Peaceful Pajaro part 2
Ahhh, we are back!
After our wonderful road trip to Utah, and flying back to Monterrey, we are back to Peaceful Pajaro.
So immediately we make sourdough bread and grilled cheese sandwiches with it, do crafts, hunt for clams, take naps on the balcony, and quickly settle back into our calm life here.
We went to a newly re-opened restaurant in Moss Landing called Sea Harvest. The setting is beautiful and we got there close to sunset when the lighting is so perfect. Ambience and food made a delightful dining experience :)
We went into Carmel for an evening out and ate at Montrio Bistro. All dining is outdoors but we weren't complaining. The weather was ... PERFECT!
The soup the mussels were in was so good I had to slurp some up in a straw! The bread pudding dessert with passion fruit ice was, how shall I say it? Divine.
We visited LuluLemon and I used the birthday gift card from Mitzi's daughters to get a new shirt and shorts. Yes, I honestly am pretty dang good looking haha.
Mitzi here: It's such a Victory moment to hear Damon say he is good looking. When we were first married I would often tell Damon, "You are so good looking!" He would say, "Really? I've never thought of myself that way. I think I just look kinda nerdy." "You are really handsome!" I think he believes me now! It's fun to hear him comment nice things about himself:)
This morning (Oct 17) we decided to do an early walk on the beach. Eureka! We found 24 clams, 4 sand dollars, and got a beautiful picture as the sun came up!
It's become something of a tradition now. When I bake sourdough bread Mitzi makes these delicious pastrami melt sandwiches. We found this delicious pastrami at Nazi Joe's (story below) and wow these sandwiches rock our world!
My grandpa Sid told me when I was a teen that if he could figure how to put sex in a sandwich he would be rich. He owned a deli in Los Angeles during WWII and later a strip club in Fresno California, but never married the two together.
Mitzi and I think we've figured it out!
I agree! It is an amazing combination! You're Grandpa would be proud:)
There have been a few days of intense customer support issues with Lifestyles Podium. I was ranting at how some of the customers create so many problems that I have to clean up, it's a huge imposition on my freedom, and it irritates me to no end. Mitzi took this picture in the middle of one of these episodes. She spends a lot of time listening to me "get stuff of my chest" :)
Just for the record...... I love it! I love having you in my life! Someone to have these great conversations with. What a luxury.
The sea shell collection is growing and growing. For the first time we found a Barnacle Barbara sand dollar with ... count 'em ... four barnacles on it! We'd never seen more than one in June and the first half of this trip.
And who's counting.... but in September and October we picked up over 500 sand dollars. They are such beautiful creations!
We found this unlovely carcass on the beach. It's huge!
We went to Nazi Phil's in Moss Landing for the Halibut fish and chips. Best fish and chips ever! The food is wonderful.
Why Nazi Phil's? Well check out these signs that are posted EVERYWHERE!
Speaking of signs, this is posted at our favorite sushi place in Watsonville. Santa Cruz county is hilarious. "By order of..." and "to report any violations to this order. Please call...". I remember learning in school history how communists, fascists, and stern dictatorships used this kind of language and heavy handedness with their people. And then asking for citizens to report on other citizens if anyone is acting out of line. Ugh.
On a much lighter and happier note, here is Mitzi enjoying her invention, "Chocolate Toasties!"
I never want to forget the smells that would greet my nose as I woke up each Sunday morning. Damon would rise early to bake. Our tiny apartment amplified the smell of the delicious freshly baked Chocolate Sourdough. I literally woke up smiling sometimes!
Coming out on the porch to enjoy the morning sun with the bread and hot chocolate.... and marshmallows is truly one of the most Devine life experiences.
It's sex in a sandwich time! Enjoying it with a fine grape juice is amazing. Thanks Castello di Amorosa for the amazing grape juice!
Damon you could be the poster boy for us selling this sandwich out of Malanah!
But in all seriousness, sitting on this little deck, eating dinner, and sipping Damons drinks is one of the coolest things!
There have been a few days of fog. We took a late evening walk and had to capture the moment. This environment can project such interesting and intense moods, and these pictures do a pretty good job a capturing it.
If you look at the pictures close, it appears I have peed my pants. I did not. However, that particular evening we gathered 77 sand dollars and they were stuffed into every pocket I had.....oooozing their salt water and soaking me clear through. It was worth it!
Mitzi is an amazing creator. She designed this felt creation. I love the stitching. Each letter and object has a unique stitch that she created. I love the valentine letter from MJ to DJ. The layout of the letters, envelopes, hearts, and arrow are perfectly balanced. The colors work together. I can't wait for this to be part of our Valentines decor in a few months!
Thanks for your sweet interest in my sewing projects! I love you!
An interesting jelly fish washed up on the beach. It was very firm. Usually then are soft and sqishy. This one was solid and held it's shape well even up-side-down!
The water makes interesting striations in the sand each day. Here are a couple pictures that capture them. You can't tell if the camera is a mile in the sky looking down at a desert or if it's 3 feet off the ground. In this case it's 3 feet off the ground. Nature creates amazingly beautiful designs.
Pelicans, seagulls, sandpipers. There are tons of birds here. On this walk they were flying around and it created an opportunity for a picture with a mood.
It felt like we were in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.... the sky.... the swirling birds....
I got this fun idea to make some sourdough bread for Logan/Sydney and Emily, and overnight it to them so they could enjoy it. Such a fun project!
Good Looking Baker!!!
In order to have the bread ready to bake in the morning I had to do the bench rise super late at night. It was 11:12p when I started the folding and bench rise process, which takes about 45 minutes. It sat for about 8 hours in the fridge and was ready to bake and get shipped out in the morning.
Logan and Sydney's loaf, fresh out of the oven, scored with a C. Emily's unbaked loaf in the background is just about ready to bake.
Emily's loaf, scored with an E.
We sent the loaves overnight and they were received the next day. Sydney was so excited she didn't even wait for Logan to get home to open it. She also had to try out making hot chocolate with her new Keurig machine. This brought much joy to everyone!
We decided for one of our Friday hot date nights to try a new restaurant (new for us anyway) in Wastonville. Cilantro's is a mexican restaurant with good reviews. It was a great meal outside next to a heater. Good times & good food & good company!
If I'm not super hungry Damon is so nice to allow me to share a meal with him. It's become one of our favorite things to do....... share dinner :)
We made another trip to Modesto and had a wonderful time visiting John, Susan, Jeff, Shelby, Brian, and Tommy. Tommy went to a friends house before we took the picture.
Susan made her delicious and delightful chocolate cake for dessert. Mmmmm!
We enjoyed our visit so much. They are so kind and welcoming to Mitzi, just the classiest people I know! I've been part of this family since I was 16, 38 years! I'm so grateful that Tiffany's death didn't cause a rift in our relationship and bond. That happens to so many widows and widowers I feel very lucky and grateful for the Scott's being such steady and loving people.
I agree! They are very kind. They also have wicked homemaking skills, which I love and appreciate very much! I'm so glad they are in my life! You loose so many relationships when your widowed..... when you gain a few it feels so nice!
Shelby gave us some of her famous jam and when we got back to our beach condo we put it on our sourdough bread toasted and my it was good.
It was so delicious! We also made pancakes one night and had more jam. And then waffles another night.... with more jam! We loved it!
This iteration of the sex in a sandwich was enjoyed with fresh clams and fruit salad. Mitzi really knows how to put a wonderful meal together. Like she has experience or something, having done it perhaps a time or two before :)
Getting some rays while eating linner.
It was so hot that afternoon ;)
We made a run to our favorite sushi place. We love the Mr. Fisher roll at Benja's in St. George. And found that Imura will make it for us too. For future reference it's the Richie Roll and then add cream cheese and eel sauce. Perfection!
We made another late night run for pizza. We did it once in June and just had to do it again. So so fun!
This is the bathroom door handle at the beach condo. It's probably the original from the early 1970's.
A few months ago Mitzi got some Maple Oreo's. They are a seasonal item and limited. They are not available at the stores anymore. I searched around and found what seemed like the last one available. Shipped via Amazon and ... made Mitzi very happy :)
Oh my goodness! These Oreo's are amazing!!! Damon my sweetest friend, surprises me with the funnest of treats! Thanks DJ!
Thanks to Amy sharing this recipe, we made Ryan's chili. I have this history with chili where it looks good but is disappointing in flavor. Amy wanted to give me a recipe her family loved. It's named after her son Ryan who got the recipe and loved it. We put the chili on a bed of Chili Freetos and it was a wonderful dish! Thanks Amy :)
Dessert at Nazi Phil's.
Here's the story behind the Nazi Joe's comment above. The Trader Joe's in Monterey is strict about how you approach the cashier. Their sign is friendly, but they are serious about it. Mitzi missed the sign and started walking to the station and the cashier got right on her case and asked her to go back and wait. So we started calling it Nazi Joe's haha.
Another sunset while walking along the beach. So beautiful. Those sandpipers with the long skinny beaks are fun to watch.
Another sunset from the balcony of our condo.
I could live here forever! This view never gets old. Even if it's foggy you can still hear and feel the ocean. I'm ready to go back!
Baked some bread, marked it with an M. Must be Mitzi's :)
That's so sweet. It turned out absolutely Beautiful!
We've made this bed on the balcony many times. It's so pleasant to rest out there. Mitzi is watching a show on her ipad and uses the sheet to block the sunlight.
Making a bed on the deck...... I feel like a child building a hut. It is so satisfying:)
As we were walking we found this clam dig. A bunch of live clams were piled up. Gotta love getting the benefits without doing the work.
While walking by the gate house in the late afternoon the cats are often sitting outside just watching whatever is happening, like they own the place. These two are so identical I snapped the photo and sent it to Lizzie knowing that would bring here a little happiness.
Another excellent dinner. Designed and made by Mitzi. I'm the luckiest guy alive to get to benefit from her food creations. And thanks again to Castello di Amorosa for the sparkling red grape juice.
Walking along the beach in the evening at sunset. Magical.
Lunch time! Mitzi invented and made these little tacos. Simple. Delicious.
And for the record I am basically searching through the fridge, looking at what rem-nets I can find to make a meal out of. I did this in college a lot..... trying to make a few more meals until a pay day. Except this time...... it's a few more meals before we leave :(
Our last walk along the beach, the day before we have to leave. A beautiful day. We are sad to leave and feel so grateful for the time we got to spend here.
I am SO thankful for a husband that will live slowly and simply. We still get plenty of work done, but this environment is so peaceful to me. Thank you Damon for taking me here during my sad days. You take such good care of me.
These tiny birds are so funny. They move their tiny little legs so fast as they run around poking in the sand for sand crabs. As the water comes up the boogie away so quickly. There was such a big group I had to snap this.
The birds like to rest by the river. There were so many on this last walk I had to capture the moment.
One more chocolate toasties!
The largest crab shell we've found yet. Too bad live crabs this size don't make it to shore. We would be boiling and eating it.
Here's another totally original and creative design from Mitzi! So clever. I love the chick hatching in the middle, the green grass, and the rabbits around the edge.
One more meal at Bagel Cafe. This is been the place we've gone to the most. Simple good food and a nice patio to eat outside.
These two guys were fishing and hanging out. The sun was setting. I wanted to get a picture. Mitzi wanted a picture of me wanting a picture haha.
We went back to Sea Harvest for another meal. Mitzi got the grilled prawns and I got a cajun chicken sandwich.
Mitzi just wanted this picture :)
Because you looked so handsome sitting there washing off your shoes. I hope the memories of our time here, is burned deep into my mind. I never want to forget.
The night before we leave, Mitzi had just about everything packed up and ready to take down to the car. It's been a wonderful 2 months! We'll be back.
When I was a young girl my mom introduced me to the movie, "On Golden Pond." I loved it! So much that I was so sure that one day I would have a little hide away like on Golden Pond. I saved furniture odds and ends for years..... just so we would be ready to furnish when the time came! We came close twice to purchasing a cabin, but each time we decided to wait a bit longer.
When Brandon died it felt like that dream died too. Over the years I have given away all my extra furnishings. I was okay not having a Golden Pond.
But as I packed up the house this night, I thought of my Golden Pond dream. By dang, I'd been living my dream this fall! It was all so perfect!
You bet I'll pack up and come back to see all the birds and gather shells and enjoy my darling husband :). Life does not get better than this!
