Photo of the day - Missing you

Photo of the day - Would you like jelly on that?

From the Fort Fisher Aquarium in NC.

Photo of the Day - Piper

It seems that to fly exerts way more energy or finesse then to run when it comes to these little guys. I watched wave after wave chase them up the shore. They're quite fast on foot too.

Photo of the Day - Under the boardwalk

The boardwalk at Carolina Beach.

Photo of the Day - Brand new day

The Deckhouse – Charlotte Avenue, Carolina Beach

Sunday night my husband and I ate at The Deckhouse for dinner. The restaurant is an old converted church with nautical decor. It has really high ceilings and lots of decorative nooks. It was dimly lit and country music played lightly. We were sat at a wooden booth in the center of the restaurant and from here we enjoyed looking all around at old maps, collected glass bottles and the like that adorned the restaurant.

We shared a very generous order of mozzarella sticks for an appetizer. The marinara that came with them was glorified tomato sauce, but the sticks themselves were delicious. It's really hard to mess up fried cheese though, I imagine.

For my entree I ordered the shrimp stuffed with crabmeat stuffing. This came with a side ( I chose sauteed veggies) and choice of salad or soup (I chose salad). The salad was huge for a side salad. It trumped the entree salad (half portion) I had at California Pizza Kitchen last week that I paid $9 for. It was full of fresh lettuces, ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumbers. The sauteed veggies that came with my entree were also good. They were cooked tender crisp and not drowning in butter. The stuffed shrimp weren't really stuffed at all. What I was presented with were 6 tails poking out of a large gratin dish that was filled with bubbly creamy crabmeat stuffing. Upon further exploration, I found the rest of the shrimp body buried in the stuffing. The portion was very large and tasty! A squeeze from the lemon garnish finished it off perfectly.

My husband had a potato crusted tuna with a shrimp and lobster sauce. He loved it. I did have a taste of the sauce and it was really good. Oh how I miss tuna!

For dessert, we took home a chocolate cake layered with peanut butter mousse. It was heaven. Our experience at The Deckhouse was great. We'll definitely go back next time we're at Carolina Beach.

Photo of the Day - Gateway

Our gateway to a peaceful, fun weekend at Carolina beach.

Photo of the Day - Got crosses?

St. Peter and Paul church at Washington square, San Francisco.

Photo of the Day - Crooked

The beach seems to be on my mind a lot these days...

Photo of the Day - Wish I were there

Topsail beach, April 28, 2007.

Photo of the Day - No parking

This morning on my drive to work, the 7 or so miles that I'm on the freeway was backed up due to an accident. Fortunately, I was going the other direction. I'd still be there if I'd been stuck in that parking lot. It made me think of this photo I snapped in San Francisco.

Photo of the day - Pier 39 photo study

Alcatraz!

Looking back at the city from the end of the pier.

A view of the pier.

Flags to tell you where you are (in case you forget).

Cool carousel with paintings of all things wharf-related.

Kick ass mural by Wyland.

Photo of the day - All the bells and whistles

If you look closely, you can see the reflection of the building behind me in the bell. I love discovering things in photos that I noticed when I actually snapped the shot! I walked past the fire station when walking up to Fisherman's wharf. My father was a firefighter for around 20 years and I just had to take a photo :)

Photo of the day - I'd rather be fishing

No trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip up to see the sea lions. This one seemed so excited that I couldn't help but photograph him or her.

Cafe Pescatore - San Francisco

My last supper in San Francisco was eaten at Cafe Pescatore. They are located about 4 blocks from Pier 39, just north of North Beach. I was craving Italian and hadn't eaten any since I had been in San Francisco. One of the free guidebooks at the hotel had a coupon for a free antipasto plate to this place, and it looked pretty decent so I decided to check it out. I took the F line up to Fisherman's Wharf and walked.

They have nice outdoor seating and I was early (a theme with me these days) so I opted to dine al fresco. The menu was diverse and very affordable. I had a very friendly and helpful waiter (Grant I think was his name). It was the best service I had while dining in the city. I ordered the comped antipasto plate and was expecting something thrown together and small. What I was served was a lovely combination of fresh marinated veggies, cheese and salty Italian meats...Delicious!
For my entree I ordered the Fettucine Con Gamberetti. This was Spinach Fettuccine, Tiger Prawns, Roasted Garlic, Sundried Tomatoes, Basil in a Parmesan Cream Sauce. The prawns were perfectly seasoned and grilled. The cream sauce was the perfect thickness so that it clung to each meaty piece of fettucine. I devoured this dish so fast that I didn't get a photo of it. Sorry. Next time I go to San Francisco, I'll be sure to visit Cafe Pescatore. It was the best meal I had while I was there – excellent food, great service, good value and lovely atmosphere.

Photo of the day - High in Chinatown

I took this on my walk up to the wharf. Chinatown was bustling on a Saturday morning. Lots of people shopping and haggling over meats and produce. The sidewalks are narrow and full compared to the part of town I was staying in. I kept a rapid pace so as to not be accosted by merchants hahaha, but I did manage to snap a few photos along the way.

Fog Harbor Fish House - San Francisco

My first full day in San Francisco was leisurely. I woke up at 5 am (still on east coast time) and got an early start. Around 9 I decided to walk up to Fisherman's Wharf. I stayed at a cute little hotel in the heart of the best shopping and a 5 minute walk to the convention center. If ever in San Francisco, check out The Mosser. The room was tiny, but clean, modern and super cheap for the location. And really, how much time do you want to spend in the room, ya know?The walk was about 2 miles through chinatown and north beach, and it was a perfectly sunny day.
On to the review of the restaurant I ate at for lunch, the Fog Harbor Fish House. There are probably 20 different eateries on Pier 39 and I'm not sure what made me pick this one. Perhaps the fact that it was less likely to have loud children and it was elevated, making for a nice view.I was in the mood for something seafoodesque and lots of veggies. The best veggies in the country are to be had in California and I always eat tons of salads when I visit. I was looking for a salad with grilled shrimp, but none was to be had (not entree size anyways). I decided on the crab melt sandwich. My friendly waiter offered up the sauteed veggies in lieu of the fries and I was thrilled to have the option at no additional cost. The crab melt was on fresh yummy sourdough, piled with fresh crab meat, a tiny bit of mayo, green onions, tomatoes (the only ones I saw my entire visit in the city) and melted jack. The sandwich was wonderful. The sourdough bread had the perfect combination of buttery crispiness. It matched very well to the mild sweetness of the crab and the zip of the green onions. The sauteed veggies were tender crisp, perfectly seasoned with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. The quality of the food was great, attentive and helpful service, the view was fantastic (that's Alcatraz in the distance) and no loud children were to be had.

Photo of the day - Steep hills and cable car thrills

Sweet. I didn't even see the kiss when I took this photo :)
San Francisco was breezy and chilly (compared to here). Fun city with lots to do! I'll blog more about it later. Some day I'd like to go see Muir woods and do a winery tour or four. I'm very happy to be back home!

Photo of the day - Seussian trees

This tree-lined hilltop intrigued me during our stay in St. Lucia. It looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. I took lots and lots of photos of it, with hopes that I'd end up with one good one. The best one (in my opinion) was the one I took on the morning of our departure.Oh and as a side note, I'll be travelling for the next week and should return with some fun photos and food experiences! San Francisco here I come!

St. Lucia botanical study

As I previously mentioned, we took a day trip around the island. This included a tour of the botanical gardens. And of course, lots and lots of photos of the botanical sort. Some of my favorite plant photos from around the island.