If you were following my Twitter and/or Facebook feeds a couple weeks ago, you already know that I spent about 7 days out in the Land of Fruits and Nuts…La-La Land…the Left Coast…Southern California.
I’ve lived in Tennessee for almost 8 years now and I go out to there once a year, but I still keep getting the same couple questions, so I’ll address those things up front:
No, I’m not from California. I was born in Tennessee, but I did grow up in Cali. When I got older and acquired more sense, I left.
Besides working full-time at Burns Tobacconist, I am a part-time graphic designer. I’ve put together the Watercolor West exhibit catalog for about 16 years in a row. To try to get what we print to match the real-life paintings as closely as possible, I go out to see them in person, compare them to a proof print, then make changes accordingly. Since I had to be out there longer this year than most years, I spent more time meeting with other freelance clients of mine…beating the bushes and shaking some trees, trying to get some extra work to fall out.
As I looked back on this year’s trip, I found that mostly it became a journey expressed in photos of food and cigars, so here are some of the better ones…
In-N-Out Burger is always one of my first stops…got a 4×4 this time…hold the Animal Style…
The first smoke in the rental car this year was a Davidoff Winston Churchill Petite Panatela. Wonderful short smoke…I need more.
Tried out the Wilson Adams “Mr. Wilson” while I was at Islands Cigar Lounge in Brea…good, but I like the regular WA Habano better, I think. I’m open to further experimentation.
Carne Asada from El Farolito in old downtown Placentia. If you are in SoCal…if you are planning to go to SoCal…truly, you should not miss this place.
Back at Islands for Monday Night Football, I had one of these EP Carrillo 5th Anniversary cigars…as good as I remember it!
That car actually does say “Police State of California” on the side! Tells me nothing I didn’t already know…
Eastern Standard Marble House (Corona) at Maxamar…this store exclusive size might just be the best of the entire line. (Maxamar is the B&M side of site sponsor, Small Batch Cigars…you can get Marble House from them.)
Tuesday evening herf with the guys at Taps in Brea. I started off the festivities with an LFD Salomon gifted to me by our Tennessee rep, Sean Hardiman.
I also smoked a Ratzilla that evening. Great stuff. Got to hang out with Keith, Vern, Ray, Ray (yes, there were two of them), Danny, Dale, Paul and Julie. Always a highlight of my trip.
The Dodgers were still in contention when I took this selfie (featuring a GTO Gold…great morning stick). There’s always next year…which I am really getting tired of saying…
Went up to a park to smoke for a few minutes…probably illegal but no one stopped me. This park has a great view of the Santa Ana Canyon and some of the houses out there in Yorba Linda. Beautiful day…the smog hadn’t set in for the week yet.
Wednesday evening, Vern and I headed to Paul and Julie’s house for dinner. We started off with a couple beers and snacks on the front porch…to which I added this wonderful Davidoff Nicaragua.
After dinner they fired up the “fire pit” table and I fired up a Padron 80 Year Maduro. Excellent evening. Thanks again, Paul and Julie, for your hospitality.
I LOVE California traffic…said no one ever!!!
But my in-laws’ dogs are pretty cute…
Sabor de Chattanooga by Guayacan, in Cali. These sticks have really come into their own lately.
Picked up some cigars for review while I was at Maxamar, including the Avo Classic Covers, Volume 2 (a second 2015 LE from Avo). I smoked one in the shop…and liked it!…I got another for review purposes.
Yes…it really was that hot…in October…stupid California weather…
Had to do El Farolito again…Keith had recommended the “El Diablo Chicken” (something like that, anyway)…it was hot and spicy, but very, very good.
Friday was my birthday…I celebrated with the best group of friends a guy could ask for and lit up a Padron 50 Year Hammer Maduro. This stick is off-the-charts fantastic.
Time for one more herf at Maxamar on Saturday. We got to watch the end of the Tennessee game, with their comeback win over Georgia. I’ll attribute that win to me firing up a Tatuaje Gran Maravilla, a store exclusive to Silo Cigars in Knoxville. I got to meet Patrick and Alexander finally…been chatting with these two guys for a couple years on Twitter, but they always seem to be otherwise occupied when I’m in California. Great getting a face-to-face, gentlemen!
Apparently it was so hot that “The Weather” couldn’t handle anymore and quit.
I spent a week in California and the only time I got near the water was Sunday morning when I flew out of LAX. Great to leave at sunrise, though, as I got some shots of the red sky over L.A. The black mass in the front of the picture is Palos Verdes peninsula.
Just after touchdown in the ATL…much more sane fall temps here.
East Tennessee freeway…you’ll notice the amount of traffic…which is the way we like it!
Sunday evening, sundown on my own front porch…safe and sound.
It was a successful trip in that I got the work I was hired for done. I also had several successful meetings with clients and have been fairly inundated with additional work since I returned home. I need that to continue (so this is where I make my appeal to my audience…if you or anyone you know needs graphic design services, please contact me…dmj-at-mac-dot-com…especially if you know anyone that is a print broker/salesman).
My friend, Ray, said to me at one point, “It’s great having you here.” I started to say, “It’s great being here.” But I didn’t want to lie. I was over California by the time Wednesday rolled around. I would much rather have my friends come visit me in Tennessee…or even to meet them on some other “neutral” ground. But I had to make the trip for reasons already stated…and having my friends around makes the entire thing bearable. If not for the time I got to hang out and talk and smoke (and drink a bit, too) with Keith, Vern, Ray, Paul, Julie, Dale, Danny, Amar, Ben, Patrick, Alexander, and all the rest…a week spent out there would be awful. Thank you, guys! Looking forward to being with you again next year.
That surely seems like you had a great time. I gotta do that sometime.
Sounds like a great trip, except for the whole being in CA part.
you are lucky to get out when you did. A few more days and you would have turned into a commie just like Keith!
Agree with you on the Marble House and the Padron 50th was one of the best cigars I have smoked in my entire life!
Man, bunch of Cali haters on here. Glad you had a good trip and it looks like you know how to do In-N-Out right. Maybe next year I am home and you are there Ill make the trip down to hang out with you and Keith. Great pictures.