The Cocktail Hour - Cosmopolitan

I was never a fan, but for those of you who liked "Sex and the City," here's your drink. It's very easy to make and very refreshing on a sunny day on the deck.

Watch the Video!

INGREDIENTS - for two drinks
2 oz. - Vodka
1 oz. - Triple Sec
4 -5 oz. - Cranberry Cocktail
1/2 lime

Squeeze juice out of lime into a 500 ml cocktail shaker, 1/3 full of ice. Pour in vodka and triple sec. Fill to top with cranberry juice. Shake and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge and cranberries or pomegranate seeds.

I'm OK with it but some guys think this is a feminine drink. Probably because of the dark pink color and the association with Carrie Bradshaw and friends. For them, fill a glass with ice, pour it in and call it a vodka and cran.

Cheers,

Darryl

The Flora and Fauna of Borrego Springs

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  Still haven't seen the namesake animal of the area, the Borrego (big horn sheep), but we did see plenty of great flowers and birds during our recent trip to Anza-Borrego State Park.

We couldn't fit everything in our trip reports but we wanted to revisit some of the great floral and avian life that we found there.

Starting with those purple flowers at the top of the post.

Prickly pear cactus not only have spectacular flower but the fruit is delicious, too.

The ocotillo cactus has bright orange flowers.

This wren was tending to it's family in a nest perched in a palo verde tree outside of our hotel room.

Quail were pretty easy to find on our afternoon walk.

The cholla cactus has some spiffy neon green flowers.

Migratory ducks spend time here, also.

They're not weeds here, desert dandelions sprinkle the sands...

...and fields of desert sunflowers also carpet the valley's floor.

Finally, not really a desert wildflower, but it was daffodil season up in nearby Julian.  Here's a show in the town's community center.

Darryl

Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Additional photos by Letty Musick
Copyright 2015 - Letty Musick
All Rights Reserved

The Cocktail Hour - Classic Margarita

Have a drink with us! (video)

After the week is over, the work week has finish, and the chores are done, we like to spend some time on Sunday afternoon to just relax with a drink on the patio while we watch for birds and wildlife in the hills behind our house...this is our "cocktail hour."

This will be a new feature on the blog, occasionally showing you what we're drinking this week and how to make it yourself.  We'll start off with one of the classics - the margarita.

There are a few stories of how the margarita was invented.  Myself, I like to think this is the true story...Rita Hayworth, who originally went by the name of Margarita Cansino, was drinking with friends down in Mexico at the Halfway House bar.  It is called the Halfway House because it is halfway between Tijuana and Ensenada.  She asked the bartender to make her something with tequila so she wouldn't have to put up with the harshness of the shot so he made up the drink with lime juice, triple sec, and tequila with salt on the rim of the glass and named the drink after her.  We used to have drinks at the Halfway House and hear the bartender tell us the story (another local invention is the Cesar Salad, created at the Hotel Cesar in Tijuana) but we haven't been there in over 25 years.  The restaurant dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and is still there, still serving margaritas and more.

Here is our version of this classic drink.  Note that we serve it on the rocks...as intended.   This is not the travesty that is a blended (or frozen) margarita.

CLASSIC MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients (for two drinks)

2 oz. Tequlia (get a good tequila that's labeled "100% puro de agave")

1 oz. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or triple sec (the first two will have a very positive effect on the taste)

splash of brandy or cognac

1 lime

4-5 oz. sweet and sour mix (our two favorite brands are Tavern and Finest Call)

kosher salt.

Put salt in shallow bowl or spread out on plate.  Slice the lime into two halves.  Run the open lime around the rim of the glass so that there is a fine sheen of lime juice on it (use a margarita glass, a cocktail glass, or an old fashioned glass if you have nothing else).  Fill a cocktail shaker about 1/3 full with ice, crushed would be preferable.  We use half liter glass shaker.  Take one of the lime halves and squeeze the juice into the shaker.  Put in the rest of your liquid ingredients, putting in the sweet and sour last and filling to the top.  Put the lid on the shaker and shake.  Fill the glasses about 2/3 full with ice and strain the drink into them.

Cheers!

-Darryl

The Cocktail Hour - Latin Passion

Watch the Video!

This week on the patio, we're enjoying some Latin Passion!  Stop it...it's just the name of the drink.  This is kind of like a more sour version of a tequila sunrise.  It is very good and pretty too.

Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS - Two Drinks

2 oz Tequila

2 oz Brandy

1/2 oz Amaretto

splash of passionfruit syrup

2-3 oz. sweet and sour

spash of grenadine

1/2 lime

Squeeze lime into cocktail shaker that is 1/3 full of ice.  Put in just the smallest dash of passionfruit syrup, too much will make your drink too sweet. Pour in tequila, brandy, amaretto, and fill to top with sweet and sour.  Shake and strain into two old fashioned glasses about 2/3 full of ice.  Splash a little grenadine over the top and let it sink naturally...don't mix any more.

This is a pretty potent cocktail, so enjoy in moderation.  

Cheers!

-Darryl

The Aquatic Fauna of the Sacramento Valley

Shape-shifting clouds of starlings weave in and out across highway 104 as we speed westbound through the rural landscape. A hillside of goats and one shaggy guard dog go by on the left. The decommissioned Ranch Seco Nuclear Power Plant's giant cooling towers sit ominously on the horizon.

Past the small city of Galt and then hard by Interstate 5, we reach our destination - the Consumnes River Preserve.

It's late October and the annual migration of Sandhill Cranes has hit the area. These tall and slender birds are attracted to the corn fields around the preserve and spend a couple of months here at harvest time. The preserve has trails leading through the wetlands that these birds call home while they're here.

A one and a half mile accessible trails leads out from the visitor's center, across the street to several ponds of wetlands. A half mile boardwalk leads out to a remote viewing platform.

We only see a few of the cranes, in the distance on the other side of a large pond, because in the middle of the day they're off eating corn at nearby farms. Still, we see plenty of other birds.

Thousands of Canada Geese dot the water and occasionally take flight to circle overhead for a few laps before plopping back down in the water.

Mud Hens troll  for insects and worms and a lone kingfisher sits on a log looking for a juicy fish to each.

After the wide open wetlands, the trail continues across the street near a busy set of train tracks.

It continues into a lushly wooded area with a few more ponds before crossing a bridge back to the visitor's center.

We would have liked to see some more of the cranes but it's still a very nice hike through nature. It's time for us to head on to another destination but first, a stop for lunch.

In nearby Lodi, it's a delicious and cheap lunch at A&W Root Beer. The burgers and fries are washed down with that delicious root beer in large, glass mugs.

While that might sound rather ordinary, what makes this special is that this is the oldest A&W stand in the world. A&W started here in Lodi in 1919 when Roy Allen purchased a root beer recipe from a pharmacist in Arizona. Using that recipe, he opened a stand at a local parade to sell it for a nickel.

Seeing how successful this was, he join forces with Frank Wright to open a drive-in restaurant four years later. This is now the location on Lodi Avenue, which features a display case full of company memorabilia, along with shelves of old A&W stuff up on the walls.

Hunger sated, it's back on the road...up the 99 to highway 50 in Sacramento. East to Folsom, then north to the American River next to the Nimbus Dam, which holds back Lake Natoma.

It's because of this dam that our next stop is here. When built, the dam blocked the migration of the native steelhead trout and chinook salmon. The Nimbus Fish Hatchery was built to help the fish survive and to keep them from becoming extinct.

We're here three days before they open the ladder. When the salmon return from the ocean to spawn, weirs in the river guide the fish to the entrance of the ladder, where they climb up into the hatchery.

Eggs are harvested from the females, fertilized with milt harvested from the males, and the eggs are hatched factory-style in the hatchery. When the fish are big enough, around 4 million are released back into the river to head out to sea.

Down at the entrance to the ladder (a sign says it's not wheelchair accessible but it is nicely ramped and Tim had no problem getting there), we see thousands of excited salmon waiting to get in.

Next door is a rainbow trout hatchery, where we go and see hundreds of thousands of fish being reared to releasable size.

Both destinations we visited are accessible and free to visit. Click on the links above to find directions and other information for the preserve and hatchery.

Darryl Musick
Copyrght 2020 - All Rights Reserved

The Cocktail Hour - Wine: Pinot Noir

Today is supposed to reach 90 degrees so we'll keep it light with a bottle of wine.  This afternoon, we'll be enjoying a 2008 Redwood Vineyards Pinot Noir.  Redwood is a Sonoma winery but the grapes are from Lodi and the Sacramento River Delta.  Rated 88 points, it has hints of rasberries, cherry, and a nice oak finish.  Click on the picture above to see it large and the clarity of this wine.

Not that we've had a lot of Pinot Noir the last year, maybe a half dozen bottles total, but this is the best we've had recently.  It's delicious and can be had for around $12.  Paul's Wine of the Month Club has it for $6.99 for members.

-Darryl

Laguna Beach and San Juan Capistrano, California

This trip contains one of  the most popular videos we've yet produced.  Why?  I don't know, apparently you all like the beach!  Personally, I think our video on Morro Bay is a bit better, but you be the judge.  Anyway, here is my pick for the best beach in Southern California...

Watch the Video for this trip

It has the makings for a boring, frustrating day. The day after Thanksgiving usually presents us with nothing to do, unless you want to join the mobs at the mall. Not really our cup of tea (to be fair, my wife loves to shop but even she can’t stand the Black Friday stress).

It’s days like this that are made for a day trip. I know “staycation” is the new buzzword, but I just can’t stand that. Occasionally, though, we just like to go out for the day and see what we can find in our general area. That’s what we’re doing today. Hopefully, if you have a trip planned with Southern California…especially Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm…as your destination; you’ll find this information valuable.

I had always wanted to try the Original Pancake House, especially for their Dutch Baby pancakes, so we head down to the City of Orange for our closest location. While waiting for the server to take our order, the table next to use gets their Dutch Babies delivered and they looked burnt from having been in the oven too long.

Instead, we order a stack of regular buttermilk pancakes, some crepes with lemon/strawberry filling, and some “49er” cakes, which are very thin pancakes…sort of like a crepe that has not been rolled. All three are very delicious and we’ll give the edge…just a slight edge…to the 49er cakes.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Robert A. Estremo under CC-BY-SA license

Fully nourished and really stuffed, we head out on the road. Our next stop is the little town of San Juan Capistrano in Southern Orange County. This is roughly half way between Los Angeles and San Diego. We find a parking spot next to the train depot, across the street from the town’s mission.  Easily reached by wheelchair accessible trains run by Metrolink and Amtrak, all the attractions in town are within a block or two of the station.

The mission grounds are very beautiful but the original church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1812. A side chapel has the twin distinctions of being the oldest California building still in use and is also the only documented existing building that Father Junipero Serra said mass in.

We’ve seen the mission many times before, so today we concentrate on the Los Rios neighborhood. This is the street time forgot, sitting across the tracks from the train station. Years ago, I would come here and walk down these shady, tree-lined streets and wonder how much longer it would last with the exploding development happening in this part of the county.

The residents must have wondered the same thing, now it’s a protected historic district. It’s still a neighborhood…families still live in the houses, small shops and a couple of cafes crouch up to the tracks, and it’s a place like no other you’ll find in the area.

Homes dating back 200 years line streets so quiet you can roll your chair along with few worries. A collection of fountains sits in front of little beauty salon. Around the corner, an ancient pickup truck sits in a chicken wire encased garage. Dozens of finches fight over the birdfeeder out back. A huge wall of bougainvillea lines the street.

Around the corner are a sleepy looking nursery and a petting zoo. Llamas sit in the sun waiting for food. A curious emu strolls up to see my camera. The luckiest turkeys in the world strut their stuff on the day after.

The 12:20 to LA arrives and we leave.

Back in the car, we head south to Dana Point and then double back up Pacific Coast Highway to our next stop, Laguna Beach. Even in late November, traffic still snarls in the downtown stretch that has traffic lights on every corner, none coordinated with the next. After the knot of traffic, we turn up a side street and find a spot at the curb to park about a block from the main beach.

Laguna is made up of a series of coves, the largest one, about a half mile long, makes up the main beach in the heart of town. An accessible boardwalk runs the length of the beach. On the north end, a step-free but steep access leads to the next series of smaller coves. When the water’s calm, these small coves attract hordes of snorkelers and scuba divers.

On the main beach, we find a concrete ramp that you can use to go to the high-tide line next to the northernmost life guard tower. In the summer, you can borrow a sand chair from the life guard to go all the way to the water. The mid-beach is a hot bed of beach volleyball, so we take a few minutes to watch. No pros practicing today, however. A musician plays for tips and a bird trainer puts on a pretty good show on the edge of the boardwalk.

We continue up the street where artist Wyland, the whale mural guy, lives and has a gallery. 

We stop to take a look at the art and to use his very nice, clean accessible restroom. A secret spot is located here. Outside the gallery is a hallway…continuing to the end and you’ll come out onto a private, quiet deck where Wyland has set up a small telescope overlooking the beach. It’s a nice place to come and get away from the crowds.

Back out front, we wander around the town a bit, doing a little window shopping and have a quick drink at one of the local pubs. I won’t name the pub…it’s a brew-pub…because the server tacked on an extra six dollars to the tip (which I found out while balancing my checkbook). That burns me up because the total bill was $9, to which I added $3 for tip…plenty, don’t you think?

Later, we head back up PCH and then inland to Placentia where we have dinner at one of our favorite Pizzerias, Tony’s Little Italy. This is a real hole-in-the-wall with only 8 tables and a giant mural of Wrigley Field covering an entire wall. The other walls have Cubs, Bulls, and Bears memorabilia along with a smattering of Angels, Cal State Fullerton, and other local team pennants, surrounding the two flat-screen TVs…usually showing whatever sports are going on in Chicago. This little piece of Chicago has some of the best deep-dish style pizzas around.

As Tony himself brings out our pizza and drinks, we bid farewell and hope to see you on another trip soon.

-Darryl

Copyright 2009 - Darryl Musick
Pictures courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Robert A. Esterno under CC-SA license

CLASSIC TRIP: Anza Borrego/Julian, California - 2009

Borregos Against the Setting Sun

While Tim and I are writing, editing, and polishing up our newest report, let's revisit the beautiful and remote Anza Borrego State Park with side trips to Julian and the Salton Sea...

Two to three hours outside of Los Angeles, depending on your route, is the desert of Anza Borrego. We opt for the northern route of driving by Palm Springs, turning south at the Salton Sea, and then back west into Anza Borrego Desert State Park and the town of Borrego Springs.

Watch the Video (Part 1)!

We drive over to the unique underground visitor’s center, but find that it is closed. We arrive on a Wednesday but it’s only open Thursday through Sunday. I suppose the state’s massive budget cuts might have something to do with that. The accessible restrooms are open, though, and are welcome after the long drive.

We shoot a little video around the re-created oasis in front of the center with its pond full of endangered desert pupfish, which look like overweight minnows. I’d like to take Tim to one of the many natural oases in the park, but none are accessible by road unless you have a high-clearance four wheel drive vehicle and those that are hikable do not have wheelchair accessible trails. The man-made one will have to do.

It’s lunch time so we have some pizza at Calico Pizza, located in the small shopping mall in the heart of Borrego Springs before heading over to our room at Borrego Springs Resort.

Watch the Video (part 2)!

About six years ago, we had stayed here before and ended up on the resort’s mailing list. I decided to take advantage of one of those many deals sent over and ended up with a sunrise view two-room suite. Minimally accessible, it is step-free and has a tub that can be managed with a bath chair. The resort also has roll-in showers and ADA compliant rooms, but no suites. We were offered a switch to a more accessible room, but we wanted a suite and it worked for us.

The suite consists of a large living room, with a queen size sofa bed; a patio with a table and two chairs; a small efficiency with a sink, microwave, coffee maker, and refrigerator (the suites also used to have a two-burner stove but those have been removed although the vent hood is still in place); a good size bathroom; and a bedroom with king-size bed, his and her closets, and bathrobes. There are also two large LCD TVs, one in each room. Tim has especially good things to say about the large channel selection, including many HD channels.

The rate was $90 per night (rack rate is $230) plus tax, for a total of $300 and change.

After unpacking, it’s dinner time. The sun has gone down, and the area is pretty much pitch-black. It’s because of this lack of light that the area is an astronomer’s delight. Just off of the towns one concession to traffic management…a traffic circle name Christmas Circle…stands the little French Corner bistro and antique shop.

The owner, Yves, welcomes us and seats us at a nice table inside. Yves is from Nimes, one of my favorite towns in France, and we chat about the area’s Roman ruins. The house wine is a pinot noir from that region, and is only $10 for a half-liter, so we get that and start with a delicious broccoli and bleu cheese soup. Dinner would be steak frittes for Time, flammande carbonade (a Flemish beef stew) for me, and a seafood crepe dish for my wife. The food was good, but not exceptional like you would expect from a French restaurant. If I were to recommend someone to go here, I’d say get the wine, the soup de jour, and a sweet crepe for dessert. If you want more, maybe their quiche of the day, which looked quite good.

After bedding down for the night, we discover one slightly bizarre aspect of our room. The comforter on our bed…down-filled…is a good 6 inches thick and around 40 pounds! It’s like sleeping under a weight. I kick it off and use a sheet, I don’t know why such a thick blanket needs to be used in the desert. Alaska maybe; Borrego Springs, no.

In the morning, it’s a 28 mile drive up the mountains to Julian, a former mining and current apple farming town. We head to the Julian Café, which comes highly recommended, only to find out it is not wheelchair accessible. In fact, along Julian’s Main Street, most of the buildings on the north side of the street lack basic accessibility (the buildings date back over 100 years), but on the south side, it is much more accommodating.

Instead, we eat at the Julian Coffee House across the street and down the block. Breakfast is good. I share a bagel, egg and sausage sandwich with Tim and an order of pancakes with my wife. Afterward, we head to the Birdwatcher, Julian’s rather large birder supply store because my wife is a big bird watcher. While she browses inside, Tim and I sit on the bench outside and watch all the birds come to the store’s feeders. We see an Anna’s hummingbird, Mountain bluebirds, Lesser goldfinches, and many ravens and sparrows.

Next, it is over to the Julian Cider Mill across the way to watch fresh apples ground into cider and have a few samples. Then shopping at the various knick knack stores and, when we reach the end of the street, see the hundreds of cats rounded up for a spay and neuter clinic taking place at the town hall that day.

Before leaving, we head to Mom’s pie shop…one of Julian’s many pie bakeries…to have a slice of pumpkin and another of bumbleberry pie.

Back in Borrego, we do some shopping before spending a couple of hours relaxing at the hotel. Dinner is at a local institution, Carlee’s, more a bar than restaurant. It’s a friendly little watering hole with some very good food. Tim and I love the burgers at Carlee’s, so we get two Borrego Burgers (bacon cheeseburgers) accompanied by their outstanding beer-battered fries while my wife gets an equally good pasta primavera. Here is where you find the friendly locals, waiting for Karaoke to begin while dining and drinking. Even though it’s mostly a bar, kids are welcome at Carlee’s.

That night, we drive to a secluded spot by the hotel to stargaze. When we turn off the headlights, it is completely dark. Kind of unsettling, being out in the middle of nowhere, unable to see the hand in front of your face; but the stars in the sky are brilliant here. With no moon in the sky, the view is unfettered. Jupiter is bright; satellites and meteors streak across the heavens.

In the morning we lounge around the room before heading into town. There’s a farmers market going on in Christmas Circle…which doubles as the town plaza and park…where we pick up some fruit and a euphorbia bush to take home. Dinner was so good at Carlee’s that we decide to have lunch there today, opting for French dips with their homemade potato chips.

At the Salton Sea

After lunch we head to the Salton Sea and the Salton Sea Beach Marina. This area is depressing, fascinating, exhilarating, and…at times…beautiful. It’s obvious that this one-time resort area has seen much better days. Ruins of dream homes dot the shore, the marina businesses are barely hanging on, and the earth is sun-scorched here. At the same time, new construction of homes in the area suggest the dream hasn’t completely died and the sea…a man-made mistake of epic proportions…attracts millions of migratory birds.

We drive right to the edge of the water and spot egrets, great blue herons, stilts, gulls, and a lone osprey watching it all while contemplating his next meal.

Leaving town, we stop at the Torres Martinez travel center on highway 86 on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation. Along with cheap gas, a small casino invites us in to play penny slots. Tim plays for an hour on the two dollars he put in his machine. His mom and I are not far behind as we imbibe on the two dollar margaritas and pina coladas brought out by the servers.

That night, we enjoy some drinks at the hotel’s bar before eating an outstanding prime rib dinner in the Arches restaurant, located on-site. Being Friday, it’s the day’s special at only $10.95 for the dinner.

After checking out, we are heading home but want to stop in Coachella for a taco place that we’d been to years ago and enjoyed quite a bit. The Jalisco taqueria is not at all as good as I remember, but around the corner we stumble upon the Coachella Valley Fiesta de Chilies. Yes, I know the spelling is not correct, but that’s the way it was.

A nice little community festival was set up in the park behind city hall, with food booths (I wish I’d know about this before the tacos), beer garden, rides for the kids, and live entertainment on the stage. The star attraction was the chili cookoff. Eight booths we setup by local restaurants, police & fire departments, and individual cooks. Five dollars got you a bowl, a spoon, napkins, and 10 tickets. Each ticket was good for a sample at one of the booths. With eight, the remaining two were for your favorites. Whoever collected the most tickets wins the people’s choice award. There was also a panel of judges tasting for their own reward.

The Police Department's Chili Booth

While almost all of the chilis were good (the one sponsored by a local Indian casino was mediocre), the three of us thought that the police department’s chili was best, followed by a mild turkey base chili, and a pork based chili prepared by a local barbecue joint.

And with that, the trip ended as we drove the rest of the way home.

Darryl
Copyright 2009 - Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

BIRDS AND BLOOMS - Groundshaking Report!

On the day of the huge Easter quake down south (luckily, it seems there are few injuries and minor damage), we had 26 different birds today.  Nothing new compared to the last couple of lists, but here's some pictures.

This is the front yard rose garden which is filled with color right now.

Out back, here is a house finch hanging out with white capped sparrows.

Letty planted some basil in our whiskey barrel.

Here's a western bluebird that Letty is hoping will move into the bird house we put up.

This is an unknown miniature single rose next to our "Mr. Lincoln" rose.

This rose sprouted up as a volunteer (a weed that you decide to keep), we figure this is the bastard child of "Mr. Lincoln."

The hooded oriole has decided he can come to the feeder while we're on the patio now.  It took three weeks for him to get brave enough.

A goldfinch gets lunch at their feeder.

And we'll finish up with a new rose bloom that is perfect for Easter.  It's called "Peace."  And peace be with you, Happy Easter.

-Darryl

The Cocktail Hour - Skid Row Wine Bowl:Round 1

Welcome to the first round of the Skid Row Wine Bowl where we take an ultracheap wine...Two Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw)...and put it up against a higher rated moderately priced wine of the same variety.  We take the name for the cheap wine you'd get in the bad liquor stores along Skid Row.  At two dollars a bottle, Charles Shaw is cheaper than bottled water but it has a fairly good reputation among the public.

Made by Bronco Winery under owner Fred Franzia...Ernest Gallo's nephew...the grapes are sourced from wherever the company can get a good deal, transported to the winery in Napa, California (accounting for the Napa on the label), and made in huge quantities so they can be sold cheap.  They are exclusive to Trader Joe's and cost just $1.99 for a 750 ml bottle on the west coast.  Back east, the chain charges a dollar extra.

Truth be told, I've liked some of the Two Buck Chuck varietals over the years.  The Merlot and Syrah are not bad but most of their wine is mediocre and inconsistent.

Watch the Video - See Who Wins

For round 1, we are tasting Chardonnays.  Up against Chuck is the Northwoods Chardonnay, sourced from the Lodi and Delta areas of Central California and rated 82 points at corked.com.  We are doing a blind tasting, meaning we do not know what is in each glass.  I pour for Letty and she pours for me.  After the tasting, we reveal what is in each glass.  The wine is not swallowed so that our taste is not effected by the alcohol.  Each bottle was stored in the refridgerator for 20 minutes before being opened.

Charles Shaw is available at Trader Joe's for $1.99 or $2.99, depending on your location.

Northwoods is available at Fresh and Easy for $3.99 or $4.99 depending on if it is on sale.

So how did it go?  Watch the video above to find the winner of our first Skid Row Wine Bowl taste off.

(for those of you who are wondering why the credits are the way they are on the video, it is a tribute to  Engine Company 9 of the Los Angeles Fire Department.  See their "Skid Row" truck at the link.)

Cheers!

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

BLOOMS AND BIRDS - 3-28

What a gorgeous day here in the foothills! It's 82 degrees, sunny, and extremely clear. The hillsides...an emerald green last week...are just starting to show a hint of yellow this week.

Not a whole lot of birds this week, just 21 species this week, the star of the show continues to be the hooded oriole which finally came close enough for a picture. Above, you can see a couple of males on the hummingbird feeder my wife hung up in the guava tree while another watches from above.

We have two varieties of lantern vines, both are irresistable to the hummingbirds.

In the vegetable garden, everything's sprouting.  Above are the zucchinis with the carrots and the corn behind them.  Another close up of the corn is to the right.

The orange blossoms are open and the smell is incredible.  It attracts a lot of bees though.

It looks like we're going to have a very good crop of grapes this year.

"Julie Newmar" is busting out all over in the front yard rose garden.

This pink rose is also in the front...

as is this yellow one...

this other pink bloom...

and this miniature rose.

Out back is "Moonstone,"

..."Double Delight,"

...and another bloom just opening up on "Mr. Lincoln."

For the orchids, this epidendrum is now open...

...and the bletilla is blooming all over the place.

This hanging dendrobium will be quite spectacular when it opens in a couple of weeks,

but this impatiens is not waiting.

And that's it from an outstandingly beautiful day in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills.  Probably the peak of the season.

-Darryl