Friday, July 31, 2009

My Bluff Top Perch

Friday after work I returned to my new happy place to look out over the ocean and usher the weekend in.


The view from my perch: Menacing Sky


By the time I arrived the sun was already dropping down behind the clouds and the sky was looking menacing.


Comfy logs to sit on and enjoy the view


Despite the warnings about the unstable cliffs - I have had several people ask me the best way down to the beach. As for me - I am happy just to sit and enjoy the view!

Escaping With Friends

Today, I escaped the office and went to lunch @ "the little yellow house" with friends.

My Mafia Friends

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Sad Geocacher


All out of day light and still my prize elludes me :(

In The Flowerbeds Again


Back searching in the flowerbeds of my Mormon neighbours.

Look Who's Turning 12!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Singing Owl

Latest creation from Miss Olivia's Daddy.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Surf's Up!

Little Miss Olivia is gettin' ready for her trip to So Cal!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Traipsing through the flowerbeds

After eating 5, that right, count them, 5 peanut butter chocolate cookies at work today - I decided I really needed to go for an evening run and burn some calories. I did my normal route around the colony (a.k.a. my neighbourhood) . On the final leg of my jog a light bulb went off.

Today is Monday.

Monday = Mormon Temple is closed = no mini-vans from Utah = no swarms of Missionaries


This was my window of opportunity to geo-cache and you better believe I seized it!

So.... out came the iPhone and I consulted the GPS and found I was within .1 miles of

GC1PQ1V
Reaching to Heaven
by sunshinegirl


I was off.


View from the top.
I searched all the ground cover on my way up


In no time I was rummaging through all the flower beds along temple gate. Ah, the rush of freedom to do so without a family of 10 in suits and party dresses staring at me oddly.

20 minutes later I was scratched and starting to break out in a rash from the prickles and thinking about waving the white flag of defeat. Then I realized that there was ground cover going up the embankment that I had not yet searched through!

Alas, even after searching all the flower beds, bushes and ground cover -I came up empty. Geocache FAIL.

Sigh. Deflated but not defeated. Next Monday I will be back searching the bushes again!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Salad Experiment

Today's salad experiment was a success!



Tippie's Spring Rice Salad

1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
6 radishes (or equivalent Jicama), slicted into matc sticks
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions, chopped fine
2 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
handful of walnuts chopped
handful of crumbled feta

1) Cook Rice. Let cool
2) Combine Rice, Parsley, Celery, Radish/Jicama, Onion, dried cranberries in a med bowl
3) Combine oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste
4) Add dressing to salad mixture
5) Top with Walnuts and Feta
6) Enjoy!

* recipe was inspired by Spring Salad pg 12 May/June issues of Vegetarian Times

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Hidden Gem

Today I found an awesome hidden gem - The Scripps Coastal Reserve (aka The Knoll)! It is tucked away in a neighbourhood not too far from here. A short walk from this non-de-script entrance are some spectacular ocean vistas.


Entrance To The Reserve


The entrance is hidden in a residential area with very very little street parking. You can bike in, but once you reach the reserve it is foot traffic only.


Bike Rack At The Entrance To The Reserve


The surrounding neighbourhood is full of posh homes. The home pictured here (in the distance) has south facing jaw dropping views of LaJolla.

When I set out, I had not considered that the reserve is actually quite close to the glider port. But, my memory was prodded and I was super excited when I spotted the first paraglider in the distance.


North facing view. Scripps Coastal Reserve.


When the gliders saw my camera and my obvious enthusiasm they put on a great show. There were lots of low passes right in front of me with smiles and waves!


These guys made several passes. One right over my head!



Paraglider Heading South towards LaJolla



Cool reflections of the sun on the ocean. Evening Sky


I think I have found my new happy place!

Shout out to Jonathon at Colony Vet for giving me the scoop on the reserve!

Free Stuff

Who doesn't love *free* stuff?!

Here is my free Bertolli dinner (coupon) and Body Wash. Shout out to Ross and Ryan at The Inside Dish for hooking me up!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Sunglasses

Just finished unboxing sunglasses (aka B & W 72MM Slim-Line Multi-Coated Kaesemann Circular Polarizing Filter) for my camera.

All set for a beach photo shoot with Miss Olivia!


Cool new shades for my camera

Shout Out

My 30 seconds of fame. Got a shout out on Inside Dish with Ross Mathews. What can I say? Who doesn't like free stuff?

Irony. I don't even like/watch reality T.V.

Little Miss Cranky Pants

Miss O turns 11 (weeks) today!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Interesting Reads

Jimmy Carter on Faith & Equality here

In Your Face: Big Pix, Few Pixels here

The Twitter Song

Are you someone?

I am someone... I am ... thetippiecanoe. Tweet me!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Gelato



Costco.

Gelato.

Who knew?!

P.S. It's very good!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Bike Riding

This is an awesome video.

Makes my commute to work look pretty tame!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Cucumber Yogurt Dressing/Dip

I whipped some of this up today and used it with my grilled veggies instead of sour cream!

1 cup chinks of peeled and seeded cucumber
1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallions
1 tablespoon tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons lime jiuice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt

Put all the ingredients minus the yogurt into the blender. Blend until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in Yogurt.

Keeps up to 10 days

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Just Chillin'

Traffic Jam With A View



Look to the left - ocean & sand bluffs.

I love Southern California!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Peace and Love

30% Off. One Day Only. Get Yours

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Look Who's Turning 10

Surprise I am 10 weeks old!

News - Music to my ears

Climate Change Bill ... let's get our debate

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Serious Birders

Spotted on my bike commute this morning.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Just Do It


Tunes were Jammin' as I bought my funky new shoes

Monday, July 13, 2009

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Victory


Joy at the end of the Journey


GC1KJAT
Lesser Known Landmark #1
A cache by Zenlunatic

I FOUND YOU!!!

Ice-Cream Cupcakes. A match made in heaven

Get Thee To Coldstone

That is the message that came blasting across the screen of my iPhone as I sat in the car deciding where to go next.

The message was from my friend D- D- (Holla!)

D-D- had just heard an important *NEWSFLASH* on the radio.
Coldstone Creamery is debuting ice-cream cupcakes today!! Thankfully, I had my cupcake locator on me (aka iPhone). I did a quick google search for the nearest location and I was off.

LaJolla Coldstone Creamery



Success. Here is my prize.




They are pure chocolate shells with cake, ice-cream and whipcream. I think I will ride my sugar high right on over to the bushes and try one more time to find that elusive geocache.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

7-11

Happy Slurpee Day!


Today, 7-11 is giving out free Slurpees. Did you get yours?


My free Coke Slurpee. Perfect treat for a hot summer afternoon!

New Shoes



New Shoes
Paolo Nutini

Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything's right
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on
And everybody's smiling, it's so inviting

Oh, short on money and long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse
'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes

Friday, July 10, 2009

Geocrash and Burn

I am starting to think that I may not be cut out for this whole geocaching thing.

I have spent the last two nights hunting around in *these* bushes - and nothing, nada. What makes my defeat even more painful ... these bushes are a mere 500 feet from my living room.


Sun goes down after night two crawling around in the bushes with no success


It all started last night. I was sitting in my comfy chair, iPhone in hand, and thinking I should go for a run but feeling lazy about it. While procrastinating I decided to see if there were any caches hidden in my neighbourhood. I fired up the geocaching app and low and behold I am in the midst of a geocache minefield. Closest one - a 500 feet from where I was sitting.


Lesser Known Landmark #1
A cache by Zenlunatic Hidden: 1/7/2009
Size: (Small) Difficulty: 1 Terrain: 1.5

SW 515ft from your home coordinates
In California, United States


Cool, can't get much closer than that. Good-bye evening run, hello treasure hunt.

GPS in hand I headed out.

I never thought to change out of my white tennies and white and green rugby shirt. Big mistake. In no time flat I was covered in leaves and cobwebs and dirt! I finally had to give up when it started to get dark.

O.K. fast forward to tonight. After work I change into my 'painting' shoes and a dark shirt and shorts and head out to the bushes by the curb. It is Friday night and the neighbourhood is alive with folks out enjoying the cool of the evening. Just as I hop on the water meter to look above me on the concrete wall ... the ubiquitous Mormon missionaries come over to see what I am up to. I explain I am actually not peering over to enjoy the temple... I am looking for hidden treasure. They give each other a puzzled look and wisely decide to move on. Phew! I re-check my GPS and once again decide that my target should be the bushes. I am getting tired so I plunk down on the sidewalk and start peering under leaves. Several passerbys stop to ask me if I have lost something - they readily offer assistance. I am a familiar face in this neighbourhood. "No thanks, I am just searching for a geocache", I cheerfully respond.

Perhaps I should have started this in someone else's neighbourood. Someplace I could be anonymous.

Once again it went dark tonight and I came home empty handed.

Yup, two evening spent in bushes and nada.

Time to reach out and ask for help. Tonight I e-mailed Zenlunatic and asked if he could give me a hint. His posting says the cache is too easy for a hint - but I am hoping he will hear my plea for help and throw me a lifeline!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Do Something Good



I <3 my iPhone. I am continually discovering fun, useful and cool new apps!

Today's discovery. DoGood.

DoGood leverages the iPhones to unite individual acts of kindness into a significant movement. Every day. Across the world. For 365 days.

A new "DoGood" ( a suggested action) is generated each day. Once you complete the action you can simply press done. You even have the option of sharing your story and reading those shared by others. DoGood collect statistics (anonymously) and presents it back on a graphical dashboard that allows you to watch the DoGood movement in action. As a bonus there is Facebook and Twitter integration so you can share your story with you social network. Free for download from the iTunes store!



Keeping with the "DoGood"theme. Be Nice to Bunnies is another iPhone App that I downloaded today. With such a cute name - how could I resist?! BNB allows you to search by brand, manufacturer or by product category, and make an informed decision about cruelty-free purchasing.

Lastly, this isn't an iPhone app - but is still pretty cool. Don't have time to keep up with your friend's tweets?! Getting buried alive in Twitter updates?! Check out Twitter for busy people. Great way to see your friend's tweets at a glance!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Front Of The Line

Shout out to Nate for sending me this one.

I love the punch line.... "Even when a Canadian cheats the system - they do it in a way that benefits society!"

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Good as New

Through years of use I have worn through my beloved Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones. I have been despairing of the situation for the last few months. Last week when I had time to kill at the Denver Airport I went by the Bose booth and shared my woes. To my surprise they offered to send me a new set of ear pads and scrims along with instructions on how to install them. Perfect!

Right side is the before shot of my well loved and worn out headphones
Left side good as new after installing new ear cushions!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Family Dinner

This evening I shared dinner with a friend and her family. I don't participate in that many family dinners, so this was extra fun. The kids were exceptionally entertaining - they even put on a magic show! Dinner was homemade pizza with a twist. Instead of tomoato sauce the base for the pizza was a green pesto sauce. The top side of the pizza is 'all mine'. My favourite ... pineapple and green pepper.



After supper I helped configure their new Mac Laptop. Initially they were a little skeptical about the move from a PC to Mac. But, I think I broke through a barrier when I introduced them to the wonders of Photo booth. I expect they are going to have alot of fun with their new computer.


Three Generations

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Boomerang Effect

I recently did a little interview about the Boomerang Effect of good deeds and the fun of random acts of kindness.

Check out the article here

Bubbles Goes To The Fair

Sunday, right after returning from my visit with Little Miss O ... I headed to the fair to participate in a "shoot out". I am pretty sure all of Southern California was a the fair ... because it was insanely crowded. The entrance looked like the line up for a Disney Ride.

I rewarded myself with some fresh lemonade, once I finally made it through the gate. While waiting for the event to start, I looked over the winning shots from the previous shoot outs. I noticed that many of them involved the duck pond game over in the arcade. Note to self, no matter what today's theme is ... try and incorporate the duck pond! We were quickly checked in and received our participant ribbons. Today, rather than a theme, the shoot revolved around a 'prop' - a bottle of bubbles. So with an hour on the clock we were off to shoot a pictures featuring our bottle of bubbles!

I went straight for the duck pond :-) Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as I had hoped. The carny in charge of the big pond was rather grumpy and wouldn't allow me to put my bottle of bubbles in the pond. I found a smaller pond and fortunately they were much more eager to participate in my artistic growth!

Always a crowd pleaser, a trip to the duck pond




Alas, my bottle of bubbles did not have a wand. That threw a curve in my photo plans. I started asking random (!) strangers to pose with the bottle of bubbles hoping they might to something random, fun and photgenic. I like the irony of this one.

One of the pictures I 'won' at the fair



Ooops, I was a little distracted when I realized there were cupcakes at the fair!

Bubbles visits the cupcake display



Fortunately, I wasn't the only one distracted by cupcakes. I met up with D-D- and E- and they loaned me the wand from their bubble bottle. Once armed with a wand, I was able to shoot this fun picture of one of the fair workers taking a bubble break!

My Bubbles At The Fair Entry



It was fun running around with my bottle of bubbles, but after a few short hours immersed in the fair craziness - I was ready to back home to my 'quiet' place.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Stand by Me in Farsi



On June 24, Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. This version of the old Ben E. King classic is not for sale - it was not meant to be on the Billboard charts or even manufactured as a CD.....it's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people...to give voice to the sentiment that all people of the world stand together....the handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to "we are one".


Share this link: http://www.MyDamnChannel.com/Don_Was/Stand_By_Me/StandByMewithIntro_2168.aspx
Free MP3 download: http://content.mydamnchannel.com/datastore/donwas/standbyme.mp3

Happy Canada Day!