Chat Extravaganza Sunday Feb 21st

Unknown said:

Diane – thanks for sending the healing energy – sorry I am sounding sorry for myself, but I know I could be worse – just not very nice to know at present!

OG: You're always nice to know, my friend. No need to apologize. Hope you feel 1000% better today!!!

Evening all:  The 9 whales I saw yesterday were those that passed during my 2-hour shift; a total of 14 passed the point (or I should say, were actually seen and counted) during the 8 hour shift.   Today, they saw only one whale for the whole 8 hours.

Hey OG: I took a thermos of tea along to count whales yesterday, but Anne, another volunteer - and another Brit - and I agreed that there's nothing quite like hot chocolate to warm you up!  I think the bugs and viruses snuggle up to humans when it's cold and we are such nice toasty hosts they multiply like crazy.  The Chieftains were onstage for the entire 2-1/2 hours (that included an encore) and they Mexican group were there for more than 30 percent of the time. When they played, the Chieftains played along with them.

Patriciat: "Mariachi" is stricly speaking, a musical style representative of the Mexican state of Jalisco, but it's generally applied to any traditional musical/singing group that includes violins, trumpets, and guitars. I wouldn't have applied that to the group that played last night - it included some folklorico dancing, which also reflects, most obviously in the costumes, the music from each state.  The girls' costumes can be truly spectacular. Yes indeed, some songs are heart-wrenching - I think it has to do with the harmonization (is there such a word?)  :-)

AQ:  Ha!  No, the whale going the "wrong" way was too young to worry about whether the iron had been left on or not; more likely he/she had been at a party and had missed the bus south!  You know, it's funny, when my family comes to visit, they are amazed at how inexpensively we can eat out here, comparatively speaking.  OH and I don't consider Stella Mares reasonable, but not as unreasonable as some other area restaurants.  Santa Barbara is a (very low key) tourist town so things are a bit pricier.  Lenzerheide looks wonderful. But oh my, $98 U.S. per person for Mother's Day brunch! That's up there. When OH and I went out for an early - but very nice Valentine's Day brunch at Stella Mares, the total bill came to about $60 U.S. for the two of us - including a glass of California champagne and dessert.  The loveliest place for brunch here - a fabulous buffet-style set-up - is the Santa Barbara Biltmore (now a Four Seasons operation) - and that's $75 per person. We ate there just once - and someone else paid but it was wonderful, and right across from the beach.  Mmmm.  In the meantime, we had leftovers tonight! 

Still quiet on here - hope everyone who isn't well gets well soon and that everyone else stays healthy and is happy.

Alan: So happy for Hamish and for you!!!  I think I have had Scottish Plain bread and liked it very much. We have a Scottish bar/restaurant -- owned by a Scotsman -- in Indianapolis. They specialize in Scottish food, as well as offering U.S./Mexican/Asian dishes. The owner prides himself on serving authentic Scottish haggis, "as close as you'll get this side of the pond."  I personally like their "Scotch Onion Soup", which is made with Grouse Scotch Whisky. Click on "menu" on this page, if you're interested: http://www.macnivens.com/   They usually offer many more Scottish dishes than they show on this menu. The bar is very complete, and they hold very popular events devoted to tasting exquisite brands of Scotch whisky.

Brenda H: Sorry about the flooding. I'm so glad that you have stocked up on groceries and aren't suffering any hardship. Always wise to keep supplies when we have a winter like this one.     Margobird: I wish you a very early and warm spring!!!

AQ: I looked at the menu for your restaurant. Please send me a pot of the Lily Jasmine Artisan tea. Also some Creme Brulee. :-) My Dad will enjoy looking at the menu and deciding what he would order. He loved the Stella Mare's menu. Thanks for the history of the miners in your area. Very interesting to compare their lives to those of the Indiana coal miners of the same era. Many similarities. I also looked at the tree dahlia link. Fascinating that the Aztecs used the hollow stems to carry water. Looks like they have a deep root ball.

Tiger: That female eagle looked like she didn't know whether to eat that pitiful offering or give that male a well-deserved wigging. :-)

Annette: Hope the whale count continues to pick up. I so want the big fellas to thrive. Here's an interesting page where people post personal sightings, encounters, and experiences with crows, including many tales of their extraordinary intelligence. About a fourth of the way down the page are a couple of photos of a "caramel crow", an extremely rare color variation. http://www.crows.net/news.html  I think he's beautiful. Also, this site has an interesting section on the language and culture of crows. These researchers maintain that crows do, indeed, communicate information. Go to the bottom of the page and click on "LANGUAGE & CULTURE". Also, here's a fascinating BBC summary of reports of intelligent and remarkable crow behaviors: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8023295.stm

Night all. Happy Wednesday!

Annette: You posted while I was typing mine. Hello! I think our cost of living in general (food, restaurants, utilities, etc.) is less expensive here than in your area, especially real estate. But our salaries/wages are also much lower, I think. Thanks to our politicians. Speaking of which, did you see that Evan Bayh isn't going to run for the Senate again? Also, did you see that Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, may run for president?

Before I leave the house, I always have to compulsively check to make sure that the iron, range, oven, and faucets are not on. :-(  Happy whale watching!

Diane: Haggis and quesadillas on the same menu!! Only in America! Still, as long as there's good Scotch whiskey on hand,who cares.  (Wonder if they good Mexican beer too....)  Thanks for the crow links; I'll check them out later.  How are you and Dad doing?  Hope you're staying well.  We've got a small storm tomorrow, but a much bigger one due Friday/Saturday.

Diane: I don't know what's happening with all these Dems leaving office.  But now I read that Scott Brown is being called a RINO (Republican in Name Only?)  No, I didn't see about Daniels' proposed run.  I did see that our former VP suffered yet another heart attack - and that's all I'm going to say!

Unknown said:

Diane: Haggis and quesadillas on the same menu!! Only in America! Still, as long as there's good Scotch whiskey on hand,who cares.  (Wonder if they good Mexican beer too....)  Thanks for the crow links; I'll check them out later.  How are you and Dad doing?  Hope you're staying well.  We've got a small storm tomorrow, but a much bigger one due Friday/Saturday.

 

Annette: Yup, their menu is a hoot. They offer over a 100 imported beers, 40 from Scotland, and a huge selection of Scotch whisky, appropriately old. We're doing fine here. My Dad is longing for spring and gets very excited when we have a bit of sunshine. Hope you weather your storm okay!

Wet with N-E wind, now veered north and turned to snow – probably won’t manage to settle on the wet ground.  Temp +1.

“Hello” for last night, Patriciat.  It’s great to have these rarer birds coming to the gardens, but not so good to remember that they are doing it out of need because of the bad weather.  Hope you weren’t inundated with overnight snow.

Hi, AQ.  Interesting to see that very English expression “High Tea” on the Lenzerheide menu – but served earlier in the afternoon than it would be in the UK.  

Great pix of the Tree Dahlia on the link – I had heard of the Aztecs carrying water in a hollow stemmed plant, so I guess this is the one! 

Knitting is frightening when you think you may be running out of yarn – pleased you had enough.

Thanks for continuing the history of the copper-mining boom in Burra.  Shanty town living in the dugouts is reminiscent of the conditions on various “navvy” camps in the UK when the canal and railway routes were being constructed – and often included families moving round with their menfolk, it wasn’t just the men who died in the typhoid and cholera epidemics.  Picture of Burra wasn’t there on your next post! But found some great “then and now” comparison pix on the Burra History site – could have stayed there browsing all day!

Diane – thanks for your kind words!  You really have a gift for making people feel better!  Very eclectic menu at Macniven’s - but couldn’t find the legendary Scottish “deep-fried Mars Bar”!  Will look up your Crow links during the day.  I wish you and your Dad some sunshine today – take care.

Annette – like your theory about the bugs and viruses snuggling up to humans to keep warm and cosy!  I hope your “small storm” will not do any damage.

Hi everyone.  A very good morning to all. Brrrrrrrrrrr (yes it is that cold.)  Was outside for about five minutes this morning, puting bird food out.  Snow, wind.  But not just any wind.  An easterly wind.  I felt as though I'd went on an Artic expedition wearing just a tee shirt.  The house sparrows are chirping away busilly outside.  I wonder what they're saying?  My guess is words such as : "snow", "cold" "freezing", and a number of choicer expletives.

OG:  I think you're totally right about disproving the theory that cold weather kills off bugs and viruses.  The cold and flu remedy companies must've made an absolute fortune this winter.  Hope your health gets back to full strength very soon.

patriciat:  That's a fantastic list of birds.  I wouldn't be surprised if you did have a female reed bunting.  I had one in early February and I don't live that near any reed bunting type habitat.

AQ:  Thanks for the link.  I'm now very hungry. :-)  Thanks for another installment of SA history.  Fascinating to read as usual.

Diane:  Thanks for the MacNiven's Restuarant link.  That sounds like a great place to eat and drink.  Anywhere with a menu like that is pretty fine, in my book.

Annette:  Hope your storms, small or otherwise, don't cause any havoc.

Have a great Wednesday everyone.



From Paul.

And friends.

Paul   I love your pictures of the starlings.