a last post for January

Apologies, all:  I just don't have the energy to post a longer update from the past week.  Hours of today have been spent on this new addition to the family,

and after all the contract language and added features and whatnot, I'm a little frazzled.  So, please accept this as a last post for January 2026, and goodnight all! 

we're back!

More blogging to come, but just know this:  we're back!  A quick getaway to San Diego for me and Conrad, the train in both directions.  A lovely little getaway, too.  So, stay tuned to hear of our grand adventures in dining and such down south.

this past weekend

It's weekend round-up time!  And what a weekend it was.  Just kidding.  It was a mild one, for the most part, and I didn't take photos at the one social activity (a birthday party for Conrad's colleague) because a) I didn't want to and b) it felt presumptuous (and icky) to do so if my only intention in doing so was to get blog content.

But it was a decent weekend otherwise. A walk and Amara Cafe on Saturday morning. 

A massage later that day, then shopping for new shoes so that the walks may keep going.  The birthday party that afternoon (but here we are, ready to head off to it). 

Sunday, walking again, and then test-driving new vehicles.  An afternoon nap.  Then out to dinner with Van and his nephew and nephew's girlfriend at Saltie Girl over in WeHo (or, I guess, LA, but darn close to WeHo).  A nice return there, and I'm glad Conrad enjoyed it.  We dined on the early side, and so we made it in time for the happy hour mini-tinis. 

Everyone but Van shared oysters,

and my shrimp and crab roll was satisfying.

It's honestly been a mostly quiet and dull life lately, alas.  Things will ramp up in the next few weeks, but for now, there's just not much to blog about. 

still here

It really has been a quiet week.  Very quiet.  Work, home, a shingles vaccine.  All very quiet.

But I'm still here!

Conrad and I stayed in tonight.  We have things planned for tomorrow and Sunday, so I thought it would be good to have a night at home.  The Corpse Reviver No. 2 for us before dinner. 

Now to wind the evening down.... 

long weekend in January

And how did the past long weekend go otherwise, Peter?

Not too bad!

Friday night was at Maestro with Van.  I took just the one photo (queso fundido)

before deciding I wanted to simply eat my dinner.  We came back to the condo after that to watch some Drag Race.  A nice easy evening.

Saturday morning I got up for a walk, and the early light was tinting the buildings with pinks. 

Lovely.  Conrad eventually joined me, and we ended up at Amara (shocking, I know).  Nice start to the weekend. 

We actually got some things done at home in terms of sorting and discarding papers.  The mail had a nice little surprise from Courtney and Robert's recent trip to the UK. 

That was a delight to find in the mail.

Sunday!  Online drinks on Sunday, and really, there isn't much more to report.  After we finished the drinks we had a dinner of pasta and salad, and that's that!

Yesterday (because yesterday was the holiday), I set out in the morning for a short walk,

feeling a little lazy.  Most of the day I enjoyed doing some reading, but we went over to Maestro for a little while in the evening to pay our respects to a recently-passed staff member there before popping into Mama M for a very fast meal at the sushi bar,

chatting with Chef Jack about travel plans to Thailand later this year.  It was a quick dinner because we were expecting our friend and former neighbour Violet

and her two sisters

to come by for desserts and drinks.  They showed up shortly after 8, and we got caught up over Last Words and lovely little cakes. 

Violet's sister Nancy was celebrating her birthday, so we celebrated that as well.

Really terrific to see them.

A bit of a late night because of our visitors, but that's ok.  I'll go to bed earlier tonight if I can!

And now on with the week ahead, which should be relatively quiet again. 

snow and ice

Monthly online happy hour with the gang took place earlier today, and as ever, it was a delight.  Our theme was snow and ice (and just wait until I post for February - that's quite the odd theme), and let me tell you, it was hard to find things that weren't heavy on cream or made as slushy drinks.  As it was, I did resort to coconut.  Hence, the Winter Wonderland Margarita (front) and the Snowy Day (back). 

Conrad preferred the latter, Van and I preferred the former.

For round two, Conrad and Van had the same, but I went in a different direction and opened a bottle of ice wine to use.  The first attempt, with vodka, orange juice, and lemon juice was not that great. 

The second attempt, The Canadian in Manhattan, was better. 

Rye (the recipe called for bourbon, but come on, that's not Canadian), ice wine, and maple syrup.  Nice to try, but not one I will make again.

That Winter Wonderland Margarita, however.... 

Deda

I know, I know.  A bit of a gap since last I blogged.  And yes, I am sorry.  But honestly?  Quiet week, not much going on.  And that's a good thing.  Oh, my step count is up, that's something, but hardly worth a blog entry.

I have been in the habit recently of blogging whole weekends in one go, but I'd like to single out dinner tonight in its own entry.  A newer Pasadena restaurant, a cuisine that is new to us.  Deda, a Georgian restaurant.  No, not the deep south state but the country in the Caucasus.

The three of us chose the dining spot because our focus today was a movie over at the Landmark.  Today's viewing?  Marty Supreme.  We all agreed that our dinner was a far far better experience than the movie.  Sorry, but true.  Can't wait to discuss that at our online drinks tomorrow!  Anyway, it was a short walk over to Deda after the movie.  We were quickly seated for our reservation, admiring how the place had been reshaped since the (not good) steakhouse days we each remembered it as from before.

Cocktails!  Poor Conrad.  He ordered a martini, dry, and had to send it back to be remade drier.  That then happened again.  So, note to Conrad:  do not order martinis there in the future.  To their credit, the server got that taken care of without fuss each time, which we all appreciated.  Van had a drink made with chacha, a Georgian brandy, and liked it enough to order a second.  Beautiful design on top of that drink! 

I had the Black Sea Smoke, a mezcal drink with blackberry syrup.  I was a little worried it would be sweet, but it was nicely balanced. 

I ordered a second.  I kind of wish we'd explored the Georgian wines, but maybe another time.

Our server gave us recommendations, and largely we stuck to them.  The menu was mostly unfamiliar, though I had some notion of what lobio (which we didn't order) was.  The food, though?  All of is was good.  We agreed that we'd reorder the warm eggplant salad

and the Imeruli Khachapuri, a disc of baked dough filled with cheese on a future visit.  Really really good.  I liked the Chicken Baje,

though Van found the walnut taste too strong.  The Lamb Abkhazura was fine,

but the pickled jonjoli accompanying it was a bit unusual for Conrad.  The Pork Mtsvadi was the weakest dish with the potatoes outshining the grilled pork chunks. 

I thought that the Georgian Donuts “Ponchiki” for dessert were fine, a bit plain, but a nice ending to the meal.

All in all, a very good meal.  It was exciting to try some new things, and the menu promised a lot more to try in the future.  And there will be a future.  For us, and for them, that is - the restaurant was bustling!  But yes, we liked what we had and would be glad to go back.  Hooray for having a new option to turn to for dining in Pasadena. 

Santa Ynez

Sorry for the gap in getting this done.  The weekend effort at taking down the tree really took a lot out of us, and I decided to be lazy for a few days.  Needed!  But here we are, blogging about the first trip of the year.  Well, first trip entirely in 2026 - we came home from Carmel Valley on the 1st.  But you get the idea.  A road trip, not a flight - rest assured I already have a few flights booked for this year!

The three of us don't need things for Christmas.  Oh, things are lovely to get and fun to exchange, but we don't need them.  So we are aiming more and more for experiences with our gifts to each other.  I'll take Conrad to San Diego later in the month, but first up was my gift to Van, a couple of nights up in Santa Ynez.

I was on my very long blogging break when I last went to Santa Ynez.  From digging in old email, it looks like it was April 2021.  Almost five years ago, wow.  I took Conrad there that time, so it was Van's turn to go up this time.  And whereas Conrad and I enjoyed a bit of a wine-focus on the trip, that wasn't the case this time.  I had a glass or two, but no winery visits, and that was it.

So, let's back up.... 

I had booked us at The Genevieve, an older hotel that Conrad and I stayed at last time when it was named something else. 

It was much the same as I recall, but spruced up a bit.  And I appreciated that.  Our room, on the ground floor at the far end of the hotel (it isn't that big a hotel) was spacious, perhaps a bit sparse for the size, definitely comfortable. 

Two sinks in the bathroom and plenty of counter and drawer space.  That is what I want in a hotel!  We took advantage of the wine and cheese happy hour the evening we arrived (nice enough to be offered, the wine was so-so), and we also did a couples' massage in the spa the next day (honestly one of the weirdest, funniest massage sessions I've ever had - I did ultimately relax into it, but still).  We also didn't take advantage of the breakfast - Van was never really up in time for it (he is a late riser), and I enjoyed grabbing lattes and pastries and such nearby at The Baker's Table as I was finishing up my morning walks.  We slept poorly, too warm the first night, but the second night we figured out the temperature controls, cooled off the room, and had a much better night of sleep.

The room rate came with a credit at The Victor next door,

and I'm glad of it.  I think the space is owned by the same company or people.  Certainly the location across the hotel garden and the ability to charge the meal to the room are two pluses.  But I have to say, I liked the space, the vibe, the meal.  Shockingly, I did not photograph the meal for the most part.  The light was low, and I was enjoying myself anyway.  But I did get a shot of the warm cookie, a dessert we really didn't need. 

We ate it just the same.  Vacation, you know.  ;-)

It was a chilly morning but a beautiful sunrise

the next morning when I set out on a walk

around Santa Ynez,

leaving Van snoozing a goodly while more.  It was a nice stroll, and I appreciated the quiet time.  Eventually, though, Van got up and going,

and after fueling with a latte and scone for him, we headed to nearby Solvang.

Solvang is a moderately-known little touristy town, founded over a hundred years ago by Danish settlers, hence the name.  The town has clung to that Danishness since, perhaps a little too much.  But it is cute, and it does have a lot of shops and restaurants and winery tasting rooms for people to visit.  What it also has, much to our surprise (because we don't keep track of these things well), is an historic California mission.  And one of the best-preserved ones at that.  We parked at the mission, admired the verdant views

(and took selfies),

and then paid to tour inside the buildings and grounds.  The church itself is still used as a parish church. 

The collection of artwork was really something.  And that glorious blue sky as seen from the courtyard sells California utterly.

And then it was into the town, poking in stores, and lunch at Peasants Feast.  A chilly lunch, to be sure - we had to sit outside, and although we had shade from the sun, it was a breezy day.  The heat lamps helped at least.  But I'd happily go back because the food was terrific.  A grilled cheese and fig jam sandwich? 

Delicious.  The prickly pear cider was a good accompaniment, too.

Cute sweater, right?

After a bit more shopping, it was time to come back to the hotel for massage.  There was a little time before dinner, so we decided to forgo the hotel wine and cheese and instead headed back to The Victor for a cocktail there.  Good decision, good cocktails!  I rather liked the elderflower gimlet that I had,

and if the light were brighter, I would have photographed the black drink that Van enjoyed.  From there it was a short walk just the other side of the hotel to SY Kitchen, a terrific Italian place that I'd been to once before.  More great drinks - mine was a smoked old fashioned,

which is not a usual drink for me, but the smoked quality sold it.  We shared a salad and a black truffle pizza and a pistachio creme brulee, drank a little more, and called it a night.  An excellent, simple meal, an easy walk around the small block to the hotel, and a good night of sleep.

The next morning, we had to check out.  I did get a longer, chillier walk

done first - the sunrise was beautiful again,

but there were hints of frost in places.  Van was able to sleep in, much to his pleasure, but we were still out the door by 11, heading over to Los Olivos

to poke around there a little and then have lunch at The Inn at Mattei's Tavern.  It's not an inexpensive lunch, but it is a good one.  A bright, airy dining room, a friendly server, a nice mocktail (the Garden Punch),

and a sandwich that Van and I couldn't stop raving about to Conrad when we got home:  fried zucchini and Mt. Tam cheese with pickled Fresno chiles. 

Oh man, that was good.  So good.  I will hope that we make it back there some day and that the same sandwich is on the menu!

The drive back home followed, a nice afternoon for it and surprisingly mild traffic.  We made it back in time for me to have dinner with Conrad at Maestro.  A welcome return there.  It was a lovely little getaway, and a Christmas gift that Van appreciated muchly.