Austin ModHouse

I'd found a SUPER cheap flight to DC ($129 R/T). Kat jumped on it and used the opportunity to spend Chinese New Year with her parents. Her brother and his daughter were also there. They all  had a great visit.

I spent my week caring for Goji. 

These two really like each other. 

I spoiled him with fresh scallops and chicken every evening. 

#2 son mastered the bicycle, roller skates, inline skates, Heelys (shoes with wheels in the heels)... next up for his wheeled transportation conquest... skateboard. He wanted a deck of his own design. He bought one from amazon and we stripped the graphics from it. We sanded and primed and he applied his own artwork. It's time for reassembly.

A few years back I decided I should pursue the metal sculpture class at ACC. Metal art was a prerequisite for that class. Design Two was a prerequisite for Metal Art, and of course you can't get into Design Two without Design One. Next Fall, I will finally be able to take the Metal Sculpture class... This semester is my last prerequisite, Metal Art.

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A friend received a set of Riedel Burgundy glasses for Christmas, He organized a dinner to properly utilize them. He opened several Burgundy wines from his collection.  

Tenderloin was a great pairing. I LOVED the potatoes au gratin as well. 

Kat has discovered chicken feet in a convenient package. It's a game changer for her. 

We had hot pot. We tried a spicy seafood broth mix we bought at 99 Ranch. It proved too spicy and salty. Next time we'll just make our own broth from scratch. 

Step-Dog Goji is staying with us. We are spoiling him so good.  

The daughter can also repair jewelry.  

#2 son has developed his own style. He also has an affection for odd things. His Royal Mail (surplus) bag complements his skate punk androgynous motif. Friends have suggested he should be in a GAP ad.

Kat found a new hat at COSTCO.  

For MLK day, Kay-So took a moment to reflect as she enjoyed the sunset from the balcony off the Master bath. 

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The back side of the house is mostly transparent. It's aligned so that Winter sun floods in the morning. The cats really enjoy this as they lounge and soak up all the warmth.  

Wild Basin Preserve is right here in the neighborhood. It's an easy option for a quick hike on a sunny winter day.  

I've been using the two Porsche as my daily driver this week. The back seat is a tight squeeze for #2 son, his backpack, his lunch bag and his violin. He's already lost his new lunch bag so that's no longer an issue. Losing his lunch bag is a regular occurrence for him. I'm often tasked with finding it. I want to put a Tile on it. #1 son seems to enjoy the red 951, "that's such a cool car". He's a man of few words, so there was some weight to his comment. It made my day.

We are still working through a growlers we hauled back from our Dallas trip.  The deck off the master bath is my favorite spot to enjoy DIPA while the sun sets. Celestial Mount Olympus was really good.

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I was thrilled to NOT participate for New Year's Eve. I was happy to have a nice meal at home with my family and get into bed by 10;30 PM and not wake up until the first sunrise of 2020.

That's Kat and I, just before retiring.  The last image of of the year, see ya 2019!

Friends Dan and Laura stopped by to share what was one of my favorite beers of 2019, Triple Mylar Bags from Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn). I used a mule to get this beer and it was worth it. We utilized the Craft Beer Airstream. It's good to find a new use for it as we don't camp as often as we used to.

New Year's Day! That's when I'll enjoy some Champagne with friends. Darla's annual event was a great gathering of bubbles, lucky foods and friends. We enjoyed Pozole, Black Eyed Peas, Cabbage, Deviled Eggs, and Sesame Balls.

#2 son needed a phone. We have spent months trying to get one of the spares sorted. We finally solved the problem by buying me a new phone and did some trickle down phone shuffling. I used a friends Apple discount and upgraded to the 11 Pro. The real benefit of the Pro is the triple camera. I'm very happy with the wide angle and its ability to draw details out of shadows and over exposed areas. A good example of that is below. Taking a pic into the sun and still retaining detail with no post edit on my end. Impressive. 

Weekly Skype with Popo. 

As we steady ourselves to return to a regular schedule of work and school, we packed up all the Christmas decorations this week.

The tree and all the shiny bits are back into storage for another eleven months.

Posted by paul at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)