Borrego Springs Serpent Sculpture road trip.

Artistst, Ricardo Breceda, has brought to life giant metal sculptures that reside in the open land of Borrego Springs. These works of art are giant size. Some are about 350-feet long and approximately 40-feet tall. They are impressive to see first-hand. Photos do not do just to the art pieces just sitting in the middle of sand. A well planned road trip is necessary to visit all 130 full-sized metal sculptures.  We visited a few on a one trip. After the trip, we were left with wanting to visit again. Continue reading to get more information on how to plan your road trip. 

Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce and visitor center offers information these beautiful works of art. Make sure to stop by their office to get information on where to eat and a map of the 130 free standing steel sculptures. 

Borrego Springs at night is beautiful.  Just look at these beautiful images that were captured this past spring. 

Directions to Borrego Springs Dragon/ Serpent location: 

1624 Borrego Springs Rd, Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Sky Art Desert Sculpture Garden Galleta Meadows Estate, location:

1299 Borrego Springs Rd, Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Borrego Springs Scorpion Sculpture location:

700-898 Big Horn Rd, Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Giant Eagle sculpture location:

3800-3898 Anzio Dr, Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Make sure to check weather conditions before traveling to Anza Borrego Desert.

Road trips can sometimes have a few surprises. We suggest to pack a lunch and snacks as well as making sure you have enough gasoline in your vehicle. Have fun exploring Southern California this holiday season. 

Solvang, Old Mission Santa Inez and one Ostrich farm.

Solvang, California located north of Santa Barbara is a beautiful weekend trip to take your family. The city is well-known for their Danish-style architecture, food, and shops.  It is also host to a beautiful Spanish mission.

The Old Mission Santa Ines was built in the early 1800's Franciscan Church and welcomes all. Besides having great architecture and rich history, Solvang is home to an Emu and Ostrich farm which is a must see. Your kids will love this place but it is great fun for the whole family.

Located at: OSTRICHLAND USA

610 E Highway 246

Solvang, CA 93463

(805) 686-9696

The farm is host to Ostriches & Emus which will reach out to you for food. In the shop, you can purchase a bowl of feed for the feeding.  I do not recommend kids younger than 10 years old to feed the birds because Ostriches do bite.  They are also very aggressive eaters. Make sure you follow the rules and watch your children at all times. Warning: Kids will not want to leave.

The Emus are slightly smaller birds but have a Jurassic Park / Dinosaur quality to them.  These birds have a signature growl and can run extremely fast!  Listen for their signature call.  If you have ever been to a chicken or turkey farm, you can tell by the signature smell in the air.  This farm was very clean, no odor and very fun to feed the birds.

Ostriches lay eggs the size of cantaloupe melon.  These eggs are full of protein, have more egg whites than chicken eggs and hold the equivalent of 20 large eggs.  The shell is very thick and hard to crack, unlike a chicken egg. We spoke to the farm owners who tell us how healthy and delicious Ostrich eggs are.  Take a trip to the City of Solvang and make sure to visit the Ostrichland USA Ostrich Farm.

For more information:https://www.solvangusa.com/

Homemade Hummus Summer Recipe.

It is hot this summer and dips and salads are a welcome meal. PBS Foods has this easy recipe for hummus. When I look for easy to do recipes, I usually go to PBS Foods. I wanted to share this easy recipe. Click to get the full instructions: Homemade Hummus: Make a big batch of homemade hummus to share with friends and family. 

Ingredients you will need and might already have in your kitchen.

1 pound garbanzo beans, soaked overnight in cool water

3 small garlic cloves, peeled 

1/2 cup water 

1/4 cup tahini 

Juice from 1 1/2 lemons

Salt to taste (about 1 tablespoons) 

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as a garnish

food processor or blender

 See the complete receipe at PBS Food.

Disclosure: This is from PBS Foods. The ingredients are different than the original recipe less salt and garlic. Please visit PBS Foods to get the complete process. 

California Citrus State Historic Park family field trip.

Our family field trip to the California Citrus State Historic Park proved to be very informative. Did you know that citrus has a rich history and its origin is Asia? Citrus traveled by boat to Brazil, California, Florida, and even parts of Europe during the seventeen hundreds (1700-1799 AD). Two rare citrus finds include species named Buddha's Hand and the Yellow Tiger Lemon. At this historic park, you will find these rare types of citrus. The parks' museum and visitor's center offers citrus history as well as samples of the different types of fruit. 

California is great for growing Buddha Hand Citrus. The park has a few trees that are located near the front of the museum. The fruit cannot be found in local groceries stores.  

While in the museum, volunteers share slices of the oranges, lemons, and grapefruit that grow on the grounds. Make sure to stop by the sampling table and taste all of them. They are sweet and very yummy. It is best you stop there first before walking around the orange groves because picking the fruit is not allowed. So get your fill of citrus inside at the museum. 

The park is about 240 acres big and perfect to hike, picnic and just relax. It is recommended that you check the weather as it can get very hot. When we visited it was 91 degrees and it was a little warm. We drove to the corner to buy oranges and water to stay cool.

California Citrus State Historic Park is located at:
9400 Dufferin Ave Riverside, CA 92503
Tip: Bring cash for entrance fee $5.00. Across the street, they sell oranges and beverages but is cash only. Wear comfortable shoes and check the weather before traveling. 
You can visit their website at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649 or call them at 951-780-6222. For more information on booking their facility for Weddings and parties, call 951-515-6689.  More information can be found on their website.
Source: 
https://californiacitruspark.com/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/02/explore-food-citrus-genetics/

Ongoing research - https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/46428

Public Art in Southern California.

Exploring the city of Long Beach might leave you breathless this summer because of all the street art that has been brought to life. The city has been participating in the Pow Wow Festival since 2015. This international art festival began in Hawaii with only a few artists to help bring awareness to art, culture, and music. It is a movement that has been part of  Southern California in an effort to bring communities together. Just walk through the streets of Downtown Long Beach to see how art transformed this city. We photographed this public art wall in downtown Long Beach just a few weeks ago. Standing there you could feel the wind pushing us closer to the wall. 

Cinta Vidal

425 E 4th StLong Beach, CA 90802

A  happy and colorful painting of vegetables is waiting for the public to visit at 967 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90802. 

Another remarkable painting is a few blocks away at 1253 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90802.

To find more information regarding street art. Please go to their website: http://powwowhawaii.com/about-pow-wow-hawaii/ 
or
http://www.powwowlongbeach.com/murals/

New Murals coming to Long Beach, CA  2018

Andrew Hem
1129 Gaviota Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805
CASE
404 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805
Fafi
741 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90813
Fintan Macgee & Evoca1
300 Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90805
Jason Keam
4321 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805
Joon the Goon
625 Anaheim, Long Beach, CA 90805
Juan Travieso
1253 E 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Kamea Hadar
60 E 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Kaplan Bunce
333 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90805
KozDos
1731 E 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Leon Keer
107 Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90805
Lolo YS
145 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90805
Ms. Yellow
2841 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90805
NeverMade
256 E 3rd Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Noelle Martinez
5248 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90805
Shane Sun
416 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90805
Shantell Martin
1923 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Sydney James
2301 E 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Tatiana Velazquez
1731 E 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805
Wiley Wallace
70 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Ant-Man and the Wasp movie review!

Ant-Man and the Wasp did not disappoint. This is a great week to attend the movie-theatre because of the great movie choices. As a family, we enjoy super-hero movies and comic books. So, Ant-Man and the Wasp movie was a perfect choice.  Check out their movie trailer.  

We left the theatre feeling we could be superheroes too!

Superhero Field Trip Mom uses her super-power the credit card to defeat summer boredom. Movie coming soon!!!

Disclaimer- sources https://www.marvel.com/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp

2018 Public Fireworks Shows

The 4th of July is upon us and its time for BBQ's, Swimming Pools, Family, Friends and Fireworks.  For the safety of everyone's children, elders and pets, visit one of these amazing community fireworks displays instead of buying and lighting your own stand bought or illegal fireworks.  Stay safe this holiday season, light your BBQ, not illegal fireworks!

Aliso Viejo - 4th of July event - Find out more and plan ahead. Visit their link to get more information on 4th of July celebration.  

http://www.avca.net/editor_upload/File/Event%20Flyers/July%204th%20Celebration%202018%20Final.pdf

Knott's Berry Farm  - Season holders and summer fans will love their annual celebration. Direct link to Knotts.

https://www.knotts.com/play/events/july-4th-fireworks

Dana Point  - Calendar of events and a direct link to 4th of July celebration. 

http://www.danapoint.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/11680/68

Doheny State Beach - 4th of July Extravaganza- Direct link to their website.

http://www.dohenystatebeach.org/ehttp://www.wva.org/page/21440~342608/Recreation-Newsvent-items/4th-of-july-fireworks-extravaganza/

Irvine - Woodbrige Village Associate - 4th of July Neighborhood celebration. Requires wristband and early sign-up. Link to their site is here:

http://www.wva.org/page/21440~342608/Recreation-News

Ladera Ranch - 4th of July neighborhood celebration - Visit their website for more information on times for the firework display. 

http://www.laderaranch-realestate.com/ladera-ranch-events.php

Laguna Hills - Fourth of July celebration starts at 4:00 PM- Carnival Rides, Activities, Music, Food Booths Open 4:00-8:00 PM- Patriotic Crafts & Face Painting 9:00 PM- Mayor's Welcome 9:10 PM- Fireworks

https://www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=262&month=7&year=2018&day=4&calType=0

Mission Viejo Street Faire - The fun begins at 12:00 noon with live entertainment on the Main Stage and youth bands performing on our Freedom Stage. There will be rides for the kiddies to enjoy. Food and Game Booths operated by local service groups will be available to delight your taste buds and bring fun and laughter to the little ones. There will also be over 30 booths with wonderful craft and gift ideas. Admission is FREE with tickets being sold for games and rides. For your convenience, a free shuttle will operate from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Shuttle stops are located at twelve stops clearly marked around Lake Mission Viejo. Please no pets, skateboards or roller blades, bicycles or barbecue grills are allowed.

http://mvactivities.com/july-4th-entertainment/

Tustin - Tustin High School Stadium, 1171 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA, 92780
The fun begins at 6:30pm. Arrive early to get seats. Bring canned goods and donate to a worthy cause, "Homeless Veterans". Click on the link and see the flyer for the 4th of July celebration details. 
http://www.tustinca.org/civicax/calendar/inc/blobfetch.aspx?BlobID=28324

Yorba Linda -4th of July celebration is one of Yorba Linda's most beloved traditions, the event will be held on Wednesday, July 4, 2018  at Veterans Parkand Yorba Linda Middle School.  The entertainment and activities will begin at 5 p.m. and the "Fireworks Spectacular" will begin at 9 p.m.

https://www.yorbalindaca.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=57