Two Sisters, One Minivan, a GPS, and a Blue Table ReRun

On this gray and drizzly Thursday, my sister Peggy
and I are saddling up the minivan and
venturing into the uncharted wilds of New Jersey.

Also known as Morris, Hunterdon, and Somerset Counties.

Dangerous turf, my friends. . .

populated by the Horsey Set, Wall Streeters, BMW drivers,

and people who probably spent more than $1.89 on their coffee tables.

We may have to go in disguise so as not to be spotted as aliens,

although once they catch sight of my red Chrysler minivan, the jig's probably up.

:-)

*******************************************

We'll be seeking out consignment shops, including at least one where I am pretty sure

I won't be able to afford anything; yes, it's that high end.  I hope they'll let me take pictures.

We'll have lunch at my new favorite dive, just for the excellent cole slaw, and also visit
a thrift shop or two, so I've got at least a chance of toting home something for my tank of gas.

But before I leave to meet Peggy, I'm re-posting a

table setting from almost exactly two years ago.

It's blue.  Very blue.

**********************************

(First Posted 2/11/2010)

Welcome to Thursday at That Old House! 

Supper for two.

Don't forget to check out the links to today's blog parties,
at the end of this post!

Some months back, I was in HomeGoods and I spotted a package of four placemats.
Blue and white always catches my eye.

But the fabric pattern reminded me of something:
a set of (cheap) ironstone dishes I bought 30 years ago when we were first married, and have rarely used.

So today, I finally put them together, with my old
plated flatware -- Georgian pattern, some monogrammed and some not.

The dishes have several shades of blue, including a gray tint and an almost-aqua tint.
The placemats also have these shades.  Kismet!

At Dollar Tree last summer, these plump little tea light holders jumped into my shopping cart.

Two designs, in classic blue and white.

On the table, an older Bombay Company china pot, blue and white, with fake flowers in it.

From a church thrift shop, bubbly blue wine glasses.

I like the shape of the coffee cups, so I'm adding them to the table setting.

Vintage Irish linen napkins.  Old, but in like-new condition.  Ebay, some years back.

The backstamp for the china.
I do not speak Spanish, but it looks like it's claiming to be resistant to acid.
And something else.

All put together, I like how this table setting turned out -- and it was fun to see those old dishes again!

And the placemats are reversible.  On the other side, just the print, no border.  I hope they won't need much ironing; I haven't replaced my iron yet.  No fool, I. -- Cass

Visit Suzanne at Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingies Thursday!

Visit Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday!

And Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday!

California Grazing

"I judge a vacation," my sister said to me,
"by how good the food is."

Well, Peggy, you'd have loved our recent trip to California.

Come along on a tour of some of our favorite meals and restaurants in The Golden State.

We arrived in Los Angeles on a Friday night, checked into our hotel, picked up Alida and Josh at their

apartment, and headed downtown, to The Palm steak house, to celebrate Howard's birthday.

Bliss.

We all ordered crab-topped filet mignon, with family-style sides of creamed spinach, wild mushrooms,

sauteed green beans, and Brussels sprouts in brown butter sauce, plus goat cheese mashed potatoes.

Sadly, no pictures of this dinner turned out well enough to post.

But the restaurant made a lovely birthday dessert for Howard -- New York style cheesecake.

On Sunday, it was brunch at Monsieur Marcel French Market

and Restaurant at the Los Angeles Farmer's Market.

 Coffee in thick white cups.

 For me, fruit, and an asparagus omelette.

 For Alida . . . something delicious; can't remember what it was!

 Ditto for Josh, but this looks rather Eggs-Benedict-y, with a bit of spinach for good measure. 

 Howard's is easy -- Croque Madame.  I'm pretty sure.

 After brunch, we wandered the Monsieur Marcel's French Market,
where "the kids" bought a bottle of wine.
They drank it on Valentine's Day.

 The last time Howard and I were in California, we tried bringing specialty oils and vinegars home with us;

they were confiscated at the airport.  This time, we took no chances and left the food buying to the locals.

 This market made my head spin; so much bounty!

 Including -- yes! -- dishes!

As Sunday was Howard's actual, calendar birthday, we watched the Super Bowl.

Sadly for my Boston-born Birthday Boy, the Patriots did not triumph.

This was all right with Alida and me, native New Yorkers both.  :-)
After dark, we went to Griffith Observatory.  No food, but so neat.

**************************************************************

On Monday, Alida's birthday, she decided on breakfast
at a Caribbean restaurant not far from their apartment.

"Rachel Ray ate here," she said.  Who can argue with that?  Off we went to Cha Cha Cha.

It is a pink building, with a tiny parking lot, apparently has been around for ever, and is quite famous.

Now if you know me, you know that this place doesn't fit the profile of eateries I usually patronize.

I mean, you have to go outside to get to the restrooms.  But hey, when in Rome, and all that.

When we arrived, the restaurant was quiet and dark.  No one in sight.  No one visible through the windows.

The website had said it opened at 9 . . . so, we tried the door.  Eureka!  Unlocked!

I sent the young'uns in, and they wandered until they found a cook in the kitchen.

"Not open yet," he said, "but I will call the waiter," and he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

And the waiter came, although it was two hours before their usual opening time of 11,
and we had an amazing breakfast.

Chilaquiles for me.  Oh, you have no idea how delicious.
I really want to figure out how to make these.

 For the birthday girl, a jerk chicken omelette.

 Josh had this, and I can't remember what it was, but it sure looked good.

 For Howard, apple pancakes and a side of thick bacon.

Fabulously fresh food, graciously served to the Early Bird customers.

Thank you, Cha Cha Cha!

***************************************************

And it is getting late -- after 1 o'clock in the morning -- and my computer has just done a little freak-out.
I think it's time to say Good Night, and leave the rest of our foodie adventures for another day.

I'm working Wednesday at the antiques center where I have a booth,
so everyone play nice while I'm gone, okay? -- Cass

Where In The World Have We Been?

It's been almost two weeks since my last blog post.
Howard and I have been among the missing.

Where?  Here are some clues.

We went here:

 And visited here:

 Took a look at this:

 Visited in a land where things . . . 

 . . . are not always what they seem to be!

 Braved fiery explosions:

 And the jaws of a shark!

Witnessed some guy named Norman stuff a body in the trunk of his car:

 Howard made a new friend.

 Howard also got snapped buying Cinnabon sticks.  Evidence.

 He redeemed himself by rescuing his daughter from a fake shark.

Now that's a Dad.

 So I'm thinking you are probably guessing where we have been.

California!

Including Los Angeles.

 Santa Barbara.

And the odd little town of Solvang, which seems to be mostly owned by

Scandinavians, and the Chumash Indian tribe.  

 "Mom, it's a tourist trap," said our daughter Alida.

"Perfect," said I.  "I am a tourist."

Note the bag, full of cheesy souvenirs.

So what about those first pictures in this post?

We spent a Saturday afternoon at the Santa Anita Racetrack.

The first horse Howard placed a $2 bet on crossed the finish line riderless.

The jockey fell off.

True story.

You are allowed to laugh, as the jockey was not hurt.

 Santa Anita is a beautiful Art Deco-designed track, built in the 1930s.

The new HBO series "Luck" is being filmed there.

Our daughter Alida and son-in-law Josh, studying the racing form.

They came out ahead with their $2 bets.  Smart-aleck grad students.

Santa Anita, in Arcadia, is not far from Pasadena, where we had spent the morning.

At the Greene & Greene designed Gamble House.

Yes, I stole this shot from the Gamble House website ...  click here.

Pasadena is Mecca if you love Arts & Crafts style homes, from sprawling houses

designed by famous architects, to modest bungalows.  Wonderful town.

If you visit the Gamble House, ask the docent to let you walk

into the butler's pantry off the kitchen.  It is perfection.

Now what does it say about me, that I loved the butler's pantry with its walls of cupboards,

so beautiful in their simplicity and usefulness, 

more than I loved the living room, or the moody stained glass panels around the front door?

I may not want to answer that one. . . .

***********************************

We visited California primarily to visit these two people:

Alida and Josh.  You may remember them from the 47-thousand pictures

of their June 2011 wedding that I posted.  All. Summer. Long.

They live in Los Angeles, and are excellent tour guides.

Here they are at the La Brea Tar Pits museum complex.

Did you recognize the 3rd picture from the top?  The fragrant Tar Pit!

We timed the trip to coincide with Howard's birthday, and Alida's.

Our daughter may be officially a grownup, now 26 and married, but she still does things like this:

That's a Giant Sloth, friends.  The one not wearing green pants and a yellow shirt.

Did you know that camels once roamed Los Angeles?

The things you learn at the Tar Pits . . . amazing.

Universal Studios was way more fun than I thought it would be.

Sometimes, it's just good to be a tourist, and do the tourist-y things.

Santa Barbara, where we met up with friends, was gorgeous and all you have to do

is park me by salt water, and I am a happy camper.

Solvang, where we stayed for a couple of nights, was a hoot.

But with all the things we did, I think the most pictures

we took were of the things we ate!

Really.

I'm going to save some of those for another post,

because this one has gotten to be like your boring neighbor's vacation slides presentation.

But food?  Who could be bored by food?

Next time, our California food, plus stories of how we broke into a closed restaurant,

the sailing trip that may or may not have been with a homicidal maniac,

and -- the apple fritter that got away.  Sigh.

It's good to be home again at That Old House, and New Jersey greeted us
with a dusting of snow when we got home, but our trip was a blast.

Back to reality! . . . Cass