FAMILY REUNION & GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

8/9/08
Well, today we got together to celebrate Grandma's birthday. It was a family reunion of sorts too, because we havn't had one for a couple years. We are all so scattered around that its hard sometimes. Of course not everyone was able to come, but we had a good time anyway. Grandma turned 78 this year! Hard to believe! She is so loved by all of us and still very active.


Grandma giving one of her talks to Philip. You MUST pay attention when she gives you advice! Plus its usually very good advice! :)

A virtuous woman

We had a blast playing "hillbilly golf!"

Ron & Sue's dog wolf . He is HUGE!
Faith hangin' out and watching all the action.

LAST DAY IN SAN DIEGO :(

8/6/08
Well, this is my last day in San Diego for the summer. I decided to get in some last minute fun stops before I head home. I went a little north to Solana Beach again and stopped at Cedros Avenue. I love it there. There all kinds of stores for remodeling your home, bathroom, kitchen, etc. There are stores that specialize in tile, stone, imported fixtures, outdoor furniture, etc. Pretty cool place. The entire street is lined with shops and little cafes. Two of my favorites are SOLO and The Leaping Lotus



This is the inside of SOLO. Its a pretty cool place and has different sections for the different vendors that have stuff in there. They have their own stock too, but allow a few select vendors to have a "booth" inside. Really cool stuff for the house.






















This is The Leaping Lotus. It is two floors of the coolest stuff!! There are at least 100 different "booths" or sections that are rented out to different artisans. They are not there in the booths, but each item is tagged with their booth number so you just browse and purchase what you want at the front. Some very creative things in there!!





After Cedros, I went to Del Mar again. I love that little town. It is the perfect setting! Perched right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean with perfectly landscaped lawns, gardens and little shops everywhere.
This picture is the view from where I ate lunch. I stopped at the Pacific Breeze Cafe. They have the best sandwiches ever!! I like the Turkey, Bacon & Avocado club sandwich!! Yum!
The Pacific Breeze Cafe is up on top of the building with the arches covered in ivy. That building is full of shops and cafes. Kind of like a small shopping mall. Most of the upper part is restaurants with the ocean view.






Almost all the restaurants have outdoor seating like this. If you are hungry, just look for the little umbrellas along the street and there is sure to be good food to be had close by!!
























This place has really good coffee!! I got a Coconut Dream there!! Its just like a latte, but had coconut flavoring! So good!!











With coffee in hand I headed down to the coast for a walk around Seagrove Park. It is absolutely beautiful!!! Of course its on Coast road!
The beach here is used for swimming, but is famous for its surfing. There are tons of surfers everywhere!!
Some of the local wildlife. The signs say they are squirrels, but I guess they are ground squirrels 'cause they burrow into the ground. Anyway, they are kinda' cute.






After Del Mar, I headed to Torrey Pines State Park to hike. I didn't do heavy-duty hiking, but I hiked nonetheless! The views are well worth it!!





















I love this picture of the salt marsh and the Del Mar valley! I was able to catch the Coaster going along the track too! Great timing!!


















You always have to be careful to stay on the trail!! You don't have to worry about me! I happen to not like rattlesnakes :)
The Torrey Pine!!

































After my hike, I headed to La Jolla. I love it there so decided to visit it again!! The views here are incredible!!

Lazy Sea Lion napping on the rock :)

Typical sight in California! Off to the beach!







Yes, that's my shadow! I could not get to a place where I didn't show up in the picture :(














There were several seals and sea lions playing in the surf, but this little baby seal stuck out! So cute!!





I saw a wedding taking place along the edge of the water. I couldn't help but take a picture!

















Then as it got on towards dusk, I headed to Belmont Park. Its another beautiful place. There is a small amusement park there and little beachy shops and cafes. Cool place to hang out. Its in Mission Beach.

This piece of pizza was absolutely huge!!! It was called a "Big Slice," but it was about the size of a third of a large pizza!! Yum!!!

This is a familiar site in San Diego!! Its near downtown in Mission Bay Park. I believe its inside Sea World. Anyway, Its always been there as long as I've been going to San Diego. At Christmas time they change the colors to red and green, but otherwise its kind of a landmark around there.

Now its time to go and get some stuff packed so I can get some sleep!!

Well, I'm working on this in the airport on my way home Thursday 8/7/08 at about 9:40pm. I have a long layover in Charlotte, so it gives me something to do. Can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!! Yeah!!