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Le Voov! Garden – Planting Bulbs With Otter!
Otter-Pop the dog really enjoys the flowers of springtime, particularly the Daffodils and Narcissus. With the lack of winter temperatures or rain due to California’s forth year of severe drought, planting season came earlier than usual this year. So, I picked up a bag of 50-bulbs for Otter-Pop to decorate throughout the garden.
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Summer Black Bean & Avocado Salad
There is nothing better during the hot summer months than cool black beans doing the samba with crunchy red peppers and rich, buttery avocado, all dressed up in a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. This recipe was inspired by a Mexican salad made at the first restaurant I ever worked at in my teen years. I never did get the exact recipe, so I decided to develop my own version based upon the dreamy recollection of my seasoned and discerning palate.
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Fort Fun Dog Park With Otter! ?
Fort Funston, located in the southwestern end of San Francisco, is one of Otter’s favorite places to meet up with other dogs and run freely through the sand dunes off-leash. on a given day, thousands of dogs visit to frolic in this decommissioned military defense site on the wind-swept coastal hills in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
Once a harbor defense site and Nike Misile launching site during the cold war, the salty air now is slowly reclaiming remnants of abandoned artillery battery stations and old access roads.
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Giants Game! I took this photo while attending a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park during my birthday week. It was an exciting, close game against the Pirates. As you can see from the photo, it was a glorious day in the city. What a perfect way to celebrate my special week! Go Giants!!! ? ⚾️ ?
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When attempting to photograph a troop of Rhesus Macaque monkeys in the wild, always keep a watchful eye on the dominant male of the harem…
This naughty little monkey climbed my long braid just like it was a jungle vine and mounted my head, while whooping loudly. I’d swear all the female monkeys in the troop were laughing with delight.
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The Sock Burglar Strikes Again…! ?
When I leave the house, Otter will go into our bedroom and steal a sock or two out of the laundry hamper to sleep with it until I return. She licks the socks, rolls on them, and plays with them, finally cuddling them underneath her like a little puppy while she completes one of many daily-napping cycles.
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Lox & Dill Scramble ?
I developed the Le Voov! Lox Scramble with my Mother’s mentality prevailing. Clean out the older food in the refrigerator by Sunday! We served an appetizer requiring lox at a party the previous day, and I wanted to make good use of it quickly so it would maintain it’s freshness.
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The addition of a small quantity of Gruyere cheese makes for a deep blending of flavors both bright and rich in this lovely scramble. -
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We visited Elephant Butte Reservoir located on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, just 5-short miles (8.0 km) north of the quaint little town of Truth or Consequences. The name “Elephant Butte” refers to the volcanic core making up the island at the center of the reservoir, which is said to resemble the shape of an elephant reclining on it’s side. The reservoir and the surrounding land are part of the largest state park in the state of New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake State Park…
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Cilantro Lime Shrimp Ceviche ? ?
Ceviche is a summertime favorite for us. The bold aroma of freshly chopped cilantro and sliced limes teases the taste buds as you create this super-simple, incredibly tasty dish.
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Massive Mandala On The Beach!
As we were driving along the coast, somewhere between Half Moon Bay & Santa Cruz, when we came across this huge mandala created on a sandy beach.A mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल, circle) is a geometric concentrically structured pattern representing the cosmos or the universe. In many spiritual traditions the creation of a mandala is a practice to invite focus, meditation or an induction into trance state. Mandalas are also used to establish a sacred space.
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We had an enchanting visit to Safari West in the heart of California’s Sonoma wine country recently, where this picture was taken. Commonly known as the ‘Sonoma Serengeti’, Safari West is comprised of 400 acres cradled in the mountainous area above Santa Rosa. Visitors are welcome to wander the trails and partake in the open-truck safaris to experience over 1000 exotic African species of mammals and birds within the natural habitat of this beautiful wildlife preserve.
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Green Eggs & Ham in a Cup! ?
On a lazy weekend, I’ll spend a bit more time creating a lovely breakfast for my family and friends. However, during the week, it needs to be quick and easy. This combination of Black Forest ham, eggs, mushrooms, fresh basil pesto, scallions and Gruyère cheese is a perfectly delightful breakfast to savor! I make this glorious, healthy breakfast on the weekend, and enjoy it again and again just by heating up the leftovers during the busy weekdays.
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Chimichurri Sauce
We have used this sauce on everything from Filet Mignon to fish tacos, chicken to a fresh vegetable stir-fry, and it never fails to impress. The blending of classic chimichurri ingredients with the delightful, rich flavors of chutney inspired the development of this recipe. I always double the batch so I have leftovers to throw into a stir-fry or over morning eggs. Please feel free to contact us and let us know your favorite application for this fabulous exotic condiment. Enjoy! 🙂
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Napa Postal Mushrooms! We came upon this glorious stone mushroom installation in front of the post office while wandering through Napa Valley wine country. The long shadows of the autumn light made for a dynamic, interesting composition. ? ? ?
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We took this picture while vacationing in Lake Tahoe, California. Every time I look at this photo it makes me smile with the memories of our exciting day sporting around the lake in a speed boat, dragging a tube with some member of our party white knuckled, trying to hang on for dear life! This was followed by the inevitable yipping and howling after the individual on the tube was projected, at high velocity, through the air, and touched down in the water with an exhilarating splash.
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Summer Pasta Salad ? ? ?
As with most pasta, this salad gets better and better over time. As the pasta cools, the flavors mingle and blend into a lovely group of complementary flavors on the palate. This recipe is perfect for a BBQ or party because it’s easy to make and it feeds a lot of hungry people!
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On a rainy day last December, we visited the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, which is affiliated with University of California, Santa Cruz. To celebrate the seasons, they had decorated the giant whale skeleton out front with thousands of Christmas lights. After out tour, the sun broke through the clouds and provided a lovely rainbow right over the facility. What a glorious treat!
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Wild Berry Stuffed French Toast
On this day of celebrating our country’s independence, I thought I’d post my favorite red, white & blue breakfast of champions! ??
The inspiration for this glorious treat began with picking up a loaf of extra-thick cut cinnamon swirl bread from Trader Joe’s. We love this bread because it makes creating a delicious breakfast quick and easy. And let’s face it, today is a holiday, so lets make it fun while keeping it simple…
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Guess Where I Am…? ?? ? ?
Last 4th of July, we spent a glorious night watching the San Francisco Fireworks from Angel Island State Park. We took the Blue & Gold Fleet ferry service out from the Embarcadero and enjoyed an afternoon of great food, celebration, and merry making with hundreds of other people. Once the fireworks got started, there was clapping, whistles and singing from all around the port. What a wonderful place to enjoy our country’s Independence Day! ?? ? ? ?
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