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Tuesday, October 13, 2015
One Hour Heating & Air Condition Ruth's Chris Giveaway
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Saturday, October 10, 2015
A North County Hidden Gem:
Buena Vista Park
by Stacey Kuhns
Buena Vista Park is located at 1601 Shadowridge Drive in Vista. It is a large park with plenty of grass, picnic tables, and shady trees. The park is tucked away and not visible to the street and it is a great park for all ages. The park is larger than it appears from the parking lot. There are a number of hiking trails, from easy flat trails, to more challenging hilly trails. Dogs must be kept on leashes at all times.
The park is a peaceful, tranquil place to relax, read a book, go for a walk, or hang out by the star attraction, the duck pond. The park is kept extremely clean but do be aware that there is goose poop and duck poop around so wear old shoes or make sure you clean your shoes prior to getting back into your vehicle.
Also, I do not remember seeing a restroom facility there, but I assume there is at least a port-a-potty (just an assumption).
The ducks, geese, and other waterfowl at Buena Vista Park are fed regularly by some good citizens. If you plan to bring your children or grandchildren to the park to feed the waterfowl, please be aware of the following: Feeding waterfowl bread, popcorn, chips, crackers, and other similar items is bad. The food can harm a duckling's growth, pollute waterways, and attract rodents and other pests. The BEST food to offer ducks, geese, and other water birds is cracked corn, wheat, barley, birdseed, frozen peas (defrosted), or duck feed pellets.
There are plenty of water birds to see at Buena Vista Park and none of this is more apparent than when the lady comes to feed them.
There are three beautiful geese who hang out in this park. I found that if I approach them slowly and stand quietly, they will let me get very close. I respect them and do not try to pet them or give them a reason to attack (as geese can be very ornery and they will hiss and bite.)
There is a good variety of birds and water birds at Buena Vista Park. I visited again on a Monday afternoon and was lucky enough to have the park pretty much to myself. I spent a good deal of time with the geese but was lucky enough to catch the antics of some mud hen chicklets.
There are some all black ducks, tuxedo ducks, and even a golden duck. I can spend hours here just watching the wildlife and relaxing. It is a beautiful spot, another hidden gem.
After the geese ate their fill of the seed, the groomed for a bit then settled down to sleep and I quietly took my leave.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Rise of the Jack O Lanterns
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
by Stacey Kuhns
- Rise of the Jack-O-Lanterns at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- Fridays through Sunday evenings (after the park closes), through the last weekend of October 2015.
- Tickets are ADVANCED ONLINE PURCHASE ONLY and are set for a specific entrance time so everyone is not going in at once.
- Adult tickets are $26, Kids ages 3-12 are $22, while children 2 and under are free.
First thing to note
There are NO restrooms available on the 1/3 mile scenic walk.
Parking is included in the event ticket fee, which is wonderful. Parking is in the lower lots as the exhibit takes up approximately four of the upper lots. You may not bring tripods or selfie-sticks and NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY.
Once you park your vehicle, you will walk through a tent. The first thing staff ask you to do is pose for a picture (If you do not plan to purchase pictures afterwards, just tell them you are not interested). The tent has food, drinks, and merchandise to purchase. You then make your way to the entrance gate.
Once staff lets you into the exhibit entrance, you can stop and watch three carvers carving different animals and other figures into pumpkins. You will then be asked to line up to have your tickets scanned. The scanning process seems a little slow, but once inside, you can walk around at your own pace.
Strollers are allowed but beware if you have young children who are walking-it is extremely dark inside the exhibit. I did not notice any children who seemed scared. They all seemed very excited, but there were several times I lost the person I was with as I could not make out the features of anyone in the dark. There is plenty to see, over 5,000 carved pumpkins, for adults as well as children. The first area is an underwater scene. There is a cool octopus and many jellyfish.
There is a shout-out to the Navy with a carved aircraft carrier scene in one of the pumpkins.
The kids will love the dinosaur area.
There are also plenty of skeletons, cars, sports skeletons, and of course, a variety of animals. Kids will also recognize some of their favorite Sesame Street characters as well as characters from the movie ‘Inside Out.’
There is also a dragon over 50-feet-long that was a hit with both children and adults. The intricate carvings on this dragon are amazing.
I was partial to the African animals.
These giraffes were extremely tall and another big hit with all ages.
This spider was backed by a giant web.
This was one of the most striking carvings. It appeared to have a mermaid and other creatures carved into it.
At the end of the exhibit were pumpkins carved for an ‘In Memorium’ area. They included likenesses of Leonard Nemoy, Wes Craven, BB King, and others. The exit is a long path that takes you past gravestones with a fact about extinct animals on each; worth a read.
And of course, at the end of the trail, you can purchase the pictures the staff took when you entered the exhibit, purchase more food, and lots of merchandise that lights up that the kids will definitely be wanting. Have fun!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Reef Indy's First Haircut
Del's Barber Shop, Escondido, CA
We followed all the parent magazine advice regarding Reef Indy’s first haircut. It was discussed for a while to get the toddler use to the idea. Then he watched his Opa get his haircut first.
Nonetheless, all that prep was for not; Reef squirmed and screamed for the entire procedure. It took both Mom and Dad to hold him still! Nevertheless the deed was done and he was none the worse for wear.
Further he looks incredibly handsome in his 'little boy cut' from the famous Dan of the iconic Del’s Barbershop.
Del’s Barbershop is a slice of down-home Americana. This four chair barbershop has been a fixture on South Escondido Boulevard for over 50 years.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Plan Nine Alehouse
in Escondido, California
by Stacey Kuhns
On Sunday, a friend and I were looking for a place to have a late dinner; someplace not too expensive. It was almost 9 p.m. and we ended up on Grand Avenue, in Escondido. Therefore, we decided to try the Plan Nine Alehouse because it was very crowded which is usually a great sign. Additionally, they are open until 10 and have a kitchen where they serve food all the time. It appears their hours are 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Just a note: my friend and I do not drink beer, however, Plan Nine offers a selection of wines also. Since we just wanted dinner, no beverages were ordered nor reviewed.
The service is friendly and there is always someone to ask how you are doing or if you need anything else; so A+ on their service. There is also plenty of seating inside as well as out on the sidewalk.
The hallway to the bathrooms moreover leads to additional seating and they have a kid’s area with a large chalkboard for kids to draw on. The Plan Nine Alehouse also have a "Walken" storage refrigerator (love their sense of humor).
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| The Walken Storage Refrigerator - Get it???? |
The menu is more extensive than we expected for a brewery. They offer vegetarian items along with many meat items and seem to offer a variety of brats. They have soup, salads, brats on pretzel buns, wings (duck or chicken), and other items. There is also a kids menu. They have one large screen television, but we sat away from that area. The bar is big and offers additional seating.
We tried the cheesy potato soup with their special bacon pieces and green onions. It came with crostini*. It was very good but the temperature could have been a bit hotter.
We sampled the duck wings and the chicken wings. Duck drummettes come in an order of four while the chicken wings come in an order of six. You are given a choice of Ranch or blue cheese as well as any of four bourbon based glazes.
We tried the bourbon Sriracha on the duck and the bourbon BBQ on the chicken. Personally, I did not care for the Sriracha sauce. I love spicy food, but the bourbon taste was too strong for me.
The BBQ glaze was yummy. The chicken wings were served nice and crispy on the outside and tender inside. My companion tried their special brat on a pretzel bun (specialty of the night). It came with sauerkraut and a choice of a side. He chose the regular fries. He loved the brat (I did not try it.) The fries were amazing though; thin shoestring potatoes, crispy on the outside (just the way I love them).
Overall, Plan Nine is a great place to hang out with a friend or a group --- relax, and have some good food that is not too pricey. Our bill for all those items was only $35. The plates were good sized with large portions.
* Crostini is just a fancy name for baguette slices that have been brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and baked until golden brown.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Unisex Baby Costume #UnisexBabyCostume
Oma was really pleased by the look and feel of the Monkey Unisex Baby Costume she received. The little outfit was perfect for my three-month-old grandson. The outfit was very soft and comfortable. Further, the colors were vibrant and complementing. However, most importantly was that everything was attached securely so you can feel safe about dressing your darling up in them.
Any of these cute costumes would be a perfect gift for a new mother and will facilitate darling memory photos! As a crocheter, Oma cannot believe the reasonable price of the outfits!
Product Description
Dealzip Inc® Fashion Unisex Newborn Crochet Knitted Baby Outfits for Boys or Girls are crocheted and appliqued to perfection.
- ♥ Handmade crochet knit costume
- ♥ Material: wool blends
- ♥ Suitable for 3-10 months baby (For Reference Only)
- ♥ Color:as the picture show Note: Wash by hand and let it air dry.
- ♥ Dealzip is a registered USPTO trademark No. 86610217
Dealzip Website
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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