of heliotropes and silver strings

In which I fall in love with New York City

2011-10-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to New York City. It took a comic convention (more specifically, the presence of friends at said comic convention) to get me there. It won’t take much to get me to go back.

Within minutes of being in the city, I picked up a good vibe. The city beckoned with a siren call I’ve only felt in a handful of other places - Columbus, San Francisco, San Juan, Southern Utah – the call that says, “yes, you could live here and you know you'd move here in a heartbeat.” I love when places reach out and grab me because so few of them do. It’s the way I desperately wish Los Angeles would make me feel. I couldn’t get enough of walking around Manhattan and taking the streets in - even after being in a convention hall all day where all I did was walk around with a heavy bag. In its way, the city was just as enchanting as any of the sweeping vistas I’ve seen in national parks. Sure, these vistas were littered with trash and the air carried smells of cars, street food, cigarette smoke, and stale socks, but they were just as worthy. I literally put my feet to miles of sidewalk in the three days I was there.

I also walked miles on carpet at the Javits Center. I did spend most of my visit inside with my fellow geeks, but I played tourist as much as I could. I’m glad my legs were able to hold me up; I think my experience was better because the only cab I took was to the airport at the end of my trip (and I hailed it all by myself – though I probably shouldn’t admit to being proud of that). I gave in to crossing streets even when the crosswalk lights said not to. I marveled at the outside of St. Patrick’s cathedral. I ate greasy New York pizza in a fancy dress. Times Square rivaled only Vegas with its number of dazzling lights and only Disneyland with the number of people pushing through the streets. Central Park made me think of murder scenes because death seems to happen there not infrequently on movie and television screens. The fact that it was after midnight and rather deserted only reinforced those images. I walked blocks in heels. Happily. I went to the top of the Empire State Building and had an epiphany. I guess stunning views that make you feel so insignificant but yet big have that effect. (For the record though, I’d rather not have them when freezing cold winds up my skirt and down my neck have made my nose run. Epiphanies just aren't as classy when you have snot on your upper lip).

I saw so much, yet missed so much. I feel like I could spend days wandering, getting lost, and finding my way again. I can't wait to go back.

Home

2011-08-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

I detoured for a long trip back to my home state recently. I went home for some of the same reasons that Thoreau went to the woods. If you haven’t read Walden or watched Dead Poet’s Society (I recommend the latter, the former’s just not for everyone):

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived… I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”

That’s the abbreviated version. I put down my iPhone. I left my camera packed so I couldn't hide behind the shield of my lens. I wanted to clear my head of heavy L.A. air, to face the open freeway with no reservations, to take chances my normally practical self wouldn’t, and to give life a reset of sorts.
And also to eat Jeni’s Ice Cream and deep fried Oreos.

When I saw the Columbus skyline from the plane window, my eyes welled up with tears. That also could have been because the kid behind was still kicking my seat four hours later. I couldn’t wait to put my feet down in my city. This was my selfish trip. I’d see family and friends, but it was mostly about me and my rental car and long drives. Drives to old haunts, new places, borrowed ones; I intentionally left out the blue ones.

I couldn’t avoid my hometown though. Nor did I really want to. The little place isn’t my favorite, but it is mine. So much about visiting my hometown is noticing how few changes have happened in the years since I’ve moved away. Main Street is still empty by 8pm. The marquee across from the gas station still displays birthday and anniversary wishes. The water still tastes the same. The familiarity is comforting; it’s a welcoming embrace that makes me feel like I just left yesterday.

Like I wasn't going to take any photos

But this visit was about noticing the changes. In the past year, two of my uncles have died. Both of them lived within 50 yards of my parents. My aunt & uncle’s trailer that has stood for my entire life is gone. My grandmother’s house is torn down. I mean, that’s the place where I spent hours watching Matlock and Perry Mason in a miniature rocking chair while eating cereal (I was an odd child). The barn where my lambs slept and ate is dilapidated. The list of differences goes on and on.

Jarring. It was jarring. Home still smelled like ash trays and apple pie, but it wasn’t the same. And I don’t think it will be the next time I go back, and I have to be okay with that.

Writing...

2011-03-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Someone forgot to tell me that trying to be a full time writer means you have to write... a lot. The actual act or the business stuff that comes with it seems to fill my nights and weekends for now. I'm maintaining my survival job (bills must be paid after all) but slowly picking up more writing things on the side... I'm making progress.

I do leave the house when I can to do fun things and see friends, but I haven't been ranging far lately. I miss the outdoors and exploring, but I'm trying to work on it. Still. I find things to photograph no matter what I do or where I go, and this creepy (to me) doll was one among a collection at a friend's parent's house.

I have my very own iPhone now and can't stop playing with all the camera apps - this image is a creation of the CameraBag app.

Spooky Castle

2011-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

I know some of you already think that Disneyland is spooky. The fake, bottled happiness or the prices keep you away. You can have your opinions. For me, it is a place that never fails to make me smile. Anyways. I like that this picture makes Sleeping Beauty's castle look like a dreadful sort of place.

Just a little snow

2011-02-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

I went to Wrightwood recently for just a taste of snow. It was in the melting stage, but I found some nonetheless. If I would have panned right just a little in this photo, you would see crowds of families sledding down every free area of the snowy slope. I guess this hill was a little too steep or tree covered. Or it could have to do with the fact that it exited right onto a curve in the road. Whatever the reason, I'm glad it was there. Empty and waiting, just glistening in the afternoon light. I crunched around a while. Just long enough for my fingertips to ache with cold through my gloves. Then I turned around and went back into the tiny, slow village of Wrightwood. I found a used book store, and it was the best sort of place to warm up.

On the way home, I passed Mormon Rocks. I don't know why they are named as such, and I'm not positive that I want to know why. It won't change the fact that they were lovely and I liked them just as they were. The ground around the area was scattered with granite and quartz and beach-like sand. I spent just as much time looking down as I did up. I waited out the last rays of sunlight and turned my car back down the freeway.

It wasn't a big escape, but it was enough. Just enough.

Pool Hall

2011-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is a fine example of effective signage. It practically screamed at me as I pulled off the freeway to fuel my car. I don't think I've seen a Noon-5pm Happy Hour before. That's plenty of time to play pool and drink $2 beer.

Blast from the Past

2011-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

This store is a fantastic place to search out unique action figures, vintage magazines, t-shirts, and lots of other things I like to spend my money on.

High Voltage

2011-01-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

When you're wandering around a mall, any subject is fair game for photography. I had more fun searching out things to shoot than any time I've had shopping at a mall.

I'll keep sharing some of my favorite signs this week.

Good news, life has been busy. Better news, it's been busy not because of my day job but because of my writing. I've been continuing my hard work on my non-fictional geek themed writing (I can't think of a better way to describe it), and it's paying off. I'm not going to be quitting said day job anytime soon... but it's rewarding.

It's a challenge to divide up my time into little blocks to ensure that I don't burn out. I still have lots of fun, but for example, I haven't been outside exploring in far too long. I'm still figuring out the balance. And I can only hope I'll get it eventually.

Poinsettias

2011-01-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

It's not too far past Christmas to post a photo of poinsettias, right? Right. I found these beauties at Disneyland.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday. I took New Years Eve and Day entirely off. It was heaven. I'll even try to do it again soon.

Paper Crown

2010-12-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

iPhonetography + Disneyland is a fun combination. I plan to try it again on a day when it isn't raining.

Garage door

2010-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

I found this beautiful peeling garage door alongside the freeway near Johannesburg, CA.

Doorway in Puerto Rico

2010-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Doorway, door. For the purpose of theme posting, it's all the same, right? This was hidden among the almost-jungles on Vieques. This doorway used to be part of the Playa Grande Sugar Mill.

Doors

2010-12-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm giving myself a theme this week to inspire myself to at least post some photos! Baby steps. As you might have guessed by the clever title of this post, the theme is doors!

This one can be found at Cha Cha Cha restaurant in Hollywood.

Photo Friday - Christmas at Disneyland

2010-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Disneyland to see the Christmas decorations this weekend. Hopefully. It's cliche, but I find the place extra magical this time of year.

Seasons

2010-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

November 2010

The road I most travel in California is probably the 99. It's more by necessity than desire. It's by turns flat and boring and a little odorous because of all the dairy farms along the way. But it is filled with orchards. In the spring they blossom in a rainbow of pastel beauty and the sweet smells almost extinguish the hint of manure. Almost. In the fall, they look like this.

Death Valley

2010-11-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is why I love the desert.

Heading back to Death Valley

2010-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

In just a couple of days, I'll be heading into the desert after far too long away. It was two years ago on this same weekend that I first went to Death Valley. I long for its sweeping landscapes, the quiet, the cracked textures and pale colors, and the saturation of stars in the desert sky. I rather need it actually. A few days of exploring and walking and being disconnected. I'm ready to leave now.

Since I won't be around for a few more days, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Flowers from lazy me

2010-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit stretched lately, and I have no idea how two weeks went by without posting anything. I've gotten a bit lazy over here. I'm not sure if that will change anytime soon, but I'll at least try to throw up some pretty pictures on a more regular basis. The accompanying words might be few, but hopefully you won't mind too much.

Photo Friday - iPhone Huntington

2010-11-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

This last trip to the Huntington was the first one in far too long for me. But, since I have taken a few hundred photos there, I changed it up. I challenged myself to use mostly the iPhone to take pictures throughout the gardens. I felt naked without my DSLR (I call her Zelda), so I carried her around too. I didn't use her much though, and you know - I'm pleased with the results.

I edited these photos with apps; that is most of the fun for me. I believe I used LoMob and Camera Bag for these particular ones.

Halloween

2010-11-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

Corpse Bride, Jack, and Sally

I spent most of my weekend at Long Beach Comic Con. As usual, attendees came in all sorts of costumes from cringe worthy to stunning. Since Halloween was this weekend too, the number of costumed kids was more than I have seen at other conventions of this size. I was Lady Indiana Jones on Saturday and a saloon girl of sorts on Sunday. The trio in the above photo was my favorite. Besides having fantastic costumes, they also really played the parts.

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween weekend. If you dressed up, I'd love to hear about your costume!

Photo Friday: Breakfast with a side of brightness

2010-10-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

This place has very bright decor for a joint that serves breakfast. It's a jarring way to start the day. I don't mind though.

Flower Failsafe

2010-10-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I will ever tire of photographing flowers.

Park of Roses, May 25, 2005

Huntington Gardens, October 23, 2010

Autumn Thoughts

2010-10-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Autumn is crisp weather and crunching, bright leaves. At least, the autumn in my head is. Los Angeles cannot give me the season that I crave, even if it tried. This is not a place of stunning colors. It has thankfully turned colder, but it doesn't have the right feel to the air. Not really. Still, it's as close to autumn as I have. I'll embrace the rain and the piles of pumpkin at the local market and I'll pretend. A friend from back East will ship me a box of real changing leaves to bring a smile to my face. Until then, I'll enjoy fake garlands of fall leaves. They have a permanent place upon my walls.

Photo Friday - Pumpkin Pancakes

2010-10-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not saying I could eat this every day. Or even every month. Let's say quarterly. Quarterly, a stack of pancakes much larger than my head is just the ticket. Especially if they are pumpkin pancakes with butterscotch chips and caramel. If you must top it with whipped cream and more pumpkin, I suppose I'll deal.

(if you are in Los Angeles and appreciate decadent pancakes and French toast, go to The Griddle)

Photo Friday - In Calico Ghost Town

2010-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just realized this didn't post on Friday like it was supposed to, oops!

Last Friday, I sort of just ended up visiting Calico Ghost Town. It's right beside Barstow and only about two hours away. You see, first, I wanted to take a drive along the Angeles Crest Highway. I've never done so, and I was really looking forward to it... but alas, it is still closed from a horrible fire that ravaged the area last year. So on a whim and a desperate desire to drive somewhere, I headed towards Barstow.

Calico Ghost Town is not like Bodie. It is a tourist destination. By that I mean that many of the buildings are stores that sell everything from stamped leather to candles to minerals and fossils. Employees in reenactor clothes wander about, but thankfully, unless you ask them questions they don't really engage you. There are remnants of the silver and borax mines, and you can walk through an old mine shaft. It was a fun, silly sort of mini theme park, but I had a great time regardless.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I know that I just posted about cookies last week. But when I have free time and it's cool outside, I lean towards baking. I finally noticed that canned pumpkin was available in the store (the early release of Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte leads me to falsely believe that the fall season is here much sooner that it actually is). I was going to make the normal pumpkin bread or pie, but someone on the internet sent me a link to a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It's not something I would have even thought of combining on my own. Pumpkin and chocolate are meant for each other. These cookies are so unbelievably good - I lost track of how many I ate.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Frugal Upstate (I changed the order of the ingredients because the recipe is hard to follow as is)

1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (it's about 3/4 of a standard can)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chocolate chips

- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
- Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy.
- In a medium size bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together well.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (the pumpkin, vanilla, and egg) and mix well.
- Fold or gently mix in chocolate chips.

Drop by the rounded teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet (they don't spread out as they back) and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned).

I did remember to take photos of these lovelies but... then I lost them on my computer.

Calico Ghost Town in pictures

2010-10-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Photo Friday - Calavera

2010-10-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Calavera in Disneyland

If I hadn't moved to Los Angeles, I don't think I would have really encountered Dia de los Muertos. In Ohio, there weren't any celebrations or even mention of the holiday. But to be fair, I didn't go to the right neighborhoods searching for it either.

Still, it's a tradition that I've only got a small glimpse of. I went to the Day of the Dead celebration at Hollywood Forever last year. That might have been commercialized, I don't have a point of reference. So this year, I hope to go to Olvera Street and experience it on November 1st or 2nd.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

2010-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am aware that the word perfect shouldn't be used lightly. I promise, I mean it.

I know I haven't talked much about food in a very long time. The sad truth is that I just often work on my writer dream when I get home from the dayjob and/or I've been lazy and tired. We've been eating a lot of sandwiches and takeout and Trader Joe's delicious frozen stuff (bless them). It's something I'm trying to fix; I'm trying to cook at least a few nights a week again. I do miss it. At the very least, there will be a flurry of baking as long as canned pumpkin is available (I'm not hard core enough to gut a real pumpkin and try to use it).

Anyways, not too long ago, I purchased some pretty amazing cookie cutters from Williams Sonoma:

I know, you're jealous.

I needed to use them immediately. So, I had to find the perfect sugar cookie recipe, which for many years has eluded me. My cookies never came out with the right texture. And right for me is soft and chewy, but no so much so that they fall apart when you pick them up. All I could manage was crunch. Until I found this recipe on the interwebs. It yielded my perfect sugar cookie - thick, firm, but chewy and buttery and yummy. Even the ones that I left in the oven a little too long still tasted wonderful. The recipe isn't any more complex than your standard roll-out dough either. Just follow the instructions carefully (level off the measuring cups with knives) and tada - perfect sugar cookies

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with your fancy Star Wars cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Catalina Travel Diary

2010-10-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing

For fun, I made a photo/travel diary in pdf format of my recent trip to Catalina. I really can't wait to go back...

At Port

2010-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Before Catalina, I've disembarked on a handful of ferries. None of them left from such a cool location before though. The ferry terminal was adjacent to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The little dock we sailed away from was surrounded by cargo ships, containers, bridges, and so many wonderful geometric shapes.

I got to visit the actual port once before for a work thing, and it was a fast tour that didn't give me time to appreciate the lines and colors surrounding me. While we waited for the boarding call, I stepped outside the terminal (which was a like a small airport) and tried to see as much as I could. On the way back, I made sure to grab a window seat for the best views.

Dreaming...

2010-09-27T13:00:00.001-07:00

Today, in the 109 degree heat, I am dreaming of this creek in Yosemite. It is as cold and refreshing as it looks, and I long to be sitting on the shore with my feet immersed in its waters. Long.

Photo Friday - Avalon

2010-09-24T15:58:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I found out that in just two hours, I can be out of the crowded city and on an island. I went up twisty roads in a wobbly golf cart, almost got attacked by an angry mama deer, watched people ziplining, and crashed the perimeter of a big wedding reception in the otherwise closed old casino. I've learned you should always carry a cocktail dress in your purse, just in case. Catalina was lovely... I can't wait to go back.

The Opposite of the Happiest Cruise...

2010-09-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

In my many trips to Disneyland, I only go on It's a Small World maybe one of every seven trips. Possibly less. It's cute, and I like that they've added in places for popular Disney characters. I could totally live without the ride, but once in a while, it's fun to go through. Even with the song (I know, it's already on a loop in your head now, sorry about that).

On a recent trip, I talked the boyfriend into hopping onto the "Happiest Cruise to Ever Set Sail." The line was short, and it was warm outside - ducking indoors on a boat seemed like a good idea. The line splits into two boarding areas, and with my usual talent, I picked the exceptionally slow side. We were right behind a disabled person, so we had to wait for several empty boats to go by to get to the one that was fitted for wheelchairs. That was of course, absolutely fine.

We finally climb aboard and float through doors to the halls of singing puppets with questionably stereotypical clothing (this sounds like a horror movie). I swear to you that the ride was on its slowest setting ever. We drifted along, slower than snails, past the kilt wearing dolls playing high-pitched bagpipes, past the scary Riverdance kicking dollrs, past Mexico. Even at the slow speed, we kept rear-ending the boats in front of us and the poor lady in the wheelchair was getting jolted all about.

Somewhere around Hawaii - so very close to the end of the torture - we stopped moving altogether. It was hard to tell this at first but sure enough, we ended up not moving. We were nose to end with a line of harried passengers looking around surreptitiously for emergency exits. We had to listen to Polynesian "It's a Small World" for lengthy minutes. If that ride stops, they should really turn the music off. Really.

We crept forward. We finally approached the dock to disembark, and no - we had to wait for another wheelchair friendly boat to be loaded. At least we were away from the music. A guy in the boat behind us ran off before it was even close to his turn. He held a toddler in front of him claiming she had to go to the bathroom. I think he was just escaping in case they made us go around again. Smart man.

We practically ran off that damn boat. I half expected it to be a week from the time we got on the ride because it felt surreal - exactly what I think a time warp would feel like. I had enough Small World to last for about a decade.

iPhoto Friday - iPhonetography Workshop

2010-09-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I borrowed the boy's iPhone for a one day workshop I attended. I know. You are wondering why I would take a workshop in smart phone photography. But I've seen photos taken by an iPhone and been amazed, and the instructor was Kyle Cassidy. He is a very talented photographer who I admire not only for his mad skills but also for his willingness to share his time, experiences, and advice. It makes a big impact when an artist is so generous with his knowledge. Especially so because I have frequently encountered the opposite. Anyways. Once I read that Kyle would be in my area with this workshop, I jumped to sign up.

We found photos in the workshop host's backyard:

And then photos in Montrose, which is very Main Street USA:

Our main destination was Vasquez Rocks, filming site of a million (I counted) movies and TV shows, most memorably, the fight with Captain Kirk and Gorn in Star Trek:

Finally, we looked for photos in a Santa Clarita mall parking lot:

I learned that a lot of the magic in the iPhone is the available apps. I primarily used Plastic Bullet, Lo Mob, and Camera Bag. The other couple I used were TiltShiftGen and Hipstamatic, but I didn't use them as frequently. I want to play around with TiltShiftGen more, as it can give you some lovely results. It's incredibly enjoyable and addictive to take a bunch of photos with your iPhone and then sit down and try out different apps to process them. Then you can say - Dude! I took this with my phone!

Remember - it's the camera you have with you that matters most. And these days, doesn't everyone have a cell phone at all times?

You can see photos from a workshop classmate (yeah, I don't know what the right word is) at her blog as well as a tale of the day: Rachel McCauley's blog and Kyle's kicking travel diary from the trip with many iPhone photos at his blog.

Hello Bodie

2010-09-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, mining towns around here really waxed and waned at an incredible speed. Take Bodie for instance. About 100 hundred years ago (give or take 20), ten thousand people lived in Bodie. Now, all that remains of the town are 170 or so buildings and a lot of creepy furniture.

As treasure was wrested from the mines, the population dwindled. Bodie had permanent residents though until around the 1930s and 40s. The official post office there stayed open until 1942. The remains of the town fell into private hands, but it was given to the state park system and officially opened as such in 1962. They decided to preserve the town in a state of arrested decay. They don't renovate or restore anything. They do take action to keep buildings structurally sound though. But the interiors are left as they were. Visitors can walk up and down the streets and peer inside the various houses and businesses. At least one ranger lives there full time to keep miscreants with spray paint out. Not to mention looters.

It was surreal and very creepy to literally see through windows into past lives. I'm not entirely clear on why the houses weren't packed up properly before people moved. But I'm glad they weren't. Everything has been left behind to peel and age or in some cases (especiallly in the school house), look exactly the same. The houses each have a designated number that is located on a stake in front of the door. The number corresponds to a line or two about who the house belonged to or what kind of business it was. You can view residences, the morgue, the general store, a saloon, the bank vault, and more.

The state park also has a small museum set up inside one of the buildings. In glass cases, you can see artifacts from the Chinatown opium parlors and the mines. Walking the streets, it was not easy to imagine thousands of people living in such an isolated place. The logistics of getting things in and out - even with a railroad - had to be challenging and hard. I guess the shine of gold tends to outweigh all of these things.

You can see more photos from my trip here.

Photo Friday - On a Taco Truck

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I would expect illustrations of tacos on the outside of a taco truck. Or maybe just bright colors.

Or a bandito that looks like an octopus eating a taco and wearing a chile in his holster?

That's just how they roll in my neighborhood.

Photo Friday - Trapeze!

2010-09-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, my day job set up a team activity. For most companies, those words induce horror filled faces. But at our company, it's usually something fun - even if it does usually involve alcohol or athletics of some sort (I'm still pushing for a read-a-thon). This time, though, it was off the wall - trapezing. There's a trapeze school right on the Santa Monica Pier; our HR person went a while ago and thought it would be fun.

Fun... right.

We closed the office at noon and drove over. I considered actually doing it for about two seconds. "But you rock climb," everyone said, "This should be easy." But no. Besides the fact that I'm not a very good climber, I have issues with heights. And when you climb, the point is to stay attached to the rock - not to go jumping off of it. Unless you're rappelling, and that is my least favorite part. I would definitely not be trapezing.

The instructors showed us what we would be doing, but of course they made it look easy. Then about ten of my co-workers did it and mostly made it look easy. I decided I must conquer my fear. I was strapped into a really tight belt and hooked in. The scariest part was climbing up the 23' not exactly sturdy ladder. My heart races just thinking about that. At the top, an incredibly nice guy named Brad distracted me with everyday conversation as he did whatever it was they do so that you don't fall out. I leaned forward and put one hand on the trapeze bar. I might have been calling him names.

Then I had to bring my left arm over so that both hands were on the bar. Letting go, losing that control was terrifying. Even though Brad had me, and I trusted that he wouldn't let go, my brain had a hard time processing it.

Both hands were on the bar. I wanted to stay that way for a moment, but the position I was holding was too painful. Then I jumped. The actual jumping off the platform part was easy. Even fun. Despite my forced smile in the below picture... I would do it again.

Urban Sunset

2010-08-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

We don't get blazing sunsets too often, but when they happen... well, just look.

Oh China...

2010-08-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

So right now, I should be on a plane to China. In fact, I would be landing in around 40 minutes.

The best laid plans.

For those of you who don't know me in real life, I work for a manufacturing company. I run operations and QC for this company. The purpose of my trip to China was to visit five factories and a testing laboratory all over the Northern half of the country and perform QC inspections. I would be with our China based third party auditing company at each factory. On the first four stops, a US based food safety consultant would be traveling with us too. The whole point of the trip was to get him to visit factories and provide a thorough report and identify any critical QC issues. He is an incredibly smart guy and renowned in his field. He doesn't enjoy going to China, so it was a really big that we got him to go for my company. He was on the same flight to Beijing as me. We would arrive to Beijing Monday morning, take another flight, and then get right to work.

Our 1:40am flight last night never left. We sat on the plane for two hours and then we deplaned. As you might imagine, people were pissed. And that plane holds a LOT of people. Everyone was sent to a hotel or home and told they would be called.

But here's the problem. Any flight I could have rescheduled for us out of LAX would not get us to Beijing until late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Air China couldn't get us back out until 8pm Sunday on a 1-stop, putting us there super late Monday night. We would lose an entire working day. With our jam-packed schedule, it was a lot to lose. And the consultant had to keep his return date of Thursday (I was staying on until the 9th to visit the remaining factories and sightsee). We'd also have to rearrange our schedule and because of that possibly lose Thursday as a working time too depending on flights. It's just not a trip we could rush. So I looked up all the options, called my boss who then called the CEO of our company, and we decided that we have to cancel this trip and reschedule. The next time the consultant schedule alllows this trip is around January.

I know what you're thinking - it's just 24 hours. Why would it make a difference? But in this case, it made a huge one. We couldn't get him to make a small trip now and return again to finish up. The consultant going was the whole point of the trip. As for me, there was no point for my company to waste my time and the money on this trip when I'll just have to return with the consultant again soon.

Was it hte right decision? Not sure. But ultimately two other people made it with me, so my arse is covered.

Next time, China, next time.

I'm going to work on unpacking. Right now my brain is still figuring things out. Supposed to be in China to home in your pajamas is a big difference to process.

On the plus side... I get to to go the Festival of Sail in San Diego next weekend now! Or camping.
Hey, it's not terracotta warriors, but it's something.

Photo Friday - Found in Vegas

2010-08-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

In Vegas, it is not a surprising thing to be driving down the street, look out your window and notice a giant devil woman wearing a bikini. In fact, I'd be surprised if I didn't see something like this.

Visiting Manoa Falls

2010-08-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

After digging through my memory, I found the name of the waterfall I visited while in Hawaii - Manoa Falls.

I rose at some ungodly hour (before 10am! on vacation!) to walk to Francesca's hotel to meet the less than fancy bus that would take us to the waterfall. Francesca's friend turned out to be a slightly younger lady who was not so thrilled about heading off into the wilderness of Oahu with a couple of "yahoos." The guy from the top of Diamond Head was there and an equally scruffy-looking counterpart was driving. After Franscesca pulled her friend aside for a talk, I could tell from the looks and body language that maybe this girl was more than just a friend. Remember - I am from southern Ohio. That was a bit of novelty to me. She eventually talked her into coming with us.

About ten other people were on the bus with us. We numbered just enough to make a splash if we all disappeared at the same time. That provided comfort. Some of that comfort waned when my glance fell upon the dashboard and noticed the needle dangerously close to the E mark on the gas tank meter. We were heading out of town, into rainforest instead of commercial blocks. No one else noticed or if they did, like me they didn't say a word. I'm sure, also like me, they were thinking of every self defense move they knew. As I was planning the execution of my throat punch, we turned sharply to the right and pulled up alongside a gas pump with stunt driver like precision.

I decided to loosen up about then.

When we arrived to the location of the falls, the guides warned us about the falling rocks. Seeing the evidence piled around the base of the trail, we believed him. Locals (or tourists who wanted to be a part of it) left flowers and built cairns to appease the gods. Many believed this would keep them safe and unsquished on their hike. I opted to just keep my fingers crossed. The thing I remember most about this hike is that it was humid, muddy, and buggy. I was glad that I had practically showered in OFF before I left the hotel that morning. My tennis shoes could barely grab the muddy trail, and I slid about enough that I was worried about tumbling over the hill. I was not the only one with this problem. Francesca's friend decided to turn back about a 1/4 of a way into the hike saying it was a little more than she had bargained for. Francesca and I encouraged each other all the way to the top and back down the mud - which may as well have been a slip and slide.

The waterfall was gorgeous. In my memory, I know I have made it bigger, taller, and more magnificent than it was and that's how it will stay. I mean, it was a waterfall in Hawaii. So even though the hike was less than ideal, I'd do it again.

Upon completion of the two or so hour trip, I received a certificate and a t-shirt. Like you do on the best kinds of hikes. I said goodbye to Francesca and her friend (I think her name was Debbie, but that's fuzzy) at their hotel doorstep. Not many people had cell phones back then, and I certainly wasn't one of them, so we just said our goodbyes.

I wish that I could share photos with you, but alas, it was before the days of digital. I do have some beauties from my Advantix camera though. Maybe I'll scan them one day.

Next stop on the Hawaii tour, visiting a ranch where part of Jurassic Park was filmed and being "adopted" by newlyweds.

Where I live

2010-08-19T15:41:00.001-07:00

My neighborhood oozes the opposite of charm. Instead of winding paths or reaching ivy, we have a lightless street with only a few trees.

Some of the duplexes and houses are cute, but mostly, apartments that fall on the far side of drab line both sides of the street. Overgrown lawns reach across the side walk. When I cross the grass to get to my car, I have to dodge the remains of dogs and lazy owners. It’s a hazard at night; dog poop roulette is not fun despite what anyone tries to tell you.

On the weekends, I’m convinced the neighbors in the apartment complex next door lock their children outside. And apparently, when children are outside they like to scream and cry. There’s a very small amount of space between our place and the sidewalk where they play. In the street, audible fights are a monthly occurrence. No violence that I know of – sometimes a girl yelling after a car that is racing away and sometimes loud shouting in Russian near the bedroom window in the wee hours of the night.

My street is also popular with ice cream sellers. A truck comes through and plays slightly off tune versions of It’s a Small World, Oh Clementine, and every other sort of song that easily infects your head. One vendor pushes a cart and rings a loud bell. A different truck makes submarine type noises that make your chest vibrate as it goes past.

The Burbank airport’s most popular flight paths fly overhead. Just loud enough to pause conversation or any movie you happen to be watching.

I know that some people could flip this the opposite way and see the nuances of urban life and embrace them. But I’m not an urban girl. I like to look out my windows and see nature instead of chain fences and a pile of dented Big Wheels. Hills or mountains would be ideal. Or trees. I want to hear bugs or better yet, nothing at all, when I step outside at night.

It might sound like I hate my neighborhood. But for all that, it’s safe. And I do love the half of the duplex where I live and that’s enough. For now.

Terracotta Warriors

2010-08-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Terracotta soldiers- photo by the Bowers Museum

Around two years ago in October, I schlepped in a very excited way to the Bowers Museum to see the terracotta warrior exhibit. It was humbling. Museums often have that affect on me - how can it not when you are standing so close to is 2,000 years old?

This army was built to protect the first emperor of China in the afterlife. Though only a handful of warriors, chariots, and horses have been pieced together, it is estimated that there are over 8,000 pieces in the large pits. These amazing soldiers were only discovered in 1974. They included generals, infantry, chariots, cavalry, birds, and even musicians. The museum had a collection of weaponry, statues, heads, a chariot, a carriage, and much more. The amount of labor and time that went into these sculptures is absolutely unfathomable. The attention to detail is the most interesting part for me. One would think that when laborers are producing massive amounts of similar items, they would get a little careless or lazy. But, no. Each face has distinctive features, hairs are defined, the armor is meticulous. What a sight they must have been upon their creation!

And by some crazy luck of mine, I am going to see the terracotta army in person in Xi'an in about three weeks. You see, I am returning to China for my dayjob. I will be there for 12 days. I am incredibly excited and more than a little nervous. I will be working for most of those days, but I am taking a side trip to see these treasures and also to visit the Great Wall. Oh yes - there will be lots of pictures.

Photo Friday - Anti-freeze

2010-08-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I drove all the way to Utah to find anti-freeze.

Comfort in cobbler

2010-08-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Cobbler brings to mind so many moments for me. The end of a casual dinner party outdoors, a game of who can get the last scoop of vanilla ice cream to put on top of freshly baked cobbler, sitting on a South Carolina porch covered in sweat and stalked by mosquitoes in July wondering what the hell I was doing eating a hot dessert, coming inside from a long walk out in the snow to get the cobbler out of the oven just in time to stand over it and be warmed by the scent...

It's good stuff, cobbler. And my favorite recipe is a simple one that started somewhere in my family, more than a few moons ago.

Cobbler

2 cups fruit (my favorites are either peach or a raspberry/blackberry combo)
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.

If fruit is whole, peel and slice (fruit from a can works great). Put fruit in a 13x9 glass pan. Cream together 3/4 cup sugar and butter. Add flour, baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and milk. Spread this over fruit. Sprinkle remaining sugar, salt, and cornstarch on top. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over mixture. Bake at 375 degrees F for one hour.

Going tropical - my visit to Hawaii

2010-08-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Katiefornia put up a postcard featuring Diamond Head, and it reminded me of my high school graduation trip. You see, most kids from my high school took a road trip to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. I could have done the same, but two things prevented me: 1) the lack of a group of friends I really wanted to spend 22 hours in a car with and 2) I'd already been there. It was a land of t-shirt shops and motels and tourists. And I wasn't even old enough to legally drink.

So I got this idea. I was going to use my graduation money to take myself to Hawaii. I don't remember how I talked my parents into it. I think I repeated the fact that I was 18 and didn't technically need their permission. That helped. I also might have plied them with (more) alcohol. Soon enough, I visited a travel agent and booked a roundtrip ticket to O'ahu and a cheap hotel (but it had a beach view) in Wakiki.

I hopped a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The oh-so-clever driver asked people on their honeymoon trips to raise their hands. Me and a small group of blue-haired ladies were the only ones without hands raised. I was the only one traveling alone. In fact, I was the only person I saw traveling alone the whole week I was there. Of course, for safety, I pretended like I wasn't traveling by myself. I always hung at the edges of groups or made interesting friends. Others might have been doing the same.

On my first day out and about in my fake Ohio tan (I thought tanning beds were cool in those days), I walked up Diamond Head. I mostly remember that there were a lot of steps. And in June, it was blazing. I somehow made a friend along the way. She was also alone at the moment. She was authentically tan, tall, blonde, cheekboned, and accented. Her name was Francesca. I'm not even kidding. She was about ten-fifteen years older than I, and I think she felt compelled to look after me. Part of me said, "No, don't talk to strangers" but the other part that wanted to share her flashlight managed to shut that side up. We stuck together the whole way to the top. As we climbed up the only ladder and through the hole to reach the summit, a scruffy looking - but nice - sort of fella was handing out flyers for a half-day hike to a waterfall.

I wanted to see waterfalls, I grabbed one and talked about the trip with him. Francesca eyed me warily and suggested that this guy looked a little sketchy to her. If I really wanted to go, she insisted she would go with me. It was a waterfall and of course, I really wanted to go, so I signed up. She penned her name and her friend's name under mine. We headed back down and parted ways for the time. I think I did a very teenager sort of thing that night and got McDonald's on the way back to the beach (also, I was trying to save bucks). I was quite excited when I saw that they served pineapple chunks on the side. Fresh, delicious pineapple right beside the golden fries.

It was a good day.

Photo Friday - Mormon Rocks

2010-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Victorian

2010-08-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Booking a hotel for Comic-Con is a loosely organized game of chance. Reservations open in February or March, and everyone calls and logs into the online booking system at the same time. You have to be prepared with a list of the top twelve hotels you would like to stay at. Hotels closest to the convention center book up first. Even though I pressed the send button about five minutes after the reservations system opened, I got the fifth choice on my list. The fifth! It was still only five blocks from the convention center though, it could have been much worse.

As the dates of the convention got closer, I finally looked up the hotel to get directions and information on parking. Upon clicking on the site for the Horton Grand Hotel, I was excited that I had got the fifth choice on my list. Their website states that the hotel is "a superbly crafted re-creation of San Diego history and Victorian architecture." It's true.

The hotel was constructed in 1886. In California, that's old. The hotel sprung up to take advantage of the inbound San Diego traffic from the first intercontinental train. It was called the "Boom of the Eighties," and in the area now called the Gaslamp Quarter (where the hotel is) there used to be the majority of the city's estimated 71 saloons and 120 brothel and "bawdy" houses. Some legitimate businesses were around too.

The hotel was next to the Brooklyn-Kahle Saddlery Hotel. Saddlery because the ground floor was a saddle shop that made saddles for silver screen cowboys Roy Rogers and Tom Mix. In the 1970s, both hotels narrowly escaped demolition. They were combined and restored to their 1800s glory and reopened in 1986. Bits from the past decorate the halls of the Horton Grand. Some elegant pieces like a grand oak staircase that was shipped to and from Austria at a huge expense to be fully repaired and restored, and slightly less elegant (but not less cool) pieces like a paper mache horse that used to be a fixture of the saddle shop.

The guest rooms were comfy and alive with charm. We had a gas burning marble fireplace, and I think all rooms too. The toilets have pull chains. The fixtures and every bit of furniture sticks to the Victorian decorating them. I think every room has a terrace too; ours overlooked the courtyard. I also really liked that even though it is right in the busy Gaslamp Quarter, it's a quiet place. A lovely courtyard with trees wrapped in white lights invites you in. I regretted that I always had to get somewhere and didn't have the opportunity to relax there in the mornings with a cup of coffee and a book.

They have a detailed history page at their site. I hope I can grab this hotel for next year's convention.

Quick Comic-Con Wrap Up

2010-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be brief in my Comic-Con wrap up. If you are interested in full reports on each day, you can read them at my geeky blog.

This was the best Comic-Con ever for me. Besides the fact it was my first year going all four days, I connected with so many cool/nice/wonderful people. People including geek girls, geek boys, and screenwriters I really admire crossed my path. I tried to put aside my shy ways; I think I was mostly successful. I had a really fun time, and it was worth every bit of preparation. Here are a few photos:

My convention highlights were:
- meeting great people from Twitter and running into them all over the convention
- getting to talk with Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano, The Clone Wars)
- meeting Dave Filoni (supervising director of The Clone Wars)
- having a 12 or so year old boy hug me because he was so happy to see a girl dressed as Han Solo
- cosplaying Han Solo
- getting my sketchbook started (drawings from various artists in a hard bound book)
- Geek Girl Tweet Up. Enough said.
- a pile of new small press/indie comics to read
- the cozy and quiet courtyard in my hotel
- having a small geek girl slumber party the night before the con started
- taking a relaxed approach instead of trying to cram in all the panels on my schedule

I wore two Star Wars themed costumes while I was there, Han Solo and a Padme Amidala costume from Attack of the Clones.

You can see lots more photos here.

Photo Friday - Pool Hall Sign

2010-07-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Comic-Con, I spotted this sign by a gas station. I wish I could have reached high enough to see if the balls actually moved!

I'm back!

2010-07-28T09:14:00.001-07:00

I had an amazing time at Comic-Con. I was all networky and extra geeky, and it was OMGWTFBBQ levels of awesome. I finally got a full evening of rest yesterday, so I’ll be back at posting and finishing post-con wrap up for the next few days.

I’m so looking forward to a quiet weekend at home with my laptop catching up on everything you guys have been up to for the past week. I've missed you!

Small vacation

2010-07-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's a huge week for me - San Diego Comic-Con starts Thursday. It's geek mecca, and as I am trying to gain a foothold as a professional in the industry, I'm drowning in preparations. I've got interviews planned, places to go, and let's not forget about costumes. I am cosplaying two Star Wars characters, including a Han Solo that I am very excited about.

Anyway, this year the convention is just as much work as fun. I'll be there from Thursday to Sunday, and if you are super interested in coverage I'll be updated my geeky blog hopefully daily. All this nerd obsession means I'll be taking a break from this blog for the week though. See you guys soon!

Roses in the dark

2010-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm good at finding not so typical things to photograph at Disneyland.

Unexpected Treasures of the Desert

2010-07-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here's why I say that the desert is full of the unexpected:

It's the Randsburg version of Club 33.

A Buddhist temple in the first stages of construction. No actual temple was started yet, but there were about 20 5-6' marble statues and a giant 20' one. This place is out in the sand surrounded by vast amounts of nowhere.

Maybe folks thought the Mardi Gras beads would cheer him up.

This typewriter would have come home with me, but the antiques store selling it was closed. It was outside on the porch with three others like it.

Johannesburg Cemetery

2010-07-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't go to South Africa when you weren't looking - I just went to the desert. Johannesburg, CA is named so because it was a booming mining community at one time, as was the other Jo'burg. It was named by miners that had previously worked mines in South Africa. Its sister cities were Randsburg and Red Mountain. The silver mine in Randsburg produced more silver than any other mine in California. As you can imagine, it was a busy area. And Jo'burg provided rail access to the area.

The first mine in the city was discovered in 1896; the gold mine was named King Solomon. Prosperity followed and a town with orderly streets and a water system sprung up. The place was so civilized, they even had a nine hole golf course. But eventually, the mines had given up all their treasures. The railroad tracks were abandoned and then torn out. It's a recurring tale in the Mojave Desert. As of the 2000 census, the town had 176 residents.

The cemetery is near the remains of King Solomon's mine. Many from the Rand Mining District area were laid down here.

Lay me down on the hillside at Joburg
Where the desert winds sweep by
Where in row upon row of little brown tents
My former companions lie
With only the sand for a blanket
Instead of a flower strewn bed
My body shall rest from its labors
When my spirit has gone out to God
I tramped those hills in the sunshine
On the desert I'd live and die
Let me rest on the hillside at Joburg
Where the desert winds sweep by
Poem at the grave site of Clarence Leikam, Johannesburg Cemetery

Photo Friday - Grave Marker or Zombie?

2010-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, I continued my explorations along the 395. I wandered around the corners of Johannesburg and Randsburg. And in a dusty cemetery in Johannesburg, I found the weirdest grave markers I have ever seen. One covered in sculptures of cats and dogs. One was a motorcycle gas cover with a plaque. It was surrounded by Budweiser cans.

And there was this fist.

Grave marker or zombie captured in concrete?

I'm not sure, but it's awesome and disturbing either way.

Fireworks!

2010-07-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Quite by accident, I ended up with my camera and a great view of fireworks Saturday night. I was at Disneyland and not fenced in by crowds. It was a surprisingly quiet evening there. As I exited a ride, I heard loud cracks and realized the time. I don't usually bother with the fireworks because it's the best time to go on rides. Everyone else is camped out on Main Street or in front of the castle watching the show. But over in Critter Country (where Splash Mountain is), you can get a great view of the show without the crowds. In fact, it was an empty little corner of the park that night. Disneyland went ahead and pulled out a little extra than normal even though it was the day before the holiday, and I was thrilled I actually had brought my camera.

I leaned over a trash can and used it as a tripod of sorts and shot away. I've never taken photos of fireworks that weren't blurry and streaked horribly, so it was a happy moment when I pulled these off my camera card yesterday. I couldn't hang on to these until next year, and since the folks in my neighborhood are still setting off fireworks, I figured I could still share these.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday.

Photo Friday - I'll take the faux tree

2010-07-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Though there are a lot of liquor stores in my 'hood, it's also the place to go for the supply side of the movie business. In just a few streets, you can find prophouses that rent to every studio, any type of mold making chemical you need, and fake trees. What? You thought all the trees in on the screen are real?

I actually never thought about it. Driving along one evening on an unfamiliar road, I spotted the tops of hundreds of trees appearing above the urban graffiti-sprayed concrete. Then I realized that they weren't planted in the ground or in pots. I was baffled, I told my story to T when I got home. He reminded me that oh yeah, we live in movie town, and all those shows have to rent trees from somewhere.

Of course they do, what was I thinking? Fiberglass trees.

The place actually has a lot of props available for rent; if you're curious you can flip through the Samples of Work gallery here to see the huge amount of commercials, films, and TV shows these trees can be seen in.

My mom's garden

2010-06-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't grow up with the best thoughts of gardening. Despite living on a farm, the garden behind my childhood home was only full of flowers. No vegetables, no herbs, just a bunch of stinking perennials. I do enjoy flowers, but when you're 11 years old and assigned to pulling weeds on the hottest day of summer (repeatedly!), well you don't think of much of them. In fact, you want to claim ignorance and say that you thought all the plants in the flower bed were weeds and you raked all of them up. Oops.

In my own garden, I can justify the weed pulling with a few rationalizations. I schedule it not on the 95 degree day, but rather in the cool evening with a breeze. Also, I don't let the garden get overrun so that by the time I do weed, it doesn't take the better part of a day. And finally, I grow herbs and vegetables, so there is a tangible reward. Looking at petals and delicate leaves can be its own reward, I get that. I just like a little bit of a trade-off.

These days my mom still has a ton of flowers and plants. I found several that caught my lens.

The landmark of my city

2010-06-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Some towns have a historical building or two. Some cities have ruins or maybe a skyscraper designed by an award winning architect. But my city? Our biggest landmark as far as I can tell, is a liquor store sign. That pretty much tells you everything about my town that you need to know.

Photo Friday - Weeping Angel

2010-06-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done giving you hints of my Athens experience. Almost.

This cemetery has some of the oldest tombstones in Athens as far I know. Some date to the early 1800s. Many were crumbling or in another sad state. Many of them had been refurbished, with the cemetery caretakes putting plaques in front of them or piecing the actual headstones back together.

As with many other places in Athens, this cemetery is purported to be haunted. It is really close to fraternity and sorority housing, so I'm sure trips at night are a part of hazing rituals. The big draw though is this angel. She has been witnessed weeping tears of blood. You know, not by anybody I talked to or anyone who has written about her on the internet, but people have seen it! They've also claimed to see glowing orbs and other mystical occurrences here.

This angel protects the resting place of the unknown. The inscription on the statue states:

"To the sacred memory of the unknown dead who rest here, 1806 - 1924"

Cemeteries alive in green

2010-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

The short list of things (aside from people) I miss from my Ohio days include: regular rain, lightning bugs, lush green everything in the springs and summers, and old things - like buildings or cemeteries. I'm getting better at finding the old things in California, but in Ohio, you practically trip over them.

If you are interested in the above list, apparently a June weekend is the best time to go. I got it all. I know, lucky girl.

After our visit to the asylum, my sister and I struggled down a steep hill into The Ridges cemetery. Our flip-flops almost let us down at this point, but the slippery surface of dew drenched grass kept those shoes on our feet with centrifugal force. Or something like that. I didn't make it to physics class in high school.

The numbered graves were lined up in military cemetery style by an idyllic pond dotted with very Monet waterlilies. Numbers were the most affordable route for the multiple patients that passed while at the asylum. Very few headstones among the lines were marked with names or birth dates, and I don't remember seeing any epitaphs.

Headstones 1 - 20 were separated from the rows and arranged in a circle. Though the community has entertained lots of rumors about this circle, the most popular being that it was used for witchcraft. It's most likely that college pranksters (and flipping rude ones at that) rearranged the stones into a circle. Knowing that doesn't make it any less unsettling when you're walking through... The little change of the headstones suddenly being in a circle made the quiet morning just a little more creepy.

Tales of hauntings and ghost sightings abound in Athens, and how could they not with this kind of history? The asylum had two more cemeteries for its patients. That's haunting enough for me.

Athens Lunatic Asylum

2010-06-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

In 1874 the Athens Lunatic Asylum opened in Athens, Ohio. It was open until 1993, and it went through a few name changes during that 100+ years. It has been known by Athens Hospital for the Insane, Athens Asylum for the Insane, the Athens State Hospital, and about seven more different names. I hope they didn't buy stationary in large quantities.

Eventually, when it closed, the state of Ohio acquired the entire property and it's now known as The Ridges. All but one of the site's 40 buildings has been re-purposed and/or refurbished. The halls that used to house patients, operation rooms, or activity centers are now homes to art museums and a children's development center. That last one just feels creepy to me. Ick.

These photos are of the last untouched building in the complex - what used to be the tuberculosis ward.

The asylum started off on an okay note, as far as these places go. The place was influenced by the designs of one Dr. Thomas Kirkbride. He was a 19th century physician who authored an influential treatise on hospital design, On the Construction, Organization and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane. This design put the less violent patients near the center of the complex where the employees and directors lived. This gave them the opportunity to have real human contact. Those classified to be more violent were put at the edges of the complex. The patients were often free to wander the grounds which were lush with trees and fountains. They could also participate in recreational activities like boating.

They had 544 patient rooms, and when the asylum first opened, 200 of those spots were filled.

The hospital was practically self-sustaining. It was surrounded by orchards and gardens, and they had a dairy barn. Patients provided the labor. Since the asylum was a little progressive, it also became more popular. Families dropped off elderly relatives or "rebellious" teenagers. The population quickly jumped from 200 to 2,000. The staff didn't get much bigger though, and the quality of care declined. Fast. Not too long after, the asylum started water treatment, shock therapy, and lobotomies. At least 200 lobotomies were performed.

As you can imagine, those lobotomies led to several deaths. The procedure had risks, especially as doctors were trying to make it more "efficient." The asylum started a cemetery. The majority of the gravestones contain only one thing: a patient number. A few of the gravestones have names and dates; these gravestones were purchased by the patient's family/descendants. All the other stones were purchased by the state.

The TB ward stands alone at the top of a hill. It looks down on the rest of the complex, and only my sister and I were anywhere in sight. It was mid-morning and most of the buildings downhill weren't active yet. We decided that if we could find a way in, we would. We tiptoed around the building with quiet footsteps. It was humid, and the air was itchy with bugs. We were excited to be rulebreakers. Respectful rulebreakers, mind you. Just the kind that go in and look and disturb as little as possible. The windows and doors were all boarded tightly though. I mean, it is in a college town. I'm sure they've had to be creative in keeping people out.

We still managed to get into the courtyard of the building through a big hole in the chain link fence. Still no way in from there except possibly a crawl underneath a porch. Neither of us were feeling that level of dedication to our plan though. Instead we stomped through the tall grass in our very sturdy flip-flops and oohed and aahed over any trace of the past we found. It was one of the coolest moments I have shared with my sister. I think I convinced her to keep a pair of sturdy wire cutters in the trunk of her car too. I am that kind of a good influence.

This person was lucky enough to get inside.

Lately...

2010-06-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Life in the past seven days has gone by in a big blur. A good blur, but it was a lot to keep up with. Here are the highlights for now.

Tiny zombie kittens that tore at flesh while trying to get to a bottle. These little boogers turned up in our 2-car garage/studio (Yep, the same place I found the last one). That was the last time I wore a tank top while feeding them because one ended up in my shirt. They are now at a no-kill shelter. But I might get one of them back. What's one more cat when you already have three?!

I took pictures from a plane window for the first time.

I visited the site of a huge once-asylum in Ohio. My sister took me to this place and old cemeteries because she rocks like that. I watched her graduate from college the next day.

I saw beautiful green places..

It was a pretty great week, zombie kittens and all.

Photo Friday - Balch Park

2010-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Those sequoia trees? They're not kidding around.

I have rarely felt so tiny.

My first visit to Sequoia National Forest was Labor Day weekend 2007. I stayed in Balch Park campground with the boy and his family. It strained the neck to look up at them, and it would take a giant's arms to be able to hug them. They are majestic and hold so much time within their bark and branches.

As far as campgrounds go, Balch Park was lovely though it was a bit too much of a family campground for my taste. Lots of children running around yelping, screaming, being children. Plus the group I was with mostly like to stay around the campsite. All. day. Which I find pretty boring after a short period of time. I wandered off on my own a lot. I found places to hide from the crowds without much effort, it's so easy to do. I found a giant tree, used my sweatshirt as a blanket, and curled up in a little nook for a nap.

Going Bananas

2010-06-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Since I'm going a bit bananas right now with projects and kittens and you know, everything, it seemed appropriate to share an amazing banana pudding recipe. (Yeah, I know that's a stretch, but I fail at clever today).

Banana Pudding that everyone will love you for - no really
I've had this recipe for so long, that like a good myth, I have no idea where it started. I do know that it is the best banana pudding I've ever had, and I get the same reviews when I make it for cook-outs and dinner parties.

Serves 8-10

2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers (trust me, don't go generic on the nilla wafers, it's just not the same)

- In a medium bowl, combing pudding mix and milk. Stir until mix is dissolved.
- Refrigerate 15 minutes (until partially set).
- Stir condensed milk into pudding mixture until smooth. Fold in sour cream and whipped topping. Fold in bananas.
- Make a single layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Spread pudding evenly over wafers. Crush remaining wafers and sprinkle on top.
- Refrigerate until serving.

Note - do not make too far ahead of time as the bananas get squishy fast.

It's delightful on a hot day. Hey - today's a hot day. Anyone want to make me pudding?

Artichokes, garlic, & bloggers

2010-06-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

The internet. Who would have thought that it would go from "if you give your address to strangers you will be murdered with rusty, but sharp weaponry" to the open sort of place it is today? Despite having met my boyfriend and many friends online before I met them in the real world, she is always shocked when I mention meeting an online person for the first time. "You're going alone? To meet a total stranger?" Well, I haven't been murdered yet. That line never goes over well by the way.

This was especially funny when she visited a while ago and I took her to the Huntington where our tour guide was a certain Hiker who I met in person for the first time that day. Mom didn't think you were a serial killer, Karin!

But. I digress.

A week of awesome experiences with people I first met online is the reason for this post. Recently, Christina at A Thinking Stomach blogged about the beginnings of her garlic harvest. I made a comment, and less than a week later, I stopped by her house on the way home from the renaissance faire to pick up a few delectable heads of garlic.

Fast forward a couple of days, and T found a kitten interloper in his shop space (the 2 car garage behind our house). We brought the tiny thing inside to cuddle and after discovering that it was covered with fleas, we gave it a good scrub. Then it scarfed down every ounce of food we put it front of it.

I posted a plea to Facebook with cute kitten pictures. My three cats and T would stage a small riot if I kept another critter. "Please someone, give it a home," I typed around midnight the same night we found it. We had just finished getting it dry. And someone did volunteer to give it a home, immediately.

I delivered the kitten to Mlle. Gramophone within two days. She happened to have artichokes. We made an exchange. I would have given her the kitten anyways though, I promise.

The next night I boiled those artichokes and roasted one of my precious heads of garlic. As I dipped the pulpy, yummy artichoke leaves into killer garlic butter, I thought about the magic of the internet. All of these little things intersect to bring about homes for starving kittens and close friends and produce to my kitchen table and tours of gardens and tea parties and love.

You rock, internet. But the people of the internet? You guys rock even more.

We should not mind so small a flower

2010-05-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

We should not mind so small a flower,
Except it quiet bring
Our little garden that we lost
Back to the lawn again.
So spicy her Carnations red,
So drunken reel her Bees,
So silver steal a hundred Flutes
From out a hundred trees,
That whoso sees this little flower,
By faith may clear behold
The Bobolinks around the throne,
And Dandelions gold.
- Emily Dickinson

Photo Friday - Roadside Oddities

2010-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly learning to get into the habit of pulling over to photograph roadside kitsch more. Among my collection, I most often seem to run into roadside dinosaurs. I like dinosaurs, so I guess I keep an extra eye out for them.

Lemon shaped building with plastic cacti and dinosaur bones, because why not? - along the 395 near Lone Pine I think

Nothing says UHaul like a giant red horse, Bishop, CA

The Cabazon dinosaurs, so named because they are in Cabazon on the 10

Fossil shop in Utah

Dinosaurs in Atascadero, CA

Along with signs, I'm going to be focusing more on catching roadside oddities on film. Do you guys have any recommendations for some cool ones?

Faking It Empanadas

2010-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you have had an empanada before even if you weren't sure that's what it was called. It's a tasty dough, typically fried and folded into a half moon shape. They can be either savory or sweet, whatever you are in the mood for. I will admit that the basic dough recipe is very easy, but sometimes, I am a lazy cook. I totally fake empanadas by just using Pillsbury crescent dough. The kind that comes in a tube. There, I said it.

Sometimes it's good to let secrets out. Despite the fact that empanadas may not be the best description for these recipes, as I don't fry them, they are still things wrapped in pastry dough. Call them what you will, they taste just fine. Here are my favorite savory and sweet versions.

Savory Empanadas
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 375F

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls (or other 8-count refrigerated crescent rolls)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Double cream brie, sliced into .5" pieces
Cinnamon

- Squish two of the crescent triangles into a rectangle. The tubes come with 8 triangles, so you'll have four rectangles.
- In one half of a rectangle, put a few slices of brie, a few tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Fold the other half of the rectangle over and seal the edges by crimping them together with fingers.
- Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Sweet Strawberry Empanadas
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 375F

1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided
2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls, 8-count
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

- Blend in cream cheese and 2 tbsp. of the brown sugar in a bowl. Fold in strawberries.
- Squish two of the crescent triangles into a rectangle. The tubes come with 8 triangles, so you'll have four rectangles.
- Divide strawberry mixture among the four pieces, spooning onto the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold dough over and crimp the edges with a fingers.
- Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and dust with the remaining brown sugar.

Lone Pine, CA

2010-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Lone Pine is a cozy little town that has a lot going for it. One, it's cozy. I love this trait in a town. A small stretch of main street, dotted with diners and stores. The whole area has a top notch view of Mt. Whitney too. Mt. Whitney, at 14,505 feet, is the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. It's high peak stretches over the town. The town's economy relies on tourism. Besides being so close to Mt. Whitney, Lone Pine is conveniently in between Mammoth (a popular skiing destination), Yosemite, Death Valley, and Sequoia National Parks. It's a great place to stop and rest on your journey or at the very least, grab a satisfying meal.

The little town of about 2,000 people is nestled in the Owens Valley, which the Census Bureau classifies as "frontier." Maybe this is why so many Westerns and other films are set in the nearby Alabama Hills. The hills have dozens of natural arches that make it a pretty place to hike and make movies. I didn't get to explore the area thoroughly on the last trip, but apparently there is a particular drive you can wander along - Movie Drive - and view locations from Gunga Din among others. More recently, movies such as Iron Man and Gladiator had sets here and the stars stayed in Lone Pine. In the town, there is a museum, Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History, that details the film history of the area.

In 1872, the then very small town of 250-300 residents, was shaken up by a severe earthquake. In fact, it was one of the biggest recorded earthquakes in California, estimated at 7.6-8 on the Richter scale. Lone Pine was the epicenter, and almost every building in the town was leveled. Fifty two of the fifty nine houses were gone, and 26 people died. John Muir, up in Yosemite, felt the tremors (as did people hundreds miles away, all the way to Oregon). You can read his account of the shaking here. Also, this site reports even more details of the tragic natural disaster.

A small cemetery on the way out of town has a few markers from that time period, but the mass grave for those lost in the earthquake is just across the street.

Photo Friday - You tell me

2010-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

For today's edition of photo Friday, you guys tell me about this photo. Give me your stories and thoughts. :)

A Day at a Renaissance Faire

2010-05-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

What could you possibly do at a renaissance faire, you ask? You don't think it's your cup of tea, I know. There are wacky people in costumes, and people will greet you by saying "Good day!" Trust me. Try it anyway. Here's what a day is like.

You arrive, in costume or not. Pick up a program if they have one, especially if you've never been to the particular faire before. If you are like me, you beeline straight for the food. You only have a limited time at the fair, 8-9 hours at the most, and I like to maximize the amount of foods I can try.

After you are full of the first round of food and your beverage of choice (I like cider), you can either check out a show or just wander the booths and drool over the wares available for purchase. You'll spot something you want at a stall. I almost guarantee it. In my 13 years of attending faires, I've purchased costume pieces, candles, soap, shoes, ceramic kitchenware, and jewelry. And you'll find that even though you aren't sitting in front of a stage, sometimes the show just comes to you. Often, it does.

Now would be a good time to go get more food. But you can also examine the program to find some shows to take in. The variety of entertainers is wide. Musicians, swordsmen, jugglers, dancers... choose your poison. In my experience, they tend to be really wonderful or pretty bad. I always find one or two great shows at every faire though.

As you've already seen, plenty of attendees come in costume - historical... or not. For example, on a recent visit this last weekend, I saw a whole group of fans dressed as Alice in Wonderland characters and an extremely tall... something.

You'll come home exhausted from walking and visual overstimulation. Hopefully you are stuffed to the brim with turkey legs, cheesecake on a stick, and ale. Chances are, you'll be covered in dirt or dust too. I've never been to a renfaire site where I didn't walk away filthy.

Even if it's not your "thing" - give it a chance. You might have fun. I had such a great time last weekend, that I'm going back this weekend (well, that and we scored some free tickets).

Sunday Stills... on Monday - Flowers

2010-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

I know it's Monday, and not even close to Sunday at all. I shot these flowers outside my house yesterday and then fell into an allergy induced state of exhaustion that involved me doing little more than turning the pages in the book I was reading. Eventually it became an allergy induced nap. But... here are the photos regardless.

See all the lovely flowers that others found here.

Photo Friday - The Zipper

2010-05-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

After wandering around while the carnival was empty - and quiet - we decided to head back over the weekend. The rides were running and thousands of lights spun about. Nowadays, even looking at carnival rides in motion tends to make my stomach turn about in an unhappy fashion. I had no plans for buying tickets and riding anything, but it was fun to grab a churro and take photos of the dazzling lights. This ride in particular made me look away in nauseated horror. Meet the Zipper. T had talked to the operator about this ride a few nights before. Apparently, this exact one has been traveling around Southern California for thirty years. Can you imagine?

"The Zipper has a long oblong frame (the boom) that rotates like a Ferris wheel, with free-flipping cars suspended on off-center axes that move around the sides of the boom via a pulley system. Each passenger capsule is essentially a bench seat that snugly fits two people, built into a compartment of metal mesh contoured to protect the riders' entire bodies. The odd, apostrophe-shaped capsules, spaced evenly along the perimeter of the boom, look very much like the rows of interlocking teeth on a zipper, the characteristic for which the ride was named.

The passenger capsules travel around the perimeter of the boom at 4 revolutions per minute (rpm), not particularly fast, but the "flip" around the end of the oblong frame causes a sudden burst of speed and sends the compartments flipping end over end. The boom itself rotates at 7.5 rpm in the same direction as the pulley system. This combined but offset rotation provides each capsule with a unique and unpredictable experience. Zippers rotate both clockwise and counter-clockwise, and most are run with several rotations in each direction constituting "one ride"."

Okay, even typing about it makes me feel a little funny.

Quiet Carnival

2010-05-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

A couple times a year a carnival sets up in a park near my house. It comes in for the weekend, but set-up starts on Wednesday night so it sits empty for a day or so before the families rush in. Every time I see it, I think, "hey, I should stop and take some photos." But I manage to never have my camera or the time or some other lame reason. Last Thursday night as I drove home from work, I passed the park during golden hour. Buttery light filtered through the trees and lit up the rides. No more lame reasons. I raced the last few blocks to the house to grab my camera (I had my point and shoot with me, but I wanted my DSLR) and the boy and raced back.

Though the park was crowded with the normal evening crowd of speedwalkers, yoga enthusiasts, and football throwers, none of them were close to the perimeter of the carnival. I couldn't find any no trespassing signs, and no gates obstructed the entrances. Still, I approached cautiously. I took a few photos around the edges of the carnival and tiptoed in.

I spotted someone setting up, and he didn't have any problems with us wandering around. In fact, he said we could even climb on the rides if we wanted to since they weren't operating yet. Given free reign I practically danced from spot to spot taking photos. The warm light painted the bright hues of the rides into soft pastels. I found my favorite rides from my kid days - the Sizzler and the magic swings. I like that they still have the same names, it's a comfort when some things don't change.

The guy eventually suggested that we should climb up the slide to get the best view. We had to hoof up a little part of the hills while clutching to the side rail and then step over to go up metal steps for the remaining distance. The view from up there gave us a nice vantage point to watch the last of the magic hour fade away. As if the evening couldn't get better - while I stood hanging over the edge snapping every angle I could, the carnival worker climbed down and grabbed burlap sacks so we could actually ride down the slide.

Sometimes my life is weird and wonderful.

The carnival is operated by Swartwood Amusement Co.

Sunday Stills - The Letter B

2010-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

The letter B means one of my very favorite things - books. I have overflowing bookshelves and a couple of stacks on the floor. I, of course, have plenty of unread ones among them. That doesn't stop me from purchasing more. When I am in the mood to browse, I head to used book shops first. The store below the above sign is the Cosmopolitan Book Shop in Hollywood. It's a book lover's dream and an organized person's worst nightmare. The books are just stacked about, no particular order. I'm sure there are areas of the store where the owner hasn't even ventured in a while. So if you're looking for something specific, don't go here. But if you want to wander through piles of books with no real purpose and maybe find a treasure or two, by all means, step right in. It would be wise to take some allergy medicine first.

To see what others found for the letter B, check out the replies here.

Photo Friday - Who would abandon this?

2010-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

You might have heard that the Mojave is stinky with abandoned places. I'm here to tell you that it is absolutely true. Too many mines called California home. Towns sprung around them, boomed, and just as quickly - faded into the Joshua trees and the sand. You can't drive near the desert or any area of California where the Gold Rush brushed against without finding abandoned buildings.

Not all of them make sense though.

I understand when a mine gives up all its treasure. The barracks of the workers are left to decay. But what about places like this? This former cafe sits along the 395 a little north of Big Pine if I remember correctly. It's visible from the road, just a few feet off the main thoroughfare. Surely, the patrons had to roll in. Was it because of poor business that this place closed its doors? Look at the open brick patio. It looks like a fine place to set up tables and enjoy prime rib surrounded by the windy desert. Maybe the diners complained about sand in their food or the highway debris being too close. Or perhaps it was something a bit more sordid.

Part of me wishes that abandoned places are required to have some sort of signpost that tells their histories. But part of me just enjoys making shit up.

What do you guys think happened to this lovely cafe?

A taste of home...

2010-05-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

My mom cooked a lot. I wish I would have been interested in cooking before I was 20; I could have learned a lot. She is one of those ladies who has special dishes that people always request time and time again. Is it gourmet with things like truffle oil? Nah. This is lady who finds eggs benedict to be odd and exotic. She cooks plain and simple and delicious. When I'm back home for more than a few days, she doesn't even ask. My favorite dishes like Irish potatoes (I really have no clue what makes them Irish, but damn, they're tasty) and bacon wrapped chicken breasts served in a cream of mushroom sauce with added chipped beef just magically appear on the table. My arteries have gone way over their quota for those kinds of foods, but I can't help it. I don't often fix meals like that when I'm in my home, but my mom also had an arsenal of tasty snacks and side dishes for potlucks. When I'm feeling a little homesick or in the need for some comfort, I turn to the mom approved snack folder. Here are two of my favorites.

Sausage Dip
Simple in name, but beyond yummy. I've almost eaten the whole dish of it one sitting.

1lb Italian sausage
8oz cream cheese
8oz sour cream
1 small can Rotel tomatoes & green chiles

- Brown sausage.
- Drain about three quarters of the fat.
- Add cream cheese and let melt.
- Add sour cream and tomatoes/chiles, leave over low heat until warm & serve in a 9" pie dish.

I shovel it in with tortilla chips, but I'm sure crackers or plain potato chips are also divine.

Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Huh, come to think of it, my mom loves to use cream cheese.

Bag of large, burrito sized flour tortillas
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 bag chipped beef, diced (also known as dried beef, found in the lunch meat/deli section of the local market)

- Mix the cream cheese and diced chipped beef together.
- Spread on flour tortilla.
- Roll tortilla with the cream cheese mixture on the inside.
- Cut tortilla roll into 1" pieces.

I need to go to the grocery store now.

Santa Monica Pier

2010-05-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

The pier. Something about walking out into the ocean without getting my toes wet entices and simultaneously terrifies me. I see kids looking down, eagerly trying to glimpse the sea in between the wooden planks. I've never been that kid. Eyes up, ahead, behind - anywhere but down. Even in my adult years, I never veer towards the edges.

If you're looking for a good ole' pier experience, the Santa Monica Pier is a fine destination. I'm not sure if it's peerless (I can't help myself!) as my walks on California piers have been fewer than I would like. But here you've got the standards: an arcade, an amusement park, an aquarium, a few souvenir stands, and lots of tasty foods. A couple of not so standard features include a trapeze school and the end of route 66*. It's a fun destination for a date, an afternoon with the kids, a quiet moment, or in my case recently, happy hour. The restaurant at the end of the pier serves margaritas in a glass the size of a small fish bowl. Really.

Enter the pier from the pedestrian crosswalk or from the beach below. Salt and mildew smells peppered with fresh waves fill your nose. The part of the pier that's still wood creaks ever so slightly beneath your feet. If you're a little nervous, like me, cross over to the asphalt center just past the parking lot. Stop at the souvenir stall and flip through the postcards and check out the available shot glasses, even if you live here. Stop for coffee, a warm drink is never amiss on a pier this time of year. It's windy and colder up there than down on the beach. Walk down a few stairs to where the fishermen sit, maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to see them clean a fish.

My favorite pier activity though is walking to the end and finding an empty bench. I sit as far back as I can, and watch the waves.

*Technically, the Santa Monica Pier is not the real end of Route 66. It ends a block away at Santa Monica and Ocean, there's a fancy plaque and everything.

Photo Friday - North Market

2010-04-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

North Market, Columbus, Ohio
You would think that in the land of daily outdoor farmer's markets that are rich with smells and fruit hybrids (a pluot, anyone?), I would barely miss a cozy indoor market. But I do.

In one building, the North Market encompassed everything I loved about Columbus. New and upcoming combined with old and traditional, quiet combined with persistent haste, and just... fresh. The market is perched across from the convention center and right at the entrance of the artsy Short North. Not too far from the world headquarters of Nationwide Insurance either. The lunch crowd mix was always fun to watch.

Swing into the small parking lot that always seems to have a space left for you. Walk up the stairs and into the front entrance. Bright flowers are straight ahead of you and catch your eye. But alas, a glimpse of giant cookies turns your head to the right even as a whiff of spicy salsa grabs your nose. The market never seemed to be quiet when I visited. It was the sound of bustle. Vendors restocking their stalls, lunches being ordered, bottles of wine being carefully wrapped.

In just one stop you could find delicate breads and pastries, chocolate truffles almost too pretty to eat, the best pad thai you'll ever enjoy, a few new plates, fresh cheeses and meat, a huge counter of handmade ravioli, exotic olive oils, and instantly chilled wine. And on and on from crafts to cooking supplies. One stall is snug against another but no one seems to mind the press. The vendors enjoy talking and are happy to help you pick out the perfect dessert to accompany your meal. Though I've never been to France, it makes me think of French markets I've read about. When I actually get to France, I'll let you know.

If you are ever in Columbus, make the time to stop by. You'll find something you like. Promise.

Peeling, rust, and decay

2010-04-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Rusty hook at the Mono Lake Cemetery

If you've been around these parts for a while, you know that I like things with some years on them. Especially if those years show. Today I give you some of my favorite peeling paints, rusty metals, and rotting wood. Hey, what can I say? You guys just deserve the best. :)

A for Amy of course, Vieques Island

Door in the Forbidden City, Beijing

Rusted shipping container (I think), Vieques Island

Vieques Island

Salton Sea

Photo Friday - Signs

2010-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Antique store in Burbank, CA
I always notice signs. And I don't mean in the new age, fate sort of way. I mean actual signs. I love the colors, the words, and the older the better. Recently, I have been making myself take the time to stop the car and photograph all the signs that catch my eye. Well, not all of them, it's just not feasible. I'd never get anywhere that I was supposed to be. But I've been grabbing as many as I can. Older areas of towns or arty areas of towns seem to have the best signs as far as I can tell. The best signs, of course, are from abandoned sites. Places that just have a couple of letters left where you can barely make out the word that used to be there. You just know those signs have stories to tell.

Do you have any favorite signs? Please share links!

Champurrado

2010-04-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

More of the world needs to know about champurrado. Even my boss, from Mexico, had no idea what it was. I was first introduced to this dreamy drink about a year ago. It's a thick, earthy hot chocolate. You see, it's based on masa (hominy flour). I think of it as a hot chocolate smoothie, rich with cinnamon because of the Mexican chocolate used to make it. I've had champurrado of various consistencies, and I prefer somewhere between liquid and oatmeal texture. You can find it in the little mom and pop sort of Mexican restaurants; I've not seen it at a big chain. Even in LA, I don't have the easiest time finding it, so I decided to make it. Enjoy!

Champurrado
Recipe from Aaron Sanchez

Ingredients
1/4 cup masa harina (I found it at Target)
3 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups of milk
1 (3-ounce) tablet sweetened Mexican chocolate (like Abuelita brand), flavored with cinnamon

Optional
1/4 cup sugar

- In a small mixing bowl combine the masa harina with 1/2 cup of water mixing by hand to form a paste.
- In medium saucepan add the paste and the remaining 3 cups of water. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, the mixture will thicken.
- While this mixture is simmering, in another saucepan add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate and cook for about 10 minutes until the chocolate has completely dissolved.
- Pour the chocolate into the masa harina mixture stirring until well incorporated. Whisk until a foam forms on top, about 3 minutes. Serve in a large bowl spooning some of the foam on top. It's also nice with some whipped cream and additional cinnamon.

Mono Lake

2010-04-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

A few hundred miles up the 395 you'll pass a giant lake dotted with wacky, tower like formations. The water is a deep unnatural blue, and mountains crowd the surrounding horizon. Even if the lake is not your intended destination, you can't help but crane your neck out the car window as you drive past. Something about it looks it familiar. Like something you've seen in a magazine. And you probably have, photos of Mono Lake appear in all travel magazines sooner or later. It's too photogenic to resist. I certainly couldn't keep away.

You see, I meant to go to Bodie, a grand ghost town just a little farther north. The road to Bodie was closed though. Deep snows were still clinging to the pavement and making roads impassable. They wouldn't even open for a four wheel drive. So, I altered my plan a little.

I had always intended to go to Mono Lake, but I didn't think I would have so much time there. I wasn't unhappy about it in the least. I turned down the road to the South Tufa and Navy Beach, unsure of how close I could actually get to the edge of the water and the bizarre shapes sticking out of it. As it turns out, right next to them.

The towers of Mono Lake are called tufas. Tufas are sedimentary rocks formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. At this lake, they used to be covered by hundreds of feet of water. Mono lost water because some of the inbound water from Owens River was diverted to give water to those of us in the Los Angeles basin. It's not good for the lake, but I am glad I got to see the tufas before the conservation efforts raise the water level enough to cover them again. They are rough to the touch, and you can find shapes in them like you can in clouds.

A well stomped upon trail winds around this side of the lake. I encourage you to walk the entire thing. The ground is springy, like those playground surfaces made from recycled tires. The smell is a little acrid and biting, but somehow not unpleasant. The water changes from a pale green at the shoreline to a sapphire blue and hits most in between shades along the way. The shore is lined with thick, dense foam that I mistook for snow.

Stop as often as you can to admire the tufas and the lake. Don't just stay at eye level either. Stop to take a knee or maybe even sit. The world looks different from that angle. The tufas will make you feel like are surrounded by castle towers.

Some of the coolest things I see on this earth remind me of Dr. Seuss books. He obviously had it right.

Photo Friday - National Park Week

2010-04-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

I learned something new this week, as I usually do. April 17-25 is National Park Week. Besides a plethora of special events and volunteer opportunities, entrance fees to all 392 U.S. National Parks are waived for this week. What a great opportunity to get yourself and/or your family out to these amazing places.

I know a lot of folks rail against national parks. Why not just find an unpopulated area to go hiking in? Or the ever popular "they're too crowded" (I'm guilty of that one myself). The truth is, they contain nature that is so lovely and bold that it makes your soul tingle. And in my case, often results in a string of curse words upon beholding the sights.

What can you find at our national parks? Something like this:

Photos from: Joshua Tree, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, Death Valley, & the Grand Canyon

Here's an official list of national parks by state offering free entrance for the week. I'm lucky to be in California where there is a large cluster of them, but they are all over the U.S. Get out there, visit the parks!

Also? Share your favorite national park photo with me, I'd love to see them.

Bread pudding - who knew?

2010-04-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

I had a food party just over a week ago, and I was trying to figure out new desserts that could feed 14 people. Someone suggested bread pudding. It's not something I would go for on my own. I've never tried bread pudding because let's face it. That's about the most unappealing thing one can name a dessert. Bread is bread and pudding is not something that should be mixed with it. When I see it at restaurants, it looks like a pile of beige goo flecked with raisins. When does that classify as yummy? But I acquiesced, since apparently most people like the stuff.

I found a recipe from Emeril, and that guy does tend to know what he's doing. It sounded easy enough, and anything that has so much heavy cream and bourbon? Well, that's a winner in my book.

Bread pudding took me by surprise, or at least this one did. The bread was slightly crunch on the top and slightly creamy and sweet on the bottom layer. I drizzled the whiskey sauce over it, and then I pardoned myself from the table and went to food heaven.

If you haven't, give bread pudding a chance, especially this one since it's the only one I can vouch for.

New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
By Emeril Lagasse

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
1 recipe Whiskey Sauce, recipe follows
Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
- Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes. I like a nice layer of baked bread with pudding underneath.
- Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.

Whiskey Sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar.
- Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon. Serve warm.

The sauce packs a lot of punch. I don't think it would take much to get tingly from it. You could add less bourbon if you want, but I don't know why you'd want to.

I seem to be finding desserts which incorporate alcohol. I'm sure that means something.

Sunday Stills - Hands

2010-04-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

I flipped through the archives today for a photo to share for this week's challenge: hands. It was interesting to see that most of my photos of hands all involved cooking or sculpting. To me, hands are at their most beautiful when they are creating - food or art. In this case, Tim's hands are creating the dorsal fin on a 12' tiger shark. It was a prop build for the upcoming movie, Soul Surfer. You can read more about the tale of shark building in this post.

That shark fin took hours of smoothing, and that type of clay, chavant, isn't so easy to move around. I helped for a couple of hours and managed to give myself blisters on both thumbs and three fingers. Sculpting produces really cool results, but it's often tedious and hard work.

See other cool entries for this week's Sunday Stills challenge over here.

Adventure on a highway in this modern time

2010-04-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

I met the 395 in a AAA travel magazine. I devoured the article and soaked up the pictures. This was my road. I knew it from the first glance at the route. You wind up through the high desert, past ghost towns that used to smell of gold and whiskey, around the salt flats with roaring off road cycles, through small movie towns, squish past the base of the Eastern Sierras, soar over the stunning Mono Lake, and end up at the best preserved ghost town in the West.

Not a bad drive.

I never throw away the Westways magazines anymore.

Mono Lake
I must tease you more as I have not had the time to record each section of my journey to my liking yet. I found so many treasures on this road where some iggits on the road to Mammoth say, but you just drive through hours of nothing. What do I know? Maybe when you're dreaming of ski slopes, you're just that focused.

I know that just the right words will come to me. This time I don't want to beat them out.

Also, a side note. I will be going up this road again and again. You see, I've decided to put a book together about the 395. Just a small, self-published thing on Blurb.com for my and probably my mom's enjoyment. Photos and a travelogue of sorts. I'm very excited if for no other reason than I have a grand excuse to dally about on this road several times in the next few years.

Up the 395

2010-03-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

I took an amazing, if fast, trip last weekend. I went from the desert to the high mountains. You can do that in California, in less than 340 miles. I can't wait to tell you guys all about it, but for now, a small photo tease.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

2010-03-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

On St. Patrick's Day, I am not a person you'll find out in a bar drinking green beer. Or wearing all green clothes. Or usually even remembering that it is St. Patrick's Day. I don't have anything against it, I'm just forgetful. I drink Guinness most of the time I drink beer, so that doesn't really make the day for me either. But this year, I heard of a magical Guinness chocolate cake on NPR. It was too perfect.

For a cake, it was actually easy too. I prefer several other sweets over cake, so when I read a cake recipe that involves a million steps between sifting and folding and gently stirring, I generally just go get a cake-in-a-box. My spatula and I have spent too many moments figuring out the differences between the above, and we just need a break from each other sometimes. But this cake? It has Guinness, chocolate, and you essentially just dump it all in a sauce pan and bake it.
The result is a giant, moist, dark brownie. The Guinness is sharp, but the touch of sweetened cocoa and all the sugar counter it. The cake is light and springy and freaking yummy (it's a technical term).

Guinness Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe

Cake:
1 cup Guinness
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup sweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar (I used regular granulated sugar)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting:
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
OR – just dust the top with powdered sugar (I'm just saying).

- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and butter and line a 9 inch springform pan (or butter a 9” cake dish).
- Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter in tablespoon size slices and heat until the butter's melted (over low-medium heat). Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the butter/beer mix. Stir until mixed. Whisk in the flour and baking soda.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
- When the cake's cool, make the frosting. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over the confectioner's sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsifted confectioners' sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Put the cake on a cake platter, flat side up. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

You probably can buy just one Guinness, but why would you? It's quite enjoyable to drink the leftover Guinness along side the cake. And a glass of milk. Hey, don't knock it til you try it.

Photo Friday - Solvang & Santa Ines Mission

2010-03-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Visiting Solvang was a byproduct of my drive up north to see the waterfall. I mean, the pseudo Danish town is right down a scenic road from Noloqui Falls. I'd heard that it was a charming place and something vague about good waffles somewhere. So, why not? I had a hunch that there would at least be a bakery, and I was hungry.

After I fought a herd of bicyclists (a gaggle, a bunch, a flock - whatever, they were many in number), I found a parking space close to the downtown area. Not a parking meter in sight. You see, Los Angeles folks get very excited about the lack of parking meters and ten parking rules signs. I loaded up my daypack and slung my camera around my shoulder. I didn't get very far before I experienced strong, unpleasant deja vu.

It reminded me of Gatlinburg.

There I said it. Now mind you, I don't think Gatlinburg is horrible or any of those things. I've been once and had a fine time. By my comparison, I mean that the place vomits a perfect combination of cute, charming, and commercialism. Ick. Also, it was crowded. I know it has great historical significance, but I just wasn't feeling the vibe, so I took a fast stroll and fueled up with a bear claw the size of my head and a large coffee. I quickly exited Solvang to the more serene grounds of the nearby mission.

California missions are a thing. Many people endeavor to visit every one. This was my first visit to a mission (insert joke about being a mission virgin here), and I've waited too long. The view from the parking lot overlooked a verdant field of the Santa Ynez Valley that is picturesque Santa Barbara County. The parking lot was almost empty, and though it was probably sad for the mission, I was happy for the quiet. Tours were available, but I opted to just wander through whatever areas appeared to be open.

We joke about having historical 50 year old buildings in California, but the mission actually has some road behind it. The Santa Ines Mission has been around for 206 years. It was rebuilt in 1817 after an earthquake and the buildings from this reconstruction remain today. The restoration is ongoing and below you can see the restored arched colonnade with the ruin of the original 19th arch.

The late afternoon light was falling through the trees and a walk through the garden and down resurrection path (where the above crosses were lined up with different illustrations) were just what I needed before hopping back into my car for the return drive home.

Spicy Garbanzo Bean Burritos

2010-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Despite my bursting "recipes to try" binder and my long shelf of cookbooks, I am still subscribed to a few recipe email newsletters. One of these that you could not convince me to give up is the Splendid Table weekly newsletter. Most of my smashing, never-fail vegetarian recipes come from this one place. Everything from basic pastas to soup to this new bean burrito recipe.

Last week's email had me at garbanzo. Garbanzos (the same thing as chickpeas) are one of my favorite beans, and I like to incorporate them in new things. Unlike other beans, they tend to stay firm and meaty through even slow cooking. Read - they don't do not turn into a pile of pasty mush. I don't mind that, but some beans with actual bite to them in a burrito was a nice change.

Check your spice cupboard before you dive in. Teaspoons made a dent in little jars like mine. Surprisingly, even with all the spicy spices, the end result was full of flavor but not hot. The cucumber yogurt sauce cooled it down even further and also proved to be excellent served over the side rice.

Spicy Garbanzo Bean Burritos with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Recipe from the Splendid Table newsletter.

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium onion)
2/3 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
Two 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 large flour tortillas

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated on medium holes (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and cook for 6 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, and paprika and mix well. Add the garbanzo beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper and then stir in the cilantro.
- As the garbanzo beans finish cooking, make the sauce. Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of the garbanzo bean mixture onto each tortilla and top with some yogurt sauce. Roll up the tortillas tightly and serve.

The tiniest bit of soy chorizo (2 tablespoons) adds even more spice to the recipe.

Sunday Stills - Orange

2010-03-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

This week's Sunday Stills challenge was to photograph the color orange. It is around a person more than you would think. For me, the wall in front of my day-job desk is painted a bright, smack you in the face sort of orange. Then there's the orange tree exploding over the fence in my neighbor's yard. Let's not forget about sun, a pair of shoes, some beads, and some graffiti I passed on the way to the grocery. I eventually settled on this orange flower though. It was bright and perfect and said "please photograph me."

See what others have come up with here.

Photo Friday - Nojoqui Falls

2010-03-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

People are attracted to waterfalls almost unequivocally. It doesn't seem nutty to me in the least that I drove almost 300 miles round trip with a waterfall being pretty much my sole purpose. Something about the flowing water evokes peace for me. Even if the area is filled with lots of people clambering to see the same thing as you.

This 80' moss surrounded waterfall is just a short hop off the 101. If you've driven along the freeway you've probably noticed the sign in passing. Well I'm telling you, stop next time. You won't regret it. Even less if you happen to have the makings of a picnic in your car.

The road off the freeway will lead you to Alisal Road. It's a beautiful winding backroad barely wide enough for two vehicles. The signs will lead you to a park lot. It is a picnicking area, so don't be discouraged by the numerous cars. The trail will have several people, but I didn't feel like it was crowded. It is a popular destination for its beauty and also for the fact that the falls are just a short ten minute walk from the parking lot.

Stroll pass a bubbling stream, walk under dappled light on the trail, and enjoy the peaceful walk. I was able to do it even with loud children about. It's easy to forget noise when you're surrounded by woods. As you cross over a bridge, you will catch a small glimpse of the falls. Thick ferns surround the water and vivid moss practically drips off the travertine rocks. The water was clear and cold. The sound is just a small roar but it's enough to rage over all other sounds. I did the photographer thing and took photos from every possible angle. Then I just sat. And listened.

It was a good day.

Wandering North

2010-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need to wander. Maybe with a destination in mind or maybe just a general direction. I got this itch in a bad way last Saturday. I wanted to visit a waterfall up near Solvang, about 120 miles north, and I let that guide my trip. Jumping in the car knowing that you're just going to meander gives you an incredible sense of freedom. I could have driven all the way to Canada given the time, inclination, and a cooperative vehicle. Crazy, huh?

As it is, I didn't go quite that far.

The sky was blue and crisp. It was the quintessential Southern California day, and I couldn't wait to leave Los Angeles in the dust. I loaded the car with cameras, snacks, a notepad, and coffee. I headed to the 101...and immediately got stuck in traffic. But I did not let it dampen my spirits or resolve. I just turned the music up. By the way, Anna Begins by the Counting Crows is the best song to sing along to when you're cruising.

Eventually I escaped the traffic, and right about the time I hit the beginning of the canyon roads, I felt the ocean air trickle in through my windows. Refreshing, salty breezes that brought the Pacific ocean into my car. It only strengthened as I headed further north.

Eventually I got to sections of the 101 where I only saw a few other cars. After about two and a half hours I spotted the sign for the park where my waterfall was. It led me off on a curvy background surrounded by lush hills and verdant fields. Sunlight rained in between the leaves of thick trees. I haven't felt so serene and relaxed in a long time.

Roadtrips kinda rock that way.

Amazing BBQ Pulled Pork

2010-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Pulled pork is another one of those foods that doesn't photograph so well. At least, not under my lens. It just looks like a pile of unappetizing meat. So, let me just stop whining about the lack of photogenic pork and get to the recipe.

A while ago, during the Shark Building period of 2010, I tried to play craft services to the crew in the backyard as best as I could. It only lasted for about a weekend with a few other meals in between, but hey, it's the thought, right? While planning, I realized I'd been dying to make BBQ pulled pork. You see, it's not something one should tackle with only one carnivore in the house. When there are more than five of them? Perfect time to pull out the slow cooker.

From past experience, I knew that a dry rub elicited the deepest flavors rather than just soaking the pork with liquids. I scoured pages of internet recipes, and finally settled on the below recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I modified it just slightly. Check your spices before you start mixing, I didn't quite realize how much 2 tablespoons makes a dent in that little jar.

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

1 6-8lb bone-in pork shoulder
2 cups barbecue sauce

- Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

- Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours (but it can be refrigerated up to 3 days).

- Unwrap roast and place it in slowe cooker liner. Add 1/4 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork tender.

- Transfer roast to cutting board; discard the liquid left in the slow cooker. Pull the meat by tearing into thin shreds with two forks. Discard the fat.

- Place the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and toss with 1.5 cups barbecque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's). Heat on low for 30-60 minutes and serve with additional barbecque sauce.

In the end, my meal for eight turned into twelve. I like when people magically appear because they know I'm cooking though. It makes my inner Sicilian grandmother happy. Every carnivore among these twelve (nine of them I think) said it was the best BBQ pork they'd ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating.

Sunday Stills - Sunrise/Sunsets

2010-03-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

I took a long drive yesterday up the coast, intending to catch the sunset on my return. Alas, I timed it poorly and I was stuck in traffic and couldn't get to the beach in time. The challenge this week was no photos from archives, so I bring to you the closest thing I have to a sunset this week. The sun going down over this bizarre mural and twilight closing in on the city/cat.

And because I feel like a real sunset is needed, one from the archives:

See more photos of sunrises/sunsets for Sunday Stills here.

A brief intermission

2010-03-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

I like to keep my life on a bearable level of insane. It keeps my brain active and keeps me working on things that I am passionate about outside of my day job. But right now I've got so many projects buzzing around in my little brain that I need to take a few days to prioritize and figure out some structure. I'm going to take a small break from posting for the rest of the week. Not that your lives will end if I don't post, but just wanted to let you know. :) Until then, enjoy this sunset. This photo was taken in Ohio, right after Hurricane Katrina.