Zen at Sonoma State!!!!

CLICK HERE to see the movie Sonoma State has created of Zen's basketball team this year!!!

Isn't that SOOOOO COOOOOOL?!!!

Last weekend we got to see Zen in Sonoma and visit his campus for the first time. Beautiful place it is! And there's that Autumn smell in the air, which for me is also the smell of the new school year!

For September~~2013!!

This is the way I love to make pesto!!!

 I may get a fifth and sixth batch still from all the basil I managed to get growing!
Pine nuts, garlic and basil leaves, grind them with a morter and pestal, until it looks as above... then
finish it off by alternating with olive oil and parmesan cheese. We've never tasted better pesto!

It was interesting to find these caterpillar like bugs on our cilantro... and shiso.

See, it's greyish colored and sticking out strait? Different from the reddish brown stems?! And then in my hand I found- well Zen found a baby one in his sandwich (I didn't do it!!!). THAT one was on the fresh green cilantro that the girls served with his burrito.

It's trippy to see them. It looks like they have mouths on both ends!

 

Well, here's Ischin at work in Japan, at Cafe Ocean. See that awesome pizza baking stove behind him covered in tiles?! In Japan...  at the date of me making this blog, Ischin's off to ITALY!!!
See~ it's a BIG worldwide pizza making competition, and Ischin's pizza teacher is competing too, Ischin's there to assist? Or just to support and root him on! How cool is that?!!




Zen's gone now~ off to Sonoma State. You know he's missing home, and his sisters so much, but basketball season's started! Well, training anyway. We won't get to see him here back home but for a day or two here and there... not until Easter break can he spend much time home again. It's two hours away where he's working at Sonoma State, doing his best, and making us all proud!

Taka and me... enjoying a little rest in our backyard...admiring the garden.

I'm not so sure how to proceed for  Fall to come~ 

Tomatoes!!! These ones don't change red... they're getting HUGE!

It's getting close to October... and I took this photo of pumpkins I planted back in April or May, across the drive from our house. The areas are usually trashed, but at least I could get this little batch growing...

The Cosmos flowers I got for free, along with the Sunflowers... on freecycle...are so nice too. Except deer came and ate the tops off of most of the little Sunflowers. In the pots are just some compost growing somethings...

Can you see the pumpkin in there? The biggest isn't big, but it's beginning to get orange. Hopefully no one will steal it!

At one of our favorite stores, TRADER JOE'S (TJs) ...I loved the sign, all ocean-y~
And check out the can surfing!!!
It's  WASABI CORN!!!!!
Now THAT would be interesting... I guess we really should try it...
cause like the sign says is their custom:
 "We Encourage You to try New Items. But don't worry. If you try it and don't like it, Just Bring it Back!"

I didn't buy this pineapple plant from TJ's but it was cute enough to take a photo of it!

Finally, I'll leave you with this, this month~~
It's Naomi and her love Karl~
We've got a lot to look forward to!!!!