Posh Camping

I think the official term is "glamping," and we did it this week. We went to Costanoa for a little R&R after a 7-day work stretch (for me) and a year-long work stretch for D, who just finished chief residency. Besides being a frigid icy tundra (slight exaggeration) on the California coast, per the usual in the summer, it was quite an awesome experience.

Each tent cabin is outfitted with a queen-sized bed, heated mattress pad, down bedding, towels, reading lights. If this is roughing it too much for you, there are also wooden cabins or a lodge you can stay in. And don't worry about bringing food, because there's a lodge you can dine in. There is hiking, biking, kayaking, and yoga offered at the site too.



The "comfort stations" (aka, bathrooms) have heated concrete floors, hot (free) showers inside and outside, a sauna, and a fire place with adirondack chairs. The groundspeople set up all the logs and the matches so all you have to do is strike a match and light the fire. In 5 minutes, you're stuffing s'mores in your face.

Yes (Jenelle), I know this is not real camping.

Next time, I want to stay in one of these 2 cabins - they were in Sunset Magazine. And when it's as cold as it was, you need all the greenhouse effect in that tent you can get!

Recordable Television, I Love You

I'm not an "animal person," but I can appreciate the feeling of being welcomed home every day, unconditionally....because I feel this way about my DVR. And you know how sometimes kitties leave you "treats" (read: dead mice and birds) on your porch? Well, it's kind of like that when you have a show waiting for you when you get home...except better in so many ways.

I used to DVR Oprah, but this just got too out of hand...backed up shows 'til Kingdom Come. I had to cut that habit, though she was definitely my most loyal of all DVRs.

On my DVR menu (this is where you see that I am both a child and an old lady in one - diverse, I call it):

The Office
Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
A couple of sewing/quilting shows
John and Kate + 8 (Team Hannah!)
Hell's Kitchen

I think my list covers my need for good humor, a little voyeurism, education, and strict entertainment. Plus, I like to think of it as Pop Culture homework - and I've always been a great student...

Sorry Ladies, He's Taken...

After a 6 hour bus ride from San Luis, look what I come home to...

A lattice-top cherry pie (yes, he made this - crust included - from scratch):



And a panzanella salad:



I was too excited to photograph the grilled flank steak, but trust me, it was delicious. I'm so lucky!

Satisfaction

Is there nothing more satisfying than plucking produce right out of the back yard? (I love how I say "satisfying" as if I did any of the work besides the actual plucking - Mon, it's all you, I realize this.) I'm staying with my sister and she grew these beauties. I'm just so impressed!!

Can't wait for tomato season!

(never mind that I'm in my pajamas...I just woke up from a nap. Lif is hard.)

Scrappy

Remember this quilt kit I bought last year in Sisters (last year, at band camp...)? I seriously only bought 2 kits, but they are giving me an entire YEAR of projects. (I'm going again in July - Danger!!)

Well anyhow, I was browsing Flickr and found a few awesome brick path-ish quilts. And while I wanted to make one with cool, fun, new fabrics, I just couldn't do it. Not with an entire BIN of perfectly good, coordinating fabrics lying around. So, I did a little stash-n-burn.

This is top is completely made of leftover fabrics from that kit - enough for a whole entire quilt (crib-sized)!! I made a modified version of the brick-path to maximize my scraps. I'm not sure why there was so much excess in the kit...maybe I was supposed to make something else with the kit and I missed it, or maybe the quilt was supposed to be bigger, I don't know.

Anyhow, I feel good about utilizing some of my stash. Now I can just go out and buy MORE! (that is so not green, forget I said that) I think this line of prints has had its season with me.

It's probably cheating to post about this once before and once after it's completed, but that's how I roll. See you in a couple days!

City Chic Baby Blankie

The blankie is done & I love it!

Clearly, I'm a novice, so I don't know if "real" quilters wash their quilts before giving them as gifts (yes? no? anyone?) ...but I think it's the right thing to do, considering how many places a quilt is schlepped and laid out on its way to completion (future recipient, I'm talking places like the living room floor, don't be grossed out!)- especially if for a baby. Plus, I think it looks so much more awesome and lovable once its washed and wrinkly.

Just try to get me to resist polka dots - I dare you!

And I found this awesomely soft (and green!) bamboo-cotton blend print for the backing at PeaPod. I have never been so decisive.

I think I need one of these for myself.

SCUBA Duba Doo

Remember when I told you I wouldn't post anymore Hawaii photos? Well, you never really believed that was true, did you? I forgot that our SCUBA guide was snapping photos while we were diving.

Here's my attempt at a smile with a regulator in my mouth. At this point, we were inside the hull of a sunken ship - isn't that so cool?!


I'm such a spaz - D is a much more technical diver. He holds his arms folded in front of his body (the right way), and I'm flailing about with my "wings" out in nearly every photo.

Up the mooring line:

The ship in the background:

A little photo session while we wait to surface:

So fun, right?

Baby Season

I have been busy trying to keep up with baby season. My friend from work had a girl...Caitlyn (I think that's the spelling). She's so teeny-tiny, it might taker her a while to fit into these puppies.


My other friend who I used to work with is had a girl too...Miss Lilly. She's already struttin' the cupcake, I hear.


(those are burp cloths underneath to match the onesies)

When is someone going to finally name their baby Sara? Sheesh...

Quilt in a Day (almost)

I haven't been super motivated since returning from all them vacations. You'd think I would be inspired...like an absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder type of thing, but no.

Anyhow, I think the lull is over - I got inspired by this magazine ad:


Crafted a really sophisticated pattern/instruction set and gathered some fabric I purchased for a different project:

Laid her out...

Sewed her up...

And I trekked to PeaPod and got me some yummy cotton/bamboo fabric for the back (I'll show you the finished product later). I'm still hemming and hawing (I don't think I've ever spelled that out before...) over the binding.

I'm going for the "chic city baby" look here - how'm I doing?

p.s. Super easy pattern - no corners to match!! Love that! Truthfully, I like obsessing about precision a little bit, but rarely achieve perfection, so this was good for me.

Boston Common in Bloom

I just remembered these photos I took in Boston Common. It was supposed to rain the whole weekend, but we happened upon fabulous weather instead. Strangely enough, I was soaking it in so much that I hardly took any photos.

This gardener is SO fired...

And that's it for Boston, sorry y'all.

Boston Baby

We just got back from a wee trip to Boston. I think we're done traveling for a little while - I feel so spoiled.

Anyhow, we stayed outside Boston in a little town called Norwood (Nah-wood). And thank goodness D had his thinkin' cap on - he remembered that Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger restaurant was nearby in Wellesley. We made the rainy trek into this adorable, charming little town (lots of women's clothing stores - go figure). As we're approaching the restaurant, I asked D, "Do you think Ming actually ever cooks at the restaurant?" And before he could reply, guess who is standing at the reception desk? Hello!! (I verified the name on the jacket just to be sure)

He buzzed around the restaurant (totally not in a schmoozy sort of way) the whole night - and don't think I didn't stare a little. We had a delicious dinner (and a kick-butt cocktail - passionfruit & pear - ooh, yeah!). On our way out, we passed Ming and thanked him for the dinner. He asked if everything was good, and yes, of course I said it was. *sigh* SO AWESOME!

Sorry I have no photo...we were too chicken. But I know he would have been gracious had we asked. Next time...

Da Rest

This will be my last Hawaii post - promise.

We had such a great time and there was so much to do in Honolulu! I felt guilty just plopping myself on the beach and reading a magazine when there were craters to hike, sunken ships to explore, and shave ice (lots of it) to be eaten.

Here are few last highlights of our trip:

The view from Diamond Head - worth the trek up the hill.


Our guide at the Dole plantation - is he not so adorable?


And a loverly hibiscus. D tried to convince me they had a lovely fragrance. Right. Don't mess with a girl who has taken Environmental Horticulture 101 - we know EVERYTHING there is to know about plants and will take every opportunity to share that knowledge.


The awesomeness of this is self-explanatory...


And our first little dip in the Hawaiian waters:


And f you go to Honolulu, may we recommend two fabulous restaurants? One fancy and one less fancy. Alan Wong's was incredible!!! Start to finish, everything was ridiculously delicious. And we recommend sitting next to some friends of the owner (like we happened to be) who get plates and plates of desserts on the house and offer them to you. That was the best part!

The other more casual restaurant, Town, served local, seasonal food. So tasty!! We went the multiple appetizer route, which I recommend. And they used old menus for their coasters, which I loved.

So, there you have it! Our little Hawaiian vacation in a nutshell. Aloooooooo-ha!

Speaking of SPAM

(which I learned is short for "spiced ham", by the way)

We happened to be in town for the annual Waikiki SPAM Jam - Yes, this is a real fesival...see?

(thank you, D, for always indulging me)

From a reliable source (friend of D's who used to work there) SPAM is actually "composed" of rather high quality "parts" and is said to be preferable to a hot dog. So, we went for it. It would have been rude of us NOT to participate in all things SPAM, right?

D had a SPAM burger and SPAM fries:


And I had one of those slabs of SPAM on a mound of rice wrapped with nori...can't remember what it was called (update: it's called a musubi - thank you, Tracy RN, MSN, PHN). And something weird happened, as I was about to take a bite, some girl walked by, smiled, and asked if it was the first time I had tried one of those. I wonder if there is SPAM/rice mound etiquette that I was breaching? Or perhaps I just had an apprehensive look on my face. Hmmm.... Or maybe I'm just Miss paranoia. Whatever.

There was even Spamghetti - I would totally eat that.


And there you have it - a SPAM fest. Pretty cool.

Sidenote: Darren Benitez, a Hawaiian singer was performing at the SPAM Jam, and he was pretty freakin' talented and fabulous. And you can download him on iTunes - I'll see you there!

**I failed to mention that the SPAM was actually quite tasty. I'm probably not likely to buy or prepare spiced ham ever (deviled ham is another story), but I am not above partaking in a dedicated SPAM festival now and again.

Honolulu Quilt Show

Many of my hater friends have rolled their eyes at me when I told them I went to a Hawaii Quilters Guild quilt show while in Hawaii. I suppose that's not typical for a 30 year-old gal on vacation, but whatever.

I found myself taking photos of basically every quilt in the show, but these were my favorites. Very few of the quilts at the show were of a style I have ever created (or thought to create - or COULD create), but I was quite inspired. Do click on the photos and look at them in finer detail.

This was a showcase piece. I couldn't capture the texture with my camera, but it was beautiful.

A "stained glass" wall hanging.

If you look up close, every single piece is appliqued onto a black background. It was STUNNING.

Holly Hock


Another meticulous wall hanging

A beautiful variation of the Hawaiian Quilt

Aloha!

McSpam & Eggs

I seldom eat fast food, but at McDonald's in Hawaii, they serve a spam, egg, and rice plate for breakfast. We, of course, had to sample the local fare.

Me likee.

D, not so much.

And check out the trash receptacles. So polite.

Hawaiian Quilting Class

Surprisingly (not), while on vacation, I took a Hawaiian Quilting class to learn how they make those incredible quilts. I bought a pattern book about 5 years ago, but do you think I've opened it? Well, maybe I will now that I sort of know what I'm doing.

The class was run by a couple of native Hawaiian women, daughters of this man who used to design the patterns for many Hawaiian quilt makers. He was there still designing patterns for those who wanted them. Here's a photo of him sketching one out:


And the final product:


75% of the women (and one man!) quilting were regulars working on huge bed spreads. This quilter was kind enough to pose for me:


This one shows a better contrast (yes, it's sideways):


I was at a small table with out-of-town beginners. Here's the "breadfruit" pillow cover I was working on. I wanted to show you the stages - pinning, basting, and then pin-turning.


Maybe someday, if I ever finish it, I'll show you the finished product. If you're in Honolulu on a Saturday, I recommend checking this class out. And what's extra-great about the class is that it's held at Iolani Palace, so you can cram a little tourism in there as well....and the little bagel rolls pre-filled with cream cheese.

Aloha!

D and I just got back from 5 days in Honolulu. Aaaaah. I needed that. This week I'll update you on the goings on of our wonderful little vacation. There was a lot of good eating, sight-seeing, a little SCUBA, a little shopping, and never as much lounging as you want.

First item of business, shave ice.

Waiola vs. Matsumoto

Waiola was closer, so we tried this one first. The ice was finely shaved, the line was short, and delicious.

Matsumoto, a 1 hour drive away, had a coarser shave, long line, and cheap! The coconut flavor was hot pink (why?), but also delicious.

My study was very scientific - always passion fruit and coconut, with no ice cream or beans (what is that all about??). And the result? Well, when it comes to sweet treats, I'm not all that discerning. Both delicious and refreshing, and both better than other shave ice places I tried.

Maybe I should bust out my Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine and recreate....

Sweet Magnolia

Most people go to New York to see sites and go to museums and stuff.... And sure, I hoped to see those things....on my way to food! We hit Magnolia Bakery on our way to the show (an appropriate dinner, wouldn't you say?). It was heavenly.

Here were my picks:


And this wasn't supposed to happen, but I'm so glad it did:


You just walk right in (at the mercy of the Bakery Bouncer....yes, a bouncer) and pick out a few cupcakes you like, pack 'em up yo' self, and enjoy them in the park across the street.


I loved how they store the sprinkles and such in jars.


A splendid afternoon indeed. However, I'll need to return to sample all the flavors.