Backpacking to the Devil's Punchbowl

Now that summer is here (even though we are still in full June gloom mode) I hope you will take the opportunity to get outside and have an adventure.

We threw some gear in our packs, called some friends and went out on a last minute backpacking adventure to Cedar Creek Falls and the Devil's Punchbowl just outside of Julian.



The hike in was easy as it was all downhill. We got a little lost and took a couple slightly dangerous shortcuts but thats all part of the fun.



We camped out by the creek and gazed at the stars that night.





The next day we hiked down to the bottom of the falls and swam in the punchbowl. The water felt so good and the rope swing was a blast.



The hike home was some work. It was all uphill and in the heat of the afternoon. We brought lots of water and took some breaks to let the breeze cool us off.

We stopped just outside of Julian to get some amazing sandwiches and found a fudge place that sold jalapeno fudge which was ridiculously good so we bought some.

Once we got home, showered and unpacked we were exhausted. We had plans to go visit family up in LA but that turned into napping on the couch with our puppies.

We had a blast and I hope you take some time to have a last minute adventure this summer. Just throw some food and water in a bag and go for a hike. Get outside and enjoy the beauty.

Ben..

See all the photos from the hike

spring is coming...

The weather hasn't fully caught up yet, but spring is coming.
My garden has grown like crazy!
I finally posted some pics of the garden project at my new site http://www.trulysimple.com/

Cowboy Monty

no we didn't buy the hat.

A visit with Scotty

Our friend Scotty is moving down to SoCal with us and he came down to visit us and to interview at the college near us. We had a great visit

Monty Likes Scotty

Went to Moonlight beach for some fun and smores

throwing the ball around

nice sunset

hanging around the campfire

3 pretty girls

Big Family Easter

naptime

Meet Monty

This is our new dog Monty.

He is terribly ferocious

He likes leafs

and he's awfully cute

Meet our new dog Monty.

Sledding with the family on Valentines Day

We all went up to the mountains to go sledding on Valentines day.

6 kids + 8 adults + $2 inner tubes = the most fun we have ever had.

These are the most fun pictures you'll ever see.






Chara took all of these photos and they are all great. The rest of the pictures are on facebook.

11 years ago today

We were married.

these are not the droids you are looking for

Some good simple food rules

saw this and really liked it

When it comes to our diet, we often get advice to “eat healthier” or to “eat more fresh foods and less junk.” But those recommendations are too fuzzy to be effective. For people to change, they’ve got to know exactly what’s expected of them.

Enter Michael Pollan, whose Food Rules are clear and pragmatic:

#11 Avoid foods you see advertised on television.

#36 Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.

#58 Do all your eating at a table.

For more rules and Pollan’s explanations for each one, check out this article.

If you are trying to change behavior at home or at work — even if the change has nothing to do with nutrition — you’d do well to use these rules as a template.

Think i'll try to incorporate some of them into this next years resolutions of eating healthy

Ben...

Vegas baby

Vegas was great. The Muse concert was amazing. Chara and i both getting sick was unplanned for and not all that appreciated. But we had a good time and are happy to be home

Christmas Desserts

Despite cutting my thumb with our new knives that are WAY too sharp, i still made some awesome desserts

Chocolate Eclair Dessert
Eclair Dessert recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 individual packages graham crackers
• 2 (3 ounce) packages instant french vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate fudge frosting

Directions

Line the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan with graham crackers. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Stir well. Stir in whipped topping to pudding mixture. Spread mixture over graham cracker layer. Top with another layer of graham crackers (you can frost these too) and remaining pudding. Top all with a final layer of graham crackers and frost with chocolate frosting. Refrigerate until serving.

Apple Crumble Pie

This was just some apple crumble mix thing i bought at the store and added butter to. no recipe.

December Nights

December Nights in Balboa Park was awesome. We had a great time with friends, had some great food and just had a great time.