Week 8 An Evening at Tom's Farms

On Saturday evening, we met Heidi and Ned & their two kids, Ella and Asher as well as April & Wes along with Baby Peyton for an evening at Tom's Farms down off the Temescal Canyon exit of the 15 Freeway. Because its winter, there weren't too many other people there. There were a few Harley riders just leaving when we got there around 6:00. (I understand that this is a popular stopping place for the "Wild Hogs" type of biker....older professional types -- not Hell's Angels!)

We started our night by ordering a few pizzas.
While they were cooking, we walked on over to the produce stand and picked up some apples, pears, squash, jicama and bananas for the coming days.

Me, Ella and John


After Shopping, we had our choice of any of the numerous tables out by the fountain and pool where we relaxed and enjoyed some absolutely delicious pizza and great company.Heidi and Asher making a "toast to happiness"!

Ella enjoying her orange cream soda.

Easy going Peyton just enjoying being out and about with her admirers.

Ella and Asher on the Carousel

Wes and April and their very large pizza

Ned and his bottle of chocolate pop...he liked it till he got to the dregs at the bottom.

I was really glad we got invited to join the kids out at Tom's Farms for the evening. We've never been there before but had one of the most relaxing nights out we've had in a long time. The pizza was great and, in addition to the produce, brought home some great gourmet cheeses as well. Now I'm thinking we'll have to rally on out for a nice evening with our biker friends when the weather gets a little bit warmer. We're definitely going back.

http://shop.tomsfarms.com/

Week 7 -- Gussyin' Up Our Garden Gnomes

Our poor little garden gnomes have seen better days.

They've been taking a beating form the heat, wind and rain for years.So, we brought them in, cleaned them up and started sprucing up their paint.
I left the paints out on a Sunday afternoon and when the kids came over, most of them picked up a brush and gave a gnome a new coat of paint with maybe some polka dots, stripes or checks.

The gnomes are much happier now in their bright new colors.Come on Spring; we're ready for you now!

Week 6 -- A Simple Wedding and Being a Politician's Wife

We live in an unincorporated area of Western Riverside County. There’s a vote in a few weeks concerning becoming a city. John has been active in that cause (Measure A) and, with that, John is running for City Council.

John has had many “Meet the Candidate” events in recent weeks but with the family and Relief Society commitments, I haven’t been able to join him at one yet.

This Wednesday was another very sweet Relief Society related event –the wedding of one of our recently activated sisters, Elvira, to her boyfriend, Carlos. Bishop Lauritzen married the couple in the Relief Society room and then we had cake and sherbet and Sprite floats while everyone just lingered in the hall by the kitchen -- my kind of reception!

After that fun wedding, I made it over to one of the local high schools, to see John in action, as one of the members of a field of 16 candidates for a total of 5 open seats on the, hopefully, soon to be council. (Measure A needs to pass to gain city hood before a council is needed.)

John held his own on the panel very well.

John is a pretty humble guy and isn’t too good at telling people how great he is, but to me, that’s what makes him stand out among the crowd. I do know that he’s very patient (he has been married to me for 33+ years and we do have four very outgoing, talkative children). He can sit and listen and engage in long conversations with anyone long after I’ve looked at my watch and said, “sorry, gotta run.”

It was kind of fun to stay and hang with him after the event to meet and shake hands with the other candidates and people from the community. Now I know how first ladies and other spouses of politicians feel. It felt great just to stand next to John and show unwavering loyalty to this great guy and just hope that others can see what a good man he is.

On Saturday, we drove around town to hang up election signs. Luckily the weather was nice (in fact, almost hot, at 80 degrees).

I told John he should have worked on some sweet dance moves for the end of the question and answer session a la “Napoleon Dynamite” and he would have had the election in the bag.

If you happen to live in the soon to be city of Jurupa Valley, California, please vote for John. But, regardless of the results, its been nice for John to get involved in the community, to meet people have have people get to know him. These efforts will lead to good things no matter what the outcome of the election!

Week 5, An Old Poem That's New To Me

I listen to every day's version of "A Writer's Almanac" podcast (I just upload it from I-Tunes) when I'm alone in my car, driving to and from work. Aside from some interesting facts about writers, literary history and books, on each day's recording, Garrison Keillor reads aloud a poem. This week, he read one which, because its by Dorothy Parker, must be very old but one I'd never heard before but fell in love with. So, here it is, I think you'll like it too. Its about something we can all relate to.

Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom

Daily dawns another day;

I must up, to make my way.

Though I dress and drink and eat,

Move my fingers and my feet,

Learn a little, here and there,

Weep and laugh and sweat and swear,

Hear a song, or watch a stage,

Leave some words upon a page,

Claim a foe, or hail a friend-

Bed awaits me at the end.

Though I go in pride and strength,

I'll come back to bed at length.

Though I walk in blinded woe,

Back to bed I'm bound to go.

High my heart, or bowed my head,

All my days but lead to bed.

Up, and out, and on; and then

Ever back to bed again,

Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall-

I'm a fool to rise at all!

Dorothy Parker

(She's the one who said, "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.")

Week 4 – Adventures in Dining Out…

We love eating out and, like most people, we visit a lot of chain restaurants like Red Robin, Red Lobster (some study must have shown that using the word “red” in a name is a good thing), Lucille’s, Buca di Beppo, Lone Star, CPK, Panera and, my favorites, PF Chang (& Pei Wei). And that’s not even going into the fast food chains we frequent, Taco Bell, El Pollo Loco, Wendy’s and McDonalds (for ice cream cones). One thing I can think of about these places is they’re good but not really great or outstanding. But you know what to expect—the food and service is predictable.

But, our family likes to be adventure eaters – and for us, that means many things like buying pretty much anything from street vendors and food trucks -- Mexican fruit ice bars, tacos, barbeque as well as having food and drink challenges at family get togethers (the more disgusting, the better). Part of our adventures in dining means trying as many locally owned places/joints as we can. With that, we’ve come upon a few great one of a kind restaurants and a lot more of just “ehh, OK” places, and, well, some pretty bad stuff too. With locally owned restaurants, you know how it goes -- sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose.

So, when April and Wes invited John and me to meet them at the Avocado House on Central Avenue in Chino, of course we said, “sure, why not?” And, oooh baby, am I’m ever glad we did! I can't say enough about how great the breakfast at this place is!

The Breakfast Taco

The Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

They were both perfect (we ordered both and split them). Really, the cinnamon swirl French toast is a cinnamon roll cut in half and made into French toast....
They serve it with absolutely "out of this world" homemade caramel sauce (and maple syrup).

It was the first time in years that I had to just stop thinking about anything and just concentrate on and savor the absolutely awesome taste phenomenon happening in my mouth. This was definitely a meal I'll remember the rest of my life. (The first time is always the best!)

Relaxing on the porch It was another gorgeous January morning -- what we love about So Cal
Baby Peyton and Me

We took a little walk around the back yard after breakfast.
We looked at the strawberry field behind the house and rabbits in a hutch.

John and I even enjoyed a nice time in the tree swing while we waited for April and Wes.

I totally recommend this place for a delicious breakfast.
I can’t wait to go back and try their lunch offerings!

http://theavocadohouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/now-open.html

So, later that same Saturday night, we headed out to Redlands with Heidi and Ned to try the new Café Rio that just opened up out there. You'll see I'm still wearing the same blouse (just donned a sweater over it)

Café Rio is a chain now, but I fell in love with the original restaurant in St. George back when it was a one of a kind local joint. So, its expanded to maybe 15+ locations but the food still tastes as good as it did 12+ years ago when we got to eat it only in St. George.

OK, so the food there is phenomenal – I love the chicken tacos and anything that has the pork barbacoa in it – tacos, salads, whatever. But the most fun thing about eating at Café Rio is people watching and specifically -- Mormon watching. So, yeah, we’re Mormons and that’s why we’re so good at spotting others of the species. We play a spotting game at Disneyland where we accumulate a point for every group of Mormons we spot – it’s pretty easy to pick ‘em too -- a big family is the first tip off. Here are a few tips on Mormon spotting.

You look for cute young Moms & Dads with 2, 3 or more kids (like Heidi and Ned); Mormon women dress “modestly” and often layer their tops – so you’ll see tee shirts with camisoles or other tee shirts underneath. We generally hang out in groups -- lots of extended families --sisters, aunts, grandmas, & friends. You’ll generally won't see a lot of tank tops, short shorts, skirts or tattoos; and the women almost always wear make-up and look like they get "ready" to go out. And, if they're like me and from Utah, they're drinking "pop" not soda.

And, yep, we're a pretty cheerful bunch as a rule. President Howard W. Hunter said, "Knowing what we know, and living as we are supposed to live, we really have no place, no excuse for pessimism and despair." So, yeah, I guess my family and I are pretty typcal Mormons.

There’s an LDS temple in Redlands, so when you see women in dresses or skirts and men in white shirts and ties, that’s a dead giveaway. Last Saturday night, we ran into 3 couples we know from Ontario headed to the temple and President and Sister Reeves of the Riverside Mission. Cafe Rio is just off the Alabama exit in the Target Shopping Center north of the 10 freeway.

http://www.caferio.com/

Now, my eating adventures for the week aren’t done -- this week, Danny and Sarah took John and me to see “The Sound of Music” at the Landis Auditorium in Riverside. Before the 2:00 matinee, we met at Tio’s Tacos on Mission Boulevard for lunch. Now, the food there is just fine -- pretty typical So Cal Baja-style Mexican fare.

Check out the fresh juice bar.

But the thing you’ve got to come to Tio’s Tacos for is the CRAZY ART! It’s hard to describe the large yard there– somebody said it was like Fred Sanford meets Disneyland. This huge double or triple lot is filled with crazy stuff which is hard to describe – I guess I’d call it Mexican American Recycled Folk Art.

There are several buildings made out of bottles

There's a mini Catholic chapel (complete with ceiling frescoes, pews, and an alter with candles)

There's a fun creepy factor here --
this overall-wearing dead guy doll in a glass coffin was near the alter.

And this "anaconda-wrapped figure hangin' in the tree

A creature made of hundreds of naked Barbie dolls,
lots of human and robot forms shaped from paper mache

Luche Libre-style wrestlers & chicken wire filled with toys, bottles, shoes, sea shells, and pretty much anything you can imagine.

The patios are covered with a crazy mosaics – I liked the walk of fame tribute to the human rights heroes…

Abraham Lincoln’s name was right by Poncho Villa’s - interesting combination.
Anyway, when you’ve got a little time to wander and enjoy the prolific fruit of one very creative man’s imagination and talent, come on over to Mission Boulevard (just east of Market Street) and enjoy a nice little meal to go along with your very alternative art experience.

Happy Eating!

Week 3, California Citrus State Historical Park in Riverside

Saturday, January 15^th was a gorgeous day here in Southern California. It was one of those days, when, even if you wanted to stay in, you’d feel guilty about it. Sometimes, if you’re in the mood to just stay in the house and clean or watch sports, bad weather is a gift because it gives you a perfect excuse to just hermit up. But, when a warm sunny day comes along in January, whether you want to or not, you’re obligated to get outside and enjoy it!

So, luckily, I have this commitment to do something new each week – thanks to this blog. And, that means getting out to visit just some of those spots that I always say, “you know, someday, I’d like to go there.”

One of those spots is the California Citrus State Historical Park in Riverside. Yep, we live in Riverside and we’ve lived in Southern California for 25 years and its just one of those places I’ve driven by for years and have never taken the time to visit.
My son, Danny and his three kids, Carter, Claire and William came along with Heidi’s daughter Ella, Hayley's boy, Ryan, and me. We each picked and ate an orange off the trees. (I’m not sure we were allowed to do so, but, hey, there were tons of ripe oranges on those trees, so, really, why not?)

This is one of the aprons the pickers wear for easy picking and quick dumping into crates.

We visited a little museum and spent time walking and playing on the hills. And then I bought a 25 pound bag of oranges just outside the gates (for $6) to take home as a tasty souvenir.The park didn’t cost a thing and I recommend it to anyone living in the area or who just likes fresh fruit and sunshine – and, really, isn’t that all of us?

Week 2 -- Meeting New Family Members and Skyping

If your family is like ours, the lines of relationship aren't always perfectly drawn. But all of that doesn't really matter -- we welcome all into our large clan and our motto is "the more the merrier". And, I'm grateful for others that welcome us through crooked and dotted lines as well.

Last Sunday, January 9th, John and I, along with Danny and his kids, drove down to Oceanside so that Danny and John could help our nephew, Ben Lake, bless (christen) his little baby boy Lennox.

I was happy to meet several new members of the family. One of my new friends and family members, is Ben's girlfriend, Ingrid Rutan. Ben and Ingrid, who live and work in Bangor, Maine, were in Southern California visiting Ben's Dad, Frank Lake. Frank was married to John's late sister Debbie for many years before they divorced back in the mid-90's. Frank has been remarried about 11 years and I finally got to meet his wife Cheryl. Even though we're the family of her husband's former wife, she treated us like old friends and part of her own family; she was so kind and friendly to us. I made a sincerely good and new friend in both her and her great and friendly parents from Thousand Oaks.

I like to consider myself fairly up to date with technology; after all, I AM writing a blog. But, I've never had the chance to see anyone Skype, much less do it myself. (Like a lot of folks, I'm really not one who loves talking on the phone so the chance to feel self conscious in front of a camera while on the phone hasn't made me an early adopter on this bit of tech.) But, I love my neice Christine Mosby and her family who live way out in Atlanta. With Skype, it was really fun to sit and have a talk with her and her four sweet kids (OK, so the baby is just 6 months old, but it was fun to watch her crawl and wiggle around,)

This is what I looked like on the Mosby's computer screen....

So, now I feel like I've bonded with some of my grand-nieces and nephews too -- thanks to my first Skyping experience.

Somehow it made me think of the old movie "2001 A Space Odyssey (by Stanley Kubrick). So, really I hated that movie and remember trying to force myself to fall asleep during it at a drive in theater back when it was new. But, one scene I do remember was people talking to each other on video phones.

So Skyping is a bit deja vu from that horrendous movie. (As an aside, one of my other all-time most hated movies was also by Stanley Kubrick, A-I! Oh kill me now rather than make me sit through either of these movies again. (I think Hollywood has a case of the "Emporers New Clothes" with all the artsy hot shots gushing over Kubrick's skill and artistry as a director -- get real -- his films are just long, boring and weird.)

OK, so back to family, new friends and Skyping. I really look forward to getting to know Lennox, Ingrid and Cheryl better. Thanks to the bad weather on the East Coast, Ben and Ingrid haven't been able to fly back home to Maine, so, with the blessing of both their families, they had an extra day or two to drive up to Vegas on Thursday night and get married. So now I can officially welcome Ingrid to the family!