A Trip to the Orchard

In an attempt to cross #5 off of my Twelve by 2012 list I took a Saturday afternoon jaunt to the local orchard and 'pick your own' field. Now, being in the desert, we don't have the towering trees and and vast landscapes one imagines when thinking of an apple orchard. Let's face it, 100°F weather just isn't conducive to tree growth and maturation. That considered, Gilcrease is a pretty wonderful place. Rows upon rows of apple and pear trees followed by a respectable vegetable field (even a pumpkin patch for Halloween). I had the worst timing as they had just run out of apples, but it was nice to wander around just the same. I will return again another day, hopefully with more success. On the bright side? Apple cider doughnuts fresh from the frier. I don't think it gets any better than that.

Babycakes

Today I come with praise for one of my new favorite breakfast restaurants. A few months ago I was driving by my old neighborhood and a new sign caught my eye, Babycakes. Curious, mom and I stopped in before work one morning and we've been hooked ever since. We've since tried most of their pancake varieties, but the flavor I keep coming back to is the red velvet. To preface how amazing these are I have to confess that I am not typically a huge fan of either red velvet or pancakes in general. That said, these are amazing. The cake is both decadently dense and wonderfully fluffy. The chocolate taste is subtle enough to not be overpowering so early in the morning. Topped with cream cheese syrup and homemade whipped cream and these are absolute bliss. If you ever find yourself on the Northwest side of Las Vegas I recommend that you give Babycakes a go.

(disclaimer; this post was in no way sponsored, I simply enjoyed this too much to not mention them)

Town Square

When I was typing up my post yesterday I realized that I've mentioned Town Square quite a few times here, but haven't shared any photos. It's an outdoor mall and park of sorts just off of the Las Vegas strip and it is one of my favorite places in town. I immediately fell in love with the architecture and beautifully designed lanterns as well as the large beds of greenery, flowers, and the water feature in the main square. It is a little oasis in the desert.

One of the hallways of shops, a little off of the main area.


The view when entering the area. I love the lanterns particularly in this shot.


A few of the metal wind sculptures out on the side of the area. They're so graceful in the breeze.

Loving Las Vegas

In the past living in Las Vegas has been a struggle for me. I grew up in a seaside town, full of lush greenery so moving to the desert where high temperatures and a lack of gardens is the norm was hard. As it looks like I'm going to be here for a few more years I'm going to start making the most of it. There are little gems nestled amongst the rocks here, and I'm determined to search them out. I'll be sharing some of my favorite places and seeking out some new experiences. I'm looking forward to this new adventure of exploring my own town and seeing things from a new perspective.

This got me thinking, what are some of your favorite things about where you live? Have you had to make the most of living somewhere that didn't feel like home? Any tricks of the trade to share?

On The Right Foot

1. gift box cake, 2. let it rain stars, 3. Awaiting Doors, 4. Walruses bento

Happy Monday everyone! Welcome to my weekly post where I will be sharing some of the flickr photos that inspire me, things I loved about the previous week, things I'm looking forward to, and some of my favorite links. Please feel free to join me either in comments or via your own blog, I would love to see what's inspiring you ❤

★ Blogathon 2009 | Now that I'm nice and rested I can look back at this weekend and declare the blogathon a success. Though I was tired (and starting to not feel well) I think this was the best year yet. I was able to raise $20 for First Book (and their link will be staying in the sidebar if you're interested in donating, but aren't able to right now) and I had a blast posting and talking to some awesome people. I would like to give special thanks to the site maintainers that made this year possible, my awesome monitor (and everyone who stopped by with a comment) for keeping me going, and an extra special thanks to Dave and Noelle for their donations. I already have some fun ideas brewing for next year.

☆ Family Staycation | Both my mom and stepdad had the week off last week for the sole purpose of staying at home and relaxing around town. It was a blast hanging out, going shopping, spending hours with good books, watching movies, and trying some new spots of interest around town. Bliss.

★ Good Football | This weekend had quite a lot of hit. The two highlights for me were Seattle v. Chicago and AC Milan v. Inter Milan. Neither of my favorite teams pulled a victory, but both put on a fun match to watch.

☆ Tasty Cupcakes | I plan on doing a full post on this, but I couldn't resist mentioning it in the meantime. Recently there was a post on Bakerella about Retro Bakery in Las Vegas. I don't live in that area of town and therefore hadn't seen it before so mom and I felt that a little drive was in order. It was so worth it. We both had the Milk & Cookies variety and it was simply amazing. I'm looking forward to sampling the Maple Bacon next (I am intrigued by the thought of bacon in a cupcake).

☆ Things I'm Anticipating | getting my transcripts in so I can apply at the school district • new books to read and movies to see • making a dent in my new to-do list • ... and so much more!

bright pink peony love @ green wedding shoes • paper flower madness (a tutorial) @ a fanciful twist • picking perfect pink paint @ making it lovely

A Day in the Park

For Memorial Day weekend I spent the day at the Springs Preserve for their A Taste of Shakespeare event. In their outdoor amphitheaters (as pictured above) local actors performed a major scene from six of Shakespeare's plays. It was a lovely way to spend a day and the actors did an excellent job (especially considering how hot they must have been in their costumes). In addition to the plays that had live orchestra music playing and booths of enticing confections (I was able to have my first taste of fresh fairy floss in years - thanks to mom for holding it so I could get a clear photo).

I love that they're doing more events at the preserve. It's a beautiful location filled to the brim with natural desert plants and examples of desert landscaping (a major goal of the preserve is to educate the public on conservation and green living). This is a good time of year to go as the flowers are in bloom and the colors of nature are so vibrant.

the aforementioned fairy floss


these trees were everywhere, their blossoms are so light and ethereal


a more traditional example of desert landscaping


these were such a beautiful, vibrant green


this little meadow area was filled with a variety of purple hues


this little stream made such a relaxing sound