Never can seem to get enough of Portmeirion

As demonstrated by my lovely assistant(aka wife Sharon) all of our work on the pineapples (see June post) has paid off!

This is one terrific CD . It was originally recorded in March of 1961 and released on CD sometime in the late 80’s .A combination of Lenord Bernsteins orginal music , Jhonny Richards jazz adaptation and Kenton’s Mellophonium period orchestra make this music brilliant! The liner notes say that of all the success Kenton’s West Side Story obtained, one event tops everything. During the mixing of the album the producers of the almost complete Film West Side Story paid a visit to see what was going on. They were astonished with this material saying “if we had only known “ As well as having a 28 week run on the Billboard charts in November of 1961 , this album won a Grammy award for Best Big Band Jazz recording of the year! IT has to be one of Kenton’s greatest recordings!

Meet Harlech (A castle in Wales) Positive proof that each of our 4 cats is slightly spoiled!

This is one of my very favorite Pubs in London. At the end of a quiet cobbled mews off Belgrave Square, the Star stands proud, head and shoulders above its neighbours. It was built in the early 19th century to cater for the domestic staff of the many great houses of Belgravia. The mews cottages were used for stabling horses and to accommodate the grooms and coachmen. Today they are more likely to house a millionaire than a servant. From the outside the Star probably hasn't changed that much, but inside the new social order has left its mark. The open bar would have been divided into many rooms, each one used according to ones status 'below stairs'. Now it is open and bright. There are two fireplaces in the largest room, with comfortable benches and scrubbed pine tables. The Star is a very popular pub, particularly at lunchtimes. There's a pleasant room upstairs which acts as an overflow dining room. Incidentally it's thought this room is where the Great Train Robbery was planned here. The food is simple but good quality, a typical menu includes sausages and mash, steaks, salads and freshly cut sandwiches. The Fuller's beers are very well kept, proven by its inclusion in the CamRA Good Beer Guide for the last 30 years. Some material taken from From Pubs.com

It has been almost a year. My not so new eating habits have been more than a diet for quite a while now. During this time I have lost over 45 pounds. The plan has a few components . First thing in the morning I weigh in. This simple act has kept focus on the goal. Another area is what I was eating. Label reading,reducing fat, less bread and processed food, switching to 1%milk etc etc. Then how much, just slow down and don’t keep stuffing your face. ButI haven’t been strict to the point of restricting eating out. I zig and zag . Go off as long as you return the next morning. An on the weekend anything goes. But on Monday, back to the watch! It has worked ,almost too well, as some are starting to ask if I have been sick. I am not sick I'm just Notso fat anymore!

In May of 1913 The premier of the Ballet The Rite Of Spring caused a riot in a theater in Paris. Igor Stravinsky had created the music to do precisely that. It set aside the notion that an ordinary interrelationship between melody,harmony and form was mandatory. Instead, texture, dynamics and rhythm were a focus. This,in part makes it extremely elemental and primitive. In addition, a great deal of its melodic material is based on folk songs .Folklore was a phenomenon during that time period and Stravinsky used the material to create the essence of primitive energy. Also its metric complexity ,changes, syncopation ,and odd phrase groupings create a mood of mystery. The total effect is most successful at shocking the listener even today almost 100 years later. It is quite a work!

I Visited my friend David Watson last Tuesday. If you remember he is an excellent Jazz musician. While there he played me some initial recordings from his Yet to be released Cd. It was recorded at the System Two Studios in New York. This promises to be something! check out the guys on the cd * David Watson Vocals* Mike LeDonne piano * Bob Cranshaw Bass He has played with Sonny Rollins Lee Morgan, Wes Montgomery, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, and Buddy Rich, as well as toured with George Shearing, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson. Say no more! * Mickey Rocker Drums he has played with
Dizzy Gillespie ,Eddie Gomez ,Tommy Flanagan ,Jimmy Heath, Jerry Dodgion,Sonny Rollins , Alfred Lion , Milt Jackson, Randy Johnston, Duso Goykovich, Bobby Jones ,Horace Silver, Ray Brown , Joe Pass , Stanley Turrentine,McCoy Tyner ,Sarah Vaughan ,Harold Vick, Phil Woods ,Joe Williams,Cedar Walton, Zoot Sims, Donald Byrd , Randy Brecker,Ray Bryant, Benny Carter, Chick Corea ,Duke Pearson,Robert Schimmel, Shirley Scott, Junior Mance ,Blue Mitchell,Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald ,Frank Foster ,Thad Jones ,Pepper Adams ,Garnett Brown , George Gershwin, Gene Harris,Herbie Hancock,The Modern Jazz Quartet, The N.Y. Hardbop Quintet ,Joe Henderson,Bobby Hutcherson ,Nat Adderley, Gene Ammons Count Basie, Hank Jones , and more!

This is gonna be great! I will keep you posted for a release date

O'Donoghue's

This Pub is in Dublin Ireland and dates back to 1789. In 1934 it was acquired by The O'Donoghue family who were responsible for turning it into the world famous Institution that it is today.
Of course the most important bit is that you can have a pint of real Guinness here. Not what passes for Guinness in the U.S.but the real stuff! Indescribably delicious!

Special Stuff! This photograph was taken In Rome at sunset. Over the dome of St. Peters, there are three groups of swallows .At the time they were swirling and soaring. Acting as if they were controlled by some unseen power source. They carried on like that for almost an hour. Rome, St. Peters ,the sunset’s colors and these birds; Combined, truly special stuff!

The way it feels sometimes

I love British Pubs! Pub is a shortened term for public house. Some of them have existed for hundreds of years. I have visited one in Nottingham that is 1,000 years old! They have an endless array of interesting names ,building characteristics, delicious food and of course Beer! The Old Crown Inn is located in the small town of Hesket Newmarket. It is in Cumbria, which is in the lake district in Northern England. The Camra Good Beer guide contains reviews of 4,500 of the best pubs in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland , Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. So many, so little time ! Got to get Back there!

I was working on my CD’S the other day. You know,organizing cleaning etc etc. When I do this I put on my earphones and listen ,skipping around to a little bit of everything. As I was filing I noticed the Beatles white Album and loaded it . Listening, I could not get over how contemporary and fresh it sounded. After all it has been almost 40 years! . Maybe it was the earphones, but I was noticing all these little things that make this music remain vibrant after all these years. It is so well thought out and presented . It amazes me more and more how they did it! I guess this is another quality issue! This music has such honest emotional content. Maybe that is the key to its longevity. It will probably still be around long after lesser groups are on the scrap heap!

Continuing my re-forestation theme, here are before and after photos of a segment of the project. They are taken at roughly the same point at the front of the 1 acre lot we have been working for the past 3 years. Shortly after we bought our current house (in background) we decided to by this lot that is next door. It appears to have been partially cleared at this location to make an Ocean view possible. As a result it was badly over run by invasive plants.
As this happened quite a few years ago they were difficult to remove.Once accomplished we put in red cinders and are planting only native material .The after photo is quite a few months old so everything is much larger now. It is difficult to visualize the mature size of everything therefore easy to over plant . We have had to remove several things as a result.
It is most satisfying to watch as things grow and develop . This whole project has become our retirement career . If the weather is good we will be out there whenever possible. But only in the morning as afternoons are reserved for reading or the hot pond ! What a life!!

Another "weeding" session in our side lot . We have been hand clearing this one acre lot and restoring the forest for the past 3 years. Weeding In Hawaii is a little different. Note the pick and the O O bar . It is a 6 ft iron bar that is basically a large pry bar. This kind of work has helped me loose almost 50 pounds! Maybe one day we will finish!

Sir Clough Williams -Ellis sitting in his wonderful creation Portmeirion !

I am always trying to think of some far off place to use in a post. This however is something that is 15 minutes from our door. As we do often My wife and I went swimming at Ahalanui Park today . It is a natural inlet on the Pacific Ocean here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Years ago it was improved by a private owner as his Swimming pool . After he moved ,the property sat empty for quite a few years before the County bought it and created the Park. In the 70s. A large earthquake created “the Warm Pond” it is today . Heated water seeps in and is mixed with the ocean water. The water temp varies but is usually around 90 degrees . Because of the tides and ocean conditions it can either be very calm or 7 feet deep with waves breaking over the sea wall in the front. Either way it is Heaven! Just another benefit of being here on the most isolated land mass in the world! A hui Hou (until we meet again)

Today’s post covers three of my post categories . Quality , travel and History. Hadrian’s wall must be of quality construction because a lot of it is still in tact today. Since my first trip to England I have been interested in structures such as this. Just to actually touch something that the Romans built is quite remarkable !
Hadrian ordered this 80 mile long wall built around AD 120 to separate the Romans from the barbarians. As total conquest of Britain had failed, it was built to mark the boundary of the Empire. Built by the Legions. II Augusta , VI Victrix and XX Victrix, it stretches between Carlisle and Newcastle in England. Every Roman mile there was a manned gateway (milecastle) and towers(turrets) between them. There were also forts at regular intervals on the line of the entire wall.
For more information visit Hadrian’s wall link