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It's late August in Yolo County

On our way to a jazz concert in Brooks, California, we passed peach orchards and vineyards along the way. It reminds me that vendange is coming. These grapes will be ripe for picking in no time. Amusing musing about wine: "In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas." In wine there is truth, in water there is health.  À votre santé !

The Gamble Garden

I often travel to distant lands to see the world when I have a beautiful world waiting for me to discover right here at home. So this week I embarked on a journey to explore my "backyard". And was I surprised to find three exceptional gardens which I hadn't visited before! The first of these is the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. Elizabeth was the only daughter of the co-founder of Procter & Gamble. She bequethed her estate to the City of Palo Alto which together with the Garden Club of Palo Alto maintains the property with the mission of providing horticultural and environmental education to the community as well as the historical preservation of this 1902 estate. The Gazebo The Gazebo is not original to the garden. It was added in 1996. In the photo above, late afternoon sun casts a rainbow over the vine covered Gazebo lending it a magical presence. California Style Garden Room The plants selected in this section of the garden are resistant to oak roo

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink piggy banks On Highway 152 in Gilroy, there are many roadside fruit stands offering cherries and strawberries for just a dollar a basket or a bag of oranges at the same price. I had passed a sign down the road advertising 6 ears of corn for a dollar and stopped by Casa de Fruta to investigate. But I was distracted by the nuts, dried fruit, candy, fruit wine, bags of garlic, and decorative pottery. Taffys in pink (cherry) and other flavors Ahh, there are always sweet nothings to tempt you when you're so intent to keep to your diet. Now I remember why I shouldn't stop at these places. I must recite my mantra: I came for the corn, the corn, the corn..... There's also a store within the complex that sells cookies and ice cream. It's right next to the carousel and the choo choo train. It must be hard for the kids to resist ice cream after playing out in the sun. My problem is choosing which cookie to buy. Fruits, of course, are the better choice. But

12 Hours in Honolulu

I was not disappointed at all that I was rerouted through Honolulu instead of flying nonstop to San Francisco from Tokyo recently. While waiting to board the plane, I thought of all the things I could do in Honolulu during the 12-hour layover. And the more I thought about it, the more pleased I was that I had this opportunity. Except for one thing. I needed a hotel in Honolulu where I could take a quick nap, shower, and leave my bags while I was out wandering about town. I called several hotels but none of them had day rates let alone allow me to check in earlier than 2 p.m. After a few more calls and before draining my cellphone's battery, I got a room at the Airport Hotel for $136.00 and they picked me up from the airport. Wiped out from the long trip, I fell asleep immediately and woke up when my alarm went off. It was 1 p.m. so I hurried to make the most of my time. Luckily the bus stop was just down the street and I didn't have to wait long before the bus bound for Ala

Sweet Sighting

Found this at Narita Airport. Sweet sighting for the sweet tooth! *  *  * Image by Charie

In the Seafood Capital of the Philippines

Shrimp ukoy Shrimp ukoy from my Aunt's table is one of my favorites. I can eat quite a few. These super delicious fritters are prepared with flavorful shrimps native to these islands.  Here's how you can make shrimp ukoy:  http://panlasangpinoy.com/2010/06/18/ukoy-shrimp-fritters-recipe/ My Uncle had this crab plate especially prepared for me. I love crab, specifically female ones as these have "aligue" which is crab fat but which I call "red caviar". I know that this is really not healthy to eat but I only get to indulge when I'm in Roxas City where crab is on the menu in most restaurants and here at our family table. Try also rich crab fu yong . Talaba These enormous talaba  (oysters) are always in demand, especially since it's not expensive at all to order them at any of the seaside restaurants. At less than P100/plate, it's a steal. And goes down well with cold beer. But I'm not a fan. :( The image above is of the adobo flavored

Olotayan Island - Waiting to be Discovered

Sitio Sawang shoreline We were in Olotayan Island to distribute school supplies and slippers from Balay ni Charie to the students of Olotayan Elementary School. The kids, from Kindergarten to 6th grade, came to school on a Saturday morning to greet us and receive their school supplies. The fourth grade class received slippers thanks to the generous donation of my friend, Rose Driscoll. 4th graders at Olotayan Elementary School To get to Olotayan  Island, we boarded a motorized outrigger from Banica Pier in Roxas City and cruised passed fishponds and mangrove to Punta Cogon and from there to the open sea. It took about 40 minutes on calm waters to get to the island. As we approached the island, the waves became bigger and the ride was slightly choppy.  Punta Cogon They were  celebrating their annual fiesta at Sitio Capaculan which is on the other side of the island from Sawang. There's a paved road that goes over the hill to the shores of Capaculan. If you're seeking a st