San Diego - Part II

I love San Diego!! It's just beautiful, diverse, and the people are so nice! I've been sick for a while, so a trip to the beach was in order and this trip was great, the weather behaved somewhat, and the universe and I were aligned because God granted me every little wish I asked for!

I stayed in an apartment/hotel near La Jolla, close to Encinitas where I needed to be all of Saturday. It was nice to have a kitchenette in the room, and the location was perfect - not too far from downtown San Diego, in a safe location and within driving distance of everything. This trip I skipped the Coronado and downtown areas since I had spent plenty of time there on my last trip.

I arrived late at the airport and opted not to check my luggage in because they were charging me $15 for it and I already had to pay $5 to secure a window seat - I know, small change, but I'll be damned if I was going to give the airlines more of my money. The only reason they started charging extra in the first place was because the cost of fuel was so high; what is their excuse now that the costs of fuel have reached an all-time low? Anyway, back to my trip. I was concerned that they would send me back to check-in the luggage because I was carrying full size hair products, and that would certainly make me miss my flight, so I pray for it not to happen and wouldn't you know that they didn't even look at my bag!? Big deal you say, but last time they made me walk all the way back just because I had a 4oz tube of sunscreen, so there!!

Next, I went to pick up my rental car and prayed for an upgrade, since I had reserved a compact and had visions of me driving around in a hatchback. Well, their computers were down and they had to do everything manually. When the lady at the counter started reading the list of cars available I couldn't resist and got this (for the price of an economy one!!).

Alright! A Mitsubitshi Eclipse! Never mind that I was left in the dust by all the California drivers since I insisted on doing no more than 70 mph and everybody else must have been doing at least 90 mph; I'll forget the fact that the car had such blind spots that trying to get out of a parking spot meant there was a 50/50 chance I would get hit by approaching vehicles......heck! I'll even forget about driving down their undulating highway and with the car being so close to the ground (hello!! sports car!) I felt like a James Bond Martini, shaken, not stirred. I was driving in style and God had made it happen - credit where credit is due, but next time be careful what you ask for.

At the hotel I decided to look out the window and caught a glimpse of the planetary alignment I've been secretly wishing to see, but thought I had missed because of poor visibility back in Phoenix. God really, really likes me! And I had finally figured out how to photograph the lights at night without them looking blurry.......well, not that blurry. What a sight! I love looking at the sky.


On Saturday I had to attend an all day Sketching and Watercolor class at the California Center for Creative Renewal in Encinitas. What a beautiful and inspiring place!


The owner, Ellen Speert, has slowly created this peaceful sanctuary with views of the mountains, beautifully landscaped, a haven! I wish I had a backyard like this! Saturday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. The weather stayed perfect the whole day, too bad it's winter and by 5pm it was already dark and I couldn't run to the beach. But this place was worth spending the whole day sketching, just lovely!


On Sunday I headed over to the beach in Encinitas, but it was already cloudy and very cold, brrrr! The surfers were out, but I opted for a walk around town checking out the architecture and enjoying the landscape. I liked the people in Encinitas, they were young and friendly.


These are two houses in the shape of a boat, pretty cool, but I wonder how they are made.....I think they are real boats turned houses, but couldn't tell for sure.


After Encinitas I headed to La Jolla, since the hotel was in the vicinity and I was getting ready to check out. These condos have a view of the ocean, I wish I was there now. How wonderful it would be to wake up every morning and have a cappuccino while watching the ocean....how relaxing. La Jolla is an affluent neighborhood and you can tell just by walking around - the buildings, the manicured lawns, the cars....this is where I want to retire!!

It was less humid than Encinitas, but still cold - that didn't deter the surfers, who were out in full force. All I kept thinking was ....where are the sharks? These dudes look like seals in those outfits, very tempting if I were a shark.


After La Jolla I went over to Old Town (sorry, no pictures) and had lunch at Acapulco, ending with this lovely dessert - upside down pineapple cake with ice cream and caramel sauce, diabetic shock right after you take the first bite. I took a walk around Old Town afterwards, to feel less guilty.


And the final gift from God - two empty seats next to mine on the flight back home, so that I could spread and read a book while everybody else was boxed in their seats. As far as I could tell, I was the only person with two, yes, two empty seats next to her. God loves me, the Universe has an open line for me!

**Okay God, I'm putting this in writing. Since we have an open line I want to take this opportunity to request something very special. I know of two families that are going through some uncertainties with their pregnancies and I want to ask that you grant them each a healthy, problems free baby. These two families, like many out there, are good loving families so pretty please, give them both a healthy baby. And while we're at it, can we bring some stability to Africa? Thank you God.