Posts by Clyde Van Arsdall

The feel of a good pencil and the smell of cedar evoke creativity in me. The routine of sharpening and whittling away at a pencil feels like progress. Pencil nubs litter my workspace like cigarette butts, each representing a project completed. Putting words or images on paper, not just any paper, good paper, is magical…

If you like the Lafayette Hotel, watching movies in the pool at The Pearl, and cooking a steak at Turf Supper Club, you may be a candidate for glamping at Pinecrest Retreat. I am talking about trailer camping, and this hidden spot is only 45 minutes away, just shy of Julian. The Pinecrest retreat has…

When you can smell the oak, it ain’t no joke. As I headed into San Diego’s Mount Hope neighborhood, I rolled my windows down, waiting for the smoke to hit me. If you don’t smell it, you’re sure as hell not going to taste it. Suddenly, there it was, the essence of oak. Smoke is…

In 1933 Petra and Natividad Estudillo opened one of San Diego’s most beloved Mexican food restaurants in Barrio Logan. It has been serving up mind-blowing food made from the heart ever since. I am talking about Las Cuatro Milpas (The Four Corn Fields), 1857 Logan Ave, San Diego. If you are not aware of this…

Idyllwild Weather, “Betting on the Come” “Betting on the come” is derived from a gambling expression. It means you don’t have what you want or need now, but you are betting or hoping you will have it when the time comes.  Idyllwild in early spring feels a little like gambling. You want to head up…

Bonita lived up to its name this past weekend when I went to one of my favorite spots for Mariscos. The wildflowers were in full bloom, and the hillsides and pastures had transformed from the usual dusty brown to a lush green. That’s right, one of my favorite fish tacos is 15 minutes Southeast in…

My uncle from North Carolina once told me, “There’s a simple truth in barbecue: If you don’t see wood stacked out back, it ain’t worth stopping for.” No need to worry — as you arrive in Sherman Heights at El Barbecue, you can smell the perfume of the white oak hanging in the air, and…

Fish Guts, one of Barrio Logan’s newest restaurants, sat empty under construction for over a year, maybe more. Its sign and unusual name teased passersby leaving one to wonder if it would ever officially open. Recently, as I turned onto Logan Avenue, there it was, Fish Guts all lit up. It got my attention like…