Friday Feet 08-23-13

 

Old Town San Juan Capistrano, CA 08-22-13

The area around Ramos House (where I had lunch on Tuesday) is the historic, original town of San Juan Capistrano.  Ramos House backs up on the railroad tracks (I like watching the passenger trains come through). Along the road are many little old houses, some still occupied by families; and there are restaurants and gift shops and antique shops and a history museum of the area.  Slightly further west are a large nursery and a "petty zoo" which has an odd assortment of animals.  The summer heat keeps me from exploring this time of year - these pictures were taken in November 2007. 


This free standing Angel's Trumpet was really loaded down with blossoms.  There are many Trumpet vines and bushes in the area, some are many years old.  The red-violet flowers in the foreground are ice plant - one of many colors available.
 

There are half a dozen emus in the petting zoo.
 

 
They always seem to be giving me the evil eye.  Don't get too close, they have a vicious peck that will make you bleed!
 

This is the back of one of the larger houses which is kept in excellent repair.  I think it belongs to the people who own the nursery, which starts in the foreground of this picture.   Of course I love it, it is grey with white trim!
 

The common name for Tacomaria capensis is Cape Honeysuckle, although it is not related to that plant, but belongs in the family Bignoniaceae.  But the plant vines like honeysuckle and the flowers are trumpet shaped.  They are not fragrant. The plant is native to southern Africa, however it is a popular landscape plant in SCalifornia.

There are different shades, but this is the most common. 
 

This is the bud (buds?) for Plumbago capensis - also called Cape Leadwort or auriculata.
It can be a vine or trimmed as a shrub.  It is another of the old-fashioned plants found in the older parts of SCalifornia.      
 

As the flowers open they form blue "powder puff" shaped clumps.  The red-violet hairs on each flower stem are sticky and will cling to clothes, hair and even skin.
 

Properly watered and pruned the plumbago makes large blue mounds on hillsides and in backyards.

Wordless Wednesday 08-21-13

 

Lunch at Ramos House 08-20-13

Lunch out - again!  And at one of my favorite spots - Ramos House in San Juan Capistrano, across the tracks from the Amtrak station.   It currently is a "Road Warriors" job to drive from the I-5 into SJCapistrano, due to the complete reconstruction of the overpass and all the ramps.  Leaving to come home it took me almost 20 minutes to get through one signal.  I think I'll try the back way when I go again, although I have only taken that route once.  "lost forever......"


My lunch partner had the Pan Perdu with peaches, which is her frequent choice.  I have eaten it here and it is very, very good.
 

After watching Liz devour a serving a few weeks ago, I couldn't pass up a chance to try the hash with fried poached eggs.  Today the hash was vegetable hash with tasty and interesting veggies.  I did not eat all of it and brought it home in a box along with the biscuit and applesauce.  But this is a dish I will order again.  And I won't mind if I can't eat it all, I'll ask for a box.  Tonight for dinner I warmed the hash in a frying pan, stirred in a beaten egg, put it on a plate and topped it with half an avocado chopped.   Delish!
 

The two fried poached eggs are amazing.  Liz and I learned last time that the eggs are poached, crumbed and finished in the deep fat cooker.  The yolks were perfect - how come they weren't hard after all that cooking? 

Monday Browsing & Portal 08-19-13

 

Dinner at Eight quilt group exhibit at Quilt Festival – Long Beach:

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a63314f4441354d54413d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link&partner=neverblue

Virginia Quilt Museum annual  auction: http://www.benefitbidding.com/auctions/listings/index.cfm?auction=101

Japanese ingenuity  - used plastics turned back into oil.  The sound is all in Japanese. Just read the subtitles and watch. What a great discovery! http://www.youtube.com/embed/qGGabrorRS8?rel=0

Portal - Corky's window on the world in Lake Havasu City, AZ. 2006

Ruth Powers 12"x12" quilt posted on blog 08-18-13

"Yellow-headed Blackbird"  Ruth Powers  2009  12"W x 12"L
Ruth does amazing piecing and this quilt is all pieced, except for the feet.  I love the bright colored reeds and the diagonal stripe binding.  One special thing about this piece is that Ruth has never seen a yellow-headed blackbird "in-the-feathers", so to say.  And she would love to.  We looked when we were on a Road Trip a few years ago, but no luck. 
 

The light in his eye is two little white embroidery stitches.  The white in the wing is a piece of print fabric.
 

I cannot tell if the legs are pieced or appliqued - I'd guess the former.  The two downward toes are embroidered.
 

This backing fabric seems perfect for the image on the front, but I'm not sure why that is so.  Perhaps because it resembles a cage? 
 

 
Great label.  With several ways of contacting the artist if the buyer is interested in more of the artist's quilts!. 

I blogged a picture of just the front of this quilt in 2010 - use this link:

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2010/02/ruth-powers-quilt-from-tcqc-02-07-10.html

 

Lunch in San Diego? It must be Ikiru. 08-17-13

I drove down (and back) to Visions Art Museum on Wednesday.  It was quite an easy drive, little traffic either way and the weather was lovely.  I had a meeting about the upcoming exhibit of quilts from TCQC and went to lunch with Beth Smith.   It has become more difficult for me to eat anywhere but the nearby Japanese restaurant, Ikiru.  After all, I can't eat there just any old time I start lusting after their excellent food.


Beth ordered one of the special offerings and I cannot remember the name.
 

Maybe she will let me know what it was so I can add it here.  It was delicious.
 

 
This is the Real Crab Roll that I ordered.  Real crab instead of the ersatz crab more commonly served.  The crab was cooked so the roll was warm.   We both were in ecstasy and decided that we would call this the Ecstasy Roll.  Remember the restaurant scene in "Harry met Sally"?  That is the way I felt about this roll. 
 

 
The rolls are very filling, but I was so tempted to order another one because it was so good.
 

 
A close up of the decoration on top - fish roe and finely chopped green onion.