San Diego, California

December 21, 2008 - January 21, 2009

San Diego RV Resort, La Mesa, California

I guess even when San Diego boasts it has the best weather in the US, something can get in the way, especially when you're dealing with airline travel. We got Sarah to the airport Tuesday night only to be called when we got home that her flight had been cancelled due to fog!!! As it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise as she would have landed in Providence (if it got that far) at the start of the northeast's latest blizzard and the travel back to Cape Cod would have been quite hazardous! So, we got to keep her for two more days and she (lucky girl) got to spend New Year's Eve here with us.

We made it through to celebrate New Year with the east coast; but did not see midnight here in San Diego...I guess it was those sugarplums dancing through our heads!! Here's toasting to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 to everyone.

We went to Jan and Jeff's to watch the Colts/Chargers wild card game on Saturday. It felt so strange not having the Patriots anywhere on the game schedule; and, even stranger rooting for the Chargers which was only a little easier than rooting for the Colts. It's fun to see other areas of the country support their teams as much as those of us in New England do...everyone wearing the uniform shirts of their favorite players on game day; signs all over the place; and of course don't forget the horn-blowing after the victory (remember we, along with Qualcomm Stadium, are right off "the 8"-- that's Route 8 for us east-coasters)! Sunday we'll root for the Vikings along with my Aunt Evy. (.......well, we got one out of two!)

We took an hour to walk around the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego. Originally intended to be the main business district of San Diego, the area has suffered through decades of decay, punctuated by short bursts of success. Today the Quarter is one of the largest and most architecturally significant historic districts in the country, covering 16 ½ city blocks with over 90 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

Today the streets are lined with small shops but the majority of business is restaurants and nightclubs. And, on each corner you will find a street lamp powered by gas that glows 24/7. If we can keep our eyes open some night, we should try to get back to experience this area during the evening hours.

On the way home we stopped at Balboa Park near San Diego Zoo. We had driven through this area on our City Tour and will need to return to get the most of what the Park has to offer.

Balboa Park is home to 15 museums and is considered the largest cultural park in the nation.

The stunning architecture is the legacy of two expositions, the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition, which commemorated the opening of

the Panama Canal, and the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition, held to boost the local economy during the depression.

It would take at least a whole day to walk the 1,200 acres with seasonal flowers and eight gardens, and all these beautiful buildings. Then you would need over a week to visit each of the museums as well as scheduling time to see some of the performing arts. It is truly a beautiful park.

We spent a wonderful day with Aunt Evy and Jay up in Jay's part of the world, Newport Coast. Little did I know until it was too late that when I was in Newport Dunes (while Ken was traveling home) I was right next door to Jay. Ken and Jay played golf at Jay's home course, Pelican Hill and, after following them for a few holes to enjoy the golf course views, Evy and I took off for Laguna Beach to check out some of the shops.

Pelican Hill is an absolutely beautiful resort. On the horizon on this first hole, par five is the Pacific Ocean. As we've found in our travels here, there can be some haze or fog that impairs the view. But, even riding through the course, "who needed the Pacific Ocean" for breathtaking views!!

Who wouldn't want to own one of these beautiful hillside homes overlooking Pelican Hill and beyond that the Pacific Ocean. Maybe the guy who owns (?) invented (?) "Hot Pockets".....

If only we had the foresight to think of something like hot pockets??

Big news of the day: Ken got the spark back and, even though he didn't play his best golf, he is ready to head back to the golf course!!!!

Meanwhile.....Evy and I visited Laguna Beach where we visited the famous Wyland Gallery ...I was impressed by the dining tables held up by swimming dolphins! We also visited Laguna Beach, well known as a seaside resort and artist's community as well as the site of an MTV reality series (which I've never seen).

We saw people playing on the beach in January and others out with their buckets for your dollar (of which I'm one of the biggest suckers there is!!)

We then returned to Pelican Hill for a glass of wine and magnificent views of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean and the 18th hole of the South Course.

We had dinner at a quaint little restaurant called the Quiet Woman whose symbol is a "headless" woman...ha! ha! After dinner we reluctantly said our goodbyes. It may be awhile before we get back to this part of the country to visit again. Our day was truly a memorable one.

We still have two weeks left here in San Diego...have yet to see our friends, Cescia and Dick Derderian or done any kayaking in either Mission Bay or La Jolla Cove...so still have a lot to look forward to.