Q Garden II

Olivia has taken to hot tea lately. It has become something that we do most afternoons together while Joseph is still sleeping. We need a miniature sized travel mug - that one is a little over kill for the amount of tea we put in there. They are standing in front of one of the types of bamboo - I don't remember which - and some beautiful orange bromeliads (sp?).Minna
The Giant Bamboo - I suppose for the Giant Panda, which really isn't all that giant if you have ever noticed.
A lizard.
A lizard watcher. (You may not be able to see the magnifying glass.)

Fair to compare?

We finally visited the Quail Botanical Garden about 20 minutes north of us in Encinitas. I think I had subconsciously put it off because I was afraid it would make me cry missing our friends and our Shaw Garden - that and it is only free once a month and last Tuesday was it. We were not disappointed, though it wasn't quite the same not having Annika and Lauren there begging for snacks :) I took a ton of pictures and I think I will just post them over the next week. I naively assumed that there was not as much variety here on the West Coast - so wrong. I am learning so much. So, here is a view of the ocean from the Garden.Any of you use Agave Nectar as a sweetener? (I recommend it for baking and on pancakes and in tea. I doesn't necessarily have less calories - it just isn't processed and it metabolizes more slowly in your body - good if you have diabetes or maybe don't want your kids to wig out so fast after Saturday morning pancakes.) This is an agave plant - the big, green, spiky one.
This is a...tree that I didn't think I would forget the name of...it was something that sounded like dragon. It has red sap and the sap is used to stain stradivarius violins. Interesting.
This is a little boy crunching leaves - he found some to crunch.
They even have a children's garden. It didn't quite compare to Shaw, but we aren't complaining.
And the most beautiful caterpillar.
More later...

Out of sight, not out of mind

Lydia and Rachel, thinking of you as we pull out our/(your old) warmer clothes. Thank you, again.

New favorite lunch

Sorry I don't have a picture of this - it disappears too quickly. But, honestly it isn't that hard to imagine. Apple, bacon, mushroom pizza. I made it up by accident this week when we invited a friend over for pizza and I realized I didn't have any pizza sauce.

You shred white cheddar on a pizza crust - we use the Trader Joe's dough. If you actually follow the directions it is a cinch. Problem is I thought I was too smart for the directions and goofed it up the first 2 times I used it.

Slice up granny smith apples, then layer on cooked bacon and sliced mushrooms. Top with shredded parm. (I abbreviate because I can never remember how to spell that.)

We've had it twice this week.

Happiness is...

...a box full of waxed fall leaves made and sent by a friend and her children who know me well enough to know how happy that box on our doorstep would make me.

Thank you Veermans!

Funny Fall Guy

Singing to his pumpkin cookie I suppose...I don't remember.

Your tunic too

We pulled up to a corner last (chilly) night just in time to see a college kid unbutton his oxford shirt and give it to a homeless man. The man only had on a t-shirt (and jeans). Then the kids jogged off across the intersection. I was encouraged.