Visitors to San Diego

While I always busy my time here in San Diego, activities ramp up a bit when visitors come.

A week ago, Monday, my friend, Marge, and I went to lunch at the Breakfast Republic.  We chose the same meal.... the Shrimp and Ricotta Frittata with slices of Avocado.  With an English Muffin and browned potatoes, the servings were delicious and ample.  I was only able to eat about a third of the meal resulting on a box for an eat-at-home meal.  I would recommend this restaurant.

That evening, my 15 year old New York granddaughter and her girlfriend from New Hampshire arrived after an impromptu trip to the southern ridge of the Grand Canyon with our Los Angeles family.  Early Tuesday morning, I went to the Clairemont section of San Diego to take them and their cousins to Krispy Kreme at the Clairemont Town Square.  My visiting granddaughter remembered that her brothers went there a number of years ago when they came to San Diego.  We walked there to have the total experience of Krispy Kreme.  They could see the operation of making donuts, though I think the taste of the donuts had more of an impact on the teens....Yum, yum.

After that, I left them as they went to Belmont Park in Mission Beach, where they enjoyed the afternoon.  Then, before my grandson's basketball practice, they were able to eat at Hodads in Ocean Beach.  This restaurant is a total experience that's certainly worth the trip.

On Wednesday, we went to the beach.  My son-in-law has a favorite area which is quiet.  He goes there once a week with the children teaching them to "bodyboard.'  I was only interested in wading but found the waves strong enough to pull me over if I wasn't careful.  Hence, a perfect spot to 'bodyboard.'

On Thursday, I met the family at the San Diego Zoo.  When I arrived about 10am, they were already touring the park and had reached the Polar Bear exhibit, which they found closed.  I took the skyfari®-aerial-tram to catch up with them.  This ride is a great way to see the expanse of the zoo and provides picture ops, if that interests you.  To the right, below is a photo of Balboa Park, which is located just south of the zoo.  Well worth visiting.

Balboa Park

We all proceeded to traverse the zoo, attending a 4-D theater and checking out some of the animals.  Lunch was at the Sabertooth Grill near the Elephant Odyssey.  This restaurant is the favorite of the family.  After everyone was well fed, we continued on to view the sleepy Koalas and feed the Giraffes.

After several hours, we enjoyed a cool desert near the front of the park and concluded our great day at the zoo.  I went my way, they went theirs....to basketball practice and dinner at home followed by a sunset visit to the beach.  On Friday, after experiencing lunch at IN-N-OUT with burgers and fries, the young ladies were on their way home.  No trip to California is complete without enjoying an IN-N-OUT meal.

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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

Labor Day Weekend

On Friday, I started the weekend by going to Mission Beach with my daughter and her children.  My daughter spotted a parking space on Mission Boulevard.  Finding a spot there was quite a coup.  For a Labor Day weekend, there weren't many people on the beach.  We had expected larger crowds.  More people did start coming around 3:00pm.  We enjoyed romping in the waves with the children.  The six year old was a little wary of the waves, but still had a good time.  My daughter spread a blanket and placed an umbrella in the middle.  After a while, we returned to sit on the blanket to eat a snack, while the six year old played in the sand along side.  Before I knew it, I was shooing flies with large wings.  At first, my daughter said there is nothing there, but then she did see them.  Since I was the only person they were landing on, I suspect that it was probably my pomegranate and mango soap that attracted them.  Lesson learned.  I didn't bring my camera so I missed the opportunity for photos of some Whimbrels, pecking through the sand.  After two hours, we left the beach, having thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. 

On Saturday, after my grandson's soccer scrimmage, we left for Los Angeles to visit the cousins.  We enjoyed spotting the "monster" in the clouds as we traveled north up the "5".  Traffic wasn't bad at all, except for the toll booth area.   My daughter was wondering why the cars paying the toll were held up.  Then, we noticed that the toll for the "73" had risen to $5.75.  Some of the drivers were probably unprepared for the rise in the cost, slowing everyone down.  The visit with the cousins was, of course, very enjoyable as it always is.

We returned on Sunday morning with some sporadic tie ups.  My daughter chose to skip the toll and bypass the "73".  I dislike driving the 405 all the way to where it joins the "5".  The traffic at that point can be an absolute "bear", at least in my opinion.  I do not enjoy bumper-to-bumper traffic.  This morning, however, we didn't have any problem.  That afternoon, I went with a friend for a late lunch at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza at Liberty Station in Point Loma to celebrate our birthdays.  The atmosphere at this restaurant is always enjoyable.  We both ordered from the "Tapas" section of the menu.  I ordered a the "crab and shrimp with flat bread" (I highly recommend this) and Marge chose the "Oak roasted asparagus with prosciutto."   I tasted one of spears....very tasty.  Since we were celebrating our birthdays, the waiter offered us a special desert.  We both declined.  It would have tasted great, but common sense won out.  We still shared in laughter and I did a lot more talking than my friend.  She's a great listener.   It was another great day.

Yesterday, I went to Balboa Park to see if there were any migrating butterflies.  A young man attending one of the bird tours at the Famosa Slough last spring spoke glowingly about many butterflies in the Rose Garden.  There were no butterflies, but many rose bushes in this garden.  My photos don't do them justice.  One variety of rose was prettier than the other.

Balboa Park Rose Garden

After looking at the roses, I walked to Balboa Park's Koi Pond.  It is located by the Botanical Building and is a favorite of many.   As I left the Park, I noticed a number of children in the Bea Evenson Fountain.  It was very hot yesterday.
                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Bea Evenson Fountain

                                                                                                    
 On my way home, I went to the Famosa Slough, where I saw the Osprey perched on the telephone pole.  Several times in the past two weeks, I've seen a "host" of sparrows.  Actually, I've been unable to discern exactly what amount of sparrows constitutes a "host."  All summer, I would hear them in the bushes and if they were not in bushes they would quickly get into one as I came near.  This made it quite difficult to see what kind of sparrow it was.   Now, they are collectively out in the open which makes me think that they are preparing to migrate.  Visiting Balboa Park and the Famosa Slough was a perfect way to finish my Labor Day weekend.

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Happy Fourth of July

Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, NY

Happy Fourth of July!   On this day, we celebrate the anniversary of birth of our United States of America.  I heard a commentator on TV state that we Americans are privileged to live in this United States of America.  In my opinion, that is true.  While the past 237 years have fluctuated from hard times to good times and back, through wars (political or not), we have sustained.  I believe that this is because we have preserved our Constitution, despite the actions of our elected politicians.  In my opinion, we Americans are not a perfect people.  As a whole, we have to remind ourselves to be thankful for what we have as we celebrate with parades, picnics and fireworks.  However, we Americans are a generous people as evidenced by our rush to help our fellow man in disasters at home or, in fact, anywhere in the world.

I'd like to take the time to thank our Military (active, including my eldest grandson, a new United States Marine, and our Veterans) for the protections they afford us.  We would not be able to freely celebrate this day without their sacrifice. 

World Trade Center, New York, NY

Happy Independence Day!

Hudson River at Hyde Park, NY

Balboa Park, San Diego CA

Times Square, New York, NY

Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, NY

Coastline at La Jolla, CA

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Sunday at Balboa Park

My shy, reserved granddaughter will be attending the San Diego Junior Theatre camp in Balboa Park tomorrow, so my daughter took her there to see the layout. I and my not so shy or reserved grandson went along.

There were many visitors, so we had to pray for a parking spot. We circled the parking lot not finding a spot and decided to just drive to the front of the building where the theatre camp would be held. There, right in front of the building was a "15 minute" spot. We had just enough time to familiarize my granddaughter with the layout of the area. Then, we got back into the car and drove to the area where she would be picked up every day. That accomplished, my daughter circled through that parking lot. As she stopped because of someone waiting for a parking spot, a couple walked up to the car and said, "We are leaving if you want our spot." That gave us the opportunity to wander through the park. If you had seen the line of cars waiting to park, you'd probably agree that our prayer was answered.

The Park was crowded but not over-crowded. We walked to the Bea Evenson Water Fountain. To the left, is a picture taken when there were less visitors. On the way up to the fountain, a lone street dancer got my grandson to join him in a dance routine.


We just missed a large group dance performance near the fountain. As we walked down the main street we saw the San Diego Bird Rescue group with some beautiful birds. The volunteers walked amidst the spectators allowing them to have a close-up view that they would not ordinarily enjoy.



My granddaughter wanted to see the tall tower near the western entrance to the Park. Actually, it is the California Tower housing the Ona May Lowe Carillon (picture at the top of blog). To the left is a picture of the entrance to the Museum of Man.



Then, with her curiosity satisfied, we walked back towards the Botanical Building. On the way, a small crowd surrounded a street magician. We stopped to watch his magic tricks. Then, on to the Botanical Building where we had the opportunity to rub and sniff some herbs. Interesting. There were many, many plants, but it was too crowded today.

I led our little group to a tree behind this building, which I've found very interesting because so many of it's roots were above the ground (picture below on the left). The children enjoyed climbing the roots. I think the this tree might be a Moreton Bay Fig Tree as its roots are similar to the large famous one near the Park Avenue entrance (picture below on the right).








As we passed the Village Grill, we decided to have, what was by now, a late lunch. It provided a good reprieve from all our walking. As time was marching on, we regrettably had to skip the Art Show at the Spanish Village Art Center.

There is just so much to see at Balboa Park, whether it be roadside entertainment, museums, plants or beautiful architecture. Actually, we probably only covered one-third of the park. And, a good time was had by all.

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Yesterday, I had two little visitors who were "under the weather." Since both parents are now working and I am available, the children spent the morning with me. We had a nice quiet time, watching a video and planing a game. When Daddy came to pick them up, I saw how beautiful the day had become. The temperature was about 58 degrees with wind gusts of 36 mph. I love the wind and decided to go out. Since it was Tuesday, it would be an excellent time to visit Balboa Park and take advantage of free admission to some museums.
I was able to visit the Museum of Photographic Arts. Since I enjoy taking photographs, I thought it would be good for me to see what the experts do. Then, off to the Museum of San Diego History. They had a raised floor with a picture of the topography of San Diego County. They also plastic maps that children could place on the floor when they found that particulating matching location on the floor map. My grandchildren would enjoy doing that. To my left was a room with a closed glass door. The attendant told me that the door was closed just to protect the clothing displayed inside. So, I ventured in and found a display of some very old dresses, as well as clothing from the 1960s. There before my eyes were the styles I used to wear. Truthfully, my reaction was strange because I don't feel that old. There were dresses, handbags (or purses), gloves and a hat just like one that I wore. Actually, I owned 22 hats. I kept them in beautiful hatboxes. By the time I had our seven children, I decided I didn't need them anymore because it was no longer stylish to wear hats. I never believed in saving clothing. If I couldn't wear something that was still good, I donated it. But I think that these hats went to the town dump one year when we were doing clean up. I had absolutely no idea that they would come back into fashion.
As I completed my tour of the museums, I got a call inviting me to go out for coffee. Wonderful! Then, as I closed the cell phone, I spotted a beautiful bluebird. I tried to take its picture but wasn't fast enough. However, the sight was a great reminder that Spring is near.