A Look Back Recap

Here's some of what has happened recently!!!

Years ago, the boys had been sledding down into the canyon. A few weeks ago I was out doing some yard work, and a trio of neighborhood kids showed up with a sled of their own and did some of their own sledding!!! Nice to see area kids still getting up to outdoor hijinks!!! I didn't take a follow up picture of the unceremonious dismount...

Back in December the younger and I had gone down and visited my mom around Christmas. My sister and her youngest son also came down, and we all met up at the John's Incredible Pizza near where my mom lives. My wife wasn't feeling well, we'd all been off and on sick during that time. My cough came back and hung on for a month or so after, but when we were all feeling better, I wanted to go visit my mom again. Surrogate came along, as well. Haven't made mention, but the restaurant Stacked that we'd been to a few times didn't survive the stupid times, but while we've been in the area my mom lives, I've searched restaurants in the area, and turns out not far away there's another Stacked!!! Naturally, that's where we went!!!

They've done away with the “order on an Ipad” gimmick, but you can still craft your burger to order. I've mentioned that I'll almost always make one with sauteed onions and bleu cheese, and there was a burger close to that already on the menu, for less than I could have one built for, including bacon. I had to specify sauteed onions instead of the raw it came with, and added garlic aioli, and it came out great!!! I also like the building better, as well, it has the same look as the one we used to go to, but the windows towards the street are able to completely roll up for a fresh air dining experience, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect!!! Photos came up with a look back collage of our visit, and Halloween 2015!!!

I did a whole post that was mostly about how the driver's side headlight on Kutcher has always given me trouble. At that time, I had gotten a socket that was touted as high temperature. Back in January, it happened again!!! I found out that there were some places that make ceramic sockets, so I ordered one, and got it going again. Not long after that, the headlight bulb itself burned out!!! Bought a replacement bulb, and took care of it yet again... for now (Jinx!!!)

Oh yeah, there's a shot of the new battery...

A friend of mine had bought his car with LED headlight bulbs installed, and a little after I'd replaced the socket, then the bulb on Kutcher, one of his had burnt out. He asked me if I could help him out with it, and I bought him a new set of bulbs and helped him install them. His high beam bulbs were still conventional halogen bulbs, and the set I bought had replacements for both, so I told him my tax for helping him was I got to keep the bulbs that still worked. Shortly after that, the driving light on the driver's side of Kutcher went out again. The lens has a small hole cracked through it, and it had rained, and I theorize that when it rains, cold water will splash on the hot bulb and break it. Anyway, the one low beam LED bulb I'd removed matched the driving light bulb, so it's now in there!!! Of course, it has kind of a bluish cast, while all the other three lights have the yellowish halogen cast, so it's an odd one out. One of these days, I'll get those yellow driving lights installed!!!

My wife had suggested going back to Pie 'N Burger again. Apparently, it is now our just after Valentine's Day tradition!!! They've got a lot of items with chili on it on the menu, and we hadn't tried it last time, so this time I upped my fries to chili cheese fries. It was OK, but I wouldn't recommend them for their chili!!!

We split a slice of peach crumble pie for dessert. Go there for the pie!!!

I had mentioned that one of the pumps at the local Arco had caught on fire last year. They still haven't replaced the pump, or done much with the awnings. They've got the pump boxed off, and it's been tagged up,

I had made mention that the new phone holder in Kutcher had some issue rotating out of the proper position, and I'd put in on the forward part of the center console, with the arm pretty much straight up, and that had done the trick. A few weeks ago, the suction cup came off, and I'd stuck it back. It didn't stay, so I pulled it out, gave it a good cleaning, and it held for a week, then was falling off again. Time to go to the drawing board... I took the arm portion from the previous one (it has the same ball mount for the holder part) and made up a piece of plastic with a little portion that came out, that I could mount to one of the bolts holding the center console down. It worked, but it was close to the emergency brake handle so you had to pull it up with a finger or two, and the phone was almost laying flat.

It kind of worked, but really not acceptable. I bent up a steel angle that would mount to two of the center console bolts, and used the same plastic base to mount it to the upright. Fairly solid, and a lot closer to where it should be!!! I may take it back to the drawing board again, and rotate the base a little farther back. Shouldn't be difficult.

Had the younger's birthday get together last weekend. It was pretty cool, we went on a short neighborhood walk, they played on the swing across the street, and played a little basketball (horse). I didn't get many pictures, and most of the outdoor ones didn't come out good because it was dark out. Here he is in a shirt my wife got him, after he opened the cologne I got him. He's said for years that he'd like to get cologne that smells of petrichor, the smell after it rains, and I found some!!!

A few weeks ago, they did another rocket launch from Vandenberg, and somehow it left this crazy looking contrail!!!

A few weeks ago we'd gone to Goodwill again, I forget what even for, but I found another shirt!!! It was the sale of the day tag, and my size, and in an underrepresented color!!! Interesting, the DeLorean pictured is unmodified!!! I took the picture here with the cam in my computer, possibly the first time I've ever used it for a picture!!!

I had seen this new Mountain Dew flavor, Baja Cabo Citrus, a few weeks before, but didn't buy it. When I was getting supplies for the boy's birthday, I picked some up. It's pretty good, the flavor makes me think it's heavily tangerine.

Super Blood Wolf

Tonight was the lunar eclipse. I attempted to get a few shots with my phone's camera, and then broke out my Pentax to see how I did with each.

Probably haven't made mention, but that was my Christmas present to myself, stepped my phone game up to the Galaxy S8. Better everything than the S5 I'd had. My younger boy is saving up for the S9, for the improved camera it has. Anyway, the first couple of pictures here are what you can get with that!!!

Next, I got out my DSLR to see what I could do with that. Caught the blood effect much better!!!

I've got a couple of tripods, as well as a remote shutter release. I was going to set it up on one for these pictures, but come to find out, the wing screw I have for them is too long to clamp down the camera!!! I'll be getting a new one of those from my work at some point.

Anyway, I was able to get some fairly plausible pictures with the 300mm lens just resting it on an edge!!!

(The more you crop it, the worse it looks)

50 50 Finally!!!

Here it FINALLY is, the pics & my take on Slater's 50/50 Burger!!! The pictures were from just over a year back, which was the last time I was there. Stacked, I'd been to more recently, but it's closer (more on that later) and the wait is usually less.

First food shot is their vampire dip, which is amazing. Roasted garlic, cheese & artichoke dip! Served in a sourdough bread bowl with fried pita chips, cut & pasted from their website (the description, not the photo). Damn, now I want some!!! Probably shouldn't be doing a food post when I'm hungry!!!

Next shot is my first born's creation. Sloppy!!! Almost always translates to delicious, and this was no exception.

And there's the wife with the younger, and her creation.

It's been more than a year, so I don't remember most of it, but I think it was their featured Cinco de Mayo burger, I want to say with chorizo instead of bacon in the 50/50 blend, but don't quote me. Probably jalapenos and it sure looks like black bean and corn salsa.

There I am, with my creation. Don't know what all it had for sure, but I know this: bleu cheese, garlic aioli (which spell check doesn't seem to recognize,but suggests ravioli, which might be pretty good!!!), and grilled onions were in there!!!

Next shot reveals that dill pickle and tomato were also involved, which sounds like what I'd get!!! Probably more than that, in sauces, as baconnaise is also on the menu. In the background is the first born's again, and in the center was the subject of that particular shot, a little sample of their chili!!! It sounded too much to have on the burger with all the other deliciousness involved, but almost every time I go to a place with chili, I want to see how they've done. I think my consensus was fairly tasty but nothing that would put it over the top. In other words, nothing like mine or Tommy Burgers!!! Good of them to let me try a taste, tho!!!

Funny thing, though, for all the bacon included in the burger patty, I really don't taste it that much... kinda defeats the purpose!!!

And the younger, what does he get??? Grilled cheese!!! Not a bigly adventurous eater (although I'm pretty sure he had some vampire dip, and probably ate of the bread bowl containing it), but look at how he's attacking his food!!! Probably had more to do with the 45 minute drive to get there and the two hour wait once you're there!!! But hey, the burgers are made with 50% sirloin and 50% bacon!!!

So why now do I finally do a post on Slater's 50/50 Burger??? Because I recently found out about another build-a-burger spot nearby, The Counter. WAY closer to home for me than either 50/50 or Stacked, and when we made it there yesterday, there was no waiting for a table!!! Looking at 50/50's website so I could link to it in this post, however, and I see there's now another location, probably a mile closer than The Counter!!! Of course, it's in Old Town Pasadena, where it's going to cost you to park, and if it's like the other ones I've been to, there's the wait. Also, I think that The Counter ended up being just a tad less pricey than Stacked, and a fair amount less than 50/50. Probably the next time I visit The Counter I'll bring along my camera and feature it!!!

But, oh, that vampire dip!!!

Get Stacked!!!

So, for today's post, I was going to post some more pictures from the Youth Expo we went to a couple weeks back, when I discovered the folder from the last time we visited Stacked.

One of my two favorite places I've recently discovered. You can see from the outside, it has multi colored glass walls, giving the interior an orangish hue.

Their gimmick is that you order via an Ipad, choosing what toppings, buns and cheese you'd like on you burger, pizza, hot dog and even ice cream sandwich!!!

Of course, doing so, you come up with an amazing, epic burger!!!

This was only the second time we've gone there, it's not exactly cheap, especially if you put a lot of extras on your burger or pizza, or must have an ice cream sandwich at the end. Of course, all these things are what make the place so awesome!!! To help in the cost area, you can go during happy hour, from 3 to 6 I believe, when everything is discounted.

And, it's not really that close to our house. This particular visit my parents wanted to get together somewhere, so there we went!!! It was their first visit. They both got pulled pork sandwiches, which I always see and think would be tasty, but never get because you can do so much with the burgers.

Every time I go to a build your own burger place, I almost always get bleu cheese and sauteed onions. MMMMMMMM!!! I wants some NOW!!!

The other place which is on my top two these days is Slater's 50/50 burger. Same idea, design your own, only via a notepad checklist. Their gimmick??? Burger patties made of 50% sirloin, 50% ground bacon!!! Enough said... My firstborn ordered a hugely optioned burger, then when it came and it was too tall for his mouth, he sat there holding it muttering "How do???" over and over. I must return, next time with my camera. last time we went there, it was a two hour wait, and worth every minute!!!