Food @ Tahquitz Pines

It was nice not having to plan meals, cook, and clean up for a couple of days.  The food was better than we expected, and always served with a smile. 

The first night was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, cornbread, and a berry cheesecake dessert.

Sunday breakfast was certainly filling: french toast, country potatoes, eggs, and sausage.  I’m not sure if the berries were meant for the french toast, but they went well together.  There was also an assortment of cereals that I usually do not buy, so the kids were excited to try them out.

Lunch was beef taquitos (not really, but I cannot remember what they called them), beans, rice, salad, and a strawberry churro.  This was k’s favorite meal, but it was a little spicy for n.

Pork tenderloin, potato medley, mixed vegetables, salad, and roll plus cheesecake (not pictured).  This was our least favorite, mainly because the pork was so plain.  I dressed mine up with homemade tonkatsu sauce—ketchup + A1.  We were supposed to have a pie social after the evening session, but there was a mix-up, so we ended up with vanilla ice cream instead. 

Last breakfast: biscuit with gravy, country potatoes, eggs, bacon and fruit. 

Our last lunch was turkey burgers, salad, chips and a turtle brownie, of which I failed to take a picture.  We ate with the kids about half the time, and the other half they ate with other kids at their own table.  It is hard to believe that they are at an age where that is possible!  Seeing all the younger families with booster seats and baby food made me remember how difficult mealtime used to be. 

All-Church Retreat: Tahquitz Pines

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Idyllwild to attend our church’s retreat.  This was the first all church retreat we have had in eleven years!  The retreat started after lunch on Saturday.  We ate a picnic lunch at the nearby Idyllwild Nature Center.  They were having a family event which included some crafts, booths, and hikes. 

We decided to do the guided nature walk, which was supposed to be “only 20 minutes”.  Well, it ended up being more like 45 minutes, but I must say it was quite informative.

Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics.

The “Jay Leno” rock.

Afterward we drove to Tahquitz Pines Conference Center.  This place has been around for a while, but the grounds are well-kept.

We checked into our room, and the kids were thrilled to find a bunk bed.  We let the kids play on the upper bunk, but n slept on the bottom bunk and k slept on the cot.

The private bathroom was very spacious.  (Toilet and shower were across from these sinks).  We had a room adjoining to family friends, so the kids had lots of fun going back and forth.

This is the auditorium where we listened to our gifted speaker, Pastor Wayne Ogimachi. 

Meanwhile, the kids were kept busy in a separate building.  There was also an upstairs. 

There were some high swings!

There was also a pool, but the water was really cold even though it was warm outside.  Overall, we had a really good time with our family, as well as our church family.  Tomorrow I will document the food. 

Getty Center With Kids

After lunch, we fought some mid-day L.A. traffic to go to the Getty Center.  We tried to excite the kids by telling them about the tram ride that you take from the parking lot to the museum.

Looks like they’re having fun.

Since we arrived mid-day, there were no iPods to check out, much to the disappointment of k and n.

I think the garden may be my favorite part of the museum.  It was also nice to experience more mild weather after our epically hot weather the week before. 

It was pretty crowded, as you can see…

These ladybug-like flowers caught our eye.

This is what we looked/felt like by the end of our day.  We only made it through two of the four wings.  Going to both the Villa and the Center in one day is a lot, especially with young kids.  On the tram ride home, the pre-recorded narrator said something like “we hope that you are leaving the Getty Center recharged”.  Drained would have probably been a better word, especially after D valiantly drove us home in more traffic.  D and I decided we should return every five years with the kids, which would mean two more times before k graduates from high school.  It will be interesting to see how their perspectives/experiences change. 

Getty Villa & Bay Cities Italian Deli

Going to the Getty Villa has been on our “to-do” list for a while.  Neither D nor I had ever been, although we had visited the Getty Center pre-kids.  Since they offer a deal where you can park at the Villa for $15 and park at the Getty Center for free if you visit the same day, we ambitiously decided to visit both. 

There was some sort of Corvette convention in the parking lot. 

We checked out iPod Touches for a free audio tour.  This was a big hit with the kids.

We briefly visited the “Family Forum”, which had some activities for the kids.  n’s shadow cracks me up.

Of course, D had to get in on the action too.

The grounds were beautiful and there was a lot of Greek art and architecture.

For lunch we ate at Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica.  We ordered one Eggplant Parmesan and one Godmother sandwich.

The bread was super yum—loved the bubbly crust.  The ordering system is kind of confusing.  Someone pointed D to the pre-made Godmother sandwiches in the back, which saved him waiting in a take-a-number line.  I had to wait for the eggplant sandwich in a separate line by the door, though.  A bit chaotic, but worth it, and we even found a shady table in front.  Two sandwiches were definitely enough for this family.