See you next year!

So today is New Year's Eve, and like so many of you, my lovely Bride and I will be joining friends to celebrate the coming of 2011 (Post documenting this event is forthcoming).  And since the drink of the evening will most likely be a bit of bubbly, I leave you and 2010 with this bit of humor.   I hope you and yours have a safe and truly Happy New Years Celebration! Please enjoy and I'll see you next year!

Husband: Darling...what'll you have to drink?

Wife: I don't know.  I do know whenever I drink champagne I want to take off my clothes.

Bartender: I'm very sorry madam. We're out of everything but champagne.

{Joke courtesy of The Trad}

What does a $300 tie look like?

So have you ever asked yourself, "What does a $300 tie look like?"  Well, if you have been pondering this conundrum for any length of time, then I'm here to bring it all together.  First, yes, such an item does exist. Second, yes, I actually own such an item.  And third, no, I was not on crack when I purchased the item.  So let's get the great suspense out of the way and then I'll tell you how this terribly over-priced item came to be in my possession.

Here it is in all its glory:

I won a gift certificate at a local philanthropic event for $200 to a local fine men's haberdashery that will go nameless...but let's just say it's located in Houston, on Westhiemer across from the Galleria between Post Oak & Sage and has an Italian name ending in "i".  This locale happens to be the single largest Brioni dealer in the county outside of New York so I knew the pricing was going to be high.  So high, that I've never even bothered to set foot in the place. 

I was nicely greeted at the door by my nattily dressed salesman.  After our greetings and my presentation of the gift certificate, he proceeded to show me around the store, just like someone shows you around their new home.  We went room to room as he expertly showed me the differences between his fine garments and those found across the street at Macy's and Nordstrom's.  Still no pricing scenarios were presented.  So I finally said, knowing that at some point I had to purchase something, let's look at the ties.  And aren't they just beautiful!  Not wanting to sound cheap, but needing to know what the tally was going to be, I finally asked how much!  He said they run around $200.  I thought "Perfect."  I was hoping to get a few items, maybe a pocket square ($80), but settled on the fact that one tie was enough.

As the ring up process was going on, I was asked to complete a form about the same length as the one you complete at the doctor's office.  It even wanted to know my wife's sizing!  So I complied and the form was submitted into the computer which surely will result in emails, calls and the occasional note that more ties are available.  Then the surprise...I was asked to provide an additional $106.00.  Figuring a mistake, I informed her that I was using my gift certificate, which came a reply that the gift card had already been applied.  Now, in a momentary lapse of judgment and to avoid enbarrasement, I allowed her to go ahead and charge my Amex for the difference.  With immediate buyers remorse, I quickly gathered my new $300 tie and scurried out of the store before Mr. Nattyman could press me to add the pocket square I had been fondling earlier.

My only saving grace is that I really only paid $106 for my $300 Italian neckwear...and it IS an extremely nice tie.  So that's how I came to be the proud but foolish owner of a $300 tie.  And I can almost guarantee you that I will never pay such an amount for a tie again.  By the way, the unworn necktie is available for sale at $299.99 if anyone is interested!  Going, going.....still here.

My Brother's Famous Milk Punch

This is a little like letting "The Colonel's" eleven herbs and spices recipe out the door, but I just had to to it! Just like Christmas coming every year without fail, another such annual occurrence greets us during the holidays...my brother Drew's famous Milk Punch.  Now, I know Drew didn't invent Milk Punch and I know he's not really famous for it, but when someone makes something this good and brings plenty for everyone to enjoy, then the famous association is a worthy title.

This milky concoction is readily identifiable with the holiday season and mostly associated with New Orleans.  I don't know why...it just is!  "The invention of the milk punch is credited to Aphra Behn - author, spy, bon vivant and general hell-raiser.  A woman who lived a life fantastic enough to have created a punch that is so at home in colorful New Orleans."  The mixing of bourbon with the nutmeg and cinnamon is just top notch.  In fact, the way Drew makes it, a milkshake comes to mind.  But the secret kick is what has to be watched for...for it will kick you later when least expected!

An Accurate Representation

Let's start with basic standard Internet available recipe:

2 oz bourbon whiskey
3 oz half & half
1 tsp superfine sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the bourbon, half & half, sugar and vanilla extract.  Shake well.  Strain into a highball glass and garnish with the nutmeg.  (This recipe omits the cinnamon)

Here's another that happens to be from one of our founding fathers - Benjamin Franklin:

And another from the Internet:

And finally, here's Drew's now not-so-secret recipe:

Just like "The Colonel" and his chicken, I don't think there's much of chance anyone is going to steal this recipe!  I think it's written in a code only Drew understands.  It seems as if several revisions have been completed and perhaps some other random chicken scratch has been added to convert to a metric format.

Anyway, if it's cold and rainy outside and you've nowhere to be, try out this fun, frothy cocktail and settle in next to a warm, cozy fire.  New Year's Day perhaps?  Enjoy!

What does a President get for Christmas?

Some of you may have received a pair of crochet mittens, black socks, a reindeer emblazoned sweater or maybe a nice lump of coal, but I'll bet nobody got a whole city this year!  Well back in 1864, that's exactly what our President Lincoln received from Major General William T. Sherman via the telegraph below.  I'd heard the story many times over the years about Sherman's March to The Sea down the east coast from Atlanta to Savannah during the Civil War, burning all that lay in his tracks.  And once while visiting Savannah, I actually heard the story from a walking tour-guide and viewed the building where Sherman made quarters during his short stay.

Here is the telegraph that General Sherman wrote to President Lincoln:

Photo courtesy of To the Manner Born

The note is a tad tough to read, so let me help you out:

"I beg to present you as a Christmas Gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns, plenty of ammunition and also about 25,000 bales of cotton."

Major General Sherman

So thank you Major General Sherman for not burning the beautiful city of Savannah.  I only wish you would have had the same generosity with the rest of the historic Georgian landscape you decided to burn! 

So if you think you received an odd present for Christmas this year, just think how our dear President Lincoln felt upon receipt of this letter! If you didn't already know, the President was grateful.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone!  I hope all had a safe and Merry Christmas.  The Sudduth family made it to Dallas and completed another memorable Christmas.  I'll complete a full post-Christmas post once all the photos get loaded.  But just to hold you over, here's a representation of the Lego explosion that occurred and the phase one end-product completed with many hours of loving persistence from my dear son Daniel and me.

This project also included a full airport building, a control tower and baggage cars, so don't think we were done with just the jet!  I gotta tell you, the engineers that work at Lego are just incredible designers.  Gosh I hope Daniel never takes this thing apart!

I'm back at work today and Jen and the kids along with my sister-in-law and her kids are heading to H-Town today.  So tonight the house will be back to its usual level of excitement!

And I'll be back tomorrow with some interesting posts...so please check back!

Gone to Dallas for Christmas!

This post will probably be the last until after Christmas.  The Sudduth's are making the trek North to Dallas to be with Jen's side of the family.  If I get a moment in Dallas to break and find a computer, maybe I'll give you a snippet of what's happening.

Just in case you still have one present or party favor on your list to get, may I suggest Holiday Bev Naps...always a good choice!

So from my entire family, we wish all of you the safest and Merriest Christmas!

A note regarding gift giving...

Just a little note to keep everybody smiling!

Enjoy!

My eBay / Clarks have arrived!

That's right...my new Clarks Desert Boots from eBay are here!  Just like the ones I wore with my blue denim leisure suit with the metal studs down the leg in 1977!  Originally introduced in 1950, the desert boots have been a staple in many a man's shoe inventory.  It just took some of us a little time to get back into the game!

Here's the boot in its original format:

I purchase lot's of stuff on eBay, but rarely do I get this excited about a purchase.  I have to tell you, these were not the easiest eBay procurement. I must have bid on at least 5 pairs with no luck before landing these guys.  The boots like these run about $90 - $100 for retail new.  I paid $38.00 plus $9.50 shipping for a total of $47.50.  I think these have been worn just a few times because the sole is still pretty hard and the inside has no "previous owner" prints.

My first opportunity to trot these guys out came with the White Elephant Party we attended last weekend.  I paired them with some Brooks Brothers cotton mango colored socks just to throw everyone a curve ball.  The first time I crossed my legs, I received several "what are those" and "I had some of those as a kid" comments.  And I think there was one cat-call!

So may I present...my new (old/used/cool) desert boots:

For a casual, really comfortable shoe/boot, you just can't do better!  I'm going to enjoy these bad boys for a long, long time!  I may try and sleep in them!!!

White Elephant Strikes Again!

This past Saturday night marked the arrival of the 2010 Annual White Elephant Christmas Party and included some of our closest and oldest friends.  Here's some background:  this party originated in about 1987 at Christian (Aubry) Parson's apartment.  That specific party is memorable because it included a large bottle of Dewar's Scotch, a bowling set that worked very well on hardwoods and a set of fake hot dogs that continued to fly across the room at random intervals.  Original attendees, as faintly remembered, were Gardner Biggs, Christian Parsons, Adrian (Aubry) Villueneva, Kyle Young and myself.  I know there were others.  Please send me a comment if you were there.  The aforementioned bottle of Dewar's and about 23 years has caused the memory to fade a tad!

So that bring us forward to today.  The party is now held at the most recently acquired home of one of our usual suspects, which for the past 10 years or so has worked out nicely.  Other than the early years, I don't think we've repeated a couple, but I know we haven't repeated a house yet.  The party is fairly traditional in most respects...cocktails are drawn, dinner is served, much holiday merriment is shared, etc.  Now comes the fun part - the white elephant gift exchange.  For some reason, although the same folks attend annually, each year the rules have to be explained again.  It used to be my job, but our friendly wine merchant Ken Echols has taken on the role.  For those that don't know this game, it's a gift exchange whereby numbers are distributed, new gifts are opened or a previously opened gift may be stolen.  This makes for quite a show as folks try to strategically get their wanton gifts 3 times, thereby retiring them from the exchange.

The Gift Exchange - Mr. Chairman Echols holding court

Yours truly and lovely wife pre-party

A very nice selection of party girls!

The gifts range from utilitarian to erotic and everything in between.  This year's gifts included a complete margarita kit, edible hand-cuffs, dancing-girl wine stoppers, a disco globe (very hot item), a variety of comical prayer candles (could be a separate post altogether), a silver belt buckle/flask and a Justin Bieber fuzzy blanket.  No, the Santa Mug with exposed genitalia did not re-appear again this year!

The Disco Globe is introduced

And passed...for not the last time!

Ish's Booze & Cookie Box - always a fan favorite!

Somebody forgot that we've outlawed Chia Pets!

Scott was excited about his movie conquest!

Phil models the blanket presentation

Are those really prayer candles?

You wear that Belt Buckle/Flask Ruthie!

This year's party was held at the beautiful and large new Memorial home of Ron and Mary Lee Latta.  A huge thanks goes out to our hosts for putting together a spectacular evening.  I don't know this for certain, but since our friend Ron is out of commission with a broken foot, I have to mention that Miss Mary Lee probably carried a brunt of the work.  Job well done ML!!!

The beautiful new Casa de Latta

One special tradition that goes with this party is "The Tie".  This special tie belongs to J. Gardner Biggs, CPA and has been present and around his neck at every party, going all the way back to the Dewar's and flying hot dog fete.  We believe (and it's probably just Gardner and me) that this tie has special holiday powers that create unique festive oddities each year and usually a mild to tawdry state of intoxication.  This year was mild...but next year?

There it is!  Ain't she a beauty?  Brooks Brothers - circa 1985

Now that we're all a bit older and kids have to hit the sack, the party broke about 10:00 with no major gaffs to report, unlike previous years.  These parties seem to have a life of their own - some go very late, some break early, some include cigars and brandy on the back porch and some are more memorable than others.  But each party is special on its own and each creates another wonderful holiday opportunity for old friends to break bread, enjoy wine and cocktails, exchange some adult gifts and know that at least once yearly this group of friends will get to be amongst one another again.

The White Elephant Rig I put together included the following:  Brooks Brothers Cashmere/Silk plaid sportcoat, white linen pocket square, Brooks Brothers blue windowpane OCBD, vintage Levi's 501 jeans, Clark's Dessert Boots in Tan (newly acquired via eBay) and a faux alligator belt from Jos. A. Bank.

My new eBay / Harold Powell shoes!

I will get into my whole fascination with eBay in a later post, but I wanted to share with the shoe connoisseurs of the world my recent eBay footwear acquisition.  I have purchased many pairs of shoes on eBay, but these were a very nice surprise.

They were acquired via eBay for $36.00 plus $10.00 shipping for a total of $46.00.  These somehow got through without a lot of views.  They look and feel like Aldens, but they are Harold Powell brand and unfortunately Harold Powell is out of business.  If anyone knows who the supplier was, I'd sure be interested.  The patina on these is just wonderful and may have been worn once, if at all.  I'm sure that this pair of shoes would retail for at least $175.00 if not more.  My eBay shoe purchases have been hit or miss, but these were right on target and a great buy!  They are going to look great with a summer poplin suit, sport coat and slacks or even my Levi's.

Lights in the Heights

For those of you that don't live in Houston and perhaps a few Houstonians that just don't get out much, Lights in the Heights is a festive Christmas celebration held in the Historic Houston Heights area of town.  The area officially closes down 3 different streets for up 10-12 blocks.  Every house is decorated to the hilt and many have themes, bands and musicians in the driveway or on the front porch.  Most houses are also hosting private parties of which one nice couple was gracious enough to invite the Sudduth Family this year!

The party house - yours truly on the front porch

The streets start seeing walkers about 6:00, gain strength about 7:00 and are in full bloom with folks shoulder to shoulder by about 7:30.  Did I mention that it is common practice for all Holiday Revelers to carry their favorite choice of beverage?  Even the law looks the other way...like New Orleans!  Some have tumblers of bourbon, some have warm spiced hot chocolate and oh yea, some have a keg of beer in their child's red wagon.  Next year I'm going to make friends with that guy!

The Living Room

The Decorated Fireplace

The Band!

So, we had dinner and cocktails at the beautifully decorated Heights bungalow of Brigette and Chris Larson.  It really is a wonderful home they've added on to and redecorated over the years.  The house included a well designed screened in back porch off their master bedroom which I'm sure is quite nice to have on a cool fall evening.  After a few beers and some wine, coupled with too much good food that included tamales and "the Popeye" from Jus Mac (to be reviewed in an upcoming post), we then gathered our kids (Daniel was a permanent fixture next to the cookie plate), said our many thanks and took to the streets with the others hordes of party-goers and headed back to our car which was only 4 blocks ahead and then 6 more blocks to the South.  Yes, parking is a problem.  A special thanks to our good friends Christian and Todd Parsons who were kind enough to make room for the Tahoe in front of their house.

Brigette Larson - The Christmas Hostess with the Mostess

My Lovely Bride joins me on the steps

Here are some additional random shots taken by my good friend Eric Ford and stolen from his Facebook site.  Thanks Eric!



If you've never had the experience, find your kid's red wagon, install a keg of beer or something that suits your fancy, and come find out what the rest of the world is doing on a Houston Saturday night in December.  It's quite a festive good time!

Christmas with the Kindergarten

This is a bonus post for the day!  Just got back from Daniel's Kindergarten Christmas/Holiday/Kwanzaa celebration at his school.  Being the only Dad in the place, as well as being the only thing in the room over 6 ft. tall, I stuck out like the Statue of Liberty!  

Doesn't everything seem small!  Pizza, a cupcake, an unsuccessful trip to the lost & found for Daniel's new jacket and nice memory.  It was a load of fun and I'm glad I went.

Christmas at the Petroleum Club

For the past several years the extended Sudduth Family and several friends have attended the famed Petroleum Club Christmas Luncheon on the top floor (43rd) of the Exxon Building in downtown Houston.  This event has been held for generations.  Mom and Dad joined the P-Club (as Mom referred to it as) about 7-8 years ago, mainly for the dining & dancing.  Mom and Daniel were even featured in the P-Club fashion show a few years ago! Then we started joining them for the Christmas Lunch.  What a load of fun!

They have a huge toy train layout, a balloon-lady clown named Ruffles (see sword and holster on Daniel in picture below), face painting, personalized gingerbread cookies, a magician/elf, Santa photos and a monkey that will happily grab an offered shoulder.

Did I mention the massive buffet and the extremely nice tuxedo-clad waitstaff that will bring mimosas and screwdrivers until you tell them to stop?  It's all there!  This year was a tad sad without my wonderful mother on-hand, but Dad kept up his end of the bargain and the tradition continues.

Our kids have grown to really look forward to this annual Christmas trek up to the sky.  Daniel didn't spend much time at the lunch table, instead choosing to peruse the surroundings and probably hitting the dessert table inconspicuously from time to time. MyKala is starting to grow old enough now that she just calls it "The Club".  Ah, to be young and have access to the niceties of life! I hope we continue to have this joy as part of our Holiday Season for many years to come!  Thanks Pop for keeping it going!  We love you!

Here's the rundown on the P-Club Rig:  Navy chalk-stripe suit by Jos. A. Bank, Bill Walker custom shirt with blue windowpane, red silk tie by some obsure italian line via eBay, white linen pocket square.  Not shown - black Gucci horsebit slip-ons.  Eyewear by Seraphin.