California dreamin’ (and a few bites of sand)

We just got back from 12 days on the west coast and I wanted to take a minute to share with you a few photos and tidbits from our trip. The most impressive part by far was Claire. She was a total trooper! She didn’t cry once during the 5+trip out to San Diego and adjusted to the time change the first night (I must admit I was a little anxious about that thinking I’d be waking up at 3am for the first few days).

But 10 months seems to be the perfect age to travel. She’s still comfortable on our laps on the plane but big enough to absorb what’s going on around her. Her mouth literally dropped when we took her to the San Diego zoo when she saw all the animals. So great. She also discovered the joys of eating sand. Lots of it. Apparently I did the same thing when I was little. Crazy kids!

Anyways, I always love going out west, having spent the majority of my life landlocked and the last 8 years on the east coast. Everything there is different from what I’m used to which is so refreshing and fun. And the food is a major bonus.

The first highlight was picking lemons, limes and oranges off trees in great grandma’s backyard. Claire picked a few and we enjoyed the oranges for breakfast each day.

Then there was San Francisco. I can do without the fog and 60 degree weather in July (!) but otherwise I love this city. We took an amazing 3 hour hike through the Presidio park to over look the bay and Golden Gate bridge. Breathtaking.

On the way back, we ran into a guy picking wild blackberries. Turns out they were all over the park. I tasted a few and they were delicious. Claire liked them too.

What really impressed me was that coffee shops had organic milk and cream, and one even sold free range hard boiled eggs for $1 each on the counter. What a great idea!

Of course there were plenty of indulgences like this almond croissant that Claire and I shared for breakfast one day.

We also had the best brownies of our lives at Andronico’s market. I would love to get my hands on that recipe. If anyone is coming to DC from San Francisco, I would pay you to bring me one of those. Seriously.

We were lucky to also spend a few days in wine country and had dinner at a restaurant called Harvest Moon where I had the most delicious beet soup. I know beets are one of those veggies people either love or hate, but to me they are the best. I grew up eating borscht so this was right up my alley. So, so good.

By the way-Harvest Moon is a completely farm to table restaurant, using fresh, local ingredients and their menu changes daily. Highly recommend if you get out to Sonoma.

And after a day of wine tasting, I hated to admit it but the last thing I wanted was a glass of wine with dinner. I ordered this Wine Country Soda instead, made from only grape juice and carbonated water. I’m not big on sodas but this is one that I’d definitely order again.

We ended the trip visiting with friends across the bay in Tiburon. This was my view from our bedroom one morning. I could get used to waking up to that!

All in all the trip was fantastic. I am glad to be back in my kitchen though and looking forward to cooking again. Our Healthy Mama group has been going strong and I can’t wait to try a few recipes that were shared while I was away!

What trips do you have planned this Summer?