where's your picket fence, love

this morning maj, faj and i went on the outdoor living tour of 9 houses all around austin. in the rain. some were really pretty and some were duds. since it was "outdoor living," there was lots of questionable landscaping with cool patios. one had a big pool with chairs all along the edge like a hotel and a run of the mill outdoor kitchen. i'd rather have personality. and 3 of the 7 we visited had a big green egg.

one had a basketball court, putting green, andd the cooolest part was a jacuzzi made out of rock that looked like it had just magically formed into a circle you could sit in. my favorite was owned by the architect whose firm designed it, and they had a screened in porch that was to dieee for. [austin outdoor living tour].

it was up high, had big fluffy cushions on wicker furniture, a pretty wood ceiling with lights around the outside of it. and they had a rainwater collection system that gathered in a giant metal cistern.
these pictures are of the snails who used to live under the ladder. we think snails or slugs or something are the culprits who have been munching on my basil and eggplant, so jeff squished them. it was us or them! i sprinkled a light layer of cayenne all over the garden so we'll see if the slugs like spicy basil or not.
it raaaained so hard this evening. everything will be nice and green for the week 3 pictures tomorrow. i can't even wait. we saw a ton of basil and mint planted in the yards today. we need some mint. maj said she's never had a mojito.

gone in a bad romance

the squash is taking over my garden! it's huge. 2 days until week 3 pictures.
i just have nothing to say tonight. today there was a man hunt near our house so there was a helicopter circling for a long time. faj and i bought a new spice rack to try to contain the spices that are taking up half the real estate in the tiny kitchen. i missed a lumberjack themed party but wore my plaid to the karaoke after party anyway. exciting day!

first class and fancy free

the last 4 days in 10 photos:

pretty statice
fajjy + rolled tacos at roberto's
point loma
torrey pines

wild animal park

flower fields

scripps aquarium

lunch at the harbor
the rest of them can be found right here. you can click on the photo to make it skip to the next one, or use the right or left arrows.

under the sea

these are all cell phone pictures of the flower fields today. what a pretty place. near the entrance, there's a big rose garden, sweet pea maze and a tent with all different kinds of poinsettias. then on the hillside there are just rows and rows of ranunculus. there are some cool pictures on the fancycam but not on my phone sooo we'll just have to wait til tomorrow.
we did a lot today. flower fields, liberty of london at target, lunch on the beach (fish tacos and spinach/pear/walnut salad), scripps aquarium and a little hike on the hills at torrey pines overlooking the ocean. the hill is full of pretty yellow wildflowers.

tonight we went to dinner with uncle kris, uncle kevin, aunt janet & uncle karl. they're all my mom's cousins but my dad grew up with them. they're all pretty funny. really nicknamey like dad. they hadn't seen me since i was 10.home tomorrow. austin isn't quiiiite the same as san diego, but it does have majjy and jeff.

look around

this trip will have to be one of those describe things while i'm here and post pictures once i'm home kinds of deals, so i apologize.

this morning aunt carol, steve and i walked up and down a beach in del mar. it was really pretty. the hills were covered in purple statice and ice plant with yellow and purpley pink flowers that hadn't opened yet.
[hgtv.com]

then this afternoon aunt carol and i went to the wild animal park (again, smaller than i remember) and we walked through lorakeet landing where matt, a 5 year old at the time, drank the nectar they give you to hold so the birds will land on your hand. and we took the monorail around the big open grasslands where there are animals that look like gazelles in various colors and sizes, and giraffes and emus, etc.

tonight i discovered that the texas version of what we call 'zucchini with grass clippings' doesn't taste like aunt carol's because it isn't anything like aunt carol's. ours is olive oil, S&P, zucchini and dill. the real recipe has about 5 or 6 different herbs in it (and is way better).

i am exhausted, mildly sunburned and humming songs from glee. time for bed.

californiaaa

faj took me on the great tour of my early childhood today in san diego. we drove past the hospital jeff and i were born in, the house i lived in from 0-4 (which is now two stories and cream colored), the house we lived in when i was in 5th grade, drove down el camino real and saw the old bagel place. the light store is still there, the grocery store i woke up in front of in a mom-less van and assumed majjy had abandoned us is there.

everything is a little bit different than i remember it being 15 years ago. aunt carol's house seems smaller now that i'm bigger. the streets look different. the distances seem much shorter. but there was one thing that was exactly the same as i remembered: roberto's rolled tacos.
covered in fresh guacamole and cojita cheese sprinkled on top. definitely my favorite meal on the planet.

we saw the ocean and moonlight beach, i bought a travel book and read in the park for a while until it started pouring, we went to trader joes, new sunglasses. overall, a good day in SD.

garden week 2

i didn't realize i didn't have pictures of allll of the vegetables on day 1. here are half of the peas though. they're going crazy but not really reaching up for the fence yet.

yellow squash day 1
week 2!
tomato day 1
week 2!
i don't have a picture of the eggplant on day 1, but this is week 2:
cucumber day 1
week 2!
cilantro and basil day 1
week 2! the basil was a little bit bigger but jeff and i have been using it.. and some kind of bug has been munching a bit too.

garden day 1

week 2!

jeff's tree

spring is springin'!
san diego tomorrow!