Hansel and Gretel and the Dog

Once upon a time, there was a happily married couple who spent a long weekend in a far-off magical land known as the Monterey Bay Peninsula... 

But seriously, I love to travel and I live for weekend trips! I also prefer to do it on a budget. Since we moved to the Bay Area, my husband and I hadn't taken one of our token (and beloved!) weekend trips. The triumverate of my birthday/Inauguration Day/M.L.K. Day was enough reason to celebrate!

Our Trip Requirements:

1.) Reasonable driving distance from home so as not to waste valuable time driving. (2-3 hrs)

2.) Something to do/see. A lighthouse, for instance...

3.) DOG-FRIENDLY. Always a blessing and a curse.

Off we go!! says Maggie

So, we chose to stay in Pacific Grove while also visiting Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. The weather was gorgeous, there was a plethora of Cinderella-friendly wildlife as well as some surprisingly good thrifting! The entire peninsula is dog-friendly. I also think of this area as a pretty spot-on West Coast equivalent to the quaint towns of coastal New England.

(Map copied from HERE)

And we got our lighthouse! The Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove - the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. We missed the opening hours, sadly. 

OPEN 1-4 PM Thurs - Mon

The Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau has a pretty fantastic informational website, I must say. We found a list of pet-friendly lodging options here.

We chose to stay at the Butterfly Grove Inn in Pacific Grove because:

1.) it's dog-friendly

2.) continental breakfast is included

3.) it's affordable

4.) FIREPLACE INCLUDED - BONUS!!

The Inn also happens to be home to a Monarch Butterfly habitat. The best time to view the butterflies in the green-orange trees is October to March. They were a beautiful sight to see, although the zoom on my camera wasn't able to adequately capture it.

Along with the normal Inn-style layout, there is a vintage, two-story Victorian House with suites on the property - perfect for a family reunion or wedding. Although the Inn keepers seemed slightly disorganized (they tried and failed three times before giving us a room that had been cleaned), they also were kind enough to not evict us for causing a dog barking complaint. (It was brief, I promise!)

Our first order of business was to walk to Lovers' Point Park. As a clarification, Pacific Grove used to be a Methodist retreat camp, and according to local legend, the park was originally "Lovers of Jesus Point"- not referring to teenagers' nocturnal activities. We had barely stepped outside when we came across a small pack of coastal black-tailed deer, grazing on someone's prized roses by a street corner stop sign! What a funny sight to see this local resident in full comfort cohabitational mode. Again, my camera (and the deers' fright from seeing Maggie) did not allow for a proper picture. 

G snapped a pic of me snapping a pic of the coastline. Artsy!

After a reasonable stroll, we decided on a place for dinner. I had done some reading through Yelp.com, the New York Times' 36 Hours In... column, Frommers.com, and came upon The Forge in the Forest in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It serves American cuisine, with a California-only wine list. They have the distinction of being the only employee-owned restaurant on the Monterey Bay Peninsula (I'm a huge fan of that). They also have three fire pits and extensive outdoor patio heating, plus a special patio for patrons who bring their dogs to dinner, dog menu included. Maggie missed out on the 8-oz. grilled and sliced new york steak for $12.95, but instead she got a handful of Milk Bone treats, which she enjoyed with equal enthusiasm, I'm sure.

At the Forge, I had lobster tacos with polenta and a sangria and G had a delicious arroz con mariscos/paella dish and a dark n stormy. We could have split the paella - the portion size was huge! - and I liked his dish best. 

The next morning, we pulled out our walking shoes again, this time to discover Monterey's Path of History, a two-mile self-guided walking tour of 55 historic sites in Monterey. This is where Hansel and Gretel come to play. The path is marked by little yellow tiles in the sidewalk, allowing you to know your way to the next site. (This reminded me of Boston's Freedom Trail, where red tiles mark the path.) I LOVE DIY!! So, we dutifully followed an abridged version of the trail, because the two miles were probably too much for the puppy. We had our own robo-guide by using this free (carrier charges apply) cell phone tour of ten sites. The part that I found really fascinating was that, despite the hoards of visitors to Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row, we were the ONLY ONES on the walking tour! (Although we did take a detour to Fisherman's Wharf, where we saw a floating dock's worth of sleeping Maggies-of-the-sea/sea lions, schools of jellyfish, and our fair share of sea gulls.) We were walking in the footsteps of California's forefathers, seeing and learning lots of new things, FOR FREE, and we seemed to be the only ones who had discovered this hidden gem! Lucky us!

The cell phone walking tour brought us to California's First Theater, the Custom House, the Pacific House, the First Brick House, the Old Whaling Station, Casa Soberanes, the Larkin House, the Cooper-Molera Adobe, the Robert Louis Stevenson House, and the Casa de Oro (Joseph Boston Store).

Call me a geek, but one of the coolest facts I learned on the walking tour was that the Custom House in Monterey is recognized as the oldest government building in California and it is State Historic Landmark #1 !! California started counting historic landmarks here in Monterey!

California's First Theater also served as an ale house at one point. The plaque on the door reads:

"Many a miner passed through the door, 

Who swore he would never come in any more.

T'was here they eased him of nuggets of gold,

For this was the place where the booze was sold. 

One drink was enough to make him want more, 

and pretty damsoon he was flat on the floor.

On sobering up he would always swear off, 

Then come the next day for a drink for his cough."

 


On the left, the adorable Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Library, originally the Saint James Episcopal Church, built in 1876.
On the right, the front walkway of the Old Whaling Station, made entirely of whale vertebrae! The bone was cut into diamond patterns, which gave the sidewalk a unique look.

One of the secret gardens of Old Monterey, with lemon trees.

Keeping an eye out for "dad" at the Cooper Molera gift shop.

Towards the end of our walk, we found the Cooper Molera gift shop, which ranks pretty high on my list of all-time favorite gift shops. It has the ambience of a 19th-century general store complete with a volunteer behind the desk wearing a period costume. There was a large vintage-style whale print on the wall and they sold TREASURES, such as books, greeting cards, games from the past, with an extensive inventory of locally created gift items. My favorites were the childrens' books and historical garb and the Mexican crafts, including silver dancing skeleton earrings (thank you G!). I could have spent hours in there.

Soon, it was time for dinner again, and we had a reservation at the Monterey Fish House, a GREAT, casual, budget-friendly seafood joint in Monterey. This was our culinary highlight on the Peninsula! Reservations are essential, because even on a Sunday night, with a reservation, there was a long line outside the door and we had to wait. The restaurant is basically an older wooden home, and there isn't a ton of seating.
We started with their specialty appetizer:

1/2 dozen oak grilled oysters - YUM!

We then split an order of their house-made pasta with wood-fired artichokes (a local specialty!), clams, mussels, and shrimp. It was pretty heavenly and the portions were huge, so I'm glad we decided to split the meal. We also had the most adorable trilingual 2-year-old sitting next to us, with mommy and daddy singing to her in Spanish and German.

Apart from eating and walking, we found these great thrift/benefit shops:

MONTEREY:
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
AFRP Treasure Shop
American Cancer Society Discovery Shop
Second Chance Thrift Store
Spirals Alliance on Aging
St. Mary's Thrift Shop

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA (all on the same street):
Yellow Brick Benefit Shop
S.P.C.A. Benefit Shop
Deja Vu
Joining Hands

And THESE were our finds!

A COOL 1940's-1950's Revere Model P-90 8mm projector for cheap! Not working at the moment, but we hope to fix it up. Did you know that this guy holds a 750 watt bulb? WHOA!

For $1.00, we found an authentic Royal Copenhagen decorative plate of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. It has a tiny chip at the top, but since we've been there, we decided to add it to our great wall of plate art! 

We also found a $5.00 clean hunter green tackle box with "Sue '54 '55" etched on the bottom. How cute! It also will come in handy as a storage solution. 

 We picked up some great fabric fat quarters from a fabric shop (which G spotted!) and some patterned 1850's-style fabrics from the great Cooper Molera gift shop.

Other recommended to-dos in the area. Maybe next time for us!

1.) Biking the 17 Mile Drive - free and athletic. 

2.) Not missing the lighthouse hours. Not missing some of the thrift store hours.

3.) Wine tasting - either in downtown Monterey at A Taste of Montery or at the local wineries' tasting rooms.

4.) Visit the free Monterey Maritime and History Museum

5.) Complete the rest of the Path of History Tour

The hardy VW Passat reached a new milestone during this trip!

Finally, Hansel and Gretel and the dog followed their trail of crumbs back home, 

after another successful weekend trip.

Do you have any off-the-beaten path, hidden-gem, hole-in-the-wall finds in the Monterey Bay Peninsula? If so, please share!

Dawning of the Age of ...

... today's project: Aquarius constellation embroidery hoop art, in honor of my birthday month/astrological sign month. This project was inspired again by the great Honey and Fitz blog. She drew inspiration from an adorable Etsy shop and even created an AWESOME DIY Anthropologie-Hack Star Chart Cardigan. Finally I'm chipping away at the mountain of great DIY expectations I created for myself. Do you ever feel like you've put too much on your plate? My philosophy: one step at a time.

Tools needed for this project:

18" x 21" navy fabric sample from a big-box store : $1.00 - $2.00
6" wooden embroidery hoop (I prefer the natural look and feel of the wood for this project, rather than plastic) : $1.29
white embroidery floss : $0.40
Total : under $4.00!

I began by ironing the fabric sample, since it had been creased into a square in the packaging. Next, I measured and cut a 7" x 7" square (leaving 1 inch overlap around the circumference of the embroidery hoop.)

Then, I separated the embroidery hoop into two pieces, centered the fabric, and placed the outer ring over the inner ring and tightened the screw at the top of the hoop, pulling the fabric taught.

Next, I searched Google Images for my desired constellation - Aquarius, in this instance, but you could use any constellation. I recommend printing a copy of your constellation, as a reference, and scaling it down (or up, depending on the original size of the image) to have a picture around the same size as your embroidery hoop. You could also eyeball it, sewing directly onto your hoop from the image on your computer screen.

You may have a better method than I did for this next step. I cut the photo of the constellation in four, centering the essential part onto the fabric. In order to ensure proper alignment of the stars, I placed the paper over the fabric on the embroidery hoop and punched my needle through both the paper and the fabric to make a place marker hole in the fabric. I used this as the starting point for my three-part cross stitches, which acted as the main stars on my constellation. I continued in this fashion, aligning the paper with the existing stars and punching a hole to place the next star, estimating if necessary.

Finally, I added little French knots (which I learned from this youtube video, suggested by Honey & Fitz), simple stitches, and cross stitches to fill in the other stars in the night sky. I was creative with their placement.

After the night sky was completed, I turned the embroidery hoop over and cut the remnants of the blue fabric into a circle, about 1/2 inch from the edge of the hoop.

   

I used some fabric glue I had lying around to glue the edge of the fabric to the back of the wooden hoop. You could probably cut the remaining fabric flush with the edge of the hoop, instead of gluing it.

And voilà!! 

My fabric is pretty thin, so from certain angles, you can see through to the embroidery floss on the back spanning between the stitches. Once it's hanging on the wall, however, this view is obscured. 

I'd like to make another one, this time with the Virgo constellation (my husband's astrological sign) and hang them side-by-side. It has been impossible to find another small wooden embroidery hoop ANYWHERE! Perhaps this was a popular holiday gift idea and the stores that sold out haven't re-stocked yet? This could also be a cute nursery decoration or personalized (and inexpensive) gift for a friend! 

Stop While I'm Ahead

Last night, I came to the realization that I have a tendency to, depending on the situation, toe the line or  push a little harder, with hopes that the extra effort will make the difference/pay off somehow. Timing is an art that I have not yet mastered, but which I admire very much in others.

I had this moment of introspection while cooking from a great recipe by Martha Stewart (there she is again!), Quinoa and Apple Salad with Curry Dressing.

Photo by Carl Carter for marthastewart.com

In the recipe, Martha asks for 1/4 cup whole almonds, lightly toasted until fragrant. Either I haven't developed "the touch" yet or my subconscious can't compute the word 'toasted', and I lightly charred the almonds. Also, during a phone interview yesterday, I started and ended the conversation insisting on my computer literacy. Perhaps only once would have sufficed? Oh well. Work in progress. 

By the way, the reason I picked this recipe was because I wanted a new way to use the apples from our AWESOME CSA we've joined here in the Bay Area called Farm Fresh to You. If you want to check them out, they have a retail store in the San Francisco Ferry Building. We first joined a CSA in San Diego and had such a great experience that it was at the top of our list of priorities after our move. I love the idea of eating fresh, seasonal organic fruits and veggies from a local source. You're supporting the community and staying healthy! Win-win! It also forces you to try new foods that you may not have tried before and find creative ways of cooking them!

REASONS WHY FARM FRESH TO YOU ROCKS:

1.) You can choose the size of box that fits your appetite, or your family. 

2.) They deliver the CSA box to your doorstep! You can't get any more convenient than that.

3.) You can choose the frequency of deliveries. Weekly, every 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th week!

4.) No commitment required. You've moved/changed your mind? It's no hassle to cancel/suspend delivery.

5.) Customization options available, if you loathe one thing or want more of another.

6.) It's affordable!

-----------------------

On another topic, I finally finished ONE of the many DIY projects I've been working on. String Art. 

I got my inspiration from a fun new blog I discovered the night I began my own blog: Honey and Fitz. She has a great DIY String Art Tutorial, but I altered her design and method a bit to fit my style.

This project was not a budget-buster, to say the least. 

Two packs of 3/4 inch silver nails from a big-box store, for under $1 apiece = $2

Four colors of embroidery floss from Michael's, under $0.40 apiece (not shown) = $1.60

Tape (on hand)

Hammer (on hand)

Printed word (on hand)

Shipping crate slats (on hand, see previous post) 

    - A cork board would have been another good option

Small steel plate to join the two wooden pieces (on hand)

To begin, I would recommend using a larger backdrop than my wooden slats, to allow more room for the design, embroidery floss, and the nails. Make sure you find a BOLD or thick font for the word you print. This was difficult for me, because I was looking for a cursive font whose letters were attached. (Cursive fonts are not often BOLD.) I also wanted a cool-looking "z"! Searching for the right font took me hours, and I still think it could have been improved. I recommend DaFont as a good source for free fonts. I couldn't figure out how to print my font any larger than I did, so it actually ended up fitting well in the space. Do you know how to print extra-large text (from a regular home printer), without the letters chopping off?

I printed the text, then cut the letters out individually. I arranged and taped them onto my board. Originally, I planned to use red yarn, but quickly learned that it would have looked too thick on the design. Hence the need for embroidery floss.

Then, I carefully hammered the little nails along the outside edge of my letters. For an hour. Much to the chagrin of my neighbors, I'm sure. Working with the nails in the seam between the boards was a challenge, as they often fell out. 

I then removed the paper and tape, which came off easily. 

Finally, the colorful part! Beginning with a knot at one end, I weaved between the nail heads at random. It was a rhythmic, satisfying process, easily undone if the outcome wasn't satisfactory. I chose to do four different colors for the four letters. 

Here is the final product!

I think it looks pretty neat! What do you think? 

Now that I've gone "ahead" and finished my nail and string art, I should take a pause. Back to work. I may already have spent too much time on this today. Darn, here I go again. Work in progress. 

New Year's Eve...ntually I'll Get to It All

Happy New Year to all! For me, 2012 began with no hint of how it was to end. I was living in San Diego but celebrating the New Year in Boston, toying with the idea of moving back. By the end of the year, I was living in San Francisco and had recently closed one big-ol' door in my life, eager to open new ones. Who knows what 2013 will have in store!

I've begun 2013 by putting (too?) many projects on my own plate. I have a blog post in the works about my recent trip to Geneva, which is proving to be more time consuming than I had anticipated. I'm extremely invested in getting it right, since travel writing is my job fantasy. Stay tuned.

Today, I'll begin with dessert:

FROZEN CHOCOLATE WIND AND STRAWBERRY RAVIOLE:

FROZEN CHOCOLATE WIND

85 g dark chocolate

1/2 cup H20

1 sachet soy lecithin

Combine the dark chocolate, water, and soy lecithin in a pot, stirring until boiling. Let cool 15 minutes in the fridge. Use an immersion blender in a wide-brimmed bowl to create foam from the cooled liquid chocolate. Carefully scoop the chocolate foam into a separate bowl. Place in the freezer 45 minutes, and you have frozen chocolate wind. 

STRAWBERRY RAVIOLE

2 cups strawberries

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp calcium lactate

1 sachet sodium alginate

3/4 cup water

Medium-sized mixing bowl filled with cold tap water

(This was complex, to say the least.) Use a blender to liquefy strawberries, sugar, and calcium lactate. Separately, combine water and sodium alginate in a bowl to create a "bath." Refrigerate bath for 15 minutes. Then, slowly scoop half-teaspoon size portions of the strawberry mixture into the sodium alginate bath. (They fall apart easily.) Let sit 3 minutes. Gently scoop strawberry "ravioles" out of sodium alginate bath into the bowl of tap water. Stir to rinse. Carefully scoop ravioles out of water bath onto serving spoon or nested in the chocolate wind. 

THOUGHTS: The chocolate wind was divine. Light, airy, delicate. Don't scoop too much foam into the same container when it rests in the freezer, as the weight of the top foam will crush the foam at the bottom and cause it to liquefy. The strawberry ravioles were a different story. The texture was gelatinous, almost like slurping a poached egg yolk without breaking into it. The flavor was under-whelming (although that may have been due to the quality of strawberries) and the process was tedious. The ravioles were difficult to scoop out of the two baths and broke apart easily, ruining the consistency (and, undoubtedly, the appeal) of the final product. In the Cuisine R-Evolution recipes DVD, they show a beautiful red sphere sitting prettily in a sterile white spoon. That's what happened to me, never.

OTHER PROJECTS GOING ON:

LAMPS

I've decided to make more lamps. Yes, it's a peculiar hobby of mine (with help from my husband!!), as can be seen on my Etsy shop. The following teaser photos are part of that project: 

And a dramatic before/after shot from a silver pitcher made in India, found at a local Goodwill. I, for one, was not aware of the magical alternate uses of toothpaste.

AFTER

BEFORE

And, finally:

That's all I'm going to share about that project for now, but stay tuned! More to come!

STRING ART

This wood panel used to be part of a shipping crate found discarded behind a warehouse in Berkeley. The wood originated in Brazil, according to the convenient lumber grade stamp located on one of the slats. Again, to be continued... 

EMBROIDERY HOOP ART

Do I know the first thing about how to use an embroidery hoop? Nope. Am I going to teach myself? Abso-flippin-lutely. I want to try my hand at the CUTEST DIY project I found recently, which I'll post soon. 

By the way, I'm not sure how I ever accomplished ANY kind of DIY/craft project without the Martha Stewart Crafts 18 x 24 Inch Cutting Mat. No, I'm not hired to advertise this product (although it certainly wouldn't hurt...) I recently got it from Michael's, using their ubiquitous 40% off coupon. (Thanks, mom!) I briefly hunted around online to find the best bang-for-my-nerdy-craft-monster-buck, and decided that this one would do the trick. No more eyeballing or using recycled cardboard as a protective layer between my project and the kitchen table for this gal! I have to say that it's pretty large, so you need to use it on a large work space. Also, it comes folded in half, so there is a little bit of warping on the center seam, preventing it from lying perfectly flat. After a couple of days flattening it (with my laptop), it's like a crêpe. Perfect! Now, I impulsively find myself straightening or lining up anything that finds its way onto its infallible grid. 

In the spirit of the New Year et cetera:

"The beginning is the most important part of the work." - Plato