Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Photo Hunt - Bags

This week's Photo Hunt theme is bags. I was tempted to post a pic from the end of our recent cruise - all of the bags lined up by deck number, and everyone racing to grab them at the same time. I'll just save that one for the theme of chaos.

Instead I am posting a pic showing the result of 1 hour at an outlet mall. This is from our first trip to Paso Robles to get together with the slow travel gang. We flew into San Francisco, picked up the car, and popped into the Gilroy outlets on the way south.

We are power shoppers; it doesn't take us long to size up a store, grab what we want/need (because it isn't often the same *smile*), and be on our way to the next store. It is because of this well honed skill that we can amass this many bags over the course of a short hour!

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• Destination Anywhere

Photo Hunt - Orange

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "orange".  The first thing that came to mind was the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The famous International Orange colour was originally used as a sealant for the bridge. Many locals persuaded Morrow to paint the bridge in the vibrant orange color instead of the standard silver or gray, and the color has been kept ever since. We read once that the bridge is constantly being painted - it takes so long to paint the huge bridge once a coat has been applied from one end to the next that the paint first applied has weathered enough that it needs a new coat!

This picture was taken on a quick trip to San Francisco before a relaxing week in the Russian River Valley in 2005.

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• Destination Anywhere

Photo Hunt - Low

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "low".  This week's shot is from our trip to California in 2005. We rented a great house in a redwood forest along the banks of the Russian River and used it as our base for winery exploration in Sonoma, hiking, and gallery/studio hopping. It was a brilliant trip - one that we must do again soon.

One of the highlights of the trip was dinner at the River's End in Jenner. It is set high on the cliffs overlooking the water - the exact point where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. It is a great spot to watch eagles, seals, otters, whales, and a multitude of sea birds. It is also a brilliant spot to watch as the sun dips low in the sky . . .

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• Destination Anywhere

Photo Hunt - Painted

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Painted".

Now this was a challenge - not because I had to search for a picture to represent the theme, instead I had an embarrassment of riches. I have 100s of photos that I could use for this theme. We have been lucky enough over the years to see some of the worlds greatest art to say nothing of things that we have painted ourselves. I was tempted to show our garage door after we accidentally painted it closed . . . In the end I went with a 'fun' picture form our trip to California in 2005:

This was taken outside the Charles M Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. Schulz was the creator of one of the most loved comic strips of our time - Peanuts. The city of Santa Rosa commissioned 94 statues of favourite Peanuts characters - each one uniquely painted by a local artist. They have been located throughout the city and each year they invite people to visit them all through the 'Peanuts on Parade' program.

We found 8 - frankly when we were located in the heart of Sonoma our minds weren't on locating statues but locating wineries!

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• Destination Anywhere

Photo Hunt - Purple

Today's photo hunt theme is purple. I have two shots for today. The first is from a trip to California in the fall of 2005. We were walking around Calistoga and saw this neat fall display in front of a B and B:

It was then that we realized just how much some Americans deck out their houses for the various holidays. 

The second is probably my favourite purple . .. LIQUID purple:

The first crush of juice from the ice wine grapeswe helped to harvest at our favourite Niagara winery, Malivoire late one cold night. Ice wine grapes are left on the vines to freeze, thereby concentrating the sugars and flavours considerably. Most ice wines are harvested at night (after midnight) when the temperature is - 8 degrees Celsius or colder.

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• A Wine Lover's Wanderings
• Destination Anywhere

Photo Hunt - Nautical

Today's photohunt theme is nautical - I had a similar challenge as I did last week - far too many pictures that fit the theme tosift through. Look at me, 'Mr Complaining' - whine when I have trouble finding a picture, whine when I have to many. *smile*

I ended up selecting a picture from our trip to San Diego last fall. San Diego is the home port to much of the Pacific fleet. It is one of the largets naval centres in the world. . . lots of nautical shots there!

This ship is the USNS Mercy - a hospital ship. Mercy was built as an oil tanker, SS Worth, by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company,  in 1976. Starting in July 1984, she was renamed and converted to a hospital ship by the same company. Launched on 20 July 1985, USNS Mercy was commissioned on 8 November 1986.  The Mercy class hospital ships are the third largest ships in the U.S. Navy Fleet by length, surpassed only by the nuclear powered Enterprise and Nimitz-class Supercarriers.

Lots of the slowtravel  community members also photohunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe

Beckett's California Souvenir

I apologize in advance if there are more typos than normal - I had my eyes checked today and my dilated pupils just aren't conducive to blogging!

It isn't much of a surprise that Beckett has been 'off' since his main buddy, Victor, died. Unfortunately for him we went to California soon after and he was left at my mom's with 'cat from hell'. We had to bring him a treat to perk up his spirits.

What do you bring back a cat from California?

You bring him a loaf of Sourdough bread!

He is a strange one but he loves Sourdough (truth be told, he loves ANY Bread).

We first discovered this two trips to California ago when I picked up a loaf of Sourdough to give to my assistant. We were bringing things in from the car and had left Nancy's loaf of bread on the table in the kitchen. When we had brought in everything from the car I went into the kitchen and the little devil had clawed through the bag and eaten a quarter of the loaf!

We have since discovered that he will go after any bread!

Other cats desire catnip toys or expensive treats, Beckett just needs a loaf of bread. It is about time that I had a low maintenance pet!

Now if only I could make Paul happy that easily . . .

In-N-Out Burger Secret Menu

In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are in-the-know. Next time you're at In-N-Out (i.e. tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials. While it's not on the printed menu, there are buttons on the cash register for these items. You can pretty much order anything you want, as long as they have the ingredients (e.g., putting onions in a milkshake). While the "secret" menu is listed on the In-N-Out corporate site, it is far from complete.

"3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.

"4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese.

"2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.

*Note: You may get a burger with the exact number of meat patties or cheese slices you want (up to 4x4). Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 4 pieces of meat and 3 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "4-by-3."  the number stands for MxC with a 7x3 being 7 patties and 3 pieces of cheese.

"Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese.

"3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese.

"Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added.

"Animal Style Fries" = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them).

"Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce).

"Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun!

Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular!

Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em

"Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun.

"Veggie Burger" = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the "Wish Burger."

"Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate mixed together.

The friendly employees of In-N-Out Burger will take your special order without question, if you use the right terminology. The printed receipt will have your special request typed on it just as you ordered it.

In-N-Out Burger

When it comes to food I confess to being a tad schizophrenic. While I enjoy cooking, and love fine dining, I am also happy as a clam when I zip the car into a fast food drive through and order a meal with a month's worth of fat and sodium in it. When we're traveling we often make a point of popping into a fast food joint to try a 'delicacy' that we are unable to get at home.

When in California we try and hit In-N-Out Burger (sadly, they are only located in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona). In-N-Out Burger is the best fast food restaurant in my opinion. I’m not even sure if you can classify them as fast food. Each burger is freshly made to order and tastes amazing. We made sure to add a stop at In-N-Out to our trip from San Francisco to Paso Robles last week. It was as amazing as the other times I've been lucky enough to be driving past one of the yellow, red, and white buildings and my car, controlled by unquenchable cravings for fine fast food, just happened to pull in.

The buns are are baked daily from natural yeast-fed dough. In fact, little about In-N-Out's food preparation has changed since Harry and Esther Snyder opened their first drive-through in 1948. Produce, including large, vine-ripe tomatoes, is delivered fresh every other day, then washed and cut by hand. The Snyder family, still running the show, has never allowed freezers, heat lamps, or microwaves, so every sandwich is truly made-to-order and served hot.

Few things compare to good simple eats. You can get all crazy and order a panini sandwich and espresso across the street, but if you just want a tasty meal on easy street then go to In-N-Out Burger. The menu is simple - no gimmicks nor attempts at health conscious food here. There is a secret menu but I'm saving that for a future post . . .

They do two thing - burgers and fries - and do them well. (well, they are also known for their milkshakes but never having ordered one, I really can't comment on them) The burgers are freshly made, never frozen, without any additives of any sort. The fries are cut right in the store, one potato at a time - again . . . not frozen. They are cooked  in 100% pure, cholesterol-free vegetable oil (because I really care about cholesterol free fries when I am knocking back a large order of 'em!).

The burger is everything that fast food should aspire to be: the fresh, never-frozen beef; crisp, fresh produce; well built. The bun was toasted perfectly -- a nice contrast of crunch and softness in and of itself. Easily the best burger from a fast food chain I've ever had!

There is a reason In-N-Out Burger is always busy. It's good! Its cheap! And its simple. I mean the menu is how you like your burger and if you want fries and a drink. That's it. End of story.

Of yes, did you know that Thomas Keller - considered to be one of American's greatest chefs, LOVES In-N-Out Burger? If the genius behind Northern California's only Michelin three-star restaurant, The French Laundry, is a fan then this is fast food that must be good!

This is what Keller has said about In-N-Out:

I really respect a company that holds its ground when there is so much pressure to follow the "what’s next, what’s new" trend. In-N-Out’s quality lies in the simplicity of what it promises and delivers. To be able to do something over and over with integrity and excellence, even if it is fast food, is something to be truly admired.

via magazine, November 2007

There you have it. This is serious fast food. If you happen to be in the area pop in and have an 'experience'!

YUM

Sunday at Castoro Cellars

When we came out to the Slow Bowl II in 2008 we hadn't had time to visit any of our haunts in San Francisco before heading down the coast to Paso Robles. In an attempt to correct this, we made plans to race up the coast on the Sunday morning figuring that we would have just enough time in the city and still make our flight home on Monday morning. It turns out that we were wrong - we did what we could, but we were rushed and left feeling slightly unsettled.

This year, we planned our trip to Slow Bowl III more carefully. We had some fun time in the city BEFOREwe headed to Paso Robles. This allowed us to have a relaxing time on Sunday morning before we headed up the coast at a more leisurely pace.

Shanon had arranged for a group tasting for those interested at Castoro vineyards and about 15 of us met up there at 11:30. It was another beautiful day in Paso - the sun was shining, the temperature rising, and all was right with our little corner of the world for that moment in time.

Castoro Cellars, a winery that we had visited a few times in the past, is a producer of a wide variety of cuvées including some of the best white wines you'll find on the coast (or so I have been told because we NEVER taste the white wines). If you do enjoy the whites, be sure to try Castoro's award-winning Viognier before heading outside the Mediterranean-style tasting room for a picnic. Guests are invited to enjoy their own food along with Castoro wines on the lush grounds surrounded by meandering grape arbors, cork trees and - what else? - Zinfandel vines.

Tasting Room:1315 North Bethel Rd., Templeton, CA 93465; Open daily 10:30am-5:30pm
Tasting Fee: 3 tastes complimentary or 7 tastes for $3; fee waived with purchase

It didn't take long for our group to 'belly up to the bar' where we were able to taste any 7 of the wines that they were pouring.

The wines were as good as we remembered. We bought another bottle to add to our collection to take home with us. This brought our collection of wine to 9 bottles, 5 above the limit we are allowed to bring back with us to Canada.

When we will update that STUPID law?

While we tasted our wines Shannon was busy setting up snacks on the patio.

Eventually, after the group had purchased a good number of cases of wine, we made our way outside where we enjoyed snacks, wonderful company, fantastic weather, and the gorgeous view.

This really was the perfect way to finish our weekend at Slow Bowl III. Relaxing with friends over food, wine, stories, and laughter. Life really does not get better than this.

Finally it was time to head out. We said good bye to new friends and 'old', gathered up our purchases, and made our way down the grape vine lined walkway to the car to start our trip back home with the snow, cold, and work. It wasn't a long break but it was just what we needed to ease the burden of winter!