The sky has a strange, bluish tinge and the science geek came out in us, tonight.
Tonight's solar eclipse brought back memories of science class 101. But more fun was to see the neighborhood kids and their parents, standing in front of their homes, conducting the same photo class.
It's amazing how much fun you can have with a piece of paper with a hole.
This little gal hasn't "visited" the garden for a few years. Yes, years. But this spring she decided to make an appearance. Of coarse, I don't have the original tag. So I have no clue what type of Iris or family of Iris' she hails from. But she smells like grapes.
This isn't our typical spring. Here in the foothills, we are warned not to plant any summer crops (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) until after Mother's Day, due to frost. But this year we are experiencing 80 degree weather, which feels more like Napa Valley than the Sierra's! I am usually still wearing my raincoat & Uggs and day-dreaming of digging around the garden & growing new vegetables. But this year, I am in shorts, flip-flops, enjoying tropical cocktails on the deck, while grilling the evening's dinner. All the while, smelling the citrus blossoms, listening to the birds call each other and watching my grape plants set record amount of fruit.
I feel blessed that Mother Nature has brought her "A" game and in the spirit of Kentucky Derby, "I'll Have Another"!
One of the gifts of living in "most" parts of California, is citrus trees. My fellow Californians that live in the "flat lands" have already enjoyed their citrus blossoms but now it's our turn.
This year, we are truly blessed with an abundance of flowers and bees! There is nothing better than to open the windows and smell the gorgeous fragrance, wafting in your rooms. The fragrance is seductive but fleeting. Only once a year do we have this gift.
But later, if we are lucky, we will have the "fruits" of the bees labor.
Thank you spring.
This is the time of the year that I am enjoying the beginnings of Spring; the daffodils showing their colors, the poppies and lupine blooming, in the flat land.
I wasn't expecting, "the white stuff".
Phew! What a holiday season! But now that I have caught my breath and enjoying being home. I can start to tell a few stories of a magical holiday season, that was had by me!
As I hinted back in December, I went to New Orleans to celebrate a BIG birthday. New friends met us for the big birthday weekend, which was their first visit. This trip had fun, fun written all over it!
This wasn't my first trip to the "Crescent City", but I had a few things to see, do, eat and drink. Please note that not one item is on Bourbon Street.
Disclaimer:
I don't "do" Bourbon street, but for our "newbies", we walked down Bourbon, at 8:30 in the morning, on our way to Cafe Du Monde. Anyone who describes New Orleans and uses Bourbon street as part of the describtion, is doing New Orleans a great disservice. That's all I have to say about Bourbon street.
Any hoooo................................
My "Must Do" list included several items, here were a few:
When it came to Sazerac's, we found out that not all Sazerac's are created equal.
The best Sazerac's, in our humble opinions, were from the following establishments.
The Sazerac Bar, at the Roosevelt Hotel.
My favorite was The Sazerac Bar, which claims being the place were the drink was invented. BUT this is highly disputed, depending where you get your resource material. Anyway, the Sazerac Bar is the type of bar that I love and usually they are set in old established hotels that exudes an old world elegance & style.
The Roosevelt Hotel is one of these hotels.
The Christmas decorations at the Roosevelt are part of the Holiday experience in New Orleans. Sorry this photo doesn't do it justice but it was magical.
Travel Tip # 1: The woman's public restroom is one of the elegant ones. If you are around Canal street, it's a good thing to know in a city with few public restrooms. Remember to tip the attendant.
Just off the lobby is the bar.
After many hours of walking, eating and shopping, this was an oasis in the middle of the desert. It was time to taste the famous drink.
For those of you who watch the series "Treme", it was a Sazerac, that Jeanette threw in the NYC critic's face. Sorry, I digressed.
You ask, "What's in a Sazerac"? Well....................
A true cocktail with 3 ingredients. But this isn't a sissy drink, it's a true sipper. It is the perfect cocktail to partake while relaxing in this elegant bar. Watching the bartenders is entertainment in itself.
The drink being prepared in this shot, is a Ramos Fizz. At home, I use a blender, not sure if I have the skill for this technique!
Next time, make mine a Sazerac, please.
Ms. James, you have been singing in my ear and bringing joy to my life, thank you.
May you rest in peace.
As I find myself crawling above the stacks of work and personal obligations, I wonder, "Where did the holidays go? Wasn't it Christmas & New Years, yesterday"?
It doesn't help my diminutive sense of time, that I went from a glorious 50th birthday celebration weekend, in New Orleans (more on that later) to the frozen tundras of Kentucky for work.
There in Northern Kentucky, I found fellow associates, born & bred Californians complaining about the quality of the fruits & vegetables, especially citrus. This discussion made me stop and think , "Do I take for granted the daily bounty of California?".
Answer: yes.
Winter months in California provide an abundance of citrus;from grapefruits (Oro Blanco, the best), Mandarins, Navel oranges to the ever present Cuties.
Citrus is everywhere.
Growing up in the Central Coast of California (a.k.a. Salad Bowl of the USA), citrus was part of my Christmas flavors (also Dungess Crab, See's Candy & sourdough bread). I have lived in places where I had avocado, fig & citrus trees growing in a backyard. The idea of not having easy access to these fruits/flavor, is foreign to this Cal Gal.
Where am I going with this diatribe?
As I peel my "Cutie", I give thanks for living in California.
Amen.
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