And the winner of Top Chef Texas is........

Paul Qui!
I picked out this picture ahead of the episode to put some good luck juice in the mix.
I thought choosing sou chefs by their dishes was an interesting twist. Liked it a whole lot better than the schoolyard version. (Please, please reality shows stop the schoolyard picks!)
I was surprised they made this a restaurant service rather than cooking for the judges. Not sure that is a good change.
Rumor is that Seattle is in the running for the next Top Chef to be filmed this spring. Crossing all fingers and toes!

snows on our toes - Monday, right?

Abby considers a job

Snake hunter! Problem pythons in Florida are non-native, reach lengths from 12 to 19(!) feet and are eating up all the local critters.
Enter Labradors. They track the snake, crouch down to let the handler know they've spotted it and the snakes are caught. The snakes react to the dogs by curling up and going quiet. Article here.

new JK Rowling book!

She's writing a Harry Potter encyclopedia (which has been previously announced) and an adult book!
(small sigh - I'd love to read continuing adventures in the wizarding world...)
I'll reserve judgement on the adult novel and I'm sure there will be LOTS of opinions. Will it be fantasy or set in the dreary Muggle world?

Top Chef - Chinatown and False Creek

So enjoying the glimpses I get to see of Vancouver. That big green bit up there is Stanley Park where I spent a lot of time as a kid. There is a zoo and an aquarium there. I remember watching cricket being played on the open play fields. It is ringed by shoreline. I collected all sorts of sea life on the beach - once storing mussels in the pocket of my robe. My poor mother.

So we are down to the final two. One of our favorites in the mix. Thought quickfire was fun - a switch off cooking challenge with three famous chefs in Chinatown. The Fire and Ice challenge seemed better suited to the regular season instead of the finale mini-season. People should be narrowing down on their strengths and cooking personalities by this time.

Labradors waiting for Spring

It's snowy, it's cold, we could get wet.

Tar attempting reverse Dalmation

Tar kept trying to dislodge the snowflakes as they fell on him.

doggy grooming

Tar grooming Abby. He does this. She does not. We've never had a dog groom one of the other dogs in the family. Supposedly it is a sign of affection. Abby probably thinks it is her due.

Top Chef - off to Vancouver

My hometown. Where we lived we overlooked downtown Vancouver, at the bottom of Grouse Mountain.

On to Whistler Mt. --
They really stretched the limits of what could be a challenge. Who knew brute strength, athletic skills and marksmanship had much to do with cooking?

Also thinking that giving the cheftestants a gun was a risky thing to do for the producers' safety.

sweetest valentine story ever

GB lasted nine weeks in kindergarten before the teacher wanted him on drugs. I should say NOT.
Goodbye school as I started homeschooling him.

Around rolled Valentine's Day. I volunteered in the twins' classroom and along came GB with me. The teacher knew about his situation being out of school. When we got there the kids had made him his own valentine container and they all made valentines to put in his box. They didn't want him to feel left out on this most important elementary school holiday. I love that teacher. :-)

cake for breakfast?

Yes! Science says so....
"Not only can you eat cake for breakfast, doing so may actually help you keep weight off, a new study suggests."
Full article here!

Tail signals Full Dog Alert

And the long and short of it.

SARbot reporting for duty, sir!

Around here we have three big rivers. Two are within a mile of our house. Drownings are common and we have an active dive and rescue team. Recently they raised money and added another resource to the team. SARbot! to the rescue. More info here on how it works.

Project Runway - copycat huh?

I really didn't see the similarity between Michael and Terrell's looks. And I liked Michael's more that Jerrell's - though both looked warm and cozy and fashionable. (I am so tired of the cold!)
Was kind of surprised who ended up on top in all the looks. I thought the judging was very off and so nit picky. otoh - Austin. Oh, Austin! The fact that Kara bested you with her outfit just shows how very... oh. my. Austin's design was. And our aufee. sob. All the tourism is gone from this season.

so who won Last Chance Kitchen?

Forgive me if I feel that the fix was in...
Anyway the last chancer came back and the final, now five, battled for a place in the finale.
Interestingly the finale is taking place in my former backyard, Whistler Mt. in British Columbia. I guess they were tired of the searing temperatures in Texas?
Another bit of news from the interwebz - Seattle is in the running for the next Top Chef location. Filming in the spring so all they will have to worry about is rain.

Tar is in the running...for most spoiled dog

We were wondering if he could handle wood floors through out the house. Recently he has
been getting stuck. He can't make the trip from the door to the bed, even with small throw rugs and he will get stuck half way down the hallway. We worried about his hips and had them xrayed - fine. He is just so big and ungainly. Saturday we went out and ordered $450 worth of carpet to be made into runners (add $350 to cut up and bind carpet). He will have two runners in the hallway and one that goes from the bedroom door to the bed.
Yes, we are total idiots about our dogs.
Right now he is whining because Abby is up on the bed AND she has his chew bone.
Maybe he needs shoes?

Top Chef - Pee Wee Herman

I'm sorry. I can't even....