Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe   25653 P.C.H., 1.5 miles north of Pepperdine University, (310) 456-3430.  Daily 11am-8:30pm.   overview of Malibu Seafood cafe in Malibu, California Founded in 1972, Malibu Seafood is owned and operated by commercial fishermen.  The owners have been quoted as saying, “The reason we don’t serve breakfast is we’re out catching lunch.” Watch for the street-side sign and be ready to make a quick exit into the free parking area.   menu at Malibu Seafood cafe in Malibu, California fresh ..read more

Urth Caffe Santa Monica   2327 Main St./Pico, (310) 314-7040.  No reservations.  patio seating at Urth Caffe in Santa Monica, California interior at Urth Caffe in Santa Monica, California The menu at Urth Santa Monica features local, seasonal, and organic fare.  Place your order at the counter, then select from one of many tables both inside and out.  Breakfast is a popular time because of the great selection of delicious pastries, but lunch brings on a large variety of sandwiches--including The “New Yorker” Sandwich, which is a tasty classic ..read more

La Panaderia     Downtown:  301 E Houston St., (210) 592-6264.  A few blocks from The Alamo. Alamo Heights:  8305 Broadway St., (210) 375-6746.  The original location is convenient to the airport. La Cantera Heights:  17030 Fiesta Texas Dr. Suite 105, (210) 600-4460.  counter line at La Panaderia in San Antonio, Texas Operated by brothers David and Jose Caceres, who moved here from Mexico City in 2014, the La Panaderia mini-chain is super popular with locals for breakfast.   pastries at La Panaderia in San Antonio, Texas ..read more

Ladino  200 E. Grayson St. #100, (210) 325-6007.   family dines inside at Ladino in San Antonio, Texas Serving Sephardic Jewish cuisine--an old traditional style of Mediterranean fare--in a rustic contemporary setting, this unusual restaurant is a delightful surprise.   Cocktails are interesting.  I drank Persephone’s Kiss, a tasty mix of tequila, pomegranate, salgam, and mint.  Others in my group ordered the unusual house raki service based on a strong, anise-flavored liqueur, and the sophisticated wine list has representation from Oregon to Isra ..read more

Tarka Indian Kitchen 427 N. Loop 1604 W, (210) 499-0982 exterior of Tarka Indian Kitchen in San Antonio, Texas This Texas Indian restaurant chain provides some delicious renditions of Indian favorites and takes pride in operating green.  At Tarka Indian Kitchen, chicken is hormore free and lamb is grass fed and halal.  And in addition to offering the expected meat dishes, the menu makes it possible to put together a very satisfying vegetarian meal.  For that, begin with vegetable samosas, add a few curries--perhaps malai kofta dumplings, channa masala garbanzos, or al ..read more

Hellgate Jetboat Excursions   966 SW 6th St.  Trips run daily May through September.    Grants Pass is headquarters for the popular jet boat rides along the Rogue River.  Jet boats have flat bottoms and no rudder or propeller, allowing for a smooth and safe, yet fast and exciting, ride through the sometimes shallow water.  In addition to being extreme fun, jetting down the Rogue River in one allows you to observe some of the area's plentiful wildlife.  On my family's ride, the driver slowed to point out ospreys, great blue herons, and deer.  We a ..read more

Weasku Inn   5560 Rogue River Hwy. (Hwy.99).  Breakfast included.  porch at Weasku Inn in Grants Pass, Oregon First, a little history.  Movie star Clark Gable vacationed in this lodge and also holed up here in his favorite fishing lodge for two weeks and mourned intensely when actress Carole Lombard, his third wife and the love of his life, perished in a plane crash in 1942.  During that time he didn’t want to see anyone, and so food and drink were left outside his room.  Eventually, he exited to face his obligations and, at age 41, to enlist in th ..read more

Aurora, Oregon Alternate route Highway 99E goes right through town, splitting it in half. Time After Time antiques shop in Aurora, Oregon Aurora is the first organized Christian communal society established west of the Mississippi.  The 400 original colony members arrived via the Oregon Trail in 1855.  Sharing property and labor with one another, they flourished here from 1856 through the mid-1880s.   The community became known for simple living and for accumulating a minimum of material things, and it produced fine musicians, craftsmen, and scholars.  Though ..read more

Naco 210   2015 NE Loop 410, (210) 996-1033.  W-Sun 8am-4pm.  exterior of... (Click the headline to view the full blog listing, and more ..read more

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine Temple  Main Gate entrance to Meditation... (Click the headline to view the full blog listing, and more ..read more