CARDIFF, SHELTER ISLAND, & LA JOLLA

7/31/08: Well, after I got my luggage this morning, I went back to bed! I was soooo tired from yesterday that I would not have enjoyed myself otherwise. Then I went to the beach. One of my favorite locations is Cardiff Beach. It is way less crowded than some of the other ones. As you can see, there is plenty of privacy and its nice and quiet!! Love it! I got some sun, then turned over and got some more. :) It was almost too good to be true! Finally, lying in the sun on a California beach! I've been waitin' all year for this!!!
This was my spot. I scouted it out and found it to be just about perfect for me!

Shelter Island is near Point Loma and sticks out into San Diego Bay. The view of the city is beautiful from there! The San Diego Yacht Club is on Shelter Island along with a bunch of other boat and ship yards. Its a pretty neat place to check out. There are some great restaurants and hotels along there too. Tonight there is a concert at one of the hotels there. Its Emmilou Harris!! :) Tomorrow night its Dollie Parton. Kinda' cool. Its a really small exclusive area.




After I left Shelter Island, I headed to La Jolla! Its an absolutely one-of-a-kind place! It was the world's best place to live a few years ago. Its also one of the most expensive :( Anyway, this panoramic is looking north up the coast.

One really neat thing in La Jolla is the "sea wall" for lack of a better term. It kind of protects this little beach that at one time was for people to swim on. Now it has been taken over by seals and sea lions and is off limits to people. The animal rights people have made it so that it is illegal to chase off the wildlife, so the sea lions can just claim a dock, a beach, whatever - and it becomes theirs! Oh well, they are entertaining to watch sometimes.

I like to walk out on the sea wall and watch the waves come in and try to dodge the spray!! About every 3rd or 4th wave is really big and will wash up over the wall in places. You just never know where! There are people out there (tourists) that will scream and run from one end to the other trying to avoid getting drenched! I was one of them today! I DID NOT choose where to stand very wisely and got soaked!!!

The water was a beautiful shade of turquoise & aqua green! I love watching the waves and am always just in awe of their power!

These poor little girls got totally SOAKED!! by the next wave that hit! That water is COLD!!! The lifeguard tower had posted that the water temp is 70 degrees, but it feels cold and its always a bit windy by the coast, so after getting soaked, you head for shelter (trust me, I know from experience!)

I took tons of pictures of the waves, but I'll try to narrow it down for ya' so you can see some of the beauty of this place.

LUGGAGE

Well, I finally got my luggage. It came sometime after 3am (6am Ohio time). I stayed up as long as I could. I wanted to take out my contacts soooo bad, but didn't dare because if my luggage didn't come by today, I would not be able to drive or anything!! I had no where to put my contacts without going out and buying new stuff. Anyway, I went down stairs to the lobby and found my bags just sitting by the back door where anyone could have just grabbed them!!! I was kinda' mad about it!! I asked when they were delivered and the Indian guy at the desk said "late in middle of night." Hmmmm. Nice United Airlines, real nice.

SAN DIEGO!!!

7/30/08

Well, I finally made it to San Diego!! I got in around 2pm (5pm Ohio time). It always seems like a long flight accross the country, especially when you are jammed between two other people! :( Of course, put the chubby guy in the middle. My shoulders hurt from holding my arms in for 4 hours! Ughhh!

When I got to San Diego, it was sunny and beautiful!! I was so glad to finally be back! Its only been since the Fall of 2006, but it seems like forever! The only problem was when I went to get my baggage . . . it wasn't there!! The same thing happened last time I came out here! Grrrr! So, I filled out the report and they said it was stuck in Chicago and would be in on the next plane and arrive around 6pm. OK, so I grabbed a shuttle for AVIS and got my car! Better news this time!! They gave me a brand new Ford Mustang!!! Its white and goes ZOOM easily!! I love it!! I paid for a compact car and got that!! :) So I took off and went to the hotel and checked in and then headed for Del Mar for a *$'s and a sandwich and then headed for Torrey Pines State Beach to sit and eat, drink my coffee and just chill for a little bit! It was so nice to be back and smell the ocean and the scent of pine and sage in the air. It was a little overcast toward the West tonight, but beautiful nonetheless!

The Pine trees in this area are Torrey Pines. They only grow in a few areas in the world and are different from the pine trees on the east coast. This is a pic I took of one of the branches of a tree near where I parked.
Right over the edge of the cliff, you could see one of those "Dream Homes" of California! I could not imagine actually living there!! So beautiful!!

This is the road that leads down to the beach. That is where I parked the first time to take the picture of the house. I usually go on down the hill and park right by the beach, so I went on down there and sat on the big rocks overlooking the beach to eat and sip my coffee.

After that, I went downtown to Seaport Village. Its right on the waterfront and looks out towards Coronado Island. Behind it is the city's skyline. It has tons of little shops and restaurants. What a great place to be! I usually go there about every day when I'm out here. Sometimes, more than once a day to eat or something.

When I got there, I headed straight for Margarita's! Its a great place for authentic Mexican food! I was in the mood to grab a couple of fish tacos or a burrito or something, but this caught my attention! Its a chicken fajita plate. It came with a few fresh made corn tortillas to wrap all that goodness up in! Yum!!!

One of my other favorite places it the Upstart Crow! I love that bookstore! They have the most quirky things in there! Plus they have little seating areas all through it and even up on the next level! Their coffee is great too. I stop there just about every time I'm there.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that they were having a sailboat race going on in San Diego Bay right then!!! I got some great shots of the boats as they passed by. I can't include them all on here, but here are a few.

Below is the Coronado Bay Bridge. It links the Island with the downtown San Diego area more easily. You can take a water taxi across too or drive all the way down to the U.S./Tijuana border (only about 10-15 minutes) and drive up the Silver Strand which also connect to the "island" but is the loooong way around.


This tree is one of several at Seaport Village that are my favorite kind of tree out here. They remind me of the Swiss Family Robinson! I can imagine the fun I would have had as a young boy climbing and building tree houses in them!! Even now I'd probably climb them if no one was looking! Ha, Ha!

When I left Seaport Village, I was exhausted, but couldn't stand the thoughts of just going back to my room yet, so I headed back up I-5 and went back to Torrey Pines Beach. I watched the last bit of the sunset from there. Like I said, it was a bit overcast out toward the West, but I got what I could!! There was a guy out there beyond the breakers that was kayaking!! He came in to the beach just down from where I was standing. A beautiful way to end the day!!

Well, its 3am (Ohio time) and midnight here in Cali. I still don't have my luggage!! So much for 6pm (like they told me originally). Wish me luck! I'd really like to take my contacts out, but I have no contact case or glasses with me. Dumb!!! They are in my luggage!! Guess I learned my lesson right?

CHICAGO!!

Chicago!!! Its one of the most unique cities that I've ever been to. I love the big city, riding the trains and the subways, shopping, walking by the lake, etc. There is so much to do there. One of my favorite places is Navy Pier! It is so beautiful there!! Michigan Avenue is great too and has the best shopping ever!! Going to Chinatown is a fun experience too!

Becky & I first went there a few years ago on a whim. I was visiting her when she still lived in Cincinnati and we just decided to go the next morning and then drive back that night! That was a crazy idea and very tiring, but it was so much fun!! Unforgettable!! I've been back a couple times since then, but this May we went there for Rob's graduation. He hot his Master's in Near-Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Languages (or something!!) from Trinity University.

These pics above are from the graduation. Top left clockwise: Rob and his wife Jessica, Rob with mom and dad, Me & Rob, Rob & Becky.

This is Union Station! It was so huge and beautiful!!

It was sooooo windy that we could barely walk around downtown! I don't know what on earth we thought the umbrellas were going to do for us! It certainly didn't stop the rain from getting us wet!! The wind totally turned the umbrellas inside out and we started laughing so hard that we could hardly breathe!!! So funny!

Train wheels! I don't know why, but I just HAD to take a picture of them. They were newly painted and looked so good I thought they were picture-worthy :)

Navy Pier!! I love it there! The Ferris Wheel is not to be missed! The view of the city is gorgeous from up there!!

Well, as you might have guessed, I didn't take the pics of the skyline above as I left my helicopter at home this trip!! :)
But, I had to put some in here to show just how beautiful the city is!!

RANDOM CRAZY STUFF!!!

WORK

These are some pictures from work. Just thought I'd show you a glipse into the serious world of the ICU!! Ha, Ha! We have to take SOME time to have fun, right?









The pic on the left is Val and the one below is Dana. They are some of my closest friends. We have worked together for over 10 years now!!





















Here we are toasting in the new year with diet ginger ale!! It was a good night! :)


Goofing around! Trying out for "SCRUBS" next season! Ha, Ha!!




Hellooooo?! Anyone there? Dana, Jeanne, & Mary (Love them)



















Candy & Judy


















Look out!! You might get a jolt!!

WHY I HATE HAIL STORMS!!

So, you saw the pictures of my tropical plants that I have babied all winter for several YEARS now! Well, they aren't so pretty anymore! GRRRRRRrrrrr! The hail totally ripped right through some of the leaves and simply shredded some of the other ones. I really am not worried about the rubber plant. They live through about anything, but the Bird of Paradise I'm kind of worried about. They only sprout about 3 or 4 leaves a year and two of them got totally shredded in the storm.

Maybe I'm being silly, but when you take care of something, water it, feed it, make sure its in the right temperature, repot it, cart it from apartment to a new house, etc. - even if its just a plant, it is kind of hard to see it get destroyed!! How rude of that hail!!!

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HAIL STORM!!

Okay, so we had a brief, but severe storm yesterday around 5:30pm. It was crazy!! All of the sudden it started hailing! I thought someone was throwing stones at my house so I stepped outside to see who would DARE! At first it was just a few hailstones here and there. Then it all broke loose and just poured rain and hail like mad!! They were the size of a candy "fireball" and they HURT when they hit. I was kind of afraid they would break my windows, but they survived! Thank God for a garage and that my car was inside!! A lot of my friends at work had major damage done to their cars while they were parked in the lot at the hospital :(

The storm did a lot of damage to the trees and to my plants that I have outside. There are big round holes in a lot of the leaves of my tropical plants (see the post a couple back). They don't look so hot right now, but hopefully they will make it!

SUNDAY DINNER AT DAD & MOM'S HOUSE

SUNDAY DINNER

In our day-to-day lives, we are so busy that it can be hard to keep in touch like we should. We all live pretty close to one another, but it can still be hard. Sunday dinner is one of those times that we can all come together and catch up with each other. We don't meet every Sunday, but we do about once or twice a month. I love those times of getting together and talking about everyone's week.

RuthAnn cleaning up after dinner. We all jump in and help out. It makes it go pretty fast! :)
I love walking in through those doors. Mom & Dad's house is always welcoming and is so well-kept. They are always working at updating the house and adding new flooring or new doors, etc. Beautiful!!















Mom is an excellent cook and makes the best Sunday dinner ever! We usually chip in and someone brings salad, another brings the bread, another brings desert, and another brings pop or something. It is something that we all enjoy!


Declan loves getting into this cabinet! All there is in there are dishclothes and towels, but he likes to rummage around in it anyway! :)

















Declan will bang on his plate when he gets impatient. He hates to wait on his food! When he's hungry, he's hungry!!

FAMILY

This picture is all of us from Memorial day last year (2007). It was a great day! We had a cookout and hung out at Dad & Mom's house all day. Above is Liam, Jason, Becky, Declan, Me, Jessica, Rob, Dad & Mom.

Dad is a preacher and pastored churches for many years. Right now he is kind of retired from pastoring but still keeps really busy preaching for other pastors when they are out of town.
He also has made and repairs violins since he was a teenager. He is really busy with his business too. His website is http://www.stearnsviolins.com/ On that site you can see pictures and find out more about his shop.




Last summer Mom & Dad took a trip to California and went to some of my favorite spots. This picture is of them at Lucia lodge near Big Sur, California. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! I told them that while they were there, they HAD to go there!! They were glad they did!

This picture is of my mom and her sisters. I love them!! You couldn't ask for a better mom or better aunts. From the left is Sue Stearns, Ruth Dotson, Kathy Churchill, and my mom, Eunice Stearns. Sue is married to Rohn Stearns (my dad's brother). They pastor a church in southern Ohio. Ruth is married to Glen Dotson and they also pastor a church in Ohio. Kathy is married to Paul Churchill. He is a retired contractor/housebuilder, and has also been bery involved in church & Bible college boards. Great people!! They live in Easely, SC.























There's the whole group right there! Love them!

Above is Allen Walker (Kim's hubby) and then there is the whole group of the second generation cousins (all my cousin's kids).
To the left is the cousins that were able to be there. We were missing Lisa that day, but the rest of us were there.




Ben flew all the way from South Korea to be there. We were all gathered for Grandma Rummel's funeral, so it was kind of sad, but on ther other hand we were celebrating a great life and getting to see everyone was great!!






















Kim Walker
(Love her!)

MY NEPHEWS

Liam & Declan are my nephews and are the light of my life!! I don't know if I'll ever have kids of my own, but I deeply love my little nephews!! They call me "Uncle D" and I love to hear their little voices excitedly squeal "Uncle D" as they run towards me for a hug! Liam is about 3 1/2 and Declan is going to be 2 in November. They are very busy, very curious and keep you on your toes at all times.

................................Cheering little brother on! Come on Declan! You can do it!!...............................

Declan decided to climb up on my coffee table, so needless to say, EVERYTHING had to moved. My house isn't exactly "childproof!" I love having them here, but it does worry me that they will hurt themselves on something that I have lying around. I'll have to try harder to see through the eyes of a child and make sure its safe for them :)

Declan likes to "bang" on the piano. He will hit the keys in time with music that is playing. Who knows? He may end up being a musician??? Everyone thinks that! Ha, Ha! A kid can't go near a musical instrument lest their family think that they are destined to be a musician of some sort :)

MY FLOWER GARDENS

Okay, so I've been pretty lucky. The people that lived here before me put in all kinds of perenials that come up from early spring until late in the summer! I barely have to plant anything! I do have a mild obsession with tropical plants and keep them in my house all winter and then take them outside during the summer. But as you can see, I have Lavender, Roses, Lilacs, Iris, Tulips, Lillies, etc. Too many to name!!

MY HOUSE

I bought a house in Jan. 2006. It is a big undertaking, but I do love having a house!! I feel like I'm actually working towards and paying on something that is mine instead of throwing money away on rent. Tending my gardens and keeping my house looking nice is something I really enjoy!

My living room

These are pictures of my back yard and some of my flower beds. I love my Lilac bush in the corner of my yard! Its one of my favorite things in the spring!!

The pictures below are from around Christmas time. I absolutely love hanging out in my living room with a big fire burning in my fireplace! That is the best, coziest feeling in the world!!

I usually put up two Christmas trees. One in the living room and a really big one in the dining room. There's nothin' like Christmas time in an old house with a woodburning fireplace!! :)

Baloon Fest & the Jackson-Belden Food Fest!!

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Well, I was supposed to be at work, but I got off due to low census. Yeah!!! Of course I was on call, but it was so nice to get to go!! They have like 20 different teams that launch a bunch of different baloons and then they have to drop a marker in a certain area in the middle of this field. There is also a 20 foot high pole that has a ribbon on it. If they grab the ribbon, they instantly win $3,000!!! The food fest is situated around the main field and the crowd cheers them on! So fun!!! At night, they have a "baloon glow launch." That is pretty awesome too, but I skipped that this year since I wanted to excape the exiting crowd since I'm on call.

There are some baloons that are funny shapes (animals, Uhaul trucks, rockets, etc.)

This baloon came down really close to the ground in front of me and dropped their game marker right inside the playing area!! The crowd went nuts!!

There were also Parachute jumpers!! So cool! They had streamers and small fireworks that they shot off WHILE they were coming down! Some had bright red smoke streams coming off them too! Very cool!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was a Beatles tribute band playing also. They weren't exactly the Beatles, but it was interesting anyway.

MySpace.com - Dave - 32 - Male - CANTON, Ohio - www.myspace.com/icunursedave

MySpace.com - Dave - 32 - Male - CANTON, Ohio - www.myspace.com/icunursedave

Boating & Swimming at Berlin Lake!!

I have a friend, J. J., that I have worked with for years at the hospital. We work in different departments now, but remain good friends. Her son, Tim, owns a boat and offered to take us all out on it for the day. This past Tuesday, we took him up on it!!

Well, we started the day by going to SubWay and getting some sandwiches to take with us. We also had a couple of coolers with pop, water and snacks! Then we were ready for the day on the lake! We spent a while speeding around the lake and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. After a while though, we dropped anchor and jumped off the boat into the water. There is nothing quite like jumping off a boat into deep water!! So refreshing!

Me J.J.

J.J.'s grandaughter took the wheel for a little while. Her daughter-in-law joined us also.

What a great day on the lake!!! I totally enjoyed myself!

Vacation Pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/Daveonedayatatime/SanDiegoBigSurAndSanFran

Vacation Time!!

Well, I'm heading to San Diego next week!!! Yeah! I havn't been there since Oct. 2006, so I'm pretty anxious to go! I went at least once a year for several years and then skipped last year. That was hard! Oh well, next week I'll be there! I can't wait to visit all the places I like and be at the beach again. I was meant to live near the coast!!

Presque Isle

Summer Fun!!

Well, I havn't blogged for a really long time. I've been busy with Facebook, MySpace and that other thing called LIFE!!! Anyway, I have been enjoying my summer immensely!!! I wish it was summer all year long!

RuthAnn & I went up to Presque Isle on Lake Erie a couple weeks ago. It was so much fun!!! I love it up there. We had a great time walking on the beach, havin' a swim and "pretending" we were in Florida or somewhere exotic!! :)