What A Nice Evening

This is Ironstone Amphitheater a mile from my home. And, last night is the first time I have gone there for a concert. It is just something I have not done. No special reason. This photo from google depicts exactly how beautiful is was yesterday up here in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California.

And, this was the entertainment for the evening. It looked like it was almost a sell-out performance.

Tony Bennett and Jackie Evancho did a mighty fine performance.

 

This is a very busy Labor Day Weekend in this little tourist town especially with this concert taking place. This is an area with a lot of retired people (like us) that remember the "early years" of Tony Bennett. And, he did not disappoint nor did Jackie. What a gifted young lady! 

 

Our town is so busy this weekend that all of the restaurants are busy busy busy. It sure helps our local economy. It was almost like a traffic jam downtown last night on Main Street with all of the visitors. It is only two blocks from my house but I never am disturbed by the activities or noise. I am just the right distance away and it is always quiet. Location, location, location. I am so blessed.

 

Tomorrow we are going to another picnic. So, I think I am going to make another salad with the same recipe as I made last week. The Tropical Slaw was very good. So, I better get "in the kitchen".

The Wharf And More

This is a nice photo of The Wharf that shows its relationship to the "colorful motel" and surrounding area. We walked all around the area and to the end of the wharf. We considered going to dinner the first evening at the Wharf House at the end of the wharf but changed our minds after reading reviews and taking into consideration the walk to the end and back at night time. So, of course, we had to check it out in the daytime.

And, here we are at the Wharf House.

I guess I would say that it is pretty typical of an "end of the wharf" restaurant. It reminds me of the Crab Shack at the end of Santa Cruz wharf which is just up the coast a bit.



Now, we have many photos of the sights around and from the wharf. 

 Meet me on Sunday!

 Let's play volley ball   - Misty Mae and Kerri Walsh?

 The weather was overcast in the mornings but transformed beautifully to sunshine.

The surfers were having a great time and there were lots of them but not in this picture.

Beautiful Homes! Love the purple accents.



After walking all around the area, it was time to find a place to eat lunch. So, we walked back to The Esplanade and decided on the Paradise Beach Grille after poking our noses into several doorways.

 From our seats we had a view of the area that we had been walking around. Isn't it pretty?

 And, the Tomato-Carrot Bisque Soup was sooooo good.

 Look at these scrumptious Fish Tacos.

 The food was great and restaurant was nicely appointed with flowers and art work.

The Esplanade with lots of outdoor seating and beautiful views.

Next time - The Shadowbrook Restaurant and the communities of Soquel and Aptos.

If You Like Coleslaw

You may like this Tropical Slaw I made for our annual Church Picnic and Potluck. The bowl was emptied in short order.  The ingredients are many but it is very easy to make.

Look at all the goodies in there - cabbage, mandarin oranges, pineapple, raisins, coconut, marshmallows, banana and walnuts and more!

Our picnics are generally held at White Pines Lake in Arnold which is north of here. The lake is behind the cross that was painted by the children at Vacation Bible School. You can not see the lake because of my lack of photography skills! But, believe me it was beautiful. And it was delightful to worship and sing under the trees. As usual, the picnic foods were bountiful and delicious.

This year the First Nations Fellowship Church and their pastors from a neighboring county were invited and joined us for a very spiritual and enjoyable gathering. Our church believes that "Whoever you are, Wherever you are on life's journey, You are welcome".

After spending an inordinate amount of time on my second vacation post with many photos, I lost it to the caverns of the Internet abyss! My extensive retrieval efforts were to no avail and I am a very unhappy blogger.

Fantastic Capitola-At-The-Sea

A week ago today, we left for a mini vacation to the coast. The weather we left behind was in the low 100 range and had been for several days. The change of climate to temperatures in the 70's was a very pleasant change.

When we checked into our motel on 41st Avenue the lobby was very inviting. We were pleasantly surprised with a nice upgrade to a suite at the Best Western Plus Capitola-By-The-Sea Inn and Suites.

This little fella looks playful and fun! Don't ya think?

The first evening we dined at a very impressive restaurant, Cafe' Cruz who "believes that using healthy, high quality ingredients translates into the best tasting food. They use the freshest local produce (organic when possible), freshly caught fish from sustainable sources, fresh natural California poultry and pork, and Harris Ranch Beef (naturally raised in California), complemented by other top of the line ingredients". And, wow - the food was great!  This restaurant was only a few blocks from our motel and very conveniently located on the same street.

 

We entered through the rear parking area. The restaurant was quite large with many rooms and was filled with enthusiastic diners on a Monday Night! The menu was extensive and the service was exceptional and without fault.

 

Many murals were on the walls depicting their philosophy of natural cuisine.

 

We entered walking through one of the garden rooms that was beautifully appointed with lovely plants and fire pits for warmth as the evening cooled.

The next morning we drove a short distance to Capitola Village where there are many boutique shops, art galleries, wine tasting rooms, restaurants and beautiful surroundings.  The first stop was at Mr. Toots Coffee House for some special coffees. 

 

 

The air was cool but not to cool to sit outside on the little balcony overlooking the colorful Venetian Hotel, Wharf and Sea. If you look closely you can see the little table where we sat below the Mr. Toots sign. It was so relaxing. 

 

This is the enjoyable picturesque view from the outdoor eateries on The Esplande where we enjoyed our coffees.

 

The colorful buildings are all part of The Venetian Hotel which is in the Mediterranean style with hand-carved doors thematic of Venice, Italy. So charming. 

 

At the far end of the individual accommodations, near the Wharf, there were beautiful gardens with a plaque commemorating the destination by the Department of Parks and Recreation National Registry as the First California Condominium Sea Side Resort 1924. See the photo below.  

 

This is the seaside view of The Venetian Hotel taken from The Warf. You can see the gardens on the far left of the photo.



This is a photo from the Chamber of Commerce website showing the seaside view of the Esplanade.



And, here is a little friend on The Wharf sitting and waiting for some tidbits that may present for his enjoyment!

 And - - - - - What a handsome guy he is!

 

 More tomorrow about The Warf and Shadowbrook Restaurant.

I Was So Surprised

I know that I have been spoiled in the past and have received lots and lots of flowers during the past two and a half years. But, the past year not so much. So, when I saw the man carrying this bouquet to the door a week and a half ago it really surprised me. The bouquet is gorgeous! These photos were taken quickly and don't show the full variety of all the different  beauties. I am enjoying them so much.

Capitola-At-The-Sea

Everything about this little vacation was wonderful!
 

Isn't this a charming picture. Does it look like you are in Italy?

I have a very busy day so I will share more later.

Friday Night Dinner At Home

Since the weather has cooled "a little bit" I thought it would be nice if I prepared dinner at home. Especially, since I am never expected to make dinner.  This is a photo of my interpretation of a little antipasto prepared with vegetables from my garden.
  

The cherry tomatoes, cucumber, yellow tomatoes and basil are from the garden. I paired them with a little red onion, fresh mozzarella cheese and prosciutto along with freshly ground black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And, this is Boneless Loin Pork Chops with Olive Caper Sauce.  It is a very easy recipe from Wearenotmartha.com blog. The capers and klamata olives give the pork a very good flavor. Steamed fresh green beans were a nice accompaniment.

These photos were taken quickly at the last minute! I almost forgot.

Next Monday, we are taking a little trip to the coast.  We will be away for three days visiting Capitola, California. It will be nice to go to a cooler part of the state where the weather forecast is in the 70's.

This will be a quiet weekend with only church and brunch planned for Sunday.

The Forest Fires Are Impacting More Than The Air Quality

There are so many fires in California and the Western States! It seems like every day we hear about another one! The impact is substantial in so many ways other than air quality. Economically, environmentally, quality of life and danger to home and life (especially the firefighters) and many subtle impacts that we are not aware of will be realized for years to come.

Today we were planning on attending the Annual Picnic of the Fly Fishing Association at Lake Alpine. We drive to Lake Alpine often and the only way to travel there from here is is to take Highway 4. The picnic had to be cancelled because of a forest fire caused by an escaped campfire last Saturday.  The fire has consumed more than 1000 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest. The Highway (4) is closed to through traffic. As you can see by the map, the fire is at the edge of the highway. In fact, it has jumped the highway. Lake Alpine is above the fire site. The skies are smoky and the temperatures are high.

I don't seem to be getting very much done today. But, we did have a good weekend. The movie, "Hope Springs" was fun.

And, we also went to the play, "Carousel" at the local Community Theater.

1956 Poster - Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae

The music of "Rodgers and Hammerstein" was great and certainly brought back memories of when I first saw the play more than 50 years ago! The story line was modernized but was still very entertaining. One of the actors in the play is a friend of ours. He is the Choir Director of our church choir.   The talent in our Tri-county area is quite remarkable.



The Fires Are Burning

Unfortunately, there have been quite a few forest fires here in the Sierra Foothills and Up Country partly due to the low rainfall this past year.

Most of them have been a fair distance from me and have been contained without loss to property or lives. However, it is always sad to see the forests on fire! The fire services have been doing a fabulous job and we are so very grateful.

Wherever you live, please be careful with anything that may cause combustion and fire.

Our days have been very very hot! The last few days have been over 100 degrees.



What Have I Been Doing

A little of this and a lot of that - like, trying to make up for what I could not do while my arm was healing. Of course, it is still healing but it only bothers me if I overdo it.

• In the garden 2 to 4 hours a day, watering, weeding and pruning.
• Loads of laundry, catching up on what was not a priority like blankets and bath rugs.
• Folding, sorting and organizing my clothes closet which needed attention very badly.
• Cleaning out paper files. So time consuming! 
• Sorting and shredding paper - paper - and more paper.
• Organizing the linen closet. It is small. That is the biggest problem.
• Cleaning the upper surfaces in the kitchen that seem to gather "greasy dust". And, washing out a few cupboards if the mood hits me.
• Steam cleaning carpet a little at a time so I do not grossly increase my back pain. It is nice to know that it dries quite fast in this hot weather. I guess that is the "silver lining" with hot-hot-hot weather!

This is a my new patio clock/thermometer on a much cooler day. It is nice and easy to read! This week the weather is predicted to be over 100 degrees.

 

I am trying to get a lot done at the begining of the weeks so I can enjoy the last days of the week with all the fun things there are to do at this time of the year. There are a few medical appointment on the schedule also.

Planing on going to dinner at the Farmer's Market which is held at one of the many wineries on Main Street . Along with the the beautiful produce and foods from around the county the winery owner and French Chef Jeannine serves gourmet BBQ dinners to pair alongside their wines. We went one time last year and it was lovely and not expensive.

Also, planning on going to see the new movie, "Hope Springs" with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell. It looks like it is good for a "lot of laughs".