The Old Plough, Stoke D'Abernon, UK

If you happened to find yourself in England on a chilly winter's eve, wouldn't you want to drop-in to a local pub and have some good drink, warm food, pleasant patrons, and great service? We did just that recently in England's Old Plough.

The warm feeling you get as you walk inside can't be faked. Though this might be a "posh pub" by most standards, it's cozy and comfortable to the nines. It was relaxing and familiar as soon as I stepped in, even though I'd never been here before. 

We started off with beers, had some diches to share, and then tucked into our delicious mains. To top it all off, we had dessert too (ok, some of us had dessert). I don't think I'd been more stuffed in months, maybe years.

Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg, over Wilted Spinach and Holindaise sauce.

Black Forest Sundae... Man...

I would wholeheartedly recommend this lovely pub. In fact, I think I'll go back while I'm here.

Bonta Natural Artisan Gelato, Bend, OR

If you've read some of my post from Milan, you know gelato & I are fast friends (maybe too friendly according to the scale). But, I was in a new town, new state, and was faced with a new gelato place. I was compelled to try it. This is Bend's local purveyor of the sweet stuff, and boy do they do it right!

They have a good amount of to-go items and souvenir type stuff, but also do great on the main event...

Cones? No thanks. Just gelato, please.

Ah, finally. Come to papa!

They had many traditional and some unique flavors, all delicious. You can try as well. I went with Pumpkin (right in middle) and an Apple Caramel, I believe. No pics of my dish b/c I ate it too quickly. I also liked their pricing, $4 for a dish with two flavors. This is a steal, IMO.

I also noticed the woman and young man working behind the counter looked awfully alike. I said to the woman, "That's your son." To which she replied, "Yep". Kind of nice to see a family-run small business making such awesome product. You should have seen the number of kids getting stoked on gelato. If this is any indication of progress for our youngins, the future is bright for America.

When I'm back in Bend, this place is always on the list.

Brenda's French Soul Food, San Francisco, CA

I don't get up to San Fran too often, but when I do, I like to make sure it's worth my while, and whoever else joins. Cubs-Giants game? Let's do it right! Dinner before a show, let's make it a great meal!

Brenda's is definitely a great meal, very competent & authentic food, solid drinks, an inviting space, good service, low prices for SF, and only one small knock, which you can read at the end.

In my mind, they use a fancy name to denote creole or Cajun cooking. No matter what they term it, I can get behind flavorful dishes with some heat.

Beignet Flight - so good.

Gumbo, I believe. I know for sure it tasted great.

Shrimp Po-Boy!!!

Shrimp n Grits!!!

A money-shot of the chocolate-filled beignet...

If you feel like walking through an iffy 'hood, around homeless people, drugs, garbage & needles, definitely make it out to Brenda's. I didn't think it was that big of a deal to get there (to me), but it's not exactly a scenic neighborhood either. Know that going in and you should be fine.

And perhaps this kind of neighborhood is now commonplace for people that live in SF all the time.

Publik Coffee Roasters, Salt Lake City, UT

When in Rome... or Salt Lake City. This place was highly recommended, not only for their java, but for a simple menu of breakfast items as well. I can enthusiastically and 100% confirm that it did not disappoint. I would love to start my day here everyday. Come, let's check it out...

A welcoming entrance and patio, with puppy to pet!

A warm and inviting interior...

Well-appointed and stocked with delicious options...

This toast was l-e-g-i-t! You can choose from their menu or make your own. I chose the latter and added avocado, heirloom tomato jam, and hummus to a nice hunk of their peasant bread. Friggin' good.

Even a sneaky bathroom hideout...

Go to PCR!

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, Aptos, CA

Thanks to the help of a trusted co-worker, I was able to wow a guest and myself with a relatively short day trip to this super scenic state park. It's near Aptos, so you can find things to do before and after in town, or in nearby towns, like Capitola.

The trail map you can get at the ranger station ($8/day parking pass) is pretty spotty, but a local "guide" was walking the trails and helped us stay on track. He also pointed out the trail down to the now felled "Advocate Tree". This was a priority on my list for the day.

The hiking is pretty up and down, with some challenges thrown in for good measure, like a stream crossing or two. (if for some reasons its rained a ton before you go, trails may be washed out).

Can you see the people below? These are big trees, Folks.

A short walk down to the Advocate Tree is worth it, hands down. This tree is HUGE and old too.

Basically all that brown is tree.

It's so big, there are portions of the trunk that a human can easily crawl/jump/stand in. It's very big.

If you feel up to it, you can also test your balance (and possibly cranium) with a long and high walk over this log. I did not make it all the way across, but I think I would like to try.

For sure put this state park on your list. Way cool. I'd go back any day.