Visiting...

We’ve been doing something different for us…staying in one place for a 
l o n g  time and visiting with friends!  Our usual style is to constantly be on the move, traveling from place to place, seeing as much as we can, but this past couple of months…we’ve just been slugs, and have plopped ourselves down!  First in San Diego CA, then in Surprise AZ. 

We always visit in San Diego in January, as we have lots of family and friends there.  We just stayed there a lot longer than usual this time…although there never seems to be “enough time”.  We did seem to see almost everyone this time.  Being in Arizona has helped, because we’ve made several trips back and managed to see people each trip.

While we were in San Diego we managed a fun side trip to Palm Springs for the weekend with our friends who have a second home there.  We jammed a lot into those two days!  Spent one of them going to Joshua Tree National Park.  We hadn’t been there in years, and what a beautiful day that was!  So much fun to see all the various cacti and gorgeous scenery.  I had to chuckle at the memory of when I used to take my children there when they were little and they used to climb the rocks, and now those rocks are a “big deal” for rock climbers from all over to come to!  (A side note - for those interested, check out this guide: Complete Guide to Joshua Tree National Park by Scott Moses).

While we were visiting our friends, we were invited to brunch by another of our RV’ing friend who is staying at a nearby upscale RV Park in Indio.  Wow, nice to see how the “other half live”!  We’ve seen some pretty fancy RV resorts, but this one beats them all!  Now I know what we can do with our millions when we win the lottery!  ;-)

After leaving San Diego, we moved to Surprise AZ and have been parked next door to our friends who own a site at Happy Trails RV Resort.  It’s been fun being next door “sharing” their patio, friends and good times.  We haven’t ever done that in the four plus years we’ve been RV’ing.  I can see why people settle down in these RV Resorts.  There is a lot of comrade and a sense of community here.  They certainly supply you with plenty of options of things to do, from wood working shop to sewing to crafts to more common ones like pickle ball and golf.  They’ve got it all, and if they don’t, you can start a class yourself!  ;-)  Makes one think about staying…kind of…

We’ve not completely stayed put…we can’t.  We’ve taken a few day trips…

First was to Wickenburg.  That was a fun day!  Cute little western town with lots of great sculptures all along the streets.  Most, if not all, I think, were created by the artist Seward Johnson.  He’s done work all over the world, and his work here is no less remarkable.  His most famous piece here is The Jail Tree, it’s very life like (my picture doesn’t do it justice as the sun wasn’t doing me any favors, I’m sorry to say).

They had a great museum that we really enjoyed going through, Desert Caballeros Western Museum not only had a wonderful western art collection, but downstairs it had recreated the small town of Wickenburg back in the early 1900’s.  They give you headphones to wear that automatically are prompted when you approach a piece, so you don’t have to key it in.  Very nice.

Another fun trip was to see one of our other long time friends who now lives in Prescott.  We’d been here before, but many years ago.  We love this quaint town.  We came on their “4th Friday”, which is when all the galleries stay open late and serve beverages and snacks and socialize.  It was a lot of fun.  Our friend drove us all around showing us all the additions since we last were here, enticing us to consider moving here “one day”, had a wonderful lunch in the old saloon and enjoyed browsing through the galleries that night.  Prescott forest suffered a nasty fire a few years ago, and that was so sad to see the damage it left behind.  It was always my favorite part of the area.

Our friends took us to Cave Creek for a nice day trip.  Next door is the small town of Carefree.  Don’t you just love that name?  They have the “largest sun dial”, so of course I had to go see it and take a picture!  ;-)  It was in their Desert Garden, which was truly lovely and had some of the most unusual cacti I had ever seen.  Cave Creek had some fun shops that we enjoyed moseying in and out of.  We discovered an absolutely wonderful restaurant there, called Tonto Bar & Grill.  Hardly any parking, but boy was the food outstanding!  Beautiful place, right on a golf course so we sat on the patio and really enjoyed the view and the weather.

I’m sure we’ll find a few more “side trips” before we leave.  In the meantime we manage to read, to clean house, to take walks and to relax.  All nice things before we get back “on the road” again.  It’s been a nice re pass.  Something different for us, and different is good.  I think 2016 is going to be a different kind of year for us…I'm looking forward to it.

...kicking back in Arizona,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Changes...

I practically grew up in San Diego.  I was a Navy brat, so spent two years here, then two years there and two years somewhere else again until I was ten, but in and out of San Diego and back again permanently at thirteen until three years ago...so, I've seen a lot of changes over the years.  I've seen San Diego grow up you could say.  Jack first moved here in 1970.

And "grow up" it has!  When I first moved here, almost sixty-five years ago, it was practically a "small town".  You could get from one end to the other in less than fifteen minutes!  We used to take Sunday Drives out to the north county for the day.  ;-)   Now, all my children have moved away to other parts of the country.  I still have some family and a lot friends here, so we still come back once or twice a year to visit.  One of the things we like to do tho, is to drive around and see all the changes the city has undergone while we've been gone...because it continues to grow, and change.

We had such a chance the other day.  We started off by going downtown to look for the new library that we heard had finally been built.  Now, if you've ever lived here, or are now, you know how long that's been coming.  It's been talked about and been voted on for decades!  Certainly something this city has needed for many, many years.  It took us awhile to find it, but it sure was worth the hunt.  What a beauty!  I think it's actually in a good location too.  Right at a trolley and bus stop, has parking (pay), out of the way of the Gaslamp District, near condos and apartments, etc.  San Diego can be proud.

We did have to shake our head tho at the continued building of more housing, knowing how bad the drought is.  Where do they think they are going to get the much needed water for all these people?  Jobs building these now, but how will these people get water later?  Short sighted planning, I'm afraid...

From there we mossied toward the Embarcadero and admired the progress of the enlargement of the airport.  We also noticed all the new signs and how they "dropped" the name Lindbergh, and are just using "San Diego International Airport" now...poor Charles.  They even painted over his picture and did a new mural!  Guess he just didn't make the cut.  While there, we drove on around to Spanish Landing to see the progress of the building of the replica of the San Salvidor.  What a lovely surprise, as she's almost complete!  They should be launching her in about a month.  What a great sight that should be for San Diego.  We wish we could be here for that.  It's been fun to follow the building of her over the years.  The Bandy Blacksmith Guild has been forging all the ironwork for it, which Jack is a member of that Guild, so we feel proud if only by association.

Leaving there, it was time for lunch, so naturally we had to stop at a favorite stop...El Indo!  Thank goodness some things never change!!  YUM!  Chips to take with (of course!)  and off to Pacific Beach...

When Jack first moved to San Diego, he lived in Pacific Beach, just a few blocks from the beach.  I also didn't live very far from there for many years, only "fifteen minutes", and was there often.  It was "my beach" hangout.  So it's the one we go to, when we are in town.  (there are beaches all along the coast in San Diego that people think of:  Pacific, Ocean, & La Jolla).  Now, PB (as it's called) is always changing.  There are some places that change constantly, and always have - same building, but new name.  It's like a game "what will it's name be this year?"  Then there are the ones you know will always be there, like the Denny's that's been there for sixty years, etc.  But the "old ones" are getting old and it's the beach after all, and the sea takes it toll, so buildings need repair, and times change, etc.  So, one never really knows...such was our discovery.

As we drove down our favorite streets and remarked on the various buildings, we had very little surprises.  We loved that we actually found a parking spot right at the beach (that's rare).  We have a favorite restaurant, one that has been Jack's since the very beginning.  It's a simple, clean, nothing fancy place, called The Green Flash.  It always had a line, breakfast, lunch or dinner.  It catered to the quiet crowd, beach people who just wanted good food with a good view, as it is right on the beach.  There are plenty other places catering to the 20s-30s drinking crowd.  We loved it.  So as we walked the beach, I asked, "do you think it's still there?"  Just as Jack was saying "of course, The Green Flash will always be the...OMG what have they DONE TO MY RESTAURANT?"  ...we had turned the corner and saw the change...ugh.  It was no longer The Green Flash...but the garish Baja Beach Cafe...filled with the 20s-30s sipping their huge Margaritas...and enjoying the changes....

...but that's ok, life is still good!

...kicking back in San Diego CA,  Marie