Author: Ed

Lobsterfest ’08!

We braved the crowds today and headed down to Ports o’ Call in San Pedro for Lobsterfest 2008. We love a good Lobster and we were anxious to check it out.

We decided to go for the “two-on-a-plate”. One for him, one for her.

Ed got pretty excited once he saw those lobsters, and he just couldn’t contain himself.

Carrie was pretty enthusiastic as well …

Unfortunately, the inside of those lobsters were a little more than we’d bargained for! It was pretty messy, and um … pretty gross! Ed was determined though, and he ended up polishing them right off!

Carrie decided to opt for something equally as delicious for a substitute – kettle korn.

Although we enjoyed the experience, we both agreed we prefer just the lobster tails – expertly cleaned and dissected by a professional!

Visiting Shannon in Santa Cruz: Day 3 and Back Home

Ed’s 3rd day in Santa Cruz was all about experiencing a “day in the life of Shannon”. We started out by taking a morning hike in the forest right outside their backyard. Literally!

Gorgeous scenery was everywhere. It’s amazing that all this was literally behind Shannon and Mani’s house. We took the three dogs along for the walk.


Yogi Bear is such a cool dog:

Poor Spirit…he loves going on walks but because he’s getting old, he often drags his butt along the ground because his third leg is so tired. He kicks up a plume of dust whenever he does this!


This is a fairy ring. New redwoods grow around the dead stump of an old tree. Apparently, they grow from the roots of the dead tree, hence the circle of trees around the stump.

Afterwards, Ed tagged along with Shannon to her job. She takes care of these two adorable kids named Orion and Marina, ages 3 and 2, respectively. They are so precocious and talkative. They took to Ed really quickly considering he was a complete stranger! Ed also has to say that Shannon is SO good with kids…she knows how to be loving and fun but also knows how to lay down the law – while at the same time empowering them to come to the best decisions.

Shannon looks so domesticated driving the minivan, doesn’t she?

We went for a short hike in one of the many gorgeous state parks in the area. The kids absolutely love it – it really stokes their imaginations and gives them such an appreciation for the nature that surrounds them.

This is one of the biggest redwoods in the area. Look how big it is compared to Shannon and the kids!

Orion declared himself King when he climbed into this giant stump. He declared his little sister as the Princess.

And finally, here’s Ed and Marina! SO cute! She’s very talkative, but you can only understand maybe a quarter of what she’s saying. She’s definitely learning to talk…and since her brother uses such big words for his age and she copies him a lot, she’s probably trying to use words that are bigger than her developed level of speech. It’s adorable.

So that’s it! Ed had such a wonderful trip. Santa Cruz was awesome and beautiful, but most of all he got to spend some real quality time with Shannon. Ed can’t wait to get back there…only this time with Carrie!

Visiting Shannon in Santa Cruz: Days 1 and 2

This past Sunday Ed took a road trip to visit Shannon in Santa Cruz. She and her boyfriend Mani left the rigid confines of South Orange County about a year ago for the forested wonderland that she had dreamed her entire life of living in. Shannon and Ed have always been very close, so it was hard to see her leave but at the same time Ed knew this was a step she just had to take!

So, on with the show:

On the road northwards.

Cowschwitz, as Ed likes to call it. This is along the 5 freeway somewhere in the vast Central California valley. Sometimes you gotta remember where your meat comes from.

Arriving in Santa Cruz! It sure is green and pretty up here.

This is Ed at a really pretty tea club that Shannon and Mani frequent. It’s very chill and you go in and just strike up conversation with whoever’s there. You pay a monthly fee and go as much as you want. The tea was really delicious.

Shannon and Mani at the tea club.

More detail shots of the tea club. All of the woodwork is reclaimed from trash, demolished buildings, etc. worldwide. Cool, huh?

Shannon and Mani’s house! It’s up in the hills overlooking downtown Santa Cruz. It’s a guest house on a large 5 acre property.

Another shot of the property…the house in the background is the main house where the landlord lives.

Spirit, Shannon’s dog that bit Ed’s neck two years ago. He’s definitely getting older. He struggles a lot more when he walks or runs (he has three legs). Hey dawg, Ed forgives you now.

Shannon playing dog soccer with Spirit and her landlords’ two dogs, Yogi and Eepo. These dogs are adorable. Eepo (the Lab) never runs out of energy though!

Mani’s old diesel Benz! Ed has always loved there cars. He plans to convert it to run on veggie oil. Ed loves it.

Shannon’s landlord built this treehouse for his kids. It totally rules.

This is Ed doing his best Risky Business impression on Shannon’s slippery floors.

And then, Ed made his first sushi for their picnic lunch! Ed officially knows how to make sushi now!




Hiiiiiya!!!

The three of them then went to Santa Cruz’s famous Mystery Spot. It supposedly has all kinds of bizarre things going on that makes physics not apply. In reality, it’s all probably a play on angles and optical illusions. No matter, it was a TON of fun for $5.

Ed’s best Matrix impression:

Trippy:

Shannon looks like she needs to be exorcised here!

Afterwards, the three of them picnicked in town by a surf spot. It was mindblowing – these are “average” waves in this spot and they were huge by Southern California standards. These waves crash right into rocks and the rocky bluff Ed was taking these pics from. These guys have WAY more guts and skill than Ed will ever have! Ed wants to live!


All the while, the sea lions were barking away!

After lunch, Ed, Mani, and Shannon took a leisurely bike ride through town (well, skateboard ride for Shannon).

We’ll post today and tomorrow’s pics soon!

EARTHQUAKE!

It’s been awhile since our last significant earthquake here in L.A. It wasn’t so surprising – afterall, we’ve been having what’s been deemed “earthquake weather” for just about a month now. Carrie’s office was approximately 13 miles from the epicenter – and she was definitely rockin’ & rollin’ in the Fullerton/Brea neighborhood. Ed’s office in Tustin is only about 18 miles away – and he was definitely shakin’ too. But all is well, and we’re happy that all of our friends and family are fine – that’s the important part!

While we did okay at work, the real surprise was when we got home – our little place in Long Beach really was a mess! We are sad to report that we lost some of those great wedding gifts we received … wine glasses, beer steins, glass trays and picture frames. Cupboards were jostled, drawers were disheveled, and there were 2 very frightened cats! Nothing major, just a big, inconvenient mess! But that’s about all.


Ricki, “hiding” behind the curtains.


Sophia, underneath the laundry basket.


Our bedroom: The aftermath.


Glass & olive oil – not a fun combo to clean up, just ask Ed!

San Diego Stylin’ – sadly comes to an end.

To wrap up our San Diego experience, we decided to grab some lunch at Bondi, an interesting and artful Austrailian restaurant. We were intrigued, as you don’t often hear about “Australian cuisine.” We discovered that it’s not all that different from our American palates, it’s just simply prepared food that’s done extremely well.


Of course, the fact that it boasted a contemporary setting wasn’t bad either. They have these super cool bamboo Pods” that you can enjoy drinks and appetizers in. We were all over it.



After our drink, we decided to move to a table so we could better enjoy what was coming from the kitchen. Check out the presentation! This is Carrie’s grilled chicken breast with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.

We decided there could’ve been no better way to wrap up such a stylish trip!