After dropping Matt and family off at LAX, we turned towards the south and a few days alone in Southern California. The last time I was in San Diego was in 1977, when Jen was only about 6 months old. I was really looking forward to this. Mister had never been there and so that made is nice as well -- I get to play guide for a change. While planning this little adventure, I picked a route that would take us in a large oval before we arrived back at LAX three days later.
We went south on I15 and the drive was beautiful as we passed through Lake Elsinore, Temecula, and Fallbrook before starting up the Palomar Mountain. The vast number of orchard and avocado orchards through here is staggering. The trees were loaded with oranges and I wanted to just jump out of the car and pick a few. Oh my -- THAT would be fresh orange juice.
The the top of the mountain was the
Palomar Observatory with it's beautiful white dome. Mister was thrilled to get to see the Hale Telescope and it was even in motion while we were there. I do not understand all the lenses, mirrors, and science behind it, but he does and it was still impressive to me.
Smaller observatories dot the landscape around us, each containing a telescope with varying capabilities. It is hard for me to believe that I grew up in Southern California and never visited here. Ugh.
Wanting to combine seeing family with Mister being able to check out microbreweries, we left the mountain and dropped down into San Marcos. Making a stop at
San Marcos Brewery and Grill for a sampler and some lunch seemed like a good first start and they didn't disappoint. Look how pretty these are. While there, I called my Aunt Annie, whom I had not seen in at least 10 years. I gave her a call and we drove out to visit with her for awhile. (Here is where I bash my head on the monitor because we neglected to take a single picture of this visit. What a complete dolt I was.) We had a great visit and I would love to have the chance to talk with her again sometime. When I was younger, I absolutely adored her and am sad that we have drifted apart.
There are several breweries in this area that we wish to visit and after the visit we head to another one. Our next stop is
Green Flash Brewing where we have a couple of quick tastes and are soon on our way towards
Iron Fist Brewing where we were able to visit with the father of the owner and he shared with us oh so much information about his homeland in Eastern Europe. We had a great visit but soon it was time to get on the road again
I had found a hotel right near the Balboa Park and soon we were checking in and making ourselves comfortable. The
Balboa Park Inn was exactly what it claimed to be. Situated perfectly, nice and quiet, and tons of privacy were all promised and definitely delivered. We had a great place, complete with a sitting room and luxurious bathroom. Oh my -- perfect with the possible exception of decor, ha ha. We are beat and it is time to crash.
The next morning, we were up and raring to go. We had no sooner started out, when we discovered a market just around the corner and had to stop. It was the
Hillcrest Farmers Market it was probably one of the best markets we have ever been blessed to attend. Mister found a stall that even had fresh sea urchins -- he was in love. The fresh produce, juices, and flowers were simply phenomenal and we were in heaven. What a great start to our day.
Onto Old Town -- I had not been down here since I was a young girl and did not really have any memory of it. As a result, I was really looking forward to this destination. We walked around checking out area markets and discovered the
Church of the Immaculate Conception, a beautiful old church building dating back to the late 1800's.
At one of the craft booths, I purchased a nifty little hair accessory (which I can no longer locate, drat).
We decided to drive out to the tip of Point Loma to see the monument. We did not do enough research to discover that it was on a Naval base and that the entrance closed at 4:30. So much for watching the sunset from there. Grrr. Mister got into an argument with the guy at the gate because we didn't stop and he wanted to know if we were running the gate. We didn't see him in the shack and were just going on through because, as I said, we did not know it was a base. Yep --- we are the kind of people who try and run gates onto military bases. Seriously??
Oh well, we figured we would try again the next day and turned back towards the city. Slightly north was Bay Park and since I had spent so much of my childhood here, I wanted to check out the grocery store that my parents had operated when we lived here. This is where I first learned the beginnings of business and an understanding of the retail industry.
The store is still here but is no longer called Bay Park Market. It is now
Siesel's Meats, a boutique grocery and meat store. I can remember in great detail the things my sister and I used to do while being "stuck" in the store while our parents worked. The meat shop was leased out from my dad and uncle by Marvin and Ursula Siesel. It was nice to see that this legacy has continued. If this had been a local shop near us in Dallas, we would definitely shop there --- loved the place still no matter how different it was.
Our next stop was just down the road -- the beach!! Oh, and
Pacific Beach Ale House for a sampler and some lunch.
From there, we drove up into Clairemont, the area of San Diego that we lived in before moving to Montana. Sometimes things from our youth stand out and I will never forget the last address I had there. The house was still standing and although it looked much different - no longer tan, large tree and junipers gone, etc., it still reminded me of so many moments. We lived here from 6th through 9th grades and I remember most of those years in complete detail and am still in touch with several people who meant a great deal to me then. Goodness but that was a long time ago.
Our final stop of the day was
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, California's first mission. Founded in 1769, it is lovingly known as the "Mother of the Missions". There are 21 missions in California, yet this one alone stands as the birthplace of Christianity in the west. Looking very much like it's mother country of Spain, it is still an active parish and cultural center for people of all faiths.
We spent a great deal of time, wandering the grounds and watching a wedding group.
After a quick change at the hotel, it was time for dinner at
Taste of Thai. Another great day.
Ah -- this morning is all about Mister. We are going to
The San Diego Zoo as it has the largest concentration of Koalas in the United States. Mister feels the same way about these wonderful creatures as I do about my sea turtles. Once we arrive at the Zoo, we head straight to the Koalas and spend a couple of hours just watching and photographing them. We are fortunate enough to find several awake and moving around. It is also a quiet day at the zoo and so the keepers have time to talk with us and share information and stories.
When we finish at the koala exhibit, Mister turns to me and says, "Okay, I am ready to go." I stare at him in shock. It was $44.00 a ticket to get in here --- "Can we see a little more of the zoo?" I ask. Goodness. We grab a double-decker bus and take a wonderful tour throughout most of the park. Now that is better. After another couple of hours, we call it good and head out to try and get out to the point today.
Yay! We get past the gate and drive out to
Cabrillo National Monument. The old lighthouse is still there and you can go inside the building and up into the tower.
The views are beautiful and some of the most interesting plants are to be seen. Check out who is sharing this beautiful blossom. I would love to stay here the rest of the day and just feel the ocean against mist against my face and wander the paths. However, as we discovered yesterday, our time here is limited so we are soon on our way.
Going back towards the city, we take the Coronado Bay bridge back to the hotel, clean up a little and are off to
Ebisu Sushi for a lovely dinner date. Mister will never forget the Uni that he had there and no one will ever compare to it for him. It was a great night and we are sorry our time here is at an end. We must start back to LA tomorrow morning to catch our afternoon flight back home. We will always talk about San Diego as the "city of flowers" since the fantastic color has been EVERYWHERE and we are oh so jealous of the bougainvillea here. Entire hillsides of the brilliant colored flowers. Oh my.
As we start our journey north today, we only have a couple of items in mind. We are going to follow the old highway along the coast as much as we possibly can and we have one stop to make. Let's get going.
The drive is picture perfect along the coast and we are busy pointing things out to each other all along the way. Going through Encinitas and Oceanside take me back to my early teen years again. Ah, these beaches. We find it interesting that access to the old highway ends for awhile and we drive along the interstate straight through Camp Pendleton. When we exit the base, we quickly arrive at our only stop.
Mission San Juan Capistrano. It is not the time of the swallows, but this mission is so beautiful and historic that we spend quite a bit of time here. The flower gardens are gorgeous and I am struck by the beauty of the roses. Look at their size.
This mission is so large that it is like a small city all by itself. I was able to find little alleys and crevices everywhere. The sanctuary is not my cup of tea in style, but fantastic all the same. I am not such a fan of the ornate, but this chapel shows what was sacrificed to make such a wonder so many years ago. It is very well maintained and sits right in the middle of the city of San Juan Capistrano.
It is very peaceful here. I cannot say that enough. We see history kept alive and are able to almost feel the way the people of that time period did. This has been a great trip and I am gong to let the last few pictures just speak for themselves. They are all at the mission and when we finished there, it was straight to the airport and flights home. I can't wait to go back.
Ever since my first spring in Dallas, I have been wanting to attend the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Today is the day. Jen's family is here for Easter weekend and wants to go as well so I am excited. This should be fun. I decide early on that if I am going to do this, I am going to do it right. Thus, my beautiful dress. Jen and all the grands dress for the event as well. The only party pooper is Mister. Hmmn.
All four of the boys give it a go and do quite well. I love watching them as they face various challenges.
After the boys' jousting matches, a real match is in order. We take up positions along the fence and watch the knights go after each other, cheering the whole time.
Yes, there are also a few rides. The smiles here are pretty indicative of an enjoyable time.
