Fare Thee Well Wanda Rice

During the night last Friday, January 22, 2010, Wanda Rice passed away. Wanda was Lou Ann Allen's mother and grandmother to my children Tyler and Andrea as well as Great-Grandmother to Gabe, Chase, Coppelia, and Estee. She was also a good friend to all.

The following is copied from her obituary as published in the Houston Chronicle on 27Jan2010:

Born on May 9, 1928 on Prince Edward Island in Canada,WANDA SOPHIA COSTAIN RICE unexpectedly passed away on January 22, 2010. She lived in the Spring Branch area and worked as a nurse for many years at Spring Branch Memorial Hospital. She was an active member at the local YMCA and Curves. Her favorite hobbies included knitting, crossword puzzles, dominos and bingo. She enjoyed the daily get togethers with her friends of playing games and chatting. She loved to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies and make biscuits and sausage for all her grandchildren. She is survived by her son, Daryl MacKinnon and daughters Lou Ann Allen and Tena Buzek; grandchildren Tyler Guidry, Naomi Linker, Andrea Collins, Ross Buzek, Kyle Buzek, Neil Buzek, Emily MacKinnon and great grandchildren Gabe and Chase Collins, Coppelia and Estee Guidry and Cooper Linker.In lieu of flowers please make a donation in her honor to your favorite charity.

I have posted the following pictures from my collection in honor of her joyful memory.

New Orleans Adventure 2010

At 4:35 p.m., 13Jan10, out of Houston Hobby, Georgia, Larry, Vicki, and I rose into the sky with our bags checked for FREE to begin our second adventure to New Orleans.


Arriving at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport we retrieved our bags, that we checked for FREE, hailed a cab, and headed downtown to check into the Loews Hotel near the river and across from Harrah's Casino & Hotel. Our cab driver instructed us that there would be plenty of Who Dat being yelled over the weekend as the Saints were in town to beat the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Championship Playoff. She pointed out Mothers Restaurant right across from the hotel and told us it was a pretty good place to eat. We checked in, got the rooms we wanted (both had river view rooms with King Size beds). The Loews is a really nice hotel.

Our plan was to not blow our wads on the first night, but we wanted to go into the Quarter. We wandered around and all four of us asked each other 1,353 times (exact) "well where do you want to go?, what do you want to do? its up to you....no its up to you." So believe it or not, we returned to the scene of a previous visit meltdown - Pat O'Brien's. All four of us agreed before we went in to only have one or two hurricanes and we all swore we were not going to repeat the mistake we made 10 years ago. Yeah right....went in...drank one, or two, or four....sang along with the piano players and left grinningly happy.....again.

The next morning, Thursday,  we were all survivors....not nearly as bad as ten years ago, and headed to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets.....of course we had black jackets on and everyone commented that we must have gone to Cafe Du Monde that morning for breakfast. Wondered into Jackson Square and thru the St Louis Cathedral before realizing that powdery sugar donuts wasn't enough fuel to restart our engines after Pat O'B's. Larry asked a merchant where he goes to eat the best muffuletta....he tells Larry "His house"......then he recommended the restaurant next door....Franks Restaurant. Muffuletta's were good....our eyes were bigger than our stomachs....and we ended up taking some back to the hotel.

That evening we dressed appropriately and took the St Charles Street Car into the Garden District to dine at the Commanders Palace.  This was a very enjoyable evening as the food, wine, and especially the choreographed service made for a really special evening.  The wait staff performed like a ballet,  carefully timing and placing every item onto the table.  I will go back there again....was an enjoyable evening once Larry decided which cut of lamb he was going to order (just kidding).....hard choices on the menu....all was good.  Vicki and I finished dinner off with a bread pudding souffle....  mmmmmmm :)

Friday we needed a BREAKFAST so we went across the street from the Hotel to Mothers Restaurant.  Was an interesting place....you walk in.....they hand you a menu....you get in line....order your food at the cashier.....find a table (if you are lucky - pretty busy)...and then someone comes and takes your receipt thus becoming your waiter.  Interestingly enough, there were "No Tipping" signs everywhere....almost traumatic for Vicki being the patron saint of waiters and waitresses.  Food was good.....service was good after you figure out the system.....go before 9:00 am and there is a really cheap big breakfast for $2.99.  We got there at 9:02.

Took the street car again and went to The National World WarII  Museum.  A must see as far as the four of us were concerned.  Very well presented and layed out.  Reasonable - $20 a person includes a 40 min 4D movie about WWII which is very interactive and well produced.

We wandered the Quarter again that afternoon in a drizzling rain.  Georgia had been looking for some "cheese and bread" to help soak up our partying.  I made a suggestion to stop and have some pizza.  Unanimous decision.  We stopped in at the French Quarter Pizzeria for a late afternoon lunch/dinner.  Vicki and I ordered "The Central Grocery" pizza made with Pepperoni, Salami, Canadian bacon, olive mix and mozzarella cheese....kinda of a "muffuletta pizza".  Again.....good food and good service. 

On the way back to the hotel, we all decided to kinda take it easy Friday night....decided to buy some wine and beer and head to the hot tub at the hotel to finish off the evening.  On the way back we found the Vieux Carre' Wine & Spirits store (right next door to K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen on Chartes Street).  What an adventure in wine and beer purchasing.....apparently you can buy and DRINK your liquor in the store.  The place was a party in the front.  I picked out a couple of bottles of wine and Vicki asked me how was I going to open them? .....told her I would buy a cork screw at the counter....a guy dressed in a tux overheard me and said "here take this one....on the house"....must be a waiter somewhere in the Quarter.  It was that kind of place.

Hit the hot tub and indoor pool.   Drank our wine.  Slept good.

Saturday morning we headed back to Cafe Du Monde for a last beignets fix.  Wandered the shops again with Vicki looking for beads and boas.  The Quarter was a bit more lively this morning because of the game happening in the Superdome that afternoon.  Was really foggy and damp.  We ate one last French Quarter meal at Sammy's Seafood.  Seafood Gumbo was good.....then we headed to the airport to return back to Houston. 

Got to the New Orleans airport a bit early, like 2 hours, and sat in a small airport bar drinking bloody mary's and watching the beginning of the Saints/Cardinals game.  We were a little concerned about the fog building at the airport that might delay our flight but that was not to be.  In fact, we think Larry was the last one on the plane because he went looking for a "Lucky Dog" (hot dog) and actually heard his name being called to proceed to the gate.  "Lucky Dog" in hand he made it to his seat and we headed back to Houston.

Final story.....we have just taken off and I look across the aisle and this guy is "chin-to-chest" asleep just drooling away....Georgia and I got a pretty good laugh.  He is the next to last picture in the slide-show.  Look for pearls. :)

(Click on the slide-show will take you to the Picasa album)

Our Annual New Years Eve Baby Sitting

Vicki & I traveled north to McKinney to fulfill our annual honor of watching the boys while Shane and Andrea enjoy New Years Eve with other adults. Something we look forward to. Around 10:00 pm Vicki broke out the champagne for her and I plus she 'uncorked' a bottle of Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice for the boys. We toasted the New Year appropriately. As you can see, Chase has already developed the proper social skills for celebrating the New Year.

However....as the last picture in the story explains.....Gabe was not impressed with the Welch's, ran to the bathroom to spit it out, and then proceeded to lecture Chase, Vicki, and I on the fact that Chase was drinking alcohol and how bad that was! I don't think we ever convinced him otherwise.

I made a pot of Blackeyed Peas and Ham for New Years Day and enjoyed watching football and visiting with family and friends.

Happy and Prosperous New Year to all.

First and Second Christmas

First Christmas - Houston December 19, 2009

Shane, Andrea, Gabe and Chase were in town this weekend and we decided to do an "Early Christmas" because we didn't know if we would get to be in McKinney at Christmas time. As it turns out it was a good move.

The boys had gone shopping at an Elf Land shopping event at school so both Vicki & I got really special gifts from both Gabe & Chase. Mamah got an angel tea light holder from Chase and a candle holder from Gabe. PeaPa got a Texas Longhorn "Things to do" pad to write down my lists from Gabe and a dozen golf balls from Chase. All appreciated gifts because of the thought and love poured out in choosing them.

Chase got a set of Legos and Gabe got a Dallas Cowboys blanket. Andrea and Shane got two loaves of Poppyseed bread. We enjoyed our early Christmas and always the visit of family.

Second Christmas - San Antonio December 25, 2009

We had talked about the 'Tour of Texas' (Houston-McKinney-San Antonio-Houston) but all the plans kept changing around us so we decided to do our "normal" Christmas - San Antonio with the Jordan clan. Was not an easy decision as Tyler, Hannah, Estee, and Coppelia actually were in McKinney for a couple of days including Christmas. But, we headed for San Antonio on Wednesday.

Got to San Antonio and were invited by Tommy to help celebrate Cortney's MBA graduation by dining at P F Changs.....great meal....great drink....and good way to start off a family centered holiday. Big Thanks to Tommy and Cindy.

Christmas was at 202 Renner....bedrock of the Jordan's. First serving was Mimosa's. Next was opening of gifts along with the traditional lineup of kids at the kitchen door. Problem is....we don't really have any "kids" anymore.....they have all grown up....but tradition rules....so the older (unmarried) kids lined up at the door before the gifts were opened. Click on this link for a look at past and present lineups.

Christmas Lineups

Gifts were handed out, gifts were opened, and for the third year in a row Dan failed to show for the Christmas gathering.

Afterwards some time was spent visiting and snacking waiting for our Christmas feast and close to 3:00 pm dinner was served. Meat was a 5 rib Standing Rib Roast with homemade noodles, gravy , green beans, jello salad and a variety of wine. We drank a lot of wine. Was an excellent meal

The next evening we all gathered at Bobby & Diana's house for the continuation of the Jordan Egg Nog Party. It was a passing of the "punch bowl" of sorts.....Bobby made the Egg Nog for the first time this year. The party began around 4:00 pm and was going strong when we made our early exit. The traditions continue.

Vicki got her wish by staying over until Monday morning and finally gave in to going back to Houston around 10:30 that morning. A quick trip to the cemetery to pray for our departed family members and then back to Houston.

Snow

Earliest snow in Houston's history.

Has snowed all day off and on.....hard freeze tonight....a few pics to complement.

Thanksgiving 2009

Okay....Thanksgiving 2009.

Where?

McKinney Texas - Andrea & Shane Collins' house

Who?

Andrea, Shane, Gabe, Chase, Tyler, Hannah, Coppelia, Estee, Lou Ann, Grandma Wanda, Vicki & Joe

To begin the Thanksgiving week Vicki & I suffered thru Monday Night Football at Reliant Stadium watching our Texans......well.....not win again.

#1 - We are thankful for.......sharing the cost of our season tickets with two other couples.

Tuesday morning we finish gathering what we need to take for our visit to McKinney. I found a recipe for cooking turkey in a dutch oven in my Louisiana Cooking magazine (Franksgiving: Turkey Roasted In a Pot) and asked Andrea if she thought we could try it. Answer......go for it....in fact you can be in charge of the turkey. So I was in charge of the turkey.

Loaded up the dutch oven, a chest full of spices, cranberry sauces, poppy seed bread, marshmallows, beans, knife and sharpener, big cutting board, and finished off with my PeaPa BBQ Buddies apron....it was full to the top. Then came the ice chest.....honey baked ham, 11 lb turkey, coffee, cream, one completely cooked PeaPa brisket, and topped off with "Janel Ice" (recycled plastic bottles full of water and frozen).

#2 - We are thankful for - owning a truck.

Next we headed west to pickup Lou Ann's mom, Wanda - better known in the family as Grandma Wanda - and headed for McKinney Texas.

Pretty uneventful trip.....couple of stops.....including Woody's in Centerville. Bought some Buffalo jerky along with some peppered beef jerky at Tyler's request, cheese bread, jalapeno bread, and if I remember correctly a pie was thrown in as well. Plus Vicki snuck a load of fudge in just as I was paying for the rest.

#3 - We are thankful for - Woody's not being our corner Valero.

We arrived at the Collins mansion in McKinney Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by our two grandsons Gabe & Chase. The twins were taking a nap at our arrival but got up soon after. Poor Shane was still trying to conduct "business" in a house full of people with his office completely stripped of any furniture other than one chair (Andrea got a DEAL on wood floors) and we all come screaming in as he retreated to the garage to complete a sale. Got to do what you got to do. As you already heard in the beginning there were a LOT of people at the Collins house....12 is the exact count.

#4 - We are thankful for - getting a real bed and not a blow-up

Wednesday was a layed back kinda visiting day. Grandma Wanda woke everyone up to the smell of bacon cooking and we started the day with a great breakfast. Big girls did some shopping. We got to play with Coppelia, Estee, Gabe and Chase making it a fun family day. The kids all went to visit Santa in the afternoon. Both Chase and Gabe had lists ready to help Santa remember what they wished for and the girls actually sat and smiled with Santa.

If I remember right, we had PeaPa's chopped brisket sandwiches for dinner. We went that night to a really neat hotel, Gaylord's Texan, and an ice sculptor display called ICE! featuring How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The hotel was decorated in Christmas season grandeur and the ice display was one of a kind. You go thru the Grinch theme and then exit with a full nativity scene including the angel Gabriel in clear ice.

Oh...and then there was the Ice Slide. Pictures don't do this justice.

#5 - We are thankful for - Bacon, Brisket, Santa, and ice.

Thanksgiving Day. Again.....awoke to the smell of bacon cooking...Grandma Wanda rules the kitchen at breakfast. She thinks everyone should eat the second their eyes open. We tempered her timing with a couple of cups of coffee first....and then opened our eyes.

One mention of Bloody Mary's sent Shane to the store on Thanksgiving morning for Bloody Mary mix. We love Shane....he delivered.

Gabe has become a very avid football fan....he was pumped all day about the Cowboys playing. I have a small problem with Gabe - he likes Peyton Manning like his cousin Mitch - Texan fans do not like Peyton Manning - he makes us look bad. With Shane's help, Gabe has become very knowledgeable about football.

The Thanksgiving meal was prepared. The turkey in a pot recipe turned out really good. Every piece of that turkey was moist. I made the gravy right in the dutch oven after removing the turkey and the flavor was great (Vicki even asked me to do another one because she didn't get her whole 'turkey fix'). Vicki make dressing, sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping (no brown sugar leads to Steens Pure Cane Syrup being used....much better I think), lots of wine, and lots of family. Good meal followed by pecan and pumpkin pies.

#6 - We are thankful for - being together at one table as a family to share God's blessing of his bounty and his gift for us of each other.

Friday sent Vicki and Hannah to brave Black Friday. PeaPa fixed whatever he could around the house without much effort (did cost Shane a trip to Home Depot), and that night ended with a game of dominoes. We found out that senior citizens apartment complex dominoes rules are quite different than Garner domino rules....but Wanda played anyway.

Tyler, Hannah and the girls left first on Saturday. Wanda rode back home with Lou Ann and Vicki and I departed soon after. Food bin and ice chest were much lighter than when we loaded them.

#7 - We are thankful for - the opportunity to be thankful.

Enjoy the pictures......

Click Here for Thanksgiving 2009 in McKinney Pictures

Evelyn Jordan's 80th Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, 12 September 2009, a celebration of life was held in San Antonio Texas for Evelyn Jordan's 80th Birthday.


The first of two parties that day began around 11:30 a.m at Paesanos on 1604 with close friends and immediate family. The meals were excellent and so was the drink. No one left unsatisfied.


Later that evening a second party was held at Thom & Janel's house with a much larger invite list. Much needed rain dampened a small portion of the evening but just as the first celebration everything went great.


The kids loved playing in the rain (and unfortunately the mud).


Larry Jordan put together a DVD that was shown at least three times that evening depicting the life of Evelyn Jordan. Larry did an outstanding job of producing this and everyone was quite impressed.


For the first time in who knows how long, Andrea actually rode with us to San Antonio from Houston where she meet up with Shane and the boys. As we were just passing the Memorial City Mall here in Houston I looked in my mirror and said "OK.....when are you going to say it?" Unprompted Andrea quickly replied "Are we there yet?". Somethings never change.


Good weekend for all capped off with Spaghetti and Meat Balls at the Christopher Columbus Italian Society near downtown San Antonio. After we ate, Shane and the boys departed for McKinney and we headed to Houston with Andrea.


We celebrated the blessings of family all weekend.

Happy Birthday Evelyn.
Everybody sing.......