Fantasy Football!

The NFL lockout had Joe and I worried.

Our Fantasy Football season was in jeopardy until all of those knuckleheads could come to an agreement. Our draft is tonight and I'm hoping to have a talented team this year.

And how couldn't I? My team name is going to be Victorious Secret. Sounds like a winning name to me!

A rafter of turkeys out for a stroll...

Did you know a group of turkeys is called a rafter? No? I didn't and now you do!

You're welcome for that knowledge.

This rafter passed through our backyard.

Of course, my camera battery was dying at a most inopportune time. I had to trick it by taking the battery out and putting it back in. Works like a charm but I was only able to get these two pictures before it completely died.

I have never been hesitant to share poorly taken photos though. Hope you can see them and enjoy!

Twilight Golf

Suzi has picked up a new hobby: golf! After taking two lessons she was ready to take on the course. We have gone out and played nine holes quite a few times. Last night we played Twilight golf at Grantwood Golf Course. The deal is that, after 6 o'clock, you can play as many holes as you can before it gets dark. It only costs $10!

I'm glad Suzi has started to golf... it's just too bad her soccer season is going to interfere with her continued improvement this fall.

Happy Dog.

Joe and I met Suzi, Jon and Andrew at Happy Dog on Friday night. There are only 3 things on the menu; hot dogs, french fires and tater tots. It would make ordering easy if it weren't for the 50 toppings you can choose to put on top of your hot dog. For just $5, you can put as many of their housemade toppings on as you want! Here are three of the hot dogs that I managed to get pictures of before they were devoured...

Joe's (chorizo chili, kansas city bbq sauce, and tillamook cheddar cheese).

Mine (caramelized onions, french brie cheese, bacon-balsamic marmalade, and warm pineapple-ginger-currant chutney).

The bottom one was Andrew's which I'm not sure what he had but looks like bacon spiked southern greens and the fried egg?

It was certainly a unique eating experience. It was also a very unique entertainment experience. It was polka night at Happy Dog and DJ Kishka was at the helm! Even though it was a little too loud (couldn't hear anyone across the table) it was fun to watch people sing along and get up and dance!

Weekend highlights

It was a beautiful day on Saturday and Joe and I enjoyed much of the day outside. After getting our morning chores out of the way, we headed to the golf range for our lessons. The two of us are enthusiastic about trying to improve our golf game and have been spending quite a bit of time at the practice facilities. It should make it more fun out on the course.

For dinner we headed to 87 West, a wine bar in Chagrin Falls. We each picked a flight of wine to try and we shared an appetizer and pizza. The food was ok, the wine was pretty good, but the environment was great! We were able to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the humidity-free evening.

PCH Road Trip - Post 5

When we arrived in LA, our schedule slowed down quite a bit. We stayed with Katie's good friend, Jenny, who lives in Santa Monica. On Thursday, we had a delicious late breakfast before taking on an uphill hike to Griffith Observatory. We attempted to continue our hike to the Hollywood sign but couldn't find the right trail.
That evening we went to happy hour at The Edison, a 1920's themed bar. The idea is pretty neat; upon entering you receive a token to turn in for 1 drink for the price it cost back in that era. We got a martini for only $0.35! However, my second drink was $12. The bartenders and waitresses are dressed for the period and the decor matches as well. It was a unique experience!
The following morning we had breakfast and then took route 1 toward San Diego. This was the slowest drive of our trip - there were many small towns to go through and we hit rush hour traffic upon our arrival to San Diego. We quickly changed and had appetizers at the hotel bar...
...before heading to the Old Globe Theater in Balboa Park to see Engaging Shaw. It was a romantic comedy and the three of us were amazed that a cast of 4 people could put on such an entertaining show without even a scene change.

Picture from: http://raecosta.smugmug.com/Travel/California/Night-Photography/8926163_Pspuu/1/1184808643_HeK3e#1184808643_HeK3e

The next morning we packed our bags and headed to the airport. It was a great trip and I was glad to be able to spend so much time with Katie since I don't see her often enough.

PCH Road Trip - Post 4

After our wine tasting on Tuesday, we headed to our hotel in Solvang. Solvang is a small Danish community that appeals to tourists like Katie and me! It was cute to walk around and we got Aebleskiver for breakfast.

We were lucky to have a Bradley Ogden restaurant right next to our hotel. It was probably our best dinner of the trip.

The following morning we headed to Santa Barbara where we were able to park and do some of the Urban Wine Trail.

After a winery or two or five, we walked over to the Marina part of Santa Barbara where we had decent dinner at Brophy Brothers.

Bridgestone Invitational Tournament

I interrupt my PCH vacation posts to announce that I have returned to Cleveland and to my husband!

After getting home late on Saturday evening, Joe and I went to the Bridgestone PGA event held in Akron. Joe has been getting into golf more recently and was excited to see some of the pros up close. It was a fun day and was amazing to see how far they drive the ball in person. They make it look so effortless!

Anyway, I have a few more pictures to post and the second half of our California trip to report later this week.

PCH Road Trip - Post 3

After our restful night at the Madonna Inn, we headed toward Los Olivos with one mission: Wine Tasting! We stopped at 3 wineries on Zaca Station Road. We were pulled in by the name of the first winery; Tres Hermanas (3 sisters in Spanish)

Our second stop was Fess Parker winery where we got to enjoy our vino outdoors.

Our last winery stop was Firestone Winery where we asked quite a few questions about the wine making process. Katie and I are now prepared to start our own vineyard.

We got to Los Olivos where we had time to do an olive oil tasting. This was a very unique experience and I was amazed I could taste the nuances in different types of olive oil. I had never put much thought into the type of olive oil I used but this opened up my eyes to a world of flavors!

PCH Road Trip - Post 3

After a long day cruising along route 1, we stopped at the popular Madonna Inn to rest our weary selves.

Katie had heard a lot about this outrageous hotel and made it a must stop for our journey. Each room is unique with its own name and look. Our room was the Wilhelm Tell...

My favorite part of the room, without a doubt, was the shower....

PCH Road Trip - Post 2

After breakfast in Carmel-by-the-sea on Monday morning, we headed to Point Lobos State Park. It was a little overcast but a beautiful park.

We continued to head into the Big Sur where there were stunning views around every bend. Our next stop was Pfeiffer Falls. It was a steep climb to see the waterfall but was nice to see. Unfortunately, I didn't get a very good picture to share. However, I do have a nice one to share of our lunch at Nepenthe...

After that we went to McWay Falls. This was actually the second time I've been there but I was excited to see it again.

We happened to stop at a vista point that had the following:

Elephant Seals! These things were massive and I was really excited to see so may of them so close up!