Category Archives: September 2013

Mahalo, Jack!

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It is interesting to me how powerful music is.  For many of us, music is such a powerful force because of the events it can remind us of, people we’ve known, and places we’ve gone.  I can remember going to Best Buy and buying more CDs than I could afford and getting lectured about my irresponsibility.  Many years later, the boss has mellowed a bit and now I look forward to “New Music Tuesday”.  Every now and then, one of those artists releases an album that we eagerly anticipate.  Last Tuesday, Jack Johnson did just that with the release of “From Here to Now to You”.

Quite simply, you need to buy this album.  The sound is much mellower than his last album “To the Sea”.  It calls back to his first couple of albums and the sound could not be more welcome.  I really appreciate musicians that draw on their past, their experiences, and their families for inspiration.  On the first track, “I Got You”, Jack gives a shout to his wife.  The best thing is that it is not sappy, but a song that someone who has been with his wife for years can understand.  It is subtle and it works.  “Radiate” is a song written for his son.  In my opinion though, the best tracks are “Tape Deck” and “Home”.  “Tape Deck” is an upbeat track that tells of his time as a kid starting a band.   “Four guitars and zero drums/ we wanted to sound punk/in a world post-punk”  The song makes you want to smile and brings back those times when we all thought we were going to be the next big thing in music.

“Home” is the perfect way to close out the album.  Lyrics like “get out my machete and battle with time once again/but I’m bound to lose because I’ll be damned if time won’t win” reminds all of us of how brief our time is and that “home is wherever we are/if there’s love here too”.  This album doesn’t bring back memories of any particular place in my life.  What it does remind me of is what is important in life and for that I am thankful.  I can promise that it will be on my playlist the next time I’m on the Kam Highway heading toward the North Shore or crossing that single lane bridge into Hanalei.

This is a CD that is well worth the money.  Buy it, play it, and see where it takes you or what emotions it raises in you.  That is the great thing about a great song-it can mean something different to each of us.  Mahalo Jack and I’ll see you at DPAC on October 3rd!

Ciao Serena

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There are certain seminal events in the lives of people that leave an indelible mark on our memory.  The events are different for all of us.  For some it is that time they see that special someone for the first time.  Maybe it was the birth of a child or the start of a new job.  While I do have those memories, the one I am reminded of today is the opening of a new restaurant.  Those of us raised in Sanford, who are of a certain age, will recall with fondness the opening of Bojangles.  It was such a watershed moment in the history of our town that it earned a spot in Sandprints (our yearbook).  The line stretched down Horner Blvd. for weeks.

I am pleased to report that I still get excited about the opening of a new restaurant, although now my tastes are a bit more refined than chicken and biscuits.  This past Saturday the boss and I got the opportunity to try a new place located in the Stonehenge (oh how they danced) shopping center.  The place is Serena.  Serena was recommended to us by a friend who has children with Celiac as a great place to go.  Apparently they have their first location in Durham and I am sure that it is every bit as good as their new spot.  Serena has taken over the old location of Wildflour which means that they inherited a brick oven for pizza.  I was informed by the waiter that they are still perfecting their dough recipe and will have gluten-free crust as well.

We arrived early on Saturday evening because I wanted to talk with our server about their gluten-free options.  He was extremely knowledgeable and when he wasn’t sure, he went back to speak with the chef.  Our drink orders were promptly gathered.  The boss went with a white wine while I had Omission Pale Ale.  Omission is one of the only gluten-free beers I have found that taste like beer.  The menu is fairly extensive, so do what we did and peruse it after you order the truffle fries for an appetizer.  Yum!  All of their fries are made in a dedicated fryer so I could have my fill.  For her entree the boss had the Grey Goose Sauce with gluten-free penne topped with a portobello.  Hers was great.  As for me, I had the Red Clam Sauce with the gluten-free penne topped with blackened chicken.  It was wonderful and loaded with clams.  Both of us had enough for lunch the next day.  Since we were full, we opted out of dessert.

The only drawback to this fantastic place is that it can be a bit pricey.  However, knowing I can eat without getting gluten-gut is a wonderful thing.  It is also exciting to have a good restaurant so close to my house where I can just duck in for a beer and some fries.  Next time I’ll try another sauce, a different kind of fry, or maybe one of their specialty drinks.  One thing is certain, there will be a next time.  While Serena did not open to the fanfare of that Bojangles in Sanford almost 20 years ago, I am equally as excited, though in a more mature and reserved way.

 

Kicking and Screaming

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I’m not ready, not yet anyway.  I am not ready to say goodbye to summer.  It has got to be one of the cruelest parts about living in North Carolina.  It’s post Labor Day, but the weather still screams summer and the water temperature at Wrightsville Beach is over 80.  What is a guy to do?  Well, you leave it to the school system of course.  School started on the 26th.  By my math (something I was never good at) the girls have been in school for 8 days.  It makes absolute perfect sense that it is already time for a teacher workday.  I’ll gladly take the day off.  Hey girls, wanna go to the beach?

I loaded the car last night and put the surf board on top so we could leave this morning at 5:30.  We did a good job and were on the way by 5:45.  A short and uneventful drive later we were at Public Access number 7.  I looked at the ocean and decided that the one foot shorebreaks were not worth taking the board off of the car.  Lucy and Ethel grabbed the chair, bodyboards, cooler, and sand toys and we headed to the sand.  The three of us enjoyed a nice breakfast on the beach and after applying some sunscreen, the girls were off to the water.  So, we played.  Then we had a snack.  Hey Dad, can we get the boogie boards?  Go for it.  It is worth mentioning that Ethel is quite proficient with the boogie board and she often rides the wave until it is no more.  On this day, at this beach that was a problem.  She caught the first wave she sought, rode it to the shore, and came up gimpy.  She managed to ride it all the way to the shells.  The ones that sliced her knees.  Break time!

The girls played in the sand a bit and went back to the water.  Before we headed back to the water, we finished off our last bit of Hawaii by enjoying our Maui Chips on the coast of Carolina.  After the chips, we noticed that the gulls were getting fairly aggressive and freaked us all out, a bit.  I hung out for a moment on the sand and watched the girls cut backflip after backflip in the ocean.  Too soon, it was time to pack up.  We drove down the street at a nice slow pace with the windows down and Radio Margaritaville blasting.  I had promised the girls a new outfit, so surf shops, here we come.

Our first, and very brief, stop was Sweetwater Surf Shop.  I have never been able to find anything in this shop and the staff is less than friendly.  It almost seems that if you are not a local, then you are not necessarily welcome in the shop.  So we left.  Next we went to Surf City Surf Shop.  The folks here are friendly and welcoming.  The girls picked out new dresses and we chatted with the two guys on staff and a production assistant for a show being made in the area for a bit.  It was sort of an aloha moment where everyone was just enjoying the moment.  After the obligatory stop at Redix, we headed back across the causeway.  We made a quick stop at Port City Java (now with gluten-free bread!) and then pointed the car towards Raleigh.

We had a blast in the car singing along with pointless ’90s songs.  It is rewarding as a father to look in the rearview mirror and see your youngest singing along with “Enter Sandman” and your oldest rocking out to Lenny Kravitz.  Singing and car-dancing (don’t act you haven’t done it) made the short trip even shorter.  This was a great way to spend a teacher workday.  But much like my last post lamenting the speed of summer, this day went by too fast.  Sometimes, I am not so sure that I am doing a decent job raising my girls.  On days like this, though, I feel like I am having an impact on their lives and creating memories for them.  So yes, fall is coming.  There is college football tomorrow, the professionals play on Sunday, and the trees are starting to change.  Fall brings with it lots of great things, and I’ll go into it with everyone else.  But I’m going kicking and screaming.