A short walk
Jul. 14th, 2007 02:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragoness_eI went for a short walk after lunch. Just north of where I'm staying is the tiny hamlet of Alviso. It's not so upscale-fancy as San Jose and Santa Clara (damn, I keep wanting to say 'Santa Carla'. Watched that movie one too many times...). In fact, it's fairly poor--reminds me of Bucktown back home. It's across a salt-marsh bayou from San Jose--they call it a 'slough', here. I watched a cormorant diving for fish in the muddy tidal water; some huge cane grows along the edge of the water. I still wonder what it was.
Alongside the road, I saw several stands of a huge (over 6 foot) weed that looked vaguely familiar. Smooth stems, lateral fronds with very fine leaves, a yellow flower head with bunches of tiny, tiny flowers that spreads out like Queen Anne's Lace... the more I looked at it, the more naggingly familiar this huge ugly weed looked. I tore off a leaf, crushed it between my fingers, and sniffed. It was dill. Giant dill, I'd guess, growing wild by the side of the road.
Correction: I subsequently learned that this stuff is Sweet Fennel, which looks and smells very much like dill. It's used for the same things dill is.
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
I found the local post office and the local library branch. It was a good healthy walk down to the library, and I was glad of the A/C when I got there. I think it's in the 80s today, but it's a lot breezier and drier than back home, so it's quite a pleasant walk. I got a library card, didn't see anything I wanted to carry back yet, and headed back.
I was hungry and thirsty by that point, so I stopped at an interesting looking Mexican restaurant called Maria Elena's. Big fans are all that cool the place, but this area is not nearly as hot as New Orleans, so it was quite comfortable. (Some people on a review site that I just Googled whined about that, but they obviously aren't from the Deep South and they didn't drive through the Mojave in 126°F heat!)
The food was awesomely tasty and the waiter & waitress very nice. They speak English, but Spanish is definitely their native language. The fresh salsa is spicy and very tasty--I could taste cilantro in it, among other things. Normally I don't like cilantro--tastes like soap to me--but it fit this garnish just right. The taco (and salad that came with) I ordered were quite tasty as well.
Well fed and well watered, I headed back to cool off and rest. It was a nice walk for a Saturday afternoon.
Alongside the road, I saw several stands of a huge (over 6 foot) weed that looked vaguely familiar. Smooth stems, lateral fronds with very fine leaves, a yellow flower head with bunches of tiny, tiny flowers that spreads out like Queen Anne's Lace... the more I looked at it, the more naggingly familiar this huge ugly weed looked. I tore off a leaf, crushed it between my fingers, and sniffed. It was dill. Giant dill, I'd guess, growing wild by the side of the road.
Correction: I subsequently learned that this stuff is Sweet Fennel, which looks and smells very much like dill. It's used for the same things dill is.
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
I found the local post office and the local library branch. It was a good healthy walk down to the library, and I was glad of the A/C when I got there. I think it's in the 80s today, but it's a lot breezier and drier than back home, so it's quite a pleasant walk. I got a library card, didn't see anything I wanted to carry back yet, and headed back.
I was hungry and thirsty by that point, so I stopped at an interesting looking Mexican restaurant called Maria Elena's. Big fans are all that cool the place, but this area is not nearly as hot as New Orleans, so it was quite comfortable. (Some people on a review site that I just Googled whined about that, but they obviously aren't from the Deep South and they didn't drive through the Mojave in 126°F heat!)
The food was awesomely tasty and the waiter & waitress very nice. They speak English, but Spanish is definitely their native language. The fresh salsa is spicy and very tasty--I could taste cilantro in it, among other things. Normally I don't like cilantro--tastes like soap to me--but it fit this garnish just right. The taco (and salad that came with) I ordered were quite tasty as well.
Well fed and well watered, I headed back to cool off and rest. It was a nice walk for a Saturday afternoon.
