Thematic Photographic - What's for Dinner?

Carmi at the blog Written, Inc. posts a weekly photo challenge. This week, the theme is "What's for dinner?"

Carmi says, For the next week, look more deeply into our kitchens, restaurants and other venues where we gather to break bread and discuss the day just completed. It could be a picture of food, a peek inside your fridge or pantry, or something remotely related to the place where dinner is shared.

A Brouwerij West Blonde from Palo Verdes.

 How about beer?

I'm not much of beer drinker - I prefer wine, mostly. But this weekend we went to a place in the Los Angeles Arts District called the Little Bear.

They have a great selection of Belgian-style beers and ales, and also great pub food.

A pink tinge, a malty sweetness with a dry, tart finish

In honor of the political "War on Women" I had a glass of Feminist Ale from Redondo Beach's Monkish Brewing Company. It's a Belgian-style tripel ale, spiced with hibiscus. Mmmm! Tasty! With extra feminazi spicing!

I also had a comforting bowl of tomato soup and a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Yum.

[The Man I Love] had what you might call LA style moules marinieres - mussels with Mexican chorizo. Delicious!

The ugly face of dog-poo fascism

My rural neighborhood is full of dogs. Almost every house is home to a dog - or two. Neighbors meet one another while dog-walking. Some of us are known by our dog's name, instead of our own human name. 

No one likes dog poop dropped on their property, or near the mailbox, or where the car is parked. I carry a little dispenser of plastic bags when I go out with Jack, to pick up his droppings, and so do most of my neighbors.

Last week, some signs appeared on our street, stapled to utility poles. In a kind of perky, passive aggressive slightly guilt-tripping way, they exhorted us to pick up our dog's poop.

But then a few days later, new signs appeared.

They read:

 "The law requires pet owners to clean up after their dogs. It seems Encina Road is ignoring the law. It is an environmental hazard since the waste goes down storm drains and is unhealthy.
We know who you are and will report you to the proper agency.
Please carry a bag and clean up so we can all enjoy our environment."

I like the arch, accusatory touch of "it seems Encina Road is ignoring the law." The chilling fascist touch "we know who you are" - right out of a scary movie. And how, despite the concern about the environment, the author of this sign has stapled it to our beautiful and protected Coast Live Oak trees. And the nice touch of "please" in the final sentence. All it's missing is a smiley face and "have a nice day!"

You know the old saying:

First they came for the dog walkers
and I didn't speak out because I don't have a dog.
Then they came for the leaf-blowers that work before 8:00 am
and I didn't speak out because I don't hire a gardener.
Then they came for those who mingle their recycling with landfill waste
and I didn't speak out because I always recycle.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

With some apologies to Pastor Niemoller.

There are always going to be bossy scolds in our lives but this one seems particularly apt to Topanga to me. There is a rich vein of this kind of environmental moralist scold in Topanga, I'm sorry to say. 

How do you cope with the holier-than-thou in your neighborhood, home, or workplace?

Happy ending!

Nice to see it turned out the way I wanted it to!

I voted

My polling place

Did you?

Feeling optimistic

I interviewed for a job transfer today and I feel pretty good about it.

Thinking back on the interview, there were some good moments and I can't really think of any bad ones.

The interview panel says they will complete all the interviews today and make a decision by Friday.

There isn't anything I can do about it now, so tonight I will sleep a good sleep.

Wish me luck. If I get this transfer, I will stay in my organization, keep earning the same pay, and maintain my retirement savings.

Plus, it sounds more and more like a pretty cool job.

Smokin'

A new restaurant on the scene in Santa Monica is called Tar and Roses - an odd name, perhaps. According to writer Jonathan Gold, it's a wine-geek phrase - a description of flavor notes divined from complex red wines.

And what could be more evocative than tar and roses on one's imaginary palate?

We visited Tar and Roses on a cool autumn night. We were seated in the back courtyard - a cozy brick-walled space open to the sky but warmed with heaters.  Like many new restaurants, the menu offers lots of small plates, things to share and nibble. Everything looked so delicious we took our time to decide.

Autumn sights

Persimmons at the Farmers Market

It's finally starting to feel like autumn here in Southern California. Here are some sights.

The weirdly wonderful blossoms of the southern hemisphere plant, protea.

 Red grape leaves in the chill of morning.

Brilliant multi-colored chiles and peppers, at the Farmers Market.

Golden cauliflower, also at the Farmers Market.

The streets of Santa Monica

Darkness comes earlier, now that it's November - but soon we'll turn our clocks back. Does it feel like fall where you are?

Bad boy update

This morning, Jack and I encountered our friends Patty, Patricia and Lola the bull terrier. Jack and Lola were off-leash romping, when Jack retreated to the bushes to perform his morning toilette. Then, as we called him to rejoin us on the street, Jack gave us a look over his shoulder and bounded up the hill, running up a neighbor's driveway. He looked down on us for a moment, savoring the moment, then ran up behind the house and disappeared.

He's pulled this stunt before, running up the mountain to visit folks on the street above ours. I took the car up there and searched for him, shouting his name. To no avail - although I met several friendly neighbors.

Minutes after I left, [The Man I Love] reports, the bad boy came running back down the walk to the front door.

Jack is a scamp.

Mornings with Jack

Too much time has passed since Jack's last appearance on this page, so we'll remedy that today.

Jack is my good companion, and every morning we take a walk.

Click to "embiggen"

With the changing season, mornings have turned colder, and there's often a chill mist in the canyon. As we walk, the rising sun burns through the mist, or brightens the mountain across the canyon.

When we're back at my house, I tell Jack to sit on the street step, and I slip the lead off his head.

Click to "embiggen"

Then he takes off, running down the path to the front door.  Jack can run like the wind!

He waits for me on the porch, hungry for his breakfast!

There's your Weekly Jack.