Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Los Angeles to Travis AFB


Sheesh, once again Bert has pointed out that my last post was on the 15th - MAN, I DO so hate to disappoint someone so desperate to find something to do with his time.  So here you go Bert, a new post.

We spent a week in Los Angeles with Heinz officially morphing into an Opa (German for Grandfather).  He went over to the kids’ apartment several days doing exciting chores like spackling walls, changing out light fixtures, fixing dripping water faucets and hanging shelves in the nursery and bathroom.  Jess promised to make another “honey do” – ah, make that… “Opa-do”…  list of chores for when we get back to LA in June.

New light with dimmer switch for the nursery.

Along the way we ate at Crustacean in Beverly Hills.  This restaurant is the sister restaurant to the Crustacean in San Francisco which I’ve written about before.  We took Jess and Pete and introduced Jess to her first whole Dungeness crab.  What an introduction, these garlic and butter infused crabs are to die for.  We also indulged in a large platter of garlic noodles, a specialty of the house.  Jess spent the next few days daydreaming about take-out noodles and trying to determine whether it was a foodie or pregnancy craving.  My guess is that it was the foodie crying out for more.

After a week it was time to pack up and move to the Monterey Pines RV Park, a small park run by the Navy in the middle of Monterey, CA.  We spent three nights there revisiting old haunts and eating at some of our favorite restaurants from the time when Heinz was stationed at the Naval Postgraduate School.  The area was in full bloom and a visual feast!

Monterey pines at Lovers Point.

Artists were out taking advantage of the weather.

Shoreline along Pebble Beach.

Embankment along Ocean Blvd.

Speaking of restaurants, we ate at three of our favorites while in Monterey.  The Little Chicken House is a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Pacific Grove that has killer pork ribs - always fall-off-the-bone tender, and served with a tangy BBQ sauce that is perfect for dipping.  You know you are in the right place when you see the smoking pits out front for brisket and ribs, and the huge rotiserre inside for chicken.  If you’re in Monterey and tiring of seafood, try this spot for fabulous BBQ.


Quick Heinz, take the picture, I need to dig in!


Rotisserre in the Little Chicken House.

We also drove north to Moss Landing to eat at Phil’s Seafood Market and Eatery.  Phil’s has been reviewed on CNN, Road Tasted, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay.   Bobby Flay and Phil DiGirolamo fought a battle over Cioppino and Phil won.  The restaurant has also been featured in Coastal Living, San Francisco Magazine, Sunset Magazine,The San Francisco Chronicle, The Financial Times of London, Travel Magazine,  and the list goes on and on.

We started with a bowl of clam chowder to split, and ended with codfish and chips and my favorite, a one pound platter of calamari.

If you love calamari, this is the place and the dish!

Phil's in Moss Landing, dress casual, it really IS a fish market!

On our last night we headed over to Asilomar Beach and ate at the Fishwife.  This is a popular place for the locals and has been around for 30+ years.  The menu features fresh seafood with a Caribbean flair.  It’s usually crowded and on weekends I would recommend that you call for reservations as the wait can stretch out quite a bit.  We settled in with a couple of drinks and waited for our fisherman’s bowls to arrive.  These are fresh fish with rice, black beans, spicy cabbage slaw, melon salsa and steamed vegetables served in a shallow bowl.  Heinz opted for the Baja with shrimp, scallops, and crab while I chose the Ensenada starring shrimp, scallops, calamari, and tilapia.  Needless to say there was no room for dessert.

A popular spot at the end of Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove.

Don’t worry though.  We didn’t spend ALL of our time in Monterey eating.  We also took advantage of the free passes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium that were on offer from the RV Campground office.  This is one of the best aquariums in the US and was always a favorite destination of mine when we lived in the area.  We spent several enjoyable hours wandering around viewing the exhibits that ranged from fish, to plant life, to environmental concerns, to otters and penguins.

Sea anenomes.

Debris from the stomach of a Layson's albatross.

Heinz "petting" a starfish.

A seagull sculpture made of plastics washed up by the tides.


Golden seahorse from the Caribbean.

There are some fabulous displays of jellyfish and seahorses and I managed to film some videos with my phone.

Sea Nettles from the northeast Pacific.

Moon Jellies from the northern Atlantic.

Sea Dragons from Australia.

During our time in Monterey we drove up to our old housing area on Fort Ord.  While the installation was closed back in the nineties, the housing area remains for students at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and Naval Postgraduate School.  Imagine our surprise when we spotted the name of some neighbors still on the house across the street.  So we parked and rang the doorbell.  Sure enough, Susan and Bill are still living there.  Bill is a retired Army colonel and had previously been post commander at Fort Ord.  The two of them have now retired permanently to Monterey.  Bill was out of town, but we sat and caught up with Susan.  After a while she asked if we had seen Bridget and Bobby who had also lived across from us at the time.  More surprises…the Army had sent Bobby back to Monterey, to learn Arabic at the DLI, and they were living just a few doors up the street.  So off the three of us went to surprise the Davis’s. I really wish I’d had my camera with me to catch the look of surprise on Bridget’s face when she opened the door - it was priceless!

Alas, after three days our time in Monterey was up and we headed north to Travis AFB in Fairfield CA, and the FamCamp on base.  We get a lot of questions from people about what we look like when we hit the road with the motorcycle loaded and the car hooked up for towing.  So I thought I’d snap a shot.

Ready to roll.

Our time here at Travis has mostly been spent relaxing and catching up with old friends.  Deb and Mike came over for dinner on Friday night and we had a good time filling each other in on our lives and laughing about old times.  I fixed grilled artichokes as an appetizer.  The guys scarfed down on them pretty quickly and Mike recommended sharing the recipe.  Heinz pointed out that I have been a bit stingy the last few months in the recipe-sharing department, so you’ll find it at the end of today’s post.

Saturday we headed up to Loomis CA to see Bert and Kathy, where the four of us headed over to the Lincoln Wine Fest.  The festival featured wine tastings from 14 local Placer County wineries.  Unlike some other wine tastings, one ticket got you unlimited wine tastings, as well as munchies from local restaurants.  The tastings were set up in local retail shops, so you got to see  a bit of the town, and what the stores had to offer, while you sipped… and sipped… and sipped.  In addition bands were playing and local artists had booths in the town square.  It was low key, but definitely an enjoyable afternoon.


What will you have?  Chardonnay or Viognier?  Zin or Cab?  

Bert and Heinz busy catching up, or maybe telling lies, or maybe both!

Bottoms up Heinz, there’s more wineries to try.





A job well done deserves a reward.

End of the day.

At the end of the Fest, we headed back to the house for more talk and laughter, then out to a late Italian dinner at Rubino’s in Rockville CA.  After dinner it was back to the house for even more talk and laughter, with us finally heading home around 1:00 am.  Sorry about the late hour guys, you can come to us next time and keep us up til all hours.

Back in Tucson I spotted some great little Fairy Gardens at a plant nursery.  They stuck in my mind and I kept playing around with designs.  I’ve included a shot of my first attempt at my own Fairy Garden.



Tucson inspiration.

My Fairy Garden RV Park--the plants will grow into it--I hope...

The weather is beautiful right now, cool nights and warm days.  If this keeps up, I see a nice long motorcycle ride in our future.

Here’s our “friends of the day… ah, weeks” gone by:

Beverly in her usual mellow mood.

Bat Ray at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The aquarium's version of Where's Waldo?, aka, find the flatfish (hint, there's 2 of them).

Feathered beach friend.

As promised, the latest recipe to share:


Grilled Artichokes with Lemon-Dill Aioli

Don’t let the list of ingredients or length of instructions intimidate you.  This is really a very simple recipe and just delicious.  Heinz likes it without the Aioli, I like it with – you just have to decide for yourself.

Serves 6 as an appetizer.

Artichokes
6 medium artichokes
4 tbsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Marinade (makes 5 cups)
1 tbsp. dill, chopped
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp. thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. chives, chopped
1 tbsp. basil, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
2 cups balsamic vinegar
2 cups olive oil

Lemon-Dill Aioli
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp. lemon juice
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. dill, chopped
1 ½ cups olive oil
Tabasco sauce, salt, and black pepper to taste

Marinade:
In a blender, combine the chopped herbs, garlic, pepper, brown sugar, and vinegar.  Blend for about 10 seconds at medium speed.  Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream while blending at low speed to emulsify oil.  Set aside.

Artichokes:
1.    Wash artichokes and peel the coarse fibers from the stem.  Remove tough bottom leaves and cut off about an inch from the top of each artichoke.
2.    Plunge artichokes into a large pot filled with boiling water.  Add the lemon juice or vinegar and boil gently until done.  Allow 25-40 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the artichokes.  Artichokes are done when the outer leaves pull off easily and the bottom is tender.  Test them often by piercing with the point of a knife.  They should be a bit resistant, but not hard in the center.
3.    Drain artichokes upside down.  Cool in the refrigerator for one hour then slice in half, lengthwise.  Remove the light green cone of tiny leaves (the choke) from the center of the artichoke.  The choke can be  easily removed in one piece.   
4.    Place artichokes in marinade and refrigerate at least 6-8 hours or overnight.  Be sure artichokes are submerged in marinade.  I usually put them in a gallon ziplock bag and turn them every hour or so.
5.    Before serving, grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or roast in the oven for 7 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve hot with Lemon Dill Aioli for dipping.

Lemon Dill Aioli
1.    Place egg yolks in a small bowl and beat on high speed until frothy. 
2.    Add lemon juice, garlic, and dill.  Whisk to combine.
3.    Add oil one drop at a time until the mixture begins to thicken and an emulsion begins to form.  Add the remaining oil in a slow, steady stream ntil all oil has been incorporated. 
4.    Season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste.  

















Monday, April 15, 2013

Southern California

We're back on schedule as originally planned.  Scary isn't it? :)  I told Heinz I need to get this written and posted as soon as possible so Bert can have something to read when he shows up for "work" on Monday morning.

We spent last week in San Diego.  Jess and Pete drove down from L.A. to join us for the weekend, and the four of us spent Saturday afternoon/evening hanging around the RV, chatting on everything from the upcoming baby, to recipes, to current events.  Yes, we forgot to mention it earlier in the blog, but we're expecting our first grandchild this summer; no, Jess and Pete don't know the sex of the baby...and don't plan to until the big day.  The current uni-sex name is "Thunder"; and YES, we are extremely thrilled about the upcoming event!  Just call us Opa and Oma.

Jess, Pete, and "Thunder"

On Sunday, we headed into La Jolla for breakfast at the Brockton Villa.  The food was pretty good, but the view over the bay was wonderful.  After our meal, we wandered over to the classic car show that was set up along the strand.  Some cars were just drop dead gorgeous!  Luckily Heinz managed not to drool on any of them.

Pete checking out an Austin Healey 3000.

One of my favorites.

Heinz dreaming his dreams.

After the car show it was off to the San Diego Aquarium.  We had all heard fabulous things about the Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla.  Sorry to disappoint the San Diego residents, but this one has nothing on the Long Beach, Monterey, or New Orleans aquariums.  But we still had a good time wandering through the exhibits and they did have my favorite of all sea creatures...leafy sea dragons from Australia.  Sorry, no photos of these little guys - too dark inside and no flash photos allowed.  But click on the link if you've never seen one before - they are way cool!

Good thing the big guy isn't hungry.

Now that's an eye!

Shark bait!  WAIT, Thunder's in there!

Heinz and I had all sorts of plans for our stay in San Diego.  Unfortunately, as we arrived in town we were spewing diesel fuel all over the Honda (being towed in the back) and onto the ground.  So, he spent Monday troubleshooting the problem only to find out that the mechanic back in Flagstaff had left off a few bits and pieces when doing the previous repair.  This resulted in a fuel line breaking, leading to a substantial fuel leak.  The Rush Truck Service in San Diego sent a mechanic right down to the RV park  and the repairs were all covered under the warranty.  "Pablo" did a fantastic job and pointed out to Heinz some more missing pieces that Heinz missed in his troubleshooting.  Overall, the coordination and repairs ate up most of three days, so there were some things we had planned that never got seen.  

But we did make it down to the beach for sunset.  It brought back memories of strolling along the beach when we were stationed in Monterey CA a few years back.

La Jolla beachfront.

Sunset over the seals.

Hey dude, what did you do all day?

Sunset over the Pacific.

On our last day in town we figured we'd spend the morning at the San Diego Zoo and spend the rest of the day at Balboa Park and its myriad things to do.  Spoiler alert...we never made it to Balboa Park.  If you get to San Diego and decide to do the zoo, plan on it taking the whole day.  We arrived just after opening at 0900 and left 7 hours later - and we still didn't see the whole place!  At $44 for one adult day-pass, it's a touch pricey, but that gets you the zoo, a 45 minute bus tour for an overview (good for planning your route later), and unlimited rides on the aerial tram and the express bus with its 5 different stops around the zoo.  These last two come in handy as the zoo covers 100 acres.  In addition to being a zoo, it's also a spectacular botanical garden as well - so the grounds are as fascinating as the animals.  

Red Panda

Giraffe Gazelle

Warthog.  I tried to talk Heinz into growing his hair like this, 
but the man has no sense of adventure - zip... ZILCH!

Bird of Paradise were everywhere in the park.

Are you sure he's too big to travel with us?

Tropical garden area.

Heinz checking out the python skeleton.

We've moved on now and are hanging out at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach just south of the Los Angeles area for a week.  We attended a co-ed baby shower for Jess and Pete yesterday with friends and family.  The food was eclectic and tasty (pot-luck), the weather cool and overcast without rain, and the conversations lively.  A great time was had by all!

Opa getting acquainted with "Thunder".

Just like Christmas, only nothing fit the adults.

Today, we were up early again for breakfast with the extended family, before everybody scattered back home to work - except us... did we mention we are retired - ahhhh!  We headed out to Cafe Buna in Marina Del Rey where the menu is eclectic, the food is terrific, the service is fabulous, and an internet presence is non-existent (but online reviews are plentiful).  I had a wonderful prosciutto/goat cheese/roasted peppers omelette that was to die for.  I've got to try to recreate that one at home some time soon.

After breakfast most of us headed over to a local farmer's market where I restrained myself and only came home with beets and bibb lettuce...oh, and some cara oranges and tangerines...oops, forgot to mention the blackberries...and Heinz found himself a small rhubarb-strawberry pie that went really well with afternoon coffee.

Fresh goodies at the market.

While here, most our plans revolve around helping the kids get things set up for the nursery.  You know, all those honey-do list items that Opa is so good at knocking out.  So tomorrow he's off to hang new light fixtures, spackle up some walls, hang some shelves, and whatever else Jess can find that needs a tweak or a new screw.  

Here's our friends of the day, all from the San Diego Zoo.

The baby panda was too cute.  He's currently the only baby panda in the U.S.

How high can I get before Mom comes after me?

Mama chilling over lunch.

Grevy's zebras.

The meerkats stay on alert - yes, even in a zoo there is the threat of urban predator birds.

Heinz wouldn't let me bring this little cuddly guy home either. 

This is my best side, dahling.

Guanaco at his dignified best.

Indian Gharial, now that's a dental advertisement in the making!

Hmmm, is that a rock or a mirror?

And just what are YOU looking at?