San Diego Zoo

January 2, 2014

I was awakened at midnight by the sound of our RV door slamming.  I jumped right out of bed thinking at first someone had tried to open the wrong camper.  I saw that Tyler's bed was a big pile of of fluffy comforter, unsure whether he was in it or not.

I figured I would look outside first and could check his bed after.  Low and behold, he was outside and was walking away...sleepwalking.  Nothing gets past a Mom and, most likely, we just forgot to lock the door last night.  He was pretty surprised he did this after I told him about it this morning!

A similar thing happened when we were kids camping.  Back then, my parents has a separate tent and they came to check on us and my sister, or was it me?was not in their cot.  We were staying on the water and my folks were frantically searching only to find my sister under the cot, she fell off and rolled out of sight!

Off to the San Diego Zoo today...the only "theme park" on this trip's agenda.  I have been wanting to come here for a long time...we love pandas and polar bears and I did see them.  I think my expectations were too high of the zoo though.  It wasn't easy to navigate, it was very steep and the walkways were quite narrow.  On the plus side, you are much closer to the animals.  We saw the highlights, not everything...I have been to enough zoo's for awhile.  

so human-like

love the heart nose

crescent moon tonight

I do love San Diego as it is very easy to navigate.  Everything is with 5-8 miles of where we are staying.  There has not been any traffic and the weather, did I mention this lovely weather? It was quite warm all day, then once the sun sets it cools off quickly!  We see all the snow back home...hope you are all staying warm and you have enough milk and bread!

~Linda

New Year's Day! La Jolla & San Diego

Happy New Year! 2014!

Today I woke up with a rental car at my disposal.  Jack and I headed out at 6am to make the short drive into La Jolla, CA.  This is the place to live! We got lots of recommendations on great breakfast places thanks to Allegra :)

First stop, was Children's Pool where the California Grey Seals haul out and congregate when the tide is low and the surf is down.  

It is a small protected cove that was perfect for little kids.  The seals thought it was great too so they invaded the place!  You can get pretty close, but, with all wildlife you do not want to harm or distress them in any way.  I use my zoom lens to get in close.  They come in all shapes and sizes.

I see you!

We went to the Cottage for breakfast...french toast and the best looking and tasting hot chocolate!

We checked in with Scott and Tyler and decided to stay out a bit longer to go to the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial.  It stands 822 feet high above San Diego County, the 360-degree, awe-inspiring view stretches from the South with panoramic views of San Diego, Coronado and beyond to Mexico, to the North and includes University of California at San Diego, and Torrey Pines cliffs and
 golf course, to the East and purple-hued mountains, and West to the Pacific waters at the shores of La Jolla.

The Soledad Natural Park surrounds the memorial with wide-open grass areas, benches on which to rest and enjoy the sights, and descending nature walkways to view the native chaparral and abundant wildlife.

This is an important Part of San Diego History.  It was first used as a Memorial Park in 1914 and used by the Lindberghs for glider flights in the 1920′s. The park was part of the military’s early-warning defense system in WWII.  It has long used by planes and ships for navigation and was transferred Federal Government on August 14, 2006 as National Veterans Memorial.

The most controversial is a 43-foot cross dedicated on April 29, 1954 to honor Korean War veterans.  This has been under attack for years to be taken down.  You can read about it here. Cruciphobia at Mt. Soledad: The Cross the Left Can't Bear

Next stop today was Balboa Park.  We figured that the San Diego Zoo would be a "zoo" on New Years Day so we are anxiously awaiting to go there in the next day or so.  Balboa Park was a bust today...it was busy, but everything we wanted to do was closed for the holiday! We will save that for another day and we just went out for a quick bite for lunch, ran a couple of errands and came home.  I managed a couple quick pics.

Tonight's sunset.

We have firmed up our travel plans for this week staying here in San Diego until Sunday morning, we will return the rental car then head 90 miles back up to Huntington Beach where I secured a beachfront spot for 3 nights.  It will be nice not to have to think about the logistics for awhile. 

~Linda

New Year's Eve in San Diego

We picked up a rental car today.  I had to laugh because it is a Dodge Dart.  Yes, back in the day, the Roy Family had one of these!  We all teased my Dad for buying it and were so embarrassed to be seen in it!  I have come full circle, yet again, and I'm zipping around in the latest Dodge Dart! 

a nice walk to tire the big guy out!

What was it like in California in 1850?  We found out when we visited the Historic Old Town San Diego, the Birthplace of California, where the first Europeans settled.  In 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town State Historic Park to preserve the rich heritage that characterized San Diego during the 1821 to 1872 period. The park includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums and living history demonstrations.

We had lunch in the Fiesta de Reyes Plaza which is surrounded by specialty gift shops. The restaurant is in the center of the courtyard in a lush garden setting.

The boutique shops surrounding the plaza feature a wide variety of fine goods such as art, hand painted tiles & pottery, jewelry, desserts, and hard-to-find olive oil and hot sauce.  These historically themed shops make the plaza feel very authentic to the time period.

back in jail!

salt water taffy

Tortilla Ladies at almost all the restaurants!

If someone told me my last sunset image of 2013 would be in San Diego, I never would have believed it! I'm feeling very fortunate and blessed and looking forward to 2014!

Happy New Year!

~Linda