Something about Thanksgiving screams turtlenecks and sweaters, not tees and flip flops.

It will work for my dad, who is the official Turkey BBQ’er (yes, we put our turkey in the barbeque, and man, it is delicious!) for he will not be shivering in the cold. 

But for everyone else? Bah humbug!

Have you come back to stay?

Days like this I am amazed that the rest of the country is preparing for winter.  They are bundling up against the wind and the cold.   Yet here we are, enjoying a gorgeous Saturday at Crystal Cove.

We may not get the fall foliage that so many do but I have to appreciate this time of year at the beach. The crowds are gone and you are left with stretches of beach to yourself.

All you hear are the waves. All you smell is the ocean. Life is so good.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

What made you leave?  I want you back.

I don’t know what I did wrong, but just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.

You see, it was such a wonderful time we had together.  I was able to break out some pants and long sleeved shirts!  I wore something on my feet called socks!  It was truly magical.

But now you’re gone, and I’m back to the same old clothes I seem to wear 80% of the time.  I need change, fall weather, and only you can give it to me.

So please think about it.  We’re great together, and you know it.

Sincerely,

A Lifelong SoCal Resident

My new version of autumn/fall. The sun setting over Dana Point Harbor

Obviously living in Orange County many of these things don’t occur. We may only have two seasons, as a lot of people like to say … summer and not summer. However, it doesn’t take away from the best part of experiencing all four seasons as they do in other parts of the country. In my opinion, the best part of the seasons changing is the anticipation of the change regardless if it is traditional or not. And in my case, wearing a whole different wardrobe. I’m a sucker for any kind of black turtleneck sweater.

I’m totally digging the cooler weather we’re experiencing this week. While we don’t have trees bursting with vibrant colors and it’s not quite turtleneck sweater weather yet it is light sweater weather and  the air is crisp and cool. I can live with that.

So, OC Metbloggers, what is your favorite season? Do you share my affinity for black turtleneck sweaters?

4 ounce tasting mug

As many of you know, the Orange County Beer Festival was held yesterday at Irvine Lake. As promised there were lots of breweries, lots of beer to drink and plenty of heat.

Since it was so hot – the thermometer in my car showed 100 degrees – I was shocked at how many people had on jeans, closed-toe shoes and dark shirts. However, most people seemed to be aware we were in the middle of a heat wave and dressed as such. Thankfully there was shade to be had and the vendors that happened to be in the shade produced a crowd.

Our purpose was to try beers we’d not had before. I sampled 14, but did not entirely drink them all. Some were just too heavy for such a hot summer day. I tried to stick to lights, wheats, whites, etc. plus that’s what I tend to prefer. Although, one of my favorites was none of those, exactly. MateVeza an organic beer with caffeine.

More photos and commentary after the jump.

All of the vendors were extremely knowledgeable, not only of their own brews, but beer in general and were fun to talk to.  They often asked what we liked and were genuinely interested in our responses. There were over 50 microbreweries and probably more than 200 different types of beer.

OC Beer Festival - notice how everyone is in the shade. The beer vendors were set-up under the tents that lined two sides of the grounds as well as the center, creating two large grassy aisles. The food trucks were in the parking lot next to the lake.

The immense pyrocumulous cloud from the Station Fire is visible from many locations in Orange County

Metal Shop, an '80s cover band entertained the crowd and a passing bicyclist.

The live band, Metal Shop, was a lot of fun and in my opinion perfect for this type of event. They provided fun energetic sing-along 80’s glam rock. Plus, ya gotta love the throwback outfits/hair, which I took to be a little tongue-in-cheek. My only complaint: they didn’t play Nightrain, although this song is more hard rock than glam rock. Metal Shop played lots of Bon Jovi and Poison.

Two Down ... on our way out we noticed two people who looked like they didn't drink enough water, nor did it look like they were dressed properly. God, I sound like my dad. Ack!

I am so glad free bottled water  and iced tea was provided. We frequented that booth more than any. If I didn’t drink lots o’ water that’d be me in the above photo. Food – burgers, sausages, desserts, etc. – was for sale at a reasonable price. The In-N-Out cheeseburger totally hit the spot and also prevented me from ending up horizontal.

There were also plenty of porta-johns available. I’ve been to many events when this is not the case. Thumbs up for this.

I thought the venue of Irvine Lake was nice, but if the event were much bigger it would’ve been a tight squeeze and an even bigger traffic nightmare. I estimated a crowd of about 1,000-1,500. Getting to Irvine Lake is a bit of a challenge as well. Basically there is one two-lane road, Santiago Canyon Road, in and out. The easiest way to get there is off of the 241 toll road and that is the way most people came, including us. We sat in at least a one-mile back-up. Traffic was creeping along until the OC sheriffs rolled up and took over traffic control. The only other alternative was to come via El Toro Road, which changes to SCR at Cook’s Corner.

One thing I wish was available was a tasting menu. I did take a little notepad to jot some thoughts and list the beers I tasted, but an entire list of all of the beers available and the brewery’s that produce them would’ve been nice. Oh well, what do I know? Other than that I really don’t have any complaints.

All-in-all for $40 a ticket/$80 per couple – heck we spend at least that when we just go out to dinner – you really got your money’s worth, unlimited four-ounce pours, live music and free non-alcoholic beverages. Speaking of tickets, I’d like to add a BIG thank you to Frazgo for the heads up/tickets for this event. He is an author for LA Metblogs.

The husband and I had a great time and are considering making the drive up to LA for Septemberfest. Anyone else?

Overall I think the event was well attended and well organized. So OC metblog readers, did you attend the Beer Festival? If so, what did you think?

This picture was taken above the “Orange Crush” where the 5, 57, 22 and 55 (kinda) all meet. That’s right…..the fire in L.A. the San Gabriel Valley is so large, you can see the flames from Orange County.

As Gina said, we know what you’re going through. Stay safe folks!
(More pics after the jump: )

The OC Register says “the county smashed a heat record today, and the National Weather Service says that it’s likely to be 1-2 degrees hotter on Friday.“ Stay cool people and stay out of the ocean, Laguna Beach Lifeguards would ”prefer you wait for another day to get into the ocean“. I guess you’re better off in the pool – sheesh!

I thought at first there was a fire, the way the sunlight was being filtered into my house, but no mention of a fire anywhere that I can find.

Instead just this weird, soupy crap that so does not belong here in the middle of August.

UPDATE: All right, apparently there are two wildfires, one in Santa Cruz and one in Santa Barbara (that I thought, erroneously, was put out) so the smoke drifting this way might be part of the reason.

I’m scared.  Hold me.

Yes, I’m being serious when I ask this question. Yes, I drive people nuts with my “only you would wonder that.”

Throw a girl a bone.

This was the best photo I could find, of mine, that kinda represents a marine layer.