Family

Dining Outside the Home: Point Loma Seafoods in San Diego, California 

Dining Outside the Home: Point Loma Seafoods San Diego, California! Quality fish and other creatures of the sea are caught straight from the boat, directly bought from local fishermen, and sold at the market the same day. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. What began as a family business of simply processing and selling sport-caught fish over 50 years ago, turned into a place to gather and nibble on the salt-water delicacies prepared with secret recipes. From flaky crab cakes and shrimp cocktail to breaded clam strips, seared ahi, and smoked salmon on bakery fresh sourdough bread, the selection is overwhelming. What a unique experience for the heartiest eaters. 

Look Up Through the Treetops 

“The sensitive ear of the musician

detects a certain musical note

in every city which is different

from that of another city. 

He hears in each little brook

a new melody, and to him

the sound of wind

in the treetops of different forests 

give a varying sound.”

~ Max Heindel

The Guitar Man

“I think it’s so cool that you 

can pick up the guitar and

create something that didn’t

exist 5 minutes ago. 

You can write something 

that no one’s ever heard before. 

You have music at your fingertips.”

~ Michelle Branch

The Beauty in Glass

“That we find a crystal

or a poppy beautiful

means that we are less alone,

that we are more deeply inserted

into existence than

the course of a single life

would lead us to believe.”
~ John Berger

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter B

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Bleu Plate Special! As the day winds down, the kids are fed, and the sunset turns to burnt-sugar orange, take some time out for yourself. Make a delightful cheese plate filled with inviting textures balanced by a range of flavors from aged and smoky to salty and sweet. Pair with a glass of sweet wine (or fruity spritzer) for an amazing taste sensation. Sink back into a comfy chaise lounge and let soft music fill the room. Remind yourself this is a classic French dessert, and prepare to be pampered. 
BLEU PLATE SPECIAL
Ingredients:

Wedge of Bleu Cheese (or any aged cheese variety)

Bunch of Green Grapes (or any seasonal fruit)

Smoked Almonds

Water Crackers (or crusty breads)
Instructions:

Choose a platter where all ingredients can be arranged in a simple way, leaving space between choices. Identify cheeses if offering more than one kind. Rule of thumb: Place one cheese knife or spreader for each type of cheese. Keep it simple. 

March to the Beat of a Different Drummer

“Whether things turn out for the better

depends on what we do. 

We ought not spend our time

masterminding the future,

but recognize our marching orders:

to do the best we can

for history and the planet.”

~ Huston Smith

Pennies From Heaven

Re-posted from March 9, 2015
He smelled like Old Spice After Shave as long as I knew him. There was a time he wore Vitalis in his wavy brown hair. All the guys did. Elvis probably started it with his slick-black hair and sex appeal. I used to go to my father’s bedroom closet after he hung up his suit from a nine-hour day of demanding retail sales, supporting a family of six. I’d slip my childish hands into every pocket searching for a LifeSaver or two. If a half-opened roll of Reed’s Root Beer candies were discovered, I’d race back to my father’s chair and beg for “just one”. Being his only daughter, and the apple of his eye, he’d smile and say, “Sure, Snookie. Anything for my little girl.” Sometimes there would be a compact case of Sen-Sens in his coat pocket. I hated the taste of anise. Around that time everyone grew up watching Hollywood’s Rich and Famous glamorizing the lifestyle of a cigarette smoker. Sales were finalized when a cigarette was lit at the retail counter. Afterwards this tiny matchbox of black licorice and anise squares were the perfect breath mint popular in the 1960s. On occasion in my daily quest, I would come across my father’s easy-squeeze leather coin pouch. He said it kept loose change under control and saved the lining in his dress pants.  
Today I hold that weather-worn pouch and squeeze it open remembering my father. Inside are two pennies. One is a muted coppery Lincoln Wheat Penny dated 1930; the other is a bright shiny Union Shield version dated 2014. Pennies from Heaven, I call them, spanning the lifetime of my beloved father. Happy Birthday, Dad. Thinking of you today celebrating your first birthday in Heaven. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11.