Pooks Canyon

In Barcelona children go to school from 9:30 to 5:00. At first I thought this was just Axel's school but one look at the 9:15 metro and sidewalks tells me that this is the schedule for most schools: the young people in Barcelona have backpacks on and are going places. The schoolchild, in his native habitat, reticent for Mom to be taking photos. Lunch at Axel's school is from 12:00-2:00, where they have a multi-course meal with dining etiquette and decorum strictly enforced. It brings to mind that time in Belgium when a 10 year-old Leah attempted to eat a french fry with her hand and had said hand lightly smacked (though I can report that, despite strict treatment, she did like those lunches).  Let's just say Axel is dining with a knife and fork at lunchtime these days. After the leisurely meal Axel can choose to participate in a variety of activities.  Afterall, they do have 2 whole hours. Yoga, Drums, Violin, Cinematography, Coding/Robotics/Drones are all on tap...

Here is some of the stuff we eat down in Southern Baja. Condiment platter for my $2.50 burrito at Super Burro (Corner of Abasolo and Manuel Encinas) across from our new digs. Chocolate Caliente from Harker Board on the Malecon Pizza with fruit.  I hate pizza with fruit but that is because I have the sometimes-palette of a five year old. The best plate I have found in all of Baja.  Bar el Minelero, El Triunfo, BCS, Mexico.  It's called the Plato Mixto Quiche at the coffee shop Doce Cuarenta on Calle Francisco Madero. Ensalada course in Buena Vista, BCS, Mexico.  The dark colored spheres are goat cheese rolled in something dark, maybe cocoa? Margarita in Los Barilles. Bacon wrapped shrimp in Los Barilles. Mint water. Topo Chico is a sparkling water from Monterry, Mexico and it is ubiquitous down here.  Axel pours :) Mas Bar el Minelero.  Had to go back for more after that Plato Mixto blew up my tasteb...

El Truinfo is a historic mining town halfway between La Paz and the East Cape of Baja.  Starting in 1850, the mine ran all the way through the late 1890s. The old church. Those colors though. Old archway. Front view. So many goats Traffic jam El Triunfo style. Jon met us there on his bike.  After changing out of his kit, he was thirsty. One of two smelting towers.  I think this one was called Ramona but don't quote me on that. Doggies! I wanted to take this one home. A local showed us where one of the mines were.  A bit of a hike but worth it.  Cool air flowed out of it on a hot day. 1888 Bar el Minelero is just, wow. They grind and case all their own sausage. A week later I was driving through again- the goats are a regular occurence.

For our second trip as fulltime RVers we parked the trailer and drove to a hotel. In our defense, Destination Mendocino was grandfathered-in; I had reserved this hotel room last April when planning my 40th birthday. Yes. I turn 40 tomorrow. When I started this blog I was 29 years old. Insert some requisite time-flies crap here. So Jon and I are on the foggy western edge of North America, eating and drinking our way through an extended weekend of disc golf, hiking, and hot-tubbing. I must say it is downright fantastic. Thursday we started with a walk around downtown Mendocino after ohhhhing and ahhhing at our hotel room (which is over three times older than me). Claw foot tub = Pooks is on bath number four. From the walk we found Patterson's Pub with fresh mussels in a basil broth and a Crab and Shrimp Louie that tasted like I was eating it directly from the Pacific Ocean.  On Friday we hiked nearly every trail in the small Russian Gulch State Park and then Jon pla...

This year Axel and I went to Country Pumpkins in Orland to get Halloween decor for the front doorstep.  I wanted the reddest pumpkin I could find so it would match my front door.  Yes, I admit to that. I ended up purchasing a red Cinderella pumpkin.  At the checkout, the kind sales lady asked what I was going to do with it.  I told her that I was planning to put it by my door to look pretty.  She chuckled and said that Cinderella pumpkins make the most delicious pumpkin meat for cooking. I am so glad she said that because I might not have thought to cook this intimidating-looking squash. This was as red as it got at Country Pumpkins Fast forward to last Thursday when Mom came over for a visit.  She admired the pumpkin and I told her I was going to roast it soon.  "Oh, yes," she says, "Good idea. There is going to be a pumpkin shortage this year." "Really?" I said, a bit dubious on the notion.  Sounds like something the pumpkin lobby co...

After my old theater-style popcorn maker went kaput, I mourned for a while and then started the search for a smaller footprint popcorn maker. As it turned out the device was already in my kitchen... a wok!  I know I can make popcorn in a pot, but that involves so much shaking and (often) burning. With the wok, since only a small area in the lowest part of the pan is directly heated, it makes a great popcorn maker.  The heavier un-popped kernels stay near the heat source while the fluffy popped pieces spring away.  My wok is electric which makes it easy to dial-in the heat but you could do this with a regular wok on a small burner as well. To make the Wok-Corn happen, I had to study how popcorn pops. A few facts: Popcorn pops at about 350 degrees F (180 C) Before it pops the inner starches, fats, and water need to make a gel. The gel is how popcorn becomes fluffy. Once it reaches 135 psi the hull breaches.  By then, if you have a hull filled with a soft...

Not just playoffs. Division championships. Gameday preparations are underway across SF, Seattle, Denver, New England and even lil ole Chico (though there has yet to be an Aaron Rodgers sighting up here). Tonight I am getting ready for having friends over on Sunday so I am making my old standby- Pooks' Pulled Pork. It's easy: 1) Put a pork roast (shoulder aka 'butt' roast is best) in a crockpot over a bed of sliced onion. Turn on low and wait 8-10 hours (overnight works). If the roast doesn't all fit cut it into pieces and make it fit. Extra credit for browning the meat first. 2) Take the cooked roast out and pull the meat away from the bone and fat, shredding it with your fingers. Cover meat in your favorite BBQ sauce. Do whatever you want with the liquid and onions- they're not needed. 3) Reheat and serve on hamburger buns with cole slaw as a side. Hint on the slaw: a bag of pre-chopped cabbage is your friend. Dressing is just mayo with some vin...