What's Up Wednesday

I was starting to blog more regularly but it's slowed down a bit.  Ooops!

So, here's an update from the last week....

I turned my cucumber harvest from last week into a big jar of refrigerator pickles.  I made sweet pickles and they're delicious!  I'd like to figure out how to make the next batch a little less strong though.  I'm wondering if it's ok to add a little water to the vinegar?

Here's my harvest from this morning...more cucumbers, and a couple of Meyer lemons to flavor my water today.  The cucumbers are growing like crazy!  The vines are loaded with tiny ones that'll be big in no time!  I may need to learn how to do canning!

The pumpkin plants are exploding in size!  Here's what they look like this morning...

A couple of tomatoes are just about ready to pick!

We now have three baby eggplants.

It's been pretty hot lately.  But, one of my friends and I decided to go to a winery one day last week.  We found a nice spot to sit in the shade and the misters kept us comfortable....along with a cold glass of one of their delicious white wines!  We enjoyed relaxing and knitting so much that we have another outing planned this week and more of our knit friends are going to join us.  That should be a lot of fun!

On Sunday, hubby and I took our tandem bicycle down to the Carlsbad and went for a long ride along the ocean.  It was wonderful!  The temps were in the mid 70's, the sky was clear, and the ocean was calm and gorgeous!  We stopped for breakfast at one of our favorite places in Encinitas, The Potato Shack.  It's been there for a really long time and has great food and friendly service.  They even have gluten free pancakes and French toast!  Yum!

After breakfast, we headed south a few more miles.  We stopped to take in the views and snapped a photo of our Tandem.  We've had this awesome beast since our daughter was little.  Hubby and our daughter and hubby and I have even used this in mountain bike races!  He pulled it out last week, tuned it up, we took it out for a spin, and we're in love with it yet again.

On our way back north to Carlsbad and where we parked, we stopped at a place I've been following on Instagram for a while and was anxious to try, Lofty Coffee in Encinitas.  They roast their own coffee beans and make their own almond milk and hazelnut milk!  Not only were our drinks delicious but they were also pretty.  Here's my hubby's cappuccino with hazelnut milk...

And, here's my latte with almond milk.  They treated us to a homemade goody (not sure if it was a cookie, a muffin, or ??) that was gluten free, vegan, and yummy!  Their coffee grinder was acting up and delaying our coffee.  So, they brought the treat out with an apology.  How nice is that?!

We sat outside right along Pacific Coast Highway / Highway 1 and enjoyed the cool weather and our treats.  So nice!

These beauties were in the parking lot.  Plants love it down there and grow so well in that awesome weather!

What have you been up to this last week?

The Official Start of Summer

Friday was the first official day of summer and we wanted to make it great!

My daughter and I headed down to North San Diego County for some fun.

We started off with a stop at an antique mall in San Marcos.

Then, we picked up my hubby from work whisked him away for a well deserved afternoon off.

We went to lunch, stopped at a few of our favorite stores and headed to the beach in Encinitas.

The three of us took a long leisurely walk along the water.  Ahhhh!

We walked far enough that we had parts of the beach to ourselves.

It's so beautiful down there and the weather was absolutely perfect that day.

Then, we sat on the beach for a while to relax, take in the scenery, and people watch.

It was interesting to watch life guards bring people closer to shore as the rip currents picked up.

After that, we decided to get a bite to eat and then head down to the Oceanside Harbor.

Our favorite blues musician, Nathan James, was performing at the Nautical Bean that night.

He was surprised and happy to see us and his music was great as always.

It seemed like the perfect way to end the first day of summer...the three of us together,

an ocean sunset, great music, and some great coffee.  It was wonderful!  

Check out the view we had from our table...

It just kept getting better and better as the sun went down.  Gorgeous!

We enjoyed watching birds dive for fish, boats coming and going, and 

seals were diving into the water and swimming around.

We were all up and on the road bright and early Sunday morning to take our daughter

to the Long Beach Airport so she could fly out to a week long harp event.

It was our first time at Long Beach Airport.  It was a surprise to see how small it was 

and that the original Art Deco building that was completed in 1941 is still being used.

That's really something considering how old buildings are so often torn down these days.

Hubby and I explored around the building a bit before we left.

Check out some of the old mosaics on the floors...

Hubby and I wanted to make a whole day out of our long drive to Long Beach.

So, we brought our beach cruisers to go for a ride along the beach and harbor.

I thought this sign was funny.  

There were a few of them posted along the pathway at the dog beach area.

Speaking of dogs...we came across a dog show in a nearby park.

And, not any dog show...it was all terriers!  My favorite!

We fell in love with this little girl.  Isn't she cute!

She's a Welsh Terrier.  She looks just like our dear Salsa but in miniature.

We just may get one of these someday.  The same cuteness as Salsa but in a smaller, calmer package.

We were determined to get over to the other side of the waterway that boats go through
and get to the Queen Mary.  It took lots of circling around and exploring to figure out
where the bike path went over the bridge but we finally found it!
Here we are (Yikes! Beach hair! lol) at the top of the bridge with the Queen Mary behind us...

When we went back over to the harbor side we just had to stop to oooh and aaaah over this boat!

Wow!  Doesn't that look like soooo much fun?!  We saw another one come into the harbor later on.

It was even more impressive and had a gorgeous paint job.  But, I couldn't get a good picture of it.

We rode over 15 miles on our cruisers.  Yes, we enjoyed some flat riding.  But, there were some steep hills...like over the bridge and back and riding up to a little light house.  Then, there was the head wind as we headed back to the car.  So, we actually got a bit of a workout.  But, it was all fun!

We ended our fun day in Long Beach with a visit to Yard House

for some delicious drinks and appetizers by the water.

Our summer is off to a great start.  

Here's hoping it's just the beginning of lots of wonderful times to come!

How's your summer?  Did you do anything special to kick off this wonderful season?

It's a lot of work to carry my big camera around and spending a lot of time getting great shots.
So, I've only had my cell phone with me lately and using it for photos and very few of them.
It's hard sometimes to not have my camera when something great shows up but
not worrying so much about getting a ton of great photos sure is a lot more relaxing!  

World Wide Knit in Public Week

I took a break yesterday from most of my projects.

It was the first day of World Wide Knit in Public Week 2013 and I just had to join in on the fun!

I put a couple of projects into my bike basket and headed out

early in the morning to meet a friend at the Marketplace.

We locked up our bikes and grabbed our things...

...and went into the Breakfast Club.

The weather was beautiful and we were lucky to get a table outside.

Of course, I had to get a yummy soy vanilla latte to enjoy with my "California Omelet"

that had tomatoes, avocado, bacon and artichokes hearts in it and some fresh salsa on top

(I had them leave off the cheese).  It also came with a bowl of delicious fresh fruit.  Yum!

After breakfast, we moved our bikes to another area of the Marketplace and sat at an

outside table with an umbrella to do a little stitching.  My friend worked on crocheting

a cute and handy basket.  I worked on my new crochet shawl with some of my new yarn.

I later pulled out a knitting project and worked on that for a while.

Hubby surprised us when he biked up on his cruiser and sat with us for a while.  

We popped into Starbucks to get some chilly drinks, visited a while longer, 

and then we all hopped on our bikes to ride home. What fun!  

Are you participating in World Wide Knit in Public Week?

Cruisin' Kitty

Sunday morning, as my husband, daughter and I got ready to go out for a little cruise on our bikes, my daughter set our kitty, Duchess, in my bike basket. Whenever we've tried this in the past, she stiffened her legs and stuck them out to prevent it from happening. She was NOT going in! But, this time, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, I think she kind of liked the idea. She curled up and made herself comfortable. So cute! Of course, I had to get some pictures...








I know she never would want to be in the basket when the bike is actually moving. So, we took her out before we left. I wonder if she'll ever crawl in there on her own?

My New Bike

I finally did it! I bought the bike I've been dreaming of for years. It's an Electra Gypsy and it's ohhh soooo cute!

I first saw one in Grand Junction, Colorado years ago. It was parked outside of a little cafe. It was love at first sight and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind ever since. I would look at it every time I went to a bike shop. I talked about wanting one...at least once a week. And, I dreamt of riding it around. My dream came true. Isn't it pretty?!


The graphics are so cute!


And the colors too...


I love the little basket and it's adorable fabric lining. It's so much fun to throw my stuff in the basket and go for a ride.


The bell is big, shiney and it sounds like a door bell. So fun!


The look, the colors, the design of this bike is sooo me!


Even the seat is cute!


I can't believe I have a Gypsy bike of my very own! I still love my mountain bike and plan to continue riding it but it's so much fun to just throw my stuff in the basket, hop on, and go for a ride without having to gather up all my riding gear (bike shorts, jersey, water pack, special shoes, helmet, etc.). And, being able to sit upright to look around and just cruise is oh so fun! It has only three gears but it seems to be working out perfect for riding around town. I've even been enjoying it at night, when the summer heat calms down and the roads are quiet. :-)

Tickled Pink

My mother-in-law loves all things pink. She also loves life and knows how to have fun. One of the things she enjoys is riding her bike. In fact, she has a yearly tradition of meeting up once a year with several other ladies in another state and spending five days riding their bikes and staying at bed and breakfasts and inns along the way. They rode the Katy Trail in Missouri the past two years, different sections each year. They're heading to a new destination this year, somewhere in Minnesota, I think.

When she bikes, she likes to wear pink and she likes to put pink things on her bike. It can be bells, streamers from her handlebars, little stuffed animals, etc. She doesn't put a lot of stuff on it, just enough to add a touch of fun and whimsey. We decided to help her out on that this year.

My husband and I were shopping at Home Depot on Saturday and found this in the garden section...


We knew immediately that we wanted to get it for her. It's meant to go in the garden...another place that she like to add little touches of fun and whimsey. However, my husband had a different idea! He took the bird off it's wire stick and attached it to a bike bell mount. Ta da....a bike gizmo that mounts on the handlebars!...


I like how the wings and feet wiggle with little bumps and will probably flap in the breeze. Isn't it cute?!


I can't imagine looking at this and not smiling!


The best thing...she loves it! I guess we could say she was "tickled pink"! And, so were we that she liked it. :-)

Thoughtful Thursday

I'm still here! In fact, I check my blog everyday and read blogs that I like to follow. I even have things I want to blog about. But, I've just been too busy to plan out the posts, take pictures, and spend the time putting it all together. What have I been up to? Well...

I'm taking a ceramics class with my daughter at the local college. That's taking up a couple nights a week along with a little homework time. My daughter took this class last semester and had a lot of fun. She wanted me to take it with her this semester. In fact, she practically begged me to do it. How cool is that? I couldn't pass that up. Not many kids want their moms to take a class with them. It's a great opportunity to spend time with her, have fun, and make memories. Some of my first projects are starting to come out of the kiln and I plan to post some pictures soon.

I've been deep into Spring cleaning. Actually, my husband and daughter have been too. We've been getting rid of stuff that we just don't use, need or want. We've been filling the trash can and taking loads of stuff to donate. It's surprising to have so much going out because we thought we were keeping up on this kind of thing. We take stuff to donate every couple of months or so. Simplifying and cleaning even more feels great! Hubby built some storage into my daughter's walk-in closet and we're making plans for some other home improvement projects too.

The tendonitis in my elbows is doing soooo much better. The physical therapy and time have made a world of difference and I'm doing things I haven't been able to do in a couple of years! It's so exciting! I've been riding my mountain bike again and not just on dirt roads but on rocky, technical trails! Yeeha! All the time off my bike and not being able to do it make it even more fun now that ever. I also went skiing last week! Pretty cool because last winter I couldn't even hold a ski pole! I forgot how much I love to ski! It was one of my best ski days ever! We're planning to go again very soon! I can't wait!

I've been doing very little in the way of knitting, crochet or any other crafty pursuits. It's not for lack of trying. I've tried several patterns that just don't seem to work. And, I've spent a lot of time lately trying to match patterns to stash yarn. That often feels like an impossible task! I did find a pattern and yarn match late one evening that I really liked but didn't have the right size of circular needle to start it. Ugh! The next day I decided I really needed to start on a baby gift instead. So, I'm working on a little sleep sack and hat set now. I'm not sure if I'll get it done in time though...the baby shower is this Saturday! Oh...and I did get out that problem vest project and I've worked on it a little. I really need more hours in the day!

Well, I'd better end this and get started with my day. I have a dog to walk, a load of stuff to donate and a baby gift to knit, among other things. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Tour of California - Stage Six and Our Weekend Adventure

The Tour of California bike race took place this last week and stage six of it was in our local mountains. We got reservations a couple months ago to camp right near the race and went up last Thursday for a weekend of fun and relaxation.

Race day was sunny, warm and perfect. We headed over to the race area first thing in the morning to check things out. This event is watched all over the world and being there was pretty exciting. It was fun to walk through the finish line where so many famous cyclists were going to cross through later that day (that's not us in the picture)...


Here it is from the side they ride through, looking up toward the Snow Summit Ski Resort, where we ski in the winter. That's the podium to the right, where they award the winners after the race (we took pictures of each other standing on the winner's box)...


Along the side, near the finish line, there were special tents set up for VIP's. We heard that they paid around $1500 to view the race from that area. They had drinks, food, large TV's, furniture, waiters and waitresses, and the best seats at the race...


Check out this furniture made from bike rims...




Later in the day, we saw specially marked cars driving the VIP's up to the tents through the race area and spectators...


This is another area for VIP's. It was a little further down from the finish line. We viewed the race right across the road from this tent. They even had a little art gallery in this one with paintings of mountain scenes and wildlife...


The center pieces were so cute...


The cameras were ready. Check out the size of this thing! It even has it's own truck with a lift...


News vans were there...


After checking things out, we walked back to camp and packed a lunch, grabbed chairs and other necessary things and headed back to the race area to grab a spot and wait for the racers. We set up about four hours before the racers arrived and took turns walking around the expo. Did I bring my knitting? Of course I did! And, check out the colorful bracelets that I collected at the expo...


As the racers neared, the helicopter appeared with a camera...see it at the front...


The last stretch of the race was a long, straight, uphill road. As the racers turned the corner and headed up, we all got our cameras ready...


They rode 135 miles that day with a LOT of climbing. Here's the winner, Peter Sagan. He's only 20 years old!...


More racers...


We were close enough to the finish line to see the podium and hear what they were saying...


The leader board was huge! The building behind it is two stories tall. This has all the standings for the race and for that stage...


These are the motor bikes that carried the officials and photographers that film the race and take photos. I think the photographers are pretty amazing to be able to look into cameras while riding around twists and turns. It sounds like awful motion sickness to me!...


This one has a guide to help them know which jersey is for which team...


After the race was over, we took our things back and walked Salsa back over to the expo. This was her favorite part...a stuffed brown bear. She bounced up and down and got just excited about it in the afternoon as she did that morning. I wonder what she was thinking?!...


The weather wasn't quite as nice the next day. It was sunny but there was an icy cold wind. Here's a view from one of the ski slopes, looking down toward Big Bear Lake...


It got really cold that night and the next morning we woke up to this...


This is the road that the race finished on. Quite different than race day!...


It looked really stormy over the lake!...


The snow was building fast!...


We took the back way down, toward the desert. It's usually the last road to remain open and we figured it was our best chance of getting down the mountain that day. Hubby put the Yukon in 4X-Low and we did great. Someone else didn't do so well and they jack-knifed their truck and trailer further down the hill. So, we sat for about an hour and waited. The wait provided for picture opportunities and knitting time. And, the sun came out and started melting the snow...


Spring flowers in wintery snow...


We were in the transition area of the mountain, where pine trees start to disappear and cactus, Joshua Trees, and desert plants start to appear...




Ahhh...the dry, snow free desert below...


There was a light dusting of snow on the desert side of the mountain, near the bottom...


And, then...Ahhhh...dry, snow free roads...


As we headed west, toward highway 15, we drove along the outskirts of the storm. It looked pretty intense!...


We had a great time at the race and enjoyed our new trailer. The snow and cold weather sure were a surprise though...especially, since next weekend is Memorial Day! Isn't it suppose to be warm by now? It's spring and summer is only four weeks away!