Cat On A Hot Tin Cave Creek Roof And Humor to Heal Our Damaged Social Fabric

 December 26, 2025

   Back from Issaquah and four days of great food, big love and lots of laughs. Last Tuesday we attended The Nutcracker in downtown Seattle. It was festive and fun. Hard to believe an opera that was first staged in 1892 is still relevant, but here we are, still showing up.

Space Needle over "The Nutcracker"

   Full Disclosure: the above photo was actually taken from the parking garage where we landed to go see The Nutcracker. I took it through the air vent inside the bridge tunnel entrance on the way back to the car.

   And, yes, at 133 years and counting, you might say the Nutcracker has legs. And, speaking of legs, I just found out the oldest cafe on the planet just turned 300. Yes, Casa Botin in downtown Madrid is still in business. What is their secret?

"Casa Botin is about traditional flavors. We have lasted this long because we have great respect for authenticity."

—Antonio Gonzales, co-owner of Casa Botin

   My favorite part of visiting with the grandkids is giving them support and encouragement on art projects and prying them with little tricks to make art more fun. We had some "fan-brush fun" and here is the proof in the pudding.

Frances Whip Out: "House In The Breeze"

   These same Issaquah kids want to get a cat and this prompted their mother remembering when she was growing up our cats in Cave Creek lived on the roof to avoid getting eaten by coyotes.       Unfortunately, Harris Hawks weren't thwarted by the tactic. Here is one of those long gone cats.

Cat On A Hot Tin Cave Creek Roof

  I found this photo I took of Kathy for her real estate business and if you look closely, you will see one of our cats on the roof of the pump house. 

   I am still on my quest to honor humor wherever I run into it. As I mentioned previously, I tipped the Pre-Flight shuttle driver at Sky Harbor for making a good joke about Seattle and just being overall zany. I wanted to tip the head stewardess on our flight home yesterday because she gave the funniest pre-takeoff instructions I have ever encountered ("Just pretend you are listening. . ."), but Southwest frowns on tipping so I just raved to her what a hoot she is when she brought me a drink (coffee), which she quipped she had added a little Bailey's to give it a little bite. She was joking, of course.

   And speaking of our damaged social fabric. . .

"This glorious, ragged old band, travelling the country, trying to sew our ripped social fabric together once more, one town at a time."

—Alex Abramovich, in the New Yorker, describing Willie Nelson and his band on the road in 2026