Steep!

The best streets on which to commit suicide on a skateboard are in Point Loma.

The views from these streets overlooking the Harbor are "to die for" but can you imagine parallel parking in front of your house? Be sure to set the emergency brake!

Nap Time!

These harbor seals are taking a serious nap and don't even look when we sail past. They spend much of their day snoozing on the buoys in San Diego Harbor. In the background is Point Loma light house.

Check out the seal half way up - I wish I could have seen how he got up there!

Skyline

This picutre was taken from a moving Ferry. It's not the sharpest image but shows what a beautiful downtown skyline San Diego has.

Surfer Boy

This is a picture of my nephew, Jordan surfing in La Jolla. Jordan is a hot surfer and a great kid! Photo taken by his Aunt Jennifer.

Office View

This isn't the best photo but thought I'd post it anyhow. It was taken from one of the balconies at my office. I can see the hangliders go by often. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try this.

Tortillas

There is nothing better than home made tortillas. The Old Town Mexican Cafe in Old Town is another great place to dine for good Mexican food. Jean Louis and I met fellow blogger, Cheryl (from nostalgiatodayandyesterday) and her husband here for dinner. The carnitas was fantastic!


The tortilla is a flat bread made from corn or wheat. In the sixteenth century, the Spaniards found unleavened flat bread in Mexico among the Aztecs and decided to call it a “tortilla.” The word “tortilla” originally comes from the Spanish word “Torta,” which means “round cake.” However, its origin dates back to pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica.

Tortillas have been used for many centuries, particularly in Mexico and most recently in the United States. The tortilla is consumed all year round, in different occasions, with all kinds of meals. Tortillas are most commonly prepared with meat to make things such as tacos. Tortillas have increased in popularity in other countries, especially in the United States and Europe. This is because Mexican cuisine has been accepted in those countries and because of the versatility of the Mexican taco, which can be prepared with virtually any food. (merci wikpedia)

La Jolla Mansion

Some of the most expensive homes in America can be found in La Jolla

Take The Pledge!!

In honor of Earth Day, I am posting this again. We can all do our small part to make this Earth a better place. Happy Earth Day!


We walk the beach often and I am becoming more and more concerned with all the plastic we find.

Each year, one million sea birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals die from ingestion of, or entanglement in plastics.

In some places of the Pacific Ocean, the amount of plastic suspended in the water outnumbers plankton six to one! There is a section of the Pacific Ocean twice the size of the continental United States called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Within it, 100 million tons of plastic swirl in a vortex of currents. There is so much plastic in the water that it outnumbers zooplankton by six to one!

This plastic ends up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. Again, one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die globally each year because of us!

Plastic is forever, with virtually every piece of petroleum based plastic ever made still in existence. That's why it's so critical to our oceans and beaches that we dramatically reduce our use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, starting today.

You can make a difference for our world's oceans, waves and beaches -- pledge to rise above plastics today.

THE PLEDGE

I commit to do my part to rise above plastics and protect the world's oceans, waves and beaches from plastic pollution. I will do this by:

- Using reusable bottles for my water and other drinks. By using just one reusable bottle, I will keep 167 single-use plastic bottles from entering the environment.

- Using cloth bags for groceries and other purchases. For each reusable bag I use, I will save approximately 400 plastics from being used.

- Recycling the plastic bags and bottles I already have. For every thirteen plastic bags I don't use, I will save enough petroleum to drive a car one mile.

Surfrider Foundation now has over 50,000 members in the USA; in addition, International Surfrider Foundation chapters and affiliates have been established in many foreign countries including the Surfrider Foundation Europe (with ongoing programs and Chapters in France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy) as well as Japan, Brazil, and Australia.

Information provided by http://www.riseaboveplastics.org/ and http://www.surfrider.org/

Monkey Love

This was taken at the World Famous San Diego Zoo.

El Fandango Restaurant in Old Town

(n) fandango (a provocative Spanish courtship dance in triple time; performed by a man and a woman playing castanets)

El Fandango is a fantastic restaurant in San Diego's "Old Town". It reflects the changing pattern of food preparation in California during the time period of 1846 to 1856 - years of great change in California.

First, game and seafood was the staple of local Indians. Then the Californios of the Spanish period developed huge herds of cattle. At this time the tradition of “Fandangos” was instituted. During special events, parties sometimes lasted several days. Sounds like my kind of celebration!!

La Jolla Cliffs

Tug Boat

Tugboats assist in the docking, undocking and towing of container ships, car carriers, tankers and other types of vessels as they enter and leave the San Diego harbor.

Surfing the Pier

My cousin and his wife, Jennifer visited San Diego a few months ago from Virginia. Jennifer is a fantastic photographer and has given me her blessings so use some of her photos on my blog.

This is Scripps Pier in La Jolla. It's a hot surf spot.


Today marks the 100th post for my blog!

Joyeux Paques - Happy Easter

Downtown

Even though the weather was chilly today, we went sailing any how. I'm so glad we did - it was just what the doctor ordered.

Good Friday

Church of the Immaculate Conception

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Old Town - San Diego.

Construction on this church begun in 1868 but was not completed until 50 years later due to the lack of funds as parishioners had left Old Town for New Town (downtown).

Whirly-Gig

When visiting Old Town in San Diego, you can visit one of the many pottery gardens that sell all sorts of interesting things to the large tourist clientele. How about a WHIRLY-GIG or two?!

Blogger Buddy

What fun it was to meet a fellow blogger from Washington State yesterday! Along with our husbands, we had a fantastic mexican meal in Old Town. Visit Cherly's blog http://nostalgiatodayandyesterday.blogspot.com/.

Colorado House — 1851
In 1850 Cave Johnson Couts began construction of the Colorado House across the plaza.
When opened in 1851, hotel rooms were available for $15 per month. Couts had come to San Digeo at the age of twenty-eight, a U.S. Army Lieutenant of Dragons to provide protection for the Boundary Commission.

The Colorado House burned in 1872. It was reconstructed in 1992 and now houses the Wells Fargo Museum. Wells Fargo opened its first office in San Francisco on July 13, 1852. In April 1861 Wells Fargo took charge of the western end — California to Salt Lake City — of the Pony Express route to keep it running.

Wells Fargo is not very high on my list these days with all the recent reports of corruption but the building sure is pretty.

Planting Time!

One of the benefits of living in San Diego is one can garden year round. My garden is my sanctuary so forgive me if my gardening blog spills over into my San Diego blog but I'm so excited - it's planting time!!

My dear sweet patient husband and I built this double raised bed this weekend. We have a large back yard and It killed me to keep the grass green while San Diego is experiencing drought conditions. I'd rather water something we can eat so we dug up a portion of the grass for this 2nd raised bed. I can't wait to fill it with veggies. We have another raised bed where we have onions, spinach, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant growing. It provided all of our salad greens through out the winter.

Try a garden of your own - it's so rewarding!

For San Diego Gardeners:
Per Sunset Magazine, Coastal gardeners (in Sunset climate zones 21-24) can continue to plant quick-maturing, cool-season crops, including chard, leaf lettuces, radishes, and spinach. Inland (zones 18-21), switch to warm-season crops such as beans, corn, cucumber, eggplant, melons, peppers, summer and winter squash, and tomatoes. In the high desert (zone 11), wait a few more weeks; frost is still a possibility.

Plant beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, lima beans, melons, peppers, squash, tomatoes, and other warm-season crops. Delay planting two to four weeks in the high desert (Sunset climate zone 11) where frost is still a possibility. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company is a great seed source for less common varieties.

High-tide

click to enlarge

When hiking in the Torrey Pines Preserve is always impresses me to find shells 300 ft above the ocean.

For add'l info: http://www.torreypine.org/geology/geology.html

Picture Perfect Day

Today was a perfect day for a stroll at Torrey Pines Beach.

Baptism

You have come into the world so tiny,
Yet with such great promise for the future.
Before you were even born,
God planned wonderful things for you.
As you are baptised,
May you feel His love
And the love of those around you,
And may you always follow in His way.

Wired

The City of San Diego, through its Utilities Undergrounding Program, is currently relocating approximately 30-35 miles of overhead utility lines underground throughout the city each year.

In the City approximately $54 million per year is spent to convert unsightly overhead power and communication lines with safer and more reliable underground systems.

Mr. Pelican

Unique among the world's seven species of pelicans, the Brown Pelican is found along the ocean shores and not on inland lakes. It is the only dark pelican, and also the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food.