it’s a manic Monday with rain coming down in the lower Hudson Valley of New York all week long.
There are days your tryng to get anchored in a routine to bring you clarity. Wishing I was on this dock from my weekend excursion further upstate near Albany, NY.
Map created by Sara Darouian
Map created by Sara Darouian
It's already been a two years since we visited Belize. This was such a great trip. Was the first time in many years we've been out of the country. It was also the first time traveling with a family with three pre-teen, teen girls. Most of all I love the reason we choose Belize.
Many months before this trip my friend Sherry came up to me after one of our Sunday meetings. No context to this conversation AT ALL. She says to me "you want to go to Belize?" In my mind I'm thinking is there a restaurant called Belize, I was hungry what can I say. I asked her "are you talking about the country or are we talking about a restaurant?" She said the country and proceed to tell me why. Belize is predominantly an English speaking country, it's not too far, and she wanted to put some goals in front of her three girls. Give them a chance to see what it would live to move to a foreign country and do our volunteer work. She said the girls wanted us to go with them. I was sold. Rob was sold. We're all about putting goals in front of young ones, let them see the possibilities in life and open their minds to other cultures and peoples.
Also it didn't hurt us that we happened to have good friends from Belize who have property down there. They have asked us many times to visit with them when they are down there. So it was in motion. All we had to do was coordinate the timing when the girls were off school. We calculated our expense, frequent flyer miles, friends to stay with, we could do this on our limited budget, or really NO budget. So about 2 months before we left, literally while I was at a conference in Salt Lake City, she texted me, told me the days the girls were off and she was booking it. I flew home, booked the tickets and well the rest is history.
We spent 2 weeks and I have to say we saw more of Belize then some native Belizian's. We went from the top to the bottom to the interior of the country. Our Belizian friends were nice enough to fly back down just before us and help Rob and I get settled before the family came down. We had 3 days to do this and then regrouped with the family.
We stayed in a little village called Carmelita, just south of Orange Walk town. We had a few days of volunteer work in the surrounding villages surrounded by malty fine powdered dirt roads, sugar cane jungles and humid hot heat. We loved it. When I asked our hosts for directions to their house, all she told me was Bus Stop #2 when you get to Carmelita, I was perplexed, what in the world does that mean. Well this image below is what that means, that's the only marker to know your in Carmelita, turn down this road go to the end and the house is right there, gated with chickens and dogs running in the yard. What an adventure.
We drove to Orange Walk town to attend the meetings and make more friends. Lots of American's have moved down there to be "need greaters" in other words they volunteer their time and completely change their lifestyle to preach about promises of a better future. These are truly self-sacrificing HAPPY people.
Walking down the roads doing our volunteer work.
Our friend Anita introduced us to this taco stand, you get six rolled up Chicken tacos for $1. You order by saying $1 tacos. I got this with Horchata and was happy as a all could be. Food was really good. Lots of stewed chicken and coconut rice and beans. YUM! And they serve it on the best disney plastic plates ever.
We came back to this taco stand many times.
Many more adventures from this trip still to come.
We are in Belize. Why did we pick this country to travel to, you may ask? For a few reason, we have good friends who live here and have asked us to come many times. Also we wanted to do a little volunteer work and put forth a few goals to a some young girls about moving where there is a greater need and helping out. So we are here in Belize. I'll share more of my adventures when I return, but see a few images from the variety of things we've already seen and done.
Volunteer Work in Carmelita Village
Spider Monkey eating plantain
This is a guest post from by Rachel Dawes. Rachel spends one-fourth of her day working on her figure and the rest of the day as a loving wife and mother to her sons. Aside from fitness and nutrition, Rachel also loves to spend her time writing and upcycling pre-loved items. Don't let her demeanour fool you, though, as Rachel is also a fan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and just started to enroll in a mixed martial arts academy near her area.
The cupcake has been a ubiquitous trend over the past few years and spawned a ton of TV shows like Cupcake Wars that stars little morsels of joy engaging in battle with other cupcakes. But we live in a society where a simply delicious dessert can make anyone’s conflict-ridden day seem like a dream and one should be immensely grateful for that. This 2014, there are exciting (and oh so yummy) trends that can make any sweet confection its most saccharine version yet. But before getting too excited and consuming many unnecessary calories, this is the perfect time to bake and explore all the possibilities this year has in store for us.
Cakes aren’t just all about presentation and decorations. Sometimes it’s what's inside that counts and those Peek-A-Boo cakes are the epitome of this. These cakes look deceptively simple on the outside, usually with just plain fondant frosting but a medley of colors and flavors await.
Another baking trend that has been widely publicized is artisanal marshmallows. Don’t underestimate these seemingly light treats because they come in the form of plenty of flavors that range from vanilla bean to rosemary like those in Three Tarts in New York.
Another trendy flavor that’s been everywhere from Krispy Kreme’s doughnuts to the more dainty and sophisticated Laduree macaroons is indubitably the salted caramel. You can find them in brownies, puddings and plenty of other desserts as well. Along with those exquisite macaroons, the éclair is also a fine specimen where the best can be found in Fauchon Paris. There are also artisanal jellies, jams, doughnuts that are making some interesting flavor profiles this year. With all this is mind, we are sure that 2014 is going to be one sweet roller coaster for foodies out there!
This year I have a goal of doing one photo shoot each month. I prefer to be behind the camera, but we'll see if a reverse of that ever happens. Let's just say taking my About Me portraits nearly sent me over the edge. I do however, have lists of places that I'd like to explore, ideally we get in the car or plane and just make it happen. With my busy schedule this a good challenge, and hopefully doable. Also a good chance for SB and I to have mini-cheap little adventures. With all the construction going on in our city for the Expo line we desperately need to "Get out of Dodge." Hmm there's an idea, maybe a trip to Dodge City.
So January 1st, I talked him to driving me to the Salton Sea. This is a place I've REALLY REALLY, really wanted to go to. I few photographers I follow over the years have been taking some amazing images. So I asked where to go and when. Right now the temperatures are perfect for this part of the desert. It's near Coachella and I knew no one would be out there on New Years day.
If you want to read about this place, check it out here. It's a bizarre little area. I spent most of my day on the western shore at the Salton Sea Beach. This place was super cool, but admittedly after 2 hours you get kind of depressed with all the abandonment of a former sea resort.
Later in March I'll try to explore the Eastern part of the sea, I've heard there are a few abandoned pools, we'll see if can get SB to skate the bowl. Enjoy this first round of images. Yes I know it's image overload, but I had to share. I'll be loading the big lot of them to my flickr account here.
This year I feel like I've grown so much, I think the ALT Summit really kicked it off in January. What an inspiring 3 days with such supportive bloggers. I was inspired and it really pushed me this year. I'm excited to go back next month and see where it takes me in 2014. While I am certainly looking forward below are a few of my favorite projects this past year.
Meeting Kei & Molly. Their story and work was really inspiring to pursue what you love.
Hosting our Fall Tasting. This idea was spurred on by a class I took with Bing and AltSummit. It was an online class and well it gave me this idea, which Felicia and Deborah were on board with. I think we'll be doing this again soon.
Part of this was hosting a Coffee Tasting, this was super fun and great working with Stumptown Coffee, I can't wait till the next one.
I finally got to write about some of my Italian adventures from forever ago here.
I loved my weekly visits to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and was inspired to make new things just by what was in season.
Oh and this Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake....wow I love this cake.
I loved this trip this year to California Lake Country. I am so in for doing this again. Was a beautiful place to visit.
These Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies got a lot of mileage on Pinterest this year.
I had a great time learning to make Candied Orange Peels, I can't wait to try this with a few other citrus fruits.
Seriously I am almost finished with the Cuba tale. This is one of my favorite posts, Cuba a Bittersweet Tale, on this trip, because it was all about my Dad. I still cry when I read it, so does he.
Those are a few of my favorite things from 2013. I'm looking forward to new adventures next year and hope to check off a few things from my goals list. Enjoy!
Well last week got away from me, but this week I promise to bring you a post about my studio visit to Kei & Molly. Can I just say I love New Mexico and if I didn't already have roots set here in Cali, I might move back there. The weather is lovely, and I just miss seasons. We so don't get a real taste of them here.
I also love road trips. As most of you who follow me on Instagram know I had 13 images posted before 10AM. There is so much that inspires me in the Route 66 landscape. Thankfully, I have a great, patient (long-suffering) husband who indulges me and stops at every abandoned house on the way. Actually I only ask for one big stop on the road, the rest are random when we stop for gas, potty break or just a quick walk around. Sadly there are so many little towns on this route that have been completely abandoned or old buildings, gas stations that just no longer exist.
Here's a few of my favorite images IG photo's that I didn't post from the trip. Enjoy your week!
Blogging from the road on our way to New Mexico. Two weeks spending time with Family and working from Mom's office with the Corvette clock! Yes the engine roars on the hour.
Being on the road is a great way to just clear your mind. Enjoying the scenery. I use to like a sleep the whole way as a passenger, but now i want to stay awake and soak in all the landscape. Catching up on podcasts and maybe learn some Spanish from our language course. Arriba, arriba. Enjoy your week!
It's HOT out, I want it to be truly Fall. I want to drink HOT tea, HOT Chocolate and HOT coffee. But no, the indian summer is here in L.A., it was a summer beach weekend. Although we were out in the high desert for a historical event this weekend, it was windy and HOT there too. What a crazy Fall. Next week I'll be in NM taking care of some family business, but hope to keep up my posts with maybe a small NM adventure here or there. At least with my family it will always be an adventure for sure. One day I may live somewhere different, at least I hope. But in the meantime I've been trying to take advantage of where I live. Doing local things, like I did a few weekends ago here.
When I'm in a new area I always try and find a cool coffee or tea place. I found this one above on Pico Blvd., called Paper or Plastik. I loved this place, great vibe, good food and flavorful tea and coffee. I had tea the first time and loved how they served it in this cute little pot and great cups.
Also this place is attached to a dance studio, where we were able to peer into a ballet class, oh this looked like so much fun. It's always a treat to find a new place in any neighborhood in L.A., we're so far spread out you have to enjoy what's near you, while you can, otherwise the traffic will swallow you up.
Here's to hoping it turns colder in L.A., if not I'll let you know what it's like in New Mexico soon enough. Enjoy the week!
Paper or Plastik
5772 W. Pico @ Ogden (just east of Fairfax Blvd.)
Open 7am - 10PM
On the weekends, no Laptops allowed (i kind of like that)
As mentioned a few Tech Tuesday's ago, traveling to Italy in the days before we all had a camera and computer in our pockets was a welcomed adventure.
Here's the story I was referring to for our arrival to Rome, maybe you can relate and laugh and share your own fun travel stories. When your traveling on a budget, off-season and backpacking you have to be ready for any adventure. This includes sometimes taking night trains to cut hotel costs. To get to Rome we took the night train from Venice.
We also had one baguette and one jar of Nutella for this overnight train ride. Miche and I called this concoction "chocolate bread." We ate that on our train ride while trying to get a few snaps that ended up turning int double exposures and a hot mess of images, but they make me laugh every time I see them.
Next up was getting to Rome and then calling, from a pay phone, our pre-planned meeting place (pre-planned as in "on the plane to Milan"). Why would this be easy, the Pensione, of course, was booked. In my broken Italian I proceed to call every hotel in our Let's Go Italy book and found one that had a room for three girls.
Then I ask directions, mind you I have no pen, pencil or any writing utensil. So I'm repeating everything this man says out loud and trying to map this in my brain, which has no reference to a city I've never visited, Rome. We could have taken a taxi, but remember we're on a budget, so we are determined to take the train. Oh youth.
I really only remember one thing from those directions, saying "Il Spagna," over and over. That was the train stop that we needed to get off at to walk to our Pensione. So the three of us make it to the underground train station. Out of no where, hundreds of people come flooding to the platform, train comes, WOW, seriously everyone shoves their way in. I'm so intimidated by large crowds, I resist. Then the train doors close and I am standing on the platform with my friend Ronda. We look at each other and realize Miche has been shoved into the train. I go running, with backpack on down the length of the train to find Miche. She is shoved in the middle of a crowd, ON THE TRAIN, with her backpack literally being pulled down by the mash of people. I bang on the window and just scream Il Spagna, Il Spagna. The train departs. I tell Ronda, "okay, we have to shove our way in, if we get separated, get off at the Spagna stop." So next wave of ants come, we shove our way into the train and pray that Miche heard us.
The Spagna stop comes, we run out, Miche is patiently sitting on a bench hoping we get off this train. Thank God, she heard all my mumbling directions. We all hugged, laughed and practically cried, very thankful we didn't get separated.
Once we gather ourselves, we proceed to walk many, many blocks looking for the street of our hotel. We come around the corner and we see the gypsy kids and immediately we all decide to put our backs against the wall so they can't steal anything or distract us. They are pissed and spit in our direction. Then they proceed to try and steal a well-dressed Italian man's wallet from his pocket. He proceeds to smack their hands and walks away. They eventually lose interest in us and walk away. Now we're slightly lost. So I ask anyone I can, in my broken Italian, where this address is. Someone kindly gives us directions and we continue on our way.
When we finally arrive, we find this giant door to a Palazzo. We open the doors, which leads to a courtyard. A sign tells us the Pensione is on the top floor.
So what do we do? LOOK FOR AN ELEVATOR. We are so kidding ourselves and resign to walking up SEVERAL flights of marble stairs. We get to the very top and knocked on this little door, completely out of breath and SPENT. The owners of the hotel quickly help us in, take our backpacks off and check us into our room. What a day! Trains, trains, separation, gypsy's, and stairs. Oh the joys of traveling, are you tired yet? We were, but after settling in and securing a reservation for our friends, we went on our non-tech adventure mentioned earlier. After that debacle we finally begin our Roman Holiday.
In a few months my fellow bloggers and I are doing an event that will include a coffee tasting. The good folks at Stumptown Coffee Roasters have already agreed to submit there coffee for this tasting. This past Labor Day weekend we went camping a perfect place to try some new coffee. Thanks to Stumptown we had the opportunity to try some amazing coffees. I'm kicking myself for not purchasing the camping coffee mugs, they are perfect. They will be going in my camping kit for the next time.
The two we tried were Ethiopia Mordecofe (I kept calling this one Mordecai, as in the bible character) and Holler Mountain.
Incidentally my fellow coffee aficionado, Gita, also gifted Ethiopia Mordecofe to me on our last visit to San Jose. She's up in Seattle and has been bragging about Stumptown for a few months. We have our own little coffee exchange, I sent her a bag of Handsome Coffee Roaster beans she brought me Stumptown.
Ethiopia Mordecofe definitely has a fruity taste. Can I say, seriously, tasting coffee out in the woods, before everyone is awake, just opens all the senses. Aaron, as in the other half of Deborah at my.life.at.playtime loved this one. He's a tea snob and after I read the flavor notes, which include black tea, orange blossom and bergamot which converge (their word) with flavors of lime, peach and hops. I told him you like it cause it has flavors of black tea. This is a good cup of coffee that everyone enjoyed. I think Gita mixed it with some Handsome Coffee and said it was mind blowingly good.
The second bag we tried was Holler Mountain, I really liked this blend. It went perfect with french toast and bacon. The flavor notes are syrupy, with notes of blackberry, hazelnut and toffee. We brewed these coffees two different ways. We used a French Press above from Target (only $12) and brewed the other in old fashion percolator.
I can't wait till the official coffee tasting where we all can take notes on each coffee and pick our favorites. I figure it's like wine or art, it's subjective and really your taste. Thanks to Stumptown for letting me try these coffee's before the big event. I might be slightly biased now to Stumptown, which isn't a bad thing, since they'll be opening in LA very soon.
About 3 years ago, while in NYC working, I was introduced to Muji. I'd never seen this store, they didn't have one in LA. I love Muji's philosophy:
"In its deliberate pursuit of the pure and the ordinary – achieves the extraordinary."
All their products live by that philosophy. I was immediately drawn to the stationary, I love notebooks and use them all the time. Since then I've been a fan, mostly ordering online. Earlier this year on a trip to San Jose, right outside my hotel was a Muji store. I nearly squealed, actually I did squeal, and on my night off immediately went to shopping. I told my two co-workers (one based in Denver, the other in Seattle) about my purchases, they'd never heard of the store either.
So a few weeks ago on our last visit to San Jose, wearing my Muji scarf, I made converts out of these two ladies. I think I went back to Muji three days in a row. We all bought scarfs, pens, notepads, socks, I think someone even bought a linen blazer. Oh and I said I'd bought that story board book above and colored pencils for one my friends kids...yeah I am SO keeping that. I love it.
Best thing I found out while there, they are opening a store in Hollywood, I'd prefer if it was closer to the Westside, because it will probably be quicker to fly to San Jose then to drive to Hollywood. But I guarantee I'll be there when it opens. Check out their online store, you'll love the simplicity of their products, and if you travel a lot, they have small items perfect for carry-on luggage.
For this months Tech Tuesday, or maybe you'll call it a non-tech Tuesday, I want to highlight what we did before we all had a computer in our hands when we travel.
About 20 years ago I went to Italy with 4 friends. I traveled with two girlfriends and we made plans to meet up with our guy friends in Rome. Back then, maybe people had pagers, certainly cell phones were not prevalent in the US. I do remember seeing a few very Chic Italians with cell phones, but only a few.
We were young, traveling off-season (March) and flying by the seat of our pants so we made NO hotel reservations anywhere. Instead we decided to look thru our Let's Go Italy book and decide what hotel we'd meet at when we arrived in Rome. You see we flew into Milan, went our separate ways and agreed that mid-way thru our trip, we'd meet in Rome at "such and such" hotel, with NO reservation.
Of course when we got to Rome and called the hotel there were NO rooms left. Are you getting the idea, with all the NO's. So I went down the list of hotels in our travel guide, and in my broken Italian found one that had a room for us three girls. I'll tell you about the adventure getting there in another post. When we arrived we asked if there was a room for our friends, and yes there was, so we asked them to hold it for them.
Now, how to tell our friends that we changed hotels and have a room for them. What would you have done? No cell phone, no contact number for where they were staying, no idea when they were arriving, we only agreed on the day and place, not the time.
We decided to go to the hotel where we said we'd meet and try to speak to the owner and let them know to tell our friends where we are. Once we got to the hotel, we couldn't find a door or entrance, we saw a buzzer and buzzed several times. No one answered. Across the street was a cafe, we ate, drank cappuccino and waited and waited. After being fully caffeinated, we devised a new plan.
Remember no cell phones. "Let's write a note." We laughed at ourselves, because there was no alternative and we thought this was really silly and probably wouldn't work. However, we found a place on the building near the buzzer and left it. This was a busy street, mopeds zooming by, people walking up and down, cafes, tourist, you name it. Our thought, "hope the note stays put." It looked something like this (original note is long gone):
Then, well...we went on tour thru Rome. Walked to the Colosseum, that's me above, with my manual camera, some 20 years ago. I still have and love that camera. We left the boys fate to the Note and had ourselves a grand time. Saw a Vogue fashion shoot, wandered around the Colosseum, dodged the crazy Italian drivers and enjoyed our first day in Rome.
Later that day, when we arrived back to the Hotel the owners were so excited, "the boys are here!" they yelled. We were really surprised, we went running to their room and had to know how they found us. "We saw the NOTE!" We shared our travel tales and rejoiced that all had worked out well. Without the technology we have today we still found a way to make sure we communicated, even if it was the old-fashioned way.
How did we ever get by without our phones? We rely on them so much, I call my husband when we get separated at Costco, "where are you"? Do you remember what you use to do? I have to say these adventures make me smile as we didn't have any alternatives back then. Not every outcome turns out well, but you can always chalk it up to a tale you will have to tell.
Today when I travel in-country it's easy with my phone service in most areas. But only 3 years ago when I went to the UK and France, I didn't have an iPhone, only a Blackberry and my texting was non-existent, email and phone calls were limited, it was only for work. Today it's so expensive to get your phone to work internationally I'm not sure I'd even try. I really like to be disconnected from it all. Though I know I'd be all over Instagram, so I'd probably have to work something out or go into serious withdrawals.
This weekend we'll be camping and I already know we'll have no phone service and I'm kind of looking forward to that. What do you do during travel, especially internationally, do you take your phones or unplug? Would love to hear.
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.
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.
"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!.
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.
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!
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."
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.
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.
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itsweet & savory
Lifestyle blogger who loves coffee, architecture, local cultural interests, good food and travel stories.
