Surf and Hike

It has been so gorgeous lately Fred and I just had to take advantage of it. 

With our new booties we paddled out at the harbor in Oceanside. My dad met us there (he is a regular at the harbor). 

The booties were a nice way to combat the chilly water. 

After we got home we changed into hiking clothes and were off to Daley Ranch.

We lost the sun quickly but were prepared for the rest of the hike with headlamps. 

 What a perfect day! It really makes you appreciate living in sunny San Diego. 

Yuletide

Fred and I spent Christmas morning drinking coffee and opening presents. 

After a banana pecan pancake breakfast we headed up to Temecula. 

What a beautiful day Christmas fell on. Almost 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in sight. 

We sat on the patio of Steve and Denise's parents' house drinking more coffee, snacking, and chatting.

Thanks for having us over, and for the presents!

Next stop- my sisters...

You'll shoot your eye out!

Santa gave Elle what she asked for. A pink BB gun.

The girls couldn't wait to open their presents from Fred and I. 

It is nice arriving a little later in the day so the Christmas excitement can be extended. 

I couldn't resist getting these animal hats for the girls. 

 ADORABLE!! 

A snowboarding iron for Fred and I. Just what we needed!

Our dad got Ruby Just Dance 3 for Wii. 

She enjoyed it, but I think we enjoyed it more. 

The evening ended with our tamale dinner.

I think these were our best tamales yet!

Thanks Marla for hosting!

Christmas Eve Hike

It was our mission to find some local snow so Fred took me up to Palomar Mountain. We hiked the Observatory trail, a trail in his district. 

I was a little skeptical but Fred found me SNOW!

It took less than an hour to drive from Escondido to Palomar Mountain.  It is amazing that in such a short drive you can be in a totally different biome. 

The bark on this tree is a work of art. 

I have been obsessed with the sky lately. On our way back down the mountain the view of the ocean was amplified by an inspiring palette of colors. 

What a great way to spend Christmas Eve!

Cena de Navidad

For the past few years Marla and I have made tamales for Christmas dinner (why should this only be a Mexican tradition?!) 

My mom made tamales for us growing up and over the years developed a technique that quickened the wrapping process. It is still quite a production that my sister and I undertake but it is so worth it for delicious homemade tamales.

Amo los tamales como una senorita ama su cantante.

We made three types of filling this year:

1- Mom's traditional (chicken, cheese, onions, olives)

2- Spicy veggie (black beans, cheese, jalapeno, onions)

3- Greek veggie (feta, roasted red pepper, spinach, olives, red onions)

It is imperative to get the right masa for the dough.  We always use Maseca Tamales.  We bought the wrong kind on accident but immediately noticed a difference and had to drive to three stores looking for the right stuff. The recipe above is the one on the package, and it is the best one to use. The only thing we do differently is add corn to the dough after it is mixed.

Tamale making timeline:

1 hour- shopping

1 hour- make the filling

1 hour- driving around to find tamale masa in Temecula on Christmas weekend

1 hour- mix the dough

1 hour- wrap tamales

3 hours- steam and cool

It is arduous but well worth it! Plus we have enough tamales to feed a small Mexican Army. 

Although we are saving them for Christmas we had to try a couple to make sure they were completely cooked. They are GOOD. 

Memory Lane

Today I took a walk down memory lane. I trekked from Murrieta Elementary to the Murrieta Machine Shop, like my sisters and I had done growing up countless times before. 

It is interesting to look at the these same sites from a higher elevation (a few feet at least).  

If we were lucky our parents had given us a dollar to get candy or soda from the old country market. 

This place sold glass bottles of coca-cola and had a mounted bottle opener with a small trashcan underneath. Soda is much more refreshing in a glass bottle. 

The walk always felt like FOREVER when I was little but today I realized that it is only about 10 or 15 minutes. 

Instead of spending our money on candy we sometimes saved it for a donut at Vista Donuts and Hot Dogs. 

This is the original Murrieta post office. 

It may appear as though it has been out of service for 50+ years but when I was in elementary school this was our local post office. 

Our final destination was the Murrieta Machine Shop. My parents' friends' mom, Arlene Garrison, owns this shop. She used to watch us after school until my parents could pick us up.  It always brings back a lot of memories seeing it. I can picture the location of everything inside, even though the doors are closed and I haven't seen it in about 20 years.

Arlene has owned the shop, and her house next door for 71 years. This woman used to make us grilled cheese sandwiches in the kitchen behind us (I almost always ate two).  

Today is her 96th birthday!  (And you wouldn't know it by talking with her.)

Arlene is a Murrieta legend. She receives regular visits from the mayor. 

I feel like I have seen Murrieta change drastically since I was a child. 

Arlene was living here when the train still ran through town. 

Don, my dad, and I ended our walk at the Mill. This is a new, much needed addition to Old Town Murrieta.  The food here is fabulous. 

Rincon del Diablo, CA

Don (Fred's dad) drove out from Camarillo to see our new digs and to check out our new city. We started off the morning decorating our Christmas tree (better late than never!). 

After presents we headed over to Grand Ave. for breakfast at a local diner. 

We digested our milkshakes, etc. by walking over to Grape Day Park where we were completely overloaded with the history of Escondido. 

Native Americans lived in Escondido for thousands years before it was "discovered" by Spaniards. 

When non-indigenous people moved to Escondido to acquire a rancho the area was known as Rincon del Diablo (corner of the devil). 

The name was changed to Escondido (hidden) in 1884, four years before the city was incorporated. 

The line from Escondido to Oceanside was built in 1887 (and is still being used for the current Sprinter system).  The track transported people, goods, and mail; helping the population of Escondido to grow in size.

The building behind us is the old public library built in 1895 (it was moved to Grape Day Park as part of a preservation project). 

Exploring Grape Day Park was the perfect way to introduce Don to the city.

After our Escondido history lesson we drove to my dad's house in Temecula and caught an incredible sunset along the way.

Per my dad's request I made a spaghetti dinner.

Dessert was Don's homemade pumpkin pie.

Mmmm mmmm good!