[Creepmas] Day 6 - Winter Holidays In A Cemetery

 

Yesterday we set out to do some cemetery errands in Stockton, CA: find a grave for someone who contacted me, zine photo shoot, to say hi and check up on friend's relatives. It was rather cold and Matt was recently sick so we did not stay long. The cemetery was full of decorations and trees. Here are a few photos I took.

Maybe not really a holiday wreath but the colors are spot on! 

Hark a Creepmas angel signs! Hee Hee! I could not resist!  Actually after the Cemetery Matt took me to grab a almond milk pumpkin spice latte from Peet's and The Smiths' Cemetery Gates came on! Spppppppoooookkkkyyyyy!




*NOTE: I do not find cemeteries creepy - I know some do. I wanted to show these photos off though and thought Creepmas was appropriate.*

A Bit Of [VeganMOFO] & Weekend Stuff

I thought I would get some acupuncture done this weekend to see if it would transform my nervous energy to bliss. It did not happen, got to the clinic and it was packed, I even had an appointment and it did not matter. I was rather angry seeing it was a 30+ minute drive. So I asked for a refund and headed over to the Delta Humane Society thrift store and bought a few things, hung out with kittens and people who love cats.

To bust me out of my funk more Matt decided we needed doughnuts at Family Donuts & Deli again. The selection was smaller this time around but there were still some great ones to choose from. We tried a blueberry jelly filled and it was tasty!

Of course cemetery exploring was a must. Though the air quality is bad and everything looks murky and like a yellow bruise outside I had to get out there. The mausoleums were open and the air conditioner was on so Matt hung out in one while I explored. Matt snapped the above picture of me when I went back to get him

We rounded out the day having dinner at El Papagayo. I had green enchiladas - one with fried tofu and the other with chili colorado - both tasty options. This leads me to VeganMOFO - I would totally take Mr. President to eat here. No way am I going to cook and fill myself with anxiety! I would get him stuffed with nachos from the salsa bar, get him a round of Tecate and tell him to try a fried tofu dish!

I Love Tutti Frutti!

The heat is on - literally one can step outside their front door in the Central Valley and turn into a pile of goo. When you need to cool off seriously head over to a Tutti Frutti - you know how much I love the vegan soy frozen yogurt by now.
Over the weekend I tried the Stockton location (5756 Pacific Ave # 12) - previously I had only been to the East Bay locations. The Stockton location was super clean and had a large assortment of toppings including loads of fresh fruit (seriously when we arrived someone was filling up the strawberries from a huge bucket), whole Oreo cookies and a lot of Asian toppings like boba pearls and lychee fruit (I did not try any because I wanted all the berries!). My cup was under $4 and so worth the price!
I wish Modesto would get a Tutti Frutti - until then when I am out of town I will be grabbing Tutti Frutti whenever I see one pop up! From the kawaii smiling fruit people that grace the store on posters to the fresh fruit toppings I love walking into a location and feeling happy. Thanks Tutti Frutti for the soy option - if only more frozen yogurt places offered vegan options vegans would be a lot happier - especially on hot summer days!

Stockton Rural Cemetery

Last weekend we ended up in Stockton by mistake for the second weekend in a row. Maybe mistake is not the choice word - more like road construction blunder mess ups. After trying to locate a cemetery and not being able to get to it due to construction in Manteca we figured we would check out the next closest cemetery.
Google showed me two cemeteries - one we have been to before and in fact was there the weekend before. Then the second option so we decided to put the address in the GPS and head that way. So after coming up on familiar looking spot we started thinking that the cemetery we were headed toward was just a section of the cemetery we previously visited. When we came upon the previously visited cemetery and it told us to go to the street next to it and not the entrance we headed back a bit and then encountered Stockton Rual Cemetery or as I like to think of it Narnia!

It is heavily shaded with lots of roads to travel down. It is big in size with old stones and newer ones in the back. Some of the mausoleums were missing their doors (due to age I assume) so getting inside was a treat.
 

Here I am in one that I found interesting due to font script and carved niche. It says "I know my redeemer liveth".

Matt pointed this one out first. It is made from wooden branches and gives off a backwoods vibe.

And the crème de la crème - Russ Meyer! I knew he was buried in Stockton but after searching the cemetery in front twice I was going to save trying to find him when I spotted a security guards next time.Ya - the Stockton cemetery has security and from what I hear the carry guns - no joke! So when I saw a squirrel dash off and followed it with my eyes I found good old Russ! I was like "oh my god Matt it's Russ". He is buried near his mom and sister. Next time we plan on bringing him a gift for sure! 

Stockton is about 30 minutes from us. I love this cemetery so much and cannot wait to go back. Matt did not understand the appeal of this cemetery to me - after all we have been to bigger and better maintained in the past but as soon as we drove through the gates I felt a connection to it. Plus I found a few more vegan option in Stockton that might make for perfect cemetery picnic noms!

It Feels Like Summer

Concerts - check! Last Saturday we got to see Morrissey in Stockton at The Bob Hope Theater again! We love when he plays here because unlike the bay area he does not cancel this stop and it is 30 or so minutes away from our home! Perfect right! It was such a great show! I am so glad that we get to see him yet again in Northern California!

 

BBQ - check! We bought a grill last week, nothing fancy just something for grill newbies and since then we have been having fun times with yummy vegan grilled food. Jumbo veggie dogs, kabobs, veggie links...We are grilling more this weekend! I can't wait! 

A few summer musts are already checked off my list and it is not even summer yet! This will be a great summer - I can feel it!