On Holiday In San Diego - Part three - 4th of July

Before our Seal Tour we had the presence of mind to stop in at the
Harbor House & make reservations for later in the evening hopefully
requesting a table by the window if possible.

So.....was I ever tickled when we were led to that window table on the right,
on the top floor overlooking the harbor. Perfect! Fantastic view!!!!
Also below us people were gathering & claiming their little spot all along
the harbor front. So alot of people watching & little areas of entertainers
set up along the sidewalks. A fellow doing magic tricks just below us &
a variety of other events. Figure balloon making, parrots performing tricks,
people & charicature artists etc. Rented bicycle surreys for 2 or 4 cyling
around. Not a dull moment!!!

Meanwhile we dined making it last as long as possible overlooking the
harbor. I had an entre`of Halibut drizzled with Hollandaise sauce over
mashed potatoes & broiled for a nice taste & look. And those thin
steamed green beans that are so good. Nice fresh crisp bread & butter.
Kelly had a coconut shrimp dish with loaded potatoes & a pineapple &
papaya salad. Had to do the Sea-food thing, right! We splurged a bit and split some Key Lime Pie. Heavenly!! I"ll have to live on that memory for awhile!!

It was over to soon & we went down below to stake out our spot for the
fireworks! It was a bit of a wait, but oh well the weather was great & we
had our new San Diego jackets for when it got chili!! Sounds crazy as I'm
writing this as we're supposed to have 116-117 degree weather here in
Phoenix this week-end. But we sure enough used them!!! I think the
whole city of San Diego showed up!! Kelly & I just couldn't believe the
people just kept coming. But I must say I was pleasantly surprized because
there was no alcohol allowed & I only saw a couple of smokers & no
bad language or swearing. Just nice little groups of families & friends
come to celebrate our great country & enjoy the fireworks!!!! There were
four sets of fireworks along the harbors. The big smiley faces were a big
hit!!

Next day we walked the beach barefoot & enjoyed the surf rolling in. I
would of been happy to spend the whole day there. To short! To short!
But great!
Read for awhile & then reluctantly caravaned home sharing the road
with all the other Arizonans.

On Holiday In San Diego - Part two - 4th of July

Saturday morning we hopped the Coaster Train in Encenitas & road it
down the coast to downtown San Diego ending at the Old Train Station.
Then walked over to Sea Port Village on the waterfront. The Dinner Cruises
were all booked for the day..... So we shopped for some sweat jackets so we
wouldn't be cold for the fireworks in the evening. When it's so hot in
Phoenix who thinks of bringing a jacket!!! The night before we had gotten
chilled. Imagine that!!!! The weather was wonderful! Checked out the
little shops and decided to reserve a Seal Tour Ride for later & then rode the Coaster
back to Encenitas to get our car, turn around & come right back. We were
planning all this on the fly.

Along the way we came upon this huge Aircraft Carrier in the dock & it
said "Midway" It was the real U.S.S. Midway now a museum. A fellow
walker told us that he was envolved in the big events planned for the
evening on the Midway. They had 2,500 people booked for dinner &
party for the evening & the 4th of July fireworks.

We viewed America's finest city...on a Boat with Wheels.....from sea &
land. The fully narrated tour winds through San Diego streets before
splashing down for a cruise into the picturesque waters of San Diego Bay.
It's San Diego's only amphibious tour! We saw the old "Star of India"
& other historic ships tied up at the docks. They have tours for those also.
"The Star of India" was acquired in 1927. She is set out to sea at least once
a year. Maritime Museum has a reputation for excellence in restoring,
maintaining & operating historic vessels. We saw pelicans & seals &
enjoyed a cruise around the bay. Someone even recognized a celebrity
in one of the big boats that came right up to us. Boats, Boats, & more
boats, all kinds. Wow! It was pretty cool just driving right into the
bay & cruising, then driving right out again. The Seal cost $250,00.
Loved all the water & cool breezes.

Our Anniversary & On Holiday In San Diego - Part One

Well we decided to celebrate our Anniversary & take a Holiday in

beautiful San Diego. We woke early friday morning & found our way to the rolling hills of California & the beautiful San Diego Temple set on a hill. What are the chances, when in the chapel, Kelly spotted a fellow

co-worker that sits five desks up from him at work. Kelly hadn't known he was a member. But there he was with his wife, on the very same day & session we

we in at the San Diego Temple. Amazing things happen!!!!

The temple was beautiful inside with wide curving staircases &

the Celestial room opens up, up, up, into a 2 story vaulted ceiling

with lots of white & cream stained glass windows & patterns of

the Star of David worked into it. There were beams of light streaming through

the stain glass windows & four hanging chandaliers. Awsome!!

The Temple was beautiful in the day with it's white walls & spires & even more beautiful at night shining up there on the hill. We saw it both ways!! And

we're only one more temple visit away from doing all the sealings for 15 family

members on Kelly's side of the family. A great feeling!!

In the evening we dined at the "El Prado Restuarant" in Balboa Park, supposed to be one of the most Romantic Restuarants in San Diego. We dined at dusk, under candle light in

the courtyard overlooking a beautiful garden where a wedding had just

taken place. They were still taking pictures of the weddding party, so we

were entertained while waiting for our meal.. There was an artist at his

easle to oneside painting the garden scene & wedding party in it. I guess

that's all the new rage now! I had a fancy pork entre`with mashed sweet

potatoes with beans & fresh sweet corn on top. Kelly had some sort of

fancy steak with sauce, green beans & fancy potatoes. Yummy!!!

The grounds were beautiful, wished we had more time to explore!