Tag Archives: my parents rock

by | July 1, 2013 · 5:54 pm

Parental Guidance

My parental unit came by this weekend for a visit from Colorado to spoil me rotten, so we hit up some of the necessary traditions.
am15Chicken Tikka Masala…
am14Baingan Bharta…
am13Saag Paneer. We’re huge Indian food fanatics, so every time we get together buffets are consumed at least once. At least.
amAfter a long weekend of wine tasting, feasting on the lake and attempting to keep cool in the 113 degree heat, we took a final visit to the beach for some ocean views – one thing they definitely don’t have in Colorado.
am0Pepperdine University has one of the most amazing ocean views around, plus cool breezes and 75 degree temperatures. It was a very appreciated breath from the heat wave we’ve been having.
Pepperdineam2Mumsie and me!
am3Me and my pops!
am5We headed back into the brutal heat for a final farewell breakfast at one of my new favorite spots, Pedalers Fork.
am6Brand new and beautiful inside, the only thing I could appreciate even more than the air conditioning is the decor. And people. And food. But, oh how I adore that A/C!
am7Pedalers Fork is a combination farm-to-table restaurant with a full lineup of beer and huge cocktail list, coffee shop and bike repair shop.
am8Even with the heat, I can’t pass up their amazing coffee that’s roasted in house – 10 Speed Coffee.
am9Mumsie ordered the vegan and gluten free Whitney Ranch Blueberry Johnny Cakes. Edible flowers included.
am11Pops went for the Spring Shakshouka with poached eggs in harissa broth. Random and delicious. I think he may have regretted the hot skillet after it began emanating waves of heat into his face, though.
am10I stuck with a classic – smoked turkey and avocado sammich with baby kale caesar salad and a nice tall pint of Enegren Captain’s Summer Session on the side.
stacheWe parted ways and I enjoyed some of the loot from my parental unit’s visit. Mustache hat with matching removable mustache. How could I not?

In other news – I’m headed back to Boston tomorrow for a week! Happy July!

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by | April 20, 2011 · 8:26 pm

Staycation!

My pops has the week off from work, so we decided to live it up: family-style! We all headed down to the Channel Islands Harbor around noon, slathered in sunscreen and donned in hats, and jumped in some kayaks. Who needs to travel when you have the ocean at your front door?
Staycation > Vacation!
It was a BEAUTIFUL day out! It was partly cloudy for about half of our time on the water, and around 65 degrees.
My WONDERFUL, GORGEOUS parental unit 🙂
We spent about two hours on the water, acting like idiots (my dad and I)…
…while my mom rolled her eyes and kept her distance so as to not be associated with said idiots.
After two hours on the water, we were famished! We headed to our favorite place to replenish our caloric needs with as much grease as possible: Andria’s!!!
For the first time ever, there was NO LINE out the door! We actually got to wait in the INSIDE line before placing our order! It was around 2pm, so even though the place was still pretty packed, this is nothing compared to the regular lunch rush.
One of the most important things to do first at Andria’s (after ordering) is to get an exorbitant amount of tartar sauce. If it doesn’t make people cringe as you walk by with all the little containers, then it’s not enough.
If this picture doesn’t make you weep with joy, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
My parents got the fried clams while I stuck with my favorite – fried fish and chips. You really can’t go wrong at Andria’s. If it’s covered in batter and tartar sauce, it’s GOOD!
Once we were replenished and uncomfortably stuffed (the only way to be after a visit to Andria’s), we walked around the harbor.
A few days ago, a HUGE school of sardines were chased into the harbor by sea lions and had no exit. They used up all the oxygen and perished. The city had to bring in a bunch of people to scoop up all them dead fishes and dump them somewhere else, but there were still hundreds floating on the surface, and on the sea floor.
There were MANY a happy seagull!
All that tragic death left us upset (kinda, not really), so we drove up to Main Street in Ventura and drowned our sorrows in beer and Magners (most definitely really) at the local Irish pub.
And of course since we were there, we HAD to stop by Trufflehounds to pick up some chocolate! Fried fish and Magners just wasn’t enough replenishment.

Overall, it was a pretty tough day with all the paddling and gorging and weeping over delicious fried fish, then weeping more over the deceased sardines, but I’d call it a win! *insert winky face here*

Do you vacation or staycation?

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