Folk Art and Mexican food at Tio's Tacos in Riverside.

Tio's Tacos Restaurant in Riverside, CA offers great Mexican food and Folk Art. The combination of the two makes for a great family field trip. The owner, Martin Sanchez, has created a unique place for locals to come eat and enjoy art made from recycled bottles, wire, dishes, toys and other unwanted trash. We had heard about the place through a friend who recommended their tacos. 

We parked in the back and entered through the Art path. Immediately we were met by several pieces of recycled bottles made into walls. There was so much to see that it was impactful the minute we started the self-guided tour.  The art pieces outside share a common theme of "trash is in the eye of the beholder". 

Tio's Tacos patio is a look into the mind of a creative person who sees possibilities and second chances.  As we walked through the place it was evident that the love of art lives here. Recycled bottles were turned into walls and hundreds of cans became large statues with the help of metal and wire. Broken tiles were repurposed and made into a church dome and so on. It was incredible to imagine that all of the materials were once on their way to the city dump?

We recommend that you visit with your family. Please be careful with the glass and do not touch any of the pieces, please. 

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, King of the Missions.

Travel to San Diego and experience a piece of history. California is home to 21 Spanish Missions that were instrumental in changing history. One of them is Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, which is considered the king mission. Between 1769 and 1833, Spain established Catholic outposts known as Missions to introduce Christianity to the Native Americans. Today, we can visit this historical place and take a peek into the past.

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is located 4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057.

What you should know before you visit.

History: Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside (San Diego) -SECULARIZATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. The first Spanish Franciscans to enter Upper California had intended to turn the local hunter-gatherer people into farmers, ranchers, craftsmen, and faithful practicing Catholic Christians. From the Franciscan point of view, mission lands and other secular properties were being held in trust until such time as the Indians became “people of reason” and full citizens of the Spanish Empire. The promise that mission lands would be returned to the Indians was codified by decree of the Spanish Cortes in 1813. That promise was also implied in a number of laws passed by the Mexican government in the 1820s and 1830s. 

Walking through this holy site you can feel the past wanting to be uncovered. The cemetery is located next door to the church. As you walk inside the cemetery, you can see the names of the past residents who once cared for the mission. The dates on some of the headstones date back to 1830. Among the buried are many Native Americans who lived inside the mission. It is a beautiful place, yet you could feel the sadness. Downhill from the Mission, you will find the Lavanderia. Native Americans would use this station for laundry washing, and watering the fields and gardens. They hosted a water system that sustained the entire mission.

Within the Lavanderia, there remains many reminders of the early California's. We found fruit trees, cactus and other plants that might have been used as a food source for the Native Americans and the Catholic priests / Franciscan. 

The Native American tribes that lived in the area were the Shoshone/ Luiseño & Diegueño Mission Indians / Native Americans. In the museum, you will find many artifacts that remain as reminders of the work these Native Americans were tasked to do. Building, cooking and maintaining the grounds was the responsibility of the Native Americans. They were also instrumental in keep outsiders from invading the area. 

CREDIT: "Shoshone or snake Chief / Carter's View Emporium, East Temple Street, Salt Lake City." [between 1867 and 1896]. History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library from the Library of Congress. Reproduction Number: X-32320 

The mission serves as great reminder of our California history. Today, you can visit the mission and even go on retreat. The mission hosts many events including a Pow Wow. It is a great place to spend a Saturday wondering the grounds and remembering the people that made history. If you visit remember to pack a picnic lunch and bring cash for the museum. Enjoy your adventure and travel often. 

Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Last self-guided tour begins at 4:30 p.m. 

Fees: 

Adults $7

Seniors (65+) $5

Youth (ages 6-18) $3

Active Military and dependents, free of charge

Ages 5 & under, free of charge 

Disclaimer: Not a sponsored post. All thoughts and ideas are all my own.

Anaheim Packing District near Disneyland.

Anaheim Packing District offers food experiences like no other in Orange County. Here, you can find Grill Cheese sandwiches, Comfort Foods, Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Mexican street tacos. It reminded us of vintage Los Angeles because of the boutique style eateries. Walking through the  Anaheim Packing District, we could see large seating areas filled with people eating and socializing. Locals come to find bites that remind them of home cooking. Others visit to try fancy drinks and gelato.  The Snow Monster offers teas and lemonades with cotton candy. Pop Bar offers gelato on a stick which reminds me of Mexican Paletas covered in chocolate and other toppings. These two places are very popular with the young at heart. 

Located: 440 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92805.

We suggest that you walk around and take a peek before choosing a place to eat. Try several places, we suggest that you order family style and share. We did on our visit and it proved to be a very good experience. There were no leftovers and the entire family had a unique foodie adventure.

The OC Register says:"The Anaheim Packing District is an open, airy culinary marketplace with soaring ceilings and suspended air plants. The renovated citrus processing plant is 42,000-square-feet. The building was restored using $9 million in redevelopment funds."

Restaurants at the Packing House and their website to help plan your visit. 

• Adya - http://adyaoc.com/#about-intro
• Blacksheep - https://www.facebook.com/blacksheepgrilledcheesebar/
• Blind Rabbit - http://theblindrabbit.com/
• BXCR -  http://www.bxcrwinebar.com/
• Cafecito Organico - https://cafecitoorganico.cratejoy.com/
• The Chippy -  http://www.thechippyfishnchips.com/
• Crêpe Coop - http://www.crepecoop.com/
• Ecco Pizza -  http://www.eccopizza.com/
• Georgia Southern Comfort Food - http://georgias-restaurant.com/

• Hammer Bar - https://www.facebook.com/hammerworkshopandbar/
• Han's Homemade - http://www.hanshomemade.com/locations/
• Iron Press - http://www.theironpress.com/#our-story-1
• Kettle Bar - http://www.kettlebar.com/
• The Kroft - http://www.thekroft.com/
• Lemon Drop  - https://www.facebook.com/lemondropjuice/
• Orange Tei  - https://www.facebook.com/orangetei/

• Pandor Bakery - http://pandorbakery.com/
• Pop Bar - http://www.pop-bar.com/
• Sawleaf - http://www.sawleaf.com/
• Snow Monster - http://snowmonsteroc.com/
• Urbana - http://www.urbanaanaheim.com/
• Little Vitaly - http://www.vitaly.net/home
• Anaheim Brewery - http://www.anaheimbrew.com/
• Umami Burger - https://www.umamiburger.com/
  

History: In 1915, there were over 20,000 acres of orange groves in Orange County. By 1936, Orange County supplied approximately one-six of the nation's Oranges - Valencia crop. Orange County once hosted over five million citrus trees that included Lemons, grapefruit, and limes. When you visit Anaheim Packing District look for the railroad tracks that carried citrus gold. Have fun on your travels!!!

Cutting the Cord from Cable TV

This past Christmas, I decided there was plenty of options for television and started looking into cutting our reliance on cable TV.  You know, that $150 -$200 dollar expense every month that is similar to your daily fix, also known as a large Mocha Latte for $4.95 / day.

Photo credit: Roku

Our family is locked into the Cox Communications family because of our location.  Unfortunately, there are no other competitors to provide even an ounce of savings to subscribers locally.  My guess is you are a family member to Time Warner, U-Verse, Cox, Dish or Direct TV or if outside of California, you have one service provider for your city.  All of these companies look forward to creating a bundle package including high speed Internet and Phone services in order to increase revenue.  These companies coax you in by offering you a deeply discounted monthly rate for bundling these services for 1 year however lock you in for a 2 year commitment.  On the 13th month of your contract however, the monthly service fee doubles. As a result of many years of paying ridiculous cable bills, I decided to start looking around for options.

In the past, options have been limited however shifts in programming are helping consumers more and more.  We invested in two Roku boxes for both of our TVs then purchased monthly subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu.  We went out to purchase an indoor amplified TV antenna however we are too far away from the towers to easily obtain local HD programming over the air waves.  Instead of installing an outdoor antenna, we continued paying our cable company for services.  Soon, we found ourselves reaching for the Roku remote more and more accessing last weeks TV episodes on Hulu by ABC, NBC, and CBS and getting extremely invested in Netflix Original Programming like Longmire, Bloodline and more.  Don't get me wrong, we still used our cable box for our favorites like Family Feud and reruns of Mike and Molly on channel 9.  And who could miss, Judge Judy and The Peoples Court!  Not us!!!  

Well...today is an exciting day for the tech geek I am.  Alma just looks at me with a "What is your problem!" kind of stare, but I have learn to move past it continuing with my excited "boy with a new toy" demeanor.  Sony PlayStation has release in the greater Los Angeles area, check your area for availability, PlayStation Vue.  Vue is Live TV and host to previously run episodes of all of your favorite cable TV channels / shows for a very affordable price, Pricing is as follows, 60 channels for $40, 75 channels for $45 and 100 channels for $55.  For sometime now, the only way your could access VUE was through your Sony PlayStation system.  However, the price is not the only exciting piece of this story....NOW everyone can access PlayStation VUE through their Roku and Android applications.  Additional devices include Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, IPad, and IPhone.  A High Speed Internet connection is required and you should check with your service provider on download speeds to ensure you have enough bandwidth to be able to access TV on all of your devices.  Take into account your children may be on the internet doing homework or playing video games while your wife watches The Shahs of Sunset in the family room and you watch The Olympic Games in Rio.

I can tell you this, we just started our 7 day free trial of PlayStation Vue and it is great.  You can watch live TV or scroll through your favorite programs for an episode you missed last week.  Do you have a new show that you haven't seen but your co-workers are talking about?  Start at season one and catch up with your friends using Play Station Vue.  There are add on options including Showtime, Epix and other add ons available for an additional charge. 

Guess where I will be this weekend?  "HELLO COX! HERE ARE YOUR CABLE BOXES!  I WOULD LIKE TO...."  If you have some favorite shows, enjoy them at your convenience and when your busy schedule allows.  Cut the cable cord and save yourself money with the help of PlayStation Vue!  Start your free trial today at PlayStation Vue.   

Written by guest blogger and partner
Tim Bosek

Disclaimer: No cable boxes were hurt in the making of this post. Personal blog all opinions are all my own.