Caboose, Wild Plum & Octopus??

by Diana McCollum

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Our vacation in June included all of the above and more. I love trying new things and staying in new and different places. While the main part of our vacation was to visit kids and Grandkids we did have some fabulous side trips.

The first three days of our trip to California we stayed at the Railroad Resort in Dunsmuir, CA. Instead of a motel room we stayed in a retired Caboose. There was even a Crow’s Nest with stairs inside to climb up to the top. The walls were adorned with pictures of what the Caboose looked like when it was in service. As you can imagine, lots of story ideas popped up during the stay.

From our Caboose we went out exploring each day. Castle Crags State park was just down the road. And we were a short drive from Castle Lake, an Alpine lake created by a volcanic action long ago.

Food Network picture

While staying with daughter Katie & family in Paradise, CA, we watched a Food Network show called “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” It just so happened the host Guy Fieri was critiquing a cafe & bakery in Monterrey, CA. I wrote the name down and when we arrived in Monterrey we made sure to have breakfast at “The Wild Plum"

Wild Plum Cafe and Bakery

Out of the way of the tourist traffic, set back from the ocean a few blocks, in an older section of town, "The Wild Plum" proved to be wonderful, medium priced menu, and organic fresh cooked food cafe & bakery. The chef came out and chatted with us and we told her how we found out about the restaurant. Never would have found it, if we hadn’t watched the Food network show. My husband and I are foodies. We love trying new restaurants and not fast food or chain restaurants.

Visiting son Paul and his fiance in Monterrey we were privileged to go to the famous Monterrey Aquarium with them. I headed for the Octopus exhibit. Can you guess why? In my soon to be released novella, “The Witch with the Trident Tattoo”, Ella the sea witch has a familiar, James the octopus.

Monterrey Aquarium vacation June 2015 by Diana McCollum

This fella in the picture I’m posting was so friendly. He has a large aquarium to swim around in. But he stayed in the corner by us. I’m sure he was trying to communicate. He would stretch out his tentacles feeling the glass where I placed my hand.

We’re home now, and back to life in Bend, OR. I'm thankful I have a camera and can look back at all the wonderful pictures and enjoy my trip all over again.

Are you taking a vacation this year?

I write paranormal romance. I released two short stories in the Anthology:
Love & Magick anthology
website: Diana McCollum --check out my website for more info on future releases.

From My Tastebuds to Yours!

Bon Appetit

By:  Marcia King-Gamble

I'm the first to admit I have something of an international palate. This is my fancy way of saying I pretty much eat anything you put down in front of me. The more exotic the food the fare the better. There are few foods I turn up my nose to.

Even as a young girl growing up in "the islands," I loved native delicacies like souse; a combination of pickled pig’s feet combined in a cucumber like sauce. On Saturdays we had black pudding. Some of you might know it as blood pudding. It's sausage stuffed with animal blood and it's yummy. Yes, yes I know it sounds gross but is anything but. One of my favorite breakfasts is a codfish stew with dumplings which you eat with bakes, otherwise known as Johnny Cakes.

Fresh out of college, I got hired as a flight attendant and with that came the opportunity to travel the world. Now the budding foodie in me had yet another opportunity to sample local international dishes. Flight attendant are always on a budget so we ate where locals ate and that usually meant plentiful food and cheap.

In Frankfurt we headed for the Gas Station for the best weinersnitchel there is. In India believe it or not, the Chinese food beat the curry. In London it was the curry, mushy peas and fish and chips that kept us coming back. Some of the best escargot I ever had was in Hong Kong, and the same can be said for rack of lamb. Although Kiwis might argue that.

No one makes a better salad than the French. And if you want to experience the way it should be cooked, then head to the Tokyo fish market. For excellent bratwurst it's Berlin.  And when it comes to cracked conch, the Bahamians have that market cornered.

Given all this talk of food, I am suddenly hungry, and sadly this woman is not a gourmet cook. What I am good at is finding wonderful holes in the wall, and some even take reservations.

Marcia King-Gamble hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. She is a former travel industry executive and a self-proclaimed globetrotter. Marcia is particularly fond of Hong Kong, Venice, and New Zealand, not only for the scenery, but because of the mouthwatering food. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned 29 books and 5 novellas.  Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling, and with her animal family.

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