dryland

I love the days when we aren’t tied to anything specific and get to simply enjoy our destination point without any pressure. Today was one of those days. Austin played a perfect host. We started the day with a late lunch (meaning it was scheduled for 1pm and we were quite tardy). Amy, Emily, Helen and I met my college friend (Andi) and Amy’s cousin (Jenny) at Magnolia Café. I had been to this restaurant before, but fell in love with it. In fact, last time I was in town (the only time I was in Austin) I ate here twice. After some catching up and my prolonged indecisiveness, we place our orders and shortly thereafter received the goods. I ordered the LOVE Migas. It was a dish of eggs scrambled with butter, garlic, and serrano pepper, mixed with a chopped corn tortilla, red onion, and green peppers (I forgot to ask for no green peppers), then topped with cheese. Served with black beans and avocado on the side. Pretty much my dream meal. I ordered corn tortillas and potatoes on the side so I could assemble my favorite meal of breakfast tacos. There was no disappointment to be had on my end. I loved every single bite of it…except the last one. Why do good things always have to come to an end? Amy ordered the Chef Salad – she’s been craving something cold and green for a few days now and I think this hit the spot. Andi, Helen, and Emily all ordered the Black Bean entrée, which looks so good and was a close runner-up for me. Jenny had a chocolate chip pancake and a buttermilk pancake, which she seemed to enjoy. I love Magnolia Café and I plan to stop there every trip we make to Austin.

After late lunch we headed to Zilker Park to pick up our wristbands for Austin City Limits (“ACL”) – our primary reason for being in Austin. ACL is one of the larger annual musical festivals held and Emily and I, after attending Bonnaroo last summer, had decided this festival was next on the list. We are so excited for tomorrow! The concerts go on for just about 12 hours each day, with about 130 bands playing over three days.

I waited exactly 381 words to complain about the heat. It’s hot in Austin. I think our arrival has coincided with a cold front moving in, where we’ll see temperatures in the 90s instead of the 100s. Bonus for us. The heat is bad, but the drought conditions are far worse here. All I can say about tomorrow is please hope for our sake that we can find some reprieve in a shaded area throughout the day. Wish us luck!

Once we picked up our wristbands, we headed to Andi and Bryan’s home in South Austin to visit with them and their three kids: Bug, Pepper, and Star. Bug is so grown up at five and a half (she wasn’t even three last time I was here). She was playing the role of big sister so well…it was adorable. Pepper, the lone boy, had the cutest things to say. We learned that his hair is very soft, though blue-green, that he may have a career in mixology, and that he is prone to random acts of acrobatics. Star is the baby and I can just see in her eyes that she is so very involved in taking everything in. I do think (and I shared this) that one day her mouth will open and full paragraphs will come out spouting her words of wisdom to her family (and the world). All of them are so special. It was also good the see Bryan. I feel so connected because of a photo blog he maintains daily, but it’s wonderful to get to hug the real thing and hear his voice – it’s been too long! I’m glad I got to spend giggly time with Andi and the family…they are near and dear to my heart. Saying goodbye was sad, but I know we’ll be back. Austin has too much to offer!

As dinnertime was upon us, we headed back to Lacey and Tom’s for a little grillin’ and chillin’. Lacey made some delicious appetizers of cheese (yes) and crackers, spanikopita, and chips/guacamole that were waiting our arrival. We prepped and Tom grilled. We had chicken (well, some of us did), halloumi, asparagus with truffle salt, and pineapple off the grill. Also, a nice salad rounded out the meal. All items were wonderful. This led to the chillin’ part where much wine and beer was consumed…great time had by all, I’d say. What great hosts we have here in Austin!

Joellen

more adventurous (new mexico)

New Mexico, you are complex. I feel the need to explain our experiences in sections to further illustrate that point.

Part 1: Santa Fe. I thought we’d wake up on time to get out of there before check out. I was wrong about that. I will say in our defense that we don’t usually arrive to our hotels until after 11pm and before we know it the clock says 2am. We’ve been in this pattern for some time now and it’s not likely to change before the trip’s end. We checked out at 11:20 (thanks friendly staff of Old Santa Fee Inn for not harassing). After checkout we walked about 3 blocks to Café Pasqual’s, a well-liked restaurant in the downtown area. Well-liked for a very good reason: it was excellent. I had read online that their ingredients were organic, grass fed, free-range, etc. All the things we prefer when we can find it. (Also plenty of vegetarian options and breakfast until 3pm!) We started with the Papas Fritas. A delicious dish of wonderfully seasoned home fries topped with Monterey Jack cheese, red and green (Christmas) chile sauces, scallions, and sour cream. It was served with a corn tortilla that we halved. I can’t put into words the deliciousness that was in that dish. If you ever go, do yourself a favor and order it. Next time I’m adding scrambled eggs and an avocado. For lunch I ordered the Mole Enchiladas. I know you’re probably tired of hearing about mole all of the time, but I am on a quest to find the best out there. Amy has decided to take on the challenge of making me the perfect mole. I can’t wait. As a rich food lover, the bittersweet chocolate and the spicy chiles coming together feels like a song written just for me. I love a homemade mole – it requires food smarts and about 13 ingredients. This mole was really good. The enchiladas were zucchini, spinach, and tofu filled and covered in the mole with a dusting of cotija cheese. Along side were black beans, cilantro rice, and a jicama/orange edible garnish. I devoured most of the plate and am not ashamed to admit that. Amy ordered the half plate, which consisted of a cup of soup and a BLT. But, being Café Pasqual’s of Santa Fe, it was no ordinary soup/sandwich combo. The soup was a potato leek soup that wasn’t too creamy or too light. Needed a little touch of salt and pepper (not much doesn’t) to make it complete. The BLT was chili-rubbed bacon with green chiles, and tomato on cornbread that came with a salad of thinly shredded kale dressed in a light vinaigrette with tomatoes and cotija cheese (I thought it was very tasty). Amy thoroughly enjoyed her meal. I think it was one of the most interesting lunch options on the menu and I was glad she made that choice. We were pressured by our server to try the raspberry nectarine pie. We eventually conceded and we were delighted by the buttermilk ice cream that came along side. (The pie wasn’t too shabby either.) We left there very full, but eager to explore downtown Santa Fe for a couple of hours. It didn’t take long for me to realize that downtown is mostly about the shopping. There were cute stores lining the streets and we even wandered into a few; most notably, the Christmas themed stores (yes, there were two). We scored a cute ornament to remind us of the stop. I learned that holidays are going to be so much fun in the future. Also a little overwhelming. We also made sure to stop in an olive oil/vinegar shop called Oleaceae. Food lovers that we are, this did not disappoint. While Amy tasted about 20 different salts, I sampled many of the balsamics (yum). Nothing I had to have…until I overheard the gentleman at the store referring some patrons to the toasted seed oils. I knew that this was something I had to taste. I sampled all of the choices (pumpkin, acorn squash, and butternut squash) and walked out of there with the roasted acorn seed pressed oil. I can’t wait to roast Brussels sprouts with this. It’s one of my favorite food finds of the trip. We browsed around for a little longer and landed at the local Starbucks for my caffeine fix before hitting the road again. Santa Fe, we’ll be back.

Part 2: Albuquerque. College towns are just so cool. I went to a small college and even though St. Augustine was a neat place, it’s not nearly as broad as some of the college towns we’ve experienced on this trip. Cool shops and restaurants lining the University drive. Wish we had a little more time to explore, but our mission is Albuquerque was very clear: fresh tortillas. Amy’s friend, Lauren (see: Portland), took her to this restaurant called Frontier and it’s been on the to do list since day one of the road trip. We may or may not have walked out of there with 4-dozen fresh flour tortillas and green chile (and maybe a sweet roll and a Diet Coke). We got to the car and couldn’t wait to try the warm, floury goodness. So good. Also, the possibly acquired sweet roll may or may not have hit the spot.

Part 3: Roswell. New Mexico is beautiful. It’s amazing how the sky opens up all around you. The shadows the clouds cast on the mountains are breathtaking. We passed through so many open areas of sprawling nothingness where antelope (?) were just hanging out. Lovely. The drive from Albuquerque to Roswell was not terribly long. Unfortunately, we hit Roswell as it was turning dark and could not enjoy the sights (or sightings…haha). We stopped for a mediocre Mexican meal (local chain) that really doesn’t deserve a write-up, so I’ll pass on that. I’m happy to say that we were not abducted…this time around. I did almost hit a night creature on this leg of the trip. I say creature because I cannot confirm the species. In fact, I really feel like I might have been John Lithgow and this sighting the same creature that was his nemesis in The Twilight Zone Movie (over 20 years later and I still have nightmares about that one).

Part 4: Artesia. We enjoyed an unexpected pit stop in a Shell parking lot. Would have enjoyed it much more had it not been forced by red and blue flashing lights. Apparently doing 44 in a 35 is so not ok in Artesia. We lucked out with a verbal warning. Thanks officer!

Part 5: Carlsbad: Our hotel was only about 90 minutes from said “speed infraction” locale. We settled in to the Hampton Inn and all it had to offer (king suite upgrade, yes!). We have mastered the art of creating our homes away from home in minutes. I think we’re both quite proud of ourselves.

 

Joellen

i’m so hood

We did something pretty freaking incredible yesterday.  I will leave you in suspense for as long as possible while I tell our story:

We woke up on the earlier side (in the realm of 8:30–go us!), packed up the car and headed toward Moss Landing for a very special adventure.  One thing I was not expecting about coastal California is the massive amount of fog and the cooler temperatures (this is obviously not so much the case for southern Cal, but northern and central are quite chilly).  And by cooler, I mean freezing…at least that’s what 60 degrees feels like to two Florida girls.  So we bundled (I wore three jackets with all of the hoods up) and packed our little bag and headed out on a boat in the cold, cold fog yesterday morning in search of something magical.  For a good long while, we waited and waited and waited.  It was so cold.  I prayed for either sunlight or the magic, but if we were not going to get either, I just prayed to go home.  Nobody likes sitting in the middle of an indiscernible body of water in the cold fog waiting for nothing.  It kind of sucks.  Then, just as I was falling asleep, something magical happened: a blow hole appeared and exhaled beautiful, wonderful whale breath.  Yes, we went whale watching yesterday, folks, and it was absolutely incredible.  Like, really, seriously, one-of-a-kind experience awesome.  So, recap: it’s cold and foggy and the sun is trying so hard to peek through the thick layer of fog, and all of the sudden a whale breathes near us.  So cool.

We found out the identity of the whale, a humpback whose name is Stinky.  S/he and a companion (unfortunately this whale is not cool enough to be named by the boat’s captain and marine biologist yet) went from mysterious water creatures to our best friends in no time.  It was so cool to see them playing with one another and logging so close to each other.  Another cool thing was that they were surrounded by sea lions, so even if they went under the water for a bit, we always kept pretty good tabs on them because of the sea lions frolicking all around.  It’s really difficult to describe how amazing it all was.  And of course, pictures just do not do it any justice.  You need to do this for yourselves some day.  It was truly not to be missed.  Thank you, Sanctuary Cruises for such an incredible experience.

After our adventure, we went to a small Mexican place in Moss Landing that Joellen’s parents recommended.  The Whole Enchilada did not disappoint.  We ordered the steamed artichoke (after all, we were in artichoke country), and it was SO GOOD; Joellen had the mole cheese enchiladas and enjoyed them and I had a seafood soup, which was just alright, but hit the spot since I really just wanted something warm (in fairness, I don’t really like shrimp but needed something brothy to warm me up).  It was just what we needed to revamp and get back on the road for the trek down to Los Angeles.

The drive was so beautiful.  Again, if you ever have a chance to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH as us cool Californians like to call it, you should.  We stopped a few times to take pictures of the fog, the Pacific, the cliffs and the sunset.  The beauty was so unreal, and of course, the pictures don’t even show the half of it.  Gorgeous.

We arrived in LA late last night and have been doing various housekeeping things this morning–laundry, emails, repacking, organizing, etc.  Definitely necessary, even after just a few days on the road.  We feel great and ready for our first LA day.  So many more adventures to be had!

❤ Amy

in california

Today I got to fulfill a dream: vegetarian dim sum. All I have ever wanted is one little steamed dumpling that isn’t filled with questionable pork or “shrimp”. I got 5. Thank you Yank Sing (and Mo Rocca) for helping me live the Chinese-American Dream. Amy and I shared so many things for lunch. Amy first tried the pork soup dumplings. She had an indiscernible look on her face while eating, but I heard about them at least 3 times on the drive today. I guess that means she liked them. Then we got these green onion wontons (?) that were flaky and tasty. Amy got her turnip cakes (which, in her opinion, did not compare to the ones they make at Ming Court in Orlando). We flagged down the dumpling cart when we could to indulge in those highly anticipated steamy treats. We chose three types of vegetable dumplings – the mushroom, the spinach, and the Savory Vegetable. All three delightful, but I favored the mushroom (not a surprise). We shared a delicious Japanese eggplant dish and finished the meal with one egg custard filled bun each. This was a great way to start out the day and an even better way to solidify that we will, in fact, be returning to San Francisco. Also, the Holiday Inn Express in Pacifica was a great choice. A little outside of the city, but they sure made up for it with their kindness and I got to wake up to a rolling ocean two mornings in a row. (I hear from Amy that our current view is of the amazing parking garage.)

After lunch we decided to do the rest of our SF touring via car. We walked a lot yesterday and we wanted to get on the road at a decent time. We drove down to Haight-Ashbury so Amy could stand where people stood up for things. I was having a cranky morning, so I chose to drive around versus trying to battle a million people for a parking spot. (Despite what Amy may think, I do love her appreciation for history – I just needed coffee.) Then we drove through Golden Gate Park until I could no longer tolerate the driving and drivers. I’m sorry for Amy that we did not get to see the Golden Gate Bridge on a clear day – or at all. Another reason to come back…not on a Holiday weekend. Then we drove through The Castro – I wish we had planned better and spent more time down there. Next time. I did see my first naked person in public. I think he was all the way naked – he might have been wearing a sock…not sure. (RHCP fans (or anyone born before 1989) will likely remember when Flea made history with a sock. Hyperlink was inappropriate.)

We hit the road; and by road I mean the Pacific Coast Highway. It is absolutely no joke that this drive has the most incredible landscapes. I’ve always been mystified by the whole mountain meeting ocean thing. It’s amazing. The farmlands only add to the unique experience. We spent about 2 hours driving south and ended up in Santa Cruz where a good friend from high school currently resides. Josh and his girlfriend, Lauren, were exactly what we needed: a break from the road, the constant strangers, the empty hotel rooms, and maybe each other (a little). We had great conversations while enjoying the cool late afternoon surrounded by Max, a sweet mastiff weighing in at a mere 200 lbs., and some very entertaining chickens. They took us for our first Mexican experience of the trip where we had a lovely meal at El Palomar in downtown Santa Cruz. I had the guacamole sope (my first sope ever) and a tostada with beans, cabbage, cheese, and sour cream. Amy had green chili pork tostada and a shredded chicken sope. Josh and Lauren made a very strong case for the Santa Cruz area. We will definitely be back to visit. I can’t wait for gardening 101 with Josh…maybe it’s reciprocation for the help with the geometry homework in 10^th grade?

We took our full bellies and settled into the car for the quick jaunt to Monterey – our destination for the evening. Our hotel stay will be brief, and great wonders await us tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Joellen