Jackson Gray Haslup Arrives

Jackson, or Jax for short, arrived at 6:44 AM on March 5th. It was a joyous occasion which was soon followed by some concern for his lungs which caused him to enter the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the early afternoon of his birthday and where he remains right now. He was diagnosed with TTN or Wet Lung. But, he is doing great and there is a possibility he may be able to be "sprung" from the hospital as early as today--March 8th. This is truly and answer to prayer.

Nicole and Mike are doing great and the entire family is rallying around the newest member of the clan and his parents. His big brother Ethan has been able to see his and is fascinated by him. Ethan is spending time with his grandparents--Chris and I as well as Mike's Mom.

Oh yeah ,the details: 7lbs 14 ox (although a bit lighter now) and 19.5 inches tall.

Thanks for all the love and support that everyone has been giving to us and to Mike and Nicole. We are looking forward to Jax becoming another active member of the clan!

Luna Di Luna Chardonnay-Sauvignon

So we were given this wine over the holidays and have kept it chilled. I love the jaguar green bottle. We served it the other night. I had felt it would be a good wine for cheese and light snacks. It had a nice light refreshing bouquet and the initial flavor, just before hitting the palate, was very crisp and fruity. And then the full flavor of the wine hit. That is where this wine fell apart. The flavors and tastes just didn't go together and it felt as if this wine were at war with itself in my mouth. This is definitely not a wine I would buy for myself or a gift. There was no balance.

The official tasting notes say: Pale straw yellow with greenish highlights. Very aromatic with hints of melon, green apple and tropical fruit. Pleasingly crisp with an abundance of fruit flavors.

Recommendation: Must miss, it just didn't do it for me

Smoking Loon Merlot 2006

We tried a bottle of this wine last evening. It is a great bottle of wine for under $10 and i highly recommend it if you like a Merlot with a good, fruity bouquet and a nice finish. The wine slips off the tongue very nicely. It is very drinkable and enjoyable. We were drinking it with a nice mild French cheese and it complimented the cheese very nicely.

The review on this wine from Madwine.com is as follows: "This Merlot has a dark ruby color and the aromas are reminiscent of raspberry jam with hints of lightly toasted oak and caramel. This wine is made in a fruit forward style exhibiting mouth filling Bing cherry, white chocolate, and just a touch of cranberry finishing soft with ripe plum and delicate vanilla oak flavors."

And I agree with everything--it is all right there to enjoy.

Recommendation: Good house wine for all occasion

Silverwing Shiraz 2005

OK--the label at the right is from 2004, but we drank a bottle of 2005. It was spicy and had a definite bit of zing and classic Shiraz body. A bouquet that smelled of dark fruits and a deep purple color made this a fun wine to drink and enjoy. It is a good table wine and I recommend it as a starter before dinner to set the mood, loosen the tongue and get the party rolling.

Recommendation: Solid table wine/possible house wine

Waiting for Baby

So, we've been on a baby watch since last week when I was in Colorado. No grandchild #2 yet. Every night we are on baby watch--but this is one of those things that you just cannot rush. Nicole is doing great and we're just waiting. We know it will happen soon and at the most unexpected moment.

Life goes on and our prayers continue to be for a healthy baby whenever he/she is born.

Rocky Mountain

Well it surely has been a busy week. I'm sitting at the airport in Colorado Springs preparing for a long series of flights back to Baltimore heading into a winter storm. I think I may be spending the night in Chicago. But--there is always hope. As of 45 minutes before my departure from the Springs--all of my flights are on time.

It is a beautiful day--and the mountain--yes, Pike's Peak is dominating the scenery. It is the focus of this area and it should be. On days like today, I understand why people like to live here. The scenery is magnificent.

I have had a very busy couple of days with meetings and going out last night with KJ, my nephew. We had a good time doing dinner and Fool's Gold--he wanted to see it and it was good enough for me to want to see it again. We had a good time reconnecting.

Denver

Well Tuesday I flew off to Denver after working all day, and now I've got insomnia. Which is why this is going to seem posted on the 20th, but in Denver it's still the 19th. Fortunately the travel was uneventful--although the 2nd grandchild seems ready to make its (her?) appearance at almost any time.

I work all day tomorrow and then am off to Colorado Springs tomorrow night for two nights and then back home. It is cold. You notice how it seems I go to cold places in the winter and warm places in the summer. Why does that seem backwards to me?

I am always amazed at the explosion of people here and construction. It has changed so much since we were first here in 1977. Wow!

Wine Tasting Saturday

Chris and I love wine. We love tasting wine and we have a group of friends who also love wine and tasting and trying new wines and of course the foods that go with them.

Saturday night was a great night. We were invited to join an existing wine tasting group for tasting, food, and relaxing fun. There were about seven couples assembled who each brought a food dishes to taste wines that the wine master had picked to go with the meal.

The surprise wine of the night for me was Shoo Fly Aussie Salute 2005. I love Australian wines, so it shouldn't have been much of a surprise, but I was surprised after reading the description which indicated the wine was a blend of "spicy Grenache, succulent Shiraz, and a whiff of Viognier. It was very drinkable on its own.

Another surprising wine was the Covey Run Riesling Washington 2006. It is a great cheese party wine. Fruity and clean on the palate. The fruits were especially strong and enjoyable. A great starter wine for a party or a tasting.


All in all, it was a very fun night and we had a great time. I will be buying a couple bottles of these wines, too. I recommend them as they are very adaptable and enjoyable.

Art Garfunkel

Friday night Chris and I went to see Art Garfunkel in concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Getting to the concert proved to be a challenge as the traffic was absolutely the worst I have ever seen and although we left with plenty of time to spare, because the main parking garage was closed we actually missed the first song that Art sang.

But we had great seats three rows from the stage in the apparently sold out Meyerhof Symphony Hall. And while the voice is not as clear as it was (let's see--40 years ago?), it was an awesome concert. He sang old and new stuff and the orchestration for many of the pieces was spectacular. His band was incredible as well. We especially enjoyed, as you might suspect, some of the old stuff like Bridge Over Troubled Water and Cecilia, but he sang some very compelling new songs as well. One we especially liked was a lullaby for his two-year (yes 2) old son. It was beautiful.

The walk down memory lane was a nice diversion from the challenges of the day and whenever we get to spend an evening out together--it works out very nicely. Although, getting home after bedtime is a bummer--but we slept in on Saturday.

Rating: if you grew up or were even alive during the 60's--this concert is a must attend.

Juno

Another movie review since it is still in the top 10 this week.

Juno was a great movie. I thought it was cutting edge in dealing with a difficult topic: teen pregnancy and families. The family was a bit too supportive and the ending too neat--but the dialog and the acting were very good. The relationships in the movie were strong studies in people and personalities as well. The story:

After taking three pregnancy tests, 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) discovers she is nine weeks pregnant by her friend and longtime admirer, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Although she initially opts for an abortion, a last minute change of heart leads her to decide to have the baby and make a plan for the child's adoption. With the help of her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno searches the Pennysaver and finds a couple she feels will provide a suitable home. Along with her father, Mac (J. K. Simmons), Juno meets the couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), in their expensive home and finalizes the adoption arrangements.

If it were only that simple and that is why the story is so interesting and compelling. I found it fresh and enjoyable and the character development was superb.

Rating: Highly recommend--see now in theaters, buy when it comes out on DVD