This is the second year in a row that we have spent part of our holidays with Carl and Suzanne. They visit annually from Holland to visit Carl’s family.
They were our most gracious hosts when we were in Amsterdam a few years back and it’s always nice to have the chance to catch up.
In my swinging batchelor days I didn’t decorate for the holidays in my own space. I was happy enough to see the familiar trapings of the yuletide season when I visited friends and family but never took the time to trim a tree with tinsel or anything sentimental like that.
I am of the age and background where whenever I hear the song “Oh Christmas Tree” I think of the Saturday Night Live “Killer Trees” skit. I especially loved the episode where Frank Zappa was in the lineup of trees as a “suspect” …
Cynthia, on the other hand, LOVES to decorate for Christmas.
In our living room we have our main tree as well as the tree made from Xmas postage stamps that you can see above the fireplace.
It was conceived when Cynthia was hunting giraffe stamps to create something for the giraffe room. She collected the stamps and did the layout and numbered the stamps to match a diagram she created and then handed the materials to our framer to put together.
Of course it doesn’t end there. At some point a few years ago Cynthia either bought or was gifted a giraffe Xmas ornament. Since the primary tree is deocrated in a mouse theme there was no real place for the ornament to go and the giraffe tree was born.
Giraffe ornaments are hard to find, but we have managed to find a few.
In fact next year we are thinking we’ll need a bigger tree.
Merry Xmas everyone!
A challenging photographic opportunity is the Cockrell Butterfly Center.
It’s very warm and humid in there which causes the camera lens to fog up until it accilmates. Then there’s the sweat rolling into your eyes. Of course the better looking butterflies aren’t sitting totally still. I want to go back and try again but I must remember to bring something to mop my brow with…
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Camera: Sony Alpha 100
Lens: Tamron AF 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di
I attended the Zappa Plays Zappa show at the Verizon Wireless Theater on Sunday night.
In all honesty, I was apprehensive about the show and had some doubts about how it might be.
I’ve seen Frank Zappa in concert twice so I know what a Zappa concert sounds like.
The idea that his son, Dweezil, would put together a band and try to perform his father’s music filled me with an understandable amount of apprehension and trepidation.
The fact that this band was touring with Napoleon Murphy Brock, Terry Bozzio and Steve Vai did lend the concept a certain amount of legitimacy in my mind and was intriguing.
When I got to the Verizon Wireless Theater it was pretty plain that the Houston Zappa fans were out in force. I saw many old faces and old friends as we got ready for the show.
The concert lasted for well over 3 hours and I gotta say…I was completely blown away.
I didn’t commit the set list to memory, but Joe found someone who did a nice job of documenting the show. This is how it went down last night:
Conducted improvisation – Andy – Call any vegetable (“Band From LA” arrangement) – Tell Me You Love Me
Who Are The Brain Police?
Florentine Pogen (Dweezil Zappa solo)
Pygmy Twylyte – The Idiot Bastard Son (’74 band arrangement) – Cheepnis
I’m The Slime (“Saturday Night Live” 1976 arrangement) (Billy Hulting – Don Pardo vocals) (Dweezil Zappa solo) – A Pound For A Brown On The Bus (Billy Hulting mallets/Scheila Gonzalez sax/Dweezil Zappa conducted improv only horns/Napoleon Murphy Brown sax/Dweezil Zappa conducted improv/Dweezil Zappa conducted audience improv/Aaron Arntz keyboard/Jamie Kime guitar/Pete Griffin bass/Dweezil Zappa conducted improv only horns/back to head of piece)
Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow – St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast – Father O’blivion – Joe Travers/Pete Griffin duet
Inca Roads (Dweezil Zappa solo/Aaron Arntz solo)
Exit Napoleon Murphy Brock – Enter Terry Bozzio
I’m So Cute
Tryin’ To Grow A Chin – Punky’s Whips (Dweezil Zappa solo)
Black Page Drum Solo (done as a trio – Terry/Joe/Billy) – (Enter Steve Vai) Black Page #2
Exit Terry Bozzio- Enter Napoleon Murphy Brock
Peaches En Regalia – Montana (Dweezil Zappa/Steve Vai guitar duet) – Village Of The Sun – Echidna’s Arf (Of You)
Zomby Woof (Steve Vai solo)
Black Napkins (Dweezil Zappa and Steve Vai solos)
Encore:
(core band + Napoleon)Oh No – Son Of Orange County (“Roxy” arrangement) (Dweezil Zappa solo) – (Enter Terry Bozzio and Steve Vai) More Trouble Every Day (“Roxy” arrangement – Steve Vai solo/Dweezil Zappa-Steve Vai duet/Dweezil Zappa-Jamie Kimeduet/Dweezil Zappa-Scheila Gonzalez-Steve Vai trio/Terry Bozzio solo/Joe Travers solo/Terry Bozzio-Joe Travers duet) – A Token Of My Extreme (chord vamp only with Dweezil band introductions) – Sofa (“Zappa In New York” arrangement)
There’s every indication that this band will tour again performing Frank’s music. If you get the chance to see this live I heartily recommend it.
It started, innocently enough, with a lawn ornament in front of our neighbor’s house.
We have named it the “Farting Bear” for obvious reasons.
This bear has fueled an ongoing discussion between Cynthia and myself about the nature of Xmas decorations in the south. We both agree that, while this is a winter holiday, it’s not so much of a winter wonderland here in the south. Take today for example. The temps are right at 80 degrees for our high and no cold weather in the forecast for at least a few more days and even that probably won’t stick around.
The idea of trying to decorate in a winter theme down here in Texas just seems ludicrous. If anything, we should be developing our own southern style of decorating that incorporates things more suited to our climate. Maybe a surfboarding fat man who rides gnarly waves and delivers presents to all the good boys and girls. He could leave them under the jalapeno tree or mesquite tree something.
The “Farting Bear” is a prime example of what we find lacking in climate appropriate decorations here in the south. Look at him, for crying out loud. He’s wearing a sweater! I took that picture in my short sleeves and retreated back to my living room where I have the AC on and cooling the house.
But let’s put that aside for now. Obviously the winter theme is not going anywhere anytime soon.
The “Farting Bear” is not just preposterous for it’s winter theme, oh no, it’s a part of a bigger problem that has been in evidence this season. The problem of the inflatable lawn ornament.
I knew they were popular this year. They seem to be all over the place. It was when we saw the inflatable nativity scene that we knew that the problem was bigger than we could imagine
Cynthia and I decided to drive around the neighborhood and see how many we could find within a few miles of the house. All in all we found 32 unique inflatable lawn ornaments.
That’s not counting the dozen or so that were not inflated and lay lifeless on the lawn. Apparently they can be turned off and when they are turned off they deflate.
What we saw ranged from snowmen
to snow globes
From Santas
to Snoopies
You can see all we found in the Inflatable Lawn Ornament Gallery.
If you have any pictures of inflatable lawn ornaments please send them to me for inclusion in this gallery.
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Out of all the ornaments we have on our tree, this one is my absolute favorite.
I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that “Mouse” was Cynthia’s childhood nickname and that stamp collecting was my childhood hobby.
Jose Galeano (click image for larger size)
Gilbert Elorreaga (click image for larger size)
