Art Lulls

...Muse! Where are you?...

   Gee, it's been a while since I have posted anything. I'm having a bad case of artist block. This is the longest lull that I have been through. Hopefully something will smack it outta me! LOL! It hasn't made it easy to get anything done in my sketchbook. It was suppose to be a daily...or at least some what daily sketchbook. It's probably been a week or more since anything has been added! I'm not giving up on it though. I am determined to fill it. Here is one of the last things that I done in it...

I did a face too...which I'm not really good at. I can't decide whether or not if I like it. Here's a snippet of that...

So, what does one do when they can't figure out there art muse? You check out what's new in the neighborhood. Recently a huge Bass Pro Shop store opened up here. I thought that there can't possibly be anything in there that I want. ...but hmmm, I think anyone can find something that they like! Check out the inside of this place! It looks like you're in the woods!

Some of the store made you feel like you were in a log cabin. Lot's of animal trophy's. Eek! Deer heads, Moose...other big animals. :( They also had fish, but I think they were fake. :)

I wish we could have our own individual mailboxes. I would love to have one of these fish!

They even had fish pillows! I know...everything to fill all of my fish fascination! (...and yes, they had a lot of bird thangs too!) Anyways, that's what one does during an art lull. 

A Foodie Kind Of Day

...another mini adventure...

   A mini adventure, or what my family likes to call, "Adventure Time." It's what we do, with these simple rules. Go as far as you can on one tank of gas. Drop yourself in an area that's unfamiliar to you and see what you find. Cheap lunch is a must! Pictures, pft! No brainer, take lotsa pics! Usually it's my three son's and I that go on these adventures. However, my hubby is home for a break from work. (Military) So, he took me and our two youngest kiddo's to Palo Alto and Half Moon Bay CA. 

   The hubster had us breaking some rules! Lunch wasn't cheap, but are we complaining? Nope! We ate at Belcampo Meat Co. in Palo Alto.

 It's a butcher shop that also sells some cooked items. Jonah and I had the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. Jeryn and the hubster had Meatball Subs. We all shared a mess of frites and downed some bottled Cola. (Well worth the rule breaking.)

Here's my fistful...

...so...we're sitting outside...and while we are eating, we spy a sweet shop. Ugh! Must we? Yes of course we must! We wander into Tout Sweet Patisserie. 

At this point I haven't even tasted anything, but the eye candy alone is delicious. The shop is sparkling white, with pops of intense colors. Yum!

The store keeper, which now I guess I shoulda asked her name, was so kind. I asked if she minded me taking a bunch of pictures. She smiled and said click away! We made a small purchase, but dang you could spend a small fortune on these sweets. I can understand why though, their goods are time consuming styled sweetness. 

*Sigh...look at those lil beauties!

After our foodie obsessed session, we drove over to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve near Half Moon Bay.

We were a little bummed...it was high tide. I was thinking of all of the things I might find in the tidal pools, but hmmm...a little tough to do when they are underwater! LOL! 

No creatures, but I did spy some stacked rocks. What does it mean? Who know's what it meant to the first person that started it. Some think it's to symbolize patience and balance in life. Another theory is that, it's a prayer. In other cultures, it's a trail marker or cache. All in all, it was a grand mini adventure. :)

San Francisco's Financial District & Point Lobos

...adventure on one tank of gas...

    Every so often the kids and I go out, looking for some adventure. We haven't got a lot of money, so we stick to some simple rules. First, we go only as far as a tank of gas can take us. Second, we have a cheap lunch, but some where we haven't eaten. Finally, we stop where ever it looks like it's a good place to explore. 

   This time we landed ourselves in the financial district of San Francisco. It's an odd feeling being in the city with buildings so tall, they block out the sunlight. It's easy to feel small.

 We started strolling through the city. I felt really self conscious taking pics. People look annoyed when you're snapping away. I did manage a few though...and yeah it involves FOOD! 

There's Josh ordering up some Onigiri, or rice balls. A perfect food for consuming on a walk. The sidewalk was pretty busy and the shop teeny tiny....so my pics are lacking. However, here's a link for those of you interested in Onigilly

These are Beef Teriyaki flavored. :) 

Right next door was a place called Plentea. So, I'm not going lie. Their gimmick makes their product look even more enticing. They serve bubble tea's and coffee's. The gimmick...it comes in a tall glass milk jar container. It just looks SO refreshing. ...but then you drink it, and then you know, it was worth it. Click the link on their name to see more pics/info. Here's my only picture. Josh looks totally happy to try his drink! He and I got Coffee Milk Tea. Josh has his with Mochi bubbles.

Jeryn & Jonah got Nutella Milk Tea.

Two thumbs up for the big city.

...next up...Point Lobos and the Sutro Baths...

From here we saw whales, but I don't have a proper camera to get pictures of them. However, I did get some fun pics all over this park. 

Here's Jeryn & Jonah standing on the Sutro Baths. Check out the link above. The history behind the baths are pretty interesting.

Here's a look from the cliff above...

My weirdlings in a cave...

A brave dude at the edge...

...but this pic sorta sums us up...feel's like we're the "Thrill Society." (Even though our thrills are pretty tame!)

A Visit to El & Em

...where I've been & what I've hauled...

    I have some more babbering to do about my recent trip to Washington State. Pull up a chair if ya want to hear about it. :) 

...I was staying in the small town of Battle Ground. (Where no battle took place, I have read! LOL!) Anyhoot, at their city center...their main street so to speak, are an abundance of vintage stores. My favorite store, is a new one called, "El & Em." 

They have vintage things, but what I like about them, is that they have craft things mixed in. If you were a mix media or paper fanatic, you'd love this store. They even had a room in back where they hold classes for a diverse range of crafts. Wish I had know that sooner...I would have attended one. ...Here's a look inside the store...

Check out the ladder on the ceiling...what a great, unexpected way to display....anything. 

Some of you might recall a hardware organizer, that I was talking about. The one from Harbor Freight...it's in this store. The black 4 level deal-io in the bottom right of pic. They had all kinds of charms, for sale, in it. 

Since this is a haul post too...I bought two things from this store. One is a sewing desk drawer. I love the drawer pull on it and the detail along the side. It fits 4x6 cards perfectly....hmmm...

I also got a little cloche with a pic in it. I have a thing for cloches! You can see the one that I've had for a while. It holds the award ribbons I made. I also got a new smaller version from Goodwill. Oh, and I bought that brass bell there too! Both for the whopping price of 99 cents each. :)

I found another of these little glass boxes at Goodwill. I have a growing collection of them. Right next to them I got those little ceramic birds. :)

Are ya still with me? Okay last haul share. A couple of years ago, I bought the 3 clay masks that are at the bottom of the pic. I love their whimsical faces! When I got home I thought, "Gee, I shoulda bought more." They were $6 a piece. Got them at an art shop in Cannon Beach, Oregon.  I found the same shop selling these masks, ...but there was only a small few to choose from. I told the shopkeeper that I wanted to add to my collection...bummer that there wasn't more masks. He told me that the artist has gotten ill and will no longer be making these fun little masks. :( I'm grateful to have these little works...I wish I had gotten more info on the artist. 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post. I know it's a bit long winded, but hopefully the abundance of pics make it more enjoyable. TTFN!

The Waffle Window!

...food weirdness in Portland Oregon...

   For those of you that know me, my trips involve FOOD! If I can get something unusual, the better. ...So waffles...not so unusual, but The Waffle Window in Portland makes a fabulous variety of Waffles. Check out the pic below. It's a window in the wall. Not a drive thru...just walk up to it. 

Picture by Joshua Fetalvero

To the right of the pic, there is a parking lot. They have a covered picnic area where you can chow down. 

First we had savory Waffles...

I had the 3 B's...Brie, Bacon & Basil

It came with apple jelly. The sweet and savory combo was delightful! We also shared some dessert themed Waffles...

Mmm, Blueberry Cheesecake...

Nutella & Banana

The Hawthorne District has many interesting boutiques, vintage stores, eateries...etc. But you can also find things on the street...if you've got an eye for it. Below are some pics my son Josh took...

Someone took the time to write, "Fairies Exist."

Beauty in graffiti...yeah, I think so...

News stand

Portland has a lot of little spots of "sticker bombing." Usually mixed in with graffiti. Some might think it's trash...but I dunno...I kind of like it. 

Mini Adventure Two

...Rattle Snake Bar...

 

The Dim Sum was great, but I really wanted to get out and about. My eldest son is a great person to be with when you wanna get out, 'cause he loves to drive! I told him that I wanted to try out my camera on my new phone. I wanted to take pictures of bugs and stuff. Ha!

So we went here, at Folsom Lake. The entrances, I suppose, have different names. The one that we went to was Rattle Snake Bar. A name, that for sure, will put you at ease! Ha ha ha! I had my eyes peeled to the ground. ...which led me to discover this guy...

I was thinking....Hurry up! Snap a pic before it gets away!...It was dead...so I got the pic...

On our stroll, I found this heart someone left behind. Told my son we had to take a pic of it, 'cause someone took the time to make it! Tee hee. 

A Mini Adventure One

...Dim Sum and then some...

   I promised some of my friends that I would post a little bit about my day, that included Dim Sum. What does Dim Sum mean? Translated, it literally means, "Touch your heart." I suppose they are trying to say that you'll love it! Dim Sum are small bite sized foods. They can be savory and they can also be sweet. I've  had Dim Sum practically my whole life. So, I take for granted that this type of dining is an unusual experience in itself. The food comes in little steamer baskets and plates. Your server will be pushing these little cuties, on a cart, letting you choose what you want. These places usually don't look like much on the outside...

This place looks a lot more grand inside...

This place was huge! This pic is just under half of the room. Anyhoot, let's get to the important stuff...the food!

This one is my youngest son's favorite. Siu Mai..."Pork dumpling." It goes by other names too...Shumai, Siomai...etc.

The above pic is also pork, but they have water chestnuts and chopped mushrooms inside too. 

These crazy things are fried shrimp balls. I never eat them...shhh...just 'cause I can never eat them neatly! LOL! I let the kids tackle those!

My favorite is the Fried Taro Ball...

Lucky me...my kids don't like it...all mine. ;)

Anyways, we ordered a bunch of other stuff...but eventually...you just gotta put down the camera and eat. 

Dessert: Custard Tarts!

If you want to try Dim Sum, but your worried about how to order. Don't be...just about everything is shrimp or pork. The only thing that might turn off some, is the chicken feet and Tripe. They are not disguised, so I wouldn't worry about ordering it. Otherwise, try whatever looks good. :)