The Omnivorous Fish

Just a taste:

Tom and Michael’s House

Bella Isabella

Back too quickly from the mountains. There are many fantastic photos to share, but I am in the last moments of battery life, and I want to save them for dinner tonight, so you may have to wait until Monday to see them. Like the nimrod I am, I brought the connection cable for the camera, but not the battery charger.

Sheesh.

Anyway, we’re back and as well fed as can be. We hung around watching Steller’s Jays that we had set peanuts out for, learning from the neighbors that if you put out mixed bird seed, the connoisseur Jays would pick the peanuts out. I can’t blame them, they are far superior to the sunflower seeds, chaff and gravel that constitutes the rest of it. That and a hike into the woods, where we met the edge of the recent fires (a chilling fifty yards from their home) rounded out most of the afternoon, so we went inside to scrabble together some dinner.

I’m in California. Southern California to be specific, in other words, I’m in hell. Ok, that’s a lie, it’s actually very nice (although I wouldn’t want to live here) here in Long Beach. I’m visiting several friends who have moved out here in the last two years, two of whom just had a baby (pictures to come). Now we’re headed to the local farmers’ market to pick up some provisions for our trip up to the cabin at Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Last night we had delicata squash, crimini mushrooms (which are white button mushrooms plus 3-4 weeks) and swiss chard on farfalle with some surprisingly good but ethically horrible processed pecorino-style cheese from the supermarket.