Lakefront Blogger

For most people, their siblings are the first peers they know and the ones they grow up with. For an SBOC (Spoiled Brat Only Child) like me, cousins are the closest family members in the same age group. I was lucky in that my mom's family, in particular, was very close - so I didn't lack for contact with the children of her brothers and sister. We played together when we were little, shared teenage secrets as adolescents, attended each other’s weddings and baby showers and started to grow old together. My cousins were and are the closest thing I ever had to brothers and sisters.

Losing two of them in one week was hard, even though neither death was completely unexpected.

Kim was about six years younger than I, and thus one of the “little kids” (to me and those cousins closer to my age). We were never particularly close, but she and her younger brother Kevin were always a constant in my life, and I was always close to their parents, my aunt and uncle with whom I spent a lot of time as a child, before they had any kids of their own. Kim’s life was, in many ways, an ordinary one – but also an extraordinary one. She grew up in rural Texas, got married soon after high school, had babies, and followed a traditional path. But somewhere along the way, she got a job as a teacher’s aide and decided she wanted to teach. So she went back to school for what seemed like forever, earning her degree and teaching certification one class at a time, at the same time working and raising her two kids. It can’t have been easy, but she hung in there, and she finally realized that dream and was a teacher at her small town high school.

Then, in the summer of 2008, out of the blue came the first scary symptoms that began a nightmare of doctors, hospitals, chemo, and radiation treatments that come with a diagnosis of what her mom still calls “the C word” because she can’t bear to say it. All of us were shocked when we heard that Kim, who had never smoked, had lung cancer. My mom had died of lung cancer and, much as I hated her diagnosis, I understood it; it made sense in light of her fifty years of addiction to cigarettes. In Kim’s case, it just didn’t seem fair.

Worse than the primary cancer itself, by the time she was diagnosed tumors had spread to her bones and brain. But she didn’t let a bad prognosis get her down. She maintained an amazingly positive attitude, relied on her faith, and fought the good fight. And for a while there, it appeared she was winning. Her emails and posts to her online journal brought good news: scans showed the tumors were shrinking, she was feeling good, and the doctors released her to go back to work full time in January 2009. She made it through the spring semester, and took a trip to New York. She stood vigil with her husband through her mother-in-law’s last days. Everything seemed good – until a new scan came back with ominous results: the brain tumors had multiplied and there were “too many to count.” It was about a year after the initial diagnosis, and now the doctors gave her only a couple of months to live.

She still wasn’t ready to give up, and traveled to U.T. Southwestern in Dallas and M.D. Anderson in Houston, but in the end there was just nothing more anyone could do. By the end of July, she had started having seizures and had to be hospitalized again. When she came home, it was to home health care, and by mid-August the doctors were recommending hospice and her condition had deteriorated to the point where she was sleeping most of the time and often didn’t know what was going on even when she was awake. On September 2, she passed away with her husband, her daughter and her mother all gathered around her.

My cousin, Kim Allen,
Christmas 2003

Keith, on the other hand, was quite a bit older than me, and technically only a “half cousin,” I guess, since his mother was my mom’s older half-sister. But in our family, distinctions like that didn’t matter. If you’re part of the family, you’re family all the way. I didn’t know Keith as well as I knew some of my other cousins, but he was always one of my more “interesting” relatives. A bit of a rebel, he had a touch of that “bad boy” charm that young girls are always drawn to. He never got into any serious trouble, but neither did he live the conventional life of my family’s “older generation” – most of whom married young and stayed married ‘til death did they part, settled into one job or profession and followed it until retirement, and generally lived picture-perfect 1950s lives.

Keith didn’t fit that mold. His was a freer spirit and he had many jobs but what seemed to fit him best was working for himself. Like many entrepreneurs, he was successful at times, not so much so at others. One of my most vivid memories of him occurred at one of his low points; I remember him saying “When you owe $1000, you worry about it all the time. When you owe half a million, you realize that you’re in so deep there’s no point in worrying about it.” Somehow that has always stayed with me as a comforting thought.

He did somehow recover from that setback, and went on to do okay. On the personal front, he did marry pretty young, but that marriage didn’t last. Neither did the next one. I lost count over the years but I think there were four. He finally seemed to get it right with Barbara and she was there to care for him through his illnesses over the last several years. Heart attacks, surgeries – he had been in and out of the hospital a lot. But it still came as a surprise to learn, only one day after losing Kim, that he was gone, too. September 2009 was not a good year for my family.

 
My “big cousin,” Keith, reading to me
when I was just a baby

Before September 2nd, none of my cousins on mom’s side had died of natural causes. Now, my cadre of quasi-siblings is smaller and those of us who are left have a new realization that our generation’s turn has come. Our annual family Christmas gathering will feel even more incomplete this year, as it has each time we’ve lost another member of my parents’ generation. But at the same time we’re feeling the sadness, we have their lives to celebrate. I will never forget that, like Kim and Keith and the rest of my cousins, I am tremendously blessed to have been born into this wonderful family.

deb@shinder.net   www.debshinder.com

It might seem strange that I’m reviewing a fast food joint here, where I’ve reviewed Fearing’s and the Mansion. But hey, in this economy, it’s nice to occasionally be able to eat out for $10 per person and come away feeling stuffed. And admit it: if you’re human, every now and then you get a craving for something that’s neither fancy nor particularly healthy. Last night’s trip to Burger Island on Lakeview Parkway in Rowlett satisfied that craving – and then some.

I very rarely eat fast food. I don’t eat beef so hamburgers are out. I’m not crazy about fries. It’s been at least a decade, maybe two, since I’ve tasted anything from Burger King or McDonald’s or Wendy’s or the like. But Tom has different tastes. He is a steak and potatoes kind of guy, but he’ll settle for a big burger and tator tots, which are easier on the pocketbook and the teeth. Sometimes I catch him surfing the Carl’s Jr. web site, indulging in what he calls “food porn.”

He was really thrilled to discover that Burger Island had opened up in the Tom Thumb shopping center, and even happier when he found out that they deliver. We’ve discussed in the past why it is that only pizza places and Chinese restaurants seem to appreciate that customers will pay a little extra to not have to go out and hunt down their dinners. I can understand why ice cream parlors don’t deliver, but how is a burger any less appropriate for delivery than a pizza, especially when much of the time, people are ordering them as take-out and driving them home anyway?

Nonetheless, we decided to check the place out in person the first time. It’s not the Mansion by a long shot, but the restaurant interior is a step above the average fast food place. No molded plastic; tables and chairs are wood (and the chairs are upholstered). There are several flat panel TVs mounted on the walls, but the place isn’t loud and raucous. There’s a bit of a tropical motif going on. You can see photos of the interior here: http://www.burgerislandonline.com/About.html 

The menu contains the expected slate of burgers: the Big Island, the Jungle Burger, the Jalapeno Cheeseburger, the Double Deluxe, the Bacon Cheeseburger and many more. For those like me, who don’t do beef/pork, there’s also a Turkey Cheeseburger and for those who don’t eat any kind of meat, there’s even a Vegetable Cheeseburger. There are also a variety of subs. Then there is a great selection of chicken sandwiches: Chicken Philly, Jungle Chicken, Spinach Chicken, BBQ Chicken and plain old Grilled Chicken. I got the last one, and it was absolutely great. A huge slice of chicken breast with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles. None of this weird stuff you see on the grilled chicken sandwiches at Chili’s and similar places, no buffalo sauce or honey mustard – just the basics. That’s the way I like it, and I liked this one.

Tom got two burgers. The first was a Jungle Burger, which includes sauteed onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, bell peppers, American and Provolone cheese, tomatoes, bacon and the full slate of condiments: mayo, ketchup, hickory sauce and mustard. Way too much “fixings” for me, but he seemed to like it, since he scarfed it down in record time. The second is a Hawaiian Cheeseburger, with big chunks of pineapple.  It took me a bit longer to consume my chicken sandwich. One thing we noticed right away was that, unlike many places that pile a huge amount of meat and cheese into a tiny bun, Burger Island uses big buns that are up to the task of holding all the food inside them. 

They offer the  usual side orders/appetizers: seasoned fries, tator tots, chili cheese fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips. But there are also some choices that you don’t see at the typical fast food restaurant: fried mushrooms, fried pickles, shrimp basket, stuffed jalapenos and my all-time favorite: fried clam strips. This is actually the reason I agreed to go there in the first place. I love clam strips, and they’re getting harder to find. That used to be the reason I went to Joe’s Crab Shack, but recently they (or at least the one near us) took them off the menu. You can get them at Red Lobster, but they’re tiny little things, and you can’t get mustard to go with them. Seriously. I’ve asked, and all they have is honey mustard. Not the same. I want regular old French’s yellow mustard with my clam strips. Burger Island not only has mustard; they have a bottle of it sitting on each table. They earned five stars from me for that.

So, as you can probably guess, I also got clam strips to go with my chicken sandwich. Normally a chicken sandwich and clam strips would be a pretty hearty meal, but not overly so. But when you combine the size of that sandwich with the extremely generous portion of clam strips I got, I couldn’t even finish it all in one sitting. And the clams were very good – large meaty strips, not the tiny slivers of clam that you get at many places. Tom got an order of tator tots to go with his burgers and again, it was huge. I didn’t count the number of tots but it had at least three times as many as you get at most fast food places.

In addition to the menu options I’ve mentioned, you can also get beef or chicken nachos, quesadillas in a variety of configurations (beef and cheese, spinach and cheese, chicken and cheese or cheese only) and there’s also a nice selection of salads: dinner, garden, chef, grilled chicken, beef, shrimp or Caesar. There’s also a kid’s menu with corny dog bits, grilled cheese sandwich and junior versions of some of the other dishes, and for dessert (if you somehow still have room for dessert), you can order cheesecake, apple pie, or ice cream.

You can see the full menu here: http://www.burgerislandonline.com/Menu.html 

So … we saved a little money this weekend and still had a great eating experience. Due to the calorie count, it’s not something I could or would do on a weekly basis, but as an every-once-in-a-while splurge, it fits the bill. I have a feeling they’ll be getting some delivery orders from my husband in the future.

deb@shinder.net   www.debshinder.com

No, this one is not in Rowlett or Rockwall – but we do occasionally venture out of the lake cities. :)  Since Tom was in L.A. for TechEd on Mother’s Day, he made it up to me by taking me out for dinner last night. We found this restaurant through the OpenTable web site; it was one of the handful that give you 1000 points for dining there.

The first challenge was finding the place. Do not put the restaurant’s address into your GPS or Google Maps. The problem (which I found out when we finally gave up and called them to plead for directions) is that the street they’re on is an “unregistered” street within the Shops at Legacy. So all the mapping software tries to take you to another Lone Star Drive that’s miles away. Getting there is actually very simple if you know that: from the Lake Ray Hubbard area, just take the George Bush Turnpike to the Dallas North Tollway, go north to Legacy, and it’s in the shopping center on the northeast corner of Legacy and Dallas Parkway (yes, it’s quite a ways, but it wasn’t a bad Memorial Day drive).

Coast Global Seafood in the Shops at Legacy in Plano

The exterior of the building isn’t particularly impressive, but it is located in a nice setting, right across from the fountains.

 
There is a nice view of the fountains from inside the restaurant

The interior is very nice, in a “New York modern” sort of way. There are lots of fresh flowers, and very comfortable chairs/booths. We got there early (5:00 p.m.) so we had the place to ourselves at first. Consequently, service was excellent, since there were at least six or seven employees for us two customers.

 
Interior decor is modern and the place was pristine

Things didn’t get off to a great start. I asked for a frozen piña colada and was told they couldn’t do that (shades of Seattle). They also didn’t have White Zinfandel, my preferred wine. I ended up just drinking water.

But we were there for the food, not to drink. The menu offered a pretty nice selection. 

You can click to enlarge the menu

I started out with the calamari. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but the squid was tender, not tough, the batter was light, and they get points for the citrusy tasting mayo-based dipping sauce.

 
Seeing as how it was a holiday, I indulged in the fried calamari

Tom’s appetizer was half a dozen oysters. Going purely on the amount of food you get for the bucks, I came out way ahead with the calamari, but he seemed to enjoy them.

 
Tom started with a plate of oysters on ice, nicely presented

As the entree, I picked the “simply grilled” swordfish with new potatoes and wilted spinach, with a side of lemon and brown butter sauce. This proved to be a brilliant choice, as it was some of the best swordfish I’ve had in a long time, and the sauce was delicious on both the fish and the potatoes.

 
Swordfish with new potatoes and wilted spinach and a heavenly lemon and brown butter sauce

Tom chose the red snapper in a red curry-lemongrass broth on a bed of jasmine rice with papaya salsa. His was prettier than mine, but I doubt it tasted any better.

 
Red snapper in red curry-lemongrass broth on a bed of jasmine rice: almost too pretty to eat

We also shared a side of “broccolini,” which is not, as the name might imply, a martini with a broccoli garnish. :) According to Wikipedia, it’s:

“a green vegetable not unlike broccoli with small florets and long, thin stalks. Although often misidentified as young broccoli, it is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli.”

Although the portions looked a little small at first, we agreed that the size was actually just right. I was comfortably full by the time I finished (every bite of) my swordfish and Tom cleaned up his plate as well, but neither of us had room left for dessert.

The tab came to a little over $96 (before tip) – not cheap, considering we had no alcohol, but not outrageous, either. We’ve certainly paid more before for less food – and more importantly, food that was not nearly as good. I give it four stars (and might just go for five if they bought a blender and/or started stocking White Zinf).

You can check out the restaurant’s web site at http://www.coastglobalseafood.com/ , which comes complete with nice soft jazz music. We missed the live jazz, which is only on Friday and Saturday nights, but actually enjoyed the quiet atmosphere that made it easy to converse and enjoy the food.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

Kris and I finally got around to trying out the newest restaurant at the Harbor, Cote D’Azur. It took the place of Valore’s, which I reviewed on this blog site back in November of last year. Valore’s had some very good Italian food at good prices, but apparently it never caught on with the lake cities populace. Each time we went there, our group was one of only three or four.

Exterior: Cote D’Azur at the Harbor

The new owners have done a nice job on the interior. They started with the existing tile and faux finish walls and stayed with the same Old World look, but took out the wall mounted flat panel TVs (hurray!) and added a nice fountain in the center of the room, a fireplace and a grand piano.

The interior retains the Old World charm with some added amenities

The lake view is as nice as ever; this was the view from our table inside and if you like, you can sit out on the patio with an even better view of the water.

The lake view adds to the atmosphere

Given the upscale decor and the French food, you would expect to pay something along the lines of the prices at Blue Canyon, but you’d be in for a pleasant surprise. The lunch specials, in particular, were an excellent deal at $12 or $15 for a three course meal: soup or salad, entree and dessert.

Click to enlarge: The lunch specials give you a very upscale dining experience at a low price

I choose to start with the house salad, which was not huge but tasted great. Their house dressing is excellent.

House salad

Kris started off with a mozzarella cheese salad with Roma tomato in Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

 
Kris’s salad

Next, I had the sautéed Maryland crab cake with smoked mozzarella raviolis on a bed of creamed corn. It was very good. The portions weren’t large, but they were bigger than I’ve gotten for twice the price at some high end restaurants. The crab cake was very flavorful and the creamed corn really complimented it and the little raviolis.


Maryland lump crab cake with striped raviolis on creamed corn

Kris went for a chicken breast served on a turnip potato cake in basil pesto sauce. Judging by the fact that he completely cleaned up his plate (as did I), I think it must have been pretty good.

 
Chicken breast on turnip potato cake

Finally, we finished up with the Grand Marnier soufflé, which was light and fluffy and the perfect way to wrap up the meal.

Grand Marnier soufflé

All in all, it was a great value for the price and you can’t ask for a nicer atmosphere in which to dine. I think I’ll definitely be going back.  My only complaint would be that there is a bit of that laid-back French attitude, in that it was quite a long time between finishing one course and getting the next. I really don’t mind that; it gives you time to digest what you’ve just eaten before the next course arrives and it certainly beats those restaurants where you feel as if they’re trying to hurry you out, coming over and whisking your plates away before you’re even finished with them. Just be sure you don’t go here when you’re in a hurry, but instead wait until you have plenty of time to leisurely savor the food and the surroundings.

They’re open from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner. Unlike at some restaurants, the lunch specials are available on the weekend as well as weekdays. They also had a fairly extensive wine list, although we didn’t indulge.

You can check out the restaurant’s web site (which has one of the longest URLs in the world) at http://www.cotedazurfrenchamericanrestaurant.com/

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

This year’s first brood of swallows left the nest last week. Unfortunately, they flew while Tom was out of town (at TechEd in Los Angeles) so he didn’t get to share in that most fun part of their little lives.

This was a fantastic little family: the mom and dad birds seemed more diligent than ever, with one of them there at the nest almost constantly. And they built the nest up so tall that there was no danger of the babies falling out as they’ve done in years past – I didn’t have to (get to) go out and pick up a fallen baby even once. 

 
Baby birds, huddled together, contemplating flying

When it came time to fly, there were no problems – none of this hanging upside down by their feet, no reluctant baby who wouldn’t leave the nest. And they took it a step at a time. The first day, they fluttered around on the balcony but didn’t venture down into the yard. The second day, they would sit on the rail for a while, fly around for a while, then come back to sit on the rail. By the third day, they were swooping and flying like old pros. "
One baby takes flight

 
Landing on the rail

Looking back up at his brothers on the ledge 

Come on down here with me!

Mom comes to feed him

Soon they’re all down on the rail, but still staying close together

And now the adult birds are preparing for their second brood – and in fact, we have two new nests under construction. This may turn out to be our best bird year yet.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

We hadn’t been to the Mansion on Turtle Creek for dinner since Dean Fearing left; I guess that’s been around two years ago. Wow, how time flies. Frankly, we were a little wary of all the changes that we’d read about: a new chef, the remodel, doing away with the dress code … it just didn’t sound like the Mansion we had known and loved for so long.

After all, this was where we had dinner on our wedding night, and we’ve spent a few anniversaries at the hotel following a great meal. We hated to see someone tear it all down and start over.

But we decided to finally take the chance and celebrate Tom’s birthday last Friday by giving it a try. By reserving a table late (9:30 p.m.) we got 1000 points on Open Table – so that provided some incentive. And our curiosity had finally gotten the better of us. We figured we’d find out, one way or another, whether the Mansion could remain on our list of favorite fine dining options.

I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in the door. I really loved the old look: the dark mahogany Old English library feel of the place. But the light colored walls and the more modern furniture didn’t change the overall atmosphere as much as I had expected (or feared). And the new big outdoor fireplace on the terrace was definitely a great addition.

Still, when you pay that much for dinner, it’s all about the food. Could someone else work the same sort of magic that Dean always does? I was pleased to see that the signature tortilla soup was still on the menu – it hadn’t been there when I looked at an online version of the dinner menu. Of course I ordered it.  Tom got a fried duck egg with Pacific sturgeon caviar as a starter.

The soup was just as good as ever – but the portion was smaller and the price was a dollar higher than last time. Oh well; that’s progress, I guess. Tom devoured the duck egg so I assume it was good, too. He also ordered a second course, toasted potato gnocchi with braised beef ribs, carrots, mushrooms and peas, which he also finished off in short order.

The wait for the entrees was a little longer than I would prefer, although the waiter came ‘round more than once with that wonderful platter of heavenly breads; one couldn’t help but be mollified a bit by that. The heavy whole wheat rolls with nuts and grain were delicious, and I was glad I hadn’t ordered a second course so I could enjoy two of them.

Finally the entrees arrived. Tom had taken the waiter’s recommendation and ordered the grilled braised short ribs with truffle macaroni. I went all out, since I’d saved $25 by not getting a second course, and went for the most expensive entree on the menu: roasted Maine lobster with English peas, pearl onions and shitake mushrooms. When I saw the small size of the plate, I had to wonder if there could possibly be enough food there to justify the $55 price tag, but what it lacked in quantity, the dish made up for in quality. There was a green sauce on the plate, the makeup of which I have no clue, but it was fantastic and really set off the tender lobster meat.

For dessert, we shared a seven layer chocolate concoction that was very good, but by then I was more than full.

Service was good, although maybe not quite as over-the-top as the Mansion used to be. That is, there wasn’t someone there to remove every crumb from the tablecloth at the end and beginning of each course, but that’s not a big deal. Prices are definitely a bit higher; the bill for two (with the only alcohol being two glasses of wine – total, not each) was $280 with tip. Two years ago, it would have been closer to $200. Inflation, I guess.

It’s not the kind of thing we do every week or even every month, but we do like to indulge in the upscale restaurant experience a few times a year, on special occasions. The Mansion still makes our list, although if given a choice between going there on my own birthday and going to Fearing’s at the Ritz for chicken fried lobster, I have to say I’ll opt for the latter.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

Here’s another reason I’m glad we didn’t move to Seattle lo, those many years ago when Microsoft was trying to recruit us:

It’s 39 degrees up there today! Here, we’re enjoying spring. There’s a nice breeze blowing across the lake and all weekend, we had birds of all kinds to entertain us. Yesterday there were several ducks, two gulls and a heron sitting on the dock all afternoon.

Of course, our favorites – as always – are the swallows. I wish there was a way to know whether the pair that have taken up residence are the same mom and dad bird who raised two broods here last summer, or maybe one of those babies has found a mate and found its way back home.

Usually we will see many swallows flying around for a couple of weeks before we get “settlers” here. But this pair came in and immediately made themselves at home on our upstairs balcony and have started “remodeling” last year’s nest. Generally each year, they build a new nest – only once before have we seen them reuse an old one. We’re guessing that might mean that it’s the same pair.

It’s so amazing to think that they fly literally thousands of miles to South America for the winter and then make it back here in the spring.

We had our first “bird crisis” of the year (based on experience, the first of many throughout the brooding cycle) today. Discovered that a couple of red wasps had started building a nest maybe 8 inches from the swallows’ nest. It was almost directly in the flight path, where the birds circle in when they feed the babies.

That just wasn’t going to work, so I went out and knocked down the wasp’s nest while the birds were away, feeding. I’m sure birds nests and wasps’ nests coexist in the wild, but I’m not comfortable with them being that close. And if I have to get out there and pick up fallen babies and put them back in the nest as I did last year, I don’t want to have to get that close to the wasps.

Usually they lay their eggs in early April, so it shouldn’t be long. Stay tuned for more adventures with this year’s swallows. I’ll get photos soon.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

Okay, so I don’t get out much. For the last few days, I’ve been hard at work on a major white paper and haven’t left the house. I walk out today and see three newspapers in my driveway. Trouble is: I don’t subscribe to a newspaper. The reason I don’t subscribe to a newspaper is because I don’t want them in my driveway. I get my news via the Internet and a print newspaper is just more trash to throw away (or, in today’s ever-green world, put in the recycle bin).

Turns out this is a new “free service” of the Dallas Morning News. It’s called “Briefing” and they are delivering these things – mini newspapers – four days a week. They don’t ask you if you want it; they just start throwing it. If you happen to be out of town, they pile up, signaling to potential burglars that nobody is home.

Yes, you can stop the service by calling them or visiting their web site. But this should be an “opt in” matter; I shouldn’t have to take action to opt out. Call it what you like, to me it’s just spam in physical form. Thanks, but no thanks.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

I hate grass. Especially at this time of the year. We went to Seattle, came home to find our previously dormant front lawn full of big, blossoming broadleaf weeds. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and these purple flowering plants are probably absolutely gorgeous to other weeds – but unfortunately, not in the eyes of our Homeowners’ Association inspectors. So we also came home to a letter from the HOA, advising us that we had ten days to have said yard treated for weeds.

First, a little history: from the time we moved here in 2004, we had a mediocre front yard. A few hedges, some crepe myrtles for color, one big tree in the center. The grass was mediocre grass, patchy in spots, a few dandelions that would spring up between mowings.

Then in 2006 we decided to spruce things up. We hired a landscaping company and paid $13,000 to get some curb appeal. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Oh, they planted a bunch of flowers and bushes, including two $400 spiral junipers. They put in new stone surrounds for the flower bed (I originally wanted brick, but they told me that the Austin stone would look great and cost less … now I know why it costs less). They took out all our old grass and put down new sod.

And it did look great – for a couple of months.

Our new front yard started out looking great

However, within a few weeks, we discovered that drainage hadn’t been taken into consideration and when it rained, water backed up in the driveway because of the stone edging. The mulch blew out of the flowerbeds all over the driveway whenever it was windy. Weeds grew wild in the flowerbeds under the boxwoods (keep in mind that I had asked for a “low maintenance” design).  In the back yard, the new built-up lawn area that we’d been assured would “settle” several inches never did and still hasn’t, over two years later. The junipers are brown, regardless of how much or little we water them. The boxwoods are still scrawny, although they’re finally starting to grow a little. The stone is coming apart, big pieces flaking off of it whenever it rains. And the lawn itself started sprouting weeds all over the place – I later read that landscapers often buy cheap sod that has weeds in it. Of course, the better for them to then get to charge you for weed treatments.

We had this company do the weed treatments for two years. We never got rid of the weeds, despite shelling out $40 every couple of months. That’s the reason we cancelled their service last winter.

Now the weeds are attacking with a vengeance.

Invasion of the SuperWeeds

I called another lawn service, Scott’s. We’ll see how that works out. I’ve run the numbers and between the weed treatments, the mowing/edging service, and the summer increase in water bills, we’re paying over $2000 per year to maintain the grass. And did I mention that I hate grass?

Cities push us to “go green” and conserve water, even restrict what days we can water and punish us with higher rates if we use too much. Then HOAs fine us if we let the lawn die, and make rules that prevent us from xeriscaping with natural plants – we all have to have the same cookie cutter expanse of boring grass. What’s wrong with this picture?

I’d pave the whole yard if they’d let me. I love hardscape. I love the stone courtyard concept. And I hate grass. I also hate HOAs, but that’s a different post for a different blog.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

For those who wanted to know what happened with the little Lhasa Apso who found us a few weeks ago, I posted that story over on my Rowlett Citizen blog because it has to do with the city’s animal shelter policies.

Bottom line: No, she wasn’t reunited with her original owners. And no, we didn’t adopt her – although it wasn’t for lack of trying.

You can read the whole story here.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

That’s the thing that we love most about living on the lake. We awake each morning, wondering what new “friends” will visit our home today. Every spring and summer, we play landlord to a family of swallows and get to watch (and sometimes help) them raise their young. By the time those baby birds fly, I feel as if they’re part of the family.

Same thing with the cardinals and doves, finches and sparrows, herons, ducks, pelicans, and all the other great birds with which we share this space. But it’s not just birds.

One night I was awakened by noises at the door that goes from the bedroom to the patio. Was someone trying to break in? Sure, enough, when I flicked on the outdoor light, there he was, in a black mask. Yep, it was a raccoon, rummaging through the patio trash can for remnants of food from our last patio party.

One day, we found a baby bunny in the pool. We rescued it and put it in the garden; it revived and hopped away. We even had a mouse living in the garden for a while. Then we stopped seeing it – but we had a new visitor, a lovely red tailed hawk.

Usually the creatures that pass through our yard are wild things – but a few days ago we looked out the back window to find that we had acquired a dog. It was one of those little things with lots of hair in its face – that’s all we knew at the time. We figured it would go away, and it did, but then it came back. And came running to greet us like old long-lost friends.

I checked it over and discovered there was no tag, and it was a female. We put a sign in the yard saying “Found small dog” in case someone was driving around, looking for her.  By night time, no one had come for her and she hadn’t left, so we fed her and put a box on the porch with a blanket. Next morning, she was curled up in the box.

Reluctantly, I called animal control, knowing if I had lost my dog, that’s where I would go to look. They came out and got her, and she went to the A/C man eagerly – it seems everyone is her friend. Now we find ourselves missing her … and calling her “Maggie.”  If the owners don’t claim her and she goes up for adoption after the five day waiting period, we just might go get her back.

Here are some photos I took while she was here, of our latest little friend to wander through our lives:

If she belongs to you, please go to the pound and get her back. I’m sure she misses you terribly.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

Last week, temperatures were in the 70s (F) and some of my friends – who are new to Texas – thought Spring had arrived. Ha!  Today we’re back down in the low 30s and it’s been raining all day. Consequently, the trees on the lakefront are iced over beautifully. It’s a winter wonderland out there.

Here are a few photos out my back window:

January 5, 2009  Rowlett TX “Winter Wonderland” 
Copyright Deb Shinder 2009 (Nikon D300, 18-200 VR)

I like that last one best, especially the contrast of those icy branches against the evergreens on the other side of the lake.

As my grandma (a true Texan) used to say, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a while.”

Every year, when the swallows leave their nests at our house, we know summer is ending. Then when the weather starts to get cool, we start looking for the pelicans to return to the lake. Some years, they don’t come in until December or January, but this year, we sighted our first pelicans today, and it’s still October.

There were only three of them, and they only stayed for a while, but it’s great to see them again.

We had passed by Alejandro’s on Dalrock Road many times since it opened, but we don’t do Mexican food very often. I love it, but it doesn’t love me, if you know what I mean – the calories and the inevitable heartburn make it usually not worth the momentary pleasure. But recently, Tom and I were feeling adventurous and decided to give it a try.

We’d noticed that the parking lot was often full, and that seemed like a good sign. And it’s nice to not always have to drive to Rockwall or Plano when we want to eat out. We went on a Sunday, between lunch and dinner time so it wasn’t crowded. We were pleasantly surprised when we got inside; the decor was much nicer than the exterior would lead you to expect.

Alejandro’s: casual, but clean and cozy

There’s also a small patio, but unfortunately not much of a lake view. Still, it might be a nice place to eat when the weather is right.

Patio has a great view of the hotel, but not of the lake

The menu was somewhat limited for a Mexican restaurant. I’m used to places like Gloria’s and Primo’s, where you have to plod through a long list of dishes. Here there were only a few, and they were all basic Mexican foods: a variety of enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and flautas. There were also a few appetizers. Tom ordered stuffed jalapeños and I ordered guacamole.

  
Tom’s stuffed jalapeños    

  
My guacamole                 

You can tell a lot about a Mexican restaurant by its guacamole and chips. The chips were crisp and fresh, still hot when they were brought out, and the guacamole was excellent, mostly pure avocado with little “filler” and no weird taste from the sauce like you find at some restaurants. It passed my taste test with flying colors.

For our entrees, Tom ordered three beef and bean enchiladas with all of the available sauces: red, green, sour cream and another I’ve forgotten.

 
Tom’s quadruple sauce enchiladas

I was a little more conservative (keeping that impending heartburn in mind) and got two chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce.

My chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce

Both came with the standard rice and beans. My enchiladas were great, absolutely smothered in the sour cream sauce. They were some of the best enchiladas I’ve had. Tom seemed pleased with his super-sauced dish, too.

Service was good – the waitress was prompt about refilling the water glasses and was friendly without hovering or interrupting our conversation. And the price was certainly right (as is usually the case with Mexican). All in all, it was an enjoyable meal in a nice atmosphere. There was a TV over the bar area but the sound was down, so it wasn’t intrusive. The “feel” of the place might be different when it’s more crowded (there were two other tables of customers there while we were there) but I liked it this way.

We don’t get into the mood for Mexican food often, but the next time we do, we’ll probably go back to Alejandro’s.

As mentioned previously in this blog, I've been unable to find, anywhere on the web, a review of the newly opened Hilton Bella Harbor's premier restaurant, Mistra. So I guess I'll just have to do it myself.

Tom and I made reservations for Sunday evening, but reservations weren't really necessary. When we arrived at 6:30 p.m., the place was almost empty. I guess that's not surprising, since word does not seem to have gotten out that it even exists. That's a shame, because the food is good and the setting is beautiful. It's pricey, but no more so than Blue Canyon (also in the Harbor district) and the food quality is definitely comparable. And based on our most recent experience at BC, back in June, the service at Mistra is far superior.

This was our first time inside the Hilton proper (we had been in the conference center for the Reagan Day dinner given by the Rockwall Republicans back in the spring before the hotel opened). It's quite impressive, especially in comparison to the other hotels/motels on the lake. It's a Hilton, and it's a nice one. When you walk in, there's a large, lovely sheet waterfall that sets the mood:

Sheet waterfall in the hotel entry

To your right, just past the reception desk, is a nice lobby sitting area:

Lobby sitting area

Behind that was my favorite part of the lobby, a comfortable "library" style room that I would love to emulate in my home:

The "library"

And beyond that is a very classy looking shop area:

The shop

The hallway that leads to the back (lake facing) part of the hotel, where the restaurant is located, is nicely done in a warm marble and looks out over the pool:

  
On the way to Mistra 

               
                The pool          

There is a cozy bar called C&B Scene ("see and be seen" - get it?) tucked into a round room at the end of the hall:

 
C&B Scene

The entrance to the restaurant itself is appropriately dramatic and everything looks shiny and new (as it is):

 
Entry to Mistra  

 
               Restaurant interior

There's a nice selection of tables and different styles of booths. We had our pick, and ended up in a large round booth with a view of the lake and a big table that had plenty of room to hold lots of goodies:

Tom at our booth

Finally, we get to what we came for: the food. I had not been able to find even a menu on the web site, although chef Steven Weir (more about him later) assured us that it will be up there in PDF format soon.

I have to confess that I was a little disappointed when I saw the menu. First, this is a small thing but the physical quality of the menu itself left a lot to be desired. Far from the leather covered menus I've come to expect from restaurants in this price range, it was a plain and very unimpressive cardboard menu.

The menu

Worse, I wasn't very excited by any of the items there. Granted, I'm a pretty picky eater. I don't eat beef or pork, don't like shrimp, and there are quite a few things that I'm just not crazy about. I was also annoyed that, like Blue Canyon, they didn't have white zinfandel. White Zinf is one of the most popular wines in the country - especially among those who generally don't drink wine. These restaurants are probably losing money because of their snobbery, since many of us White Zinf fans will end up not ordering wine at all, or drinking fewer glasses of some other wine than we would have if we'd had the White Zinf. Thus they lose out on the huge markup they generally get on alcohol. I ended up getting one glass of an Italian sparkling wine (a Prosecco), which was just okay.

After perusing the menu a bit, I settled on the warm crab dip with homemade chips. It didn't sound very exciting, but most of the other choices contained something I don't eat.

I was wrong, though. The crab dip was quite exciting - in fact, for me it was the hit of the evening. It came with a nice browned crust and it was absolutely delicious, as were the lightly fried potato chips. It was a dish that could easily have been too greasy, but it wasn't. The portion was big, but I finished every bite (except for the few that I shared with Tom) and was left wanting more. That's exactly what an appetizer should do.

The warm crab dip with homemade chips:
It tastes even better than it looks.

The waiter had recommended the crab-ginger fritters, which I considered but rejected because although I love crab, I'm not very fond of ginger. Tom tried them, though, and he (who actually eats the ginger that comes with the sushi) seemed to like them a lot, judging by how quickly they disappeared.

Crab-ginger fritters

For the second course, I went with the tried and true: a Caesar salad. It's hard to mess up a Caesar, and this one was fine, although it had more Romaine hearts and fewer leaves than I'd have preferred. But the dressing was good, and the salad was crispy and cool after the warm dip.

Caesar salad

Tom got more adventuresome with his second course, ordering a "duck confit lasagna rose" that made an impressive presentation. It was an interesting dish, to say the least and I wish I'd gotten a taste of it, but I was still so busy consuming the last of the crab dip that I didn't even think to ask.

 
"duck confit lasagna rose"

Now it was time for the main entree. By this time I was already getting full, and probably should have skipped the salad. There was really only one choice on the entrees menu that appealed to me at all: a coriander crusted chicken breast. I was disappointed that there weren't more seafood selections. I'd have liked to have seen scallops, sea bass, or perhaps crab cakes.

It took a while for the entrees to come, and we filled up a bit on the very interesting selection of breads in the meantime. The bread was actually another highlight of the meal - I loved getting all the different types to choose from, including pencil thin hard breadsticks, a delicious crisp flat bread, a soft bread that was almost like a deflated sopapilla, and a very dense, very dark nutty bread that was absolutely wonderful and must have had thousands of calories.

A wonderful selection of breads

The chicken came, and it was "pretty good." To be fair, it would probably have tasted better if I hadn't had so much of that great bread. The chicken meat was just a little dry on its own, but eaten with the spinach and small pasta or dumplings and the sauce that it came in, it was fine.

Coriander crusted chicken breast

Tom got a filet of beef, which was small but thick (and by that point, he wasn't exactly in the mood for a 24 ounce steak) and came with super thin potato slivers and cubed sweet potato. He remarked at first that it had a "tart" taste, which was a little off-putting, but as he continued to eat it, he noted that it "got better." Apparently it was a taste that grows on you.

Filet of beef

After all this, I was not planning to order dessert. However, there was one item on the menu that caught my eye: tiramisu with Sambuca flavored cotton candy. I love tiramisu, so against my better judgment, I threw caution to the wind and went for it. Tom ordered the same.

When it arrived, I was surprised to see that it was covered with strawberries. Oops. I'm allergic to strawberries. So I spent the next several minutes picking all the strawberries off and scraping off the top layer of filling that had touched the strawberries. Tom didn't mind - it meant more strawberries for him. Once I got down to the tiramisu itself, it was absolutely splendid. I'm sure if I'd known about the strawberries in advance (as I will next time) I could have requested that they be left off. As it was, I was so shocked by the strawberries that I failed to even get a picture of the dessert, but take my word for it that it was very pretty and unlike some tiramisu, the cake part wasn't soggy, and the creme was to die for. The Sambuca cotton candy was fun, but Tom got most of it since I was so stuffed by then that I couldn't take another bite of anything, even if it was as light as air. We finished it off with espresso (for Tom) and decaf coffee (for me).

It's not unusual for chefs in the better restaurants to come around to the table and introduce themselves; that's one of the things we always liked about going to the Mansion, and later Fearing's. But we've never gotten as much attention from the chef as we did at Mistra. Undoubtedly it had a lot to do with the fact that there were only a couple of other patrons there, but Chef Weir came to our table after every course to ask how we liked it, and we had some nice chats about the food, the web site and the opening of the restaurant. It was almost like having a private chef (and a lot less expensive).

Speaking of expense, when the bill came, there was no sticker shock. In fact, it was a little less than I expected, considering the four courses and the wine. This is an upscale restaurant and it wasn't cheap, but the total was well under $150 even with the $12/glass wine. We've paid more for a lot less food at other upscale places.

Although my comments about some of the individual dishes may sound less than enthusiastic, I would rate it as an excellent dining experience. The crab dip, the bread and the tiramisu would have made for a wonderful meal (and a much less filling one) and were worth the price of admission. And the dishes that Tom got made me wish I liked ginger, duck and beef. Will we go back? I'm sure we will. Beyond the food itself, the atmosphere was relaxing and beautiful and the service was superb.

I told Chef Weir that I would be doing a review on my blog, and he said "please be nice." As long as he keeps that crab dip coming, I will be very nice. If you're looking for a restaurant on the lake where you can not only get good food but also be made to feel pampered and taken care of, Mistra's on a Sunday evening is highly recommended.

According to the web site for the new Bella Harbor Hilton in Rockwall, their upscale restaurant, Mistra, is open for business and has been for a while. So why is it that I can't find a single review anywhere? 

I guess I'll have to be the first one to post a review on the web. We have reservations for dinner this Sunday. I'm looking forward to it, although I have no idea what to expect since they don't even have a menu on the web site. Maybe the place is just so great that they don't need to publicize it. That's what I'm hoping. Check back here early next week for the verdict.

We'll drive a long ways in pursuit of a 1000 extra OpenTable points. This time, we trekked all the way over to the west side of Plano, to Mignon's on Preston road. They call themselves a "retro French steakhouse," and the atmosphere was interesting.

When we arrived (at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday evening - admittedly not traditionally the busiest dining time), the place was empty except for the two of us and the staff. That was okay; we had no trouble getting a good table. There is a patio overlooking the pond, but out of respect for the heat wave, we stayed indoors where it's nicely air conditioned. Perhaps we'll make another visit in October and try out the patio.

The waiter was friendly (not a stuff Frenchman at all) and despite the name, there was plenty on the menu besides steak - to my relief, since I don't eat beef. In fact, there were so many yummy-sounding appetizers and entrees that I had difficulty making up my mind. I was mightily tempted by the lump crab cake, seared diver scallops, Australian lobster tail and even the pan roasted chicken.

When in doubt, I tend to go with the tried and true, so I ordered the calamari as my appetizer. It was crispy and the squid wasn't in the least rubbery, and it came with a tomato ragout that gave it a different taste.  The portion wasn't huge, but it was more than enough for an appetizer.

Tom got really adventurous, and went for the goat cheese gnocchi, which he had to ask the waiter how to pronounce. I didn't try it, but he said it was good.

My entree, though, was really outstanding. I decided on the Chilean Sea Bass, and it was cooked just right - so flaky that it fell apart when you touched it with the fork, and it seemed to melt in my mouth. Sea Bass is usually good, but some is better than others and this was one of the best I've had in a long while.

Once again, the portion wasn't huge but that's actually a good thing. Usually when we eat out, I end up so full that I'm uncomfortable. This meal was filling, but I didn't come away from it with that stuffed feeling.

Tom's entree was a ribeye (he does like steak) with "adult" mac & cheese. Judging by the speed and gusto with which he finished it off, I think it must have hit the spot.

All in all, it was a nice dining experience. Prices are not cheap (entrees in the $25-40 range) but both the food and the service were on par with other restaurants in this price range. And we got the 1000 points, to boot.

Barn swallows are wonderful birds. Since our first summer here, these little things have provided us with so much entertainment and joy and, yes, some tears (when the snake got the whole nest of babies, when the first "jumper" died on the concrete before we discovered him, when a pair of them banged into a window during the spring "chase" - where they swoop after one another at top speed as part of the mating ritual - and one was instantly dead while the other was stunned and I held her and talked to her for a couple of hours until she was able to fly again).

To us now, the return of the swallows marks the beginning of the outdoor season. We've had some remarkable triumphs, too. When I rescued the fallen baby last year and fed him cat food every ten to fifteen minutes for a day and a half, the year we had the late freeze, after the eggs were laid, but they still hatched anyway, the baby who was reluctant to leave the nest and when he did, ended up hanging upside down by his feet, but got turned over and learned to fly. And of course, the six or seven rescues of this year's "wild child" when he would get rambunctious and tumble off the ledge onto the blanket and I'd have to go out and scoop him up and put him back where he belonged.

This morning, I woke up to a cacophony of bird calls. I had checked on them around 5:45 (as I've gotten in the habit of doing since the falling began) and they were fine. I went back to sleep, and around 7:30 I heard the adult birds making a huge noise; it was their “something’s wrong” cries, so I got up and hurried upstairs and just as I got to the top of the stairs, I could see them (about ten or twelve of them) dive bombing something on the bedroom roof next to the balcony. I saw a blur of movement from something bigger than them and then by the time I got into the office to the door leading out to the balcony, it was gone. I think it was a squirrel but not sure – it could have been a cat or even a hawk but the nature of the movement just made me think "squirrel."

Anyway, the adults continued to circle and give their alarm cries, and flutter up to the nest and around and around. But there was no movement from the nest – usually when the adult birds fly in, the babies raise their heads up and start cheeping for food. It was deathly silent, but I could see that there were babies in the nest. After a while, I couldn’t stand it so I went out there and climbed up on the table to look more closely. The babies were all piled on top of each other, perfectly still, eyes open. I waved my hand in front of them – no movement at all.  

I woke Tom up and told him I thought the babies were dead. He came upstairs and we watched for half an hour or so, as the adult birds continued to circle and cry like they did when the snake took the babies last year. We were both just sick about losing another brood so close to fledging time, especially after all we’ve gone through, watching for the  little “wild child” to jump out and picking him up and put him back in the nest every time. We discussed whether to try to get them out and bury them, but decided to wait a while for the adults to calm down.

Well, a few minutes later I was going to the bedroom and I glanced up through the top windows at the nest and I saw something moving. I called to Tom – “hey, one of them is alive.”  He didn’t believe me at first, but then he saw it too. Then we saw two little mouths open up. What a relief that they weren’t all gone. After a few minutes, we saw two more heads pop up. We figured the squirrel or cat or whatever it was had gotten one and scared the others. But then, a few minutes ago, Tom called me and told me he saw all five babies.

So apparently all those dive-bombing birds scared the predator away before it could get anyone – and it seems the babies are smart enough to play dead when something comes up there. They certainly fooled me. Come to think of it, a few times when I’ve climbed up to put the fallen one back in the nest, the others would be “asleep.” I guess it’s a tactic of theirs, although I can’t find anything about it on the web. Maybe I have the first documented case (well, sort of documented).

Anyway, all’s well that ends well and all our babies are alive and well. Not sure whether Darwin was thwarted or proven right in this case. I guess the fittest DID survive.

Here's a picture of the daddy bird that I love, as it looks to me as if he's laughing with joy. It was taken a few days ago, but it expresses exactly how I felt this morning when we realized they were all alive.

Daddy bird, laughing

This is going to be a long post. If you like reading my bird stories, sit back and enjoy. We've had more adventures than usual with the season's first brood of baby swallows.

Helping raise birds isn’t always easy (as I found out last year, when I played surrogate mommy to the baby who fell out of the nest). This year I'm a little more experienced and knowledgeable about them - which is a good thing because this would have been a challenge otherwise.

We have five baby swallows in this brood and the nest quickly got too crowded. One night we noticed that one of them had found its way out onto the ledge. We kept an eye on him and sure enough, he ended up falling off. We had placed a blanket under the nest just in case, after that experience last year with the one who fell out.

Knowing a bit more about it this year (having learned that it’s a myth that the parents will abandon them if you handle them), I scooped him up and put him back in the nest. Boy, did the mom and dad birds get excited. They started flying ‘round and ‘round and within two minutes, there were at least twenty swallows there, all flying in circles while I was putting him back in. But after I backed off, the mom bird came back to the nest and starting feeding them again, including the wayward one.

The second time he fell out, I got some cardboard and tacked it to the ledge, creating a small "edge" to hold him back. That worked for a while, but after managing to stay up there for two whole days, the baby worked his way past the cardboard across the ledge and was down on the blanket again a couple of mornings later. So I got to put him back up again and crossed my fingers.

Didn't work. Next time there were two of them on the ground. But the adult birds were getting used to the routine. They weren't raising nearly such a fuss when I went out to put them back up now.

No falling for a couple of days, but our "wild child" started inching his way across the ledge again. When he got about eight or ten feet from the nest, I couldn't stand it anymore. I was afraid the mom might lose track of him and stop feeding him. So I got the ladder, got up there and grabbed him and put him back at the nest, and this time I bent a piece of very thick corrugated cardboard to wedge it in and create a barrier so he couldn't go more than about two feet from the nest.

I fully expected him to fall off when he got over there to the barrier, and he did, one last time. This time when I got close to the French door that goes out to the balcony where the nest is, the adult birds started flying from me to the baby on the ground and back, as though they were telling me to please pick him up and put him back. Of course, I obliged. I also extended the cardboard edge almost (but not quite) to the barrier. I left room for the mom bird to land and get in.

That seemed to do the trick, as my little loner rejoined his siblings in the nest, and now we can't tell them apart. As your reward for reading this far, here's a photo of all five, mouths open and ready to be fed.

 
Five open mouths

This is shaping up to be a record year for birds here on the lakefront. The swallows came in early this year, back in the first part of April. There are lots of them around now. "Our" pair has built a new nest on the ledge that we added under the roof of the upstairs balcony. We're glad they've gone up there, as we figure they'll be safer from the snakes in the higher place. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them).

Mom bird working on the nest

Whenever the mom bird is in the nest, the dad bird sits on the balcony rail under it and watches to make sure nothing/nobody comes near.

Dad bird on the balcony rail

The dad bird got into a big "argument" with my Siamese yesterday. She saw him on the railing and went up to the French door, doing that "chattering" thing that cats do when they're stalking birds. He saw her through the door, and started chirping and clicking and fussing at her - this went on for at least fifteen minutes until she apparently lost interest and fell asleep, whereupon he decided she was no longer a threat and flew away.


Dad bird looking in at me and the cats through the French door

But it's not just swallows that are visiting us this year. We had a mockingbird who was making a nest in our honeysuckle vine, until the first big storm of the season apparently washed her out.

The garden has blossomed out beautifully already. The honeysuckle and jasmine are blooming, and so are the red sage and the roses.

 
The garden in bloom

There's a little green hummingbird who comes by most afternoons to partake of the flowers. And yesterday, we noticed a small dove-type bird sitting on the ground under the sage bushes.

Baby dove landed in our garden right after fledging

We were worried that it was hurt and unable to fly, and watched it for a couple of hours. Then a pair of large mourning doves flew in and stayed with it for a long time. The little one would follow them around and they would feed it, from their mouths to its. So we figured out it must be their baby.

 
Big dove feeding the baby

After much coaxing on the part of the bigger birds (they would fly up on the fence, then back down to the baby, then back up on the fence), the baby finally flew and joined them on the fence. After sitting there for half an hour or so, they all flew away. Apparently we'd gotten to see part of the fledging process.

Baby dove makes it up on the fence with mom

We also have a brand new type of bird this year. After asking around and doing some research on the web, we've identified him as a scissor tail flycatcher. He has the longest tail I've ever seen on a bird.

 
Our brand new friend: scissor tail flycatcher

There are plenty of old friends, too, such as the beautiful red cardinals.

Cardinal shows his colors

A few mornings ago, there were three baby egrets by the lake, but they flew before I was able to get the camera and get back to them. Summer hasn't even really begun yet, and already we have all these great birds. I can't wait to get more photos of them.

Primo's on the lake in Garland (by Bass Pro Shop) opened a while back, but we've been waiting 'til we were in the mood for Tex-Mex before trying it out. Last Sunday we found ourselves in the mood and it was our choice for a late Easter lunch.

Primo's has been around since the 1980s but neither of us had been to one. This new one has a prime lakefront location, with an upper level that really takes advantage of the view. We were seated downstairs, but in the back by the window so we had a view of the lake (which would have been even better if they hadn't had stacks of chairs in the way).

Lake view from our table at Primo's

Outdoor seating wasn't available that day, which was okay since it was windy and a bit cold. The place was fairly full, but there was no wait for a table. 

The first test of any Mexican restaurant is the tortilla chips. These were crisp and warm, not too greasy. They weren't the best chips I've tasted, but they were perfectly good. The spinach queso dip took a while to get to us, but when it did, it was also quite good. A little runnier than I'd have preferred and the portion was small, but the taste was great.

Tom started with a queso flameado, a flaming cheese dish. Once the fire was out, here's what was left:

 
Queso Flameado

He didn't finish it; this is a dish that doesn't stay good for long. As it cools, it starts to congeal, and you can see the streaks of grease through it. He loved the first few bites, though.

Next, he got fried stuffed jalapenos:

 
Tom's "good bad" food

They looked good, with a light batter and a pretty generous portion.

I went with my old standby: chicken fajitas. You can tell a lot about a restaurant by its fajitas. These were just exactly the way I like them. There was a huge mound of chicken, with lots of thickly sliced onions and just enough peppers to give it flavor:

 
My chicken fajitas

The chicken was cooked just right - thoroughly cooked but not dry, and not greasy at all as fajitas sometimes are. There was so much of it that I had to take half home in a "to go" box, and had another good meal the next day.

Service was decent, though not spectacular. It took a while to get our drinks and appetizers, but that may have been due to the Easter crowd. The waiter was very friendly and polite.

All in all, I'd pronounce Primo's a good value for the money in an excellent, relaxing location. We'll undoubtedly be going back next time we get a hankering for Mexican food.

What a wild ride the Texas weather has given us recently. Less than two weeks ago, we had snow:

Okay, so it wasn't a lot of snow - but it was snow. Temps were in the 20s - darn cold for March here.

Then we had over a week of quasi-summer: temps in the high 70s, got up to 80 a couple of times. Beautiful.

Then yesterday, the rains came. I was getting ready to build an ark (already have a start with two cats). It rained and rained and rained ... not just steady but hard rain, all day long.

Today, it's pretty and sunny again, but cool (50s). And the lake is the highest it's been since we moved here. The docks look as if they're floating on the water; their support legs are completely covered:

Click to enlarge

A far cry from summer before last, when we had beaches that extended out beyond the docks.

Oh, and the swallows have returned. We have a lone one living under our balcony now. I hope he/she finds a mate. I've grown very accustomed to sharing in the nesting, laying, hatching, feeding and fledging processes.

Yesterday, we tried another new restaurant in the Rockwall Harbor District: Agave. They're on the south end, down toward the new Hilton. When we arrived at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday, the place was pretty well deserted.

Decor is what I call "New Yorky minimalist." Very plain lines, simple furnishings with a bit of an Asian look:

It's not my favorite style, but I know it's a popular one at trendy restaurants these days.

The hostess/waitress was polite and friendly and we got a table by the window with a nice lake view. although it was marred somewhat by the overcast day:

The menu was definitely eclectic, with a smattering of dishes of different types, from Tex-Mex to "exotic" (the latter included duck breast and "wabbit"). Tom started with calamari, and I had a taste. The portion was small in comparison to other restaurants (about half what you get at Valore's just down the walk) but it was tender and tasty.

In keeping with my current efforts to eat a more healthy diet, I got a Caesar salad to begin:

It was a fairly generous portion but definitely not the best Caesar I've had. It was a bit dry; in fact, I wondered at first if there was any Caesar dressing on it at all. The Romaine lettuce was almost all hard "stems" rather than the leaves. Valore's wins hands-down in the salad department.

Tom first attempted to order a Philly cheese steak but was told that they were out, so he went with his second choice, a Kobe burger (which he ate before I got a chance to take a photo). It was a large burger and he said it was very good and cooked to order. It came with a huge side order of fries, which were neither particularly crispy nor particularly mushy but were very salty.

I went with the grilled swordfish:

It was a large swordfish steak and was well cooked, but a little overwhelmed by the pineapple in which it was cooked. It came with what was described in the menu as Spanish rice, but was not like any Spanish rice I'd ever tasted. It had a very strong citrus flavor (too much so for my tastes). At $16, it was neither overpriced nor a great bargain.

Service was decent, although nothing to rave about. We were, after all, the only ones in the place for at least half the meal. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5, maybe a 3.5 taking Tom's assessment of the burger into consideration. 

Will I go back? Probably. I'd like to try the lump crabcakes, although the price ($23) is a little off-putting. If I want value for the money, I'll go to Valore's. But if you're looking for a place at the Harbor to take a group of people, some of whom don't like Italian food, and you don't want to pay the premium (but worth it) prices of Blue Canyon but want something a little nicer than Ruby Tuesday, Agave fits the bill.

Meanwhile, we're eagerly awaiting the opening of Mistra at the Hilton.

Last Friday night, Tom and I attended the Rockwall County GOP's dinner in honor and memory of President Ronald Reagan, at the brand new Hilton hotel in the Harbor District.

What we saw of the hotel (the conference center) is very nice, and the event was a lot of fun. Here's a photo of the room:

Kay Bailey Hutchison was the keynote speaker and she gave a great talk, but even more inspiring were the tributes to our military personnel (yes, I'm biased on that one due to being a proud Navy Mom with a daughter in Afghanistan right now).

Here's a copy of the program:

We were invited by Rowlett Mayor John Harper and sat at one of his two tables. We got to meet more of our city councilmembers and candidates, and were especially excited by the enthusiasm shown by Councilmember Todd Gottel, who has many great plans for the city.

It was also an opportunity to get all spiffed up (Tom even bought a new suit for the occasion). Here are some photos of us in our finery:

The menu was the same menu served at President Reagan's first inaugural dinner. It consisted of a salad and rolls, a very tasty chicken and rice dish (and unlike at many such functions, the portions were very generous) and a strawberry and cream dessert.  Here's what our table looked like:

All in all, it was a very pleasant evening and the only complaint I have is the parking situation. They had valet parking for the event, and it worked great for dropping the cars off, but retrieving them went very slowly. Finding a parking place without valet service would have been a challenge.

We continue to be amazed and pleased with the Harbor development, and just wish we could get something similar in Rowlett.

I've read every one of Stephen King's more than forty novels (including those written under the name of Richard Bachman). He is one of a handful of authors whose books I buy in hardback, at full price if necessary, as soon as they're released. I've watched his writing grow and change over the years, and I've enjoyed some stories more than others, but I've enjoyed them all.

That said, I have to admit to a little disappointment in the last few books. The Colorado Kid was a cute little exercise, but it didn't grab me like a King novel is supposed to.

Cell was pure King in concept: take an ordinary, everyday thing, maybe one that annoys you a bit (in this case, the cell phone) and turn it into a monster. But as good as the premise was, the writing wasn't as sharp and tangy as I expect from King. The story didn't seem to be fleshed out enough. Although coming from any other writer, it would have been good enough, it fell short of my expectations of what a novel with Steve's name on the front should be. It seemed more like a draft than a finished product - even down to the typos, something I rarely find in a King book.

Lisey's Story was another so-so effort. Entertaining enough to keep me reading, for sure, but there were none of those brilliant flashes of insight, those incredible plays on words that stand out in your memory years after you put down the book. In fact, I had trouble remembering the plot and had to refresh my memory by re-reading the jacket blurbs before I wrote this.

Maybe it was because these followed the last three Dark Tower books that they were such a let-down. That series was a tough act to follow. I actually began to think that maybe King had poured so much of his fire into it that none of his subsequent books would quite reach that magical realm again.

Then along came Duma Key. Usually I know about the impending release of a King novel months in advance and anxiously await it. This one I stumbled across at the grocery store, a totally unexpected little surprise. There was only one copy on the shelf, so I quickly scooped it up and ensconced it in the cart between my Pepperidge Farm whole wheat English muffins and my Weight Watcher double fudge frozen cakes.

What a silly title, I thought, but I also noted that this one was satisfyingly fat - over 700 pages. The last three had been far too slim, and were over much too soon to provide the proper Kingly experience.

I settled in with the book on a weekend and finished it up within a week, despite a heavy work schedule (by sacrificing non-essential time such as that I would otherwise have spent sleeping). The story was enjoyable and King was at the top of his wordsmithing game once again. His protagonist, a one-armed artist named Edgar, is likable enough to keep you on his side and just obnoxious enough to make him seem human.

The interweaving of his story with that of "Libbit" - the child prodigy of the 1920s who grew up to be the elderly Elizabeth who owns most of the island to which Edgar flees after his marriage breaks up in the wake of his accident, injury and associated personality changes - makes for a fascinating tale. Other supporting characters (Edgar's daughter Ilse, who has always been his favorite, Edgar's shrink, Dr. Kamen, Edgar's hired hand, Jack, and Edgar's new friend, Wireman) are all nicely developed and come alive in King's hands and in readers' minds.

As with most of King's best works, it all starts out as a character study with some slightly out of the ordinary but not at all implausible events and eventually builds to a thoroughly paranormal climax. It's vintage King, and his long time fans will leave satisfied.

One thing I wished for, in light of the subject matter, was an illustrated version of this book. Something along the lines of the drawings in the Dark Tower series, which really weren't vital to that story. Because Edgar's paintings are important elements in this story, I'd like to see them. On the other hand, perhaps real pictures couldn't carry quite the mystique that our imaginations can give them.

All in all, it was a good read. Not, perhaps, quite the classic that The Shining, 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, The Green Mile and the Dead Zone were, but right up there with Pet Sematary, It, Misery, Cujo and The Dark Half, books whose plots I won't forget anytime soon.