Vision Board: Travels in Vietnam

I want to visit Vietnam. It's been building up all year, and now feels more like a functional need after eating, and breathing. When I share this desire with my family and friends they suggest a variety of alternate locations. I am never swayed, and will plead my case as often as needed. 

What makes Vietnam so compelling for me is the food and the landscape. My first experience with Vietnamese food was a surprisingly short time ago, and yet the spices, sauces and piles of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits so foreign to me, propelled this cuisine to the top of my list elbowing out all the others. I've been fortunate enough to eat home-cooked Vietnamese dishes made by an extremely talented friend of mine, and am within an hour's drive of Little Saigon, where the smells of fish sauce and rice vinegar will pucker your lips into an immediate smile. What I crave is the authentic experience. I want my clothing to stick to me in the heat, smells of garlic and ginger under my fingernails, chilies that make your inner ear sweat, piles of leaf-wrapped coconut and banana sticky rice, damp concrete, stale cigarettes, foreign voices and diesel. And I want it all with each breath.

The only landscape I know comes from movies, television, books and photographs, and yet it calls to me with a familiarity I can't explain. I want to get lost in the flooded fields, the unknown roads, colorful shops and bicycle gridlock. I want to struggle down the bustling streets of Hanoi and eat pillowy-soft steamed noodles of banh cuon from vendors squatting on colorful plastic stools, ready to pick up and move their illegal food carts if the police come by. I want to drive the two-mile Hai Van Mountain Pass road towards Hue and take in the plummeting green valleys and mirrored waters against a soundtrack of puttering motor bikes. I want to wake up in the dark to experience the electricity of the produce vendors slinging bitter melon and durian to animated customers, have tailored suits and dresses made in bright colors, visit temples, meet new friends, and stock up on a lifetime of memories.
I am in the unique position of being unemployed for the first time since I was 15, and while the logical side of my brain (and my husband) tells me I should be saving every penny, my heart, lungs, limbs and spirit tell me that I will never be in this position of such great opportunity again. Free of meetings, deadlines, children and a mortgage, this is the time to go. Watch the first two minutes from this Top Gear Special in Vietnam for the magical views of Vietnam 

Chef, writer and TV personality Anthony Bourdaine muses about his love of Vietnam


As I continue to beg my husband to be my travel companion, I am open to receiving tips on economical flights, best time of year to visit, discounts on Rosetta Stone language classes or just hearing your personal stories of traveling in Vietnam. Thanks for reading. I hope to get there soon. Wish me luck?

Craft: Sewing a Buckwheat Hull Squirrel Pillow

Whiles surfing through flickr yesterday I came across a photo gallery dedicated to squirrels in a flattened resting position.  Something about their relaxed poses made them look especially bewitching and I thought to myself, "flattened resting squirrel pillow". Craft time!

I started by making a pattern, choosing my fabric and then got to work ironing, sewing, knotting, snipping, and finally stuffing the squirrel pillow with buckwheat hulls. I'd been wanting to make a small buckwheat hull pillow, and this seemed like just as good a time as any. It was a fairly quick sewing project but my first time using the hulls, and stuffing the squirrel was no small task, and now there are hulls all over my living room. Even with the use of a spoon and funnel, they are ALL over the living room. 

I love finished pillow. He's full of mischief and is a good napping buddy. Maybe now I'll send these shots to the flickr group that inspired the whole craft. 

Road Trip: San Simeon, California

Four hours north of Los Angeles off the scenic Highway 1 are the quiet grassy hills and rocky beaches of San Simeon.  Honking horns, sirens and smog melt away and are replaced by barking sea lions, howling winds, and morning mist.  Beaches are strewn with jade and chert rocks, fluffy snowy plovers scurry to their nests, lupin flowers bloom in purple, yellow and pink, and in the field adjacent to the San Simeon State Park Camp, zebras graze in the morning mist. 
Observe the Elephant Seal rookery from the walkways at Piedras Blancas beach, just four miles north of Hearst Castle. Docents are often on-site to answer questions about the playful and endearing sea creatures. April - September is the molting season and the adolescent males are particularly playful as they mock-fight, surf and splash in the breakers. 

In the midst of the natural beauty is the former home of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Hearst Castle is a must-see for visitors. First-timers will gawk at the indoor and outdoor pools, and returning guests will enjoy new details of the magnificent home with each visit. Become a Friend of Hearts Castle to gain early access to special events like the posh wine-galas and glittering pool-side banquets. 

While there are an assortment of quaint hotels and B&B in San Simeon, camping at the State Park offers beach access, hiking trails, clean bathrooms with hot showers, and the occasional friendly call of waterfowl from the quiet Santa Rosa Creek Preserve that flows through camp. Reservations can be made through September 30 by calling 1-800-444-PARK. Camping October - March is first-come, first-served, and typically less crowded.

A Weekend Heat Wave, A Frozen Watermelon

On the heels of my post about our pathetic summer, she comes to LA for the weekend to punish us all and make up for her three-month absence. Desperate to stay cool and hydrated, my husband told me about fruit-freezing; packing dry ice into a cooler with fruit, leaving it for a few hours and when you eat it, it's supposed to be frozen solid and carbonated. I couldn't get past the bit about something being frozen solid and carbonated (bubbly!) so we had to give it a go. 
Step 1. Acquire Dry Ice. (Bring gloves with you to the market)

Just about every supermarket sells dry ice in a locked cooler next to the bagged ice display. Use leather, or cloth gloves to handle the ice. 
Step 2. Chop up watermelon, honeydew, cantaloup and place in a zip-close freezer bag. Throw some grapes in for good measure. Insulate the freezer bag with a brown paper bag, set the insulated fruit bag directly on top of the dry ice block and close up the cooler. 
Step 3. Let the cooler and dry ice work their magic for 4+ hours. 
Step 4. Serve immediately and enjoy gnawing at your frozen fruit. The texture is fantastic! Not quite Hawaiian Shave Ice, not quite a popsicle, but completely delicious. 


As far as carbonation goes, if you let the grapes thaw out for a while, you can maybe, kinda sorta feel a little bit of fizz, but for me the pay-off was really biting into a frozen grape (careful they do freeze onto your tongue if eaten too quickly!), and a thick piece of melon on a hot day. It's a fun change that kids and adults will love! So friends in L.A. and in other toasty places, this week drink lots of water, stay in the shade as much as possible and try dry ice to freeze up a tasty treat! :) 

Photo Saturday: Sunset Over Mesa Verde

I grew up on cross-country road trips. I was about 13 the last time I went to Mesa Verde National Park with my parents. In 2008, on a road trip home from a Utah Thanksgiving, I wanted to take my then-boyfriend/now-husband to see the dwellings carved into the Colorado Mountains. We raced up the 21-mile (45 minute!) road from highway 160 to the summit, knowing that when the sun went down, the gates were locked and the park closed. Our 1990 Westfalia Vanagon did its best to get us there on time but the photo above was our welcome when we reached the peak. We ran from site to site, looking just long enough to show my fella what he was missing, and plan for future visits.  

Craft: Cashmere Birds From an Old Scarf

I was going through my fabric inventory yesterday when I came across a pretty blue cashmere scarf in my scrap drawer. The 2006 JCrew scarf had fought and lost against a gang of gluttonous moths and had been waiting patiently for reincarnation. I was cold all day and feeling low after saying goodbye to a dear friend, so I needed a little something warm to cozy up to. And since I'm not drinking anymore, I decided to sew. These two little birds were the first to flutter out of the scarf. They are awkward, soft and comforting. And I have most of the scarf left over for more cuddly creatures. I'm feeling better already.

Roundup: Winter WANTerland

Last night the Super Harvest Moon ushered in the first day of fall. However, Los Angeles has been bundled up for the last three months thanks to our pathetic excuse for a summer. I propose we skip "official fall" altogether, and move straight into winter.

Here's why: 

I was online window shopping last night and put together this list of items I want for winter. As far as I know, Santa Claus isn't following my blog yet, so wish me luck with this. 

Clock-wise from top:

The Women's Diez Jacket from Patagonia $299.00 It's an ultra lightweight, down-insulated puffer jacket, with enough tailoring to prevent you from looking like a marshmallow.

16-channel Walkie-Talkie Watches ($43.90) keep you connected with your ski-buddy on the slopes, or James Bond your getaway driver. Wouldn't you kick yourself if you met James Bond and DIDN'T have walkie-talkie watches? I would.

Knitted in Scotland, this Fox Scarf by Donna Wilson is a £46.00, 100% snuggly lambswool stole without the stink-eye from PETA. Available in orange and grey, I want, want, want one.

Fun rain boots are not just for kids! These Sperry Top-Sider Shearwaters in brown and Tattersall are at the top of my list. Waterproof, lace-up and with wet/dry traction, form follows foot function in these cutie booties.

Finally, The Beardcap from Icelandic knitting factory Vik Prjonsdottir. With two styles of beardcaps (the farmer, and the gentleman- I'm more of a gentleman, thank you) I've never wanted full-facial coverage so badly before. $135.00 in white, black, and brown from Scandinavian Grace.

Eating Out: Coffee & Donuts at LAMILL in Silver Lake

I recently went to Silver Lake California for an afternoon of coffee and donut holes at LAMILL Coffee Boutique. This is where coffee is made with care, knowledge and craft. Opened in 2008, this neighborhood fave serves up perfectly brewed beverages, and tasty bites in a beautiful interior. I sat amazed at the landscape wallpaper, crystal encrusted chandelier, and state of the art espresso bar as our server helpfully explained the differences in the daily drips.

We splurged with the Crème Brulee coffee which consisted of espresso and caramel served with milk, foam, and burnt sugar on top, and the Masala Chai Tea which was an Indian Assam tea blended with Masala curry spices, milk and sugar.


The house-made Brioche Doughnut Holes were sinfully delicious, at six for $3.50, or 12 for $6.50. The side of Madagascar vanilla cream is another fifty cents and worth so much more. The marriage of brioche donut holes and vanilla cream was simply perfect. Light, sweet, and creamy, each bite made us giggle and dance in our seats. 

We left with happy bellies, and big smiles. On the way out, I picked up a pound of Organic Black Onyx for $16.50, which smells of deep dark chocolate, and is the kind of coffee I'd drink in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's night. Hurry up cold winter's night! 

Cooking: Faux Margarita? Fo' Sho

After spending the day in dry and sun-beaten San Gabriel, the Mister and I returned home on Sunday feeling parched, leathery and in need of refreshment. Our life-nourishing refrigerator stingily offered us milk and flat root beer. I was disheartened until I spotted a bag of watermelon I had cut up and the Mexican limes we'd just plucked from my sister-in-law's tree. I sliced off the watermelon rinds, threw the fruit in a pitcher (about 1/2 a medium melon), and added the juice from one and a half limes. I added about a tablespoon of simple syrup and blended. Served up and garnished with mint, we gulped down our pink drinks greedily, re-filling our glasses until the pitcher was dry and our bodies were wet again. The faux margaritas were the perfect combo of sweet and tart, and the kick of lime was like a shot of adrenaline because we felt energized immediately.

Gardening: A Spud's Life

This weekend I harvested my first container-grown potatoes. 

I've never grown potatoes before, and didn't mean to this year. In late May, I was looking for something in a pantry I rarely use, and I found some potatoes I'd purchased and forgotten. 

By June, I had gotten around to planting them in 1-gallon buckets.

In July, I transplanted the taters into a 50-gallon pot and crossed my fingers. 

In August, I had a full and flowering potato plant and was growing anxious to find out if I had any tubers in my soil, or just matted roots and stems. 

Once the flowers died, and the plant started looking scrappy, it was harvest time.  The first attempt at pulling up the stems was fruitless, but as I dug blindly around the soil I started to feel hard little nuggets. POTATOES!! I only harvested a few, but felt quite a lot still growing. We are going to cook them up, and try them out and then leave the rest in the pot to use on-demand. 

I've read that growing potatoes in a trash can or large bin is easy to do even in apartments, but it took a forgetful accident to get me to try it. Thanks crappy memory, this spud's for you.

Photo Saturday: Portrait of a Dead Hammerhead

The most bizarre beach I've visited was in 2008 on the North Island of New Zealand. After spending a perfect day in the crystal blue water of Coromandel's Hot Water Beach, my travel companion and I moved 30-minutes up the coast to Thames. Hoping for more sandy fun we grabbed our towels, but instead of turquoise water and white sand, our beach was a deserted murky shoal where many creatures dotted the shoreline with their carcasses. Among the unlucky were oysters, fish of all kinds, stingrays, and a baby hammerhead. As this was my only visit to Thames, I would suspect an algae bloom or toxic spill, but I'm not ruling out that it's simply a cursed beach. 

A Material, A Material, A Material World

Walking down Maple Avenue the smell and sizzle of bacon-wrapped hotdogs from silvery food carts wafts above the street packed with shoppers, colorful oversized umbrellas, and a rainbow of fabric bolts in shimmering sequence, wild animal-print, delicate toile, and solid colors. This week took me to the Los Angeles Fashion District. 
Spanning 90-blocks of downtown Los Angeles this is the nucleus of the apparel industry for the West coast. While parking can be anywhere from challenging to downright shady, any concerns you had about your car being dinged up or even "misplaced" seem to vanish when the variety of textiles get the creative wheels in your head spinning at a furious speed.
Michael Levine offers imported fabrics from Japan, playful characters on laminated linen, varying weights and colors of denim, leather and animal hides in an array of sizes and textures, zippers, buttons, and notions that will plead with you to buy them, plus a friendly staff who offers up the occasional paper-bag pick-your-own-discount. And upstairs in The Loft all fabric is $2.00 a pound.  

If sewing isn't your bag, enter Santee Avenue and navigate through the honeycomb of vendors selling everything from printed T's, three-piece suits, knock off Hermes bags, and one-piece jumpers. 


One day in the LA Fashion District is really only enough to whet your appetite. I'm hungry and going back for more soon. Location and directions here.

Cooking: Breakfast, It's What's For Dinner

Sometimes dinner doesn't have to be dinner.  This was one of those weeks when going to the supermarket was not high on my priority list, and I had to get creative with what I had in the fridge. If you have a muffin tin, eggs, cheddar cheese, Canadian bacon and bread of any kind, you have breakfast! Or...dinner. With one standard muffin tin you can make 6 ham and cheese toasts, and 6 ham and egg toasts.  It's tasty, light, and quick.


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the muffin tin with cooking oil. Tear the Canadian bacon slices in half and use them to line most of the tin. Rip up the sandwich bread into quarters and use it finish lining the muffin tin. In half of the cups, crack the eggs and season with ground pepper and salt, in the other half, add sliced cheddar cheese and season lightly with salt. Bake for about ten minutes. 

I sautéed up a few of the last tomatoes from our garden with a little thyme to finish off this light and satisfying dinner. Enjoy!

Craft: A Birthday Card for Children's Book Author & Illustrator Tomie dePaola

Today is children’s book author and illustrator, Tomie dePaola’s birthday. I remember well when my mother brought home Strega Nona, Oliver Button Is a Sissy and other fantastic books by Mr. dePaola. I was especially fond of Giorgio’s Village, and The First Christmas. Inside the pages of these magical pop-up books the characters seemed to come alive. Giorgio’s Village, a seemingly average place, felt enchanted when laundry lines were strung out, courtyards swept, and coins were chucked into wishing wells- all by my hand. I would carefully pull each tab, turn dials and open windows over and over again, always mystified by the moving paper parts. In The First Christmas, mules move silently through town, angels descend from the heavens, and a star guides three wise men to Bethlehem in the most stunning way. It was on this page I would linger. Examining the star burst mechanics. Was it on a wheel? How was it connected? The effect was always a thrill; a fluid motion, a burst of color. Simple. 

This star burst inspires today’s birthday card craft. 

I began by carefully dissecting the page that had eluded me for so many years. I own three copies of this book for this very purpose. I painted a background, moon burst and moon on three separate pieces of watercolor paper and let them dry completely. 

Using a light box, I traced the shape of the background flaps onto my painting and then carefully cut the shapes with an X-Acto knife. Then I traced, and cut the wheel out from the starburst painting. The pull-tab on the wheel is drawn at twice the necessary length, so that you can fold it in half, glue it down and have a stronger pull-tab. 

Place the wheel behind the painted background and fold the pieces into each other; each wing of the wheel tucking under the flaps of the background. The two bumpers on the wheel will slip behind the background page, while the pull-tab will remain visible. The two center tabs on the background will fold up and back to create a space to glue your center painting on (mine is a moon, in the book, Tomie’s is a star.) This acts as the fulcrum piece and will secure the wheel in place when you pull the tab and expose the moon burst below. 

Now pull the tab.

A little more...

Ta-DA!!! Including painting and drying time, this is a 2-day project. Use care when cutting out your pieces, and I would recommend using blank watercolor paper to practice on before cutting up your painting.

Have fun and enjoy!

For more photos from this set, check out my flickr set called Tomie dePaola Tribute.