DIY GOLDEN CHRISTMAS TREE CENTERPIECES – A TUTORIAL I’m feeling a little nostalgic today. I’ll try not to get too gushy though. It’s just that it seems like yesterday when my son Taylor was a senior at Rim of the World High School. Now he’s a senior at Duke University and he lives in that […]
THE COLLEGE CARE PACKAGE – “SOFT, MOIST & CHEWY OATMEAL WALNUT COOKIES” Those of you out there with kids away at college will relate to this. My second born son, Taylor, is a senior at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. That happens to be 2,483 miles away from me! He stayed at Duke this […]
“HOLY TOLEDO” – A VISIT TO THE CATHEDRAL OF TOLEDO, SPAIN “Holy Toledo” isn’t just an expression! The historic walled city in central Spain known as Toledo is positively packed with religious sites. The city is often compared to Jerusalem and its historical landscape has been called biblical. That is because this very unique and richly diverse […]
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT WALLED CITY OF TOLEDO, SPAIN When people ask me for advice about where to go in Spain, I always say, “Start in Madrid.” Madrid is centrally located geographically in the center of Spain and is a major airline hub. But more importantly, beyond the attractions and beauty of Madrid is the […]
Just up the street from Botin lies another of Madrid’s famous restaurants, Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. http://www.lascuevasdeluiscandelas.com/ Las Cuevas means “the caves” in Spanish and this restaurant is actually housed in caves located under the Arco de Cuchilleros. In the early 1800’s these caves were a hideout for a famous bandit known as Luis Candelas. The legend of Luis Candelas lived on when in 1949 the caves were purchased by a famous Spanish Bullfighter named Felix Colomo Diez and turned into the restaurant it is today. I have vivid memories of enjoying delicious meals here too when I was a young girl visiting Madrid with my dad. At that time the bullfighter himself greeted the guests and meeting him left a lasting impression in my memories of Spain. I remember the walls of the restaurant being decorated with bullfighting paraphernalia which was impressive to a wide eyed 11 year old. I returned here many times on subsequent visits to Spain but did not have time for a visit on this trip.
CHOCOLATERIA SAN GINES – CHURROS & CHOCOLATE IN MADRID, SPAIN As a first generation American of Spanish descent, I have visited Spain many, many times over the course of my lifetime. My father was raised in Spain and although he no longer lives there, Spain will always be his home. At the age of 11 […]
Day Two in Madrid, Spain So, as it turns out, we flew 5,829 miles to see our son Taylor in Madrid, only to discover that he would be leaving the next day to embark on his own Iberian Odyssey, without us! A last minute trip had been planned to the north of Spain with one […]
Hola! Please join us on our Iberian Odyssey – First stop Madrid, Spain. This is my son Taylor. You know, the one who goes to school 2,483 miles away at Duke University in North Carolina. That doesn’t look like his dorm room at Duke you say? Well, you’d be right. Because for the summer of […]
After Orange County is a publication dedicated to living life in the slow lane. I escaped The OC for life at a higher elevation. Leaving suburbia behind, I now live in the beautiful mountain resort of Lake Arrowhead. Join me at 5,000 feet above and beyond as I cook, garden, renovate, entertain, travel and live life After Orange County.
