Dreams, Moments, Travels
Yes, even Southern California has winter; that is the time the grass turns brown. But this year, winter was a week in early January when the citrus crop was frozen over and destroyed, and now, two weeks later, spring is here. Caroline has flown back to Phoenix while Jutta and I stayed on and have driven north to Santa Barbara to visit my aunt and uncle for a few days.
This is simply dumb luck. Today is the last day The Original Pantry Cafe Bakery and Sandwich Shop will be open. After many a year of operation, it is closing to be reopened as Riordan’s Grill. The original corner part of the Cafe will remain open, as it has since 1924. My father first introduced me to the Pantry Cafe when I was still a teenager; I have since brought lots of friends back with me to experience the history, great breakfast, and perfect ambiance this old-fashioned cafe has to offer. Sometimes, I really don’t like change, though I should be happy that the corner cafe will remain after so much other land has been cleared for high rises and condos.
Inside the Getty Museum and for some stupid reason or other that I can’t understand at this time, I didn’t take a single photo of the collection.
There are so many interesting places to take a walk in Los Angeles, from Little Tokyo to Chinatown, from Little Armenia and Thai Town to Little Saigon, yet here we are not in Korea Town but over on Sawtelle Boulevard, home to more than a few Japanese stores. We came over to Sawtelle to eat ramen noodles at Ramenya. Ramenya is a little shop that serves up a couple of dozen varieties of ramen noodles. Recently, they have announced a new addition to the culinary offerings of the area – their new shop, Soy Boy Tofu & Things – Asian-Ya.
Also nearby is Giant Robot, which by itself would be worthy of a visit to Los Angeles.
Walking in L.A.
Persian ice cream makes for a great way to end the day.
Woke up in Los Angeles, ready for breakfast at the Original Pantry Cafe before heading east to our next stop.
We were going to Mission San Gabriel to share with Jutta an older part of California’s culture from back when the Spanish were exploring the state.
Candles aglow from parishioners asking Jesus to hear their prayers.
Our next stop on this quick weekend adventure for the three of us was at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Bamboo garden at the Huntington.
And because this post is titled God, Gardens, and Cuisine, here’s the cuisine element found at Oki Dog on Fairfax Boulevard…truly, food of the gods.
Another Los Angeles weekend has us taking in some history, nature, art, and culinary treats. This cactus photo is from The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and was taken the next day as we failed to take one while driving out today.
It was cold and breezy with a light dusting of snow here at the Grand Canyon during sunrise when we visited a few days ago. We were wrapped up the best we could, and still, we shivered on the exposed rim. Hot chocolate from the El Tovar beckoned, but first, we huddled together, waiting for the sun to make its 7:32 morning appearance. I am always overwhelmed by the beauty of the canyon in the early morning light and intrigued by the thought that with so many visitors to this National Park, so few should brave the chill to witness this spectacle.
A solo drive, taking my time to points further north, but instead of going directly there, I’ve diverted along the scenic route and decided to visit Sedona for a short while.
It’s not often I’ve visited the Sedona area and seen the area lightly dusted in snow, quite the treat.
Time to get a little something at the Indian Gardens Store before finishing my task.
Caroline’s lost purse required me to make a day-long drive back to Flagstaff in order to fetch said purse and return it to Phoenix, where it would be of more use to her. The purse was left on the back of a chair in a restaurant, for which I’m at least partly to blame because she set it on the table. And while she and her mother were visiting the lady’s room, I moved it to her chair and she promptly forgot she brought it in with her. Not only did I have a nice scenic early morning drive, but I also left the mother-in-law in Phoenix, allowing for a recuperative quiet drive all by myself – after nearly six weeks of my mother-in-law vacationing with us, this break was well deserved.