So Long, San Diego

All things must come to an end. We’re leaving sunny San Diego today for new fun in Seattle. The shot above is Kevin and Jeff’s house this morning as we left. We’re looking forward to seeing our long-missed friend, Steve. We’re also happy that we’re not yet on our way back to Columbus, which got 10.7 inches of snow last night. Whew!

[Quick aside: We’re flying past a volcano crater lake right now; very cool!]

I had mentioned to Kevin and Jeff that one of my favorite things to do in new cities is to walk around neighborhoods. I think it’s interesting to see how people live, how they keep their homes and yards, what kind of cars they drive—that kind of thing. To indulge me, Kevin played tour guide (Jeff needed to work this morning again; he works too much for his own good <g>.) through Kensington, a wealthy-but-not-snooty (I’m looking at you, La Jolla) neighborhood where I took just a couple shots like this one.

That’s faux grass, in case you’re wondering. San Diego, like the rest of California, is in the midst of a drought.

We grabbed a bite at Kensington Café (an egg, cheese, bacon, and black pepper sandwich on a wheat bagel for me; it was really very tasty) and then a soy Carmel Frappucino® at Starbucks before heading down to the county building to drop off our now signed marriage license. We’ll be able to request a certified copy for ourselves in a couple weeks.

Our big tourist event of the day was exploring the USS Midway, which is an aircraft carrier that now serves as a museum in San Diego harbor. Mark was really excited to see it, and though it’s not really my thing, I was happy to join him, especially on the flight deck because it was a beautiful day. Kevin begged off. He’s seen it several times already and is anticipating seeing it again in a couple weeks with Jeff’s brother.

We had a few minutes to kill before Kevin picked us up around 2, so we visited the Bob Hope memorial just outside the Midway.

We met Jeff for a light Indian lunch and then a nice walk through Balboa Park. I took most of my photos for the day in the park, which is huge and wonderful. It’s a real gem, and I wish we had something comparable in Columbus. I’ll definitely visit it again when we return.

As the sun started getting really low, the four of us returned to the house to freshen up. Then off to meet two of their friends for a Mexican dinner at Casa de Pina. It’s the best Mexican food I’ve had in quite a while, but I guess what would you expect in a city that’s less than 30 minutes from the Mexican border?

We’ll be landing in Seattle soon. Twenty-five degrees, but sunny.