Summertime favorite

for many that would be strawberries.  That includes this household.  And we are a lucky household because we happen to be in the very finest growing area for strawberries, well actually berries of all kinds.  This area is great for growing tasty grapes for your wine pleasure.  But strawberry growers from the area feed the USA and some areas of Canada.  

this is what a strawberry should look like red all the way thru

Unfortunately you may notice a price increase this year in a lot of your produce not just berries.  You can blame it on the drought we are having in California.  Just remember we are all paying the price even though most of the berries are grown in our back yard.  Wonder what it's going to do to the wine prices.

We hear this may be an El Niño year but if you read all the quotes you'll see it is not to be a solution to our drought situation.  So..........

The life of an RV'er

I have written more than once about our life in our RV.  It can be quite rewarding .  Think about it.  Your retired without a care in the world traveling around the USA and Canada meeting up with old friends and making new ones.  Aaaaahhhh there's the tiny problem.  Well not a problem really just a difficulty.  Making new friends and then moving on to another area.  But then we do have a bit of Gypsy in our soul.

As we have traveled in our RV we have visited almost every state in the Continental US and several Provinces in Canada.

Have been rewarded with making new friends everywhere we have dropped anchor. We have situated ourselves of late, near family which is such a plus.  My family actually,  as Mr's family is waaaay up in Canada.  Nothing better than talking to my sister and planning a day of meeting up and having lunch and just being together.  

Where we are now it's like a small family.  Occasionally we may enjoy meals together, potluck style. You never know who is gonna come by to share a meal.  Certainly all are welcome. The weather here is a bit cooler in the evenings so a warm meal around a well built fire is quite welcome.  This weekend the weather will still be on the cool side so I'm going to make my posole.  Find the recipe here.  This is a hearty soup stew kinda meal, perfect for this weather.   Someone will surely make cornbread or bring some crusty bread.

This could be a fun summer


 

An abundance of lemons

Well at least there used to be.  In 1875, 3,000 lemon trees were planted in the first commercial lemon orchard planting in California. Goleta's earliest commercial irrigation also took place on the ranch, and you can still visit 'Lake Los Carneros, the pond created by the Stows. Sherman Stow's son, state senator Edgar Whitney Stow, set up a research laboratory at the ranch and developed disease resistant lemon rootstock of great value to local growers.

The Stow House was once the headquarters of Rancho La Patera. In 1871, William Whitney Stow, a legal counsel for Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco, purchased 1,043 acres (4.22 km²) costing $28,677 for his son, Sherman P. Stow. Sherman Stow built a Carpenter Gothic Victorian style home on the site and moved into the house with his bride, Ida G. Hollister, in 1873. The family expanded the house in two major renovations in the 1880s and 1910s. The house was occupied by three generations of Stow descendants

The house museum displays family photographs and furniture, with stories of Sherman and Ida Stow and their many descendants.  


This gorgeous,  historic venue is available for daytime (until sunset) events. The property surrounding the home is quite charming.

this photo was copied from http://stowhouse.com/venue-rental/

 If ever in this area stop by this venue as it is well worth the time.