12 hikes :: 2016! :: o'melveny park

its been while since I posted a new hike - but this was a good one - and worth remembering. friends introduced us to O'Melveny Bee Canyon Trail today.






O'Melveny Bee Canyon Trail
O'Melveny Park
17300 Sesnon Boulevard
Granada Hills, CA 91344
Neighborhood: Granada Hills

Proximity: 13 miles from our home
Hike length: 4.0 miles roundtrip
Bonus features: Beautiful views of the SFV. Dog friendly. Free parking in lot.
Tips: Hard incline (1000 ft elevation gain) on foot path - with some scrambling, so good shoes a must. (Fire road alternative for more gradual incline.)

::45::

marking milestones always makes me nostalgic. and I'm feeling remiss that I haven't recorded a bunch of going-ons here. for me, this space is really my visual and written diary. so in celebration of another year older, i'll list a few ...

- the sunsets lately have been spectacular. late summer. hot nights. but when I realize it is the end of september I begin to get antsy for cooler weather. we're ready. (even if the predicted "h-el-l nino" arrives.)

- we're leasing a third horse. Cisco. I'm a sucker for old animals in need of rescue, and he fit the bill. he is sweet and slow, and perfect for me to join in riding with the girls on Sunday. love.

- a close friend recently lost her mom after a short and aggressive bout with cancer. seeing her grieve, I was reminded of the complexity of loss, and death, and what it has brought to my life. on the other side, to know joy. true joy. there is so much space between the two. where i usually sit. i need to appreciate that space more.

- d ran a 1/2 marathon! we are extremely proud of him. he worked hard. trained hard. and set a personal record. he inspires us all...

- with that e has joined me spinning. while I enjoyed running, I had started to get bored and wasn't motivated to run when the weather was hot. riding has been great for my core, but i needed some cardio. I did some cross-training which I enjoyed, but then friends put me on to their studio, which I fell in love with. I'm going 3 times / week. and happy to have e peddling at my side at an early weekend class.

- I experienced my first american high school football game. albeit working the "snack shack". it felt like some kind of initiation. perhaps not that different than the wheat king games of my youth. I am excited for e - and her HS experience. she loves her school - and I am extremely grateful for that.

- k has also settled in nicely to school as well. I recall the transition a little more difficult for e. I'm sure seeing it first, has helped k a lot. she is familiar with the school, and the principal is actually someone we've known for a long time. (she is amazing!) while I've had my hesitations, she seems to be confident with the choices made and happy to be there. I am known to ramble on school choice here, the girls own academic pathways are something I keep to us. our public school system affords many levels of learning in an effort to differentiate. while in theory I might be attracted to this idea, the segregation that seems to be a result troubles me. i try and hold onto words my mom said to me a long time ago - you don't need the best for your child, you need what's best for your child. (thanks mom xo)

- we're going out tonight to celebrate 45 - and a friend's 44 at the six in calabasas. love the spots that have started to pop up in the west valley. hope the drift continues.

- our neighborhood has changed quite a bit this year. death. divorce. job loss. moving. and kids that at one point so easily played all together are growing up and with that new interests and a little drifting apart. it is great to see that when social occasions bring them all together, they fall back easily, like family. and I am still so constantly grateful for the friendships I've formed here. I don't know what I'd do without them.

- with new families in the neighborhood, and little kids too (yay!) a couple of young moms started "wine wednesday". described as "bookclub without the book" we gather the first wednesday of the month to nosh, sip wine, and talk mom-stuff. it is really great. and a treat to sit with these moms as they weave through motherhood, work, graduate school and so on from my vantage point, with older kids.

- trying to make this space more than just about my list making affinity! though re-reading this made me remember the importance in our house of getting things done on the weekend in order to enjoy our busy week. working in horse chores has been tough. but worth it. our groove feels close. and writing here feels good.

i think that's it. though i feel i'm forgetting something (memory, with eyesight perhaps? did I mention I finally chose reading glasses?)

with my birthday here, I have to say (again) I love my 40s. and am confident this mid-point will be a good one. hello 45 :)

day trippin'

we had been wanting to visit the quicksilver ranch for a while. coupled with an invitation to carpinteria, and wine tasting in the santa ynez valley, yesterday we packed up a picnic and headed up the 101 to make a day of it.
































santa ynez valley (sideways :) )
brander winery (perfect picnic spot)
quicksilver ranch (huell houser episode here!)
jedlicka's
sides hardware and shoes (bacon!)
carpinteria state beach

pilgrimme(age)

there is a wonderful new restaurant on island (in the old La Berengerie space - which is so special in itself) worth recording.



local fare. farm-to-table. shared plates. super yummy. touted as one of the best new restaurants by EAT magazine, it is a must stop if you are visiting galiano. (nice connection, Chef Jessie McCleary, is originally from Manitoba.)

the girls picks were marinated olives with espelette pepper, lemon and herbs and persian star garlic panisse with pickled galiano vegetables and aioli

mom and i chose galiano greens with a juliett blue, mustard and wine dressing; barclay sound sockeye with lacinato kale, brown butter and meyer lemon; and a farro special that included pesto and a poached duck egg.



and for dessert - one of everything! (dark chocolate bergamot pot de creme with sea salt, caramel and shortbread; fraser valley rice pudding with roasted chase, buckwheat and sesame; and dark chocolate truffles with berries



per the menu "We serve locally grown produce, ethically sourced meats and sustainable seafood. Our dishes are intended to be shared family-style to allow for a diverse sampling of the menu." (i'd be remiss not to add the beautiful plates and serving pieces are by local potter kasumi lampitoc.)



of course it was followed by a sunset stroll at montague...







pilgrimme
2806 montague
galiano island, british columbia

local fuel

adding to our list of favorite local spots...

gasolina cafe serves up spanish influenced, farm-to-table cuisine as well as a good variety of coffee, tea, and sweets.

i had the (very tasty) breakfast stew, a traditional Spanish garbanzos con espinacas topped with a perfectly poached egg and crispy toasts. the latte was perfect as well. (coffee comes from Poway,CA roaster James Coffee Co.)

this is Chef Sandra Cordero's first brick and mortar venture and she wanted to open something close to home (lucky us!). she was in the house - prepping for a photo shoot - and took time to stop and chat with us.

even thought it was an overcast morning, it was nice to sit outside at the colorful tables and watch woodland hills go to work.

will definitely be returning.





gasolina cafe
21014 ventura boulevard
woodland hills, 91364

more in the sfv...
local peasant
pedalers fork

horsin' around

I'm working in NY all week - but had to pop in and post these photos from the weekend's visit to Pierce College and The Parade of Breeds...














this has become an annual event for us. (this memory from our first visit still makes me smile!)

aside from viewing over 40 breeds, there were crafts for the girls, and great demos: dressage, barrel racing, sidesaddle and jumping. we are very lucky to have this program, and its amazing equestrian center within walking distance of our home!

can't wait 'til next year!

another year gone by...

this one seemed to pass at the speed of light. looking back, it was a very good year. we are so very lucky.

and so we celebrated the end of 4th & 7th grades with ice cream and with our neighbors. (as is our tradition!)












DeSoto Pharmacy & Ice Cream Fountain - another well kept SFV secret!


i love watching these kids grow up. and now, three more off to middle school. but they know that they will always be invited for ice cream!

and for us, I can't believe we are heading to our final year of elementary and middle school. for now, oh so looking forward to the long days of summer!

wear local.

this is by no means a fashion blog.

but as I was getting dressed in my go-to uniform I was pleasantly surprised to realize it all originates in southern california:

AG (southgate)
the furies (venice)
claire vivier (silverlake)
vans (a socal institution headquartered in cypress)





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field trip :: underwood family farms

we are on spring break. and being quite lazy! it feels good. yesterday, we went strawberry picking. (and sugar snap peas, onions and a couple of ruby red grapefruit.) it was the perfect day. i'm constantly reminded how lucky we are to live where we do. with open space so close to us. the richness of the soil that surrounds us. the access we have to fresh, sustainably grown, seasonal food.

underwood has a lot of other stuff going on. (petting zoo and all.) but i was grateful the kids are older and seemed happiest spending their time in the fields (3 hours!). even the (almost) teenager and her best friend spent the day without complaint!

we came home with 6 lbs of strawberries. so of course, this was absolutely necessary.

underwood family farms
3370 Sunset Valley Road
Moorpark 93021

crumby by the pound

this cake caught my eye in a recent sunset magazine. and it didn't disappoint. committing it to memory...

Powdered Sugar Pound Cake

Ingredients
3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) butter
1 pound (3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
6 large eggs $
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 cup sliced almonds (I omitted these this time - for my almond sensitive girl.)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Beat butter in a large bowl with a mixer until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture.
2. Heavily butter and flour a 10-in. (12-cup) plain or decorative tube pan; add almonds, then tilt pan to coat inside with nuts. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then run a knife around edges of tube to loosen cake. Turn out onto rack and let cool at least 1 hour. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into thin slices.
Make ahead: Up to 2 days, airtight at room temperature.

perfect crumb. and perfect for my elevenses...



(and a peek at my beautiful cotton & flax tea towel that arrived this week. thrilled to see that this piece will now be available at cb2! congratulations erin!)

local fare

we took gramma to dinner at one of our favorite spots. the local peasant has been open for about a year now and still feels like the place where the cool kids are hanging out. it has a fun, hip vibe, without being pretentious, the cocktail & beer selection is great, and the food, seriously good.

my favorite thus far, the pan roasted salmon. the girls go for the burger with onion rings. and flourless chocolate cake for dessert - while i hold out for the jelly donuts with a coffee in an anthora cup .

(k gives it a 20 out of 10!)

the patio is fun. the interior is a little dark and loud - especially the later you're there (they are open until 2 am) but we didn't mind. (not great for picture taking though.)







it is great to see places like this popping up in the 818. we can only hope to get something within walking distance of us soon! (i feel a valley renaissance coming on.)

San Fernando Brewing Co.

we had a fantastic time attending a fundraiser for the venture of a good friend. san fernando brewing company should be in production quite soon.



FYI their irish red is amazing and the sonora wheat sourced from NoCal.



in the meantime, follow them on twitter / Facebook.

walk this way...

we had a million things to do yesterday. and so, when a friend called to go on a hike, i grabbed the girls, and off we went. i do this often. especially if the opportunity is to get outdoors, and it is still (fairly) early in the day. i'm a firm believer that the fresh air and brisk walk will help clear all our heads and make focusing on our to-do lists on our return that much easier.

the invitation was to, i think, my favorite local hike. at least that we've discovered thus far. and the day was perfect. (i am afraid a little too so for january. and frighteningly dry.) while it was overcast at home, as soon as we rounded the first hill the blue sky appeared.











we returned home. and things were checked off the list.

i was not disappointed in any of it.

happy monday!