Posted by missjunebug on Sunday September 5th, 2010
missjunebug had a great dinner date with a dear friend the other night. It all began at the festive Sabor Cocina Mexicana at the Lakes in Thousand Oaks. Yum x 10 describes this upscale Mexican restaurant with margaritas so big you can dunk your entire face in them, but better to drink them! They reminded missjunebug a little bit of Buca di Beppo’s “meatballs as big as your head.” Mega portion and a price to match, but missjunebug assures you that you won’t have to order more than one!
As for food, delicious, too and so artistically presented! As pretty as the Sabor Cocina decorative aesthetic! missjunebug loved her Chicken Enchilada Suizas and her friend enjoyed the organic Chicken Tacos under the glow of the red heart chandelier. Just take a look:
Enchiladas Suizas! Photo by mjb2010
Organic Chicken Tacos! Photo by mjb2010
What a Chandelier! missjunebug Hearts It! Photo by mjb2010
Better Than Paint or Wallpaper: Gorgeous Mexican Tiles! Photo by mjb2010
After their delicious meal, missjunebug and her friend strolled over to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza for their dessert: the sweet-as-treacle ensemble Celtic Woman. This group gives new meaning to the phrase “Go Irish!” Their music was an endearing mix of old standards (”Danny Boy” comes to mind) and lively fiddle-inspired Irish jigs that kept the audience clapping and smiling well after the conclusion of the performance. Okay, so missjunebug couldn’t live on a steady diet of this type of music, but for one night she enjoyed it thoroughly!
Posted by missjunebug on Saturday August 14th, 2010
The answer, of course, is No! At least that’s the way missjunebug feels! Mr.JB suggested breakfast out this a.m. and missjunebug could not say YES! fast enough. They had a luxurious morning savoring hot coffee, corned beef hash topped with two eggs sunny side up, a rancher’s omelette chock full of bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and two delicious cheeses, cheddar and Monterey jack and, yes, even some eggs thrown in to hold all those goodies together! And did she mention the breakfasts come with fresh fruit and the bread of your choice. Mr.JB opted for the English muffin; mjb, the wheat toast. Delightful with a capital D!
Now you are probably wondering where in the world to get such fine breakfast entrees. The answer is The Waypoint Cafe at the Camarillo Airport. Newly refurbished but looking a little too Starbuck’s-y has not diminished the fab menu! Part of the charm pre-remodel was the slightly down at the heels look to the restaurant that embodied the best of Old Camarillo, but all things change. missjunebug welcomes the new look and is thrilled the food is as good as ever. Find out for yourself the next time you are in Southern California, have a Saturday free, and crave a big breakfast served at a restaurant that’s also big on atmosphere. Just look out the windows and watch all those cool little planes take off! And there’s no charge for the entertainment! Does it get better than that? The answer, of course, is No!
Posted by missjunebug on Wednesday July 21st, 2010
missjunebug between bouts of various and heinous medical interventions has still managed to have some fun with her p.i.c. doing some fairly vigorous retail therapy. There’s nothing like the approaching end of summer to bring on the heavy discounts: Nordstrom It’s Our Anniversary Sale! Banana Republic Many Percent Off Everything Sale! JCrew A Few Really Fine Things on Sale Sale! What fun!
missjunebug and her dear p.i.c. are devoted to improving their look as well as giving a much needed shot in the arm to the local economy. And speaking of arms, yes, they both bought pieces that actually reveal some arm and even a little leg. This time next year they will be sailing the high seas to exotic ports of call baring trim and firm extremities! Where does such inspiration and motivation come from? That’s right: Retail Therapy. The most affordable and accessible therapy out there for the not-getting-any-younger set.
missjunebug knows what you are thinking: How do you know the pieces you buy today will still be in style a year from today!? First off, what’s a year in the fashion industry? No biggie. You didn’t really fall for all that Devil Wears Prada nonsense, did you, dear reader? mjb and her p.i.c. can easily spot the lasting trends, grab the classics, and skip the gnarly fads that fade like cheap jeans after a hot wash. Okay, maybe no one will still be wearing sequins on their JCrew t-shirts next year, but missjunebug doubtless will be! She’ll just refer to what she’s wearing as vintage! Yeah, that’ll work!
Secondly, it doesn’t matter what mjb and her p.i.c. wear because nobody’s looking! It’s as if Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility has settled gently on their shoulders and they can do whatever they want: wear red hats! don purple clothing! squeeze into blue thongs! expose bare arms! Believe missjunebug when she says no one cares! And, yes, there was a time a long day ago when both of them turned a few heads but, alas, those days are done. Those days are most definitely gone. Hey, you can’t look at what you can’t see!
Still, missjunebug and her p.i.c. didn’t dwell on time passing but kept a clear-eyed focus on their potent purchases filled with therapy and possibility and fun!
Holland America! Disney Cruise! Here they come!
Posted by missjunebug on Sunday July 4th, 2010
Photo by mjb2010
Happy Birthday USA!
missjunebug loves being an American junebug. And she really loves a Fourth of July Parade! This year she had to go no further than her own block to see one. The First Annual Presilla Tractor Parade on her very own street! What fun! Mr.JB was outside in their backyard, heard some patriotic music and looked over their fence to see a line of tractors decked out in sparkles and bangles and banners and flags heading up the hill! He ran in the house to tell missjunebug the good news. They changed into their patriotic t-shirts, grabbed their dog Spoonbug, put the roof down on the car, and made a dash around the block to catch the parade at the top of the hill! What followed was a wave fest, happy Fourth of July greetings, and an invitation to join the parade! Lucky junebugs! Of course, they wasted no time u-turning to take their place in the tractor line-up for the rest of the route!
missjunebug managed to take lots of pictures and say big hellos to her tractored-up west-end neighbors, some for the first time. The junebugs felt a part of the vast web of Fourth of July Parades taking place all across America to celebrate this great country. How lucky for them that one took place right on their own street!
Happy Fourth of July!
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Photo by mjb2010
Mr.JB Flips a U-ie to Join the Fun! Photo by mjb2010
Happy Fourth of July, America!! Photo by mjb2010
Posted by missjunebug on Wednesday June 23rd, 2010
missjunebug recently mentioned the sad red tag affixed to their gate by the local fire department. Bummer x 10. The junebugs failed their weed abatement test, but they are getting closer to the all clear. missjunebug had an epiphany while rolling a gianormous weed bale down a hill. Take pictures of the results! Why? To remember in detail why she does not want to do this next year. Yes, it was good exercise. Yes, it saved some money. Yes, the weather was great, not too hot, not too cold, just right while she and Mr.JB continued the endless whacking and stacking.
But do it again next year? Not a chance. She can appreciate first hand how hard the life of manual labor is and she gives all kudos to those who do this kind of work five days a week, week after week. Truly admirable. But once a year is enough and she would prefer nonce.
She did learn one more thing while she was taking pictures for this little Weed Abatement Photo Essay: She loves everything about where she and Mr.JB live, yes, even the weeds. Really? Really? you say. Okay, maybe not the weeds. But the weeds whacked and stacked. That she loves.
Not Quite Monet: Stacks of Pampas Grass Detritus. Photo by mjb2010
Hey What's That Coming in for a Landing? Weedy UFO? Photo by mjb2010
Creepy Close-Up of Weed Stack! Do you see a face? Photo by mjb2010
Why the junebugs Live Here: the View! Photo by mjb2010
Holy Relic from Holey Barn? Photo by mjb2010
missjunebug's Arty Shot of the Day. Can You Spot the Moon? Photo by mjb2010
Posted by missjunebug on Tuesday May 11th, 2010
Wow! That's a Lot of Great Produce and a Delicious Sweet Treat for 21 tiny dollars! Photo by mjb2010
missjunebug suggests you remember this website name: www.underwoodfamilyfarms.com. And this addy: 3370 Sunset Valley Road
off of Tierra Rejada Road in Moorpark, California. And this motto: Discover Underwood Family Farms “bringing you back to the farm.”
She took a leisurely stroll through the colorful farmer’s market area and came away with a treasure trove of delicious vegetables and fruits without paying a king’s ransom. In fact, missjunebug wants you to know that what you see pictured above set her back a mere 21 dollars. Now all she has to do is throw in a little protein and she’s got dinners for the rest of the week. And don’t overlook the little treat missjunebug picked up for herself included in that tiny price tag: Honees Honey Filled Drops Pure liquid honey inside every drop! Did missjunebug mention how delicious these little candy treats are? Believe it! Sweet and soothing and she says, “Just one more, please” as she unwraps another and pops it into her happy mouth!
Honees are just about as sweet as a trip to Tierra Rejada Family Farms in Moorpark. But not quite! Check out their website to find out more about the fun family doings at this rare way to spend your day in the era of blogging (mjb guilty as charged,) web surfing, twittering, facebooking, and general self-absorption via technology that knows no bounds (actually a pretty good thing!). Here’s a shortlist of the fun available down on the farm: Birthday Parties for wee ones, Pick-Your-Own Produce (check out their website for what’s currently in season), School Tours, Fun Rides, and, of course, the fab Farmer’s Market with Specialty Gifts & Products and Fruit & Vegetable Gift Baskets!!! And the people working there are Super Friendly, too.
missjunebug wants to know What are you waiting for? Grab that cowboy hat (she knows you have one up in that hall closet somewhere) and head down to Tierra Rejada Family Farms in Moorpark. There’s one in Somis, too! Fun x 2 for mjb and you!
Posted by missjunebug on Sunday April 25th, 2010
Lovely Japanese Silk Fabrics mjb Spotted in Her Trip to Japan Last Year Photo by mjb2009
missjunebug and her p.i.c. the lovely r.h. escaped the confines of their respective homes and hit little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to engage in some serious retail therapy and take a history lesson or two offered up at the Japanese American National Museum.
The retail therapy came first. missjunebug and the lovely r.h. have their priorities in order!! They enjoyed looking at the amazing work of Georgeanne Alex, Karen Brock, and Kumiko & Yoshiko Imoto, artists who have a flair for recycling. By that missjunebug means this talented trio take their inspiration from beautiful silk kimono fabrics to create their own original art, accessories, and clothing. The trunk show concludes Sunday, April 25.
As you may know, missjunebug is a big fan of recycling in all its forms, but this reuse and repurpose mantra is elegant and inspirational beyond measure! (pun intended, natch!). It was as easy as pie to find accessories worthy of purchase. missjunebug was particularly pleased with her approach. Wouldn’t these little kimono-clothed purses make great Mother’s Day presents for missjunebug? The lovely r.h. agreed! missjunebug is all about saving time and trouble for her Mr.JB. Now his Mother’s Day shopping on behalf of ElderJB and TinyJB is done! And the lovely r.h. found a purse that matched her tastes perfectly! Score x 2!!!
The next stop was the awesome gift shop adjacent to the Japanese American National Museum. Fun x some more! missjunebug found lovely floral cards, a secret stocking stuffer for Mr.JB for Christmas (always thinking ahead, mjb is!), the coolest koi socks made (yes, that’s right…koi socks), and the most gorgeous scarf ever (3rd Mother’s Day giftie for Mr.JB to wrap up for mjb!) which missjunebug will use to cover her follicle-ly challenged little junebug head. (Don’t ask. missjunebug doesn’t talk about serious issues on her blog.) mjb and the lovely r.h. were even checked out at the gift shop register by one of r.h.’s dear friends! A little mini-reunion ensued thanks to earlier connections on facebook made by r.h. and her fine friend.
Retail therapy concluded happily, missjunebug and the lovely r.h. paid the reasonable 9-dollar entrance fee into the Japanese American National Museum to experience Textured Lives Japanese Immigrant Clothing from the Plantations of Hawai’i.
The story in a nutshell: Before World War II, the Japanese women working in Hawai’i on pineapple plantations found they needed to modify their hand-made, carefully dyed and painted kimono to deal with the new working conditions they faced. The solution was pretty brilliant. They cut up their kimono and transformed the fabric pieces into more practical plantation attire while still managing to maintain a strong sense of their Japanese-ness. They met their harsher working conditions with ingenuity and artistry and practicality. A pretty fierce trio of attributes!
missjunebug and the lovely r.h. came away with a new-found respect for the work these Japanese immigrant women did and the creative cultural expression they kept alive in a foreign land.
If you find yourself in downtown Los Angeles before May 30, 2010, consider stopping by the Japanese American National Museum 369 East First Street 213-625-0414 www.janm.org. for the thoughtful exhibit Textured Lives. It is a rich tapestry of culture, identity, and adaptation at its best.
One more tip: Don’t miss teatime at Chado Tea Room! Delicious sandwiches, scones, cakes, and a kagillion types of tea from which to choose! missjunebug and the lovely r.h. recommend the Kenyan!
Traditional Japanese Kimono: Pre-Repurposing a la Textured Lives!! Photo by mjb2009
Posted by missjunebug on Saturday April 17th, 2010
Poppies Galore! Photo by mjb2010
missjunebug and Mr.JB took a little field trip out to the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve in Lancaster, California this weekend. It was time for some serious natural decompression what with taxes being due and Icelandic volcanic ash clouds wreaking havoc with ElderJB’s travel-back-to-Africa plans! What a week!
Those glorious little bursts of orange x 10 kamillion did the trick! mjb and Mr.JB arrived early enough to score a good parking space and she recommends you do the same if you don’t want to wait in the long line of cars that begins to form somewhere around 10 am. Trust her when she says, “Arrive early!”
missjunebug and Mr.JB grabbed their jackets and their cameras and wandered the little trails taking picture after picture. So many poppies! So little time! They enjoyed looking at the skittering lizards, listening to the melodic birdies flying around and even talking to some of the other onlookers.
mjb took a chance and said “Ni Hao” to a trio of friendly Chinese tourists enjoying their visit to the Poppy Preserve. missjunebug had a fun time telling them how much she and Mr.JB had enjoyed their country in two recent trips to China and they were pleased to hear it. missjunebug is a big believer in promoting understanding between cultures and it’s fun, too!
Further up the trail Mr.JB concentrated on taking some of the best nature photos he’d ever taken! missjunebug can say this now because she’s seen them herself and they put her little point n’ shoots to shame, but she’s happy to share her p-n-s’s here anyway. Enjoy! And get out to see those poppies before they disappear!
Mr.JB Heads Up the Trail to Track Poppies! Photo by mjb2010
More Glorious Orange! Photo by mjb2010
Upclose and Personal with Poppies! Photo by mjb2010
Little Lupine Loll with the Poppies! Photo by mjb2010
A Little Lizard Leaps into the Scene! Photo by mjb2010
Poppies Mostly! Photo by mjb2010
Posted by missjunebug on Sunday April 11th, 2010
Some Sundays missjunebug skips church service (Please forgive her little bug self, Big G, J.C. & the H.S.) and worships at the altar of Target. Okay, she doesn’t really “worship,” she just thoroughly enjoys pouring over the Sunday LA Times Target insert and cutting out the pretty pictures of things she can’t live without. She staples the little pictures together and they comprise a handy ersatz shopping list for her quick trip through the valley and over the hill to her neighborhood Target Store.
Oh. my. yes. It is fun for missjunebug to grab that big fat red (natch!) shopping cart and get in the Zen of traveling up and down, up and down, aisle after aisle of shopping possibilities.
Today she felt like she hit the motherload of all good things: Glacéau Vitamin Water Zero in a plethora of delicious flavors (10 for 10, baby!) and to balance out that zero calorie thing, Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux and Gingerman and Milano cookies (on sale too!!). She bought a few other pedestrian items like Neosporin, soy sauce, purse-size Kleenex, Ponds make-up remover cloths and the like. Then she searched out what she had really come for.
missjunebug’s Find of the Week
The coolest stainless steel, dishwasher-safe BPA-free, 24-oz Embark water bottles in the most beautiful jewel tones: red, blue, and green with nifty black tops with their own handy-dandy carabiners! missjunebug snagged four of them to use around the house, at the gym, in the car, and on walks with her sweet doggie, Spoonbug. The price? An equally sweet $8.99 each.
Take a look and then think about kicking that heinous plastic bottle habit with your very own personal stainless steel water bottle! A small price to pay for a better planet and healthier water. And hey, you’ll be ready to celebrate Earth Day a week or so early!
Shiny! Colorful! Ecological! Photo by mjb2010
Posted by missjunebug on Saturday April 10th, 2010
Welcome to the Getty Villa!! Photo by mjb2010
missjunebug's Super Fav: Mini-Me-style Ancient Skeleton!! Photo by mjb2010
missjunebug sees clearly that for her and many others it’s all about the glass at the Getty Villa. The glass and the tiny skeleton!! Molten Glass of ancient times is truly an awesome thing.
Yes, the urns are gorgeous in their understated blacks and oranges and reds and whites, telling stories of the Trojan War. Yes, the statuary of animals, gods, emperors, and even a few everyday peeps are well, statuesque! Yes, the grounds are exquisite replete with meticulously groomed herb gardens, fanciful fountains, and shapely trees.
But nothing comes close to the wonder of ancient glass on display in a little room on the 2nd floor at the Getty Villa! Delicate, frothy, molded, mosaic, milky, crystal clear, striped, sparkly, multi-colored yellows, greens, blues, golds, and reds swirled like ribbon candy from a Christmas stocking!
Delicious eye candy! Amazing ancient artisans! Take a look:
Shiny, Pretty Things! Photo by mjb2010
Shiny, Pretty Things Part Deux! Photo by mjb2010
Nifty Vases! Photo by mjb2010
Lovely x 10! Photo by mjb2010
What a color palette! Photo by mjb2010
Seriously one of mjb's Favs! Photo by mjb2010
Exquisite Doesn't Even Come Close! Photo by mjb2010
Glass Cutaways that Reveal Beautiful Secrets of Structure! Photo by mjb2010
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