Sarap Tikman

Last night, this happened...

There was a Filipino food pop up featuring Filipino chefs/bakers along with music and entertainment.

The pop up was a first for the PASACAT...

Another belated Post - 20th Anniversary Dinner at Thanh Long (2015)

Our 20th Anniversary Dinner was at a beloved neighborhood restauraunt...

Thanh Long, which is owned by the same family who own Crustacean in Beverly Hills.

The good thing was that we didn't have to drive too far since it was literally only a few minutes away from our motel...

Strawberries

Last year we planted six strawberry plants.

After a few months, each plant started growing "runners"...

Return to Trouble Coffee

Literally a few steps away from Outerlands is Trouble Coffee..

we were there the previous summer when my former student got married...

A waaaaaay belated post - 20th Anniversary Breakfast (2015) at Outerlands, Outer Sunset

Our anniverary is coming up...

Yes, it's been that long!


Although it will  be 21 years THIS year, I wanted to at least publish last year's milestone anniversary post(s) before the next one rolled around...

Chula Vista Bayside Park

Last year Bert and I were over at the J Street Marina. We were checking out the new public art installation as well as the older one (post is linked at the end) and noticed another pier across the way...

Today was the day we would finally check it out...

It was pretty easy to get to since we were heading down the 5. Just exit H street and head west until you get to the Marina sign...

"Mad About the Fair" - SD Fair 2016: The Food

You saw The Sights...

Let's cut to the chase and get to the Food we tried at the SD Fair this year...

"The Evolution of American Culture" Art Exhibit by John Mireles

Our visit to Imperial Grounds Coffee was going to be short...

Our coffee fix was already taken care of. This time, we were here to check out the art exhibit...

"Mad About the Fair" - SD Fair 2016: The Sights

It's that time of the year again...

where we make the trek to the horse park in Del Mar to score on free parking...

in order to attend the San Diego County Fair super early...

Recent breakfasts - Mango Mango & Manna

Sometime last month we all went out to try Mango Mango's breakfast...

I'd only been there for lunch and we had some coupons to use as well...

Liberty Public Market Revisit - WestBean & Le Parfait Paris + Moniker Coffee fail

It was a typical San Diego summer day...

sunny already (despite the haze), as we crossed over the PCH on Barnett Ave. I wanted to check out a new'ish coffee place in Liberty Station...

Trees of Mystery

Now this was a spot we could not pass up...


When you see a ginormous Paul Bunyon and an, uh anatomically correct blue ox...

you just have to go see the Trees of Mystery...

Tour Thru Tree, Klamath

The third and last tourist trap drive through tree was a few miles north of Trinidad...

Up in Klamath, eh.

They called it the "Tour Thru Tree", named to avoid legal problems with the other "Drive Thru" trees. In any case, we were going to make it three for three...

Hole in the Wall Restaurant

Bert also picked out the next place (which was nice because I didn't have to think too much)...

It was a few minutes away from Florence Street where we saw the cool junkyard sculptures of local artist Patrick Amiot.

Our lunch destination was a placed called "Hole in the Wall Restaurant"...

Patrick Amiot Sculptures on Florence Avenue, Sebastopol

Bert read online about a street in Sebastopol where practically every house had a cool sculpture...

The street was Florence Avenue and it also happens to the same street that the artist and his wife/artistic partner live.

If you enter Floreve Ave on the western end, you will see the Tardis...

Joe Matos Cheese Factory

Fresh from our caffeine fix at Flying Goat...

we headed westward to a small cheese farm...

that I first read about on Kirk's blog (post linked at the end)...

Flying Goat Coffee, Santa Rosa and the Train Depot

On our way to our coffee destination, we saw this...

a giant hand sculpture outside the Macy's exit in the Santa Rosa mall. Interesting this was.

Across from the train depot was a historic building which now houses Flying Goat Coffee..

The houses from "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Scream", Santa Rosa

We had a light breakfast at our hotel before heading out to Santa Rosa...

Bert had some coffee and we all had mini crepes with jam and sugar (they didn't have Nutella, drat)...

There was a lady making crepes in a parlor area; they were there for the taking. She would make a batch or stack and make more as it ran low.

We had a long day ahead of us and our first stop was just a few minutes north from Petaluma...

Risibisi + a glimpse of downtown Petaluma

Our French inspired hotel was quite cute and we were fortunate enough to have a spacious second floor room.  The weather by this time, had become quite gray and overcast with a bit of a chill and even some light sprinkles.

We drove to downtown Petaluma, recognizing the clock tower, the Lan Mart store as well as their other historic buildings (thanks to rewatching "American Graffiti" a week prior)...


Dinner would be downtown at an Italian place...

Holy Trinity Church, the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse & War Memorial + Old Home Beach

This church in Trinidad, California looked straight out of a story book...

with its gothic windows and cross topped spire...

California Carnivores, Sebastopol

Our hotel in Petaluma would still be waiting for us...

but first, to Sebastopol...

where we passed by farms like these complete with bovine friends...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 6 Highlights

This day was purely food stops...

Our initial destination was a breakfast place in Granada Hills...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 5 Highlights

Once again, bright and early...

We'd been on this pier before from our summer trip two years ago, but we wanted to get some morning exercise in...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 4 Highlights

Before leaving Santa Barbara, we made sure to catch a glimpse of this famous tree...

Look it up on google. San Diego has our own in Balboa Park, but this one is much much bigger...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 3 Highlights

We were off to an early start...

making our way to Goleta, where UC Santa Barbara is located.

One of my good friends hooked me up with a librarian friend of his who works at the university...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 2 Highlights

Whenever we visit a city for the first time, we try to hit up the "must see" places so that if we ever go back, we won't have to do it again (ha ha). But really, in our past experiences with Santa Barbara, it was mainly a "pee stop", buy a quick snack and then leave.  This time, we would check out a few spots on our "lists"...

Doing everything super early in the morning when NO ONE  is out is also a plus.

Having it cool and overcast was also another big plus...

Summer Road Trip 2016 - Day 1 Highlights

In the dead of night...

we departed good ole SD and headed up for our Summer Vacation with a few planned stops along the way..

Yoda & Indiana Jones @ Imagination Park, San Anselmo

From our lunch and coffee break in San Rafael, we made the short trek to nearby San Anselmo...

another small town in Marin County, which is also home to a particular park...

that we COULD NOT PASS UP!

S3 Coffee Bar

Yesterday after my outing with Astroboi, I stopped by this particular strip mall to originally get donuts from Donut Panic.

A quick glance to the right showed me that the coffee shop (in the works since last year) was finally open!

Well now, it's time to check out S3 then...

Farewell to the Ice Cream Man @ Mariposa

Last week I got a sad text from Cathy of mmm-yoso.

Mr. Dick Van Ransom-Magana, owner of Mariposa Ice Cream in Normal Heights had passed away...

Return to Sam Woo & Pappalecco (Kensington) for Astroboi's birthday crawl

Like how Cathy and her mister have their "favorite" parking spot when going to Ranch 99 (it's not in the main lots that's for sure), so does Astroboi.

Away from the crowds is always good. Going early to Ranch 99's Sam Woo for breakfast is also good.

Although we arrived at 8:30 when Sam Woo opened, there was actually a line...