Give yourself a treat and visit The Nugget

Although The Nugget grocery store has a reputation for being appropriate for those with expensive tastes, when I visited the mercantile located in El Dorado Hills with the fanciful front pictured above, I found there were quite a few bargains and treats to be had. After all, $2.49 for 7-inch high cream puff has to be considered a bargain. This, of course, is one of the treats I bought myself.

The wine and cheese selections were incredible, again with many reasonable prices for various choices that go beyond what the normal grocery store offers.

In a section overflowing with natural facial solutions and odds and ends, I found a small basket I’ll use as a purse and Pacific soy candles that have incredible scents that actually seem to permeate a room. I bought just a couple of votives this time, to test out the brand, but I’ll be back to restock later, when I feel the need for another pastry treat and a moment of reprieve at the patio tables outside.

There was also a great supply of “take out”; Chinese, barbeque and the usual offering from a deli department, all arranged in an appetizing way.

I’m afraid I did not venture much into the more traditional grocery items, like dairy, produce, meat, etc. I was too caught up in the periphery and time was pressing. I knew I had just so much time, on July 4th, until the swimming pool that awaited me would cool and no longer appeal.

I bought my cream puff and a unique soda and sat on the patio, in the shade, enjoying them both. My eyes were far bigger than my stomach, for it was only a few bites into the gigantic pastry that I could not go on. Not for lack of flavor though. It was a lovely surprise to find that the filling was 100% heavy whipped cream – just like a cream puff is supposed to be.

So, if you get to visit a Nugget grocery store, there are a few around the Sacramento area, make it an experience and treat even if you do actually need milk and eggs.

Been to El Dorado Hills lately?

Why does shopping have to be done in such ordinary, boring settings? That must have been the question the developers of the El Dorado Hills shopping complex asked themselves.

I had heard of The Nugget grocery store in El Dorado Hills and wanted to check it out for the blog, but I also wanted to see "Sex in the City" this weekend. So I combined the two outings and drove out to El Dorado Hills.

I was completely unprepared for the lovely setting the theatre towers over. Built like a European street scene, with more than one architectural style blended together, the shops line a street that ends at the theaters. Before you get there, however, there's a lovely pond with a fountain, bridge and courtyard, loomed over by a bell tower with a working bell that rings on the hour. I couldn't see whether or not the bell was the old-fashioned kind or an electronic model, but I really couldn't have cared less. The effect was the same. Calming, peaceful and able to carry one away to another time and place within seconds of its tolling.

The courtyard was nearly deserted, although one couple sat sharing soulful conversation and another older twosome strolled hand-in-hand.

I recommend the drive. The shopping center has all the usual stuff, drugstores, Starbucks, Chili's; and yet, it has several smaller, unique stores. The Nugget is well-worth the drive - so much so that it will have it's own little write-up later this week. Stand-by...

Bridges - Symbolic and beautiful

I recently drove through the golden hills of Amador County, in particular down Fiddletown Road. This road runs along crevices where water runs during the spring, in creeks and in spots, simply rivelets. Across these temporary streams, there have been bridges built to cross from the road to the other side, where people have built homes.

It's a wonderful drive, especially if you like bridges. To me, bridges are highly symbolic, with expressions of "having reached the other side" and even more, "making a connection." So, personally, I love to see funky little bridges as well as the big beautiful ones you can find in and around Sacramento.

I was even able to find a bridge made by the joining of tree branches as they reached across Fiddletown Road towards each other.

The bridges drive was just one of the many wonders I experience everytime I head for the hills. There are so many amazing things to see if you're not simply plugging along staring aimlessly out the window as we are so often wont to do. Just paying a little attention can reap huge rewards in the hill country. Look for textures and juxtapositions. You'll quickly find old worn fenceposts, dating back a couple of decades sharing ground with an electric fence or telephone pole. Amidst a grassy field, there will be an old upended tree trunk with it's roots reaching for the sky.

Just look a little harder next time you're winding through the Gold Country and see if you don't find some bridges that interest you.

SAC rates in the Top 10

Kiplinger's - the finance magazine - just released its picks for the Top 10 cities in which to live, work and play. Sacramento is #8 - that in spite of the fact that it is 21 points above the national cost of living average. Here's an excerpt from Kiplingers.com:


"We discovered that our numbers guru, Kevin Stolarick, hadn't steered us wrong. Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity, says: "Our formula highlights cities not just with strong past performance, but also with all the ingredients for future success." One key to a bright future is a healthy shot of people in the creative class. People in creative fields -- scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers -- are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city.

"The cities that made our list also represent larger surrounding areas. And because we understand that city living isn't for everyone, we've highlighted some great suburbs, too."

Here are their picks:

No. 1: Houston,Texas
No. 2: Raleigh, N.C.
No. 3: Omaha, Neb.
No. 4: Boise, Idaho
No. 5: Colorado Springs, Colo.
No. 6: Austin, Texas
No. 7: Fayetteville, Ark.
No. 8: Sacramento, Calif.
No. 9: Des Moines, Iowa
No. 10: Provo, Utah

I certainly am a fan of Sacramento. I lived here more than 25 years ago, and honestly didn't really appreciate it for what it was - a city of diversity and personality, with an incredible array of things to do and places to see within a fifty-mile radius. The fact that you can do something different every weekend of the year, and not have to travel far is becoming more and more important as the gas prices rise exponentially.

In fact, it is the reason for my blog and eventual website SacramentoandBeyond.com. There is so much to write about; so many businesses to profile. I'm finally getting started for real. Within a couple of months, I will be able to publish the bare bones of the site, but I estimate it's going to take me until the beginning of 2009 to have the full site up and running. So it will be a work in progress in the beginning, but hopefully helpful anyway.

So, obviously, I'd vote for Sacramento to be Number One in the Top 10. Kiplinger's take note!

By the way, the photo is of a spot near Folsom Lake, very wooded and cool - a great place to visit today as we tip over the 100 degrees mark again.

Something to Treasure

I took my nephews on an adventure this week to visit the State Capitol and it was indeed an adventure. We parked my car at the local Park and Ride for the Light Rail system and rode an hour each way on a great transportation system. The ride by car, after finding parking would have taken about 20-30 minutes less one way, but the relaxation factor of being let off only a couple of blocks from the Capitol was worth the time. Additionally, the fare for three people only cost $9.00 for all day. Frankly, I messed up and purchased the wrong tickets from the automated ticket dispenser and paid $12, but that we can chalk up to nervousness. As I told Sam, the younger nephew, seated on his brother Tom's lap above, it's not really an adventure unless there's a little danger involved, and whether or not I could get us there and back by light rail was an uncertainty in my mind - hence the "danger!"

One word of advice, pay attention to the things they post on the inside and outside of the train. The driver had to prompt me (over the loudspeaker) to push the button on the outside of the train to make the doors open. Yes, it was clearly posted. But there I stood waiting patiently for the doors to open by themselves. Too many movies with New York subway trains in them I guess!

We strolled to the Capitol from the rail stop and it was a truly wonderful walk. The trees, lawn and surrounding buildings left us oohing and ahhing the whole way. Yes, even the 10 and 14-year-old boys were interested the beauty of the place and the historical old buildings.

Then we had to go through a metal detector to get inside the Capitol, but admission was absolutely free! I suppose that’s the way it should be, because after all we pay for it, but I’m so used to having to ante up to get into anything, it was a pleasant surprise.

There are display cases for each of the counties and I was surprised that what's inside most of them is very amateurish, sort of like looking at a high school diorama, but it wasn’t discouraging at all. It was nice to know that everything in California doesn’t have to be “slick.”

The restored Governor’s office and attending rooms were true to the period. Old electric cords hung from the chandeliers, which were apparently the source of power in 1906 and all feeling of stepping back in time was very real.

The elegance of the tiled floors, brass-trimmed elevators and marvelously carved staircases lends a richness and importance to the place. From floor to ceiling, it is a wondrous place, leaving one proud to be a Californian.

I recommend you have your own adventure in the State Capitol as soon as you can. Take the kids. They will enjoy it and perhaps come away with a sense of reverence for the past.

The RV Life is About Adaptability

I’m living in an RV park now and have called Wanda, my 23-foot RV, home for about three months now. I’ve spent about half that time separated from her, either housesitting for family or forced to park her and live with my sisters. Believe me when I say, actually living in her is the best thing that has happened to me in years.

But living in an RV has its challenges. Space or lack thereof can be something that requires getting used to. You become extremely clever in finding hiding places (more commonly referred to as storage) for all your must-haves, but ultimately living in reduced quarters means a reduction in “stuff.” When you have to choose between the CD’s you know you’ll listen to and the family silverware, if you are a true RV dweller you’ll find someone in the family to pass the heirlooms on to.

Maybe you’ll also discover that four plates are more than enough for little old you, because you can’t stuff them into a dishwasher and pull out a new one from your stack of eight repeatedly. There is no place for dirty dishes, except a tiny sink, which is smaller than a house's bathroom sink.

You’ll need to either communicate to family and friends that you really don’t need gifts of “things” anymore for Christmas and birthdays or decide to accept the gifts and just pass them on to lovely people who can really use them.

Chores take on a completely different meaning when you are no longer part of the house-dwelling world. Instead of spending the day vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, trimming, mowing and raking, you will be spending much more time on leisure activities. On the downside, you will have to occasionally deal with dumping your sewage tank or leveling out the RV because your refrigerator isn’t working quite right. I’ll take the occasional smelly or irritating task rather than the constant slavery to a house, but then I know I’m the exception.

Finding a place that suits you to park your RV long term can be a bit of a challenge, because you and your rig are considered the low end of an already misunderstood breed of outcasts – the mobile homers. There are few parks with those “high end” doublewides that don’t look down their noses at you. It was a shock to my system to call a mobile home park and be told “We don’t do RVs” in a tone of voice would have been more appropriate if I had asked to erect an outhouse on their front lawn.

If you choose to become a full-time RVer you are in for a great lifestyle but many adjustments. If you are basically the adaptable type, no problem. But if you have any hesitations, then rent an RV and camp for a month. Try it for at least a week in a tent site, because you need to know if you can handle no electricity and limited water for short periods, because you will run into situations without those luxuries. While you’re trying out the life, imagine what in the world you will do with all your possessions. If you find you must have your life’s accumulations around you, it is a sign that the lifestyle really won’t do for you.

If you decide to join me, and thousands of others, on this adventure of mobility - good for you. You’ll probably find you have time to blog!

Everything's coming up roses!

I've been gone for three weeks. Well, I haven't actually been gone, just busy. I've been learning my new job and that's it. Except for an excellent Mother's Day.

Believe it or not, it's hard to find a place to park my RV in Sacramento. Not many free spaces around and I found out that parking next to a house and living in my Wanda wasn't legal! So, a hasty retreat to my folks house resulted in Wanda and I living apart. She's in Pine Grove and I'm here in Folsom. I miss her.

Hoping to find a place to park this week and retrieving my home.

The job is still absolutely fantastic. Lots of forensic accounting, which I love and a very fun group. We are having a picnic lunch in the woods this Friday, which is oddly named "Walking Larry Day", after a former employee.

Last week, we hosted a luncheon at the Secretary of State office! That was quite cool.

I'm working with a bunch of chocoholics (which puts me in good company as I've always been addicted to the rich dark kind myself) and we go through bags of chocolate in a day. In spite of that, I've lost 32.5 pounds since leaving Maricopa. Yippee!

Anyway, life's good. I wish I could talk my daughter into coming out here, but other than that - I'm a lucky, lucky gal.

Sending you champagne wishes and caviar dreams!