Paella! Paella! Paella!

I decided to give John Trapp's Paella, centerfold, in today's posting since it was a great effort

that turned out to be not only good looking but also delicious as well. I won't go into all the

details about how it was constructed but as an observer of the process, I can assure you that

the maestro put his whole body and soul into this culinary endeavor. It was indeed a miracle

that John was able to recover after the final ingredient was put in place. There was a large

laundry list of items scattered throughout the kitchen and at the proper interval he

deftly charged ahead, measuring, cutting and squeezing to construct the delicacy that we

were anticipating. Despite all attempts by Barri and others to provide assistance, he strode

valiantly to the oven, sweating profusely but undaunted to achieve the ultimate success

that marks the measure of a superb chef. As the platter was extracted from it's heated bed,

John Trapp, exalted in his achievement, sat back, smiled and with a certain shyness watched as

the hungry horde attacked the paella. Barri, a large mouthful, her cheeks swollen yet with a proud look on her face that seemed to say, " See, that's the man I married", while Aubrey and Walter, his doting offspring , joyfully concurred as they claimed their share of the platter.

All in all, it was a very successful evening and even Pat, who prides himself as a connoisseur of of good cooking, looked up from his plate and nodded in agreement. So it was, that on this date in January 2012, a new dish was added to the menu at 8203 Isaac Pryor. I, Henry Harold

Rosenbluth, was there to witness that event.

The final day of January and Barri stopped at the condo to update her travel plans to the UK.

We reviewed all the information required by Cunard regarding passport info, emergency

numbers etc. She was able to get airfare arrangements through their travel service which

I plan to do as well before the close of February. In the meantime, I have been in touch with

the Globe theater in London to set a date for our visit. During our stay in London, the Globe

will be performing Richard 111 and Taming of the Shrew.

February 1, and another beautiful day in Texas. Temps in the mid-70s with a slight breeze.

The flowers are in bloom and the Texas park employees are out in full force, planting, pruning

and mowing the grounds around the lake and trails.

Keep Austin WEIRD!

The gorilla run was held

this morning and if you

are curious, I'll explain.

There is a very large

organization here that

is dedicated to the

preservation of the

African gorilla. It has a

large constituency of

hundreds if not

thousands of followers

who hold this event each

year to collect money for

gorilla aid. Entire families including infants

donned in their outfits make this a festive occasion. The police are situated all

around to control traffic and keep the peace. We were able

to dodge through the crowds to continue walking. I managed to capture a couple of runners

for the photos.

Just received a phone call from eldest daughter, Lauren, who reported that she and Chuck purchased some property in Panama as well as near California's Russian River. We'll have

to journey to both locations as soon as they set up shop.

last night we went out for dinner, courtesy of Pat, in celebration of Barri's birthday. Hard to

believe that the youngest is pushing the big 50 and that Annabelle and I are still around to

see it. I clearly remember when she flew out to Albuquerque at age 9 to stay with us for the

summer at La Luz.

Apple Slices

Here's a truth I've been told,

About the state of growing old,

Your wisdom, they say, reaches prime,

That young folks seek you all the time.

No longer true this high tech age,

When other options are the rage,

Now in lieu of ole granddad,

Just tap it in.....Consult Ipad

Too bad! How sad! Too bad!

The Violet Crown..........The movie theater

On the left, Annabelle's

favorite painting by none

other than Dr. Amber

Scoon.

On the right, yours truly,

wearing the infamous

WW2 Veteran's hat which

caused a stir at the

Barton Creek Mall last

week.

The Violet Crown is a movie house located near the Condo on 2nd street (Willie Nelson Blvd.)

It's a hangout for the locals who want to get a respite from their work routine at the office.

Drinks and snacks are available which you can partake at the bar inside or enjoy at your

seat while the film is on the screen. The seats are heavily padded and the first row has

foot rest where those poor souls can stretch out for a quick snooze.

Today we decided to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy a John Le Carre' thriller. I bought my

tickets on the computer which allows one to go directly to the seating area without stopping

at the box office. The first show begins at 11:15am and is at a reduced rate, however, it

causes you to miss lunch, a difficult decision to make. The advantage is that few people

attend at that hour except those who want to get in a short nap on their lunch hour. Today,

only one other person was in the movie. Fortunately, his snoring was at a very low decibel

which never disturbed us throughout. We did get in our morning walk before heading to the

Violet Crown. I might add that the movie was quite confusing, even more so than the book

but the actual filming was cleverly performed.

Today, January 19, was bright and sunny. We walked along the Lady Bird Lake on our usual

3 mile circuit. Austin is a neat city. The city fathers have spent considerable sums to keep

the streets clean and the green areas watered and trimmed. The people, in turn, cooperate

by disposing of all their trash in the many containers available throughout the areas. Even

the local vagrants pick up around the benches where they spent the night before. The

people who use the trails and walkways come from all sections of the city. Young women

can be seen dragging their offspring by their arms and running behind baby carts while their

one or sometimes two infants, are happily tossing hats and shoes overboard. People are running on the trails dragging the family pooch along never giving the poor creature more than a few moments to smell a fragrant tree or deposit a poop. The dog owners are diligent about

picking up their dog's poop and to make it easy, plastic Mutt Mitts are placed everywhere

to make this a pleasant experience for all concerned, at least for the walkers. Very few

dog owners are remiss about taking care of this dedicated activity. Bikers also ride the

trails and are usually courteous and give the right away to pedestrians. All in all, we enjoy

our walks and seeing the trekkers along the way.

I might add, however, that there still are the brave few graffiti artists who roam about at

night to make their bold statements on the Ist Street Bridge such as Gov. Perry eats s--t, which is rapidly painted over by a special operations unit assigned to his office. Nevertheless, since

violations of the cleanliness codes are treated somewhat harshly in Texas (note the number

of executions last year) people are eager to follow the rules.

From the Heights

Above It All

On the street below,

People scurry to and fro.

Some dart in, other out

Here and there

They run about.

Whither they go,

I trust they know.

But here up high,

I stare down to sigh,

And wonder why!

And wonder why!

We walked to the downtown John Henry Faulk Library, which is just a short distance from our condo. Austin has an excellent library system with a large staff of librarians. They have always been very helpful to us even when we phone for assistance. On the way back, we stopped at the Wahoo restaurant for their much touted fish taco which doesn't compare to Maui's Fishmarket Ono burger.( Joan take note). Most of the patrons are young men and women who probably work in the area. The decor and noise volume weren't much to our liking as well.

The tree in the photo on the right is a beautiful Live Oak in front of one of Austin's old

heritage homes on the hillsides overlooking the downtown area. Most of these mansions

are now occupied by legal firms, insurance companies and professional agencies.

Last night we watched, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, a movie produced in 1944 about

the daring raid led by James Doolittle in 1942. Spenser Tracey, Van Johnson and Robert

Mitchum played major roles. I was about to enlist at the time of the raid and remember

clearly the joy expressed by all about that operation. It gave us an upbeat feeling

that we were still in the game after the beating we took by the attack on Pearl Harbor in

December 1941. It's hard to believe that the Tokyo raid took 70 years ago and not many

Americans are still around who recall the excitement when it was announced on

the radio and in big headlines that followed. If you get the chance, get a copy of the film

and although it may seem a bit archaic in terms of today's media standards, it still

gives one a good idea of the flavor of the age; patriotism, heroism and simple love story.

It may sound somewhat corny but as one who grew up at that time it still invokes in me

a certain nostalgia for the good ole days so long ago.

Travel Plans update

Thought you'd like to see our new Amaryllis, courtesy

of Jenny, Peter and Anna. Although the day is rainy,

we managed to get our walking down at the gym on the

10th floor. It is a very nice facility with all of the

equipment found in a regular fitness center. We even watch

TV on the treadmills. Since most of the condo tenants

are occupied making a living, we have the entire gym

all to ourselves.

I booked a flight on Southwest for the start of the journey

to England on July 5. We stay at the Marriot near La Guardia that evening then leave on the 6th from Brooklyn

piers where the Queen Mary should be waiting. The

transatlantic crossing takes 7 days and the ship docks at

Southampton on the 13th. Barri, John and the kids will

meet us at the hotel in Queens, NY for the drive to the

ship. We are trying to keep in shape for the adventure

ahead by walking as much as possible as well as lifting

packages to keep our muscles limber. Although I'm trying to arrange for assistance whenever

we move on to the next stage, there is no guarantee that people will be around when needed and luggage gets heavier as one gets older. You may wonder why we are going on such a

strenuous journey. I'll let you in on a little secret. Aside from the thrill of seeing new places

which adds some excitement to your life at an advanced age (Annabelle at 90 and this

blogger at 87) I hate to think of vegetating till the end. I want to drink as much from the cup

of life as I can and keep current on the world around us. We both absorb as much technology

as our tired old brains can absorb even though the Iphone and Ipad keep us twisting in the wind, I can hardly wait to use my Ipad on the ship.

We have booked accommodations in Chelsea, London at The Nell Gwynn House where we

parked before on previous visits to the UK. It's not quite as near to things as when we stayed

with the Minnesota bunch in London ten years ago, however, it was far more difficult to

get reservations this year 2012 due to the scheduled Olympics.

Following our week stay in London, Annabelle and I are heading to Harwich on the east

coast to await a cruise ship for the trip on the Baltic to St. Petersburg. The Royal Caribbean

International Line stops at various ports along the route where we can arrange for tours.

We will spend two days in St. Pete then return to the UK and find our way either to Heathrow

or Gatwick for the flight back. I haven't as yet figured out which route to schedule but I'm

working on that this week.

Barri phoned from her Iphone just as we were driving up to our parking level. She was able

to receive Despicable Tours on her Iphone without even trying. How about that!

I had an appointment with a new doctor this morning. I tried to get one with Lauren's

internist her in Austin only to be told that he doesn't take Medicare which will probably

be a problem for people from now on. However, they scheduled me with a young female

physician, Dr. Liang Wang, who speaks Manderin and English, as well. It was my first

visit to a female doctor, so here goes. I waited in the office for a short spell wondering

what I would say when Dr. Wang entered. A knock on the door and in walked the doctor.

She was tiny, no more than 4' 10''. I must have looked shocked because she quickly said

with a chuckle, "Do I look that intimidating?" " No, Doctor, I just never had an appointment

with a lady doctor in all my 86 years." "Well" she responded, " I promise not to hurt you,

since you are bigger than I am."

So you see, even at my ancient age, there are new things to experience. In conclusion,

when I sat on the examining table, Dr. Wang had to stand on her tip toes to listen to

my chest with a stethoscope. I decided at that point to finish the exam with heart and

lungs and not press my luck. So much for bravery.

Barton Creek Mall

View from our condo just before sunrise Saturday morn.

We decided to venture forth to the farmer's market at

the Barton Creek Mall. The weather is mild about 73F.

Annabelle plans to get a haircut at JC Penny while I

will shop around for a windbreaker. I donned my WW2 hat which was a big mistake that I'll tell you about later.

Managed to buy a few items at the market then took

a short stroll before getting to the salon after which

I purchased my first Texas Longhorn windbreaker. Now

I can say that I'm a real Texan, not a New Mexican transfer.

No sooner did I leave the building than a woman came up

to me and tearfully whispered, " I want to shake your hand

for protecting our country." Another soon followed with

a strident, "We love you". I hadn't strolled more than 100

yards when others chimed in with adoring praise. I was

beginning to feel overwhelmed by attention so I quickly

tucked the hat under my arm and practically ran to the car

to deposit the blessed chapeau. As I sat in the car to catch my breath and I thought about the

men who were the real heroes of that war. Those who died in the great battles in Europe and

the Pacific 70 years back. They deserved the adoration and somehow I felt somewhat ashamed

to receive such attention.

We were watching the news this evening about the current problems in Iraq. Once again,

the Sunnis and Shiites are at each others throats which may lead to the civil war that we

worked so hard to stop after eight years of military action. Our government officials never

seem to learn that our men with guns can't solve the problems of these states divided along

fanatical religious or political lines. Viet Nam should have taught us a hard lesson but each

President has to prove he is the one to lead us to victory. In the meantime, men die and

trillions wasted. Somehow the military and related industries which have a vested interest

in making war. Eisenhower, who knew the military very well, warned us against the power

of the military-industrial complex. The professional army is a big mistake since the rest of

the population has almost no involvement in the wars at hand. The prevailing attitude is,

" They get paid to fight... let them." On the other hand, if all citizens both men and women

were subject to conscription, the government would take its slow, sweet time before pushing

the country into a fight. It would also subject all families to a call-up including the Congress

as well as the administration. I would venture a guess that fewer than 5 of our men or women

who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are related to the country's politicians.

Austin...bike, run and walk

From the Pfluger Bridge and Moonrise over Austin

We just returned from Costco, our weekly destination, where we walk around the Arbor Trail after which we stop in to get either a hot dog or pizza. It's part of our entertainment both here and back home in New Mexico, where, according to Roy the, snow is almost 2 feet around the homestead.

Walking is what we have to keep doing in order to prevent our joints from atrophying since

we have to stay in shape for the big journey that is coming up in July. As soon as I complete

all the paperwork for the trip, I'll write the details and you can join us online if you're so

inclined.

The weather in Austin has been mild for the most part. Aside from a few light rainy days in

December, we have had sun and cool breezes daily. Our usual routine is to take a 3 mile slow

walk around Lady Bird Lake which is really part of the Colorado River that meanders through

this part of the City. The walking trails and environment around this area are well kept so

that sidewalks, etc. are clean and litter free, despite the large number of pet dogs that people

keep in town. Most animals are leashed and well trained and there is even a special area

where dogs are allowed to run free as well as jump in the lake. At this time of year, ducks

abound and a number of herons, cormorants nest on the banks. People are also allowed

to fish and fishermen can be seen hoisting in wide mouth bass.

I just learned how to add images to my blog so you can see Annabelle on the Pfluger Bridge

with Condo 360 behind over her right shoulder. Now that I've mastered the technique,

I'll be able to include my photos with a blog on the big journey.

Both of us are still getting acquainted with the Iphone and Ipad which is more complicated

than the previous Tmobile phone and the MacBook, however, it's alot more fun. Spoke

with Barri who got an Iphone this week and is struggling to figure it out as well.

The moon looks full this evening and since our unit faces East we have a beautiful view

as it rises over the city around us. The windows of the buildings nearby are reflecting

the sunset at the same time which display both orbs at the same time. I'll try to get

the photo of this scene.

Destination .. St. Petersburg........RUSSIA, that is!!

It all began when my lovely bride suggested that we visit St. Petersburg and then it all came

back to me. It was in the mid-'60s and I was visiting the Soviet Union with the group from the NASSP( National Association of Secondary School Principals). We were invited by

Premier Krushchev to inspect their school system which was considered top rate by most

countries. During that visit, which involved a number of large city schools, I was fascinated

by Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg and thought it would be nice to visit again when I

wasn't followed so closely by the Russian Secret Police. So it came to pass in December 2011

that I reactivated Despicable Tours to plan a return trip to St. Petersburg. As you know from

previous journeys with this exalted company, whose motto is known worldwide, "We Take

You to Places You Don't Want to Go", they pursued the commission with their usual vigor

and dispatch. In fact, they have gone to extreme and booked us on the Queen Mary 2 to

England, the mother country for some fish and chips as well as a look at the Olympic venue

in 2012. In this, the fateful year when the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world. From England we sail on the Baltic, stopping at various Baltic ports until we arrive at the port of St. Petersburg(formerly Leningrad).

Alas, when I broke the news to my spouse about the latest journey planned

by this most glorious Tour Agency, she cried out in disbelief, "My sire! I meant St. Petersburg

Florida, the estate of my eldest son and his dear wife Debbie, Duchess of Pelham".

I gasped, and contacted Despicable but to my regret, the journey was already booked and

to cancel now would mean a certain trip to the scaffold. So it is, we will be on our way to

St. Petersburg cometh July 2012 in the year of our Lord.

In sadness, when I reported this error on my part to Barri, my youngest, she replied, "fret not, my liege, our family; Sir John Edwin, Prince Walter Henry and the Lady Aubrey Jade will join you on

this pilgrimage while at the same time I can revisit my former school in Birkamstead and perhaps see Duncan McEwen and his offspring who were so kind to me in my youth too many years ago.

Therefore, I am initiating this blog today to confess the error of my ways and let you know

what will come to pass in the year ahead.

Henry LV, Lord of Condo 360