{"id":37665,"date":"2019-05-06T17:34:04","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T00:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=37665"},"modified":"2019-05-07T07:10:49","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T14:10:49","slug":"a-new-week-starts-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=37665","title":{"rendered":"A New Week Starts Again!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We are off to a fantastic start. We both slept past 8:30 AM! OMG, the day is half gone…guess that’s what happens when you stay up past midnight the night before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We worked on the puzzle and then decided to go to Cucina Enoteca in Newport, a favorite haunt of ours although we have not been there in a while. Leaving home, the clouds were just amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
69 degrees and blue skies peppered with cumulus clouds!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We had to stop again and take another picture after leaving our street. You know I must be a kid at heart because I definitely saw a large snake in the sky slithering along about to eat three small animals. In the olden days, I would lay down…face up…and look for animals or other objects in the passing clouds. Now, I’d do the same thing but getting up is so much harder!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
It’s definitely Spring time in the hood! Flowers everywhere! Do you see the mushroom?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We rode down PCH from Seal Beach to Newport just to watch the ocean. I switched the Silver Ghost to “auto-drive” and it nearly made it without any help at all. The ocean was beautiful and we watched Catalina in the distance playing hide and seek in the haze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arriving at Cucina Entoeca*, we valet parked the Ghost and walked right in requesting table #11, our favorite. The menu has change quite a bit but the rigatoni special, described by our waitress, sounded fantastic…and it was. We were sure she used to sell used cars!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sue did the Margarita Pizza which was also quite good! Of course, the Gin & Tonic made it remarkable…Hendrick’s, the way to go. I have tasted Gordon’s,
Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Beefeater, Seagram’s, Larios and Hendrick’s tops them all!<\/p>\n\n\n

* Enoteca (plural: Enoteche) is an Italian word that is derived from the Greek word ????????, which literally means “wine repository” (from Oeno\/Eno- ????? “wine”, and teca ????, “receptacle, case, box”), but it is used to describe a special type of local or regional wine shop that originated in Italy.  Cucina is Italian for Kitchen!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
“Big Eyes” was enjoying teasing me about my hair… I forgot to cut it this morning!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We had one drink before we switched to the non-alcoholic counterparts! Our getting-empty glasses had a good time talking to each other….we could hear them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
They were carrying on quite a conversation.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The decor in the cucina is rather interesting…the wall treatment used random wooden planks which we really like. I am redoing the garage and think one of the walls will be done this way just to make it a conversation piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
We will have to find an old building and get out the crowbar!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We ordered the squash blossoms as we wanted a reminder of how they taste considering we around about to get a mess of squash blossoms ranging from tiny crookneck’s to pumpkin blossoms. While the cucina stuffs them with ricotta cheese, adds some secret sauce and spices, and deep fries them, Sue always bakes them…a lot less grease and better taste!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we do them at home, I get the job of selecting the blossoms and neutering them…OK, cutting the stamen out and cleaning the insides. It take two of us to do the stuffing…one to hold the blossom open and one to stuff! We make an outstanding team in the kitchen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The blossoms were quite good! The green part is the stem which holds the fatter part which is the stuffed flower petals. Really good!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

See below for the “before frying\/baking” condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Just completed stuffing…Before being fried (or baked)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We wondered home back along PCH stopping a couple of times to admire the ocean and the clouds. Romance was definitely in the air! Sue and I saw this one and had to stop and pull out the ol’ iPhone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
All we need now is a skywriter to add Paul Loves Sue in red smoke!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While returning, we talked to Aunt Kaye who is doing well. Our kids Robin, Michele, Colleen, and Joe plus the older grandkids are writing her cards and letters, sending pictures, and some are phoning her so she will not be lonely. Our kid are quite considerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaye is still getting used to the new digs at the senior living facility. Doing pretty derned well for being 96. We plan to head up north after getting back from our Catalina weekend at the Avalon Ball. We promised her El Torito which happens to be very close to her home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did some chores around the house and then headed for Malarleys where we met up with Irene and Mitch. The four of us had a great time and the sunset was very nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
With every selfie, my arm gets a little longer!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She is always quite complementary of me and I asked her what she thought of me this evening, obviously fishing for a complement! She pondered, looked around, and stated I was “Hoppy, Bright and Complex”. I was elated. She captured my essence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Why me?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I was impressed until I saw the beer glass… Hoppy, NOT! Bright, only on sunny days! Complex, No! I could hear the hot air leaking from my ego container! I shall go fishing another day making sure no beer glasses are nearby. I just keep saying to myself…”Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was nearing 7:30 PM and that means turn our heads to the west and watch the Sun takes its nightly bath into the ocean! Not a spectacular sunset as sunsets go but adequate!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
You could “almost” hear the hissing sounds<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Almost 8:00 PM so we headed home for some TV time before crashing and of course, we did our tookies. We took the “long way” home driving by PCH and 2nd Street to examine the new shopping center. Every day it get closer and closer to opening. It’s going to be amazing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2nd & PCH sits at the gateway between Orange County and Long Beach, one of the most highly desirable areas in the region with a population exceeding 500,000 and household incomes of $101,000+.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With tremendous visibility on the corner of the iconic Pacific Coast Highway and 2nd Street there are more than 100,000 car trips passing the intersection daily. This Whole Foods anchored center is destined to become the social hub and community gathering place with its spectacular views and enviable setting directly across from Alamitos Bay and the Long Beach Marina. The coastal contemporary architecture and outdoor living areas invite guests to stay, enjoy the view, and relax, with wifi, fire pits, water features, lush landscaping, dedicated bicycle lanes and hospitality focused amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. We are off to a fantastic start. We both slept past 8:30 AM! OMG, the day is half gone…guess that’s what happens when you stay up past midnight the night before! … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37665"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37699,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37665\/revisions\/37699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}