TravelswithCharie

It was such a delight to see this stall of "vintage" gumball machines at the Hanford Mall. It's been a while since I saw one and had to stop and check them out. As you can see, there's no shortage of flavors. * * * Image by Charie

This is such a beautiful and evocative poem by Joyce Kilmer . Can't help but love it. Trees I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed Against the sweet earth's flowing breast A tree that looks at God all day And lifts her leafy arms to pray A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair Upon whose bosom snow has lain Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me But only God can make a tree. Bird's Nest (photo courtesy of Treehotel)  In Northern Sweden, about 60 km south of the Arctic Circle, a new breed of hotel rooms are sprouting in the wilderness. These are the treerooms that are suspended 4-6 meters above the ground. You can choose to feel nurtured in a Bird's Nest, or hide in the Mirrorcube or perhaps bunk off in a cabin in the woods, and for the ultimate in travel experience without leaving earth, sleep in a UFO. More of these "green" rooms are planned for completion i

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." Hans Christian Andersen The Sunset Magazine garden is uniquely organized into five defined areas representing different climate zones in the Western United States. These areas are the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Central California, Southern California, and the Southwest Desert. There is also a Test Garden where Sunset employees evaluate plants, devices and projects for coverage in its magazine.  The Lawn The Lawn is a sprawling 1.2 acre expanse of short cut Astoria colonial bent grass. It is sometimes used for company and special events. The buildings in the background house the offices of the magazine and is in the early California style. As you step out of the Reception area, a riot of colors greet you in this floral display of gold and red celosia surrounded by summer perennials like coneflowers and marigolds and anchored by a grapefruit tr

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 !

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 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

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

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

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

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

Tinapa Spring Rolls I've read and heard about tinapa spring rolls but have never tasted one. So on a stopover in Manila recently, I decided to try these much talked about "lumpia" appetizers with a twist. MESA at Greenbelt 5 in Makati serves these lettuce wrapped delicacies. I could smell the tinapa (smoked fish) as the waitress approached my table.  I dipped the roll in the vinegar sauce and mmmm, what a delight! I've missed eating tinapa, tiny fish with bronze skin you can peel open intact. The tinapa meat is delicious but it has bones. There were no bones in the tinapa rolls I tasted. The kitchen must have deboned the fish first before making them. This plateful of tinapa spring rolls is only P140.00. And it's a generous serving for one person. There is also tinapa fried rice on the menu.  I didn't try it because I ordered palabok (a noodle dish) instead. Palabok To make the tinapa spring rolls, try the recipe from the link below: http://www.yummy.ph

Recently while traveling from New York to San Francisco,  I sat next to two women in their 20's who made the 6-hour flight an ordeal for me. They never stopped talking during the entire flight. When the stewardess came by to pick up their trash, the woman closest to me dropped her plastic utensils and cup with some liquid leftover on my lap and didn't bother to apologize. As if this was not enough, she flatulated in her seat and left a stench all around. Of course she had to go to the restroom after that but would not transfer her laptop to her seat from the folding table to make room. So in order to get out of her seat, she stepped on my seat with her dirty shoes. And these women talked like they were well employed and the most offensive one indicated she worked in IT, a job which  requires considerable training. You never know these days who you'll sit with so it's best to spread the word around about plane etiquette and hopefully someday, we'll all have a pleasan

The Sunken Garden It's so refreshing to be outside and to be surrounded by so much natural beauty. At Filoli, everywhere you gaze, there's a flower or tree or piece of pottery that will call your attention. How I wish I took notes of the names of the flowers, but I must remain content with the colorful images I had the pleasure of taking. Though none can equal seeing the gardens and house up close.  The Chartres Garden The gardens change with the seasons. We just missed the tulips and wisteria. We're now into May when roses, foxgloves, peonies, lavender and violas captivate the landscape. There are so many varieties of roses (about 500) that we had a field day just looking for the Mr. Lincoln rose. In the process I found the Johann Strauss rose but I was most impressed with these October roses that are in full bloom and overwhelming its bush (shown below).  The October Rose in the Rose Garden The Knot Garden is always a highlight. The intricate geometric design weave