Tag: San Diego

Peñasquitos Preserve, Waterfall to the West End

I have hiked in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, but always approaching from the east and hiking to the waterfall. By “hike,” I mean easy walk. I knew that the preserve trails continued all the way into Sorrento Vally, just east of the 5 and 805 freeways… by the way, you know how to peg a Native Californian? By how they refer to all highways and freeways as “The + Number,” no matter where they live. My Indiana friends always thought I was nuts to say “The 465,” or “Remember that 4th of July weekend when Bryan’s accident shut down The 65 North to Chicago?” If you would like an easy, but long-ish hike, I recommend this walk. And it was a beautiful day for this beautiful walk.

Looking north, towards Del Mar and Rancho Penasquitos
Looking north, towards Del Mar and Rancho Penasquitos
Looking South, towards Sorrento Valley
Looking South, towards Sorrento Valley

These two photos are taken from the same spot, I just turned 180 degrees. The south slopes of the canyon received more rain this winter, maybe?

One of the sages that grows in California. Smells soooo good!
One of the sages that grows in California. Smells soooo good!

This is one of the native sages that grows in California. I mentioned the chaparral in this earlier post- Two Mile Monkey is Off My Back. 

Purple Nightshade... don't eat it.
Purple Nightshade… don’t eat it.

Wildflowers, trees and scrub were blooming everywhere thanks to the earlier rains. We passed bunches of Purple Nightshade and Blue-Eyed Grass… fortunately, we didn’t cross paths with any rattlesnakes.

The Headache-Preventing Nice Guy Award goes to....
The Headache-Preventing Nice Guy Award goes to….

And all of these photos? Taken with my iPhone 5s. Because when I went to take the first picture of the waterfall, with my Christmas Nikon D3300… that’s when I figured out that the battery was dead. Duh. But what a nice guy is The Husband? He carried the dead weight the whole three hours so I didn’t get a headache from having it hang around my neck. What a guy!

View of Sycamore Crossing, looking west toward La Jolla and Sorrento Valley
View of Sycamore Crossing, looking west toward La Jolla and Sorrento Valley

The walk we took was about four miles starting at the western entrance of the Peñasquitos Preserve accessed on Park Village Road, and ending all the way west on Sorrento Valley Blvd.

West end of the walk. There is parking somewhere around here... look it up.
West end of the walk. There is parking somewhere around here…  go look it up yourself. Just kidding. Click on this photo and it will link you to a map of this area, parking, and trails.

The weather was perfect- lots of clouds, some sun and a nice onshore breeze. From the start of our walk to the end the paths were hopping with mountain bikers and other walkers, dogs and horses. It was a beautiful day! The round trip 8.2 mile walk totaled just over three hours. Did I mention what a beautiful day it was? Gorgeous.

Jazz Bar Again… Only Took about 30 Years

About 30 years ago my family went on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate my brother’s recuperation from being utterly creamed by a drunk driver. I’m not too sure of the details, but essentially, my brother’s insurance settlement paid for a lot of that trip. I never asked about the details, I was just glad that at 17 I didn’t lose my brother and one year later he was off crutches and healing. PSA- Don’t drink and drive, people.

There was a jazz bar on that cruise ship. Did you know that 18 is the legal drinking age at sea? And what did I do when I saw the opportunity to sit in with the Big People, enjoy their adult beverages, and appreciate good music?  I ordered myself a gin and tonic- (something I thought my martini-loving gramma would have suggested) and went to that bar almost every evening, that’s what I did! Note- one gin and tonic each night… I obviously had issues with excessive drinking, driving or not.

We had a great trip, but what I remember most was how anxious I was to get back home… ten days earlier I had met the most fabulous guy. He was so handsome, funny, smart, attentive and most surprising of all, interested in ME! Jackpot!

Twenty-nine years, five months and a couple dozen days later, he’s taking me to dinner where we can listen to jazz. The music of Gilbert and Lorraine Castellanos is featured at Croce’s Park West in San Diego tonight. I can’t recommend this venue enough- Croce’s Park West on Banker’s Hill is one of the nicest, most comfortable places we’ve spent time at in a long time. The food- excellent, the atmosphere- tops. And the music? Perfect. I think Jim would be proud, Ingrid.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cocktails at Croce's
Cocktails at Croce’s
IMG_5513_2
Gilbert and Lorraine Castellanos click to link to Lorraine’s site- besosdecoco.com
Live jazz... doesn't get any better!
Live jazz… doesn’t get any better! Click photo to link to Gilbert Castellanos’s site- gilbertcastellanosjazz.com
Croce's Park West, Banker's Hill in San Diego
Photo links to croces.com Loved it!

Croce’s Portal | Portal to all things Croce’s | Jim Croce, Ingrid Croce, A.J. Croce and Croces Park West.

New Restaurant- Bruski in Mira Mesa (Look, Table!)

We had a lot of fun when we first moved here, playing with literal translations of some of the Spanish names. Both of my kids had Spanish classes in their Hoosier school, and I tried teaching them as much as they would let me. Flash back to The Girl, two years old, putting her hand over my mouth after a day of hearing nothing but French, saying, “No more words, mommy.” Needless to say, foreign language lessons chez nous didn’t get too far.

Tonight we hit a new-ish restaurant in Mira Mesa (“Look! Table!”). There are several newer joints tucked into the same shopping center here, and all had a wait of at least 30 minutes. Except Bruski’s. Even though that doesn’t bode well, we went with it. One of us should have pointed at Bruski’s seating availabilities and said “Look! A Table!” I hate it when I miss a good bad joke.

Great beer selections, good chicken wings, The Boy approved of his standard Meat-Cheese-Bun Only burger, and we were happy enough to say we’d come back to try the mac and cheese. I had a Cobb salad that at a half order could have fed four people, and the bacon on it was dee-lish. The Husband was disappointed with the dry chicken on his Caesar salad. His Honey Chipotle wings tasted mainly of honey and were all right, but I think my naked wings were better.

Two tastes of beers from Brewski's- Belching Beaver HORCHATA Imperial Stout and Epic BRAINLESS ON PEACHES Belgian Ale. Both were too sweet for me.
Two tastes of beers from Bruski’s- Belching Beaver HORCHATA Imperial Stout and Epic BRAINLESS ON PEACHES Belgian Ale. Both were too sweet for me.

Next time it will be Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout, because of the name, seriously. And Onion Rings, baby. Mama needs her fried food.

February Theater with The Mom- The King and I

I can’t believe it- this will make two months in a row that The Mom and I have made it out to a theater venue. Last year we thought it would be a great idea to try to see some production each month and we got in a grand total of ZERO. Hot Damn, mom, we are on a roll!

Picture form the Welk Resort's website for their production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "The King and I." Click to go to the site...
Picture from the Welk Resort’s website for their production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I.” Click to go to the site…

I’m actually the tag-along on this trip with my parents as they already had plans with their marvelous friends to go see Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I.” Off I drove to meet them at the Welk Resort for the show. This is a great theater, not a bad seat in the house! We all really enjoyed the production, I mean, really- you can’t miss with classic American musicals, can you?

This is the best thing in the world for me, I never want to go out in the evenings. I have long said that I turn into a pumpkin after 7:30 PM. There is a fabulous Mom’s Club at my church, and I usually don’t make our Mom’s Night Out each month. I’m just too pooped! The Husband, thoughtful man, encourages me to get out in the evening with friends, but I rarely do. Even The Boy and The Girl, when they were younger and emerging independents, tried to reassure me that they were fine home alone. I never intended to be the hovering type, I just liked being home with my family, and still do. And actually, I’m pretty sure the kids just want a night at home by themselves to binge watch on Netflix with microwave popcorn… thanks for getting your brother hooked on “Arrested Development,” dear daughter.

New Hike to the Marble Rocks

While hiking with The Husband  Torrey Pines State Reserve I came across an area with little rounded rocks on the upper trail head of the beach walk. I hadn’t seen anything like them before- but he had. On a mountain biking trail not too far from Torrey Pines he filled me in that there were the same type of rocks, bigger, and practically everywhere. The Boy and I are big fans of rocks and minerals, and I can’t believe that he passed up today’s opportunity to make this short walk to see little bitty round rocks EVERYWHERE (yes I can, what teen wants to hang out with their parents?).

LIttle bitty round rocks found on a nature hike!
LIttle bitty round rocks found on a nature hike!

Lucky me, we had errands to run today in the same area near this rocky treat! After we dropped off The In-Laws at their golf venue… that big ol’ shindig happening at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, we drove over to the Ocean Air Recreation Center to park and walk a few of the short trails. There was no hunting necessary, these little boogers were all over the place! Happy me, happy day!