A Day in San Diego

This past Saturday we buckled the boys up and clambered into the truck before embarking on the two and a half hour journey to San Diego. I especially enjoyed the trip as the various landscapes we drove through were completely new to me. We passed by the sand dunes and desert wastelands of eastern California before coming across miles of desert turned farmland. Before long we found ourselves driving to higher elevations where we stopped for lunch in Alpine, CA. The huge trees were a sight to behold after seeing nothing but the scrubby desert trees of Yuma for the past several weeks. We then journeyed on, passing acres and acres of solar panels followed by massive windmills lining the road and the ridgetops. We rumbled up mountains lined on either side by hills of boulders before finally descending toward San Diego and the vast, blue Pacific ocean.   

Liam was delighted by the sight of the ocean and exclaimed excitedly that we were going to go "swim in the lake!" He has spent his whole life living close to Lake Cumberland and has certainly missed it since we moved out here. We drove down to La Jolla Cove, eager to explore the tide pools and get our feet wet. I am constantly reading about the draconian lockdowns in California but apparently the residents of San Diego aren't too worried about it because the sidewalks and beaches were packed with people, young and old. We had to park a couple of blocks away and walk down to the cove because there was nary a parking spot to be found anywhere closer. The weather was amazing--75 degrees with a gentle warm sea breeze blowing. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is less than a month away and I am slapping sunscreen and hats on the boys and walking around in short sleeves and flip flops. 

The Cove housed a delightful treasure trove of tiny sea creatures, snails, shells, and weird deep sea flora. The many tide pools each had their own little fascinating habitat and Liam stayed delightedly occupied with catching snails and chasing tiny fish. 

Luca, as always, was terrified by the water and the waves. His smile in the this photo was only a brief one before he went back to begging to be held safe in Daddy's arms and as far away from the scary water as possible.     

After we had worn ourselves out exploring the tide pools and the Cove, we headed over to the famed Balboa Park. This vast park contains many ornate old buildings, most of which house museums. However, due to Covid, none of the museums are open. However, the streets were lined with vendors and various religious groups proselytizing to the masses. One man in a long white robe sat offering free spiritual literature, another group dressed in robes and turbans sat on the ground playing various instruments while swaying and singing, a Muslim group was set up near a Christian group, both handing out literature. And amongst them all the vendors hawked their goods. 

We stopped to watch the cotton candy being made and Liam got his first taste of cotton candy. I wish I had captured his face when he first tasted it--pure delight! 

Oh wait, it is Christmas time! If it weren't for this tree I wouldn't have known.