Flower Fields are in Full Bloom

Flower Fields
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

The hills are alive with the site of ranuncula's in bloom. The Flower Field website is now reporting that everything is full swing for the season. Spring has officially arrived to Southern California

Every year, March through May, the Flower Fields of Carlsbad are open to the public to experience a spectacular display of flowers, featuring ranunculas but also including roses, sweet peas, poinsettias and gardens of many other kinds.

Every weekend there is a new activity from Canon photography workshops, to band, kids activities and arts/crafts. Check the event calendar and make your plans to go.

This year they are also displaying Santa's Playground that used to be at Lake Arrowhead's Santa's Village. Become a kid again as you go through the sweet pea maze or run around the giant mushrooms and Dollhouse.

I can't wait to go back and take some photos and eat the delicious strawberries for sale at the entrance! Yum. I have been several times and it never fails to amaze!

Tix for adults are $10, parking is free!

E Street Cafe a lucky find

E Street Cafe
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

Wrapping up our whirlwind afternoon in Encinitas Nicole and I decided to stop and hydrate up at this cute cafe on the street where our cars were parked, aptly named E Street Cafe.

It is adorable! Warm and cozy with free wifi, Dell workstations for rent, live music at night, delicious pastries and coffee drinks galore. These aren't just your grandma's coffees instead its a specially selected organic, free trade coffee blended and mixed into your favorite drink. Also on hand are a variety of loose leaf teas.

We were there around 1:30 p.m. and the place was busy but not overly crowded. There was also a great mix of people, not just a bunch of loud teenagers. I know that comment makes me sound old, but you know what I'm talking about.

I had an iced coffee that was delicious. They had a bunch of syrups, even in sugar free, to choose from but I went with it straight. Nicole had a Pellegrino and we shared one of the plethora of desserts, a chocolate chip crumb cake. It was great! Prices were about average for a place of its kind.

I know I would definitely go back.

Birthday at Lips Drag Club for Gospel Brunch

Lips - Drag Show
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

Our very own diva Janine wanted to do something different for her birthday. So she decided what could be better than a drag show at Lips in San Diego for gospel brunch hosted by Sister Nun-of-the-Above.

It was a four hours of jaw-droppping, cleavage-showing, gender-bending interestingness. LOL. I had no idea what to expect. I have never been to a drag show before, but was game for anything.

The show is irreverent, sarcastic and occassionally amazing. Some of the drag queens are incredible performers. Just as some are incredibly beautiful. I was amazed. Make-up is flawless, everything is hidden and since they often shove your face in their cleavage or even rattle your head between their legs you get a close-up view. It's also very interactive as you are all invited to "beam a queen" with dollar bills when you love the performance.

We were a group of 12, including a couple of men. I felt bad for them they were hit on constantly but were good sports about it. The food was expensive, pretty bad and took forever to arrive, but you're not there for the food or the watered-down over-priced drinks.

Overall, I have to say, it was really long. I think I would have liked the show a lot better if it were only a couple of hours versus the entire afternoon or if I would have gotten drunk. Go for bitchy bingo, diva night (80s). But I didn't much get into the gospel brunch.

I don't really feel the need to go again.

Bahia Resort Hotel

Imagine the finest hotel that San Diego had to offer, in 1960.

That would be the Bahia Resort Hotel and where we stayed to celebrate Nicole's elopement and Janine's birthday. Located on Mission Bay you can tell that this hotel used to be state of the art. It has the Dirty Dancing, all inclusive resort, feel. It was Miss Havisham's house, dressed for a party, one that was completely outdated.

Ok, you get the jist.

The hotel is painted a lovely shade of pinkish orange. The stairs and landings and patios are covered in green astro turf. Walking in we saw an exposed cement brick wall, art from the 70s, couches from the 50s and a very dated kitchen. It was retro unchic. LOL.

However we had a fantastic bay view, thanks to our birthday girl Janine. She's a beautiful diva who is unafraid to ask for what she wants. And we got it. All her efforts got us this upgraded suite. Oh yes, this was the suite. Sexy!

Who cares about accomodations when you're with two great friends, celebrating two great events in a great city like San Diego. We had a blast. I think going in the summer vs January the place might be really fun. They even have activities for families, can't beat that.

Dead Sea Scrolls and Mexican Food

Lisa, Debbie and I hopped in the CRV and headed down to Balboa Park today to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Natural History.

We left home at 10:15 and managed to take almost three hours to get there. It was bumper to bumper traffic all the way down. Not fun.

But, the great thing about driving down to San Diego is that the freeway parallels the ocean. The vistas are stunning. It was threatening to rain so the sky was full of beautiful clouds and was a brilliant shade of blue. Not exceeding 30 mph we had lots of time to look at the sky. We saw the collision of two storms noticed water spouts over the ocean. In my mind I call them ocean tornados. You could actually see the funnel clouds suck the water up out of the ocean into the sky. It was phenomenal.

When we got to Leucadia we had to pull over and get a photo. Of course my rechargeable batteries chose that moment to die, so luckily Debbie had her camera. It was stunningly beautiful. About 50 other people had the same idea, our little vista was jam packed.

But alas it was back to the traffic. We had visions of the Old Town Mexican Cafe in our heads and now only about two hours before our 3:15 p.m. entry time to the Dead Sea Scrolls. So our tortilla dreams had to be fulfilled pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, we picked the art festival weekend to visit Old Town and parking was out of the question. So we wandered over to Balboa Park and found St. Tropez Bakery & Bistro in Hillcrest. It is a beautiful cafe promising equally delicious crepes, panini's, and tasty baked treats. The food was ok, nothing spectacular. It sounds a lot better on the menu than it actually tastes. I don't think I'd go back.

Now its off to the Scrolls. The exhibit is divided into two sections. The first level is an introduction to the region where the Scrolls were found. You see beautiful photographs of the Dead Sea and surrounding areas. It's amazing how similar the biodiversity is to Southern California. Not exactly the images you have in mind of the middle East. I was picturing desert, war-ravaged areas and camels. So not true. We saw lush, rolling hills. Beautiful olive and date trees. And learned how the Dead Sea is receding because people keep drawing from it.

The introduction transitions to the archeological dig. You learn how the Bedouins discovered the scrolls in a a cave, untouched for thousands of years, through many different ruling parties from the Hittites to the Romans to the Mongols to 1948. The Scrolls were preserved by the dark, cry climate of the cave and many disintegrated simply by being removed. Unsure of their authenticity the scrolls were advertised for sale. Once scholars verified them they began the long process of preservation. Early techiniques had only proven to weaken them future.

In the second part of the exhibit you move down stars, grab your audio tour device and decend into a simulated cave. The lights are dimmed and the temperature is dropped to protect the documents. First we learned about Qumran the community near the caves where the Scrolls were found.

After 14 stops on the audio tour, through hair nets, shoes, coins and desks we finally we got to see the Scrolls. They are so small, frail, and fragmented. There are large reproductions above them so you can view them more clearly. It's amazing to see the different penmanships between the different documents. Each one bearing traces of its human connection. Some are clear and precise. Others are blurred, thick and hard to read. We saw scrolls of the biblical books of Leviticus, Job, Psalms and Deuteronomy.

It's hard to image a society where only a select few know how to read and write. Yet they were passing on sacred texts because they believed the veracity of it. The exhibits dismisses the Scrolls as little more than ideas. Ideas that have certainly shaped thousands of years of thoughts, philosophies and religion, but is still just one idea of many.

It was interesting to listen to the different theologies of those viewing the documents. There were many Christians there who were studying the timelines, tracing prophecies and discussing bible stories. Others saw them as just an interesting historical discovery having little importance to their life today.

One thing struck me is how the Bible did not change for thousands of years. It was passed from scroll to scroll by diligent scribes and nothing changed. The message, meaning and importance remain the same.

The museum was packed. It is shoulder-to-shoulder view of the photographs, exhibits, and films in the collection. It was frustrating to try and read while being bumped and pushing while listening to screaming babies. It was not a leisurely visit to one of the most important archaological discoveries of the 20th centuries. By the end I was exhausted.

We went back to Old Town for dinner and headed home. Overall a fantastic day with two of my favorite people.

San Diego: Reprieve from the Heat

Today was our final day of site seeing and the end of our vacation together.

We decided to spend the night in San Diego since they have a morning flight out on Thursday. We got a great rate on Hotwire for a hotel in the downtown/harbor area of San Diego.

We've had such a good time. I think we all were a little mindful of the fact that it was our final outing.

We had a lazy morning. Mom and Dad finished packing, then an early lunch at the Corner Bakery. Home of the tastiest cinnamon creme coffee cake on the planet.

We didn't make it to San Diego until about 2 p.m. We checked into the hotel and then went to the harbor. My dad wanted to see the tall ships and we opted for a 2 hour harbor cruise on the Hornblower.

There are only two harbor cruise companies to choose from Harbor Excursions and Hornblower. They offer the exact same cruise, both in a one hour and two hour variety. We opted for the two hour tour of both the north and south bay on the Hornblower.

Why the Hornblower, we had a coupon from a tourist mag we found at the hotel, saving $2 a person. The tour itself was fine, but the narrator sucked. It didn't sound like he enjoyed his job all that much. But he was quick to ask for a tip. I hate that.

Our tour included: the navy ship yard, naval sub station, tall ships, coronado bridge, point loma, harbor and shelter islands, cabrillo national monument, and more. Being out on the water sure lowered our temperature. In our second hour I started to freeze. I was ready to be off the boat.

From there we opted for dinner in the Gaslamp district. Before heading back to the ethnic food wasteland known as Ohio my parents wanted one last Mexican dinner. They chose Fred's Mexican Cafe, voted best Mexican cuisine in San Diego.

The salsa is fantastic. With a hint of chipotle its the best I've had in a while. Mom had the enchiladas suizas, Dad had fajitas and I had chicken monterrey. All very good I would recommend it. As we were eating a friend of mine randomly walks by. It was great to see her and her new fiance. What a treat.

After dinner we walked around a little. Mom wanted to visit the Ghirardelli Store. Dad wanted to buy a Cuban cigar and I visited the ZGallerie. Everyone was happy.

I can't wait to get back to the Gaslamp area and explore some more. There are over 65 different restaurants, many museums, shops and clubs. So much to do.

Will Stop for Homemade Tortillas

My parents got in safe and sound today.

Our first stop was in Old Town San Diego. After living in Ohio for two years my parents crave real Mexican food. So every time they come to visit we make sure to have one authentic meal.

So we went straight to Old Town Mexican Cafe in the heart of Old Town San Diego, where the tortillas, both corn and flour, are homemade. That reason alone makes it worth stopping for. You can get them to go for only $3 a dozen.

My dad had their specialty, carnitas, and mom and I shared a taco and tostada combination plate. The rice was a little dry and over condimented but everything else was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

Old Town Mexican Cafe
2489 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110
Tel: (619) 297-4330 Fax: (619) 297-8002
Open Daily 7:00am- 2:00am

List of Places I Have yet to see Southern California

I've been to many places over the last 14 years that I've lived here in Southern California, but new things keep popping up on my radar. Here is a list of places I want to visit, categorized by their general vicinity. Of course I have the least for where I live (OC).

1. Palm Springs - Aerial Tram, Windmill Tour, Pioneer Town, Indian Canyon Tour

2. San Diego - Balboa Park Botanical Gardens, Point Loma, U.S.S. Midway, Heritage Park Victorian Village, Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park, Eat in the Gaslamp District, Old Town. Other tour options: All San Diego Tours, Old Town Trolley, Gaslamp Architectural Tour

3. Los Angeles - Cheesy star tour, Forest Lawn (architecture and celebrity cemetery), Venice Beach (driven by it, never stopped on the boardwalk), Museum of Tolerance, Buenaventura Mission, San Gabriel Mission Other tour options: LA Conservancy Walking Tours of Downtown, Sony Pictures Studio Tour (even though WB is the best),

4. Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Ynez Mission, Stearns Wharf, Galleria del Mar, Other Tour Options: Red Tile Tour, Santa Barbara Trolley Tours, Architectural Foundation Walking Tours

5. Orange County - Bowers Museum, Art Bar,

I hope to visit a lot of these this summer. We'll see.

Art and Ice Cream in San Diego

I just went to San Diego to visit my friend Nicole. We surveyed our plethora of options and decided on the following:

1. Lunch at KC BBQ the bar used in Top Gun. It is a really small bar with bras, stickers and hats on the ceiling. Quite the interesting decor. The BBQ was tasty. Lots of tourists taking pictures with the official Top Gun Piano.

2. Ice Cream at the Hotel Del Coronado while searching for wedding locales. The hotel del, rumored to be haunted is beautiful. It always reminds me of that hotel from Somewhere in Time. I hadn't been in a few years and forget how it is in the middle of a busy little part of town. Very picturesque, full of fun shops and restaurants. The hotel itself is worth a spin.

3. Look at some Art around Adams - Nicole found this festival of sorts in the Normal Heights Neighborhood that features local artists displaying their work in local businesses. It is a win-win for both parties. The businesses offer wine, cheese, desserts and other snacks to entice you in. There was even a trolley that runs up and down the street to help you see everything. It is an interesting idea, but we found it a bit odd. A store selling mattresses doesn't seem like a good venure for pop art. It felt weird to wander into stores I'm not interested in to see art. It wasn't a cute little area but instead a functional one full of dry cleaners, laudromats, etc. Very bizarre. We didn't say very long.

Frolicking in the Flower Fields

From early March through mid May the hills of Carlsbad are alive with color.

50 acres of ranunculas, called The Flower Fields are in full bloom. It's rather spectacular. There is every color imaginable. Row after row of beautiful flowers in various stages of bloom.

I wish I could run through the fields and sing, but its all roped off and they do have security. There are activities for kids, a wagon ride around the fields, composting classes, art exhibits, live music and this year they added a flower maze.

It's worth the trip.

SeaWorld San Diego

My week with my brother's fam ended with a bang or should I say drop.

We went to San Diego on Saturday for our first sunny day. We basked in the warmth, shows, and a relative lack of people. The park was pretty empty, which was fine with us.

Our first show of the day was the dolphins. We were careful to sit out of the soak zone, figuring since it isn't the splash or sprinkle zone they must be serious. As we were leaving however, we noticed that we had instead been sitting in the poop zone. A seagull, we didn't know was part of the show, dropped a present in my hair and on Rocio's shirt.

Rocio had to wash part of my hair in the bathroom. Mike had to run and buy her a new shirt. At that point there is nothing you can do but laugh.

From there we saw the sharks, the reef, the manatees and the aquarium. We were disappointed the penguins and several other exhibits were closed. I think SeaWorld is best visited in the summer when its warmer. I've heard there are more shows and more things are open.

Regardless, the boys had a blast. Our final show of the day was a special 12 Days of Christmas with the Sea Lions. By this point we were freezing and $10 hot chocolate seemed like a bit much.

Seaword was a good way to end the trip. We then headed back to Ohio, for Christmas with my parents, on a redeye. I'm so glad they came. It was a fantastic week.

Day in San Diego

I realized that I've lived in So. Cal. for 13 years and I have only been San Diego a couple of times. There is so much to see - Balboa Park, La Jolla, Old Town, Mission San Diego, Sea World, Legoland, Heritage Park - lots of history, ocean views and good food. So I headed down to visit my friend Nicole.

We started siteseeing at Balboa Park. It is amazingly beautiful. We walked around to see the ampitheatre, Spanish Village, Prado Theatre, UN village, Japanese Friendship Garden and we only saw a very small part of it. I can't wait to go back to see the Botanical Gardens, visit some museums and maybe go to the zoo.

We went up to Mt Soledad vista to get a sweeping panorama of La Jolla and the ocean. It was breathtaking. It is views like this, warm 80 degree days in October that make living here worth the cost. Even though it was a little foggy it was still stunning.

We drove back down to the water's edge to see the sunset. La Jolla is one of the most photographed beachfront locations in all of California. I can see why, it's spectacular. We stopped to look at the surf and people watch. There were many getting their photos taken by the water, including several doing engagement photos. They were frolicking in the water trying to appear spontaneous and lovey-dovey.

As we strolled along the sea we saw four weddings, ranging from the very young to the very old. We noticed that you could tell the age of the bride by the number of bridesmaids she had. The number goes up exponentially the younger they are. I have to say the sweetest one was the oldest wedding of the day. To see people at least in their 60s finding love was great.

We had dinner at Top of the Cove - fantastic food and a more amazing view. The perfect cap of the night was at a place called Extraordinary Desserts. The line is a mile long to get it but do not let it distract you from visting. I had the best toasted almond and caramel chesecake. What a perfect way to end the day.