When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello!

 

I had the funnest morning yesterday - I spent several hours finding creative ways to use up a bag of lovely homegrown lemons given to me during our recent Bay Area stay. I had 14 lemons in total, enough to start my first ever batch of Limoncello, plus Lemon Squares, plus enough left over to freeze in one tablespoon cubes for future use. 

I'm very happy to be back in my kitchen again, even if only for a few days!

Limoncello

After looking at several recipes on the internet, I went with this one.

First, it's important to note that limoncello takes several weeks to make, so determining when to start it is important. I checked our calendar several times to make sure we'd be in town for both the second and third stages of preparation. 

Second, it takes a lot of time to peel the skin, minus the pith, off the lemons. About an hour and a half in my case. A nice time to do this, therefore, is when you can multi task. In my case, our son in law was visiting, so I sat at the table carefully peeling the lemons while he, Mike and I all chatted over coffee. Worked out perfect! The lemons were peeled before I knew it.

Thirdly, make sure to get off all the pith. You want your peels to look more like this:

Than this:

And finally, make sure to place everything needed for the stage one steeping period into a glass jar, not plastic. I had limited options as it turned out, so I ended up using the glass vodka bottle I'd just emptied for this project:

For now, that's as far as I can carry this project. I'll be back here to post in about a month, when the first stage is completed. In the meantime, I'll be perusing this site to decide what type of little glass containers to order. I see some fun hostess gifts in my friends' futures!

Lemon Squares

I previously shared my wonderful lemon square recipe here (scroll to bottom of post), but I may not have mentioned that I almost always end up freezing the majority of them afterward, other than the one or two I leave out for Mike and I to enjoy right away. They freeze beautifully, and will easily hold for up to a month or two.

I separate the squares onto wax paper lined plates, which I then place uncovered into my freezer overnight.

The next morning I place the frozen squares into ziplock bags, where the live happily frozen until I take them out to enjoy, usually just one or two at a time. This batch was particularly delicious. I couldn't believe the strong, beautiful flavor in these homegrown lemons compared to the lemons I get from the store!

Frozen Lemon Juice Cubes

And finally, I juiced all the peeled lemons left over from my limoncello efforts, and froze them overnight in one tablespoon increments in an ice cube tray. 

I then tossed the frozen cubes into a labeled ziplock bag for future usage.

We're leaving tomorrow for our next RV trip, so this morning I'll be busy making banana muffins with some overripe bananas, plus a pesto pasta from the last of my basil plant leaves. I'll take some of what I'm making with us, and leave the rest in the freezer to enjoy when we return. I love coming home to a freezer full of homemade items to simply defrost and serve, vs feeling compelled to survive on pricey takeout until I have a chance to get to the market and restock.

-  My Favorite Banana Muffin recipe (I sometimes add chocolate chips, like I did today to half the batch)

-  My Favorite Pesto Pasta recipe (I add toasted pine nuts at the end)

Enjoy!

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This morning (Tue) we're on our way to Pismo Beach, where in addition to running along the sand and wine tasting in nearby Edna Valley, we'll be out of WiFi range.

Updates to my blog when we get to Paso Robles on Friday!

Our 30 Day Adventure - Would We Do It Again?

As promised, here is a write up of my thoughts on our recent 30 day Bay Area vacation rental adventure, plus a summation of costs. Overall, it was an amazing experience we will treasure forever, and we're still pinching ourselves that we actually pulled it off and did it!

What I Enjoyed The Most About Our Adventure:

- Exploring and getting to know a whole new region fairly intimately

- Experiencing the Bay Area as if we lived there

- Exploring the amazing open spaces of Marin County (over 75% is preserved open space)

- The incredible vistas of the bay, the city of San Francisco, and the Pacific Ocean almost everywhere we went

- How relatively inexpensive it was to travel this way

- Staying in a 'home' rather than a hotel. It was lovely to have the freedom to move around, prepare our own meals, and relax in our very own space

- The ease of managing our 'other life' while away. We've worked over the last year to gain access to almost all of our financial reports and bills online, and it made staying on top of things this trip an absolute snap.

- Knowing our new, permanent house sitter (Mike's sister, who now resides with us) was keeping an eye on things at home.

What I Enjoyed The Least About Our Adventure:

- Not having the same level of ongoing social interactions we experience in our RV, on a cruise, or on a group tour. I began to feel just a bit isolated in our apartment after the first couple of weeks weeks as a result. (A note that Mike had no such issues. He completely enjoyed himself at the apartment the entire trip.)

- Not being able to cook and bake creatively due to not having a fully stocked kitchen such as I have at home and in my RV* (*relative to size restrictions)

- The absence of being on the move

What I Learned About Myself That Surprised Me:

- I have a difficult time with the concept of relaxing 24/7. I need structure and productive output before I can enjoy my downtime. The days that we went on long, challenging hikes or bicycle rides were the shining stars of the trip as a result - lots of output to balance our down time later in the day.

- I thrive on constant change. In our RV, on a cruise, on a trip to another country, we are changing locations constantly, and it appears that I love that!

- I enjoy having social interactions with other people on a regular basis. 

- I did not miss being at home.

What We Would Do Differently Next Time:

- Build our stay around a project or class enrollment of some sort to provide more purpose and social interaction.

Or . . . 

- Stay one to two weeks rather than four

What It All Cost:

- $2,470 for the one month vacation rental

- $160 for gas there and back

- $400 additional spending cash for bridge tolls, entrance fees (nominal due to our National Park annual pass and our focus on touring on free museum days), parking fees (also nominal due to our willingness to bike, hike and walk most places), meals out, and Groupon and TravelZoo purchases. 

- Groceries came out of our normal weekly budget, as did additional gas costs once we arrived.

So, am I sold going forward on vacation rentals? Absolutely! In fact, this experience has pretty much ruined hotel stays for us. We enjoyed everything about our vacation rental itself. It was the extended length of time in one place without a specific purpose that was a little difficult for me once the initial rush of being in an unfamiliar place had passed. The process of booking it through VRBO was absolutely painless, and our landlord was terrific, accommodating all of our requests without problem. (We asked for a couple of additional kitchen items upon arrival, and the loan of a few things we'd forgotten, like a workout towel)

The bottom line appears to be that I'm a rolling stone who prefers not to sit still and gather moss. Which is a bit of a relief to finally know once and for all, I have to say. With another trip right around the corner - three locations over 10 days - it's good to know I'll soon be right back in my optimal environment!

Follow up: I got so many wonderful suggestions about combining a secondary activity, in addition to sightseeing, with future stays, that I'm already on the hunt to do exactly that. 
I am deeply appreciative of your thoughtful responses, so thank you!

Mt. Tamalpais and Homeward Bound

Today was our last full day here, and we had decided last night that there were no more excuses; we simply had to hike to the top of nearby Mt. Tamalpais before leaving. I will admit though, that as enthusiastic as I'd been the night before, I was not feeling terribly enthusiastic when we got in the car to drive to the trail head this morning. We'd hiked 30 miles over three recent days, plus had a little too much fun wine tasting in Sonoma yesterday, and the thought of hiking uphill for several hours in a row suddenly didn't sound quite so fun. As I result, it's possible I might have been just a wee bit cranky as we started out.

Fortunately for Mike, it's just not possible for me to remain cranky out on the trail for long. The majestic redwoods, the scent of the pine trees, the birds chirping loudly, the other happy hikers and mountain bikers we passed, the San Francisco Bay below in the distance; all were irresistible and I succumbed.

We followed the Old Railroad Grade trail up to the top, then over to the East Peak. There are several peaks in the park, but the East Peak is the highest, at 2,571 ft. And when all was said and done, it actually turned out to be a not-too-terribly difficult 5.5 mile uphill trail that took us about two hours. The views from the peak, once we got there, were ridiculous. The entire San Francisco Bay, multiple bridges, the city of San Francisco, Angel Island, and Alcatraz Island were all on gorgeous display. I was very, very glad I'd made the effort to do it, plus now I have bragging rights . . . I can say I hiked the highest peak in Marin County!

Mike at the East Peak, the bay laid out below and the city of San Francisco off to the upper right, somewhat obscured by the light haze.

The way back was much easier of course, a nice gentle 5.5 mile downhill hike. We stopped midway back at the West Point Inn, a cute, rustic little place that was once a stopover for railroad passengers. I had heard that the inn set out food and beverages for tired hikers and mountain bikers, working off an honor system for payment, and I was curious to see it.

Snack items, cold water bottles (yes, they were cold, a lovely touch), tea, coffee, instant soup mix and hot cocoa , plus an empty coffee can full of $1.00 bills . . . a nice sign that trust and goodness still exist.

The caretaker came over as I was taking the above photo, and I told him what a lovely thing I thought the honor snack bar was. He said the honor system worked pretty well, and it was only every so often that someone would come along and help themselves without paying. He said even then, it was not uncommon to get a letter from a remorseful hiker or biker after they'd gotten home, apologizing for taking items without paying, and enclosing money to cover what they'd consumed.

I left feeling very happy that there are still lots of good people in this world, and that kindness and trust still exist.

Back at the apartment we showered, packed and loaded the car for our early AM departure, and then set off down the road to have a farewell dinner at Cafe del Soul, which specializes in serving up all natural and organic food. Mike and I devoured our respective wraps - cilantro lime-ilicous for me, chipotle sunrise for Mike, both of which tasted great after our long hike.  

We learned much about long term stays, San Francisco in general, and each other during this trip. I look forward to sharing thoughts on all of those things in my next post. For now, we're returning home with about 300 photos, 18 new bottles of wine, and countless memories. 

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. 

The great affair is to move." 

- Robert Louis Stevenson

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Day 25 - Took our daughter hiking to Muir Beach and back, a re-do for us, but just as much fun as the first time. Lunch in town at Champagne Bakery. Naps back at the apartment, and then an old movie, The Paper Chase, after dinner.
Day 26 - Mother's Day! Spent the entire day reading and watching old movies. Picked up Avatars in the evening, for a second go-round of their delicious curried pumpkin Punjabi burritos.
Day 27 - Ran the Bay View Trail in the morning, then spent the rest of the day in Sonoma enjoying wine and cheese tasting, plus lunch at Basque Boulangerie Cafe. We visited my favorite winery in the entire Sonoma-Napa region, and possibly even the entire state of California, Walt Wines. I adore their La Brisa Chardonnay, and Mike loves the Blue Jay Pinot Noir. 
Day 28 - Hiked to the East Peak in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Packed up the car for the drive home when we returned, then walked down the street to Cafe Del Soul for a farewell-to-Mill Valley dinner.
Day 29 - Leaving for home, with an anticipated arrival time of 2:00 PM. I'm excited to see my house again after such a long time away!

Two Days, Two Terrific Hikes

We've been on a roll these last few days, covering about 21 miles over two separate hikes. My best days, retired or not, are spent outside doing something using my own two legs - biking, hiking, running. Not only does it make me feel instantly great both during and after, it's also a built in excuse to enjoy yummy food completely guilt free.

Not to mention what it does for my resting heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight. I'm entering my 50's with the same vitals I had in my 20's. I like that!

Anyhow, back to our hikes . . . 

Hike #1 - China Camp State Park  Coastal and Ridge View Trails, 11 mile loop hike

The best part about this hike, aside from the beautiful views of San Francisco Bay, is how few people we saw out and about. Although only a few miles from Mill Valley, most Bay Area visitors tend to head toward Muir Woods Nat'l Monument, or the Marin Headlands to do their outdoor sightseeing.  

We had a few little oops moments - we got off track at one point and had to climb a steep hill, then slide a bit down the backside to pick up the trail again. But all just part of the fun!

I enjoyed the Chinese characters on the left side of this welcome sign. Can you see them?

I am captivated by these spring blooming wild irises we've stumbled on a few times during our hikes here.

I did a search online, but I couldn't determine what type of tree these are, with their smooth, beautiful red trunks.

This abandoned boat is a reminder that China Camp Village, in China Camp State Park, was once the site of a thriving Chinese shrimp fishing camp dating back to the 1870's

Our reward for a job well done after we finished with our China Camp hike! 

Hike #2 - Stinson Beach  Matt Davis and Coastal View Trails, 10 mile out and back hike

This hike provided absolutely stunning scenery - lush green forest, rolling hills covered with wildflowers, and expansive coastal views - but it was a butt kicker for sure. Two miles of relentless climbing and switchbacks to start, with lots and lots or stairs thrown in just for fun. But oh my, when we got to the top of the first hill and broke out into the sun, endless vistas awaited and red tailed hawk by the score soared overhead searching for food.

Mike and I are in agreement that this was our favorite hike of the trip so far.

The Matt Davis trail starts off gently for the first 1/4 mile . . .

But then you start to climb. And climb. And climb some more.

At the top of the hill, finally, we broke from the forest out into sunny, wildflower covered rolling hills.

A rare photo of me on the trail. I'm usually the one wielding the camera!

We came upon this wreck. A note on the car said it was an old Pontiac from the 40's. How it got here we couldn't imagine, but it doesn't look like whoever was inside could possibly have fared very well.

My favorite surprise of this hike - dozens of wild, miniature sunflower like blooms.

The views went on forever

Stinson Beach below us on the way back, with the beautiful Pacific Ocean glistening

We chowed down afterward at this place, sharing a  Salmon Po'Boy and a Albacore Tuna Melt, along with a Mango Lemonade. So good!

It's hard to believe we're down to our last few days already. However, no need to feel sad about going home just yet - our daughter arrives soon and we're all going hiking. I can't wait to show her around 'our' town!

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Day 22 - Visited China Camp State Park and hiked the bay and ridge trail routes for a total of 11 miles. Rewarded ourselves with rootbeer floats at A&W afterward.
Day 23 - Visited Fort Baker, part of the Golden Gate NRA. Spent hours following the self guided historic walking tours the National Park provides, including a respite on the porch of the fancy Cavallo Point Lodge, sitting in adjoining rockers and looking out across the bay at the San Francisco skyline. Enjoyed wine and appetizers afterward at Wellingtons Wine Bar.*
Day 24 - Hiked from Stinson Beach up the Matt Davis Trail to the Coastal Trail and back, 10 miles total. Enjoyed lunch afterward at The Lunch Box.

*TravelZoo dining deal

A Free-To-You E-Learning Website

Mike and I really enjoy learning new things, and attending our nearby Lifelong Learning program during the periods we're at home has enhanced our early retirement lives tremendously. We also enjoy ordering DVD's from The Great Courses, a company that offers a series of recorded lectures from faculty at universities around the country. Both of these programs provide great value in our opinion, but neither one is free.

I was therefore thrilled to recently learn about an online e-learning site called Open Culture that is loaded with free content. There is an amazing wealth of material, all available to the general public at no cost whatsoever.

Here's a little information from their website on what Open Culture is, and why it was created: 

What is Open Culture’s Mission?
Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Free audio books, free online courses, free movies, free language lessons, free ebooks and other enriching content — it’s all here. Open Culture was founded in 2006.

I'm already up to my eyeballs in several different lecture series taught by professors from Yale and UC Berkeley, and am enjoying each and every one. Some of the courses even offer delivery of free study materials via download, which is pretty darn cool.

So take a look and see if anything tickles your fancy . . . 

Is This Early Retirement Heaven?

 

This is possibly getting a bit ridiculous, but cross my heart, we had yet another day that was simply perfect from start to finish. I know, I know . . . where are the stresses, the bad days, the case of the grumps? They do spring up on occasion, but we're getting pretty good at dealing with whatever 'it' is and immediately letting go. We view life as being very finite and brief, and therefore, why live it in anything other than a joyous state?

Mike is now about one week shy of having been retired a year, I'm about one month past being retired two years, and life is continuing to get richer and more lovely with each passing week.

I'm even learning to slow down and sometimes do absolutely nothing. And be OK with it. Very odd is all I can say.

Today is the end of week three of our trip, and the weather continues to be spectacular. Everywhere we go people keep assuring us this is not normal. It's spring in the Bay Area, and it's supposed to be overcast, cold and drizzly. All I can say is I'm glad we were lucky enough to be here during their loveliest spring in recent years. We've seen the sun every single day except one, and have hardly worn anything heavier than sweaters. 

I will confess to missing just a bit the day-to-day chores and cooking that keep me occupied both at home, and when we're traveling in our trailer. Frankly, it's a wee bit hard for me to have no responsibilities other than to have fun for such a long period of time. Conversely, Mike assures me he is having no such issues, so perhaps, as with most things, it's just me! 

We've been extremely active while here, which was actually much of the point of picking Marin County for our vacation rental location in the first place. Over 75% of Marin County is designated open space, an amazing, amazing thing in such a heavily populated area. I've been keeping track, and so far we've logged 46 miles of running along the bay, 39 miles of hiking in the hills overlooking San Francisco, the bay, and the Pacific Ocean, and 61 miles of biking into the city and back. I will cherish the sights and experiences we encountered while logging each and every mile for the rest of my life.

Just tonight, over our cozy, romantic dinner at the Tiburon Tavern, Mike and I clinked wine glasses and agreed it felt like we were living in some sort of lovely, heavenly dream. In giving it more thought, we decided it wasn't so much our new lifestyle, as it was our new attitude about our lifestyle. Instead of being stressed all the time about work and responsibilities, we're learning to relax and simply enjoy the moment. Such a small thing really, but what an amazing effect it's having on our lives. 

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What we've been up to -

Day 19 - Attended mass, enjoyed lunch at Champagne Bakery, then visited several art studio open houses as part of a two weekend event called Marin Open Studios. 

Day 20 - Hiked in Mt. Tamalpais State Park with Retired Syd and her husband Doug, then picked up dinner from Avatars (Purveyors of Ethnic Confusion). We had the curried pumpkin Punjabi burritos and they were downright delicious (over 500 Yelp reviewers can't be wrong!).

Day 21 - Caught the Tiburon Ferry over to Angel Island State Park. Took a historic tram tour* of the island, learning about it's past as an army base, and also it's 30 year role as the immigration point of entrance on the West Coast. Not to mention San Francisco and bay views to die for as we traveled around the island. Coffee, dog and people watching afterward at Caffe Acri, then a lovely dinner at Tiburon Tavern** to finish off the day.

  *Groupon 2-for-1 deal

**Travel Zoo dining deal

One of the best things about visiting Angel Island is the ferry ride across San Francisco Bay to get there

 En route to the island, soaking up the sun along with the amazing views. I swear that Mike is looking younger with each passing day!

We both love our sweets, so invariably we set a line of demarkation when we are forced to share, like we were tonight with this lovely Chocolate Pots de Creme. You'll note, however, that I did give Mike the extra salted chocolate shortbread that came with!

Our Next Big Plan

I may have shared this before, but very often Mike and I will come up with ideas on where we'd like to go next while we're away from home and in the middle of a trip. And the more fun we're having together on the trip, the grander our ideas seem to become. I think it has to do with being away from the commitments and busy-work that await us when we're at home. On the road we feel released, and free to dream big.

So as we were out hiking one day this past week, I proposed that since this current 30-day vacation rental situation was working out so well, maybe we should consider doing it again in Paris, a city we've long wanted to visit. I then suggested that if we were going to spend time in France, wouldn't it be nice if we could speak a bit of the language to make our stay there even more pleasant? And, furthermore, did Mike know that our Lifelong Learning program just happened to offer a beginning French class that we could start attending this fall, giving us two full years of study if we scheduled our visit for the spring of 2015?

As a parceled out my plan to Mike, I could see the wheels beginning to turn, and he immediately came back with suggestions that we also consider taking a French history course and a European art class to enhance our trip even more.

Hmm, can we really do this?

We were in a used book store in San Rafael yesterday, and I spotted a copy of Rick Steves' Paris city guide. As I scooped it up excitedly and looked inside, I counted no less than 25 different suggestions from Rick for self guided walks, tours and day trips. Add in a couple of days to get there and back, another day to acclimate, plus maybe one or two to just hang out and do not much of anything (but in Paris . . . so it's probably still doing something!), and coming up with an entire month of things to keep us occupied looked like it would be pretty easy.

So last night I went online to HomeAway.com to see what the cost of doing a one month rental in the city center might be, and to my happy relief discovered it's actually not too bad. In fact, it's pretty similar to what our current vacation rental is costing us here in Mill Valley.

Hey, it looks like we could really do this!

Anyone who knows, me knows that there is nothing I enjoy more than having a plan to work on. And this one, which will keep us occupied for a good chunk of the next two years, is right up my alley. I have several new things to work on as soon as we get home from our current trip, starting with blocking out our calendars to include classes in Beginning French and Art Appreciation. I'll also begin keeping an eye out for museums exhibiting French art and artifacts, plus check to see if The Teaching Company has a DVD series on French history we should think about ordering.

In our early retirement, I think this pattern of setting long term goals is the surest guarantee there is that we'll continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead. I don't think there's a goal I've set yet that I haven't achieved, or enjoyed along the way. The word "try" simply isn't in my vocabulary. The word "do" sure is though!

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In the meantime, we're continuing to thoroughly enjoy our stay here in Mill Valley, and this is what we've been up to lately -

Day 16 - Returned to Marin Headlands to hike the Ridgeline Trail, and visit the Nike Missile Site

Day 17 - Ran along the Bay View Trail, toured the Mission San Rafael Arcangel, window shopped in adorable downtown San Rafael, then dinner (with Sangria!) at Whipper Snapper*
Day 18 - Rode our bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge again, this time into Golden Gate Park. Got thoroughly lost trying to work our way through the Presidio, which added a few miles to our route. Finally got to Golden Gate Park, and enjoyed visiting the de Young Museum**. Stopped for coffee and a sweet treat in Sausalito on our way home.

  *TravelZoo dining deal. 
**Free Museum Day

How cute is this little house-boat located in the marshes of Sausalito?

A WWII relic at the Nike Missile Site

Marin Beach in the Marin Headlands

First this . . .

Then this . . . 

And then finally this!

And here are some other beautiful flowers and plants observed during our hikes: