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) 

Past Week's Excursions

This past week was a busy one.  On Monday, I went to the San Diego Zoo.  They have a sightseeing bus that travels through the park.  You can see everything and then, get off the bus and see the animals more closely.  If you pay to ride on this bus, you can also use an Express Bus to go back to see your favorite animals.  It stops at five different spots throughout the park.  You can get on and off at any of these spots at will. 

After getting off the bus, we had lunch at Sydney's (hamburgers and fries were good) and then, we headed for the giraffes.  Following this we went to the Australian Outback Koalafornia Dreaming exhibit.  The napping Koalas were cute.

And at the La Jolla Cove, the Gull was taking a walk across the road, but when a car came near he hightailed it back to the curb.  Why he didn't just fly across the street is beyond me.  He or she didn't seem injured.

At the La Jolla Children's Pool (which is really sort of a cove), an area of the rocks are populated by first on lower rocks, cormorants, secondly, closer to the water, seals (perhaps Elephant Seals), and thirdly, on a higher portion, the Brown Pelicans.

Brown pelicans

Cormorants

Seals

The Children's Pool at La Jolla Cove

The photo above shows the total area at the La Jolla Cove.  There is a small beach for swimmers and there were some.  Swimming so close to the large seals would not be my "cup of tea." 

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Busy Memorial Day

First, let me say a huge "Thanks" to all our service men and women, active and retired.  We are grateful for your honorable dedication to protecting our nation.   Also, our prayers are for the families who have paid the ultimate price to ensure our safety.


On Memorial weekend, one of my New York daughters and her daughter visited the family in Southern California.  After a weekend of various activities, on Memorial Day, the San Diego part of the family went to the San Diego Zoo.   It was very crowded, but the weather was perfect.

One of the children chose the Monkey Trail for our first stop.  There were two volunteers telling interested visitors all about the Orangutans.  As we left there, I found this interesting pair (picture to the right).

Then, on we went to the Flamingos.  I've never been there when they were having their babies.  Apparently, they create mounds to hold their egg and they all sit together in a community setting.  Apparently, both male and female take turns sitting on the mound.

 
They seem to fight and quibble a lot.  I guess they were protecting their nest.  When one of the birds stood, we could see the egg.    What an education for the children. 

     From there we ventured to the Giraffes.  The children enjoyed feeding them.  Another great experience.   Then we walked to Elephant Odyssey.   After checking out the animals, we had a delicious lunch at the Sabertooth Grill.

Then, on to the sky ride.  That is always fun.  When we debarked, the next step was having the children pile into the little photo booth to get their souvenir pictures.  This was followed by the "elongated" penny machine.

At that point, we took the tour bus so that our guests could see the whole zoo, which is large.  We sat on the upper deck so we could see everything. On the ride, we passed the Polar Bear Exhibit and enjoyed the Bear's swimming exhibition.  The guide/driver told us that the Polar Bear's skin is black and his fur is really translucent.   Would not have known that!

Our fun visit lasted eight hours and we didn't see everything, but we learned some things, such as seeing the cast of Orangutan's foot, the Flamingo egg, and how to feed the giraffe.  When we usually visit the zoo, the children pick one spot in the zoo, which they would like to see that day.  That's what makes a membership such a great idea.

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San Diego Zoo

One of my gifts for Mother's Day was a yearly pass to the San Diego Zoo. Yesterday, I decided to visit. Having a pass enables you to spend an hour or two at a time. I reasoned that all the walking would give me great exercise, as well as providing an opportunity to take photographs.

I arrived about 2pm and wandered by the monkey exhibit on to the Scripps Aviary. Since it was a cloudy day, that area didn't provide a good light for taking any pictures. Then, on to the Owens Aviary, which I always enjoy.



A pigeon just flew up and sat next to me, as though it was saying, "Did you notice me?"


As I walked through the different levels of the aviary with small birds zooming throughout, I remembered that I forgot a hat. On a visit last year, a bird pooped on my cheek and camera. Yuk! Thankfully, I had tissues until I could reach a restroom to wash up. It is still a wonderful experience to be able to walk among them.


The three colorful lorikeets were just sitting there on the same branch. What a "photo op."

Then, I made my way past the Panda Station, deciding against getting on line. This is a very popular spot. I followed the path to another of my favorite areas, a pond for flamingos, various large birds, such as an African Spoonbill (which I did not spot on this visit), a saddleback stork, ducks, and local herons and egrets that visit at feeding time. Luckily it was feeding time.


The Great Blue Heron in the picture flew away from the pond to another part of the path. I just missed him in flight. So, I waited around to see if he would take off again. I've always wanted to catch the bird in flight, but never seem to time it right. Sure enough, my daughter called and, as I answered the phone, the heron returned to the pond.

My daughter and her children decided to join me at the zoo, since the zoo would be open for two more hours. When they arrived, they wanted to see the Koalas. On the way, we stopped to see some baby ducks and two turtles. The children really enjoyed watching them.

When reached the Koalas, we found them sleeping. Since it was later in the day, there were fewer spectators, which enabled me to get some good photos.




The first photo was a Koala fast asleep. The second was the same Koala repositioning because an annoying tree branch.




This was a great visit. We are looking forward to the "nighttime" zoo, which opens on June 25. We attended last year and had a wonderful time. I really recommend that you spend a day at the San Diego Zoo and if you live anywhere in Southern California, you would really enjoy having a pass for multiple visits.

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San Diego Zoo at Night

I went with my daughter and her two children to the San Diego Zoo tonight for a program called, Nighttime Zoo. Our main quest was an art show and a bird show that the children saw last week with their Dad and Mom.

When we arrived we were able to see the art show, called "Splash! Animals". The performers danced to music while painting a picture of an animal's face. During this process, as they are still painting, they encourage the children to guess what the animal is. The audience really enjoyed watching the performers and their talent.

Then we wandered through the zoo to see what we could see since it was beginning to get dark. First we checked out the Lost Forest and saw a large red Orangutan. I told the children that he looked like a judge sitting in court. Just then, he got up and went down into a cave, as though he heard my remarks. The children liked watching the young Orangutan swing from rope to rope. Then, off we went into the Parker Aviary followed by the Owens Aviary at my request. It was eerily quiet since most of the birds were probably sleeping, but we did see a lorikeet (a very colorful bird) enjoying its meal at a tray feeder. We stood just two or three feet away.

The next place we visited was the Asian Passage where we saw two Sun Bear cubs playing. Then, on to the Panda Exhibit, which is usually very crowded, but not tonight. It was like tiptoeing into a baby's room to check on him or her. The attendant spoke very softly and we watched as the largest Panda, in one area, and a baby, in a tree in another area, slept. A woman standing next to me lamented to her friend that the Pandas were not awake. Just then, a third Panda moved behind a large rock. He was sorting through some cut bamboo branches just like a picky eater. We quietly joked with the 3 year old that the Panda wasn't the only picky eater we knew.


At this point, we made our way to the bird show called, "SOAR: A Symphony in Flight." The show had different kinds of birds (some large, some exotic, and some comedic). This show was thoroughly enjoyable. I can see why the children, as well as my daughter, wanted to see it again. I was able to photograph the Owl as it landed on a perch near our seats.

The Nighttime Zoo will be ending on Sept. 6, but is well worth checking out next summer. I will definitely revisit. Exploring the zoo at night is fun.

Polar Bears

Polar Bears

On Friday, my granddaughter had a half day of school, so we went to the San Diego Zoo arriving around 1:30pm. When asked what she wanted to do, my granddaughter picked the Polar Bear Exhibit. Since I had been there a short while ago, I remember seeing that it was closed for renovations. However, just to make sure I was right, I asked a Zoo representative standing by the entrance. The woman told us that the exhibit reopened at noon that day. How excited we were. We were getting to see the Polar Bears before most of the public. We did miss the dignitaries however. Later that evening, my daughter called me to say that Tori Spelling, her husband and children were there. Also, Denise Richards and her children. If I had been looking at the people, I might have recognized Tori Spelling, but that is about it.

We took the Skyride because the Polar Bear exhibit is clear across the park from the entrance. When you enter the exhibit, you go into a cave-like building where you get a view of above and underneath the waterline. So, if the Polar Bear was swimming, you could catch it. Or, as in our case, he was just laying around. We left that enclosure and went around the corner to another viewing area. There we saw the other Polar Bear pouncing on a piece of wood. After he finished, he went for a fresh carrot snack and then lay down for a rest. The new exhibit has a constructed cave for children to explore and places for photo ops. Also, in order to give an idea of just how big a Polar Bear is the exhibit provided a few sculptures, a baby Polar Bear on a rock, a medium size one, and then, an extremely tall one. Next to the sculptures, were two refrigerators. When you opened the door of the first, there were displays of portioned meals for toddlers up through adults. The other refrigerator contained a display of raw meat that looked like hundreds of pounds. This was the diet of the Polar Bear.

We walked back towards the Zoo entrance riding the moving stairway and stopping at the Owens Aviary, which consists of two levels. There, we were able to closely view a beautiful multi-colored lorikeet eating some fruit. We checked out both levels, but missed the other birds that were probably hiding. Usually, there are many different species of birds there. My granddaughter was quite taken with the waterfalls within the exhibit. Then, on to meet my daughter and grandson at the entrance. My granddaughter chose to walk up the hill as opposed to returning to the moving stairway. We both found this very tiring. She really, really wanted to visit to the Children’s Zoo. We ventured over there so that she could climb the large tree house with stairs and slides, etc. I have a suspicion that it wasn’t that much fun for a six year old. When we all met at the entrance, after some ice cream, I asked my granddaughter if she wanted to be the tour guide and take everyone back to the Polar Bear exhibit. So off we went onto the Skyride. This gave us the opportunity to see a duck with about 10 very small ducklings. Our “guests” enjoyed the tour this time with climbing into a real helicopter (motor removed) for a photo op. My grandson didn’t want to get out.

After another hour and a half, it was time to go home. We all enjoyed the Zoo and our time together.