Happy Birthday to Tasic and We Fly Home

Happy Birthday from the Butterscotch Kid and his Big Sister

Happy Birthday from Dr. Beezie

And Happy Birthday from Us

Sunday in PVD

Before She Got Her Sash

Right after

Everyone is Proud of Beezie

Khabir

Just found out last night about Khabir. He's gone, died in 2012 in Cleveland, where he was from, apparently while waiting for a kidney transplant. Khabir recorded many songs for us back in the day (those of you who know past projects will remember K as the lead singer on "Jerusalem" and "Tryin' to Survive" and others. We'd been searching for him for years, but only last night Dave tried searching for Khabir Ghani Ron Baker again and this time his obit came up from a Cleveland newspaper.

What a nice guy. For awhile he was the lead singer for one of the many latter-day Platters groups, who toured the country doing Platters revival concerts. I believe K took the lead on "My Prayer." He was the guy who told me about the black swans in Perth, Australia, and I have never been able to think about either one without thinking about Khabir.

We've been able to get hold of everyone who worked with us on the Perfect Pitch, everyone but Khabir. Now, I know why. I hope someday we can dedicate something nice to him, one of those thousands of really beautifully-voiced singers who for whatever multitude of reasons never quite break through to where their dreams are trying to take them. 

A softer, prettier voice you never heard. You couldn't ever make him sing loud enough, so our recordings always have his lead vocals set down too far under the track. There wasn't anything you could do about it.

Ah, gee.

4 Greats

The Great Ducknik and Great Dance-nik, at the Greek diner across the street from Dance-nik's office, followed by The Great JJ-aka- PP and the Great Bellybone, waiting for the 1 pm matinee at The Schubert Theatre.

A lo Dominicano

You need to be a true Dodger baseball fan to understand how cool it was to see this picture of Raul Mondesi on the wall in an uptown Dominican lunch place in Manhattan this afternoon. Pollo Frito con arroz Moros.

The Monkey Bar Guru

It's hot, not summer hot, but not SP foggy either. Plot and Duck got into Brooklyn around 4:30 and Plottie ran to the schoolyard, surprised Bells on the monkey bars. A little girl throws her arms out and says Papa! -- is there anything more wonderful? Luckily she didn't have far to fall.

The Fun's Begun

Last year, there was one door and two renters. This year there are two doors and two owners.

The idea is to make the place Desmond proof.

When you're a renter, you always see all the things you would fix up if the place was yours. Now, the fun's begun.

Clivia

For all the years that TGP has lived in S.P., he has tried to find a place for clivias.  Mummy P. has them growing all over the front of her house, but that's Stiletto City, where you plant a seed and anything can grow...unless a ranch house sprouts in the field.

Up here it's different. Clivias want shade, but not too much or they won't flower. They want light, or they won't set flower stalks, but not too much or the leaves will burn. They are beautiful house plants when they are in flower, but will develop a white mold if you leave them inside. And they usually will only flower if they are grown outside, and then brought inside while in flower, then taken back outside when they're done.

Clivias are native to Southern Africa. And, so they say, we all are too.

And they appear to grow best on the shady side of the rear stairs, in individual pots, under the datura and shaded by the apple, but receiving filtered morning sun. 

And occasionally, after they bloom, they will produce a seed pod. You let that seed pot dry on the plant for at least a year, then you split it open, take out the four seeds inside, wash them off and plant them in perlite. If you're lucky, that little sucker in the front left will sprout. And maybe the others too. And then the whole process might start again. And this time you know where to put them.

Mother's Day at Contigo

Contigo is right next door to the Peaks, which is to say new upscale Snowy Valley next door to old Irish bar famous for fights and Danny Boy. Tapas and designer chairs next door to Harp Lager and cracked vinyl bar stools.

Contigo was perfect on Mother's Day. We actually thought about a nightcap at the Peaks, but not too seriously, especially after the rhubarb tart.

Friday Night at San Jalisco

Friday Night at San Jalisco, that used to be Los Jarritos on S. Van Ness.  The food is so good, and authentic, and inexpensive, and it's a restaurant, not a taqueria so there are plenty of tables and the salsa is delicious. The chile colorado is as good as it used to be at Roosevelt Tamale Parlor before that place sold out to bland hipsterdom.

From left, ya got Isaiah Lucas-Kass, Andrew Lucas, Stella and Sarah Lucas-Kass, and, of course, The Greats Plot and Duck.

Andrew was in town for only a few days before he heads back to a research boat in the Indian Ocean. His sister Sarah is heading for Nairobi for development meetings and the kids love taco chips.

How Can You Not Hate Them?

Two Woo Hoos

Woo Hoo One: The Great BZWZ has just won another National Science Foundation fellowship. This makes her decisions for the next year or two a bit easier, which is a good thing since she has already qualified for the Year's Weirdest Post-Doc award.

Congratulations to Miz Weeze.

Meanwhile, Iggy is not impressed. What is is about cats, nails, and fluffy down comforters?

Woo Hoo Two: The Great PD family has purchased their half of their summer estate compound in Spring Glen. It's such a great feeling to own a place of your own. You will remember how much fun we all had up there last August, by the shores of Lake MiniPlotka.

We hope to do it again this year, and for years to come.

Right Out of the Garden

New Website in the Works

Building my new website on Squarespace. Starting to collect pictures.

He's Watching the Bird Channel