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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Sammy's Woodfire Pizza

My daughter took me to Sammy's Woodfire Pizza in Liberty Station, Point Loma.
While I've been to three of the twelve Sammy's locations, this is by far my favorite. On my first visit a few years ago, I took the time to look around. The building was constructed sometime in the 1930's and 40's as part of the Naval Training Center in San Diego. When the Navy scaled down their training operation in San Diego during the late 1990's, the City of San Diego transformed the buildings for restaurants, stores, etc. As I looked around, I saw that they used the original structure, showing the bare wood of the roof and draping it with sails. I thought how appropriate....reminiscent of its former use.

When we go to Sammy's, we usually share a Five Cheese pizza ($12.50) and a small Balsamic Grilled Chicken ($9.95). This time we added shrimp ($4.00) to the salad because I like that, while my daughter likes the chicken. The small salad is the size of a dinner plate. We both agreed that every thing was very delicious.

Then came dessert. We decided to share Apple Empanadas ($7.50). As we were ordering it, I mentioned to the waitress that we were celebrating birthdays. She said, "Oh, for birthdays, the dessert is on us." What great news.

I really love this place, so you are reading about it in detail. When in San Diego, this restaurant is worth your visit.

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Busy Busy Weekend

Since my teenage New York grandchildren were visiting San Diego, our weekend activities (usually with everyone going his or her own way) accelerated.

On Thursday, they went with their uncle and cousins to Nickel City. All the games cost one nickel (5 cents). The younger grandchildren always enjoy going there. The teens told me that they enjoyed it as well. Then, following dinner, the family was off to Corvette Diner for dessert. My teenage granddaughter said that it was now her favorite diner. My teenage grandson had a hat made of balloons, as did the younger grandchildren. There is quite a variety of shakes and ice cream desserts from which to make your selection. The choices at our table ranged from shakes to a large banana split. After that, they went to the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movies. Hear tell....they went to the Studio Diner in Kearny Mesa and got home around 4:30am. They probably slept all day Friday.

We met them again on Saturday in the Gaslamp Quarter of Downtown San Diego. Lunch was at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza on Fourth Avenue. The family enjoyed a great salad and several different kinds of pizza. Since I am on a protein diet, I ordered Kobe Beef Hamburgers without the rolls. They were the size of "sliders". They were very tasty and served exactly as I requested with no roll or sauce, etc. However, I didn't realize that Kobe beef has a higher fat content than regular beef. It still tasted delicious without any sauce or accoutrement's. After lunch, the teenagers toured the area with their Cardiff aunt and uncle.

On Sunday, we all went to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It was a pleasant experience for me since I've never accompanied the family to the beach before. After three hours of playing in the sand and surf, a restful lunch was in order. Later in the day, my grandson took my two granddaughters and myself to the Delmar Golf Center to use the driving range. He told me early in his visit to San Diego that he was taking me there. My grandson is a member of his high school's Varsity golf team. On Sunday, I saw how promising my granddaughters, both the 14 year old and the eight year old, were as golfers. For someone who never hit a golf ball, the teenager did very well, as did the eight year old. After we repeatedly complemented her, my teenage granddaughter called her father in New York and asked for golf lessons.

That evening, we had to say farewell to my New York grandchildren. We all enjoyed their visit. Perhaps they will come again....maybe to attend college.

This afternoon, as my daughter and I did an errand, we decided to go out to diner. As discussion ensued, I suggested Filippi's in Pacific Beach on Garnet Avenue. I could feel the lasagna calling me, even though I didn't get that. The food at Filippi's is great and we especially like the atmosphere at the Pacific Beach restaurant. After the children enjoyed their ice cream, we decided to go to the beach (three or four blocks away).

We found a parking spot about a block away and walked the beach. Actually, the grandchildren gleefully ran and jumped up the beach. As the sun went down, we stopped to see a man having a little show on the beach. His talent was juggling fire torches as well as balancing them as he stood on a ladder (unsupported) on a small 4' by 4' platform in the sand.

As we walked back to the car we all agreed that sometimes "spontaneous" outings can be quite enjoyable.

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Favorite San Diego Restaurants

A few weeks ago, my daughter's husband and children went with their grandparents to the mountains (not my daughter's "thing"). After spending a day resting, she called me to invite me to dinner. And, of course, without taking a breath, I said, "Yes." We went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in Point Loma to celebrate our birthdays, which occur within days of each other. She had not been to Sammy's since she moved to New York about four years ago. When we used to eat there, we would share a small "five cheese" pizza without the Gorgonzola cheese because our shared "Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad" came with that cheese. That's exactly what we ate that day. It was scrumptious. Of course, I had been on a very strict diet....always trying to lose weight. Even so, we both ate heartily and enjoyed every bite. Then we topped it off with a shared dessert, "Apple Empanadas" served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I've always liked Sammy's and have visited here in Point Loma, as well in Mission Valley with friends. It was especially nice to celebrate here with my daughter.

Then, on my birthday, the same daughter and her two children (seven and three years old) took me to my favorite Italian restaurant in San Diego, Filippi's in Pacific Beach. As soon as we arrived and were seated, the waitress brought two plates to the table. On each was a piece of pizza dough resting on some flour. What a great idea! The children immediately got busy working with the dough. Their creations kept them busy until the meal arrived.

I had a hefty serving of delicious lasagna and a l-a-r-g-e meatball. I ate half of each. It was delicious, but it was very filling. I'll admit it. I ate some bread. My daughter ordered ravioli and the children had spaghetti and shared a large meatball. When the waitress brought a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a candle in it, I just couldn't touch it. We all enjoyed our meal.

The service and atmosphere was great, and the food, delicious. I'd recommend this restaurant, as well.