Truthful Thursday - More reviews

When you don't go back to a restaurant that you've dined before, there's definitely a major issue, right?  So why did we go back to DAVE & BUSTERS?  One of Jeff's friend celebrated his birthday this past weekend and he chose D&B in Milpitas, CA.  We got there a little late and everyone had ordered their good.  Once their food started arriving, their waitress was able to take our order.  The people on our table started talking about some of the issues of their food.  One lady had ordered some type of salad with chicken.  Apparently it took them four times to get the order right.  Another guest complained about getting their sweet potato fries a bit late, it was already cold.  The next guy across  the table did not get his salad at all and they completely forgot it even after he reminded them.  He finished his dinner without the salad. The celebrant was disappointed about all these issue but it was not his fault.  To top it all, they brought him some sort of a birthday ice cream in a cup with a candle as oppose to a piece of cake.  There were at least 12 people on our table and the bill was over $500.  Can you believe that they charge the celebrant $2 for that two small scoop of ice cream.  They even had to call one of the Managers to come to our table to make his aware of what has been happening.  Jeff and I had been there some 10 years ago and now we know why we never went back after all those years.  I'm sure they don't really care about some of the customers because the place is actually busy specially the section where all the Games are located.  Maybe we are just too old for this type of place or their service is just unacceptable.

 

 

Memory Monday - Gino on his 32nd birthday

I made this stepping stone for you today.

I placed it in front of the tree to commemorate your life.

Happy birthday Gino, you will always be in my heart.

Sports Sunday - It's time to pick

Another late post but I did not want to have another day without a post even if it's a short one.  I had started this post since late Friday night but we had a very busy weekend attending birthday parties, so this was put off.  All I wanted to talk about was my picks for the upcoming fall sports season.  It's actually nothing new if you have followed my blog before. 

• NFL - New England Patriots
• NHL - San Jose Sharks
• US Open - Roger Federer 
• PGA Fedex - Tiger Woods
• LPGA - Inbee Park

As for baseball and basketball, I have not been following the games so if I have nothing to watch on TV, I might watch a bit of whoever is playing.  Yesterday morning I got busy baking because we had extra zucchinis.  I made two loaves of zucchini/pineapple bread, zucchini chocolate nut muffins and zucchini chocolate cake.  Some of these will be given to my golf buddies and other volunteer friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and is looking forward to the upcoming Labor Day weekend. 

 

 

Seafood Saturday - I see food differently

Someone once told me that he was on a seafood diet - "I see food and I eat them".  I thought it was funny as it was the first time I heard it.  Then one day I saw the Red Lobster commercial and the chef said "I see food differently".  As for me, I just love Seafood and I don't think there's a seafood that I don't like or have not tried.  Here are some of my favorites in their different categories.

• Fish: Sea Bass, Snapper, Halibut, Swordfish, Tuna
• Shellfish: Lobster, crab, shrimp, oyster, mussels, clams
• Seafood dishes: Bouillabaisse, Cioppino, Paella, Salt & Pepper Shrimp
• Soups: Lobster bisque, Tom yum, hot and sour shrimp
• Sushi: BBQ eel, tuna, yellow tail, 

And here are some of the places I've had some of my favorite dishes.

• Best Sea Bass ever - Lima, Peru
• Best Steamed Whole Lobster - Montreal, Quebec
• Best Bouillabaisse - Manila, Philippines
• Best Alaskan King Crab - Whitehorse, Yukon
• Best Salt and Pepper Shrimp - Mississauga, Ontario

Are you a seafood lover?  What are your favorites and where have you tried them?

 

Fluffy Friday - Totally different kind of fluffiness

After coming home from our trip of Maui, Jeff and I decided to check out the comedy central station and at that moment there was a comedian wearing a Hawaiian shirt.  Since it was perfect timing, it just started and we just came back from Hawaii, we thought of checking this guy out.  It was an hour of awesome laughter and a great entertainer.  The most interesting part of him was that he was comfortable with his nickname "Fluffy".  His real name is Gabriel Iglesias.  Our favorite topic of his routine is when he describe his Saudi Arabia tour when the Prince wanted him to perform in their country.  Since then I have been checking the same station for other specials and so far we have watched a couple of them.  The one from Hawaii and the one from Texas.  He is currently on tour and it would be great to see him perform live. If this is the first time you've heard about him, check out some of his video online.

 

On another type of fluffy, every time I hear this word, I cannot stop but think of the little girl on Despicable Me.  Remember that part when she got the unicorn, the one that was so fluffy.

Touristy Thursday - The scenic routes

It's all about the view, the historical places and just some of the touristy areas we stopped by.  As this is the last post of our weekend trip, I hope that you enjoyed it as if you were touring with us.  

St. Ores B&B located in Gualala, CA

Wild flowers near our cabin

Ocean view around Point Arena

Navarro Winery where we stopped for some wine tasting and bought an awesome Cabernet

The Point Arena Lighthouse and small historical museaum

The spa at St. Ores across our cabin. It has a hot tub, sauna and massage room.

Cliffs around the Point Arena Lighthouse

Redwoods near the grounds of our cabin - that's why I call it like camping.

Until our next trip, my blog will return to my day to day enjoyment of life of a retired me.

Wholesome Wednesday - A variety of different meals

As promised from my yesterday's blog, I am posting all the photos of our meals during our weekend trip.  Unfortunately we only took photos from the St. Ores restaurant.  We had a couple of great lunch from different restaurant and also a good dinner at Cove Azul in Gualala.

Saturday breakfast in a basket.

Butternut squash soup as our first course on Jeff's birthday

Tomato salad. Everything on this plate Jeff does not like, but he ate it anyway

Roasted wild boar with apple and pear latkes and baked apple - Jeff's entree

Venison served on waffle with huckleberry and maple syrup - My entree

Home made Jack Daniel's ice cream with roasted pecans and chocolate caramel.

The above meals were from the St. Ores restaurant.  They were good meals but a little pricy for us specially when the venison had a very gamey taste.  The wild boar was a little tough and not much flavor.  The salad was just a bit too tiny and not much taste.  The best part of the meal was the dessert which was not even free.  We thought they would at least throw that in for free because it was Jeff's birthday.  At the end of our meal, the waitress whispered happy birthday to Jeff.  Tomorrow will be more of the scenic photos of our trip.

Travel Tuesday - My idea of camping

Some say it's like a retreat, others might call it a quiet get away but for me I call it my idea of camping.  This past weekend Jeff and I ventured out along the coast, Highway 1 of California.  The route we took from San Jose for the first part was not pretty at all.  I don't want to say which highway but we knew that we would have to take a different one coming home.  The other part of the route was so scenic and so windy with a lot of elevations.  So if you like those magnificent postcard views then you will enjoy the ride.  Part of it I couldn't look anymore so I decided to take a nap.  When I woke up, we are almost at our destination.

It's a B&B with cabins and cottages called St. Ores located in Gualala, CA.  It's best to just share the photos.  By the way, there was no TV, telephone, nor cell phone signal. 

Jeff in front of the main building

Sea Pine cabin - where we stayed .

Sitting beside the pink lilies

Our breakfast basket delivered both mornings of our stay.

You will have to wait until tomorrow for all the photos of our meals because there's enough photos for today. 

Melting Monday - It was very hot today

When I booked our tee time for today, I did not really check what the weather was going to be because most of the time it's sunny, blue sky and warm.  My golf buddy Janis asked if I was brave enough to go out with this hot temperature.  Since I've missed a couple of times golfing with her, I decided to still go because we had not golfed together.  Upon arrival at the parking lot, I already noticed that there were less cars than normal.  When I checked in at the pro shop, they advised me that a lot of the groups were only playing 9 holes.  My other buddy Bruce showed up and the three of us started our round.  It was still pretty nice until we were on the 6th hole and we can really feel the heat rising.  We were determined to finished and by the time we completed the 14th hole, Bruce decided to quit as it was really hot.  Both Janis and I continued and we were tired and very thirsty.  Even with this scorching condition, I have to say that I had a great round and I am so glad I played.  It took us a total of three and a half hours walking, sweating and some laughing with very little complaining.  There was another tee time for late afternoon for our ladies league but everyone cancelled so it was time to go home.  That was my Monday, how was yours?

Just one of the photos from our weekend get away.

 

Soulful Sunday - Why can't I do it?

What is it that I cannot do?  Why can't I not do it?  Is there a much better time to do it?  I'm talking about opening a box.  A box that I took with me because I was not able to deal with it before I move to San Jose.  A box filled with my son's things, papers, sympathy cards, etc.

I am in the process of making a stepping stone for the tree that we planted in the backyard.  There is a piece of paper that I needed from that box that will be part of the stepping stone.

When I opened the box to look for this paper, something hurt inside, there's still that pain.

I took that piece of paper, close the box and walked out of the room.  It has been five years since my son passed away and each time I try to open the box to sort it, I always end up crying and it was still too painful.  When my sister was here last May, we said we were going to do it but never did.  My daughter suggested that I ask one of my girl friend who lives in this area because they would be someone not related to me.  One of my BFF says that there is really never going to be a good time but if I am not ready, then it's not a big deal.  There is not a Sunday when I don't think of him, I guess that's why I writing about him today.  Some days I do some baking to get my mind busy and today its a recipe that I found online.  There's a crumble on top and it makes it so special. 

Best Blueberry muffins 2die4

And here's a song by Train that I like listening to when I am on the road going somewhere on Sunday.

Simply Saturday - Short and Simple

Two years ago while I was helping my MIL with some of her uncluttering exercise, I found a  tiny book called BITS & PIECES (a monthly mixture of horse sense and common sense about working with people).  I took it home and place it somewhere in one of the cabinets and never really read until last night.  That's when I got the idea of maybe sharing some of the contents.  You have to understand that the book was published in 1971.  

• The most valuable gift you can give another is a good example.
• Be kind.  Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
• You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
• The best way to forget your own problem is to help someone solve his.
• Temper is what gets most of us into trouble.  Pride is what keeps us there.
• Wouldn't it be nice to be as sure of anything as some people are of everything.
• Anger is often more harmful than the injury that caused it.
• The goal of criticism is to leave the person with the feeling that he's been helped.

Whether you are returning to work on Monday or maybe doing some volunteer work or maybe just meeting a friend, remember to enjoy the day and embrace life.