Neptune's Net Malibu

Photo;Shandra Beri

On a whim I took Christina for a nice little drive up the coast. We'd decided before-hand that we'd find a spot somewhere on our journey to have a nice seaside lunch. As we headed for Point Magu, we passed Neptune's Net and Christina said she remembered taking her children with there when they were young (I later looked it up and found out the restaurant was founded in 1958 which is practically the Jurassic Period by LA standards), so I was glad we hit it on the way back.

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri 

To be totally transparent, I've probably passed 'The Net' (as the regulars refer to it) hundreds and hundreds of times and never once thought seriously about stopping there since it seemed to always be crammed with pretend motorcycle gangs ( white collar dilholes who buy fantastically expensive Harleys, sport matching 'drag' and ride in formation creating long, slow irritating parade routes all over the most scenic parts of LA every weekend ) and TONS of tourists.

  Photo;Shandra Beri 

I used the Lomo after effect to make everything look kind of groovy, but truly, it wasn't.

  Photo;Shandra Beri 

I seated Christina, took her order and went to take my place it in a long snaking line of bodies. I kind of got my expectations up when I passed this little display on the counter.

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri 

Okay, if you check out the bottom of this annoyingly hokey sign, it pretty much telegraphs the condition of the place; frayed around every exposed edge. Which can be cool unless every single exposed surface is shining with a membrane of old grease and the encased DNA of every person who has touched it since 1958.  

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri

This looks WAAAAY less crappy than it actually is...

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri 

Here is The Ocean View. Please ignore all the car exhaust from PCH highway and all the dilholes revving their motorcycles 1 foot from your table (we wisely sat inside...).

Photo;Shandra Beri 

Generally speaking I'm not a fried food person, but since Christina is from England, if fish and chips is on the menu we order it and she gives me her opinion on how near or far it is from The Real Deal.

(wasn't crazy about opening my to-go tray and staring at crappy napkins and plastic ketchup packs laying on my food...)

  Photo;Shandra Beri 

The cod was actually mild and seemed fresh, but the 'crust'....zomg. Was it bread crumbs or other 'cod cracklin's'? Anyway, the oil was OLD and the crust was hard and really overpowered the fish. I ate the small piece and took the rest home to the crows (who though it was DELICIOUS btw!). In all fairness, for some reason, the french fries were perfect. The crows liked them as well.

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri 

Oh, one more little 'deal breaker' detail; PORTA POTTIES.

Yuck!

Super Moon

Photo;Shandra Beri

One August night when I was very young I went deep into the woods with my sleeping bag, a couple of teenage counselors and all the children from my summer camp. We were told to tuck into our bags and watch the inky black sky. Soon the vast darkness was streaked with hundreds...thousands of meteors from the largest Perseid display in recorded history. I was bedazzled, awestruck and enchanted. I felt enveloped in wonder and joy and was certain that this night marked the beginning of my life's journey; back to back moments of falling helplessly into stark, raving beauty.

Fast forward to The Super Moon. Meh....

Kady The Beauty

Costuming Your Kid FTW

Photo Courtesy Of The Dear Fatima

 Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648-1695) is best known as a major Baroque literary figure of Mexico. However, her insatiable desire to understand everything around her, coupled with her studies in classical and medieval philosophy and her fierce assertion of a woman's right to fully participate in scholastic inquiry mark her as a philosopher as well. According to Mary Morkovsky, Sor Juana's philosophical poetry, (Sueno) indicates a coherent world view, and her critique of the Jesuit sermon reveals her mastery of logic. In addition, in the same decade that England's Mary Astell wrote her argument for the education of women, A Serious Proposal To The Ladies...,in Mexico, Sor Juana was hotly defending a woman's right to an education and intellectual prowess in Reply to Sor Philothea .

"Oh, how much harm would be avoided in our country if older women were as learned as Laeta and knew how to teach in the way Saint Paul and my Father Saint Jerome direct! Instead of which, if fathers wish to educate their daughters beyond what is customary, for want of trained older women and on account of the extreme negligence which has become women's sad lot, since well-educated older women are unavailable, they are obliged to bring in men teachers to give instruction...As a result of this, many fathers prefer leaving their daughters in a barbaric, uncultivated state to exposing them to an evident danger such a familiarity with men breeds."

(Text Via/ http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/cruz.html)

Pink's Visit To The Farmer's Market

 

Photo; Courtesy Of Pink

Beauteous!

La Rocca Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

 

Photo; Shandra Beri

 

Photo; Shandra Beri

I am on the constant lookout for the perfect organic red and although this Cabernet Sauvignon is not (for my taste...) perfect, I would definitely spring for another bottle. I like my reds on the dry end of the spectrum with a rich, deep complexity of flavor. My Whole Foods 'wine helper' did not know a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. (surprise!) but a helpful customer confirmed that this was a great choice for me. He beautifully described the 'notes' of berry, black bing cherry (that one kills me btw, black bing cherry!), black plum (there it is again...), fig and smoke. 'Smoke' should have been the tip-off here, but when he said it I was reading the part of the display that said,  "LaRocca Vineyards uses NO animal products at all throughout the entire wine making process. All of our wines are USDA certified organic and 100% VEGAN. Enjoy!"

Really? 100% vegan and 100% US produced, grapes grown and made into our wine in California, with NO animal ingredients or by product of any kind- plus organic with no added sulfites? Come to mama!

The color was lighter than I expected, but beautiful (aubergine with a touch of ruby). The aroma was divine but when I took my 1st sip, every molecule of moisture evacuated my oral cavity. Drrryyyy. I blinked my eyes and by the force of my will ordered saliva to re-enter my mouth, but still I was not deterred (tells you a bit about me...). I sipped again. Hmmm. I would say, loamy, spicy, cedar-y, smoke with hints of berry/cherry (wasn't tasting the 'black bing'). This wine wasn't love at 1st sip and DID NOT play nice with my goat cheese salad. Night # 2 paired with aged cheese and crostini- better. Night #3, a robust hand-made pizza w/ kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, deep marinara and aged cheese; bingo!

All in all, I grew more affectionate toward this wine with every glass (not because I was drunk!). No telling if that was due to my better food pairings, my developing palate or simply because I am a push-over for those vineyards trying to rock the whole organic thing, but if we found ourselves together again on some nostalgic night, I wouldn't kick it out of bed!

Rich and complex, yet also subtle and elegant, with loamy currant, plum, black cherry and spicy, cedary oak flavors that are well-proportioned, ending with a nice smoky oak edge - See more at: http://citywinecellar.com/red-wine/cabernet-sauvignon/la-rocca-cabernet-sauvignon-750ml.html#sthash.SI3pKqQ2.dpuf

Rich and complex, yet also subtle and elegant, with loamy currant, plum, black cherry and spicy, cedary oak flavors that are well-proportioned, ending with a nice smoky oak edge - See more at: http://citywinecellar.com/red-wine/cabernet-sauvignon/la-rocca-cabernet-sauvignon-750ml.html#sthash.SI3pKqQ2.dpuf

Polar Bear At Sony

 Photo; Shandra Beri

Photo; Shandra Beri

I know, the reference is obscure- but some of you will get it.

First...

Photo; Shandra Beri

Figs...

  Photo; Shandra Beri

  Photo; Shandra Beri

Photo; Shandra Beri 

Tomato....

 

 Photo; Shandra Beri 

Cucumber!!!!!

The SO and I always comment cynically about how all of our carefully coddled heirloom produce is still exposed to the same toxic air/water we are (inside joke; fresh Oxnard Strawberries planted in massive fields along the 101...)  so really, how much better can it be? But there is no doubt that despite being rained upon by fallout from Fukushima and covered in a constant veil of Los Angeles particulate matter, the taste is sublime and the experience of going to your back yard to grocery shop is something inherently satisfying.

 

The BEST Coconut Water Not Directly From A Coconut

 

Photo; Shandra Beri

Seriously, this stuff will take you to the islands from your lips on down!

Feed Me

 

Photo; Shandra Beri

Something FABULOUS, Darling!

Magic God Penny

 

Photo; Shandra Beri

And God so loved the world, he made this penny that ye may know the miracle of defacing currency.

Betty White

 

Goddess!

The Girls Get Thirsty

 

Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo; Shandra Beri

I love the bee girls so much and I cannot believe I only learned a couple of years ago that they need to drink water! Even with rocks in the bird bath, they sometimes fall in. If you can scoop them out before too long, even a seemingly lifeless bee girl will come back from 'The Light' if you cup her in your hand and breathe softly on her for a few minutes.

Bee to mouth resuscitation- that's right, I do it! My neighbors probably think I like to walk around my yard smelling my own breath while I garden, but I'm at that point in life where I rather enjoy my growing list of eccentricities and have told loved ones not to intervene until I start wearing my underpants on the outside of my clothing.

Ladybug Tracks On A Moist Window

Via/reddit(http://i.imgur.com)


LOVE her little feets!!!!!!!

Fraturday...

Back in the day, whenever I was an active participant in Friday night evolving into Saturday morning, I was making memories. Now, I'm just making dollars and driving home exhausted...

Photo;Shandra Beri

  Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo;Shandra Beri

 

 Photo;Shandra Beri

  Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo;Shandra Beri

 Photo;Shandra Beri

 Photo;Shandra Beri

 

  Photo;Shandra Beri

 Photo;Shandra Beri

Photo;Shandra Beri

Tater Ware

Photo;Shandra Beri

C'mon friends and fellow earth dwellers, we have the technology! We have potatoes! We have about six minutes left until it all goes to hell in a hand-basket! Let's start committing to daily change! Read the box!! Amazing! It's sturdier and more 'plastic-y' than any plastic 'to-go' box I've ever held in my hand. Also, they make Tater Ware spoons, forks and knives that do not piss you off with their flimsy and ineffective utility. The utensils are strong and do not fling your food in unexpected directions or fail miserably while performing intended tasks (like cutting a piece of eggplant...). Incredible! Demand it! When you are finished with your penne pasta, toss the empty container into your compost pile and ameliorate your guilt about being too lazy to even boil pasta water for yourself.

Am l Always Bad?

Short answer; whenever possible, yes.

 

 

Luckily, I have bad friends, too! ;)

 

Yes, it's true, we WERE the only people in the place at 3 in the afternoon! (Except for that lonely old bald guy...)