Looks like a big empty white box...

...for now anyway! This closet in the laundry room was once the home of our old hot water heater tank. Very soon this is going to be additional floor-to-ceiling storage! It's just waiting for a couple of coats of paint and the installation of shelving (that we've yet to order) and we'll have room enough to store kitchen appliances and supplies that have, for years, lived on top shelves of bedroom closets or been stashed so far back in bottom kitchen cupboards that it's just too much like work to bring them out! We'll even be able to buy a new gadget or two! Hurray for that new tankless water heater hanging out of the way in the garage, and hurray for some long desired space!

It's that time of year again...

...when we stuff flour tortillas with pieces of chicken breast, leftover grilled sweet corn, diced zucchini, shredded Mexican cheeses and other tasty treats. Quesadillas on the grill are favorites of ours anytime. When we can use local fresh corn, squash, and cilantro, they are really fantastic - better than ever on the new grill!

The Sawdust Festival and the Art-A-Fair...

It's been a few years since we've ventured to Laguna Canyon during the summer to take in the The Sawdust Festival and the Art-A-Fair, two outdoor exhibitions by local artists of many disciplines. (There are a hundred or more exhibitors at each of the venues.) With a heat wave predicted beginning the middle of this week, we grabbed what may be the last opportunity for a while to stroll the grounds there in real comfort. These grounds are a couple of miles from the ocean in Laguna Beach, and temperatures down in the base of the canyon can be much higher than they are just a few blocks away in town.

We saw beautiful paintings, prints, and photos, blown glass and pottery, jewelry and clothing, and crafts of all descriptions. We did a tiny bit of shopping there, and saw a wonderful brass doorbell plate (with a verdi patina) that I believe we'll be ordering soon. And, we learned that early in the day on a Monday is the perfect time to go to avoid the crowds!

Arts of all kinds...

Some of the exhibiting artists prefer that photos not be taken of their work. Out of respect, we did limit the number of pictures we took! But, here are a shots of just of few of the many, beautiful and varied things we saw. The glass blowing set-up is a permanent fixture on the Saw Dust Festival grounds, shared by all the glass blowers who exhibit and sell there. This blower was gracious enough to explain the process to those of us who were watching as he worked.

A beautiful setting...

The grounds of both the Sawdust Festival and the Art-A-Fair back up to the canyon hillside. Picturesque water features and places for outdoor dining are all part of the atmosphere. (We love the deer sculptures up on the hill!) Tivoli Too is a lovely open air restaurant situated at the back of the Art-A-Fair, snuggled into the base of the hill. We discovered that our tickets there today are good through the end of the festival, so we're planning on returning before summer is over to enjoy lunch on the Tivoli patio.

Outside the Festival grounds...

Laguna IS an artists' community. Colors and shapes, sculptures and mosaics can be found all around the exterior of the two exhibition grounds. Notice the house at the top of the hill - views of the canyon and the ocean must be fantastic from there!

The Saint's New Hat...

One of the doves finds St. Francis' head the perfect to place to roost and watch the world go by!

Horse play...

Belle borrowed Larry's hat today for a little extra protection from the sun!

We're cooking now...

We've spoken of taking a cooking class at our local Sur La Table (a wonderful chain of stores with every imaginable kitchen "thing") for a l-o-n-g time. Last night we stepped up to the in-store kitchen and learned the finer points of preparing some Cuban fare - sugar cane skewered shrimp, flank steak marinated in the Cuban tradition, served with an avocado/mango chutney, a roast corn salad with queso fresca, and for dessert, a coconut flan. There were six of us in the class, and everyone got to do a little bit of all the prep work, before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Margaret spent some time creating the caramel syrup for the flan, and peeling the mango for the chutney, while Larry (of course)! worked his magic on the grill pans with the shrimp and beef. Everyone in the group took a turn at (correctly!) slicing the steak before it was served, as well as taking the cooked corn off the cobs with the handiest gadget we've seen in a long time called a corn zipper! (We bought one on the way out!)

We didn't get a picture of the flan after it came out of it's water bath and was turned out of the cups. That bit of caramel on the top is what takes a simple custard to a whole new level!

It was a fun night, and who knows? Maybe another class there will tempt us to go back again another time.

Flowers for the Fourth...

White spider mums in a red vase for the "buffet" table, and red and what carnations on the dining room table - both bouquets accented by blue tablecloths. Our Fourth of July celebration with a few close friends was a feast for the eyes and the stomach! (Sadly, we forgot to get a picture of the brightly colored melon ball salad, with blueberries and fresh mint, served inside the watermelon, of course!) Burgers, corn-on-the-cob, seasoned with cilantro butter, and a simply dressed salad of fresh summer squash and arugula completed the main course.

As always, we had a great visit with our "holiday" gang, who all left by 8:30. By then, the neighborhood fireworks , sanctioned and not, which completely surround us, had begun to take over our lives, with the screaming and the booming going on for nearly three hours. While Nica slept through it all, poor Sassy became the most terrified we've ever seen her, and that was in spite of giving her a full dose of tranquilizer over the course of the evening. We know now that on next Fourth, we'll have to move ourselves someplace away from the spectacle of the season for a night. Not sure that Sassy can take another night like this past one. I'm more sure that we can't!

Happy Fourth of July...

A wonderful piece of art, courtesy of Google, to add to our wishes of a safe and happy Fourth of July to all!