At least I showered...

I made a pot of coffee. I did all the laundry in the house. I watched some West Wing but not the Price is Right this morning (sorry G). I cleaned out the back of the truck from the Float and Bloat. I took a shower today. That's about it. I thought about writing for a couple of hours. I thought about going to the gym this morning. I thought about taking the dog for a walk. I thought about starting my french lessons. I thought about making some lemonade but that would have meant that I would have had to go to the store to get lemons. I thought about making that peach pie with the peaches from the neighbors house so that I would have something fun to blog about. None of the things I thought about doing ever made it to the point of things that actually got done. Instead I found some fun things to share.

I write like David Foster Wallace.

All the good men ARE taken.

This guy knocks it out of the park!
(via The Only Living Boy in New York)

Every month I say I am going to do the SF Cupcake Challenge. Last month's was alcohol. Who wants to make me commit to it?

After taking Another Great Cake Class, I really want to take the French Macaron Class from Baking Arts.

I need to make it to a Pick You Own Farm before the summer is over.

Oh yeah, I need to make these caramels too...one of these days.
(via Cupcakes and Cashmere)

Float and Bloat

I live in the Central Valley of California and because of this I am lucky to live a day's trip from almost anywhere in the state. A couple hours to San Francisco, half a day to Los Angeles, a few hours to the central coast...anything is within reach for me. One of my favorite things to do is to get lost in the foothills to my east. About 15 minutes from where I live is the tiny, tiny town of Knight's Ferry. There is one main street, one bar, only a couple of little restaurants and not much else but breathtaking views. The pride and joy of the town is their historic covered bridge. Finished in 1857, the covered bridge boasts the record for the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi. Growing up close to Knight's Ferry, one of the summer rituals was to pack up a two man raft, an ice chest and some sunblock; call up a group of your best friends, and head east to 'float' down the river. From the drop off in Knight's Ferry to Oakdale it is an all day float. Along the way you will see small rapids, cows that walk up to the water, Lover's Leap, and tall hills that make you feel that you have stumbled upon a secret spot in the universe. For the more brave (or lubricated) at heart, there are cliffs that jut strait up that you can dive from (although I am sure its frowned upon). Consumption of alcohol is legal but discouraged by Sunshine Rafting, the professional rafting company that charters group trips. Because the Mr., myself and all of our friends enjoy the consumption of alcohol we pack up enough 'Stones to survive the trip. When we drink we get a little clever. That is how we came up with the name, Float and Bloat.

Palm Springs

Sorry for the delay again but this time I had a legitimate excuse. I denied myself computer access for 5 days while I rested and relaxed in beautiful Palm Springs. My best friend celebrated his 30th birthday in style and rented out an entire commune (what seemed to be anyway) for 4 days. We stayed at the Blue Belvedere in what is known as the Movie Colony. During its heyday, the Movie Colony of Palm Springs was a getaway to such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the rest of the Rat Pack. We all had the best time and the whole vacation seemed surreal. I think I lived in the saltwater pool for 3 days strait with my only worries being reapplying sunscreen and refilling my cocktails.

Second Anniversary

In May the Mr. and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We were (and still are) a little strapped for cash but I was desperate to get out of town. After much research, I found some great deals for Santa Cruz, California. Santa Cruz is about two and a half hours from where we live and makes a perfect place for a weekend getaway. We loaded the car, dropped the dog of at the sitters (my dad and stepmom) and headed out. One of my favorite things early in this trip was that my favorite traveling radio station came in clear for a very long time. The Greatest Hits of All Time (formally 'Oldies') 97.5 KABX out of Merced California. I remember listening to this station as a little kid and memorizing all the hits from Buddy Holly, The Monkeys, Elvis, and the Beetles to name a handful. Things have changed in the past few years. The other morning I turned to the station only to find myself listening to Hall and Oates ('Maneater'??? Really??? C'mon!). At least they still have some redeeming qualities like Breakfast with the Beetles on Sundays, recordings of The Wolfman Jack Show and repeats of Casey Casem's American Top 40.

Halfway to our destination, in Hollister, is Casa de Fruta. I have passed this fruit stand many times on my way to Santa Cruz and have never stopped before. We were in no hurry so we pulled off the freeway and took a walk around.

This is the outside...(click pic to enlarge) 

...and this is the inside. 

What really sold us was the free wine tasting. We were allowed to sample two different varietals. I think I chose a sparkling white and a Pinot Noir. I remember thinking that both were ok but nothing really to write home about. I can't remember what the Mr. chose but I know that one of them was their Pomegranate Wine. That one was really good, so good that we bought a bottle to toast with that evening. 

We arrived at the Best Western Capitola-by-the-Sea Inn and Suites. I chose this hotel because of the discounts and freebies it had to offer. By choosing this hotel we were both able to go to Roaring Camp Railroads for free. The staff was very friendly and helpful over the phone and at check in. There were even fresh baked cookies waiting for us in the lobby. During our one night stay, we took advantage of the outdoor hot tub, pool and the continental breakfast in the morning. The breakfast included fresh fruit, very good coffee, an assortment of pastries, bagels, and toast; juice (I went back several times for the guava juice...it was sooo good), milk, tea, cereals, and my husband's favorite part, there was a 'make your own' waffle station.

After dropping off our things at the hotel we drove to the Santa Cruz Pier. It wasn't quite tourist season yet so there was plenty of parking on the actual pier. We walked around and watched the fisherman. We listened to the sea lions below the pier bellow at us and flap their fins. From a second floor wine cafe we were able to people watch while we took advantage of a half price happy hour. The weather was perfect and the views were priceless. After finishing our wine we walked the pier as the sun was setting. Very romantic!

For dinner we headed back to Capitola. I won't go into how disappointed we were in the restaurant (Sorry Stockton Bridge Grill) but the view was great, the service was ok, it was getting late and we were starving. Walking along the Esplanade we spotted a dog tie up that made us miss our own Sadie very much. After dinner we went back to the hotel, called the desk to see if they had a wine opener (the did!!) and headed to the hot tub with our Pomegranate Wine poured into plastic cups. 

The next morning we got up early, took advantage of the easy checkout over the phone in our room and headed to Roaring Camp Railroads. I am glad that we took advantage of the free tickets because I don't think that the Mr. and I would have ever considered this. This stop ended up being one of my favorite things that we did that weekend. On our train was a dog named Sugar and she was very well behaved so we didn't mind. This made us miss our own pup again. The tour was guided by Conductor Kent who was very friendly and knowledgeable. It started to warm up but not for us because along the way we were protected by huge and ancient redwoods.

Next on our list was the famous Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. This is a place that I had always intended on going to but never made it a priority. The cost was very reasonable and because we went before the tourist season started, we were able to tour it in a very small group. It was just the right amount of strange for the price that we paid.

After a quick stop at the local Costco (to get discounted all day passes) we finally made it to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I remember spending lots of time here when I was a kid. Because the season hadn't properly started and it was a Tuesday (I think), hardly any of the rides were open. The Giant Dipper was and I kept my eyes closed the entire time I was on it. For some reason, roller coasters aren't as fun as they used to be. After riding the rides and lunching on garlic fries, the Mr. and I played a round of miniature golf in Neptune's Kingdom where I let him win, but only by one stroke. We had free passes for the bowling alley across the street but had no luck using them because there was a tournament and they weren't letting anyone else play. After exhausting all of our free fun, we headed home happy, tired and in love. 

Double Feature

I want to see this:

(release date September 10, 2010)

...and this:

(US release date October 8, 2010)