Ted's people

Matt, Sarah, Christian, and Carlos

Haylie, Crystal, Matt

Christian doing 5

Nancy

Nancy won't like it but she and Amanda posing

Ted is in the process of living happily ever after in a San Diego East County hamlet.  He's doing fine with his family all around him.  

Matt, his wife Crystal, and two daughters (Haylie, and Adelyn) live in Serra Mesa.  

Sarah, her husband Carlos and two kids (Christian and Emma) spent their time in El Cajon.

Amanda and her people, Robert and dog Baily live in Las Vegas, NV.

More to come.

The web is a big place.  I've probably already said this somewhere in cyberspace, but I am to Ted Gammon what Eliot Rosewater is to Kilgore Trout.  That said, I'll use this vehicle to chronicle the life of TG as I know it.

Ted's boat or so he wishes

the Grand Kids Christian and Emma

Tune in as time rolls along for updates on my personal hero.

Newest grandchild Adelyn

https://tedgammon.wordpress.com/

Last year I started working as a Sports Bar Examiner.  Just what does that mean?  A simple answer is a contributor to Examiner.com.  One who specializes in sports bars within my community. 

As a Freelance Contributor I work my community, defined as neighborhoods in San Diegans.  When starting as a Sports Bar Examiner, I figured this job was a snap.   I have discovered clubs contain lots of subtle variations.  Sports Bars can be upscale or dive bars.  They may have themes, like Irish Pubs.

When looking for material to write about, I do preliminary research by looking at Google Earth and following along corridors on their grids which display symbols showing bars and taverns.  

Next I’ll Google a place that readers might enjoy visiting.  If it has merit, I’ll plan my trip to take in that place.  I almost never go anywhere anymore without lining up at least 3-4 spots.

The day I bought tires for my van, I ran Google Earth to find this tire shop.  I was pleased to see the Incredible Cheesecake Co.  Bakery goodies 101 or the Incredible Cheesecake Co. was just two doors west of the tire shop and that was on a list of places to Examine.   Likewise I found a true sports bar just down the way, The Ould Sod.  Never a better Irish Pub will ya hope to belly up to the bar in.

Located at 3373 Adams Ave, in Normal Heights, The Ould Sod awaits your arrival.  A true sports bar, a better than average dive bar where sports fans can gather and revel in the home team.   The bar began its current incarnation in 1989.  The owners Tommy Quinn, Ron Stout and Mick Ward have brought the luck of the Irish to San Diego for sure.

The Ould Sod is a great community oriented business, sponsoring:  Drama Groups;  Pub crawls;   Amnesty International concerts; St. Patrick’s Day parade functions; Bus trips to Petco park and Qualcom; Patron outings to local sporting events;  And they host the annual Marine Corps birthday party in November.

You’ll find no pub grub inside but they don’t mind you bringing in food from outside. They offer plasma flat screens for NFL and college football, baseball, hockey and basketball and any other major sporting events of the day.  You can’t help but admire people who work charitable causes and this bar does more than its fair share. 

Searching for greatness...

I have searched for a directory providing an inventory of both sumptuous baked pies and advice as to which ones are best but have come up short in my search.  I’ve found lists of the ‘top 10 pies’ but I’d like a complete list of great tasting bakeries doing our blood glucose no favors. 

I will therefore create an inventory, knowing good shops are omitted, here is a list of shops claiming to be the best:

Julian Pie Co; Mom's Pie House; V G Donut & Bakery; Edelweiss Bakery; City Delicatessen & Bakery; Michele Coulon Dessertier; Elizabethan Desserts; Carlsbad Danish Bakery; Crest Cafe; Du-Par's

 

Those are the top 10 shops for sweet delights as judged by City Search.

To the City Search list I am adding 10 more shops to indulge in.

Dudley's Bakery; Extraordinary Desserts; Hogetsu Bakery; Heaven Sent Desserts; Brothers Family Restaurant; Hans & Harry's Bakery Corp; Peace Pies; Maye's Desserts & Bistro; The Incredible Cheesecake Company; & Centifonti Restaurant will be number 10 on my list making for 20 locations I’ve uncovered for consideration.

These will keep me busy for a few weeks and if I indulge too much I can audition for next years Biggest Looser.  Look out Chaz Bono.  If you’d like me to add your favorite spot to my list, my address is gammon27@cox.net. 

This article is in response to a tasting I had at Cocos Bakery Restaurant.  I tried the raspberry swirl cheese pie and found it worth high praise.  Nancy bought it and after a small sampling, we left the whole pie with Carlos, our son-in-law.  After realizing the  mistake we decided to buy one pie for us and stopped at another Cocos to purchase another just for us. 

 

The Raspberry Swirl Cheese Pie we purchased at 1025 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon was pure pleasure.  The one we bought from 1324 E. Main Street wasn’t as good.  Location, location, location... it does make a difference.  The bottom line is, the raspberry swirl from Cocos may be worth your attention.  I found it not so sweet as to kick me into hyper glucose frenzy and very good.  The second pie wasn’t as good.  The crust was Oreo cookie and so any char on it was under the radar but it tasted like a few too many minutes were had on the grill for this pie.