Blog Hiatus

They say the acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree. April and I arrived home from work yesterday to find my son Patrick working away at the food processor. I asked what he was creating and he proudly announced he was making Chipotle Mayonnaise. He ate a sandwich at a local dive and loved the flavor. He did some internet research and aggregated a recipe. It is tasty and easy to make.

In food processor mince one large garlic clove
Add one canned Chipotle in Adobo and about a scant teaspoon of the sauce. (use more if you like it real spicy)
Blend in one cup of Best Foods Mayonnaise.
Add a teaspoon or so of olive oil and the juice of half a lime to complete sauce

Life's a Picnic will be on Hiatus for about three weeks on a second honeymoon of sorts. Adios!

Full Disclosure

The following blog post event actually occurred on Easter Weekend 2009. I disclose this fact because I have been reading that the government is cracking down on bloggers who accept money in return for favorable posts. We are a group that is out of control with no editors, no structure and are basically without scrutiny. Be advised that I have not accepted any money for my blogs and in fact have spent tons of my own money. Why you ask? I write this blog to express to my readers my appreciation of life and adventure. I have been fortunate to have a wonderful wife and we enjoy our time together. We are lucky to have a few dollars of disposable income we can part with on our adventures. That being said, on with on with the post.

We had a weekend with no responsibilities pending. I cruised the internet for likely places to visit and came up with a highly rated resort in Napa on Hotwire.com for under $150 (at this writing the rates on the hotel website are running over $400). The Meritage Resort and Spa is located in an business park just a short drive from downtown Napa. The building and grounds are immaculate. A large swimming pool and spa are inviting and the weather warm enough for dip and lounging. Just behind the pool is the Trinitas Wine Cave and Spa Terra. After a little exploration there we hiked the adjacent vineyard that has plenty of picnic spots, art work and stautary. Jack rabbits bounded through fields and remarkably we spotted a Great Blue Heron about twenty feet away oblivious to our presence.





On our last visit to Napa we enjoyed the Oxbow Market. On this visit we tried Picapica Maize Kitchen and were rewarded with tasty Venezuelan corn arepas and a maize'wich.

I also want to disclose we had a wonderful weekend and will continue to seek out and report on new, exciting and reasonably priced travel, food and adventure.

Coffee Ritual

I have to admit I am not a coffee connoisseur. I drink one or two cups in the morning and have no brand loyalty. Weekdays I normally hit the Starbucks kiosk at the local Safeway. I drink brewed coffee and cringe when I hear the complex orders that people request. Another hot button I have is when the counter person corrects me when I order a "small" and somehow that becomes a "tall". That doesn't seem to happen much lately and that makes me happy. Weekends we drink Trader Joe's coffee that we grind in store.

Over the last couple of weeks my coffee habits have been challenged. The first change happened when I forgot to replenish our supply. The only coffee in house was some very expensive beans that my daughter had procured in Hawaii. The problem was no grinder. I was going to drink tea but all we had was decaf. I thought about pounding the beans with the bottom of a heavy pan but nixed the idea. I spied the marble mortar and pestle unused on the self. Hence, the first pot of hand ground Hawaiian coffee was made. It was superb and has spoiled me for the cheap stuff.


The second experience was on our getaway weekend. We headed over to Acme bread in the Ferry Plaza for their exceptional pastries. Just a few doors down the line at Blue Bottle Coffee was only about eight deep. Normally the line is at least three times that. We decided to see what everybody was willing to wait for. Talk about ritual! This place has more reverent moves than a Catholic High Mass. Each cup of brewed coffee is crafted individually. The water is swirled above a cone filter with a motion that reminds me of the incense vessel used in Mass. We defended our position in line from a marauding little old lady with a cane and a handsome young fellow who tried to flirt his way to the front. That endured, we got our coffee and it was excellent, albeit lukewarm for my taste. The wife's latte was a visual work of art.The two things I require from a coffee place: It should be hot and be served in the immediate future.

The most recent coffee adventure is the arrival of Starbucks Via Ready Brew. The commercials say you can't tell the difference. I had mine with one of my wife's homemade pumpkin scones and it was hot and ready. Can I tell the difference? Yeah.