new mexican restaurant

There is an excellent new, authentic Mexican restaurant in town. I'm not gonna tell you where, because the seating is limited and I'm hungry again. Okay, I'll give you a hint: previously, the building housed a cowboy bar. If you find it, bring your Spanish, so you can communicate with the service staff. Pointing works, too. Yup, that fish was breaded and fried whole.

Fritz n Wanda

Claire and I drove 461 miles north on Friday night to eat my parents' famous apple pie a la mode. On our way home on Saturday night, we stopped at Spaghetti Works in Omaha's Old Market for a couple plates of comfort food.

Claire and Grandpa Fritz swapped fishing stories.

Grandma Wanda and Claire pose for a picture after collaborating on the preparation of some world-class, German pork wiener schnitzel, or more formally called schnitzel wiener art.

Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ 2009

This year's Roots n Blues n BBQ Festival was fantabulous! Below, Pat and Claire are giddy about BBQ.

Mike Zito hosted the after party on Saturday night. Pictured below, he is rocking long past midnight.

With her ripping guitar play, Ana Popovic stole my heart!

The one and only Booker T was as good as it can get. If you can only see one concert in your life, there's no choice, you need to see Booker T.

Pat, Claire and Mizuho, grinning to the tunes.

The Music Maker Revue performance was a ton of fun. if you are looking for a charitable foundation to help this holiday season, please consider the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Yikes

Suki is molting. For some crazy reason, she chooses to lose all of her feathers and regrow them from scratch every fall. Here she is missing about 80% of her feathers. She will look like a real chicken in a month or so.


Maggie and Lucy have tried molting in years past, but are much to the wiser now.

Fall is here

53 on 19

Yesterday was my birthday. Claire baked this delicious, four layer, German chocolate and coffee mouse cake. My advice to parents everywhere: foster fine baking skills when your child is young. You will gladly make extra trips to the gym.

Pat baked this fabulous Swedish limpa bread for my birthday. My advice to spouses everywhere: foster fine baking skills early in your marriage. You will gladly make extra trips to the gym.

18 on 18

Mizuho is a Japanese Rotary Youth Exchange student who is spending this school year in Columbia, attending Claire's alma mater Hickman High School. Mizuho will be living in our house from about March 1st until the end of June. Already, Claire has become Mizuho's de facto big sister. Sunday, October 18, we celebrated Mizuho's 18th birthday with her current host family, other exchange students, Rotary counselors and friends. Unfortunately, Mizuho was in absentia because she was sick. Fortunately, she is feeling much better now. Pictured below are her birthday cakes.

STOM Honoree

In this focus-challenged picture, Pat is receiving the Science Teachers of Missouri Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations, Pat!