The crazy, spiny nuts! 09.24.11

Feather earrings, anyone?

It's the 16th Annual Redondo Beach Lobster Festival!  I've been here 7 years ago, but since we went to San Pedro's Lobster Festival last year, we figured we'd check this one this year instead.  For $58, B and I got a free admission to the festival, a T-shirt each, and a plate of 1.25 pound lobster, a roll, a cup of cole slaw, and butter.  We also had a plate of funnel cake with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate and ice cream, and a rootbeer float.  We were not messing around.  We got there around 2, so an Elvis Impersonator, a Motown group, and The Boys of Summer, an Eagles tribute band were playing during our stay.  It's smaller than the San Pedro one, but we enjoyed this one more.  The band's version of Tequila Sunrise was really good. 

Mai took on the bull.  They were letting people get in for free, so she took this chance.  She was not going to be outshined by the spunky 6-year olds.

Mai and I also got jealous of the face paints on the little kids, so we each got one for the day.  Here's mine, and she got a butterfly one.  It cost us $4.

For $14, B and I sealed our undying love in the form of each of our palms in a candle wax.  We are klassy like that.  Here he is waiting for his turn behind a brother and sister of 8 and 12.

Here is our festival-bought masterpiece at home.

I am so jealous of her lobsterpants.

Make me a lobster baloon, funny man!

Afterwards, we all jumped back to Mel's Jeep to get back to her apartment in North Redondo.  After a couple hours of wine and craft beer, and Mel and myself trying out Mel's out-of-town kid's jigsaw 19-piece train puzzle he left in the coffee table and failing to beat our two-teamed two-minute record like crazy mad-(wo)men, B and I called it a night and headed back home. 

Sunday morning at El Segundo dog park was unexpected. I did not think it would be muddy, but alas, the summer is officially over.  The dog park is full of dirt and mud.  A white 40-pound lab came in, and she had a ball running around with the black shephed her size.  She found a puddle of mud and bathed herself in it.

The dogs were going crazy because of the squirrel that was going from tree to tree in the park.  They kept waiting for the squirrel to make one mistake and fall off the tree, but she just kept taunting the dogs on the ground below with her acorn carcasses.  One of the two dalmatians, Target; was so entranced, he kept whining because he was frustrated he could not get the squirrell.  The dogs were so concentrated in getting her, they even tried to climb and fences and the trees.  This went on for the entire time Tico and I were in the park.  

This pit bull was so nice and mellow, and I patted her and all.  This is her in action of jumping me.  I was already jumped once by Tico as soon as we got in the park since he could not wait for his frisbee, and a few more times by another dog, and this one.  It's jump on Ticomom day today, apparently.  Needless to say, all of my clothes were covered with mud.

I got home and hosed Tico down in the front yard afterwards.  He was really pooped, but he goes crazy when I don't let him roam around the house looking like a sloppy wet dog.  So he was tied by the door while air drying, and he wined the entire time since he could see me enjoying the comfort of the couch a few feet away.

It's definitely a crazy, fun, nutty weekend for the Tico household this weekend.  And we all had a great time.

The little kids!; 09.18.11



My company is part of a local networking organization that hosted Knott's Berry Farm night on Friday night.  So after a dinner @ Alpine Village in Carson with B's family, we bolted out to Buena Park and hung out with my co-worker Teresa and her family, since she has three boys ages 6-16; which means B can ride the scary rides while I roam around with Teresa for some window-shopping and gallery games. 

I loved the prime rib @ the restaurant inside Alpine Village.  It is the best one I've had in years.  The Village is famous for their Oktoberfest.  The ticket to get to the Oktoberfest is $20, and the ladies in their best Bavarian attire served beer and sausages, while enjoying live music.  You can do the chicken dance here too.  It's a fun time all around.  I went there about 7 years ago, and I enjoyed it.

The Knott's Berry Farm currently have their Halloween Haunt events until October 31, so it's a great place to check out for about $36-$40 a ticket.  The park has Pink's Hot Dog restaurant just before you enter the park, and I so look forward to going there this year again, but being full from the dinner, I sadly passed up the chance to eat some of Pink's hotdog goodness. 

I'm scared of heights, and scared of roller coasters.  So I'm glad B had a chance to ride with the kids @ Supreme Scream, Jaguar, Sidewinder and Pony Express.  I finally agreed to join everyone at the log ride, which got me really wet.  Teresa kept cracking up once I got out.  B on the other hand, had so much fun, he was like a little kid, especially after the Supreme Scream.

 

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On Saturday, B and I went to San Pedro's Knoll Hills Dog Park.  To get there, take the Channel Street exit off the 110 Freeway South, and make a right on Channel, another right on Pacific, and left on Front Street, and right on Knoll Street.  We first stopped by Busy Bee Market for some pastrami sandwich.  Jerry, B's brother in law, mentioned this place the other night, so we wanted to check it out.  It's on the corner of 24th and Walker in the middle of the residential neighborhoods, so they were not hard to find.  Just hard to believe there was a market in that pocket of town. 

Back at the park, we unfortunately don't have any ball nor frisbee in B's car, so we hoped that there were some stray balls to keep Tico enteratained, but no bueno.  So after about half an hour of sitting around and staring into space, we decided to take a walk around Hollywood Riviera instead.  We walked around Riviera Village first, and circled over to the ocean front. 

To get to HR, take the Pacific Coast Hwy exit off the 110 Freeway South, and make a right on PCH for about 6 miles.  Make a left on Avenue I, and left on Esplanade. 

This dog wanted to play with Tico, but Tico's a little pooped from the walk. 



 

Sunday was a day of dog park @ El Segundo dog park and housework, after B's overtime work.  Then we put up some signs for B's Herbalife business all around Playa Del Rey/West LA area.  Afterwards, we drove to Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and dined at Buca Di Beppo for some Beef Rigatoni for B and a couple of Peroni, and some Veal for myself and a glass of red.  Tico had a few dishes of water.  We cut him off after the third bowl.  It was fun watching people pass by while we enjoy the Santa Monica breeze on the restaurant patio.  They enjoyed seeing Tico laying out in the corner, and wanted to play with him all of the time.

This was on the wall inside the restaurant on my way to the restroom. 

This dog wanted to say hello to me.

While B was at work in the morning, I met up with Mai for some yoga in Sherman Oaks, called Core Power Yoga.  I've done Yoga with friends once or twice, but I've never done it in a studio setting.  This one is heated, and the potential to burn 1,000 calories was very tempting to me.  Add to the fact that I got to try the studio for free for one week, I was sold.  It's humbling to be sweating it out in tight clothes in a room full of ultra-fit people.  With my stinky, sweaty self, I did not care.  It felt really good.  Afterwards, we grabbed a quick bite @ Baja Fresh next door, and found this lovely dog being fed with chicken.  She's so calm and quiet.  Tico on the other hand, would not be as calm and patience.  He's like a fussy little kid.

I tried Corepower Yoga again three times, since they have a studio in West LA, near Brentwood.  It's on 11891 Wilshire Boulevard.  The parking is free, and the facilities are amazing.  B joined Mai all three times in West LA, so for the week, I had a potential to have burned about 4,000 calories.  Which is helpful, considering what I'd be eating in the following week.  My favorite poses are happy baby and the child's pose.  Anything that's relaxing and did not require much out of me.  Tico would have enjoyed the downward dog pose.  At the end of each session, I felt great and a huge weight gest lifted out of my chest.  I'm like a refreshed new person. 

So like B at the Knott's Berry Farm, Tico @ the Buca Di Beppo, and myself @ the yoga studio, we're like three little kids this week.

And we don't care.

"Twins!", El Segundo Dog Park; 03.13.11

Fiesta and Tico lounging around

Standing around

Watching over their balls

Hanging out

Looking around



Running around







Park: El Segundo Dog Park
Address: McCarthy Court and Imperial Avenue, El Segundo, CA
Directions: Take the 105 West all the way, which turns to Imperial Highway, and keep going until you hit Main Street, make a first left on Imperial AVENUE, and the dog park will be a few hundred feet to your left.

The park is a long stretch of land, about 3-4 football fields long, and about 50 feet wide.   It's a large dog park, where you can be on one end of the park, and not see the other dog owners halfway across the park.  It has tons of mature trees which I love, so there's tons of shades especially during those hot summer nights.  It's mostly dirt, but it's clean, no mud, and acorns are on the ground.  There are two entrances to the large dog park, and there's a separate small dog park area as well.  There are two water fountains, and free pooper scoopers and disposable bags.  Parking is free on the street, and they are aplenty.

We met with Philippe (sp?) and his two-year old female dog Fiesta.  Fiesta wanted to play with Tico, and hung out with him the entire time.  Their similar mannerisms are uncanny, and that made for a great photoshoot. 

There's a lookout "point" along the side of Imperial Avenue on the way to the dog park, with benches for people to sit on and watch airplanes fly out of LAX a few hundred feet away.  You can see the planes fly out of the park as well, but the lookout area has greater vantage view.  The dog park owners are predominantly older group because of the older, poshy neighborhood of Playa Del Rey/El Segundo/Playa Vista, with a few single people tossed in the mix. 



Best rule by far!

No dog trainers!

Flowers outside park

Fiesta asking for her ball back

Plane flying out of LAX Airport

Afterwards, we headed back on Main Street, made a left to go to Downtown El Segundo, which is a typical Main Street of any town in the US.  It has small, local restaurants, and shopping places the caters to the locals.  There's a nice Peruvian place that we may try called Playa Blanca, and an Italian deli called Rinaldi's.  There's a handful of sushi places, burgers, and cafe's as well as a BBQ place and Chinese restaurant.  Shops cater more to the older, affluent locals; but ther's also surfing-related stores as well because of its close proximity to El Porto, a popular surfing spot in the border of Manhattan Beach and El Segundo.  Most of the shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays, but this place can get busy during the week because of the LMU students/surfers/locals/airport employees that live in the area.     

Plant

Looks like a good local Peruvian spot

View from El Porto

The Strand

On our way back home, we took the Rosecrans Boulevard back to head east, to stop by the Bed Bath and Beyond on Hindry Avenue which is closer to the 405 freeway.  But one of my favorite new spots is Plaza El Segundo, which is off of Rosecrans and Sepulveda Boulevards.   This place has Pet Smart, Cost Plus, Bebe, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, BCBG and even Whole Foods.  For food, there's The Counter, Tender Greens, and Marmalade to name a few.  This new shopping spot will definitely skyrocket the already-expensive El Segundo neighborhood; which commands a 2/1 house for $600K. 

The city of El Segundo is a small, 17K population, mostly white community just south of the LAX airport.  It's not the best place to live due to the airport noise, combined with the Chevron refinery.  Dockweiler Beach park, though, is great during Fourth of July BBQ weekends.  But because it's in West LA, in the beach area, and is walking distance at about 10 sq miles.   Most of the shops and restaurants cater to the LAX airport employees, as well as hotels and big (Boeing, etc.) companies that laced Imperial Highway, Century Boulevard, and Sepulveda Boulevard. 

The city also encourages more businesses and residentials to come to their town, so they have subsidies for the noise-reductions to attract these home and business owners.  So if you don't mind the noise and sometimes plant smell, and get a piece of an already-booming real estate prime spot of 10 square miles that offers prime beach and surf living and close proximity to everything, living/working in El Segundo is something to consider.

"Twins" is a 1988 old movie with Arnold Scwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.  One time that B and I saw The Governator at St. Monica's Church, and B was surprised how shorter he was (he's 6'2), but he always thought The Gov was this giant guy.  He and his family are really nice.  One of my favorite movies of his is the Kindergarten Cop.  ("It's not a tumah!", lol).  But I liked the setting in that movie, which took place in Astoria, Oregon.   I thought that was a really nice anytown USA.  It's kind of like El Segundo is, albeit it's an overpriced anytown USA in the middle of West LA.