![\"Fall](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stragnell.com\/befoulednews\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/fall_foliage_hanover.jpg\")
<\/a>After dinner we drove out to Steph & Hope\u2019s wonderful new house on the banks of the Mascoma River in Canaan, New Hampshire. They\u2019ve spent a year rebuilding and renovating the old house that was on the site forever and it is fabulous \u2013 we were privileged to be their first house guests although how delighted they were to have to entertain guests in their first few weeks in the house is subject to some debate. Not only did we get to enjoy Steph and Hope\u2019s splendid hospitality but clearly their kids, Amanda and Greg, had not received the memo that we would be visiting so they came by as well. It was a delight and pleasure to see them all.<\/p>\n
<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> After several days in Hanover we made the trek over to Lake George to visit with Sandy and Pam and to see for ourselves the devastation wrought by the micro-blast they suffered in August. Pam had written about it; we\u2019d seen some of the photos but neither prepared us for the extent of the damage. And these photos don\u2019t do it justice either \u2013 you need to have a wider perspective to appreciate what power was required to bring all these trees down. Sandy & various friends and acquaintances spent days and days clearing up and there are still dozens and dozens of trees to clear up.<\/p>\n
<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> After an over-nighter at the Lake, we made our way back to Hanover for a few more days and then, on Sunday we took the coach down to Boston to visit with our very good friends Chip & Leca Boynton whose hospitality is legendary.<\/p>\n
From there it was off for oysters (a lobster roll for Penelope) at the Neptune Bar<\/a>, a small, jam-packed restaurant\/bar which has become one of my favourite eating establishments in the world. Chip introduced me to Neptune\u2019s on a previous visit and I have been looking forward to returning ever since; he and I have a standing bet on whose team will finish with the better record, the Dodgers or the Red Sox. Thankfully, I didn\u2019t visit last year; this year the oysters were on him!<\/p>\n As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans. \u2015 Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As if we hadn\u2019t eaten enough already, that evening we strolled around the corner from their lovely home in Needham for a fabulous (and ginormous) dinner at the Sweet Basil<\/a> restaurant. The lamb shanks were delicious and the \u201cdoggy bag\u201d ensured that we were able to enjoy them a second time for lunch the following day. Chip and Leca certainly know the types of places I like to visit! Indeed, the vast majority of the weight I gained on this trip was undoubtedly acquired in Boston.<\/p>\n On Monday we were treated to an excellent Mayan exhibition at the Museum of Science<\/a> before flying from Boston to Ben and Donna\u2019s at Gate 19, LAX. On Tuesday we all took off for a short over-nighter in Santa Barbara. We stayed at the Indigo Hotel<\/a> just by the railway station and the pier and had dinner at a superb restaurant on State Street \u2013 Opal<\/a>. This gave Penny and me our first experience with Uber, the alternative to taxis in many cities.<\/p>\n I had heard of Uber before but only in the context of the city authorities in Berlin threatening to ban the service because of complaints from the existing taxi firms and a lack of appropriately convoluted regulation. It was very efficient, very convenient and very comfortable \u2013 we had an Uber car within about three minutes of requesting one from the hotel and the ride home arrived at the restaurant within about two minutes of Ben tapping in the details on his cell phone. I can see, though, why the existing taxi firms are up in arms.<\/p>\n Dinner at Opal was exquisite \u2013 if you ever find yourself in Santa Barbara do not hesitate to dine there. (Oddly enough, some of the reviews are somewhat mixed but our experience was thoroughly five-star). Penny had the Sauteed Chicken on Penne Pasta with a Homemade Chipotle Cream sauce<\/a> which, I think, we all agreed, was an absolute masterpiece. My chilli-crusted filet was similarly excellent.<\/p>\n Steve Sprinkel was a classmate of mine at Webb and he and his wife Olivia own and run The Farmer and the Cook<\/a> in Ojai. Steve does the farming (organic certified) and Olivia cooks it all up and to judge by our visit, they do a roaring trade. Lunch was excellent and once again Penny had what turned out to be the dish of the day \u2013 goat\u2019s cheese tacos.<\/p>\n After a brief tour of Steve\u2019s plot we motored back down to LA just in time for another great meal out \u2013 this time at Lukshon<\/a> in Culver City. Hmm, you\u2019d think that all we did on this holiday was to eat and you wouldn\u2019t be far wrong!<\/p>\n Lukshon is an Asian fusion place which, once again, as with all the places recommended by Ben and Donna, was excellent. You can tell whose son he is! This place does small plates served \u201cfamily style\u201d i.e., for sharing. I think the intention is that you will keep ordering and ordering because (a) the servings are small and all you\u2019re getting is a couple of bites or a rib or a chicken \u201cpop\u201d but also because (b) it is so delicious! And, from my perspective, it is great fun to share because everyone else is so polite, not a characteristic with which I\u2019ve ever been encumbered. That last chicken pop is mine!<\/p>\n On Thursday we set off down the coast to Sallie and Rod\u2019s in Escondido stopping for lunch at the Yellow Deli in Vista<\/a> for a rendezvous with my cousin Wendy and her mother (and my favourite aunt) Barbara. We hadn\u2019t seen Barbara for far too long and it was a delight \u2013 she hasn\u2019t changed at all, still as funny and carefree as ever. It seems there are a number of Yellow Delis all over the place and, when she heard we were from the UK, the charming waitress brought me a flyer announcing that they were planning to open one in Honiton, Devon. We\u2019ll definitely be stopping next time we\u2019re down that way!<\/p>\n On Friday I set off back up the coast to our dear friend Miles Rosedale who was hosting a pre-Webb Reunion reunion at his beach house in San Juan Capistrano. Penny braved this session at the last reunion five years ago and so, quite understandably, she decided that spending the evening with a gathering of fat, old, bald men drinking and reminiscing about their high school days was something she could happily miss and so she stayed with Sallie & Rod.<\/p>\n Miles is a most gracious and generous host and the gathering was a great success. The weather was just about perfect and the sea was astonishingly warm \u2013 even I went swimming! As you might imagine, there was much to eat and much to drink and everyone had a splendid time. Interestingly, five years ago the gathering began to disperse about 1.30 am. This time the guests started making their excuses about 11.00; next time I reckon we\u2019ll all be in bed by about 8.00.<\/p>\n Saturday we made our way up to Webb for the day which was good fun both for me and for Penny. As most of you know, I guess, it was at the Webb School that Penny and I met; her father was teaching there in my final year and for some reason she found my company tolerably acceptable. Webb, in those days, was a boy\u2019s boarding school although it\u2019s a coeducational establishment now. At our graduation ceremony the headmaster commented that I was the first Webb School boy to enjoy a coeducational experience. There have been many, many changes since I left the place 45 years ago; new dorms and many new facilities, especially for the performing arts. Even the weather is better than it was in my day or at least the smog and pollution is less of an issue than it was then.<\/p>\n After the festivities at Webb we drove back to Ben and Donna\u2019s and on Sunday managed to waddle our way out for brunch at a very tasty French restaurant in Culver City (Meet in Paris<\/a>). After brunch we wandered around the corner to visit the astonishingly bizarre Museum of Jurassic Technology<\/a>, undoubtedly the single most wacky exhibition I can remember ever having visited. It\u2019s somewhat like the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford in that it has an eclectic collection of completely random exhibits. However, the Pitt Rivers makes some sense; the Museum of Jurassic Technology makes no sense whatever! Where else can you see a collection of decaying dice alongside micro-miniature carvings not to mention fruit stone carvings and the horn of Mary Davis?<\/p>\n For our final dinner in southern California Ben and Donna suggested a stroll down the coast from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach. Hermosa Beach has a particular resonance for me as my mother spent several years of her childhood growing up here. I would have taken a photograph of the Hermosa Beach pier for her but unfortunately it was dark by the time we got there. So, I had to settle for one of the Manhattan Beach pier.<\/p>\n Not only was this an exceedingly pleasant way to spend our final evening in LA but it also served to help generate a healthy appetite in preparation for the delights of Mediterraneo<\/a>, a tapas-style restaurant with an excellent selection of very tasty food, not to mention a bar tender who was capable of mixing just about any cocktail you might imagine.<\/p>\n When we left Boston Pen realised that she had neglected to leave a \u201cthank-you\u201d card for our gracious hosts, Chip & Leca, as well as a book she had brought for their new granddaughter. No problem, we\u2019ll pop into a post office and send them off. So, on our last day we drove into Santa Monica to peruse and wander along the Third Street Promenade<\/a>. A map from the Santa Monica web site showed us very clearly the location of a large Post Office so off we set.<\/p>\n Three blocks up and two blocks across and we spied a very large official-looking building surrounded by a very large fence and very clearly closed. Closer inspection revealed that it had quite clearly been closed for some little time! After a general gnashing of teeth, cursing and wailing we started our walk back to the Promenade. Spying a post man delivering parcels Penelope sprinted across the street and asked him where the nearest Post Office could be located – in the vicinity of 7th and Colorado we were told so off we set again – five blocks up and four blocks across.<\/p>\n When we finally reached it we were mightily relieved to find that it was indeed open. However, we were completely perplexed by the automated machine with which one could allegedly make all sorts of post office related purchases. Clearly the automated machines are intended to (a) save on staffing costs and (b) provide customers with an efficient means of completing their transactions. In our case it failed on both counts. We pushed buttons, read instructions, placed credit cards in and out of slots, started over again, cursed the machine and yelled at one another until finally one of the counter staff took pity and came over to help. With his assistance we managed to secure all our purchases apart from a single stamp with which to post a small card \u2013 the machine could only print over-sized postage labels for large parcels. We had to join the queue anyway.<\/p>\n Having concluded our transactions we made our way back to the Third Street Promenade for lunch with Ben at Monsoon<\/a> before bidding him a final farewell \u2013 him back to work and us back to the house to pack having acquired an iPad mini for Penelope as well as a suitcase\u2019s worth of new clothes & shoes. Both suitcases were already in \u201cgut-buster\u201d mode but somehow we managed to squeeze and cram all our possessions therein.<\/p>\n The flight home was surprisingly pleasant the main reason being that it was probably about two-thirds empty. Both Ms Playchute and I were able to secure a row of two seats each giving us a bit more room than normal and we both actually managed to catch a few winks. We landed at 3.00 in the afternoon on what, for the UK would pass as an outstanding day \u2013 clear and surprisingly warm! The view from the plane as we approached Heathrow was stunning and we could identify all the London landmarks as we flew up the Thames.<\/p>\n And so another great holiday adventure comes to a close. We\u2019re just about over the jetlag \u2013 why does it always seem so much more difficult when travelling east than it does moving westwards?<\/p>\n Time to start planning the next one, I suppose.<\/p>\n Love to you all,<\/p>\n Greg<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t going to include any links to any “interesting” titbits this week but the similarity to the Museum of Jurassic Technology was too much to ignore \u2013 an article about a similar collection of oddities from the Guardian \u2013 a two-headed lamb and ancient dildos: the UK\u2019s strangest new museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bad news \u2013 your vacation is over. We\u2019re back from an outstanding expedition to the States and the price you pay for two weeks of blissful silence is to have to wade through a bumper edition of the Befouled Weakly News. I would stop now. The \u201cexcuse\u201d for this holiday was the occasion of my … <\/p>\n<\/a>They met us off the coach and, since they know me so well, they led us on a gastronomic tour of the North End. We started with dessert, oddly enough \u2013 a couple of sweets and pastries from one of the fabulous shops in the neighbourhood (I think it was Modern Pastry<\/a> but Chip and\/or Leca will need to correct me if I am mistaken).<\/p>\n<\/a>On Wednesday we had a bit of time for a walking tour of downtown Santa Barbara<\/a> which was lovely \u2013 the weather was absolutely gorgeous and the old buildings and architecture were superb. We were somewhat rushed, however, as we had a lunch date with an old friend in Ojai.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>