lemons and ships

 

From the golden age of agricultural packaging. It's nice to see lemons paired with ships, since the former famously was discovered to prevent scurvy in the great era of sailing ships. Seen at the gift shop at VBG.

Day of the Dead at VBG

 

This was a nice follow up to the hummingbird exhibit, with a few of them getting incorporated into the new exhibit. Not too surprisingly some of the plants in the garden looked stressed from the summer heatwaves.

indoor-outdoor phenomenon

This was the beginning of a trend wherein I would sit outside while Mrs. sat inside, with a mere pane of glass between us. It had something to do with temperature and comfort.

Italian ticket stub

The ticket stub from a visit to Vicenza, Italy in the 1980s. While there are clear memories of touring the Teatro Olimpico (said to be the oldest indoor theater in Europe), it's still not clear if we also visited the Villa La Rotunda - pictured here on the ticket stub.

Birthday "Cake"

My birthday "cake" was actually an apple fritter muffin from Brass Bird, purchased to go and enjoyed at home. It was actually quite good and very much in line with my taste and life philosophy. Wishes were maximized while calories were minimized.

Brass Bird SB

As fans of the Brass Bird in Carpinteria, we were curious to check out the one in Santa Barbara. Here's the deal: while food, service and design are every bit as good, the location is problematic and parking quite limited. We never had a problem parking in Carpinteria. This one was crazy busy at lunch time despite being a weekday.

lobby finale

The famous Hotel Corque lobby that is.