Saturday, February 27, 2010
San Diego
Because we had some extra time off for Thanksgiving and I had a new car to drive, we headed south to San Diego for a few days. The night we arrived, we visited Megan and Jason, saw their new apartment and doted on their adorable angel, Nathan. He is so cute and soft!
Nathan shows off how he can hold his head up already.
The next day, we went to Balboa Park. Olga met us there. We visited the botanical gardens.
Ben found a kaleidoscope sculpture with a poinsettia that you can rotate. The mirrors in the kaleidoscope make the most beautiful natural patterns. Below, Olga checks it out. It was amazing!
We walked through Spanish Village and came across these trees. They remind me of Czech Christmas trees in old photos, more ornaments than branches.
We enjoyed the sculpture garden.
Our visit was short because Olga had to work and study for her exams for graduate school, but it is always good to see "Ogre" as Ben called her once by accident. I love that girl and can't wait for our annual camping trip. LOL!
Afterwards, Ben and I headed to our old stomping ground, SDSU. We visited our old apartment, #6, on Stanley Avenue. I can't believe we lived there 13 years ago! It feels like yesterday!
We drove to San Diego State University and walked around. Even though it has changed some, the memories that came rushing back as we explored made it feel like we had never left. I loved going to school there.
Ben in the arch of one of the bell towers.
When it began to rain, we decided to go to Effin's, the bar that was a block away from our house on Stanley. I celebrated my 21st birthday there, along with New Year's 1999 and had many a veggie cheese steak. (Their signature drink, The Wiggly - half Guinness, half Sprite - still gives me nightmares!) The bar has barely changed. The one difference is that they now serve liquor and they have a larger cheese steak menu. The pints are still cheap, the nun and other characters are still painted on the wall and bras still hang from the ceiling!
The next morning, on our way home, we drove to Escondido to check out Queen Calafia's Magical Circle by Niki de Saint Phalle. Her mosaic sculptures can be found all over the world, at Balboa Park, and now, in a beautiful Escondido Park. Olga told me about it and showed me a few pictures, so I knew I had to go. It was a gorgeous day, which we were thankful for because the sculpture garden is closed if it rains. As we looked for the entrance, and noticed all the doors were locked, we realized that it must be closed if it rains the day before, too! UGH! I tried to take a few pictures through the fence anyway. It only made me more excited to get in there one day soon. Maybe we'll drive out there while we are camping in the spring.
We walked through the park anyway and enjoyed the gorgeous day before our drive home.
# posted by RZV @ 10:51 AM 
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great memories . . . amazing how fast time goes by. can hardly believe it was that long ago. i remember visiting you at least once on stanley ave. maybe twice though?
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