men, especially when compared to the crowd at the Vine. It was like the “he-man women haters club” was meeting there. 

THE CHESIRE CAT

Regardless, the “Cat” is set in a charming 17^th century building featuring the magpie design of many buildings in town.

We drank some more beer, but I couldn’t tell what it was and at this point I was drinking whatever they handed me.

THE CHESIRE CAT NANTWICH

Almost directly across Welsh Row from the Cat is the Black Lion and yet another place to drink. Julie’s father used to sing at the Black Lion years ago and we HAD to go. I had to kind of get pushed in because my belly got stuck in the door jamb, but I’m glad we stopped here. Very charming and cozy, the Black Lion is one of the oldest pubs in Nantwich, dating from 1664 and offered Weetwood Beers which included some ales as well as a number of “guest” beers. Deviating from the bitters was very acceptable to me. Our little group settled in at a table near a roaring fire and smiled contently. It was a really great stop.

THE BLACK LION 

BEERS AT THE BLACK LION

WEETWOOD ALES UK 

MUNCHIES

Differences in customs and cultures notwithstanding you have to eat, especially if you’ve been drinking! I remember fondly some street side suspect hamburger kiosk in Sarajevo while working the Olympics there. The “Big Mec” burgers were topped with yoghurt… I think. …

The Nantwich equivalent is Coral Reef, a takeaway fish and chips restaurant on Pillory Street. Brightly lighted and greasy smelling and serving up the best fish and chips and “proper” mushy peas! We’ve been there before and I was quite happy we ended our night with a cache of grub from this place.  

Now, everything in Nantwich is kind of near everything else in Nantwich. It’s not much more than a 10-15 minute jaunt from one end of town to the other, or if you’re like Colin 5-10 minutes… he does walk fast. We ended the night around the kitchen table devouring our still hot fish and chips and life just seemed like a Dabber’s Paradise.

Dogs, Babies and Handbag Thieves

If you don’t like the weather here, wait five minutes. No, this isn’t Chicago, but Nantwich, Chesire. Usually it’s just overcast and rain, but yesterday, with the sun somehow gracing the sky, Janet and I decided to set out for the center of town to do some shopping. From our hosts’ home on Brereton Drive it is about a half mile walk to the store on High Street Janet wanted to visit, but just as we were stepping out the door we were advised to “take our brellys” as the sky was turning dark.

No less than 200 yards from the house a fierce wind picked up and the rain came! We thought it couldn’t be THAT bad and it would die down soon enough, so we kept going. My “brelly” bent in the hurricane force winds and by the time we reached the clothing store on High Street we were soaked.

Incredibly, people were going about town in this raging storm as if this was perfectly fine to do so; kids on scooters and bikes, people walking dogs, strolling along as if it was a warm sunny day. Our host, Colin, says it rains so much here in England that you can’t spend ALL your time indoors. Despite the howling wind and fierce rain everyone was walking leisurely around.

The clerks in the store looked at us incredulously; their calmness unnerving as we panted and shook excess water from our coats. “Oh, is it raining,” one asked, standing still at her post. We arched our eyes at her, thinking that perhaps we were certainly over reacting to the torrents. We smiled politely and went on with our shopping. I was hoping that we would be there long enough to dry off somewhat, but sadly, Janet’s purchase did not take that long and we had to leave.

Caffe Nero, Nantwich 

Thankfully a coffee shop was next door. Caffé Nero was large and airy with plenty of seating with a number of couches. Most of the place was filled and there were plenty of kids in strollers and dogs on leads. We got our coffees and a slice of chocolate cake to share and settled in our chairs to rest and allow our clothes to dry. All around us parents cooed over infant children and dogs lazed at their owner’s feet. The café was a nice respite from the rain, but we were not thrilled with the prospect of walking back in the downpour. Coffee shops usually have wifi and Janet tried to get on Caffé Nero’s to see if we could get a ride back to the house, but to no avail. So we lingered a bit longer than we should have just to wait out the storm. While there, in this pleasant little coffee shop on High Street in the sleepy little town of Nantwich, Chesire, where EVERYONE knows EVERYTHING about EVERYONE, we saw a sign that cautioned us against handbag thieves who have been known to work in the area. It didn’t seem plausible.

So, we steeled ourselves to scurry back home between the rain drops, but when we emerged from the café the rain had stopped and the sun was glowing brightly in the late afternoon sky.

SWEET ‘16

As always, it is our devout wish here at VFH Central that all of your horizons remain bright throughout this new year of 2016. Here’s hoping love doesn’t escape you and that good fortune trundles along your path. Maybe someone will buy you a much-needed adult libation? Here's hoping there are plenty of new destinations to set your sights on in 2016 and that all your experiences will be sweet....and of course... cheap!

Whether traveling near or far, travel safe! 

-love Janet and Greg