Yosemite - Monday

Tried to post this real time but no internet connection in Yosemite.

We wanted to take it easy today, especially with the altitude change. So we did two small hikes- one to Taft Point - was easy but rewarding with crazy scary fissures and an awe inspiring view. Not for people with a fear of heights. The other to Sentinal Dome which rewarded us with amazing 360 degree views. Windy but amazing. Worth the steep climb. Great view of El Capitan, though the sunlight made it hard to see. We meditated at the top and discovered it's impossible to close your eyes to meditate here - too much beauty to see. Had to rush back after sunset to find an open restaurant. Ended up taking pizza back to the room from Timber Loft. Was very good pizza.

Yosemite May 2012 - Sunday

Left for our trip to Yosemite today. We decided to stay in Fresno (at less than 1/3 the price) and go the rest of the short distance tomorrow. Couldn't believe the traffic in the LA area on a Sunday! What a nightmare. Temp was 101 going through Bakersfield, crazy as it is 70 in SD. I have enjoyed the warm evening though. I miss warm evenings just a little bit :-). Happened across a lovely little restaurant, Campagne. Good wine by the glass. Enjoyed a Paraiso Pinot, 2009. Look forward to our first glimpses of Yosemite National Park tomorrow!

Mt. Laguna, April 2012

Another gorgeous day for a hike. We hiked 10 miles today!! Fell in the lake a bit over a swampy pass. 

Mission Trails, March 2012

Mission Trails, February 2012

Several nice trails in Mission Trails, nice day

Blue Sky Reserve, April 2012

Simple, easy hike.

Black Mountain hike Feb 2012

Black Mountain Hike, February 2012

Lake Poway - short hike

January 9, 2012

Went on a short hike with Josh, Kyle & Vikki. Started at the restrooms and went around 30 or 45 minutes then returned. A short hike with views of the lake. Easy and pretty.

Cowles Mountain

February 17, 2012

Hiked Cowles Mountain today, very difficult for me. The steps were very steep going up and being so short, I had to really hike up my legs on every step. The trails got very crowded as well. I talked Josh into taking off today and hanging with me for this hike. And it was still busy on a Friday. I enjoyed the hike. It was 2 hours or so with moderate to difficult on my scale. No bathrooms. Beautiful views of the city, mountains, bay and even the Coronado islands.

Hiking

Josh and I have been doing quite a bit of hiking lately. We occasionally hike locally and try to always find new places on vacation, but recently, we have been hiking a lot. It is springtime and a beautiful time to be out and about in the county.

So I am going to put on a few postings that will not be real time. I realized I wanted to document our hikes so I'm going to do that here until I catch up, then it will be real time.

Thanks for following.

Bluegrass Brunch @ Urban Solace

What a great time...drinks and brunch at Urban Solace with my two favorite guys. Oh and with bluegrass, doesn't get much better.

Kitchen 4140 Bistro

Kitchen 4140 is another one of our secret favorite spots that has become hugely popular and not such a secret anymore. They use fresh, local ingredients and the recipes are to die for. Everything they create is a cullinary work of art, from their hearty unique breakfast dishes to the kobe patty melt  (my absolute favorite - this needs to be my last meal if that ever comes up) and truffle fries to their daily specials. They even make a special juice of the day. I think I've mentioned those on here before. Fresh ingredients and very refreshing.

I especially love their Sunday brunch if you can get in, it's been getting busier and busier...my husband can have breakfast and I can have a lunch food. Don't get me wrong, they have lots of great breakfast dishes but every time I go, I find myself wanting lunch foods. The latest gourmet delight was a special - New Orleans cajun shrimp cakes served over a bed of arugula with a bit of house made honey mustard. These were so great! And my husband enjoyed his vanilla waffle with fresh berries and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
Yummy as always. Well done, Chef Kurt. By the way, a quick hello to manager, Jacob, he's really sweet and attentive and seems full of good ideas.

Did I mention they grow their own herbs and veggies, and they smoke many of their own meats. Plus it's a cute place, they've fixed it up really nice. I hope they will stick around and will maybe someday open for dinner or Saturday's (please!).

http://kitchen4140.com/

Sushi @ Fish Attack

Josh and I discovered a great little sushi place a while back, tucked away in Clairemont. It was always good, reasonably priced, close to home and we never had to wait. Unfortunately, it seems the rest of Clairemont has now discovered it too (I'm pretty sure it's not from reading my blog :-))  Fish Attack on Clairemont Mesa and Clairemont is a fun and reliable place to go for fresh sushi. We discovered the word was out when we called for a take out order on a weekend and they said it would be an hour and a half! Of course, Josh wasn't having any of that so we went elsewhere that night, but I was sad. Their firecracker roll is my favorite, and all of their sushi is fresh. I enjoy their house hot sake, and Josh enjoys their interesting selection of beers.

Photos are of the firecracker roll, spicy tuna roll and sashimi.

Enjoy

http://www.fishattacksushihouse.com/

Eddie V's in La Jolla

Okay, I'm not usually a huge fan of chain restaurants but we headed over to La Jolla to Eddie V's Prime Seafood for a pre-Valentine's Day (aka pre-crowds, pre-super expensive) dinner tonight and were pleasantly surprised.

Other than one table of uber obnoxious, loud people sitting in the same dining area sucking down wine and getting louder by the bottle, we had a wonderful experience. Even with those folks getting rowdy, we had a great time. The views are amazing and though it was night time, the view was still quite wonderful. I'm sure in the daytime or at sunset, it's downright fantastic. We will be headed back to see that sunset, I am sure because the food and service here were superb. And the ambiance was really nice and romantic. This is a good date night spot. I had the George's Bank Lemon Sole, Parmesan crusted with a lemon garlic sauce and topped with beautiful heirloom tomatoes and herbs. It was delectable, some of the best sole I've ever had and the hubby had a very fresh piece of the special fish of the day, a pacific grouper served simply broiled with a lemon garlic broth. We started with an appetizer special that I didn't catch the name of, but they were baby scallops with artichoke on a beautiful bed of quinoa, at least that's what I think it was...I've never had quinoa before but I'm 98% certain. We finished our meal with a side of the crab fried rice, excellent as well. No room for dessert tonight but the wines by the glass were nice, and they had a good selection.

The waitstaff was friendly and professional which is a huge must have for me. We'll be going back again soon.

Eddie V's La Jolla
858.459.5500
1270 Prospect St.
La Jolla, CA 92037