use real butter

I love a road trip with a good companion. Jeremy is my ideal companion. I love a photo shoot with a good shooting partner. Jason is a great shooting partner. But sometimes things come up and I have to go solo – like this week’s shoot. I left Jeremy at his conference and headed back north for a few days.

the road from new mexico to colorado

The fact that the American West is so big and spread out is both a blessing and a curse. More blessing than curse though. Sure, it takes a long time to get from point A to point B. I cherish the wide open space between them. People talk about what a small world it is, but if you drive the empty roads under big skies and through sprawling landscapes and really have a look around, you understand that the world is quite enormous and you are but a measly speck. It’s awesome.

fresh snow

Empty roads, wide shoulders, views for hundreds of miles. Out here, you can slow down to 15 mph and cruise for antelope or birds of prey. Pull over, step out, and take a breath of that clean air. The only sound is the wind racing across the high plateau. If you pass something interesting, it’s easy enough to take your foot off the gas and turn yourself around. Go back. Check it out. How many times do you continue driving and then think “I wish I had stopped”? When I tell myself I’ll go back later, most of the time I end up not returning. I’m trying to be better about this.

hasta, baby

**Jump for more butter**

I’m back in California! But this time it’s Southern California. It’s been a while since we’ve been back to see good friends, eat at favorite restaurants, visit old haunts, and hike local trails. We had a couple of days before Jeremy’s conference began. Because today (Monday) marks 18 years that we’ve been together here’s a sampling of the shenanigans we’ve been getting into for the past 48 hours.

a glorious sunrise from denver international airport

at the huntington: north vista lawn

in the rose hills foundation conservatory

a favorite of mine: horsetail plant (equisetum)

sundial

the grandeur of oak trees

I have always referred to The Huntington as The Huntington Gardens, but it is The Huntington Library. For me, it’s easy to get excited about the plants and overlook the art and library collections and exhibitions. After wandering the grounds and marveling at various plants, we popped by to see the “Beautiful Science” exhibit in the Library West Hall. It highlights astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light with original books from the Huntington’s collection – some as old as 400 years!

following the progression of astronomical ideas

galileo discusses earth-centered vs. sun-centered systems

my favorite was the light exhibit

optical fibers

james maxwell: the father of electromagnetism

old filament designs

We also visited the Long Beach Aquarium in which we spent the morning petting sharks and rays, watching sea otters and sea lions frolick, and marveling at colorful fishes and other sea critters.

jellies are so beautiful

little kid completely fascinated by the big tank of predators

more foofie frilly beautiful jellies

scratching his teeth on the glass (that’s what the marks are from)

i also love sea anemones

awesome little sea dragon

The weather was mercifully mild over the weekend although it began warming up today. Taking advantage of that cooler weather, we hiked into the Angeles National Forest – our former backyard.

the san gabriel mountains

a few flowers still in bloom

the shady parts of the trail

What a great way to work up an appetite! So far we’ve had Chinese, Thai, Sushi, and Vietnamese. I don’t actually know where a good Vietnamese restaurant is in So Cal. I only know of a great couple who make amazing Viet food. A White on Rice Couple, to be precise. I think they need to charge admission to their garden. It’s better than The Huntington!

chinese buddhist vegetarian food

thai: mee krob

thai: sizzling beef with spinach and cucumber

sushi: toro sashimi

sushi: hamachi sashimi

fresh veggies from the garden (okay, except the asparagus)

cooking our lunch *sizzle*

oh wow! all those persimmons on one tree!

and pomegranates?! this is truly paradise

And the added bonus was that we got to spend time with Sierra and Dante. Dante is a sweet boy, but he’s more interested in snacks. Sierra likes the attention and she is a huge goofball. Sierra is our pup away from home. We love her! We think Sierra and Kaweah would make a great pair of friends.

sierra puppy

I promise a recipe in the next post. The schedule is just too jam-packed right now to keep up with it all, but I hope you enjoyed some of the photos. Happy 18 years, Jeremy! xo

I always start out with the best of intentions – to post when I’m away. Yet, I find that I have so many durned photos that I’m dozing off before I even get through the first twenty. Consider it your break from my incessant yammering. But here now. I have photos to share and not a lot of inclination to hang out on the blog tonight. It’s Jeremy’s birthday today and he’s recovering from an outpatient procedure so I think he deserves some pampering, don’t you?

Right! So I started my trip to Seattle last week by seating my bum on the south side of the plane because I like looking at landforms of the western US and because I love volcanoes.

hello mount adams, you are so lovely

My dear friends took me to the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market to grab a bite and peruse the produce stalls. It was there that I found shishito peppers AND padróns in a box side by side. Now I can tell you that shishito peppers and padróns are not the same (I was mistaken in my last post). Padróns are a tad larger in size and darker green in color. So there you have it. Oddly enough, I ran into a whole slew of Seattle bloggers at the market: Becky, Lorna, Jenifer, Julie, and Scott, who was giving a cooking demo.

colorful flower bouquets

i saw a cute bernese mountain dog puppy

crates full of peppers

seattle food geek workin’ the shallots

We started the next morning with a visit to Macrina bakery before my hosts left for work. I hadn’t planned on visiting with food bloggers on this trip, but the schedules panned out and I got to enjoy lunch and a walk along the neighborhood of houseboats with my sweet pal, Tea. She then handed me off to Shauna, Danny, and Lu who took me to go visit with Matt, Danika, and Drake and Lara! I think I’m in love with Seattle folk. Nicest. People. Ever.

choosing breakfast at macrina bakery

my noodle bowl lunch at nettletown

matt

lara

little lu

drake being coy

danny and lu

**Jump for more butter**