Placerville photos

Fifty hours off the grid. No cell phone, no email, no internet, no television, no radio. You might wonder how we survived.

We prepared and ate lots of delicious food. Grilled chicken three ways: on a kabob, in a pita and on a salad. Grilled veggies, noodle salad, watermelon, shrimp tacos with crispy fried taco shells. Ice cream. Yummy yum yum.

We played Pictionary and gossiped and shared parenting tips. We swam, then dried off, then swam some more. Several naps were had by all. And then I took some pictures.

I had a lot of fun playing with my Canon Rebel that Mitch gave me a couple of years ago. I’m taking a photography class now and I’m re-learning how to shoot with manual setting. I didn’t take any shots of the landscape. Being that it is high summer, everything is kind of dead looking. I’ll focus on landscapes next time we’re up there. It will be so beautiful in the fall when all the leaves on the oak trees turn colors.

I wanted to do some night photography, using a technique I learned in my photo class, but we happened to have a full moon that weekend, and the sky was too bright. Hopefully, next time I’ll have a little less light so I can play around.

I did portraits, both posed and candid. I’m really happy with how everything turned out. I’m really getting the depth of field thing down, but still need some practice.

On Sunday, we woke to an overcast sky and a break in the heat. After breakfast, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and go for a walk on the property. As we were walking back to the house, there was a loud crack and then the sky lit up with lightening. It was awesome. Izzy didn’t think so though. She ran back to me and hugged my leg because she was scared. She wanted me to pick her up, but just then, the rain started. The drops were huge and I had my camera with me. I had to protect the camera from the rain, so I shoved it down the front of my dress. Mas was so sweet, he came running out with a plastic bag for the camera, but didn’t find us on the lower trail. Sarah comforted Izzy, and helped her walk back home.

Izzy definitely didn’t like the thunder and lightening, and I was getting a little nervous about being in the forest, so we high-tailed it back to the house. On our way home, a couple of young bucks crossed our path. It was so great to see them that close up.

We saw lots of wild life while we were there: a flock of turkeys, a doe and her fawn, quail, vultures, lizards, spiders. And we heard lots and lots of braying hound dogs.

I think one of the best parts about being in Placerville was the freedom the kids had to come and go from the house. Izzy went to the front yard, came back in the house and then headed out to the back yard, playing her little made up games or sitting in the dirt having her daily dust bath. It was the first time I’ve ever allowed her to be out of my sight. It felt really weird at first, then I got comfortable with it. It also helped knowing that there were three other adults and Bella helping to keep an eye on the kids.

All in all, it was a magical weekend and I’m looking forward to our next trip up there.

As a small token of our appreciation, we hosted a dinner party last night. I made Halibut en Papillote and Quinoa with roasted veggies. It was easy to prepare and rather tasty! It was fun to hang out with everyone since I usually don’t see anyone because I’ve already left for work. The girls were a bit wild during dinner though. I thought we could set up a kids table, and it started off okay, but within minutes, we realized that we really should have strapped them down in the high chairs. They’re just not quite ready for that kind of freedom yet.

Halibut en Papillote.

1 zucchini
1 crook neck squash
1 carrot
1 small red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 halibut steaks
salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. Slice zucchini, squash, and carrots. Slice red onion into rings; cut rings in half. Halve garlic cloves. Toss vegetables with spices and divide among two sheets of parchment paper. Place a halibut on top of each stack of vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon over fish and vegetables. Top with a slim pat of butter (optional) and a slice of lemon. Fold parchment paper into a package and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes. Remove from paper (watch out for the steam) and serve.

Quinoa and Vegetables with Citrus Vinaigrette

* Cut 1/2 pound asparagus into 2-inch pieces and place on a shallow roasting pan with about 1 cup cherry tomatoes
* Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
* Roast in 425°F oven, stirring once or twice, until tender (about 15 minutes), then cool to warm
* While veggies roast, whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, 2 teaspoons mild honey, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl
* Add 4 cups cooked quinoa, roasted vegetables, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint to the bowl and stir gently to combine

The day started off great! I made a double batch of Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal–one without nuts for the girls and one with nuts for us. It was delicious! I cleaned up the kitchen, and packed Izzy up for a trip to the neighborhood park and we headed out for an hour or so.

Izzy had a great time playing on the slides and swing. We had a snack of cheese sticks and I noticed she was getting a little sleepy. I popped her into the stroller and we headed home. We’d only gotten as far as one block before she fell asleep. I texted Mitch and asked him to prep her from for transition. It went seamlessly. (Thank you for a two hour nap!)

Off to the kitchen to make side dish and dessert.

I decided to make Creamy Pumpkin Pasta for my side dish to take to the Thanksgiving potluck at Cafe Royale. I was feeling ambitious, so I also decided to make an Apple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake since I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. In fact, I made a double batch so I could take another one over to Chuck and Mo’s when I stopped by their place for a second round of dessert. Herein, lies where everything goes slightly awry.

I started with the Apple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake. Everything was going well, but I was a little worried about the timing for baking. Despite living in this apartment for over a year, I’m still discovering the nuances of cooking with my beautiful vintage Wedgewood stove. The heat is really inconsistent, so baking is always a crap shoot. The recipe calls for 45-50 minutes at 325 degrees. Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. I had to put it in 30 minutes longer. In the meantime, I’ve started the Creamy Pumpkin Pasta recipe.

All at once, Izzy wakes up from her nap and is screaming bloody murder, the phone is ringing, Mitch is hollering about something, the timer went off for the cakes and I’m about to burn the turkey sausage. I’m on the verge of losing my cool at this point. Oh, wait, I think I did lose my cool. I’m pretty sure I started hollering back at Mitch over the cacophony of our screaming child. Oh yeah, and we’re already 25 minutes late to dinner.

Suddenly, there was peace. Mitch hung up the phone, Izzy stopped screaming, I stopped cursing the interruptions. I didn’t burn the turkey sausage, but momentarily forgot that the timer went off for the cakes. And then I smelled them. GAH! I pulled them out right away and noticed that one of the cakes (on the bottom shelf) came out perfect and the other cake (on the top shelf) came out burnt. Bummer.

We got packed up and headed out to the Cafe, and then I realized I forgot to make the whipped cream. Double bummer. Now what am I going to do with all that heavy cream? Make ice cream of course!

We got to the party in one piece (luckily we only had to travel as far as across the street) and in good spirits. The pasta and cake were the hit of the party, if I don’t say so myself. Those recipes will definitely make repeat appearances.

Oh, and the burnt cake? We started nibbling on it last night. It’s that good.

The party was a lot of fun. It was a great evening surrounded by wonderful friends. I’m truly blessed to have this life.

I had a really crummy week at work, so I knew the only way I was going to get over it was to craft it out. I had some fleece left over, so I pulled out the Scotty Dog pattern and went to town. I made a pack of puppies for Izzy and her friends.

Even though I used the same pattern, they all came out different. Wabi sabi. That’s the beauty of hand made.

This one is for Anneke, Izzy’s best friend forever. Anneke loves orange, or at least I think she does. She has a few orange things, so I’m carrying on the tradition.

This one is for Gracie, Izzy’s newest friend. Mitch finally met another At-Home Dad and was lucky enough to meet one with a daughter the same age as Izzy.

This one is for Dylan, Auntie Shelly’s nephew. We haven’t met him yet, but he sure does look cute in his photos! I wanted this to be a surprise for Shelly, but I also wanted to get this posted today. I may be in luck considering that she’s in Mexico right now, and hopefully too busy having fun and not sitting in an internet cafe somewhere looking at Kid N Kitties.

Finally, here’s the pup for Izzy

Izzy had fun playing with the pack of puppies today. Hopefully she won’t be too upset when her plethora of pups dwindles down to one.

When the kids get a little older, they’re all going to get one of these. It’s going to be fun to customize each one in their favorite colors. But first, I have four other things on my sewing to do list before I can get started on this.

We went on our first family vacation together last week to San Diego. We flew down on Monday afternoon on Virgin America–best airline ever. I hope they expand their route service because I don’t want to fly anyone else. Why, you ask? Well, customer service is bar none. I called a few days before our flight to book our seats. Virgin America couldn’t find our reservation. I made them through Expedia, so I got of the phone with VA and called Expedia to find out what the problem was. While I was on hold with Expedia, a Virgin America rep called me back to tell me she found my reservation. Expedia combined our first, middle and last names so it was hard to find in the VA system. Talk about service! She kept looking for me and she didn’t have too. She could have just given me the brush off and let me deal with the hassle with Expedia. The other reason–WiFi! It kept Mitch busy and happy.

The rep booked us in an aisle and a window seat with the hopes that the flight wouldn’t fill up and we could use the middle seat for Isadora for free. Good intentions, but the plan didn’t work out. Both legs of the flight were pretty full, so we had to have Izzy sit on our laps. It wasn’t too bad actually. I bought some new little toys for her that she hadn’t seen before the flight, so they kept her busy for the most part. I also came prepared for the pressure changes and brought a bag full of wet wash clothes. As soon as Isadora started to tug on her ear, I gave her a soggy cloth for her to suck on. She was swallowing the water from the cloth and relieving the pressure in her ears. When she grew tired of the cloths, I stuck a boob in her mouth and that kept her distracted long enough to get through the pressure change.

I didn’t realize that we were traveling to San Diego on the off-season, which now explains why we got such a great rate on the room. I had originally booked a room in the tower of the Hilton Resort on Mission Bay because it was pretty cheap. When we finally made it to the hotel (Rental process at Avis took forever! So banal I won’t even describe it here), we were fried and just wanted to check in to our room and unwind. The clerk told us we couldn’t check in until 4:00. It was 3:30. Bummer. I asked if we could have early check in and he said he could not accommodate. I’m getting a little feisty, but simmer down quickly. I tell him we’ll go have drink at the bar and will be back at 4:00.

We got a glass of wine and some nibbles–a chicken quesadilla and some tuna tartar (delish, BTW). I went back to the front desk around 4:45. Still, the room wasn’t ready. The clerk said to wait 15 more minutes. I had a full belly and a rosy glow from the wine, so I acquiesced. Mitch and I were waiting with Izzy outside in the patio. A young woman stopped by and started to fawn all over the baby. She was giving Isadora keys and her blackberry and won her heart quickly. I didn’t pay attention to the time and 30 minutes passed.

Another trip to the counter only to find out that the room still wasn’t ready. I explained to the clerk that I had been rather patient while waiting for my room over two hours and I wasn’t going to wait any longer. He needed to provide a room right now and I expected it to be an upgrade from what I ordered at no additional cost. I got it. And a handful of coupons to use at the hotel restaurant.

The room was awesome. Bigger than our living room, with a king sized bed, a comfy reading chair and ottoman, a huge TV (we never watched it though). It also had a sunken sitting area with small love seat and wet bar. Just beyond that, a private lanai. Cushy! We checked the room for hazards and put outlet covers in the exposed sockets and let Isadora have free roam. She taught herself how to crawl up and down the stairs. It was pretty cute!

The first travel day was tiring and we all went to bed by 10:00.

All praise to black out curtains!

Isadora slept in each day on vacation between 8:00 and 9:30–and that’s having at least one good nap during the day, and bedtime by 9:00. We all slept so good due to those blackout curtains. I’m going to get some for home.

When we woke up on Tuesday and drove out to Belmont Park for breakfast. We went to Wave House for breakfast. They advertised “Best Breakfast on the Beach.” I would hate to have had the second best breakfast on the beach because the food/service here was craptastic. No wonder they only got a 2 1/2 star rating on Yelp. I will be adding (subtracting?) to that soon with a one star rating. No need to go in to detail here.

After breakfast we walked from Belmont Park north to the pier just off Garnet Avenue. Isadora was awake for some of our stroll, napped for most, then woke up again towards the end.

It was a great walk, about four miles round trip. We enjoyed some of the beach house architecture along the way and enjoy making fun of the ugly cottages even more. It was fun sharing the path with other people strolling leisurely by foot. There were plenty of bicyclists, skateboards and rollerbladers dodging in and around the throng of casual walkers.

We made our way back to the hotel after the walk and changed into our suits. We took Isadora to the pool and splashed about even though it was a bit on the chilly side–maybe 72 and overcast. The water was cool, but not intolerable. After a bit, we hopped in to the hot tub to warm up.

Mitch was going a little stir crazy with the lack of internets in our room, so Izzy and I went back to dry off and rest while Mitch pointed and clicked to his heart’s content on the free WiFi down by the pool. We packed Izzy up and went to dinner at Margo’s Mexican Grill. It got decent ratings on Yelp, so we figured we couldn’t go wrong. We didn’t the food was great and the margarita was better. Izzy slept through the entire meal. We transferred her back to the car and got to the hotel. She woke up briefly for a quick bath, but was settle back into her crib and asleep right away.

Another slow morning for waking up. I’m pretty sure this was the day we slept in until 9:30. Awesome. We strolled to the hotel restaurant and stuffed ourselves at the all you can eat buffet. Izzy ate blueberries until she was blue in the face. I also let her have a taste of pancake. It was your standard, nothing to write home about, fare. After we stuffed ourselves, we packed up and headed to the San Diego Zoo.

I’ve heard great things about this zoo, and they were all true. We went to the children’s zoo first. The exhibits were laid out nicely, allowing Isadora to peek at the animals while still in her stroller. Being able to leave her in the stroller was definitely a back saver for us parents. At the end there was a petting zoo with goats and sheep. The petting zoo set up is pretty awesome. There is a covered, chained off area in the back. The animals are free to come and go, but people are not allowed to cross the chain and bother the animals. If the critters don’t want their ears pulled and eyes poked by uncoordinated babies they can go hide out as long as they want to.

The sheep never ventured out while we were there, but there were three or four goats who would come out and get some loves and then head back into the chained off area for a snack (we also were not allowed to feed the animals). Izzy squealed with delight when a goat approached her. She grabbed him around the neck and gave him a hug. Then she kissed him. Or at least I hope it was a kiss. She’s been a little bitey lately.

We thought about grabbing a bite to eat at the zoo, but the prices are so inflated and we already spent $32 each to get in (I had a $3 coupon), we decided to go back to the hotel to eat. Since we had a refrigerator in the room, we went to Whole Foods the night before and stocked up on some fruit, yogurt and other snacks. We had some nibbles and got changed. We were going to go swimming, but a friend I haven’t seen in years met me at the hotel. Bekka and I went to the bar for a glass of wine while Mitch and Izzy made their rounds in the pool and hot tub.

I had a great visit with Bekka. She’s a lot of fun and a total crack up. I realized how much I missed working with her, but was glad that we were able to reconnect. I hope to see her again soon.

Mitch took Izzy back to the room and got her bathed and changed and came to the bar to enjoy a glass of Zin. Bekka and I said our farewells, and then the family headed out to dinner at the Bay Park Fish Company as recommended by Elena. We had awesome fish tacos and Mitch had a mediocre glass of Malbec. Isadora, the saint baby, slept through the entire meal. Was easily transferred back to car, and then crib at hotel. Another early night for us too.

Our last full day in San Diego was unplanned. Mitch really wanted to go to LegoLand, but I was trying to convince him that it wouldn’t be fun for Isadora–just a bunch of stroller rides back and forth with nothing age appropriate for her. It wouldn’t be fun for me either as I had just thrown out my back the day before while tossing Isadora in the air. I didn’t want to spend another day on my feet. I wasn’t winning the argument though. And then, I threw down my trump card: the entrance fee was $65 per person. That got him. In all honesty, I really want Mitch to go to LegoLand. I know he will enjoy it. I promise we’ll go next summer when Izzy is a little older, and I’m less hobbled.

We started out like the day before, stuffing ourselves on hotel buffet. We were walking back to the hotel trying to figure out what we would do for the day when I spotted a little shack on the beach with bicycles lined up next to it. I approached and realized it was a rental shop. Yay! We were outfitted with two beach cruisers; Mitch’s had a trailer attached for Isadora to ride along. We rode north as far as we could, and then got lost in the bleakest trailer park I’ve ever seen. We finally found freedom and I was so relieved. I was beginning to go stir crazy looking at one sad, run down mobile home after another. I didn’t see any people which was quite odd. I was starting to wonder if the place was inhabited by zombies and we had the good fortune of getting lost during the daylight hours when they were too afraid of the sun to come out and eat our brains. But I digress.

Mitch, being the sound navigator that he is, got us out of there before panic truly set in. We were back on the path south towards the hotel. There are acres and acres of parkland north and south of the hotel. We pulled over to one of the play areas to push Izzy in a swing. I don’t think she’s too impressed with swings.

We were done with our bike adventure and dropped them off at the rental shack. We discussed earlier about hiring a babysitter so we could go sailing or ride jet skis. I picked the Hilton specifically because they claimed to offer babysitting services. They don’t really provide babysitting services; they provide a telephone number of a woman who will come to your room and babysit. There is a three hour minimum at $17. We passed.

Wondering what to do next, we spotted a little shack out on a pier. We approached and lo and behold, it is the watersports rental shop. Mitch inquired about an 18′ sailboat, and the next thing I know, the three of us are on a little tour of the cove. I was really scared. The only thing I know about sailing is that the boats often tip over. I don’t know how to swim very well, so that had me terrified. Good thing I was so terrified, because it kept the seasickness at bay.

Mitch is a great sailor, and I was slowly becoming comfortable with the ride. In fact, there were several points during the trip where I downright enjoyed myself. I promised Mitch we can go sailing again. We returned the boat, and hopped into the pool.

It was time for dinner and we went to Hash House A Go Go. The server advised us that we ordered too much food, but we were starving and couldn’t make choices. The Caesar salad was great! The sweet onion rings with chipotle sauce were divine. We could have shared a single entree, but we wanted different things. Mitch got the meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes. He was in love. I got the chicken and waffles with maple reduction sauce. Mitch was in love again. So was I. It was amazing. I wish I was able to bring it home with me. We were slightly disappointed that we ordered too much food when we heard what was on the dessert menu–snickers bread pudding! We almost ordered it, but decided against it. We cut our evening of gluttony short. Hash House has been around for a while. It’ll be there when we go back. Oh yeah, Izzy slept all through this meal too!

Time to go home, so we packed up our suitcases and checked out of the hotel. We had some time before our flight took off, so we stopped by Mission Beach to play in the sand for a while. Izzy had fun putting disgusting things into her mouth. I had an adventure jamming my finger between her lips to dig out what ever she just crammed in there. Fun times.

We made it to the airport, dropped off the rental and checked our luggage. Izzy was mellow the whole time. Our flight was delayed, and I started to get antsy. I was ready to be back home. I was really missing the kitties. We finally boarded the flight and had an easy, albeit crowded, flight home. We picked up our suitcases and hopped on the parking shuttle back to our lovely little Prius. What a delightful car to drive after four days in that janky POS from Avis. A quick jaunt on the freeway and we were home in a matter of minutes (thank you I280).

As much as we loved our vacation, we love coming back home even more.

We took Isadora to the Oakland Zoo on her first birthday.

We also brought her favorite playtime friends, Anneke and Jyoti.

This giraffe family was my favorite.

It was close to feeding time and the chimps were going crazy. They started swinging around the trees and shrieking. The cacophony was starting to bother the girls, so we left. They were also getting really tired. Luckily, we saw most of the zoo before it was time to leave.

They fell asleep in the car on our way home.

We had an awesome birthday party for Isadora. I didn’t take many photos. We had IzzyCam turned on during the party, so we got a few shots from the day. Isadora’s favorite playtime friend, Anneke, came to the party. They spent most of the day together looking and acting adorable.

I did have the wherewithal to grab my camera when it was time for her first bite of cake. This photo, however, is courtesy of Netsui.

I was really on the fence about letting her have sugar, but finally decided she could have it for her birthday. She was unsure of it at first because I put the whole cupcake in front of her. She didn’t know what to do, so I broke off a bit and put it in her mouth.

She LOVED it.

Too bad she’ll have to wait until next year to get another bite of cake.

Baby Giana was born the day before Isadora, but celebrated her birthday the day after so we were able to attend her party. Makita love the babies.

Cute little girl in a party hat. She had to go to someone else’s party to be able to wear a birthday hat because her neglectful mother forgot to put one on her head at her own party.

Makita didn’t want to be left out of the hat action.

This is the closest I’ve been able to get Doug to sit next to the baby. I haven’t been able to get him to hold her yet. Soon. Soon.

She just loves riding in the backpack with Daddy.

On our way to the park, we spotted this guy who looked completely normal from the ankles up. His contribution (and those of his ilk) is the reason why we love living in San Francisco.

His selection of footwear is freakish and nonsensical. I love it.

We went to the park close to nap time, so Izzy was a little tired when I put her in the swing.

I couldn’t get her to smile at all, not even with her eyes. She’s still a pretty baby though.

She liked watching the other kids swing.

I put her in the sand and she thought it was pretty cool. She loved grabbing handfuls and watching it spill out from between her fingers. I’ll have to get her some beach toys to take with us next time.

The blossoms were gorgeous today.

The water in the fountain was clear and pretty today. I just loved the shadow created by the petals floating on the water.

The sun was shining just perfectly on the ripples and the copper pennies below gave this fountain an amazing colorful sparkle.

Izzy was already tired when we arrived at the park, and she never quite seemed enthusiastic about being there, so we headed home so she could have some lunch and a nap.

We have a neighbor who passed along a ton of things she didn’t want or didn’t fit her daughter. This backpack is Mitch’s favorite transport gadget for Isadora.

We’re home now, and the poor little thing is trying to play with her toys, but keeps whimpering and fussing. I don’t know if it’s the diaper rash or is she’s teething. I do know she’s not happy. I’ve given her cold teethers, some Tylenol and Orajel, but nothing seems to be working. I just gave her a cold wet wash cloth. That finally seems to be doing the trick!

We went to the Academy of Sciences today with Sarah and Ethan. They have a family membership so we got to go during member only hours (less crowded) and it was free! I went many times as a child and it was so much fun to remember various field trips and visits with my parents.

Izzy had so much fun slapping the glass and screaming at the fish. I want to take her back, when she’s more mobile. It was kind of tough on me putting her in the stroller to go to the next window and then taking her out so she could get a better look at the fish. I’m so glad I’m able to share this magical place with her. Although the building and exhibits were renovated and given a more modern look, there were still enough things to remind me of my visits there: the alligators, the whale bones, the sad taxidermied animals. But what I remembered most was the swinging pendulum. It’s there to represent the movement of the earth. It’s really quite fascinating. As it moves, it knocks down little pellets that someone painstakingly stood up.

Of the three times I remember being spanked for being “naughty,” one of them was at the the swinging pendulum. I was there with my parents and it was time to go in to the Planetarium for a show, but I didn’t want to leave the swinging pendulum. I loved watching the silver ball swinging back and forth and knocking down the pellets. I was so entranced that I ignored my dad’s commands to “come here!” Yeah, well. No, dad. I am not going to come here. I’m busy. It’s a good thing I’m not terribly scarred by that experience.