Tasty

It would be good if you could somehow take edible photos, because this is what I'd share with you if I could:

The Penny Ice Creamery is the newest thing in Santa Cruz. They make all their icecream "from scratch", and from local ingredients. They even made ice cream for President Obama's State of the Union address. They crack 2000 eggs per week to keep up with demand. I had to queue for my scoops of heaven, so I can well believe it.

They let you try the flavours (on non-disposable spoons; how environmentally friendly!) I ended up with a scoop of Wild Fennel and another of Rose Petal. They even asked which flavour I'd like on top!! The waffle cones are also made on the premises, and the whole of the yumminess only cost US$5.50

The ice cream was too good to eat on the go, so I took a seat inside and gazed out at the beautiful Santa Cruz afternoon. I was reading over my emails from my visit in early April last year, and they reminded me that it was rainy for most of the time. This time it's been nothing but stunning, but only since last weekend apparently. Long may it continue!

The Santa Cruz Film Festival starts this week, so I might have to go and check out some of the movies:

The last two mornings I've gone for runs along East Cliff Drive, overlooking the beach, just because I can't resist and I want to see how my arthritis behaves. I'm loving the RunKeeper iPhone app! It told me I did 4.18km in 25:01 minutes this morning, and it even shows me the route on Google Maps.

Random food facts:

- Pumpkins apparently aren't readily available at the moment. I've been to two supermarkets now and at the second I asked about them and was told they are a seasonal vegetable! Wow! I've taken it for granted that pumpkin can be purchased year round. No wonder it's such a big deal at Halloween and Thanksgiving - and there goes my roasted pumpkin salad recipe.

- Chickpeas are interchangeably called "garbanzo beans" here. I had to read the label on the can to make sure that's what I was buying!