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.

balcony finale

some presents

 

A few thoughtful presents from the best wife in the world to the luckiest man in the world.

Birthday Brekkie

I famously began eating French Toast for breakfast in Solvang (at The Landsby's Mad + Vin to be precise) and the practice seems to continue. Similarly, Craft House's practice of presenting birthday boys and girls with complimentary beignets also seems to continue.

 

Birthday Morning

 

b.b.e.p.k.t.m.

"Best Birthday Eve photo known to man", taken by Mrs. in the lobby of the Hotel Corque. 

evening charm

Birthday Eve: the evening hours in Solvang are not without a certain charm...

Copenhagen House

 

This building called the Copenhagen House has a history of varied uses. It was originally a bank when it was built in 1913; today it is the unlikely hybrid of a shopping emporium and museum about Vikings. The statues outside represent the city founders.

Kanok Thai, part 3

 

Birthday Eve: complimentary coconut ice cream and new festive shirt.

Kanok Thai, part 2

Part of the joy of discovering Kanok Thai Cuisine was realizing that we must have walked by it three or four times without knowing it, since it's tucked away in the upstairs of this rather nondescript building. Definitely a hidden gem. The downstairs has a bar - seemingly unused - and what looks like a women's clothing shop selling everything for 39.99.

Kanok Thai Cuisine

What a great birthday present: the existence of this restaurant! I was curious if Solvang had Thai food and when I looked it up this relatively new place popped up, conveniently located across the street from our hotel. Both the space and the food were top notch. I had "PCU Noodles" (above) which I guess is Pad See Ew but better than usual, while Mrs. had Pad Thai (below).

Wildling Museum 2026

 

Although the main exhibit hall - at least 60% of the museum's gallery space - was closed, that didn't stop them from charging full admission. It's not difficult to imagine Larry David taking issue with this. At least the exhibit that was open was excellent - photographs of the desert. This museum is now called the California Nature Art Museum, but I think I prefer the old name.

Good Seed 2026

 

After the sweets were taken care of, we headed to Good Seed - Solvang's most reliable source of fine espresso drinks. I would never have imagined that finding a good cappuccino would be easier than finding a donut, but this was the case.

Aebleskivehuset fiasco

My first hankering was for a donut, but when that proved problematic I decided to expand my Danish vocabulary and try a famous Danish pastry with a long name. That also proved problematic because the girl selling them couldn't tell me a single thing about them, undermining what I'd hoped would be a cultural experience. So I gave up and drowned my sorrows in an apple Danish at Mortensen's Bakery, which wasn't half bad. I've always liked the light in here. Mrs. had an interesting horseshoe-shaped pastry.

clogs

The clog seen here - an advertising display in front of a shoe store in Solvang - is visually appealing. I'm just not sure how comfortable wearing such things in real life would be.

mini Danish village

 

We checked the progress of the mini Danish village being built at a busy Solvang street corner. Whatever the story is behind it, it makes for some interestingly weird photos.