TimeOut

The Tiny Truck, Uncle Jake's Farm & Other Adventures

 

It was a beautiful summer day, and I'd received an invitation to join Dr. No and Mrsnak for lunch in Camarillo, a town about an hour away from Los Angeles in neighboring Ventura County.  We met up at a favorite local eatery and watering hole called El Rey Cantina.  I was so super hungry after fighting traffic to get there that I forgot to take pictures of our lunch!!!!  It was delicious though, and I highly recommend doing what I did and following Mrsnak's suggestion to try any of the tacos.  I had a delightful fish taco, a tempura lobster taco, and the "Diablo" taco, which was the restaurant's take on a spiced carne asada.  Mrsnak had fish tacos and Dr. No had a good-looking salad with grilled shrimp.  Sorry I forgot to snap pictures for all of you!  Perhaps, Dr. No or Mrsnak will return to eat there again soon and can catalog the food for you in photos.

I did however get pictures of my favorite little car in the world, the infamous SNAKMOBILE!  The Snakmobile, officially known as a Morris Minor 1000 pickup truck, has made appearances on the TimeOut forum before, but I had never seen it in person.  It is even cuter "in the metal." 

The cutest car in the world!

Mrsnak has made some improvements to the engine.

Hehehehe!  This made me laugh.

This display in the center of the dash is a speedometer, odometer, and fuel gauge combined!

I exclaimed to Mrsnak that the pedals were so tiny!

This car was made in the 1960s according to Mrsnak.

The Snakmobile is even better in person than in pictures!

After lunch Mrsnak had to leave us for other engagements, but Dr. No had promised me a trip to his uncle's farm so off we went.  We wound our way up a small road, climbing higher and higher until we reached the farmhouse, which was situated on a promontory overlooking fertile plains and orchards below.  The farm is amazing and there are vegetables and fruits everywhere you turn.  In the immediate vicinity of the house we found a plethora of edibles.

The view from one of the patios at the house.

Inside the small greenhouse.  Figs, pumpkins and other lovely seedlings are growing within.

Everywhere you looked there was something green and luscious.

Figs are ripening.

Cucumbers too!

Outside the green tomatoes bring to mind the fried green tomatoes of my childhood.

Uncle Jake's money crop (one, at least) -- avocados.

Hidden in plain sight?  A huge squash.

Ripening blueberries.

A little flower garden for the roses.

Succulents are perfect for the mediterranean climate of the farm.

I found this treasure after looking in here...

Some items are practically busting out of the earth!

Dr. No helps to provide scale by posing with the pumpkin.  These bad boys will end up weighing hundreds of pounds.

I like the contrast of my black Seiko 5 against the orange of the pumpkin!

The green onions and chives have such beautiful flowers I stop to take photos above and below.

Summer corn is ripe for the plucking!

My mouth is watering!

Tomatoes are also ripening in the garden.

What's this I see?

Ripe, sweet white peaches!  Dr. No indulges in one while we pick!  I ate three when I got home and they were so sweet!

We stop under the grape-laden arbor for a wrist shot.

We didn't plan to both wear Seiko 5s, but as chance would have it that's what happened.  Dr. No inherited his from his father and put it on a custom cordovan strap.  Mine is a recent model offered for sale in Japan.

The grounds surrounding the farmhouse were just a riot of color. 

I was almost sorry to leave for the avocado groves!

After harvesting some peaches and other fruits near the house, we started our exploration of the groves surrounding the property.  Mainly the parcels are planted with different varietals of avocado and citrus.  We encountered many amazing varieties of citrus: pomelo, pink grapefruit, blood orange, mandarins, Meyer lemons, and surely there were others that I missed.  I was in heaven walking through the rows of trees with branches covered in fruit; the air heady with the sweet smell of lemon blossoms; the sun warming my face; the birds singing their odes to summertime. 

There is so much fruit!

Lemons!





Blood oranges!

Pomelos!

What's this hairy mystery fruit?  Does anyone know?  I think it's of Asian origin.

Our ultimate goal -- the fruit of the avocado tree!

I can't wait to slice this into a salad!

Checking the time and our avocado!

The vintage Seiko 5 in comparison to the giant pomelo fruit.  The one I picked was literally the size of my head.

Today's bounty (sans a few peaches which Reign and I snarfed during the washing process).

My favorite cocktail, the classic greyhound, made even better by using freshly squeezed grapefruit juice instead of the usual bottled variety.  A toast and thanks to my fellow PuristS, Dr. No and Mrsnak for this fantastic outing!

What an adventure! 

Cheers,
Daos
This message has been edited by dxboon on 2011-07-03 10:30:45