Pumpkin Patch and Apple Picking

I'm really not trying to rub it in, but it's so much fun being near mom and dad and Ali. It's just fun being back in he States and closer to EVERYONE!

Even though us west coast folks are still waiting on cooler fall temperatures, that didn't stop us from a little fall lovin' this weekend! 

(As I told Ali, I keep trying to "make fall happen" -it's just not working)

Mom dad and Ali met at our apartment and we headed up to Oak Glen to stuff our faces with all things apple. Mmm. 

The orchards were kinda insane but thanks to dad's wizardry we got a super secret spot over by the Wildlands Conservancy. We just needed Ross Long Arms to hoist up this barrier so we could drive through.

V.  I.  P!!!

It was pretty busy but always fun to get out and people watch I mean, hang out as a family and sample apple stuff. But seriously, there were some grabby people. See below where a family started setting up enough camp chairs for a Mormon family reunion, ALL AROUND Ali. 

We were at the Los Rios orchard and it was fun to look around. They have this table where you can sample all these different kinds of apples there were probably close to 15 different kinds. As one lady said, "I didn't even know there could be so many kinds of apples!" 

It's amazing what you can learn when you leave San Bernardino! *dramatic eye roll*

Ross's favorite was "Liberty" which tasted like a Washington with the firmness if a Honeycrisp -Quintessential Fall with overtones of freedom. Ali's favorite was the Honeycrisp and the Winesap Staymen. Coincidentally, those were also my favorites! And I also really liked the Pippin. Mom and dad also liked the Honeycrisp, but mom had to go easy on the sugars.

They also had their famous apple cider for tasting, or if you are a grabby senior citizen, gulping. The "ONE sample each please" sign appeared to be frequently ignored. But I can't blame them. Ali and I were thinking if making moustaches to go back for seconds. In the top left of the above collage you can see an apple press, where they just super-smash apples for cider.

They also had some amazing homemade jams and jellies. Me, being a total sucker, made off with a few, including a mile high apple pie!

We got pictures by the little pumpkin patch display and after mom dad and Ross taking turns staying in the gnarly line, we had food! We got some tri tip and pulled pork sandwiches (with apple cider to drink). It was delicious.



It was a fun time and after an atrocious time waiting in line for the bathroom, we headed back down to Redlands.

I keep trying to hold back things from people who visit because I need excuses for them to come visit. But mom and dad had a ton of energy (from apple consumption?) and so we did some fun things around time before dinner.

Things like visiting the Smiley Library, and showing mom all the cool stained-glass in the children's section.



And the creepy marionette doll in this mirrored case that makes it look like a twin.



We made a visit to the bookstore in the library and there was this weird little kid that seemed to be following Ali around. 

We also visited this adorable children's bookstore that sounds like a dirty word.

With a recliner that dad is now obsessed with.



It was  and colorful little place!

Also hit up a little nickel and dime style candy store. Before we got some macaroons and a cupcake. Ever since I tried them last time Ali was here I have been obsessed (note: too poor for addiction). 

They have adorable holiday-themed cake pops too. 

Then we came back to the apartment and hung out and had some dinner. Had some apple pie and laughed about old memories. It was soo much fun. I get so sad when I see mom and dad and Ali leave. It's good I love them, but I think part of me still suffers from Grenada where every moment some one I love leaves, I panic I won't see them again for months.

Foodie Adventures

It is a bit of a bummer that I don't have a car that I can zoom around in at my leisure, but luckily I am surrounded by great people who are really helpful and amazing at getting me to where I want to go. One such person is my cool little sis Ali. It's fun to be unemployed together because we can share in misery and frustration, but also live it up and have fun random adventures.

She often volunteers for the job of schleping me around, and we are continually convincing the other one to stay at our place. We both win sometimes.

This past time, we decided to try out this hip little macaroon shop.

I am going to be honest, I've never actually hadI a macaroon, but I thought these were pretty great. The "IE Explorer" might have been my favorite. It was dark chocolate with dark chocolate filling. We  also got a cup-cake. Not to be confused with a cupcake. As you can see from the top right, it is a cup, filled with cake, a cream layer, then white chocolate! It was absolutely amazing. It was called purple amethyst in part, I am sure, because the top of the chocolate was glittering purple. Also, it has a cute little mini macaroon on it.

Just to be ultra fancy we got some specialty sodas as well. They were also amazing. I have decided to call myself a "foodie" because that makes me sound less fat when I constantly blog about food. 

The Great Wall of Los Angeles

I love writing about my adventures because they don't really sound crazy until I write them down.

Like that one time my sister found this "hidden gem" in the east part of The Valley and we decided, "Sure! Let's navigate through somewhat unknown streets and find it."

We pretty much had no expectations and those are always the best adventures. So with some U-turns and sketchy parking situations, oh and finding this wonderful inside joke street:

... we made it!

I present: The Great Wall of Los Angeles

The Great Wall of L.A. is a 2,754 foot long mural on the walls of the Tujunga Wash; one of the longest murals in the world!



The mural depicts California history, and begins in the very beginning: Pre-history and Colonialism.

We started at the beginning, which I would recommend, but be careful of the bum community scattered along the chain-link fence line. When I saw a pile of cigarette butts, followed but a human foot, I wasn't sure if I was at the scene of a crime or the scene of an art mural.



But Ali and I walked along, checking out the mural and old gnarled TV trays filled with fungus water for ferral cats. I love the section of the mural above, "Youth Team at L.A. harbor." Perhaps the huge duck thing pictured on the bottom right is a prophetic vision to the future duck in the harbor?! And maybe shark-man on the bottom left is ... Sharknado 2?!?

Anyways, it was interesting to see events that were big for America, and events that were specific to California. Or some, like the Mayan corn lady whispering in Thomas Edison's ear. Still trying to mull that one over.



What was even more intriguing, were all the things we hadn't heard of or names we didn't recognize. Guess we have some brushing up to do.



And although a portion of the time was spent avoiding bums, wondering what West Nile mutant strand was growing in the wash, and peering through rusty chain link, it was a cool experience. I love doing new and unique things, especially with my partner in crime.

Duckling Takes the Harbor

My heart often goes out to my parents. Because I think I am more crazy as an adult than I ever was as a child. What I am saying is, if they thought it was bad when I was a teen, they had another thing coming, because now I'm really insane and I live close enough to be annoying.

When I asked my parents if they wanted to go see a giant inflatable duckie in the Los Angeles harbor, I don't think they were surprised. But they were hesitant to come along, and I had no clue why.

IT IS A GIANT RUBBER DUCK.

But they are amazing parents, and they came.

By the time we navigated to it, I came to find out my parents had no idea that it was giant.

I had a good laugh at this, they thought their crazy daughter wanted to drive all the way down to L.A. to see a  5 foot duck floating in the harbor?! (admittedly, something I might do)



No. This is a 60-foot duck, that has spent the last seven years traveling the world.



The duck came with a story about a pretty famous episode from 1992 (maybe only famous if your parents are scientist and love the ocean).



In '92 a shipping crate en route from Hong Kong to Tacoma, WA went overboard and was lost at sea. 29,000 bath toys spent the next 20 years washing up in the darndest of places from Hawaii to Alaska, down to South America. But that's not all, they also washed up in Australia, the pacific northwest, Scotland, England, even frozen in Arctic ice. This accidental demonstration "revolutionized" our understanding of ocean currents. These "Friendly Floatees" have quite the following.

Also, rubber ducks are just really cute and fun to take pictures with.



My partner in crime when it comes to convincing mom and dad to do stuff.



Big duck and little duck together.

Afterwards we headed over to the San Pedro fish market. I know this may be hard to believe, but I had never been there. Not even mom had been there! My dad is sometimes in the area during the week, and was therefore surprised to see it was so busy. 

The way it works: You can pick out fresh fish from this room where they are on ice, or you can go to the counter and order. You can pick a little of this or a little of that, what ever your heart desires and your pocketbook can take. For the amount of dead fish hanging around that joint, it wasn't too stinky. Let's not forget my comparative experiences at the fish market in Grenada.

You pick out the goods, then you take it to this window where the grill it up and season it for you. They have other vendors around where you can buy other types of food. Like spicy corn.

You can tell my mom is the one that lives and works in Palmdale because she was all about that spicy corn. And good thing too, because it was delicious.

When our food came out, we realized perhaps we over-bought.

Literally a cafeteria tray heaped with seafood. Sweet juicy seafood. Get in my belly!!

Afterwards we somehow all got in the car and rolled our way over to Long Beach. We stopped at this bookstore called Piccilo's, where every book is only a $1.



Oh yes. The only downside is that there is no AC, so you might die in the process of sorting through hundreds of thousands of books to find some you want. But if you love pretty much all books, that shouldn't be a problem (yes, my family loves bookstores).



Ross browsing the comics. And a couple of my favorite finds:

Cher, always a winner. And Joan Rivers who promises to bounce back, because she survived everything, and she means everything. Too soon?