California Trip - Saturday Excursions

We lazed in bed Saturday morning... well, until we had to feed the parking meter!  But, without kids, even 8 am seems like sleeping in.  After getting ready for the day, we ate that scrumptious breakfast I posted about yesterday, and then we packed up, checked out, and headed off for some San Diego adventure.

Our first stop was at the Ocean Beach Pier - the longest concrete pier in the western US (the longest "non-concrete" pier is the one in Santa Cruz).  It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so we thought the 1971 feet walk down and back would do us good - and burn some of those calories from our previous meals!  The pier was built for fishermen, and we saw plenty of folks out trying to catch their lunch!

We were just about at the T-shaped end of the pier in this photo.  You can see the cafe mid way, and the coastline is where the pier starts.  Incredible!

We saw a few birds, like this juvenile seagull that flew overhead, and even pelicans.

San Diego coastline

Lots of surfers out!  We saw them catch a few waves.  Dave and I decided that the next time we went to a surf town, we definitely want to take surfing lessons.  It looks like a blast.

After walking the pier, we were thirsty and ready for some air conditioning.  We made a quick pit stop at Starbucks to refuel, then spent the rest of the morning visiting the dozens of antique shops that lined the streets of downtown Ocean Beach.

Several of the vendors at the largest shop had such inspiring displays.  Obviously I couldn't buy anything since we were flying home, but I found so many cool things!  Here's a look at my faves...

Then we passed this shop. Vignettes Antiques.  OMGoodness.  I wanted EVERYTHING!!!  Literally EVERYTHING.  It was amazing.  Unfortunately, they don't allow photography inside, but you can see some of the wonderful treasures on their website here.  I sneaked a few pictures of the outside.

Soon, it was lunch time, and we headed back to downtown San Diego to patronize the very highly recommended Cafe Chloe.  Their ambiance, service, and incredible French cuisine did not disappoint.  It was simply fantastic!  Click here to go to their website, and view the menu.  We enjoyed the Saturday brunch fare.

Lavender Lemonade

Our appetizer: tarte flambée - flatbread with bacon, caramelized onions, & crème fraiche

Dave's lunch: steak & frites with port butter and salad

My lunch: macaroni, pancetta & french blue gratin

Needless to say, we rolled back to our car satisfied, ready to die happy, and thinking we'd never need or want to eat again.  Should you find yourself in San Diego, RUN, don't walk to Cafe Chloe and have a meal.  It will be one of the best in your life.  I promise.

I'll share the rest of the events from Saturday in tomorrow's post.

California Trip - Fri Dinner and Sat Breakfast

My husband could be considered a "foodie".  He cooks every day, reads about cooking, watches shows about cooking, blogs about cooking, and generally has food on the brain pretty constantly.  I, on the other hand, just really enjoy eating, without giving much of a second thought to preparation, plating, texture etc.  I just want my food to taste good.  Dave does credit me with having a very sensitive and distinguished pallet, so I'm his official "taster" when he's cooking.  But that's where my "expertise" ends.

All that to say, when we travel we like to EAT, and Dave especially likes to eat well.  No voluntary McD's for him!  And when we aren't traveling with our kids, which we weren't last weekend, we make sure to live it up when it comes to our meals.

Our first meal in downtown San Diego was at Royal India.  It was given 4.5 stars by yelp - the highest of any Indian cuisine in town.

Did I mention Dave is a homebrewer too?  Yes.  He's amazing.  :)  He enjoyed  the house pale ale while browsing the menu.

We started with the stuffed lettuce leaves.  Chicken, tomatoes, and peppers were simmered in Indian spices and then served on a bed of romaine.  While tasty, the cumin overpowered the more delicate seasonings, and they reminded me of the tacos we make at home.

For our entree, Dave ordered the butter chicken curry (on the right), and I ordered the pineapple coconut chicken curry (on the left).  While the butter chicken curry was lacking, the coconut curry blew us out of the water.  It was fabulous.  There were large chunks of pineapple that brought incredible sweetness to the dish, but was balanced by a delicate but very present coconut flavor.  The chicken was tender and moist, and added a savory element to a very sweet dish.

Overall, we would have given Royal India 3 stars - not the 4.5 that yelp did.  The service was good, not great, and the food was tasty, but only the coconut curry was excellent.  Additionally, the prices were pretty high.  We had a coupon, and still felt like we paid more that what it was worth.  To their credit, we are pretty spoiled by Clay Pit at home (if you are in the Mill Creek, WA area you MUST try it!), and we've yet to eat at an Indian place that is better.  Regardless, we waddled back to our hotel room pretty well stuffed.

The next morning, our B&B served a beautiful and delicious breakfast.  I really can't say enough about the service, hospitality, and amazing food at the Britt Scripps Inn.  You can't go wrong staying here!

Breakfast began with a pineapple, coconut scone (YUM), with fresh fruit (double YUM) and sweet whipped cream (triple YUM).

We then had a selection of 4 entrees to choose from.  Dave and I both got 2 eggs cooked any way, with apple sausage, and roasted red potatoes.  I'm a traditionalist and ordered scrambled eggs.  Dave with with over easy.  It was so good!

After all that food, we figured we could use some exercise, so we drove to the beach and walked the pier, and then did some antiquing, but I'll post more about that tomorrow!

California Trip - Our B&B

To celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, Dave and I made a quick trip without the kids to California over the weekend.  We are so thankful to Dave's parents for watching the girls and allowing us this opportunity to get away.  It was amazing - SO peaceful and relaxing!

We left Friday morning, and after quite the adventure at getting our rental car at Hertz, AND a bazillion hours stuck in traffic, we made it to San Diego.  Our first stop was at our Bed and Breakfast - Britt Scripps Inn.  It was AMAZING!  The building is a historical landmark, and the Inn has been restored and updated but still has wonderful charm and historical elegance.  It was just the place we wanted to stay - and so far from the "mainstream".

Here are some photos of the grounds.

Perfect little spot for a small wedding, don't you think?

The interior of the house was also beautiful.  There was a sitting room where they hold a wine and cheese hour every night.  (We were heading to dinner so we didn't stay, and I didn't get photos because other couples were there).  The Inn also has an amazing staircase with full wall of stained glass behind.

This is the dining room where our breakfast was served.

Here are pictures of our room...  We were in the Golden Oak room on the main floor.  It was small, but so nice.  I loved the light fixtures especially.

The bathroom alone was spectacular.  As odd as it sounds, I wanted to just hang out in there.  It was so pretty!  And that shower - wow.  To DIE for...  Even the heated towel rack was great. 

Tomorrow, I'll share more photos of our trip!  I feel like the B&B deserved a post all to itself.  If you are in San Diego and want to stay you can see their website here.  It was spectacular, and we definitely want to visit again.  

Road Trip - last days

Thursday morning found us in Redding, California.  We had a long boring drive for the better part of the day, but did make a quick stop for photos at the foot of Mount Shasta...

Then I got back to knitting, and Dave got back to driving.  We stopped for lunch and shopping in Grants Pass, Oregon!  (I made Dave stop here because this is the hometown of my blogging idol Karen Russell.)

We found some great antique stores, and I picked up a few things I couldn't live without (for decorating my booth at the market).

I found some old bobbins - these make great hat displays.


I also found this awesome suitcase.  It had a tea set in it, but they were for sale separately!  The store owner was a little sad that I discovered this, because she had been eyeing it as well, but thought that it was sold as a collection.  YAY FOR ME!  :)



Here's the inside.  The lining is in great condition - as are the clasps and the case itself.  Just the perfect amount of "wear"...



Poor Dave... Those antique stores have low ceilings!



After all this shopping, Dave hurried us back to the car.  This time it was my turn to drive.  Good thing I'd already finished this hat!



We made it to Lebanon, Oregon by early evening, and stayed the night with Dave's Aunt Diana and Uncle Jon (and cousin Tristan).  We are very close with them, and really enjoyed the visit!  Jon and Diana adopted Tristan just a few weeks before we adopted Ruby, so it was great to see the little guy.

I knit him this hat as a belated birthday gift.  So glad it fits!

Our visit was too short, and after a yummy breakfast on Friday morning, we were on the road again - this time on the home stretch - literally!  We got caught in some wicked traffic due to a car fire, so unfortunately we weren't able to stop in Portland.  :(  Booo!  (That is where my all-time favorite knitting store, "Twisted" is.)  But Dave promised me that we would go back another time.

Besides, we were quite anxious to get home and see our girls!  We had an amazing trip, but it's true what Dorothy says, "there's no place like home".