bite-sized chunks

This book I got for my birthday exceeded my expectations. Not only are "bite-sized chunks" better digested (and therefore better remembered), but the authors managed to include a wealth of interesting, overlooked details. Example: the Mayflower intended to land in the northern part of the Virginia Colony (present day New York City) but were blown off course to Cape Cod. Took me over 60 years to learn that.

Cajun Kitchen Valentine's Day

Beignets and Benedict - a great combo.

Alessia revisited, part 2

For the coffee-and-pastry segment of our meal we had the good sense to relocate outside. The sun warmed us up in just the right way and a good time was had by all. The coffee and pastries were good quality, as would be expected from an authentic European-style bakery.

Alessia revisted

We thought for Valentine's Day it would be nice to revisit Alessia in Santa Barbara which we had discovered the year before. At the time it seemed to be the overlooked gem next to the overly-popular Handlebar Coffee. It's no longer overlooked; in fact it was jam-packed with gaggles of gabbing women. Nevertheless the lunch fare - which we had not tried before - was very good.

Canon Perdido Street

A street with a great name with a lot of history behind it. It translates to "lost cannon" but actually refers to a stolen cannon in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. The full story is told here:

https://www.kcrw.com/shows/curious-coast/stories/the-tale-of-santa-barbaras-canon-perdido-street 

Douglas F.P. 2026 - part 2

We walked to the bluff and back. It was perfect.

Douglas Family Preserve 2026

It had been a long time since we took these trails. Conditions were excellent.