I finally got around to bringing Kayla to the Audubon Zoo yesterday. I bought a membership a couple months ago, we’ve been to the Insectarium and Aquarium numerous times, but it’s just been so hot to go out to the zoo. Yesterday was no exception, it was in the upper 90’s and miserable, but that didn’t stop us.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Zoo and years since I’d been to this one. It’s a beautiful place, lots to see and do.

As hot as it was, we were surprised to see so many of the animals out for us to view. And we really got a surprise near this Tiger exhibit when we found ourselves inches from a snake. It found itself on the bridge walkway and I don’t think it was any happier about it than we were. Kayla and I ran for our lives. There were some brave ( or whatever you want to call them) men that tried to trap it and catch it. Don’t know what happened with that, we didn’t stick around to find out. We were able to escape the sun for a little while and caught a “Creature Feature” at the Shell Wildlife Theater.

I don’t regret purchasing an Audubon Membership, Kayla and I have definitely gotten our money’s worth. But I do have one complaint, I do not like to be nickel and dimed somewhere I paid to get in.  We had to pay to ride the train, $4 per person and yes I had to pay for Kayla. Non-members, you’ll pay $5.  Not the end of the world, but then… The latest addition to the zoo is the Dinosaur Exhibit. I couldn’t tell you what was in there because you had to pay to get in. $2 for members $4 for non-members. Call me cheap, but I think after paying $13.50 for each adult and $8.50 per child, that should cover everything but food and souvenirs.  On a positive note, they do offer a free shuttle van from St. Charles trolley stop to the zoo entrance. And the zoo also has a free parking lot.

Life’s been busy lately. This could be the understatement of the year.

Whether it is living out of our New Orleans hotel or from a hotel in various positions around the country, we have had an exciting ride. A ride that is only just beginning. I can only liken it to the initial ascent on a rollercoaster as you are hauled up, up up before the fun really begins. As you are carried along to new heights you see more sights, more sounds than you were able to while waiting in line. But the ride has not yet begun, this is only the setup.

Had the opportunity to have a very rare but much appreciated slow afternoon. Scoped out furniture in person at Crate & Barrel and Room and Board that we were eying in paper catalogs from back home. Nice to give it the ole’ “sit test”. Found a nice piece that I think may very well end up with us. The color is “ruby” microsuede. Yes, that is RED. This will give you an idea of the direction our interior decorator (the much sought after Ruth C.) is helping us find. The house is a very funky layout and we are in New Orleans afterall… it is only fitting to have some flair and funkiness.

After shopping Jim Z. a fellow car builder and enthusiast met up with us. Had an awesome deep dish pizza, some beers and got the grand tour around. Made it out to see quite a bit of the city and ultimately ended up at Wrigley field and another beer (Corona in an aluminum can which was a first for me) at the “Cubby Bear” across the street from the baseball diamond. The field is literally jammed between houses in a downtown area. Or maybe houses are jammed around the field. Nonetheless the area was very reminiscent of our city. Not quite as colorful, a bit more cosmopolitan. I like Chicago.

The remainder of the evening has been relaxing in the hotel, watching baseball on ESPN, reading emails and listening to music. I have some interesting new bands that I’m listening to. Very laid back and mellow. Good music for thinking and relaxing. More on this at another time, another place. This music will listen very well from a ruby red chaise.

Did I mention we are building what is likely the most multi-faceted, multi-talented motorsports facility in the US??? (and at this point I have seen a lot of them)

But out there in the middle of nowhere is an elite race track, Miller Motorsports Park.  There Wes attended a 3 day driving schools. Best part about Miller, it’s completely Ford. The race cars are Mustangs, the staff and utility vehicles, even the fire truck is a Ford. The car museum, which is Larry Miller’s personal car collection is all Mustangs, Shelby Cobras and Ford GT’s. Definitely a wonderland for me.

While Wes was doing all this driving, I had to find ways to entertain myself. Luckily Salt Lake City was only about 30 minutes away. One day we drove up to Park City, which is about 7,000 ft above sea level. Yeah, that’s like more than a mile closer to the sun, so you have to wear sunscreen.

So after a week in freezing, dry Utah, it was off to warm, dry Las Vegas. I have always wanted to go to Vegas, so I couldn’t wait to get there. Wes was at a nerd convention so I go to go out and explore the city all by myself. Later I found out, that it wasn’t actually a city, just my hotel, haha. We stayed at the beautiful Venetian Hotel & Casino, where there was a river and gondola rides on the 2nd floor.

While we were there, we got to see a couple shows. First we saw The Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Season. It was incredible, my favorite, I’d go see it again. We also went to see The Beatles, LOVE by Cirque Du Soleil.  It was a great show too, my first time to see a Cirque Du Soleil show live. It was a bit overwhelming at first, so much going on all at once, I didn’t know where to look. But the choreography, costumes, acrobatics, lighting and of course the music,  it was all incredible.

There was so much to do and see, I didn’t even see a quarter of all that Vegas had to offer. One thing that I got to go do was go to an indoor gun range, that rents machine guns. Yes, I shot some machine guns. I shot an MP5 and an M16.  Scary, huh?

Other than that we visited Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch. It was a very cool club type track.  As for the  casino, Wes said to say we ended up 42% ahead because it sounded better than we won $3.  It was fun, I never gambled before and could’t go to Vegas and not play a slot machine. But there are so many other things to do and spend your money on other than sitting in a windowless smoke filled basement, sinking quarters into a machine. I’d rather spend my money on food or shoes.  Vegas was everything I thought it would be and I can’t wait to go back.

Be sure to check out all the pics from our trip on Flickr.

Hotel life has it’s advantages, like room service, valet parking and house keeping. But it has it’s disadvantages too, like no laundry, no kitchen, thin walls and house keeping knocking on your door at 8:30 am.  While I have enjoyed living downtown and being in walking distance of everything, I am ready to move into a real house. Projected closing date is April 15th, so cross your fingers.

So anyway, that’s a small taste of what we’ve been up to, check back soon for more. I have lots of pictures to share.

Long time no posting! As some already know, in mid-December I left the craziness that was K-fx2 and now am in the motorsport industry full time. I joined the founding team at NOLA Motorsports park, a road racing facility outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.

I cannot think of a more qualified staff. Each person chosen is the best in their niche but also has the capability to cross over into other areas. We have a team atmosphere that is beyond anything I have ever worked with.

The track has a large vision and quite a bit of momentum to see it through. We are pushing the concept of a racing facility and country club in every way, striving to innovate at every chance.

Last week we traveled to Joliet, IL to visit the awesome Autobahn Country Club. The facility was amazing. We had the privilege of personal time with the founding staff, a behind the scenes tour and then discussed our latest round of planning and brainstorming. Here are some pictures I took.

There are big things afoot at NOLA Motorsports including shifter karts, a speed shop, first rate dyno facility. Stay tuned…

There was a big to do here in the 225 tonight. It’s all anyone could talk about today, anticipating snow in Baton Rouge. Would it really snow , would it stick, will it still be here in the morning? Well…Yes, No and it’s already gone. Forget Pat Shingleton, I get my weather updates from Facebook.

Make no mistake, Non-LA natives, snow is a big deal for us cajuns. It’s not uncommon to see kids playing outside with their new toys on Christmas morning barefeet and on shorts. So the 1/8 of an inch of frost that stuck to the ground for a half an hour around 10:30pm was enough to get everyone out in there yards building miniature snowmen. Kayla and I were having a snowball fight. Our snow balls were about the size of pecans though.

I couldn’t resist, when it really started coming down, I woke Kayla up and brought her outside to play. I can tell you that she wasn’t a big fan of the cold. We didn’t stay out too long before coming in for some late night cocoa. Not just any cocoa though, Kayla’s first hot cocoa. She was not letting go of that mug. Poor baby’s fingers were red and frozen and she did not like it when they started to thaw.

I had hoped there would be some snow left in the morning, but the rain has come since and washed it all away. Maybe we can hope for more before Christmas.

This Thanksgiving holiday was great for me despite being sick for its entirety. I caught two illnesses back to back so my visiting was cut to zero except for Saturday where I ventured out for a little dyno time.

Yep, we are T minus 2 days till Turkey Day, which just happens to be my favorite holiday. I love the fall colors and the cool ( not cold) weather, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg and apple cider, and of course the food.  If you know me, you know I love to cook and I love to host, so at Thanksgiving, I get to do both. So this year, instead of posting what we ate, ( after the big day), I thought I’d post what we’re going to eat and share some of my recipes.

I won’t have quite as big a crown this year as last, so I decided to cheat a bit and get one of those fabulous boneless, stuffed turkeys from Chris’ Specialty Meats, but the last few years I have prepared my turkey from frozen status using this great recipe.  It is delicious and very easy to follow.

When it comes time to carve that bird, check out some “How to” videos on youtube.

As for sides, I make the Mac & Cheese, but I have a tiny oven, so my mom makes her wonderful dressing, and sweet potatoes and also this Cranberry Jello salad that is out of this world good. If I had the recipe I’d share it. I also make a basic chocolate pie, ( Cook and Serve chocolate pudding in a Graham cracker crust) But that’s not all, here is a recipe for French Silk Pie. I only make it once or twice a year because I would eat the entire thing. Yeah, it’s that good.

Crust
1 refrigerated pie crust (softened as directed on box)

Filling
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4  eggs

Topping
1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls, if desired

Directions:

1 .      Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2 .      In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
3 .      Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

So anyway, Thanksgiving is not all bout the food, it’s about being thankful, and I am very thankful for my family and friends, health and happiness and everything else I’v been blessed with.I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.