Round Robin Challenge: Fun Foods!

"Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed."

~Derek Landy

RRC: Fun Foods!

Yum... Fun Foods! I love to cook, but this time around I didn't do a homemade culinary yummy for the challenge, but I did decide to show off an archived photo of a favorite cookie I like to make, from scratch, each spring, it's a Lemon/Almond Tea Cookie. But that's down at the bottom of the post. First off I want to introduce to you the best donut in the whole world! You can only get them one place. Apple Hill. And you can only get it during one season of the year... Autumn! Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, leaf-kicking fun... Autumn! It wouldn't be Autumn without those donuts, it's something Alan and I look forward to every year!

Let's Start With The Beautiful Apples From Apple Hill...
 
 
Apple Cider Donuts
Rainbow Orchards
Apple Hill, Camino, California

 
Homemade Lemon/Almond Tea Cookies

 
Pink Peppercorns
One Of My Very Favorite Spices To Use In Cooking! YUM!


There Is Nothing More Fun Than A Nice Cheese Platter!

Fun Foods! Yum! Thank you Karen, for the fun, and delicious topic! :)

Now that you have seen my post, please go pay a visit to the other Robins that are participating, and see what Fun Foods everyone else are enjoying! Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog! Better yet, why do you join us?! I know Karen would love to have some new participants!

Mood: Happy :)

~Me

A Giant Rooster, Autumn Leaves And Geese!

"Two sounds of autumn are unmistakable... the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street, by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese."

~Hal Borland

 

 

 

"Just as a painter needs light in order to put the finishing touches his picture, so I need an inner light, which I feel I never have enough of in the autumn."

~Leo Tolstoy

It was a gorgeous, warm, sunlit autumn day. And I wished it would never end!

Mood: Happy/Inspired

~Me :)

A Face In The Crowd: Mr. Walnut At Work And At Play!

"For a moment at least, be a smile on someone else's face."

~Dejan Stojanovic, The Sun Watches The Sun

The last time I wrote a "Face In The Crowd" post was way back on April 5th! I was beginning to think that I wouldn't see any more this year, but yesterday, in Apple Hill, I saw a delightful face! Meet Mr. Walnut! And look at that, not only do we get to see Mr. Walnut as an average Walnut about town, but we get to see Mr. Walnut while he is on the job!

See... He has his own helmet!

 

I am pretty sure Mr. Walnut works in construction! And commutes. Clearly he is standing in line, at the Market Street Railway, waiting for the F Line Streetcar.


Mood: Silly

-Me :)

October Vagabonds

"There is something in October that sets the gypsy blood astir: We must rise and follow her, when from ever hill of flame she calls, and calls each vagabond by name."

~William Bliss

Yesterday was October 1st. That is a big day in our house, because it begins our vacation month! This year I have Alan home for 37 days! And it will take just about that long to do all we have planned! All the gorgeous coastal scenery to be seen. All that time, to spend leisurely on the San Francisco Bay, and all the leap peeping in the far northern counties of California! Not to mention our Wedding Anniversary on the 13th, Family Day on the 23rd, and Halloween, our favorite holiday, on October 31st!

And how did we spend yesterday?

Glad you asked...



Walking among autumn of course! :) Playing with an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) butterfly! Well, chasing, actually, for at least part of the day! We also visited the Legion Of Honor museum, in San Francisco, but I will save that for a different post!

Stay Tuned!

:)

Mood: Happy

Me :)

WAAAAaaaaa Waaaa Waaaa WAAAAAaaaaaa

"I cried because I had no wallet, until I met a man who had no money. I don't know why he had no money because that man stole my wallet."

~Jarod Kintz, So Many Chairs, And No Time To Sit

And to think, things are only going to get worse! Neat! Something to look forward to!



"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
~Dr. Seuss


"Crying is all right in it's way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do."
~C.S. Lewis


"Sometimes there are a hundred lies behind a smile, and not a single truth behind a tear."
~Saahil Prem

 
Q: Are You Crying?
 A: No I Am Impersonating A Fountain

 
"I slept really well last night, I slept like a baby. I pissed the bed four times... and woke up crying five." ~Lee Evans


"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God Is Crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
~Jack Handey

Speaker Boehner... DO YOU GET IT NOW? The Republican party, your party, EATS IT'S OWN! They made Michael Steele's life a living HELL, and NOW THEY ARE DOING IT TO YOU! Stand up to the Tea Party! Listen to the American people, and get ready to hand that GIANT gavel of yours over to Ted Cruz! But don't forget, you brought it all on yourself!


NOTE: As of my scheduling of this post, it was looking more and more likely that there would be a government shutdown. If that does not occur, I will comeback and update this post, and post an additional short post for today.

STAY TUNED!

Mood: Irritated!

~Me :(

A Look Back At September 2013

"All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person's (or things) mortality, vulnerability mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt."

~Susan Sontag

I enjoyed September! My favorite part was the transition into autumn, but you probably already knew that, right? (SMILE). But I also love how cool, and quiet things seem to become. All the neighborhood kids are on their way back to school, and everywhere you go, everything seems to smell like pencils. Then there are all the wonderful Back To School sales! It's not just for school supplies anymore! LOL. But come to think about it, buying a new dress or skirt in September, does make me want to take a class in... in... something! LOL. Groupon has a nifty new deal for a class in chocolate candy making, doesn't that sound just about perfect? Hmmm... that's something to consider!

And Now, A Look Back At September...



I love September. :) But I am ready for October, and our vacation! I am so excited!

Stay Tuned... I Will Be Taking A Ton Of New Photos In October!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Sausage

"Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don't forget food. You can go a week without laughing."

~Joss Whedon

I don't eat sausage often, but maybe once or twice a year the German hausfrau in me just has to make a pot of mixed sausages and sauerkraut. I think my father probably smiles down from Heaven when I do, and somehow he seems close by, which is a nice feeling. I don't know... it is just that he was always so happy when I embraced my inner German! Anyway, when I saw these sausages at Costco the other day, I kind of chuckled a bit. "Schwarz's Italian Sausage." Okay, I know, I know, but you have to admit, it's kind of fun to ponder what that sausage might taste like. Right? Well, I couldn't help myself, I purchased some, brought it home, and in a week or so, it's going into the crock-pot for one of my semi-annual sausage feasts! I will be putting all kinds of different sausage in the mix, so I will get back to you on how Schwarz's did!

Our vacation is 5 weeks long, so I will be cooking up a storm, so STAY TUNED!

Mood: Happy/Inspired

~Me :)

The Building At Columbus And Broadway

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting laundry."

~E.B. White

This building is in San Francisco, and I look for it every time we are in that particular neighborhood of the city! It sits right on the border of North Beach and Chinatown, at Broadway and Columbus, and it's one of those sights that is unique to a big city, as opposed to the suburbs. No matter what day you see it, it will have rows of laundry drying in the windows! Esthetically speaking, I think it's amazing! To my eyes, it gives the building character, and a feel of being in another era! The building all on it's own is a lovely old San Francisco building, another example of architectural art, but with the splashes of color the laundry provides, it just kind of comes alive for me. It's hard to explain, but I love it. It always makes me smile, and I love photographing it! But I am showing you just one element of the building's personality and beauty. It has an amazing mural painted on it, that tells of San Francisco's rich early history. It's quiet special! So much so that I am saving those photos for a different posting. There is so much beauty and history in this part of town that it's difficult to know where to begin, but the corner of Columbus and Broadway is probably a good place to start!

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Keep Calm And Saunter On

San Francisco, California
September 25th, 2013
Late Afternoon

 

"No matter how you hurry, you will notice at the end of the day that you traveled at the speed of time."

~Robert Brault

I thought time had completely stopped. Nothing was moving. Nothing. I was beginning to believe that my new home was going to be my car, and the traffic in San Francisco seemed to stop and showed NO signs of moving, ever again! The day I am talking about was this past Wednesday, and it was just me being impatient and tired and a little unrealistic. Leaving San Francisco, by way of the Bay Bridge, is challenging no matter what day, but when you have chosen to drive straight through the middle of the Financial district, at any time after 3:00 PM, and there is any sporting event happening in town, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you will be sitting in heavy traffic! It's just a fact of life! But on this past Wednesday, it seemed far worse than usual! At least that's how I felt! Anyway, the upside to the situation is all the time I had to photograph what was happening around me. I spotted this young man, running down the street, with a huge bouquet of flowers! He wasn't about to sit in traffic, he was going to get to where he was going, and come what may, he was going to run all the way there!

Was it a first date?

Was it a last date?

Did he do something wrong, and the flowers were an "I'm Sorry" gift?

Was someone that he loved in the hospital?

Whatever occasion they were for, he was determined to get there on time!

While pondering those questions, the 59th Street Bridge Song came on the radio...

A very cool coincidence! But then again, if God created everything, then I must give him credit for creating DJs and Program Directors! LOL. Right? He also deserves the credit for the lesson I find myself continually learning about fighting silly situations, like heavy traffic. It's something that once you find yourself in the thick of, you can rarely do much about. It's one of the hardest things to keep a positive perspective on, especially when you are tired, you body is screaming in pain, and a potty break wouldn't be a bad idea! LOL. But fortunately, a little music always makes things better, and so does looking at life in a creative way.

It took Alan and I an hour and 50 minutes to go about 2 miles through the downtown area of San Francisco, and in that time, there was plenty to see. I will show you those sights over the next couple days!

"Fast takes longer when you hurry. Keep calm and saunter on."

~Mike Dooley

STAY TUNED!

The Comeback... Congratulations Team Oracle USA! 2013 America's Cup Winners!

"When I'm all grown up, come what may, I'll build a boat to carry me away."

~Guy Gavriel, Tigana 



The weather couldn't have been more lovely! Well, it was really windy, but the temperature was perfect for an early autumn day! The timing couldn't have been better! Alan and I drove across the bay at the last minute, on a whim really, and it all came together when we found the perfect place, a dock on the San Francisco Bay, near Chrissy Field, to watch history be made as team Oracle USA came back from trailing behind Emirates Team New Zealand 8-1, to win the 2013 America's Cup regatta race!



Our vacation doesn't begin officially until next Monday, but after the fun of yesterday, it's difficult to not think of it as already here! A beautiful day! A little time, sitting on a dock of the most beautiful bay in the world, and time with Alan... what more can a girl ask for?

:)

"A passage under sail brings out in the course of days whatever there may of the sea love and sea sense in an individual whose soul is not indissolubly wedded to the pedestrian shore."

~Joseph Conrad

2013 America's Cup Race, San Francisco


Mood: Lighthearted!

~Me :)

Dark-Eyed Junco

Dark-Eyed Junco
Little Farm
Tilden Park, Berkeley California
September 21st, 2013

"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence."

~Robert Lynde



I love watching these pretty little birds. The Dark-Eyed Junco are tiny little things, but so amazingly beautiful! Of all the birds I have spotted in Tilden Park, these are my very favorite! One day, a couple years ago, I saw a small tree just filled with these birds! I couldn't help but sit quietly, and listen to their strong little chirp. There are worse ways I could have spent that afternoon!

:)

Mood: Happiness

~Me :)

Wars And Rumors Of Wars... On Christmas! And The Real Battle!

"Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves."

~Eric Sevareid



I have been waiting a long time for this rant. Three months from today will be Christmas Eve. I love Christmas Eve, perhaps more than I love Christmas Day! Alan and I have some traditions, all our own, that I look forward to all year! First we get up and have a light breakfast, then he leaves to finish up his last minute holiday shopping. Actually, it's not so much getting that last minute shopping done, so much as Alan Alone Time. LOL. It's fine, he more than deserves it. He works really hard, and he spoils me rotten, so how could I begrudge him some alone time?

I couldn't!

Last year we had presents under the tree. And the decorations looked lovely. But I felt NO spirit at all. I wasn't the least bit interested, even though I tried really hard to pull myself into the joys that surrounded me. Alan wasn't much in the mood either. You see, just about ten days before Christmas last year, the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting happened. In the days that followed, the country could have come together as one, and to a good degree it did, except for the powers that be at the NRA! Why one interest group holds more power then the whole of the American people, I will never understand, but there it was... December 21st... 2012... and Wayne LaPierre vowing to do nothing to change gun policies to make things safer for our children, or for the person next to us. On Christmas Eve, instead of finishing up my own last minute joys, like baking cookies, or phoning friends to wish them a merry holiday, I spent my time crying for those lost children, and worrying about whether Alan was safe out in the world.

I hate being afraid.

It pisses me off.

So, the Sandy Hook shooting took place on December 14th of last year, on December 17th of last year I saw the above item, Old Carbine Tequila, for sale at Costco! Still on the shelf, still prominently displayed! Because nothing says MERRY CHRISTMAS like a shotgun shaped Tequila bottle, with a couple of free shot glasses included! Guns and Alcohol. Don't it go down smooooooooth? Goddammit! I wasn't over grieving for those the little ones, or the brave adults lost at Sandy Hook, before I saw that ridiculous Christmas gift idea in the aisle at Costco, and my tears turned to anger. With grieving, you have anger, it's built in. It's almost to be expected, but I couldn't believe Costco couldn't see how completely tacky that particular items was! Then, a few days later, December 21st came, and along with it, that stupid NRA press conference, vowing to do NOTHING! No, worse, vowing to fight any attempt to make things safer!

:::::::SILENCE::::::

Here we sit, almost a year later, and still nothing has been done.

Political JackASS Bill O'Reilly loves to falsely claim there is a "war on Christmas." How dare people wish someone a "Happy Holiday" rather than "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Year, after year, the same exact bullshit! With nothing to back it up! His ire has nothing to do with God! It has everything to do with firing up his audience, the ones who gave up thinking for themselves a long time ago. The cowards who need a radio program to tell them how to feel. Money. Greed. Ratings is the King. If Bill O'Reilly were genuinely offended by the lack of Christmas, it wouldn't be about a greeting, it would be about making sure that NO child is ever killed 10 days before Christmas... or at any time... ever again... because of the worshiping of a false idol such as the gun.

When a weapon is held in higher regard than human life... it has become a false idol.

Period.

So, is there a war on Christmas? You bet there is! To win it, you have to put your weapon down, and think about your fellow man!

And by the way, Christmas isn't over commercialized. It is EXACTLY AS COMMERCIALIZED AS YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE IT! YOU CONTROL WHAT YOU PURCHASE, SO STOP SPREADING THAT CRAP!

Happy Holidays To You And Yours! I kinda dig the Holiday Tree.. don't you? :)



“Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and bringing up their children in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian, to get on by themselves.

The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor - spending and being spent - to enrich their fellowmen, giving time, trouble, care and concern to do good to others - and not just their own friends - in whatever way there seems need.”

~J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Mood: Reflective/Sad

~Me :)