Fallbrook | Fuzzy Undertones

Did you know that the Avocado Capital of the World is just a few short minutes away, in Fallbrook? Neither did I! But since I love avocados, and Fallbrook happened to be hosting its annual Avocado Festival last weekend, I decided that Mom, Mark and I should go. And I also decided that Mom should drive because her car, more than mine or Mark’s, most resembles an avocado.

Wow – what a scene! It was an avocado mob scene, to be sure. Although it was mostly like a really really really crowded street fair (actually, that’s precisely what it was) – they were anticipating 75,000+ people – there were a few avocado-related booths. They had avocado fudge (!), fresh quacamole (yum!), avocado pottery and crafts, and fried avocado. But mostly it was just your usual street fair fare – snow cones, tee-shirt booths, sausages on sticks. And it was soooooo crowded – parking was slim to none (luckily we didn’t get a ticket or towed for parking on someone’s front lawn), and by the time we made less than one circuit through the street doing the slow-paced street-fair shuffle we were ready to go. But at least I can say that I’ve visited the Avocado Capital of the World! Woo hoo!!!

You know, with the door mouse, the March hare, and the mad hatter? That’s right, Alice was celebrating her un-birthday at that crazy tea party, but I got to celebrate my 32nd birthday in style at the Courtyard Cafe and Tea Room in Fallbrook, CA. It was smashing good fun, too – each of us had a pot of tea (ginger peach for me, thanks), fresh-baked scones with Devonshire cream and jam (not clotted cream, thank goodness), and an assortment of finger sandwiches, quiche, salad, and fruit. And for dessert: lemon cheesecake – a triumph! It was all very good, and the tea room was really cute – a little bit country cottage, a little bit rock and roll (well, much more contry cottage than rock and roll, but I thought I’d throw that in for fun). Nik and Jackie were kind enough to arrange the entire event; I’d never had a full tea service before, and at thirty-two years of age, I’d say it was about time!