Cazalea takes readers on a delightful journey through a spring day, showcasing not only his culinary adventures and local explorations but also his unique automotive passion. This post stands out by blending everyday observations with the unexpected, culminating in a surprising horological find. His narrative style makes even a simple outing feel like a discovery.
We started early today with a hearty breakfast, not knowing what would come later. Roast potatoes in duck fat, egg and parsley souffle, and home-made bread toast.
The eggs came from Nichole's chickens, only a mile up the road from us.
We took the Corvette over for a little minor adjusting at the dealership, and we were free to enjoy the rest of the morning.
If you haven't seen it before this is a 1986 Citroen 2CV with wood panels added by my pal Gary about 10 years ago. We have had it since the car was new, and have driven it 170,000 km.
We stopped because this fellow said he too had fresh eggs, and he advertises a Salad ATM machine, where you put in money and take out lettuce. Hmmm how does that work?
We were in an unfamiliar part of town, about 20 miles SE from home. There are some mighty steep hills around here! First gear hills! But people apparently don't mind living on the top, bottom and/or side of the hills, and driving straight up and down them.
At the very top of one hill, we found this huge boat in someone's side yard. You have to love dreamers (with tractors) who rebuild boats on a mountain miles from the nearest water. (Noah?)
Just imagine backing your Suburban up this driveway! I almost got vertigo looking down this slab of concrete, and thinking about the heavy rains we had a few weeks ago.
Ivy Street has a view all the way across town, looking straight towards my place ... drop a golf ball here and it will roll for miles.
This is an interesting photo of the last unrevealed Seiko in my collection. While looking for spare parts to repair another watch, I came across this on eBay. Titanium, light, tough, solar-power and only $40! How could I pass this up? Obviously I couldn't and when it arrived it was better than expected; even has the sticker on the back.
It actually is round but I moved during the photo — an odd effect as much of the image is sharp.
We found a nice place to walk - Dictionary Hill formerly known as Lookout Peak.
Located in Spring Valley, Dictionary Hill County Preserve spans 175 acres of coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitat. Acquired in November 2018, it will be added to the County's Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) to ensure long-term survival of sensitive plants, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals. Dictionary Hill features a 2.1-mile trail with 360-degree views of San Diego and a rare butterfly ecosystem at the top. The hike is considered moderate, with an elevation of 565 feet, taking about 1-2 hours to complete.
We found a trickle of water which is optimistically called Bancroft Creek.
I wasn't up for the 2 hour hike this morning, so we simply strolled around.
We met a guy who's lived here nearly 40 years, and has built a great cactus and succulent garden which provides a buffer between this wilderness and his house. After some conversation he admitted that perhaps a few hundred feet of the wilderness has become part of "his" garden... and helps keep intruders and brush fires at a distance.
My wife loves this kind of walk, especially when the sun is warm (but not too warm)
That's the Sweetwater Reservoir / Lake in the distance, and Mexico beyond that.
It's always nice to walk downhill back to the car, and to see beautiful flowers along the way is a bonus.
Oops, my watch is changing now at noon, so it must be set 12 hours off. How embarassing! How did I miss that? I guess it was on Daylight Savings day when I was adjusting 20 other Seikos?
The TreeCV is glad to be back in the garage, if only for a day or two.
Cheers,
Cazalea
PS - this is how the watch
should look - note the matching gold crown, bracelet accents, hands and date numerals (set correctly)
