At least this wildlife was outside...

Here in Fallbrook where there is lots of open space, there are a lot of critters around the house. Usually they are outside, although it seems more than a fair share of spiders find their way inside. Lots of crickets, too, and once - a lizard.

Outside, various critters have been spotted: an owl , a hawk, hummingbirds, finches, and orioles (among other birds,) gophers, rats, mice, rabbits, scorpions, a tarantula, and more than one kind of snake, including rattlesnakes. Two summers ago, I came much closer to a rattlesnake than I ever wanted to without a thick layer of glass separating us.

Today, I noticed this guy right outside the window:


Isn't that just great? I actually heard him before I saw him... well, I heard some scuffling outside when he attacked the unfortunate critter that became his lunch. Later, he slithered off toward a patch of sunlight, presumably for an after lunch nap, and I snapped this photo. This is a gopher snake, and I'm guessing he's about 5 feet long. These aren't poisonous, and they are actually useful for controlling the population of rodents, so I left him alone after snapping a few photos.
-- Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Red Bull Air Race

For the third year in a row, the Red Bull Air Race came to San Diego this weekend. I first saw the race two years ago, and it was so cool I was disappointed to miss it last year. So this year, when some of my family decided to make a weekend of it and go camping in Coronado (across the bay from San Diego) to be close to the big event, I definitely wanted to join the fun.

Picture small planes flying 200+ miles an hour through an obstacle course that floats on the water. They must fly low enough to pass through each gate, but high enough not to end up in the drink. It's quite impressive to watch.

My cousin Michael is a huge fan of all things aeronautical, and took these terrific photos. This is what really fast looks like:


For some of the gates, the pilots must fly through at a 90-degree angle, they call it "knife edge." There's a 2 second penalty for not executing the angle precisely. One of the final four flyers dropped from 2nd to 3rd place due to receiving this penalty.

Other targets must be flown through exactly level, like this one. Because the turns on the course are quite tight, it's a balancing act to pass through the gates in the correct orientation and maintain the speed required to win. This particular gate was hit several times on Saturday, essentially shearing off the top of the cone. The gates are inflatable, and can be replaced in under 5 minutes by a team that arrives at the floating gate by boat. (Sorry no photos of a destroyed gate.)


For all the targets, the pilot must fly so that the cockpit is vertically between either the red or blue areas on the gate. In both of the above photos, the pilot is positioned correctly. The penalty for flying too low through a gate is bigger than the penalty for flying too high through a gate. The penalty for flying too low other than at a gate is an unscheduled swim, and this pilot came really close. There were scuba teams ready throughout the race to go diving after sinking pilots, just in case.


Interested in seeing more? Check out this video from the race website, it shows the planes in action.


-- Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Disneyland's Club 33

Disclaimer: This post is about my magical experience at Disneyland's Club 33 this week, and might be just a little too much detail for a non-Disney fan. I just wanted to capture all the details before I forget them, so feel free to come along for the ride....

The adventure begins at some point in the afternoon as we wander through Disneyland's New Orlean's Square, and past the doorway marked only with the address "33." Other than the sign, and an inconspicuous intercom box inside the doorway, there is no indication of what lies beyond the door. I got so excited the day before that I, naturally, did a web search and did some reading about it.

We are told to arrive early for our 6:15 reservation, but then are asked to wait until then before we are invited inside. Let the picture taking begin! We took individual photos of each member of our party by the sign, and then again as we stepped inside.

The staff was very accommodating of our obsessive photo-taking, which is great, since I'm sure this is the only time I will every be walking through this door! The ground floor lobby includes only the hostess desk, the staircase and the lift to the second floor restaurant. We take another photo here, as we are informed this is a popular photo spot - I'm guessing they see a lot of starry-eyed first-time visitors!

At the top of the stairs, there is a smaller dining room to the right, which is directly over the Blue Bayou restaurant entrance. We are walked to the left, and down a hallway which I later realized takes us over the street below, to a larger dining room which overlooks the Rivers of America.




The ambience is impeccable. The room has high ceilings, gorgeous dark wood crown moulding, a beautiful fireplace, and fresh flowers. The staff is friendly, and indulgent of our savoring the experience of eating at the one and only Club 33, giving us plenty of time to take in our surroundings and ponder the menu before we order. The table is set for a multiple-course meal with dishes that were designed especially for Club 33.

The menu is divided into two choices: a pre-selected 5-course meal of the chef's choosing or a la carte selections for appetizer, main dish and dessert. Jeanine and I both opted for the 5-course meal, and it was amazing!

-- * --

1. Romaine Lettuce Salad, Balsamic Caesar Dressing

2. Seared Rare Ahi, Garden Carrot Risotto, Jalapeno Mousse

3. New York Steak, Roasted Fingerling Potato, Freestone Peach Reduction

4. Regional Artisan Cheese

5. Valrhona Chocolate Creme Anglaise Barr, Hazelnut Nougatine

-- * --

I think my favorite part of the meal was the Seared Ahi, which literally melted in my mouth. So delicious! Although, it's hard for a dessert lover like myself to admit that anything was better than the beautifully prepared chocolate creationg that ended my meal! Besides the fact that everything tasted wonderful, the presentation was beautiful and being such a visual person, that only added to my enjoyment.


Jeanine was presented with a special birthday creme brulee dessert, complete with a glowing Tinkerbell. (I just realized as I posted this photo, that the chocolate design on the edge of her plate says "Birthday," further proof that every detail was perfect.)


The entire meal was a relaxing, unrushed experience. It was hard to believe at times that this oasis, a beautiful, quiet delightful restaurant, was right in the middle of what is usually one of the busiest areas of the park. I had no idea how much time had passed while we enjoyed our meal until we stepped outside just before dessert to see the view from the balcony to find Disneyland was empty... the park closed at 8:00, and was empty and quiet.





And then, although nothing about the evening was rushed, it was over too soon. Because the park was closed, we are escorted from New Orleans Square through Adventureland and back to Main Street USA. This was the most surreal part of the experience, walking through an empty Disneyland, the memory of a dinner at Club 33 fresh in my mind.

This was an experience I will never forget. Given the chance, I would go to Club 33 again, although truly, I feel I've been lucky beyond my wildest imagination just to go once.

***This post is especially for my friend Chris, who loves Disney way more than I do. If lightning strikes twice, and I am lucky enough to go to Club 33 again, I hope that it is with you.***

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday: A Magical Day

I've been enjoying D*sneyland a LOT since I've had an annual pass, and I got to go again today! Thanks to the "free on your birthday" promotion, my friend Jeanine has been planning to go to the park for her birthday, and of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tag along. (Class? What class? Oh... that class. Well, how much damage can it do to miss the class once?)

Often, I try to post about things on Thursdays that are really important, that really make me experience gratefulness so strong I can practically feel it. It surprised me yesterday to be overcome with gratitude over a trip to D*sneyland, but I really was. Having access to a place that is purely fun has been a great outlet for me these last couple months. It is due to the generosity of someone I don't even know that I was able to get an annual pass this year, and I truly am grateful every time I get to go hang out at D*sneyland.

The best part of having a D*sney pass is that I've been able to spend time with some people I love very much because they have passes, too. My cousin Nicole and I enjoyed a fun Friday night at the park in March. We see each other fairly regularly, but don't hang out very much with "just" us. I really enjoyed the chance to get to know her a little bit better, and I'm hoping we get to go again soon!

I've also spent some time at the park with the Goetz family. I've known Sara practically my entire life, and am ever more grateful for my friendship with her and her family. She married the biggest D*sney fan I know, and although they live in Northern CA now, they have passes and have been coming to D*sneyland for vacation a lot. There is no doubt their kids are going to follow in their parents footsteps and become big fans of D*sney, too.

Today, I got to spend with Jeanine and some of her family. We had a fabulous time, and I was reminded what a great person she is, and so happy for the chance to hang out. She lives about 15 miles north of me, and I don't go that direction very often with my commute to classes being in the opposite direction, so we haven't seen each other very often. During the week, the park isn't as busy, so lines are short and it's a relaxing place to spend the day. Add some perfect Southern CA weather to the above, and you have a recipe for a truly magical day!

One of the reasons today was so magical was a special opportunity to experience something very few people do at D*sneyland, and I know that was part of the reason I was so overwhelmed by this visit. There is a "secret," members-only club at the park, and Jeanine's sister managed to get us a reservation at the club for dinner. Again, I was overwhelmed. I have no idea why I'm so lucky as to be able to have this experience, but it was amazing.

Ah, what a great day. I'm blessed.
--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Incoherent

I'm having one of those days. I'm not sure if I woke up during the wrong part of a sleep cycle, or just too early, but I feel like I'm still half asleep. I've had two giant cups of coffee and a diet coke with absolutely no effect. Seeing as how I've gotten absolutely nothing done today, I probably should have just gone back to bed.

But I just couldn't let myself do that either, I have way too much to do. It's crunch time of the semester, and there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done. So when I woke up, I started my day. I kept thinking this fog would shake off with enough time and caffeine. Not so much. My brain seems incapable of making sense of the material I'm trying to review for tonight's class, despite not being baffled by last week's lecture on the topic.

I know that I don't function well when I don't get enough sleep, so I generally try not to short myself on purpose. Being a morning person, it's not a good sign that I've been this incoherent all day, because as the afternoon and evening roll on, this is not likely to improve.

I just realized I forgot to go to the gym this morning. It's just one of those days, I guess.

--
Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/