It's a bit difficult to type this morning because I have tiny cactus spurs and thorns embedded in the tips of my fingers. Why? Because I sort of took a day off yesterday. When I take a day off, which is pretty rare, it means I remove my body from its upright position in front of the computer. It doesn't mean that I turn off my cellphone or don't answer it.
Although, I did turn it off in the movie theater. It was such a glorious day in Sacramento that my husband and I decided to walk downtown from Land Park. It's about a 45-minute walk to downtown from homes in Land Park. We've been meaning to check out the K Street development and also see that animated movie at The Crest, My Dog Tulip, based on the 1956 memoir by J. R. Ackerley. If you haven't seen this movie, it's hilarious and warm and touching. You don't have to own a dog to enjoy it.
Afterward, we crossed the street to the Dive Bar to see if any mermaids were swimming around. But there were only saltwater fish in the tank over the bar. It was very dark. Some old guy at the end of the bar stared at the surface of the bar while he nursed his drink. He could have been drunk. Or homeless. A younger couple chatted over martinis and looked inebriated. I wondered how people can sit in a bar and drink at 2 PM on a Sunday afternoon. Oh, wait, was I never 21? Eh, we forget these things . . .
There was nothing to eat in the The Dive Bar but cheesy fish-shaped crackers, so we went next door to Pizza Rock. I could have died and gone to 
heaven when I bit into the Margherita pizza. Well, not that you'd know heaven by the mural painted on the ceiling. My husband asked why God was giving the little fat baby in the corner a Vulcan nerve pinch. I mused that the guy at the other end of the mural looked like that Tauran guy, Sam Adama, from Caprica. Although the naked teenaged girl snuggled up to God was a little weird.
Margherita pizza: San Marzano tomatoes, swirls of mouth-watering mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt -- produced in about 90 seconds from a 900-degree wood-fired oven. I'm telling you, it's to die for.
After walking home, it was a perfect time to clean up the cactus garden. The pear cacti had fallen over during the last couple of rain storms because the soil just gives way. We have a lot of clay soil in Land Park, which can get too soaked to support something that tall and heavy. I'm still not yet finished in the garden or I'd post a photo. I feel a bit guilty that I've been so busy selling Sacramento short sales that I've neglected my cactus garden. It needs even more pruning and weeding than I had time for yesterday. Hence, the cactus spurs. There's always a price to pay.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub, BlackBerry Bold Camera, yes, that's a truck protruding from the wall at Pizza Rock. I don't know why.
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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Elizabeth, very vivid picture in my mind so I'm totally laughing outloud... my husband would have asked the same question about the Vulcan nerve pinch...
While I didn't do a 45 minute walk due to a foot injury, I did take the time and work on the landscaping and the lawn to get it ready. Sunday was perfect weather to get things done. Your pizza, it looks awesome!
Elizabeth, I'm sitting at Rain Camp just before lunch and starving. That Margarita pizza looks pretty amazing!
Elizabeth- Sounds to me like you had the perfect day sans the thorns. I just had yogurt for lunch so that pic of the pizza sure looked good!
Sounds like a glorious day in the Sacramento Land Park neighborhood Elizabeth even with the cactus gardening. Thanks for sharing your day off....
Cactuses (what is the plural of cactus anyway) are like some people. The more you try to help them the more they sting you back. Hmmm... could be another blog post topic.
That pizza is amazing. The tomatoes form a full rich sauce that explodes in your mouth, and the cheese melts like crazy. If, on a hot summer day, you crave fresh thick tomato slices, topped with mozzarella and just-picked basil, drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, you'll love this pizza even more. There is a note on the menu that says Pizza Rock makes only 73 Margherita pizzas a day. I don't know if it's true and, if it is, why. Maybe it has something to do with the dough. It's super thin. My husband folded his in half like a sandwich but I cradled it in the palm of my hand and savored every.single.bite. Didn't care if sauce ran down my chin, either. Probably not something you'd order on a first date then.
Even hard working Realtors get a day off now and then. You certainly took advantage of yours. Good for you!
I spent most of Saturday celebrating the birthday of my 6 year-old granddaughter. Her mom had invited Belle (of Disney fame) to the party and most of the 11 guests were dressed in Belle Princess outfits. It was fun, as usual, to see the world through the eyes of a 6 year-old.
Hi Elizabeth, that pizza sounds incredibly delicious. I applaud you taking on those prickly cacti, I think they're beautiful but don't like the pain.