...with San Diego.
Always a twinge of sadness when we return to the Bay Area because I know there are more beaches to be rested upon, more restaurants to try, more scenes to see.
It's the same feeling I get when returning from Hawaii. Which leads to the same conclusion: Someday we will live near the beach.
I was in San Diego one week ago for BlogHer 2011, the largest conference for and of women who blog. It was my fifth time attending the event. After a weird coughing fit that flared my asthma, I lost my voice a few hours into my trip. Over the course of the conference, I went to one session. I went to three parties. I danced a little. I laughed a lot.
So how did I spend my time? First, a mango mojito and tacos de carne asada. Followed by checking out these sweet little dogs, who did not make it home in my swag bag. (To my husband's relief.)
Morning walks along the waterfront with the best roomie ever, Sassafrass Jess. (We clocked 2.5 miles each morning, but not without our lattes.)
More mango mojitos, poolside.
Um, poolside. After our morning walk on Saturday, I decided I didn't want to go back to the convention center for sessions. No voice. No energy. So I got my bathing suit and relaxed by the pool with a very hot latte. I rank this as the bext executive desision. Ever. (Except for the sunburn.)
And dinner at Searsucker. We had the Fig & Mascarpone Shortcake for dessert. Still thinking about it. Can't wait to bring my honey there for a date.
I finally moxied up the energy to attand my very first CheeseburgHer party with Jess. Where everyone makes hats out of McDonald's bags. And lots and lots of dancing. (photo via: Glennia) I was exhausted and left after 20 minutes. Yvonne and Lindsay, two of the party's founders, had pulled together the best bootyshaking music...and I opted to prep for my return flight home and go to sleep. Too much sun?
As many photos as there are floating around from BlogHer 2011, there are very few that will include me. My version was sitting by the pool and catching up with the girls. And I'm thinking that we should make THAT an annual event.
Today, I am back in San Diego. This time, with my boys for a little vacay before school starts. These photos? Will look very different.
We dig road trips. But road trips that involve baseball? Extra bonus points for all.
Last summer we visited Sacramento to watch the Fresno Grizzlies take on the Sacramento Rivercats.
The high point of our weekend was when Nol and I got meet . It's okay, you can join the bandwagon of loving him now since he's proved himself worthy but we were early adopters.
Mostly, we all enjoyed a sweet family getaway. One we'll be replicating in a few weeks time.
If you live in Northern California and want to catch some fun minor league baseball, Raley Field in Sacramento is tops when it comes to MiLB stadiums. Every spot at Raley Field has a good view. The sunsets are gorgeous. And if you bring young children, the Kid's Corner will become your best friend. My 5-year-old son can manage to get through three innings before he needs to get his wiggles out. The Kid's Corner is full of activities and a two favorites are the bounce house and an enormous slide. Toddlers can chill out in a sandbox and bigger kids can test their mad baseball skillz with some throwing games. You do have to pay for the games but otherwise, it's just about perfect. Especially because after a visit to the corner, you're kids will likely be able to sit for another few innings.
And when you can sit for a few innings? You can have margaritas delivered to you at your seat.
We like to sit close to the field and if we're lucky, right next to the dugout. Besides offering a bounty of photo ops, I love listening to the chatter amongst the players and watching their quirky routines and superstitious habits. That and the pop of the ball when it hits the catcher's glove. I bought our tickets through the main ticket office and only a few days before the game and fantastic seats were still available. (I'm a fan of the "Gold Rush" section...).
You also have to love the general cornball moments that only minor league ball can bring. Like public love letters.
Side story: I have a soft spot for Raley Field. When the hubs and I watched a game there in 2001 -- the Rivercats versus the Oklahoma Redhawks (Texas Rangers Triple-A team) -- we sat right next to first base. I was pregnant with Nol. Only the first baseman at the time (who now plays major league ball with the Rays) did not see my baby bump. And he coyly gave me flirty eyes the entire game. It was so sweet and almost unbelievable that my heart still melts a little when I remember that night.
Next up, where to stay and places to visit...
We went to SF Giants FanFest a week ago and it was crowded and frenetic with orange and black everywhere. The stunning downpour that hit our car as we rode into the city worried us because this meant we'd be walking around a crowded and frenetic AND WET ball park.
Then the rain stopped. The sun broke through the clouds. And Tim Lincecum took the stage to chat with the dudes from KNBR radio.
I was pretty pissed at Timmy for his recent post-season pot debacle. I pride myself on being honest and open with my kids, but I couldn't even bring myself to tell Eight about it because after so many seasons filled with talk of steroids and cheaters in baseball, could I really tell him that the pitcher he admires made a really stupid choice? Sure. But in my heart, I'm hoping that he realizes how close he came to losing his moment and really won't let it happen again. Also? I really dig the magic of Tim Lincecum, his crazy windup and hello, canon arm.
Okay, fine. Tim Lincecum smiled at me and let me snap his photo many times. I swooned just a teeny tiny bit.
Either way, snapping photos of Timmy, Barry Zito and Brian Wilson, and spending the day talking about all good things like Buster Posey, Aaron Rowand and Pablo Sandoval, I was ready to hop on a plane and just sit in front of Scottsdale Stadium going "Open! Open! Open!"
My boys are already counting down their sleeps until the crazedparent crew descends upon Scottsdale, AZ. We're trading barbs at the dinner table about who will get who's autograph. (I am on the hook for photos with Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey and Andres Torres. The husband just guffaws.)
Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training yesterday and I'm not gonna lie, watching this clip got me fired up for our trip.
I'm still ready to move to Hawaii. But come March, Scottsdale will be a little slice of baseball paradise.
We're still recovering from a short five days on Maui and dealing with the fact that it's December. DECEMBER! I have a boy who is approaching his eighth birthday (holy-heaven-how-did-that-happen) and some fun projects on tap as we get ready for the holidays.
I'm excited to get back in gear over the next few weeks, determined not to allow our family to feel that holiday-induced panic and chaos. I think if I spend some time looking at this photo, I just might be able to smell the ocean air of the tropics.
Om.
Stefania Pomponi Butler, Gina von Esmarch , and Abi Jones and I were sitting around a table at the BlogHer Food cocktail party Saturday night when discussion turned to Hawaii and shave ice.
I was first introduced to the simple pleasure that is shave ice during our visit to Kaua'i last winter about two hours after landing. I'd read so much about it that I decided I would attempt to have shave ice every single day of our visit, from as many different places as I could. We ended up having it every day, but sometimes returning to the same places because they were close to where we were hanging out at the time.
By the end of the trip, we were having discussions about what characteristics made one shave ice spot better than another. That, my friends, is success from dedication to a cause. Not to mention a damn good way to spend a vacation with your husband and kids.
I've found a few shave ice spots in the Bay Area and let's be clear: they are serving glorified snow cones. Don't even bother.
But let's get to the good stuff, shall we?
First, to me, a good shave ice is one that is not packed too tight. The ice is fluffy, not crunchy, and simply melts when it hits your tongue. The syrups should be strong and sweet, without a powdery or medicinal flavor. Also, I recommend getting shave ice with Macadamia Nut ice cream underneath (if you're not allergic to nuts, of course). It turns a good shave ice into an amazing shave ice and makes up for the bad syrup you sometimes are used in certain shacks.
If you're heading to the island of Kaua'i and want to partake in a shave ice extravaganza, you'll likely end up at these spots. (My notes are from December 2008-January 2009.):
Brenneck's Beachside Deli: On Day One of our trip, we had dinner at Brennecke's Beach Broiler at Poipu Beach and the restaurant has a little snack shack at street level.The ice slightly packed into the cup. The syrup flavors are extensive and they are solid in taste but light in color. Go across the street, find a seat at the picnic tables, and have your shave ice while taking in the most beautiful sunsets ever. You may even spot a whale in the winter. Flavors tried: Pineapple, coconut, strawberry, grape.
Shave Ice Paradise (Hanalei, Kaua'i). We went to Shave Ice Paradise after an afternoon of boogie boarding and playing on Black Pot Beach in Hanalei. (Absolutely stunning views and such a great beach for little kids.) The syrups were sweet and the ice was light and fluffy. Yum. Downside? Overpriced. Flavors tried: Pineapple, coconut, mango, watermelon.
Koloa Shave Ice. The little flower-esqe cone used at Koloa Shave Ice drove me nuts and made eating shave ice super messy for the kids. There was almost too much in the container. That said, the ice was super, supper fluffy (near perfection), easy to eat with a spoon and it melted fast enough for the kids to use a straw. The syrups could have used more punch. But the addition of sweetened condensed milk drizzled over the top of the ice was crazy good. Flavors tried: Strawberry, mango, pineapple, coconut,
Jo Jo's Shave Ice (Waimea). How can it be that I have zero photos of the very best shave ice on the island? Here's how: We jumped out the SUV in the middle of a torrential afternoon rainstorm and ran to the shack (seriously...total dive). I didn't bring a single thing with me and just ran like the wind. We walked into Jo Jo's, all four of us soaked and cold. And yet, we each ordered shave ice with three toppings. Q., the hubs and I ordered our shave ice with Macadamia Nut ice cream underneath; Seven went for shave ice, straight up. Seven's shave ice was fluffy and light because they packed it right in front of him. The shave ice with ice cream was pulled from a freezer, preassembled to make service easier. The end-result was that our shave ice was packed too tight and it was difficult to get a bite from the bowl without really digging in and causing a bit of a mess. So we let it melt a bit and once the rain stopped and the weather warmed up, it was perfect. The big bonus is that the ice cream comes from Lapperts Hawaii, which can only be described as divine. Jo Jo's has the most extensive list of flavors of any of the places we visited. And the syrups were rich without making your teeth feel like they would fall out from too much sugar. Flavors tried: Grape, pineapple, mango, coconut, strawberry.
Ahhh. So fun to take that stroll down Kauai'i memory lane and look through all of my notes. I can't wait to be in Maui in a few months!
You know you're living the camping high life when you start the day with a scrumptious breakfast (we call it a "bird's nest" and I'm sure there about 20 other variations of it).
We recently camped at Butano State Park, which is about an hour's drive from most spots along Silicon Valley. We took a few side trips to Bean Hollow State Beach (gorgeous) and San Gregorio (funky), along with dinner one night at Duarte's Tavern (disappointing...the hostess yelled at me).
Butano State Park is ideal for family camping because the campsites are super kid- and parent-friendly. The walk-in sites require that you hike down a small hill to your spot, but once there your kids can play and roam in a very contained area. And the best part? You can easily keep an eye on them while they're exploring in the forest under the towering redwood trees (and searching for banana slugs).
Also? No mosquitoes.
Back to the bird's nest. They were made under the watchful eye of the power couple known as Mom's Pizza Dough and 1000watt Consulting.
Let's review the goodness, shall we?
First, prepare the "nests" by taking a small glass or cup and using it to press out holes in bread. 1000watt dude discovered the best bread for this recipe a Whole Foods hamburger bun. Perfect density, easy to cut and the addition of honey as an ingredient gives the bird's nest a nice taste. It also helps the bread brown evenly (my opinion).
Next up, heat a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. When the pan is nice and hot, drop in the bread and then crack the egg into the hole. When it looks like the egg white has settled and cooked a bit (the egg white will look gel-like on front side but you can see the cooked whites), then ever-so-carefully flip the bird's nest.
Voila!
After the eggs are cooked to your liking, then enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. My favorite part is that very first bite where the egg yolk oozes out just enough so you can dip the bread into it.* Yum!
*We usually cook the egg yolks completely for the kids otherwise we risk cries of "Ewww! Gross!"
Other dispatches from the test kitchen:
It was time for another day trip to San Francisco for coffee, bombolini, oysters, and trolley rides. We always cap off our day with lunch at Mijitas. This time, a cute ladybug decided to join us.
After today's visit, we finally admitted that we need to start venturing out from our favorite spot. San Francisco holds too many wonderful nooks and crannies for families to explore.
Maybe next time.
Or maybe not.
Another rainy day, only this one had a tropical feel to it. As I drove Seven to school, even he mentioned how the mix of blue skies, grey clouds, scattered showers and rainbows reminded him of Kauai. All we needed was a beach, 80-degree water and the sound of waves.
Capturing rainbows on camera is tough because I never know how to preserve those vibrant colors, especially when they are quick to fade. Perhaps a return trip to our favorite island is in order, where rainbows appears as often as good waves. Practice makes perfect.
