Our San Diego Excursions

For those who asked me what to do in San Diego, it is a candy store of adventure: playlands, beaches, shopping and  phenomenal sunsets for those who seek it. The entire western border of beaches, tidepools,  dolphins riding waves with surfers unending beauty itself.

We stayed in a lovely condo in Oceanside, about 40 miles north of San Diego, right on the beach.  My son and several of his cousins ventured with the dads to Legoland–as Bob calls it “Crack for Kids.”  Being the Legomaniac, he was obsessed.  Kids over 12 might be bored, but the younger set can play for hours with the legos, ride the rides, see the amazing Lego exhibits.

Everything was set for the Lego innauguration.

 

 

You could spend each day at a different park, with an unending budget–which we did not have.  We made the right choice and spent the day at San Diego Wild Animal Park, since there is nothing like that around here.  On the tour around the park you feel like you are seeing the animals in the natural habitats, as you learn about how many are endangered or almost lost from civilization.  All the kids and adults loved it!

There were also mini-habitats for birds and monkeys.  And fun (shhh..they’re educational) programs.

 

The older girls wanted to shop, shop–ick. But they found a couple stores in La Jolla to spend their money in, after I made them hike in Torrey Pines State Reserve.  Not the most spectacular place I have hiked, but pretty enough, with relatively easy, but hilly 1 hour hikes. 

jumping tide pools

But even with all the explorations we did, the kids really wanted to just head to the beach and play in the sand, find shells and rocks, jump the waves, grab the waves, play volleyball, and hang out with each other and us.

We adults looked forward to the evening sunsets on the deck, drinks in hand, an array of food and cameras spread on the table.

sand time!

view from the deck!

It was a wonderful place to visit.  Hope you enjoyed your 70th, mom! C

 

An Oceanside Day

What a way to energize in the morning, as you meditate, exercise, lose yourself,  find yourself, forget yourself

waiting for the perfect wave with the dolphins circling and then catching your wave,

then as the evening approaches, an explosion of colors

morphing into cotton candy clouds

another sun-kissed day. C

 

Weekend Getaway #1

Nine children, ages 2 to 13, climbed up the hill from the Lake Michigan beach to the rented villa at Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, WI.  They had a very busy morning of playing in the tall grasses, building forts with old branches and weaving grasses together for the sides then jumping in the frigid water to cool off. Ah, the creativity when the TV and ipods and video games are turned off is amazing.

We parents relaxed on the beach,  strolling to the water’s edge, then wandering to see the kid’s project in creation, enjoying the slow weekend.  Blue Harbor was a fabulous nearby family getaway–only a 2 hour drive, where we could enjoy the beach in the morning, the indoor water park in the rainy afternoon, and sneaking to the outdoor pool when the sun reappeared.

We had as much fun as the kids on the twisty slides, racing each other on tubes and without.  When the bell sounded, everyone hustled to stand under the boat where 1000 lbs of water would dump on our heads.  And then finishing the waterpark time with a stint in the hot tub.

We had fascinating evening weather–enjoying cocktails on our deck while there were lightening storms where the horizon joined the water, clouds miraculously appearing as the thunder rumbled, then streaks of lightning crashing down to the waves.  After several hours of this fascinating sky, an orange orb cautiously arose from the water, peeking behind the clouds, then the moon lit the beach as it finally rested proudly above the receding clouds.

Having vacationed with the other 2 families before, we easily shared the food and drink preparation throughout the weekend.  It was great to have an extended time to spend with each other, catching up.  While running one morning, Sara and I saw many fisherman with their recent catches laid out on the dock for purchase. 

On our departure we shared a picnic of all the leftover food in a park, donning sweatshirts and hoping to avoid the raindrops. We then started to plan for next year, hoping to explore the town more.  C