Farmers Market

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We live a little less than a mile away from the weekly farmers market in Mar Vista. It might be a little more expensive at the farmers market compared to the grocery store, but it’s a nice walk, and I like to support the local farmers. 

Avocado season is here, I am thrilled – we can get avocados for less than $1 each! Why are avocados so expensive in general anyway? How come everyone in LA don’t have an avocado tree in their backyard?

Orange season is here as well, which I’m also very happy about!

Heading back home with our bags filled with fresh produce.

Picnic at our favorite spot on the beach!

First Friday

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Last night was the first First Friday of the season at the Natural History Museum.

I am a member this year which I am very happy about.

Carl von Linné, a very awesome man!

New for this year is the dinosaurs, they are way cool!

I love everything about the Natural History Museum, even the ceiling is beautiful!

Mariachi El Bronx were playing.

Lesands at the Bootleg

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We went to see Lesands play at the Bootleg Theatre. I was excited and did not quite know what to expect.
The opening band wasnt all that good. Kind of just like a bunch of misfits, not sure what their influences were.

Lesands were good, but I thought they were better on record than they were live. I would totally go see them again though.

New Years Day

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We went down to the beach on New Years Day last year and wanted to make it into a tradition, so after breakfast and another nap, we headed down to the beach. We like it south of the Venice Pier, there’s not a lot of tourinsts on this side, and it never gets crowded.
Reading 5 books on my list of things to do in 2012, I thought I’d start with the book I made with my  grandfathers all notes he sent in to newspapers.

Since we saw the first sunrise of 2012, we had to stay for the first sunset of 2012!

It got pretty cold and lonely at the beach, but it was beautiful so we sticked it out!

Happy New Year!

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We were gonna stay up all night and watch the sunrise in the morning, but around 3:30am, we decided to take a nap. The alarm went off at 6:30am and we headed off to Baldwin Hills to see the first sunrise of the new year.

It’s been super foggy in the mornings over the last few days, makes it a kind of spooky effect.

Yep, this is where we usually see the ocean.

Once we were done with the hill, we were hungry for breakfast and walked around Culver City to find a place open for service.

The only place we could find was the Culver Hotel.

First meal of the year!

Fathers Office

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Ending the work week/year with beer and fries at Fathers Office in Culver City!

Dec 25th, Santa’s Little Helper

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Last beer of the season; Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout from Port Brewing Company, San Marcos, CA.
A super dark beer with pretty high alcohol content; 10%/vol. I could really feel the alcohol in the first few sips but then, the alcohol either got to my head (i.e. I got drunk) or I got used to the taste. Over all, not too impressed, 3 out of 5!

The label says;
Each year Santa works up that famous list. He takes notes of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. To the nice people he brings good cheer. For the people who have been anything but nice, he loads up on big fat lumps of coal.
Thankfully, Santa knows this one is seriously nice beer. Brewed only once a year since it was first released in 1997, Santa’s Little Helper has been our annual insurance policy against lumps of coal in our stockings.
Each year, we look forward to the release of this beer which signals the impending arrival of the jolly old fat man and his merry band of elves. Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout is all black as Christmas Eve with a decidedly smooth finish. We know you’ll find it the perfect companion for chestnuts roasting by an open fire paired with that lump of coal you will receiving.

Christmas Day

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We were heading over the the Krelles’ to celebrate Christmas and saw this car on the way there, it had a Jesus sticker and a 666 license plate!

They had decorated their Christmas tree with fake snow!

Family photo time!
Time for the best part, White Elephant gift exchange!

Kids waiting to open their presents!

This guy started off getting a bottle of Vodka and Twister

But that was quickly taken away from him…

So he got a bottle of Tequila instead.

But that was taken away from him as well…

And he happily ended up with the vodka and twister at the end!

Dec 24th, Lump of Coal

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I was excited to open up the Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout from Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
Just what you expect from a Christmas Beer! 5 out of 5!

The label says;
Much More Than ou deserve for Xmas This Year…
Yet another bummed-out holiday? Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation. It’s a deep, rich sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation. This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you’ll be getting for Christmas. Because, let’s face it, you’ve been pretty bad this year.

Dec 23rd, Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

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I am a huge fan of Rouge so I was happy to unwrap the Santa’s Private Reserve Ale from Rouge Ales, Newport, OR. And it bothers me a little that I only give this one 4 out of 5. I think I had really high expectations. It is a really really really good beer, but taken it is Rouge and a special edition beer, I wanted something extra. It felt a little like this could have been any other of their excellent ales, just packaged in a different bottle. Still an awesome beer that I would drink any day, but I wanted a little more!

The label says;
Reddish-copper color with a roasty, malt flavor and a well balanced, sprucy finish.