Post Office

Today, I planned to walk the hills in Ocean Beach in preparation for my climb up Mt. Beacon in the Spring.  I needed to send a letter to my grandson so I stopped at the Ocean Beach Post Office.  I don't go there often, but when I do there is always a line.  Today I waited 20 minutes for service. The girl behind me in line put her head on the table along which the line is formed and just groaned.  A woman approached me and asked me when it was my turn. "please just get me two address change forms."  She didn't want to get on the long line for two forms.  There were now around twelve people behind me.  When I joined the line, there were eight people ahead of me.

The Post Office is planning to suspend Saturday delivery in August 2013 for monetary reasons.  Although electronic mailing has made substantial inroads into communication, I wonder if they gave better service, things would be different.  I will repeat myself; this particular post office always has a line.  So does the Midway Post Office, which I think used to be the main post office in bygone days.  That Post Office definitely has more workers and provides faster service, but going there today just wasn't convenient for me..

In asking for the American Flag stamp, I was reminded that you can only get that if you purchase a $20 book of stamps.  Why would they make it so difficult to express your patriotism?  The stamp with the American Flag should be the easiest to get.  Perhaps the executives at the Post Office should be thinking more like a customer.

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Mimi's, Mission Valley

I planned to meet a friend, Diane, at 1pm on Tuesday for coffee at Starbucks in Mission Valley.  I arrived about one-half hour early and found every table and chair taken.  Since I was early, I did a little window shopping at a furniture store.  I checked back at Starbucks about 15 minutes later and found that the same people were sitting at the same tables, as best as I could recall.  It reminded me of my younger days when lunchtime at a place (in New York) was so busy, you had to literally stand behind the person sitting on a stool eating their lunch.

When Diane arrived, I flagged her down, related the situation, and asked if we could go to Mimi's instead.  As we drove to Mimi's (just a short distance away), I voiced my opinion, "What's with these people?  They are prolonging their time in Starbucks just because it is cold, windy and raining outside."  Diane asked me, "Weren't we going to do the same thing?"  I'm paraphrasing but you get the point.

Mimi's is a very nice comfortable restaurant serving good food.  When we arrived, we had a short wait and then, were seated.  Not bad for such a cold day.  I had not eaten lunch so I perused the menu and could not decide.  Diane was so gracious as she offered to share a soup and 1/2 sandwich lunch (for $6.99), as she had already eaten lunch earlier.  So, I had the half-sandwich and she enjoyed a small cup of tomato bisque soup.  Diane said the soup was good, though a little salty.  I enjoyed a the half of a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich on wheat toast.  The waiter was very gracious about our sharing lunch.

We enjoyed catching up on each other's activities and family news.  Although I like Starbucks, I think our move provided a more comfortable environment to spend our hour or so in conversation.  I think you would enjoy Mimi's in Mission Valley.

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The Palette

Last evening, in celebration of Valentine's Day, my daughter took the grandchildren and me to The Palette, which is a true fine dining experience, located within The International Cooking School at The Art Institute of California at San Diego.   It is totally run by students in the last phase of their culinary education.

We started the meal with The Little Gem Lettuce Salad made of poached pear, blue cheese, candied pine nuts, with White Balsamic.  This was a culinary treat and was very enjoyable.  The blue cheese was excellent.  My daughter and I ordered the Apple Sausage Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with roasted Brussel Sprouts and mashed potatoes.  My granddaughter chose the Porcini Braised Beef Short Ribs with Polenta and winter vegetables.  My six-year old grandson wanted the Parpadelle Pasta with Pistachio Mint Pesto.  The offering for this dish was presented on the menu as Spicy Lamb Bolognese.  However, he only wanted the pasta with sauce on the side.  He ate the pasta without the sauce and was happy with it.

Our meals were very delicious. The servings were very generous.  My granddaughter offered tastes of her Short Ribs and we decided that was the best.  Following dinner, my grandson asked, "Are we going to have dessert?"  When a server brought the Dessert Menu, we had to choose.  We didn't feel we had room, but who passes up such delicious sounding desserts?  We settled on sharing two desserts....a dark chocolate cake with a raspberry and candied fruit (served with a small mound of vanilla sorbet) and a trio of sorbets (melon, passion fruit and lemon).   My grandson chose the melon and my granddaughter, the lemon.  I literally had one teaspoon of each dessert.  The chocolate cake was literally "to die for."  It seems anti-climatic to say that the coffee was great, but it was.

The evening was very enjoyable even though Daddy could not be with us.  He was busy instructing future chefs.  The atmosphere with low level music in the background was perfect.  I would definitely encourage going to this restaurant.

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The Parrots are Back, The Parrots are Back!

This morning around 7:00am, I was awakened to the sound of the Red-Crowned Parrots flying over my home.  As I have written before, they are very, very noisy. Usually the parrots arrive around March 9 (my son's birthday).  So my assumption is that Spring will be early.

Today, I walked with a neighbor and her friends along the San Diego River to Dog Beach in Ocean Beach.  Dog Beach is just that and was set aside in 1972 to enable dogs to run around without a leash and play with other dogs.  As we reached Robb Field, I saw a bird I've been looking for....an American Kestrel.  When I first saw it, it flew up into a palm tree.  One of my fellow walkers spotted it. I was amazed that it stayed in the tree while a family with children stood and watched.  Everyone had their own idea of where I would get the best shot.  And the bird did not fly away.

It was a warm (75 degrees) and beautiful day.  As we continued to walk on to Dog Beach, I spotted a Little Blue Heron just walking along in the water.  I suspect he was looking for an afternoon snack.

After my neighbor walked her dog around Dog Beach and a short walk so I could get a Starbucks and my neighbor, a frozen yogurt.  Then, we backtracked along the San Diego River.  There were many people out today, probably due to how nice the day was and perhaps, they were starting their three-day weekend.

We are supposed to have nice weather until Monday when the temperatures will fall back to the 50 degree range.  However, I know Spring is near.  I heard the Red-crowned Parrots.
 

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Famosa Slough in late January

With the cold weather, other than my daily walk and exercise, my ventures have been limited.  I certainly hibernated during last week's rains.  I don't like heavy rain.  In fact, I don't like rain at all.  With the rains gone on Sunday, I took a walk to the Famosa Slough, a wetland in San Diego.  While it was quiet, there were a number of birds just hanging out, so to speak.

In the picture shown above, American Avocets look stately as they cruise along.  As you can see, the heads of some of the birds show that breeding season is near.  Their winter plumage changes to a pinkish tan color.  Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs.  The American Avocet is a beautiful bird.

Below are two pictures of a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron.  I published a picture the first time I saw a juvenile, in a post in July.  (http://bicoastalgrandma.blogspot.com/2012/07/bird-watching.html)  The juvenile shown below was in the exact same spot as I found him in July.  However, if it is the same bird, he now has white spots on his back.  I took these picture from two different positions through a chain link fence about five feet from where he was perched.  Other than occasionally looking around, he never flinched at the click of the shutter.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

The Mallards came near.  The Northern Pintail looks regal, at least, in my opinion.  When they're foraging for food, all you see is their bottoms with the long pintail sticking up in the air.  It is a curious sight.  The center picture shows an American Wigeon on the edge of the island in the middle of the property.  There were also some Killdeer on the same island, but my camera range was not sufficient. If the Kildeer is facing you, it looks like the bird is wearing a turtle-neck sweater due to black stripes across its breast.  If a predator is near, the Kildeer will feign a broken wing to lure the predator away from the nest.  It is a cute bird.

Mallards

Northern Pintail

American Wigeon

As I was preparing to leave the Slough, I spotted another bird.  It flew from bush to bush about 20 feet away.  I took some pictures and then, later last night, (since I'm so new at this) compared them to bird pictures on the Internet.  Then I verified it with a birding expert.  The bird shown below is a Say's Phoebe, a flycatcher.  It winters in California, but it was the first time I'd seen it.

 

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

As we're nearing the end of 2012, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas.  I believe that this day is important because we are reminded that God sent his Son, Jesus, to show Their great love for each of us, individually.  My prayer for you this Christmas Season is that you would be blessed in a real, tangible way that you alone would personally recognize.  A blessing that would give you peace and you would know that you know, that you know that you were blessed beyond measure.

On the evening of Christmas Day, I accompanied my son, daughter-in-law, and their children to Redondo Beach (near Los Angeles, CA).  On the next evening, my son drove his family and me to the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in Torrance in which a friend lives.  As we entered the first block, we were met with small white Christmas tree bulbs draped over almost every bough of every tree in each yard.  It was a beautiful sight.  Actually, it was like driving through an arbor.  Each property owner, while matching the draping light effect of their neighbors, decorated the rest of the yard in unique ways.  My son and daughter-in-law's friend had little figures of Dalmatians on their lawn. The displays were varied from candy canes to inflated Frosty the Snowmen, as well as other characters.  Although most decorations were too numerous to remember, one house had a strikingly beautiful Nativity scene.  Another had a Ferris Wheel bedecked with lights.  As we drove around, we must have covered 6 or 8 blocks.  Apparently, the residents of this neighborhood been decorating their homes  for years.  While we drove around, I wondered it they had planning meetings during the year with some residents adding more decorations year after year.  I don't know the answer to that.  We were there around 6 p.m. so we avoided what I've read to be a traffic tie-up.  I think that walking would provide even more enjoyment.  While I've seen some beautifully decorated houses over the years, this is the first time I've seen what appears to be a concerted community-effort, providing joy to others.  An Internet search on Sleepy Hollow Christmas Lights in Torrance CA will display 2011 pictures of the event.

Last weekend I returned to Famosa Slough.  Below is a photo of a Herring Gull flying over a Western Gull.  When I lived on the East Coast, I thought a seagull was just that.  However, I'm now learning about the different species.  As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I identify the birds by research on the Internet.  In the second photograph is a gull taking off....just can't identify it.

                                                          

I did spot a few Gadwalls.  Then, all at once, they took off.  I was able to get a photograph of one in flight (shown below on the left).  Someday, I'll get a Canon Digital SLR and then, I'll have more success since I love to take photos of birds as they take off.  The Great Egret is included (below right) because of its lovely reflection.

Gadwall in flight

Great Egret

 Happy New Year!

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Transitions

Since I returned from my New York visit, I've been walking/jogging 3 miles a day, as well as occasionally walking up long hills in neighboring Ocean Beach.  The long hills are preparing me to reach the top of Mt Beacon in New York on my next visit.  To improve my daily diet, I've been using the Nutribullet since July of this year.  Although I always ate my vegetables and some fruit, I never had a great amount.  I was intrigued by the Nutribullet ads on TV, so I decided to try it.  I'm providing a link to the Nutribullet because I believe so much in this product.   Every day now, I have a drink made with fresh veggies, such as kale, spinach, and/or carrots, as well as fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, or cherries, and 1/2 a banana.  To this I add almonds, walnuts and flax seeds.  I use a 24 oz container supplied with the Nutribullet, varying the fruits.  I think it's great.   Nutribullet Superfood Nutrition Extractor (Google Affiliate Ad) 

On one of my recent walks, I noticed some fresh green blossoms dropping from some of the trees I pass on my daily trek.   At first, I thought that some small birds were causing them to drop.  At any rate, the falling of these blossoms made me think of spring.  On another block, I have to do a hop, skip and a jump to avoid dried up leaves (of a different kind of tree) on the sidewalk.  Then, one day at my daughter's house, I noticed birds in nests previously populated by other birds all summer.  The original inhabitants had moved out after their babies were ready to leave the nest.  The silence was deafening.  Now the yard is again a harbor for song.  Possibly, the new birds have just migrated for the winter.  However, the changes in the trees got me wondering if this year, San Diego has such a good climate that it may have two spring seasons.  Some years, we have cold days with heavy rains between November and February.  Thankfully for me and my exercise, this is a pleasant winter.

On my recent walk to the Famosa Slough, there were some migrating ducks.  I was looking for a bird I had not seen before.  After looking at the "regulars" I was ready to leave the property.  Then, I spotted just such a bird.  After I took the photo, I left the property.   A computer search for the name of the bird got me nowhere, so I sent an e-mail to someone I believed could identify it.  He responded that it was a "Say's Phoebe."   Thanks, Ray.

Say's Phoebe

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