Saturday, June 17, 2017

The Man of the Hour

Monday evening I dropped Baxter off at our vet's office for boarding. I hated doing so because he's never been boarded before; generally, family cares for him if we are away, however, in his current state, that's a bit of a hard sell. Perhaps his two day stint there will help allay some of his fear of going to the veterinarian office.
I brought his little blanket that he lies on adjacent to my desk for comfort. Picking him up late Wednesday evening, I was about half way home when I remembered it was still there. Calling the girl from my car, I explained they forgot to give it to me. Her response--- "no problem." Am I the only one who thinks that is both overly used, and inappropriate? Of course it is a problem! Baxter likes his blanket, not to mention it means a return trip.

Before my flight the next morning, I stopped at the condo to check on progress, finding the painter doing his set up.
Those big bags on the patio? Popcorn ceiling goo, all wrapped up and ready to exit the place. Woo hoo! I might add that they were super tidy, which I guess those bags demonstrate. Knowing no drywall contractors, I went to Google for help, finding a fantastic fellow named Stefan Perry who owns New Ceilings. Now that I've finally found time to write this, I can report that everyone who works for him does a fantastic job. The paint!!! I love the colors (whew!), and the fact I did not have to do it myself. Seriously, every regular reader of Camera Crazy knows I don't mind painting one bit, however, having to paint crown molding 10 feet in the air just wasn't up our alley this time around.

Waiting for my flight, I watched the efficiency of Southwest Airlines as they got the plane ready for our journey. Almost like an orchestra, each worker played his part in concert, from unloading the bags, to replenishing the snacks, such as they are.
Here, my friends, is why I could NEVER live in Dallas. Made me nervous just seeing it from the air.
Bruce was waiting inside the airport for me which should not have surprised me in the least. After all, we'd not seen each other in more than a week! He asked about lunch, to which I replied, "gotta have bar-b-que in Texas!" He took me here, a place close to the hotel that he has called a home away from home this last month.
Beyond that entrance lies this....
Smokers everywhere! I'm a brisket lover, and this did not disappoint. Plus, the fried okra was fantastic.

As has been mentioned previously in this little space on the web, the faucet in the sky has opened over Central Florida, and apparently is broken because we've had no sun to speak of for about a month. Thus, this little scene behind the hotel pleased me.
Party time arrived!! The restaurant is gorgeous, as I've come to expect from the design team at Earls. The party was in full swing when we arrived...
People everywhere, enjoying the free drinks and food.
Including sushi prepared on the spot...
In fact, there were so many people (700), that I never got a chance to check out this art wall up close.
And here he is....the man of the hour, looking oh so handsome. Or, at least I think so.
You can see by his expression that he is a tad nervous, waiting for some catastrophe, however, much to everyone's relief, the party went off flawlessly. It is hard to describe how difficult it is to be a project manager, attending to the thousands of details that go into building an eight million dollar restaurant. Somehow, to most people, he makes it look far easier than it is. He insisted on taking a photograph of me as well.
As you can see, I am overwhelmed with hair! I tried in vain to get it cut before I left, however, as of yesterday, a whole bunch of that hair is in the trash.

I invited some folks to sit with us and it was fun talking to these ladies, one of whom has a son working as a kitchen expediter. He was so disappointed he was not scheduled to work the party. I believe it was the one on the left who said she felt sure the restaurant would do well because in Dallas they have neither mountains, nor a beach so they go out to eat for entertainment!
Hopefully her prediction will be correct, and if the opening day's crowds are any indication, they will.

The front elevation looked lovely as the night wore on.
A great night was had by all.

That was that, I flew home around noon Wednesday, returning to my position as the project manager of the condo work, AND our little doggie who did just fine.

Bruce finally came home Thursday evening, and we made a beeline over to the condo so he could see what had happened in his absence. In spite of the lack of light, due to yet more rain, he proclaimed it good.

yours truly,

Gail

p.s. Here's a little sunflower growing wild in the field adjacent to the hotel.

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