Mindless Monday

Two weeks of volunteer work, in between regular work, blogging, funerals, going-away parties, blogging event planning, trying to keep up with my girlfriends, calling my mom, and then a week of work travel...leaves my mind mushy.  I literally slept walked this morning as I tried to put one foot in front of the other on my beach walk. I could have easily sat at the end of the pier watching the pelican's above soar over the surface of the glassy ocean waters. Managed a quick cup-o-joe at Ground Works, I love that little coffee shop. It's teeny tiny and yet warm and friendly. Grabbed me a bag o beans of Black Gold to try tomorrow with my morning breakfast. Currently listening to the new Civil Wars album. Hauntingly good and painful to know they may never deliver this vocal magic again. How do you recreate chemistry like that, please make up Joy and John Paul.

California Nature

During our time in Arnold enjoying Nature was one of the best parts. I really forget how much I miss this living in the city. 

Dragonfly's, I swear I chased these bad boys down and still only got just a fleeting image. I will invest in a waterproof camera next time as they buzzed me a million times while floating on the Lake. 

Can you smell the pine leaves, another thing I miss. FRESH AIR.  

These wild lily's were everywhere. The contrast of the green leaves, blue water and bright orange petals made you smile. 

I love trees, the stillness of them and then the rustle when the wind breathes thru them is one of my favorite moments. 

I called this my pine cone constellation, not sure which one, but it reminded me of the stars I saw at night. 

More lily's hanging out at the lake. 

Light, leaves, shadow and pattern. 

I don't believe you could call it a lake if you didn't see the cattails on the edges of the water. 

Airstream Simple Living

This is a simple Tech Tuesday. If you have a job that you can work remotely from your own technology, say a computer. Why don't you? See what one family has done, living simply in an Airstream. Great video produced by Dark Rye. This is such an amazing way to live. It's also a fabulous education for your children.

Life isn't all about owning a fancy house, or the cars we drive, the hotels we stay in, the restaurants we dine at and the clothes we wear. Life is meant to be much more simple. I've been following Joshua Works @worksology on Instagram for a while. I'm moved by the images he shares and the places they've visited..One day we'll all be living the "Real Life." 

California Lake Country

While everyone loves to travel to England in the summer to drive thru the lake country that sings of Jane Austin's past, us Californian's have our own lake country. Visiting these lakes felt like a modern and much cleaner version of Dirty Dancing. It's the idea of creating family memories and enjoying a week or two together. Having no children of our own, I can't say that Rob and I have any family traditional vacation. Unless we count going home to New Mexico every year, which usually involves helping to repair anything on Mom's house, hardly a memory building vacation, well maybe. We usually look for a place we haven't visited yet and go to exploring. We're always up for an adventure, especially when the budget allows, which usually means a road trip.

A few 6 hours north of LA and just east of San Francisco in a town called Arnold there are a few vacation lakes with many permanent residence. And another 30 minute drive and your in the high country with boating and more fishing lakes. This particular one is called Lake Mont Pine. Families have been coming up here for years renting houses around the lake and enjoying leisure time. 

At Lake Mont if you rent a house here, and there are quite a few that hold 8 - 14 people, you will usually get few passes to rent equipment for the lake and just hang out on the lakeside beach. This isn't usual for all lakes in the area most times you need to have a steady supply of change to rent any equipment. Activities at the lake range from swimming, paddle boards, kayaks and small pontoon paddle boats. During the week they also show movies at night outside for the whole family. Oh and the STARS, living in LA we forget they exist with so much disturbance light you never see one. That first night we saw the Milky Way and so many stars you can't even begin to count.

In the still of the day here are the reflections of the trees on the lake.   

What better treat to eat during the summer, by a lake, is watermelon. Indeed eating outside, food taste SOOO much better. 

It's a quick and leisure walk around the lake. You get to peek at all the houses that can be rented and the view they have. Also just a nice nature study of light and color. 

This lily pathway was a welcome surprise. 

Lily and toy still life. It may also be a fish lure, but at this state it looks like a toy ducky. 

Boats and reflections wait for a push to the refreshing water. 

Trail narrows in places along the lake and even SB got into the photo action.

A five minute drive from Lake Mont is the Calaveras Big Trees. This is a giant Sequoia tree grove, it's one of the first tourist attractions in California. The "Discovery tree" is here. This was one of the first Sequoia trees discovered by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852.

John Muir said about this grove: "They [the Calaveras giants] were the first discovered and are the best known. Thousands of travelers from every country have come to pay them tribute of admiration and praise."

This was a treat for us. Other than knowing we'd be by a lake we had no idea where we were going or what was around.

Sadly the Discovery Tree was chopped down and shown around traveling exhibitions as proof of these giant trees. The stump has been planed and smoothed down and even served as a dance floor.  In 1852 they didn't have the modern tools to saw a tree down so you can see that they used various tools and drills to fell this giant. Thankfully Dowd and many other visitors protested to the chopping down of these majestic trees so that we can enjoy our Creator's delight. 

You feel so small and insignificant next to these beauties. 

This is little Marie, 9 years old walking among giants. 

The view from below. 

Between the trees.

The rest of our time was spent at the lake, cooling down and relaxing in the refreshing waters. We even found a few friends to hang with. 

Murphys, California

"MURPHY'S CAMP is a curious old mining-town in Calaveras County, at an elevation of 2,400 feet (730 m) above the sea, situated like a nest in the center of a rough, gravelly region, rich in gold. Granites, slates, lavas, limestone, iron ores, quartz veins, auriferous gravels, remnants of dead fire-rivers and dead water-rivers are developed here side by side within a radius of a few miles, and placed invitingly open before the student like a book, while the people and the region beyond the camp furnish mines of study of never-failing interest and variety." - John Muir

Recently on our roadtrip up North we stayed in a the town of Arnold, just a few miles North of Murphy's.  The old merchant town was the base for all the Gold Rush that invaded this part of California.  Though Murphy's had seen at least 3 fires during it's boom it still has the feeling of an old gold mining town.  My friend took us here as she knew I'd love it.  

Murphy's is about 6 hours north of Los Angeles, While the 405,  5 and 99 aren't exactly lovely, when you get off the roads there is SPACE. Us Angelenos relish some SPACE. I'll share those wide open spaces on the next post.

First stop was the Pokey.  Tiny little jail, let's hope there wasn't a huge rash of crime, not enough room for more than two people and that's pushing it. 

Cream stone and green shutters are so appealing to this old Murphy's Hotel, serving patrons since 1856, it adds charm to the authenticity of this town. 

Don't you just love them. 

Our friends sister helps out a few days at Aria's bakery.  Amazing breads and tasting baked treats here.  She brought us a whole bagful of treats.  Me and the young girls I was with laid out our favorites and took a picture of them the next morning. 

The cinnamon roll and scones were delicious, this is a must stop place when visiting Murphy's.  I'd heard when I was in town that Sunset magazine had made a recent visit, great minds think alike. You can read about it in the August 2013 Issue.

I think I'm kind of obsessed with doors, every door in this town was unique. See below. 

One of the places my friend took me to is Marisolio an olive oil store, that allows you to taste anything.  I ended up trying more balsamic then olive oil and walked out with a ripe peach and blueberry balsamic and a Milanese olive oil. All so tasty I can't wait to try them all with various recipes. 

After our little walk thru the town we drove to Ironstone Winery.  Everyone told us how great all the restaurants were in town, we'll be coming back to taste away.

Ironstone Winery is beautiful and they have it set up for concerts at night.  The wines were tasty and as usual I ended up leaving with a Moscato. I like me some sweet after dinner drink. 

You'll have to take the time to drive here, it's worth it and totally family friendly. More to come on the lake. Enjoy!. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies

A few years back I made the peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies above. I find this is still a go to recipe I use all the time.  In fact it was just over 4 years ago, July 15, 2009 last time I posted about it. We have an annual 3 day convention we go to every year and well I find a little treat and pick me up in the afternoon is just the thing to help me pay attention. I've adapted this recipe from a local small town Iowa cookbook. It's super easy and a great idea for something to do with kids. They can unwrap all the kisses and help put them on the warm cookies as you pull them out of the oven.

After you mix all the ingredients start hand rolling the dough into small balls.

Roll the balls into sugar and lightly coat. 

Place the rolled cookie dough onto cookie sheets and cook at 375 for 8 minutes.

Start unwrapping all your chocolate kisses while you wait for the cookies to bake. 

After first 8 minutes, take out the cookies and gently smoosh one chocolate kiss in the middle of each cookie. Then return to the oven and finish baking for 5 more minutes, then let them cool on a rack. Then eat away, Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 c. Butter
1 c. Peanut Butter (I use Trader Joes or a Natural Peanut Butter, I've used Skippy before but i like a little more texture in this recipe).
1 c. Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, beaten
4 T. milk (in a pinch i used Rice Milk, we never have regular milk in our house)
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Additional granulated sugar
1 pkg of kisses

Directions: Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar; add eggs, milk and vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients, except additional sugar and candies; add to butter mixture.   Shape into balls; roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and press and chocolate star or kiss on each cookie until the cookie cracks around the edge.  Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Mindless Monday

Did you know that JCPenney's sales Marchesa gowns? I found this out when I was checking out the JCP's newly revamped home section here. I was this close to trying on this dress and running out with it, they have a cute short red number that is adorable here. But seriously I have no events coming up and I don't foresee the Red Carpet in my near/any future. This day I was specifically looking at the Happy Chic Jonathan Adler collection as well as the Michael Graves Design tea kettles, toasters and other amazing modern home furniture by designer Sir Terence Conran.

I love when a brand that seems to have gotten stale works to revive itself. Though in much of my reading on JCP's troubles they have a long way to go, with new CEO out and old new CEO back-in, there's much to be done.

I personally felt like JCP was reintroduced to me, a middle to low income SoCal girl. Although I may not be the Middle American target, I loved seeing cool design in the store. Not sure this has fully caught on yet as it was pretty sparse in customers. JCP may have isolated their core audience with a no-sales approach in the past, but you have to admit the new home designs of the "store within a store" are appealing.

Did you also know they have Sephora stores within the store, I didn't either, and they've been there since 2009.  Seriously great design should always be affordable, none of this Design NOT Within Reach. And this is so not a sponsored post, I just felt like I needed to say how I felt about JCP. It's is a Mindless Monday dump once again.

Stone Fruit Crumble

On one of my farmers market runs I went to get peaches and came back with not only those, but quite a few other stone fruits. This included nectarines and pluot's. The later I had never had, but wow were these sweet and juicy, bursting with flavor. I had to get a few.  I came home right away sliced and ate em. 

Every once in a while I find a new blog, to me, or a new food show, this time I found both. The Pioneer Woman. Ree Drummond is just so REAL, I would love to meet her in person. She has a great recipe for what she called a "Crisp." Only she made hers with peaches. I decided to combine my farmers market peaches, nectarines and pluot's that I still had on hand and put them in a baking dish below.

Zest 1/2 a lemon and squeeze the juice too over the stone fruit and if you want more sweetness add in 2 tbsp's of maple syrup (the good pure kind)

Have I ever mentioned that I someone how always pick the HOTTEST most HUMID day to bake and at the time of day that the sun is beaming into our little apartment. Well I do, at least the house always smells good, that's my excuse to SB. 

To make the topping, in a separate blow mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt and cut in 1/2 cup cold butter. Either do this with a pastry blender or a good old fashioned fork. I've done both, but prefer my pastry blender I got from Sur La Table a while back, this one.

Fully cover the fruit and pack down lightly. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20-30 minutes until crunchy on top. I have gone the full 30 minutes to make sure it's nice and crunchy.

You can serve this with vanilla ice cream or vanilla Greek yogurt. I've done both and was happily content.  It's a great recipe, tested on myself and then on my friends three kids, it's a hit. Use whatever stone fruits you have on hand. Peaches are everywhere now, so take advantage of the deals and the amazing juicy fruits.  Enjoy!

Tomato Caprese Salad

A few years back there was a tomato scare in California.  For some reason this didn't stop us from buying tomatoes.  I believe there wasn't even any foundation on what the scare was.  It's a distant memory.

We love tomatoes.  Believe me this is not how it always was.  I use to HATE them, passionately.  But taste buds change and we make lots of Bruschetta with tomatoes these days.  I use to work right next to a farmers market and every Wednesday morning I would go down and buy what ever was in season.  This was how I got turned on to Heirloom Tomatoes.

SB loves heirloom tomatoes so we got the great idea of taking a big terracotta pot on our 3x9 balcony and growing our own tomatoes.  I of course like the romance of planting the seed and watching it grow.  Comes from my grandmother's green thumb and letting me plant my own radish garden in her vast yard as a child. Incidentally I don't really like radishes either but I loved this project with grandma.  So to make this long story longer, I bought two packets of Heirloom tomato seeds, Cherokee and Brandywines, and I planted them in the pot.

The packet said in 8 weeks we'd have some shoots, well more than 8 weeks went by and not a glimmer of anything.  So I put the seeds in a little bit of water and put them on the window seal.

Eventually these little roots grew and I planted these seeds.  Finally shoots appeared. Did I tell you we only have a 3x9 apartment patio. Well our friend gave us an Earthbox that you supposedly can grow anything in. SB nurtured this box and we had a Jack and the Giant Tomato Stalk...only NO tomatoes. When any appeared the bugs got to it. I think we eventually got ONE good tomato out of all that effort. We sliced, salted, olive oiled and ate it, all in one bite. That was the end of our tomato garden. I think we'll wait for that Farm we dream of, that way SB can get his chickens too.

In the meantime, I make weekly walks to the local farmers market and gather whatever is in season. I gathered these luscious heirloom tomatoes, in every color available.

This is the easiest recipe for fresh tomatoes. All you need is basil, tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, olive oil, salt, and balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients & Directions:

Heirloom tomatoes (slice)

Salt

Olive Oil (make sure it's quality oil and drizzle it over the tomatoes) 

Buffalo Mozzarella (slice and intersperse with the tomatoes) 

Basil (rough chop and sprinkle on top) 

Balsamic Vinegar (drizzle)

Serve with toasted crusty bread drizzled with Olive Oil and rub with a garlic clove for extra flavor.  I prefer La Brea bakery bread, it just taste and toasts better.

Simple and flavorful. Enjoy!

Fall Color Trend

I'm starting to see what MY Fall color trend will be.  Separately and without realizing I've been drawn to Teal or as Essie labels it "trophy wife".   I've always loved this color, but I have to say a quote from the Wedding Planner had me put it on the back-burner a few years ago: 

"Fran has chosen teal for her brides maids? Teal, the color of gangrene. My last bride who chose teal ended up getting her marriage annulled in 12 days!"

What's your favorite soon to be Fall color?

1.  Nail Polish - Essie Trophy Wife $8 at CVS or Rite Aid

2. iPhone Case - Rifle Paper Co   currently $36

3. Purse - Target currently $15.99

Stuffed Squash Blossom

I love going to the Farmers Market, more in the summer than any other time.  It seems like the produce changes out every two weeks.  This day I ran down at the very end and saw these amazing squash blossoms and had to try them out.  The farmer gave me two full baskets for the price of one. Tip: go at the very end for good deals. Go at the beginning if you need the best and lots of it.

So I texted SB to look up a recipe for stuffed squash blossoms, I was bound and determined and knew I'd need more ingredients when I got home.  So I gathered the filling ingredients, cheeses, Ricotta and Parmesan were top on my list.  To be honest I had to look up a YouTube video to figure out how to put this together, especially taking out the innards.  YouTube it away or Bing it and you'll find the perfect tutorial.

Here's what the inside looks like of a squash blossom.

Gently pull out the stamen inside, you'll see it when you try to open the blossom.

Here's what the empty squash blossoms looked like with out the stamen.

Here's what the innard stamen's look like. No use for them, accept I thought they were pretty.

Filling had ricotta and Parmesan cheese, pinch of salt and chopped parsley.

Fully dip or immerse them in the tempura batter.

Quick fry em up. I would use grapeseed oil in the future, only thing I didn't like was the canola oil taste.

These were delicious.  Rich and cheesy and I loved the green zuchini, I would definitely leave them on when you make this.

Here's the recipe: 

Stuffing:

1 cup Ricotta Cheese

1/2 cup parmessan

pinch of salt

chopped parsley

Tempura Batter: 

Canola Oil (I would use Grapeseed oil next time)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup Chilled Pilsner, lager-style beer, or club soda (I used Hanger 24 Orange Wheat Beer) - You may need more to get the right consistency.

Zucchini blossoms (stamens removed; about 16)                                            

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients together for the tempura batter. Chill for a few minutes.

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and set aside. I like the flavors to meld.

Gently pull the stamens from the blossoms and you can either cut the green zuchini off or leave it on. I prefer the green it was delicious. 

Gently put in about 1 tablespoon of cheese per blossom. More if it fits and delicately twist the blossom so the ingredients stay in.

Heat oil in a deep pan about 1 inch deep, needs to be really hot about 350. Test with a bread crumb. If it fries quickly then your good to go.  

Take batter out of refrigerator and mix well, may need to add more beer or club soda to get a good consistency for coating. Dip each stuffed squash blossom and fully coat in the tempura batter and start frying them up. It's a quick fry.

Make sure you turn them over to get it all fried up.  Do this in batches to make sure the oil stays hot.

Drain on a paper towel, salt and serve. Enjoy!

Cuba A Bittersweet Tale - Part IX

One day while visiting with Abuelo I watched the kids outside play in the pot-holed dusty street. Not a Gameboy or iTouch around. Life consisted of a cart, horse and laughter. Simple living. They would circle the block a few times, run and jump off cart.  Innocence. I was moved by this moment. Then smilingly I walked back into the house laid down my camera only to have one of these stinkers dart in and grab it. The whole house jumped up and chased this kid down and retrieved my camera. Innocent moment broken with the realization of poverty.

Lazy days of the summer of 2000 in Habana, Cuba. Dad asked for these images to paint a picture, I hope to see it someday soon.

We drove to an old Church where Grandma use to attend services. The children playing outside happily let me take their pictures.  Can you feel the heat all the kids run shirtless and smiling.

Down at the Malecon the kids fished and played on the edge of sea leading into the harbor of Habana.

Don't be fooled by the moody image above. It really was a humid mirky blue water day in the bay full of boats.

For transportation in this city they of course have all the old vintage cars. Laws in Cuba at this time didn't allow people to buy or sell cars or homes.  So the country has been filled with 1950s Fords, Buicks and Pontiacs, some in mint condition, others barely sputter down the calle's. For most of the weeks we were there we rode around in a Russian Ladas. Around town we saw few modern Peugeots and Kias. I saw maybe one shiny black SUV and was told only the elite athletes and celebrities are allowed to purchase new vehicles.

One thing about being a tourist with a camera is you stand out quite a bit. Plus usually I know how to blend with my clothing, but that was impossible unless i wanted to wear spandex.  So anytime I took a picture people noticed.  These guys told us "hey, you taking a picture old guys working on old cars?" Indeed I was.

We stopped and chatted with them.  They wanted to know about my Dad, he told them a brief version of why were were there and how long it had been since he'd been back.

Another means of transportation where these small taxi's. I think I would prefer a vintage 1950 turquoise blue ford personally.

My cousins, who I'd just met, and spoke perfect English, learned on their own reading Vogue magazine, told me about the buses and trucks. As many people as possible would cram in them on their way to and from work. These ladies choose to walk rather than endure this, especially in the heat. I would too.

One thing about old cars, they die or stall all the time. We pushed this car so many times while I was here. Living in NM cars get stuck in mud and snow and whatever else the elements produce. I secretly kind of love pushing a car. I begged this day to push the car, but this male dominated culture wouldn't have it, so I was subjected to sitting in the back taking these photos. People are used to assisting in an old fashioned jumping a car and they come out of the wood-works to help a soul out.

Lastly on the highways it's routine to pass a buggy pulled by a horse. This is the way and life of getting around in Cuba.

Mindless Monday

So this past weekend I attended a wedding, where the bride is never emotional and gets choked up during her vows, which made me cry. And I NEVER cry at weddings, not even my own.  Then during the reception my dear friend Jessica went into labor, so I left the reception early, made my way home, changed and then took off to the hospital.

Out of all my friends who have had babies, naturally, with and without drugs, c-sections, I have actually never been in the delivery room for any of them. Jessica asked me to come, so I took the chance, I think she'll be the last of my close friends to pop out any more gorgeous children.  While I was super excited about this opportunity, I was nervous. Did I tell you I gag at everything. This was a problem in elementary school when throwing up for kids was second nature and well when I would see it, yes I would GAG and then throw up and get sent to the nurses office.  So you see my dilemma. I can happily say no gagging happened at all. I was proud. Jessica was amazing, calm yet emotional. Held on tightly with her perfectly manicured hands during the delivery.

So after crying at the wedding I proceeded to cry at the birth of this lovely little girl.

Sailer Carlyle, she's a beauty. I had no idea how emotional birth would be, I am thankful to participate and am moved by this moment. Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell and to the Real Family for bringing in a beautiful little girl to our world.

Keep a look out on My Life at Playtime, this is her niece and there are sure to be some lovely pictures of this precious little girl. 

San Pedro Mini City Guide

Giving you all a quick break from Cuba and focusing on a cool SoCal city. Recently I spent a week in San Pedro, while i wasn't exactly a tourist, I did get to spend time in the area with quite a few of the locals.  I have to say I've driven to this city several times on my pacific coast highway adventures.  But this is the first time I really hung out in the area. Gaffey seems to be the main thorough fare from where the 110 ends at the coast.  South of Gaffey seems to be a lower income area and flatter to walk.  North of Gaffey you start getting more houses and less apartments, also at the top of hills up you can see the San Pedro harbor, I really never got tired of this view.

So I found out that there are lots of Italian and Croatian's living here, purely because at one time this was a fishing town. Back in the day there were up to 70 commercial boats in the harbor, now merely 12. So of course you'd expect to find some good fish in the area. Our friends took us to a place on Gaffey called Baja Fish, small place tucked in between a few other places. They had salmon and various fish tacos served with beans and rice, all very good. I'd go back to this place for sure, everything tasted fresh.

Baja Fish

611 S Gaffey St

San Pedro, CA 90731

While walking thru one of the neighborhoods I was startled to see a peacock on top of someones garage. Then they told me there are all over the area.  This was so bizarre to me, but seriously I saw about 25 Peacocks mostly male but I saw a few females and their chicks. It was a bit misty in the area and their calls were haunting, I felt like I was at a wild animal park.  The history goes that peacocks where gifted to the Vanderlip family and Estate which is in the area. There are quite a few in this neighborhood of San Pedro and Portuguese Bend in Palos Verdes.

Along with great fish in the area I also found an amazing Italian bakery. A few locals told me about the place.  I went in and asked what the favorites were and they pointed to the treats below: Rum Ball, Almond Cresent and Cannoli.

Amalfitano

9111 S Western Ave,

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275  

Oh my goodness, I took a bite of that rum ball on my drive home with coffee and I have been dreaming about it ever since. Dark chocolate covered rum infused cakey texture with just enough to not get pulled over for a DUI. I can't wait to go back.

Walking again in another neighborhood one of the locals pointed out this Corner Store, she loves to go here for breaks and raves about the lemon bars.  We took a quick stop had a few sandwiches, sodas and took some baked goods home. This is going to be a place I come to all the time, I would have never found it had I not been with a local. This is the best way to find out about these special little places. Some of my best dining experiences have been when I asked a local for a recommendation.

Corner Store

118 W 37th St  

San Pedro, CA 90731

At the Corner Store they have live music. On this day these guys were playing a few old tunes. The harmonica player was funny, he stopped playing for a minute to tell me he liked my hot pink shoes.  

Nothing fancy here, but feels like a family joint.  Simple fair with an easy-going vibe. 

We order the Italian Stallion: grilled chicken breast with provolone cheese, mayo, sicilian bruschetta on ciabatta roll. Tasty goodie.

Loved this view from the table.

They have a wide range of sodas in every flavor imaginable.  You can even take some flowers home. 

My friend insisted we take home some sweets, she order a Brownie, Apricot tart and Butterscotch Blonde. Wow were these delicious. Rob preferred the brownie. I was partial for the apricot tart, but the brownie was my second favorite. Again this is a place I'd returned to and hopefully very soon. Take a day and go explore this great little area. The views are great and I saw a few hiking trails along the coastal line with a historical lighthouse and park nearby. Enjoy!

Cuba a Bittersweet Tale - Part VIII

So I've finally spilled the beans to my Dad about this story of our trip to Cuba.  My scanner broke and life has kept me busy.  Dad loved the story and asked me to please finish it.  

In May 2012, in Albuquerque, there was a reunion of all the Cuban boys that had been in and out of the home that they stayed in. The local newspaper interviewed my Dad and he was able to recount much of what I've been writing.  Here's a link to that interview.  Be prepared, you might cry.

While visiting in Cuba every morning was spent with Abuelo and Berty, then we'd venture out for food or repairs. 

We had contemplated replacing the Hotpoint refrigerator (see image), but new ones were about $500, which was too much and then we worried that the electrical system might not be able to handle a powerful new refrigerator.  

Most of the day we'd sit in the house with Abuelo and Berty.  Berty is only 2 years younger then Dad, but seemed like 16, so sweet. He'd give you kisses, say hello or goodbye and occasionally have outburst in Spanish, which were usually curse words.  

I struggled with Spanish, but really tried, Abuelo would get a bit irritated when someone was speaking Spanish to me and I am trying to explain that I don't speak it very well.  He would tell them in Spanish "No Hablan Espanole."

Dad continued to sift thru the cabinets finding sanders, that were used to shape and make the furniture, lots of old receipts and boxes of quills and who knows what else. Dad cried over the box of quills. Everything is emotional when we're in this house.

We found images of my grandmother as a young lady. She was in a Catalan choir when she lived in Spain. She was such a beautiful woman. I wish I had met her before she died.

In the evenings Dad and I would leave with Luis and stroll through the town of Habana. On this evening we went to the old part of Habana (yes an even older part then everything else you've seen).  We walked by the Capital which looks just like the Capital in Washington D.C. The streets in this part of Habana are cobblestone. Some buildings are starting to be restored.  

Usually we'd go out in the afternoon if at all to get supplies and food. So we asked Abuelo what did he want to eat.  He said "Jamon y Queso." I had to laugh because that's all I ever remember my Dad eating. Luis knew about the dollar stores, where yes they took U.S. currency. There is not much on the shelves but regardless Luis knew where to go and what my grandfather liked to eat.  

We walked to the entrance of Habana Bay where you can see the lighthouse and El Morro, the castle where Che set up after the Revolution.  The wall that lines the ocean front area is called the Malecon and you see this in film all the time.

We had to go to the place made famous by Ernest Hemingway. El Bogodita, as the legend goes he wrote his name on the wall and thus everyone that visit does the same. I was too busy slurping down refreshing sweet and minty Mojito's to write my name so Dad did justice to the whole family at the time.

This particular day was the day I was born. Everyone who knows me, knows I don't celebrate my birthday, never have and not about to start now either.  So I hoped my dad would forget. Well he did for a bit till the Daquari kicked in at La Floridita, another haunt of old Mr. Hemingways. I have to say we were WAY underdressed for this place.  Everyone was in white Tuxedo jackets drinking cocktails and enjoying the music. Us three stroll in in our shorts and dollars and sit up at the bar and order us some drinks. I am sure Luis thought this all so wasteful. We'd had an emotional day, but still wanted to take advantage of seeing Cuba. My dad decides to inform everyone it's my birthday and well I got serenaded by the musicians and wanted to crawl under the bar.

At the end of the night we would walk down the streets of Old Habana watching people listening to the music, catching a quinceanera celebration and just enjoying the atmosphere. This was one of my favorite moments absorbing everything with all my senses, I often dream of this little walk and the image below is one of my favorite of the trip.

Cuba A Bittersweet Tale - Part VII

There is much to say about Family. Fathers and mothers can be particularly difficult to articulate. While I don't pick special days to call out my parents, I felt that I needed to continue this story about my father and his trip home to Cuba. This seemed an authentic time to share. 

Can you imagine being forced to leave your home and your parents and little brother when you were 14? Emotionally I know at 14 I would not have been prepared for that. Can you imagine coming to a country where you do not speak the language and you are not living with any blood relatives? What about leaving a tropical island with amazing beaches and blue water and ending up in the hot desert of the New Mexico sun?  To put yourself in that place cannot be easy. This was my dad's journey.

When we traveled to Cuba all I could see was the romance of this forbidden island. I cannot for the life of me imagine the emotions you feel to come home to a place where you no longer fit in, where your parents and brother are old and in the case of your mom, she has passed. The last time you saw her she was a young woman.  The emotions weighing in on my father must have been intense. I think I've mentioned that the full two weeks we were here there wasn't a day that went by that we didn't cry.

Life hasn't been easy for Dad, but he's managed to carve out a decent life in America. While my relationship with him is not normal he has a great "family" support group. There is much I appreciate about this man. For one he's cool, he's an amazing artist, and he does genuinely care about people. While he never saw his own mom again, he's shown an amazing support for my mom's side of the family. Though my parents haven't been together since the 70's, recently my 94 year old grandmother needed some extra care. My dad still calls her Mom and he willingly volunteered to spend a few mornings a week to support my grandmother and help my mom out.  I had to call him and thank him.  I found this very touching and can't recall many in his shoes that would show such concern for their in-laws.

On this particular day in Cuba I took the image above of him sitting in the living room of his parents home.  He was soaking it all in. So much to do and consider. What were you thinking this day Dad?

There is a story behind the image above, while I speak of my own Dad, he also had an interesting relationship with his Father. As you can imagine after 40 years their own relationship was strained. Usually when my Dad called Cuba he always talked to his mother, never his father. Resentment, anger, who knows.

However, this particular day we got my grandfather outside of the house. We had to rent a car since they only allow new cars to drive thru the tunnels here. Can you imagine an old 1950 Chevy getting stuck in these tunnels. Abuelo was not well and in much pain, but he came anyways. We drove to Soroa resort. There is a waterfall in lush surroundings.

Once we got there we drove up to this very high hill, Dad and Luis had to help my grandfather get out of the car to overlook all the lush tobacco fields and feel the sun. I vividly remember this scene and feeling very emotional. I stayed back and captured this moment on film, I knew this would be the last time my grandfather would ever see this scene and that this day would never be repeated. He and my dad would be in this place for the last time that contained so many fond memories. It was just a feeling and is now a reality. Less then a year after this visit my grandfather, my dad's Father passed away. I hope he'd remembered this day and of all the great memories with his son before he left this beautiful island. 

As usual my dad neglected to tell me we were going to hike to this waterfall. And this day it rained, rain like I have never felt before. Buckets of water felt like they were pouring over me. I was so unprepared in wedge sandals, no rain coat and my Canon AE-1 manual camera loaded only with B&W film. I managed to keep my camera relatively dry. Only Dad and I hiked to the waterfall and later met up with Luis and Abuelo. Abuelo was not to happy that my Dad managed to get me soaked. I was fine and enjoyed watching this family dynamic. 

A few years back I had made a deal with my dad to swap paintings of Cuba. He is a very talented artist and I didn't own anything he's ever painted. Mostly he painted as a hobby. I've told him for years he could make a living at it. Today he actually does do paintings and murals for clients in addition to other work. I chose an few images to piece together and paint, bright and colorful, with vibrant oils. It's how I viewed Cuba. When I was making a trip home to New Mexico I told him I had his painting in hand and that he'd better have something for me.  He took two days off and did the pastel pencil image above. His was muted and soft, mine was in rich vibrant colors. Two different views of the same trip.  I thought it interesting that he choose to put two people in the image, he and his father. They use to sit here on the Malecon viewing the Habana harbor entrance and the El Morro fortress.

I have so many questions that I would have liked to ask my grandfather. Where were you born, what year, why did you move to Cuba, how did you meet my grandmother, when and where did you get married, do you have any brothers, sisters, aunts, why didn't you come to America? Ah families are interesting and our curiosity is endless. Embrace your family, Fathers, Mothers all of them while they are still alive, even in all the dysfunctional parts, you know you still love them. 

This post is part of a promotion with FamilySearch.

Mindless Monday

After two weeks of volunteer work which is always rewarding we are back home to our regularly scheduled events....called LIFE.  Also back to my own cooking and city. I have adventures to share from one of the city's I was in for a week, to be shared later this week, i really like San Pedro.

One of my goals has been to lose a good 50 lbs.  It's been a struggle and getting older doesn't help.  So today is the day I start a 48 hour cleanse.  Why you may ask? Well one I got my annual physical test results back and my cholesterol needs to come down and if you've been following me on Instagram know I've been engaging in quite a few baked goods lately.  So this is a jump start to getting back on a normal healthy eating program with a cheat once in a while and not so daily or weekly. After this cleanse I have a good healthy eating program that has worked for me, it's really based on the South Beach diet, which I hate to call a diet, but it's a good way to eat balanced healthy meals.  For the initial cleanse I did a  little research and seemed to like Dr. Oz's suggestions the best.

Here's why I've chosen Dr. Oz's 48 hour cleanse, because:

1.  It's only 48 hours.

2. The foods he choses are naturally good for your liver and kidneys, none of this artificial stuff it's all things you can get at your local market or better yet Farmers market.

3. I thankfully work from home to make all this food.

4. I thankfully work from home for the other obvious reasons that a cleanse may cause.

I'll let you know how I feel and if it helps jump start me on the road to healthy living. Have a great week everyone.

Tech Tuesday

Before I get into my technology post, I wanted to let my small amount of readers know I have to take a bit of a break from this space. My husband and I have been involved in some volunteer work the past couple of weeks that requires our full attention. I'll be back to a more regular schedule in a few weeks.

In the meantime, my tech Tuesday is about Podcasts. I have to say I'm slightly addicted to these. When I walk to do my errands or just go for a bit of real exercise I drown out the noises of the street and dive into one of my favorite podcasts. If you listen to podcasts on your iPhone, you'll have to download the Podcast app from the App store (looks like the image to the right) and download that to your phone. It's free as are all the podcasts I feature below.  If you have an Android phone you'll need to download a podcast app to listen or subscribe to them, Mashable has 5 they recommend, a few are free the rest you have to pay for. You can either listen to individual podcasts you like or subscribe to one you know you'll listen to often. It should automatically download the new ones when you click on the app. However, I had subscribe to one podcast, but find I'm not listening to it that often so it doesn't download the news until you start catching up. When I'm at home I listen to the podcasts on my computer thru my MacBook on iTunes. Whatever works for you,  just give them a chance.

Here are a few of my favorites:

As every hipster in LA and probably NY already knows This American Life is a great way to start listening in podcasts. Ira Glass is a great story teller and brings to the plate amazing fictional and true life tales. They are usually told in three acts.  Sometimes these are first person stories. David Sedaris is a regular guest, and well he makes me literally laugh out loud, his story about music lessons brought me to laughter tears. Occasionally, This American Life host a live Radio Show, I have yet to get to one, but listening to them is the next best thing. My favorite one was the story about Tig Notora running into Taylor Dayne, you'll laugh your head off as did the audience and Ira always narrates what we can see so you feel like your still there.

I am an avid History fan, always loved it and still do.  This is a great podcast hosted by Holly Frey and Tracy Wilson called Stuff You Missed in History Class. They take a historical subject, do the research and present the facts.  Sometimes blowing the doors wide open on the myths.  My favorite history lesson so far was the two part series Loving vs. Virginia, a fascinating true story about the laws on interracial marriage in the United States, this case went all the way up to the Supreme Court and forever changed the laws in the United States, though some states have taken longer to get these antiquated laws off their books.

RadioLab is new to me, but so many of my friends really love this show.  They take a subject and patch together people, music, culture, stories and experiences around that subject. I've enjoyed the podcasts so far, still trying to pick out a favorite.  

As everyone who reads this blogs knows, food is a topic I chat about frequently. Over the past year I've found myself working from home and closer to a farmers market that I can walk to every Wednesday. I frequently listen to this podcast, Last Chance Foods on my iPhone while I walk to the market. It contains information on seasonal produce that's at your local farmers market, what's about to go out of  along with some great stories from local farmers on their produce.

So far my favorite episode has been Last Chance Food: Chicken to Eggs.  Everyone I follow in the blogasphere have chickens. Small houses to large acres, chickens are cool. I laugh because 17 years ago when I first got married all my husband wanted was chickens. Seriously, chickens in our 3x9 patio was not going to happen, I chalked it up to his Latin roots and my lack of appreciation, plus a few close calls with chickens in New Mexico didn't make me a believer. Now that I eat eggs pretty much everyday, this so wouldn't be a bad thing to have, plus Martha has great Araucana Chickens that hatch the amazing blue eggs, who wouldn't want one of those for breakfast. We still have a 3x9 patio, but maybe one day we'll have a bigger space for chickens.

This podcast, Stuff You Should Know, can be on just about any subject from the duckbill platypuses to how marriage works, how coffins work and how fair trade works. Josh and Chuck host this and it's a similar format as Stuff You Missed in History Class. This podcast reminds me we can never be bored of learning there is so much stuff out there to try to understand if you even care. The key is balance, sometimes we can get information overload and have no idea what to do with it.  Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy...maybe.

My friend Deborah of My Life at Playtime recently introduced me to this podcast, called The Moth. Thse are first person stories told in front of a live audience, that range from 15 - 20 minutes. In fact in Santa Monica at Zanzibar tonight they are recording a live broadcast, I think it's not to late to buy tickets. Writers and story tellers alike tell true life tales that are fascinating and fun to listen to especially with a live audience reaction. It becomes a shared experience with strangers and the story teller. I think I'd like to add this to my bucket list of things I would like to do, once in my life.

Studio 360 is hosted by Kurt Anderson.  Each week he focuses on pop culture and the arts. Sometimes it's a book, movie or music or all three. So far my favorites have been about the American Icons: The Great Gatsby. There are great story/interviews with different actors, it's a much more relaxed setting, which brings some good insights into the art crafts.

While these are my current favorites, don't be limited to these, they are just suggestions. One of my friends loves podcasts on cars and another on photography. There are so plenty of options out there, just enjoy!

Happy Chic

Did you know Jonathan Adler has a collection at JCP.  Thumbing thru my new Bon Appetit I discovered this today.  I'm probably late to the game on this, but I am SOOOO excited. Most things are pretty affordable, sans the couch, which is what drew me in the first place.  It's about the same price as the ones at Room & Board. But I love these designers who are creating products with their amazing design ascetic for brands that regular folks might be able to afford. Why should great design be only for the wealthy? Us poor folks with great taste deserve a chance too.  This is not a sponsored post, just about a designer I really admire.

Tech Tuesday

So have you ever had to teach a non-tech person how to use a smart phone or a tablet?

If you haven't, be prepared. Many, many, years ago my husband's granny got a computer, she was in her 80's and was bound and determined to learn it.  Oh the joys of SB's visits and trying to explain simple tasks to her, he's a patient man, but he had limits. Finally she gave up, she had decided it wasn't worth trying anymore.​

Well recently my mom (not in her 80's) decided to get indoctrinated into the world of Apple. First with an iPhone 4S. Trying to explain to her how this works, was hilarious, and then she got the iPad. Oh, the joys.​ Let me start off by saying my moms old phone(s) were just flip phones, old Motorola or Samsung.

I say phones because she has a knack for putting them in the "warsh" that's her way of saying "wash." And then there was the time it slipped out of her pocket and fell in the toilet. Seriously, she's a SMART woman, college educated even, but these little mishaps make me shudder. If there is a body of water around her phone will find it. When she said she wanted an iPhone all I could see was a $200 piece of equipment sitting in the loo. Not ideal.​

First off I had to show her Face-time, since she lives in the boonies of New Mexico and cell service isn't great, she kept putting the phone up to her ear to hear me.  All I could see was a giant eyeball and the rim of her glasses.

Me: Mom, are you putting the phone next to your ear?​

Mom: Yes, so I can hear you. But why can't I see you?​

Me: Uuh you have to pull the phone in front or you?​

Mom: ooooh....

​Then last night she emails me from her new iPad at midnight her time, she wants to chat about how to use her new iPad. I said I'd call her today and walk her thru some basics.

After trying to explain to her which icon to push I realized the simplest way was to Face-time her on our iPhones and put it over my iPad to help her learn out to do this. Seriously there is nothing like face to face meetings, I so wish I was sitting there with her, because trying to explain how to bookmark a website she goes to and put the icon on her homepage screen was like trying to solve for world peace.​

Then I want to know which kind of tablet she got.

Me: Did you get a mini or original?

Mom: The big one, take a look (puts phone over the iPad).

Me: All I can see is your hand.

Mom: Oh here. (moves the phone all over the place)

Me: Mom, all I see is the ceiling now, what did you press on your phone?​

Mom: I don't know.​

Me: See the camera icon on the lower right side with the arrow, push that.​

Mom: oooooooh, I wondered why I couldn't see you.​

Seriously....thankfully me and my mom have a sense of humor because at the end of our conversation I just broke down and laughed with her. I can't wait till I have to explain Instagram to her, she will SOOOO not get it.

One last conversation.​

Mom: I ordered a phone cover and an iPad case, you know I'm clumsy so I'm kind of afraid to use my iPad.​

Me: Mom, you need to bubble wrap that bad boy in waterproof material.​

Mom: Laughing I KNOW!!!​ I got me a waterproof one.

Oh the joys of new technology, we so take for granted that we know how to use this stuff. Our kids are growing up with technology. I didn't learn how to use a computer till I was a senior in high-school and that was basic DOS programming.

I love a good story, share your technology tales and did you show someone how to use a smart phone, tablet, Mac, or PC. How did that work out for you?

Most of all be patient and be ready to laugh, we all had to start somewhere.