A Visit, A Visitor, A Play, A Concert & Wine

March 2014

2014 has been pretty low key.  A lot of time doing work around the home.  Here is what has been happening since the last post.


Waltz across Texas with you in my arms
Waltz across Texas with you
Like a story-book ending I'm lost in your charms
And I could waltz across Texas with you
                  Ernest Tubb

Bridget went to Texas.  Courtney has having a 30th birthday party, so Bridget went for that and to visit the grandsons.  Bridget went to Texas and I did not even get a lousy T-shirt.

May 2014

The company Courtney works for is acquiring companies in California so she came out to Orange County.
She was able to stay over Friday May 23 and fly back that Saturday.  She drove down Thursday after work and we had an awesome visit.

We ate good of course with visits to Cotija's , the local taco shop.  Courtney says there is a difference between here and Texas on Mexican food.  I agree but also like the TexMex style.  We ate at Urge Gastropub.  They were having a Hawaiian weekend and our University of Hawaii graduate got Loco Moco. Not like being in Hawaii but close.  We went down to Old Town and ate at the Old Town Mexican Cafe, a family favorite.

It was a short visit but so awesome.

http://urgegastropub.com/

http://www.oldtownmexcafe.com/

http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/

June 2014

This was month of freebies as Bridget kept entering contest and getting prizes.

June 8

Bridget won 2 tickets for the play "My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy at the Lyceum Theater downtown San Diego.  We could park at Horton's Plaza and get free parking, too.

We were in row 2.  Great seats.  Here is a recap of the play and the writer/actor, Brad Zimmerman.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/san-diego/article/MY-SON-THE-WAITER-A-JEWISH-TRAGEDY-Comes-to-Lyceum-Theatre-528-76-20140508#.U78KVZRdXO4

The play was good and there were parts that were really funny.

Here is his official website.  You can see excerpts from the play there too.

http://bradz.imwerks.com/

After the play we went to Tom Ham's Lighthouse and had a drink and just relaxed looking at the harbor, the boats and the city.

http://www.kgbhomegrown.com/

These were albums by San Diego musicians and the notes were  by Cameron Crowe (before he became famous for writing Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Almost Famous, and many more) for I and II.  You can read those notes and listen to all the songs for 8 albums from the link above.  I still have the records for the 2, 3 & 4, then we moved to the City of Angels.

http://www.kgbhomegrown.com/MP3/HG3/KGB_HG309.mp3

http://www.tomhamslighthouse.com/



http://www.kgbhomegrown.com/MP3/HG2/KGB_HG207.mp3
From Listen: They played at our Senior Prom in 1974.  This song is from Homegrown II from 1974.



June 12

Free tickets to the House of Blues to see Kyle Setter and Love and Theft.

http://www.houseofblues.com/sandiego

Since we had standing room only tickets we did not hurry down to HOB.  As it was, we still had to stand in line to get inside.  Only heard a few songs from Kyle Setter.

https://www.facebook.com/kylesettermusic


She likes whiskey with her water
She starts dancin' when the stars come out
She ain't your typical preacher's daughter
She'll leave you dreamin' yeah there ain't no doubt
There's a little bit of devil in her angel eyes
She's a little bit of heaven with a wild side
Got a rebel heart a country mile wide
There's a little bit of devil in her angel eyes
A little bit of devil in her angel eyes
                             Love and Theft

We had to wait while they changed the stage. I had been trying to get familiar with Love and Theft and was listening to songs on You Tube.  Did not really remember their big hit, Angel Eyes or Runaway.  I drift in and out of country music so I was probably out.

http://www.loveandtheft.com/

They came out and played a great show.  Their true fans were singing along to all the songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOvyymFaFs4&list=RDaOvyymFaFs4&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efEfTPxrIa0

July 13 So Cal Wine Country

Red, red wine, you make me feel so fine
You keep me rockin' all of the time
Red, red wine, you make me feel so grand
I feel a million dollar when you're just in my hand
Red, red wine, you make me feel so sad
Any time I see you go, it make me feel bad
                                                Neil Diamond

Bridget won a fantastic prize from ECBC.

http://www.ec-bc.com/

It's a great company based in Murrieta, CA.  They make great products.  Bridget won 4 pieces of luggage which we used when we went to Texas at Christmas time.  We got a wheeled duffle bag, a carry on, backpack and a messenger bag.The backpack allows you to unzip and lay flat without taking electronics out. They worked great.

In addition Bridget won a two night stay at the Temecula Creek Inn, a dinner at their restaurant and two wine tastings at the local wineries.

We came up in 2010 and had a blast.  This time we were spending the night.

http://iwillseeyouinfaroffplaces.blogspot.com/2010/08/temecula.html

The wineries are less crowded on the week days versus the weekends.  So we decided to stay Friday and Saturday nights.  We are only 34 miles from the inn and the wineries are all around.

http://www.temeculawines.org/wineries-vineyards/

Our first stop was at Longshadow Ranch Winery.   The people were great and so were the wines.  Bought some to take home.

http://www.longshadowranchwinery.com/

We then went to the Temecula Creek Inn and checked in

http://www.temeculacreekinn.com/

We got a great room on the golf course and close to the restaurant.  We walked around and relaxed in the room.  We originally were going to have dinner later but the hockey playoffs changed that.  Bridget changed the reservation so we could watch the end of the game.  I was hoping it would still be a game.  We went to our first King's game when we moved to Los Angeles and always suffered through the years with them until 2012.  When we were dating we always went to the Gulls and the Mariners games in San Diego.  Saw Gordie Howe score a goal at the end of his career.

Dinner was at Cork Fire Kitchen at the Inn.  Bridget ordered the Hanger steak and I had the Maple-Glazed Seared Duck Breast.  It was very good.  For dessert we had a raspberry short cake and berries and sabayon.

Watched the Kings win the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years.

                               Full Moon on Friday the 13th.  Probably won't see the next one in 2049.

June 14

We went to Old Town Temecula and walked around.

                                     We saw this, not sure what it was but Grandma took a picture.

http://www.oldtowntemecula.com/

For lunch we ate at Third Street Smokehouse.

http://www.thirdstreetsmokehouse.com/

It was really good and we both ate too much.

We went to the Wiens Family Cellars and tasted their wine.  More wine to take home.

http://www.wienscellars.com/



Next stop Pechanga!

https://www.pechanga.com/

I made enough on the slot machines to pay for dinner.

We finally ate around 9 pm.  We went to Habit Burger Grill.  We had some other restaurants in mind but we were so full from lunch we were not ready to eat until late.

http://www.habitburger.com/

June 15

Headed for home.  We had a fun trip.

NEXT POST COMIC CON!

February 2014

February 2,2014

Super Bowl

Party at Chris and Betsy's.  Good food, great atmosphere and I liked the results.  Glad Pete Carroll won. Former USC coach with hardware and I met him.  See blog from 07/19/10.

                                                   Super Bowl Pool Winners 1 Quarter

                                                                Frozen Yogurt Bar

February 8, 2014

Connie's Birthday

They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you

Yes, we're going to a party party

                                   The Beatles





Horse racing at Santa Anita.  Steaks and cake at the house.

February 19, 2014

Needtobreathe

In your ocean I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashing on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be, but
I can't figure out, I can't figure out
Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
But will you let me drown
Will you let me drown

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
'Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me
I know that I'm that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

                              Needtobreathe


Bridget got free tickets as a frequent listener to a local radio station.  They played a 75 minute concert instead of just 4 or 5 songs.  It was held at Birch North Park Theatre and we were in the 6th row.  Great seats.  Awesome concert.  First heard them on KLOVE.

http://www.needtobreathe.com/riversinthewastelandtour

http://birchnorthparktheatre.net/

When my dreams are over
And my feet hit the floor
Is my will enough to move on
When we fight to get back
The love that we've lost
Will my hands be enough to push on
Tell me will I have enough to go on

Cause we are alive
We are strong
We cant watch it go for nothing
Watch until its gone
And we are down
But we can choose
We've got nothing else to live for
Nothing left to lose

                          Needtobreathe

Shortfalls and little sins
Close calls where no one wins
Stand tall we're running thin
I'm wearing thin

Oh, why are we keeping score

Cause if you're not laughing
Who is laughing now
I've been wondering
If we stop sinking
Could we stand our ground
And through everything we've learned
We've finally come to terms
We are the outsiders
Oh, we are the outsiders

                         Needtobreathe

Happy New Year 2014

Christmas in Texas

December 25, 2013 Wednesday

When it's Christmas time in Texas
It's a very special time for me
In Texas we'll be swingin'
Around the Christmas tree
Dancin' to a Christmas melody
When it's Christmas time in Texas
It might look just like a summer day
                                     George Strait

We got up early on Christmas Day to catch a plane to Texas.  We flew into Love Field then drove over to Dallas Ft Worth Airport to pick up Noah.  Noah was flying in from Louisville.  We got him and then headed to Jen and Brian's house.  When we got there both boys were taking their naps and Jen and Brian were working on dinner.

Luke and Sawyer woke up and we played with them while dinner was cooking.  Jen and Brian had a brisket, homemade twice baked potatoes, purple, orange and yellow cauliflower.  Dinner was delicious!

After dinner it was time for presents.

Merry Texas Christmas You All
Recorded by Gene Autry
Written by Leon Harris and Bob Miller

We have no jingle bells or sleigh
To display on Christmas Day
There’s not much snow down Texas way
But we sure mean it when we say
Merry Texas Christmas you all

Merry Texas Christmas you all
May your days be sunny and bright
May your hearts be happy and light
Merry Texas Christmas you all

December 26, 2013 Thursday

It was a relaxing day of playing with new toys, going to the playground and just having fun.

For dinner Jen fixed a Cafe Rio dinner salad. Jen even made homemade tortillas!  One of her favorite restaurants in Utah.  They are expanding and we ate with her at the one in Lake Forest before they moved to Texas.

 http://www.caferio.com/

December 27, 2013 Friday

More fun today.  For lunch we took Noah to Carl's Jr.  He goes into withdrawls from not eating there, and don't try and tell him the Hardee's in Louisville is the same.  That night we went to Courtney's and David's for dinner.  Lasgana.  Oh, it was good!  Courtney and David are awesome hosts.

December 28, 2013 Saturday

I went to Dunkin' Donuts and got my coffee.  They are finally coming to California so now  I won't have to make it a must visit in Texas.

Courtney and David picked Noah up and they went to a sports bar to watch Louisville vs Kentucky basketball game.  Not a good day for Louisville, but they are the defending Champions.

For dinner we had Chinese food from China Star.
http://www.chinastarthecolony.com/

December 29, 2013

Leaving Texas today.  Noah back to Louisville and Bridget and I back to San Diego.  Never save the last day for group pictures, but we always forget that.  Jen and Brian fixed Waffles, Eggs, Bacon for brunch.