About Me

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I am retired and like to travel by motor home across the United States and Canada. In the winter I hope to spend more time with my WIN (Wandering Individual Network) friends in the California and Arizona desert. I know my trip reports are having too many details, but I am writing them for myself, if anybody else enjoys them, that is fine too.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Carlsbad Village by the Sea

We have traveled all over the country and now with Doreen not being able to travel, it is a good time to look at our home town, Carlsbad Village by the Sea.
Carlsbad is named after Karlsbad in Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. The carbonated water found in Carlsbad is chemically similar to its sister city in Europe. Around the turn of the 19th century the water was bottled and sold.
Now Carlsbad is living off tourism, strawberries, vegetables and light industry.
Two of the major golf club companies are located in Carlsbad.












Carlsbad has attracted many companies because it has an airport.
Carlsbad’s McClellan Palomar Airport is the busiest single runway airport in the US.












This is where the health bringing water was found. For 25 cents one can fill a gallon container with the water.









Carlsbad beaches are beautiful and every year we spent some time there with and without our motorhome.












To see our neighborhood and Carlsbad I treated Doreen, on her birthday, with a flight in an open cockpit biplane. We felt like the Red Baron.










When we moved to Carlsbad we had a house warming party.












Most years we have a Block Party in our street.






















The men cook breakfast, at the club house, one Saturday a month.






















The Christmas breakfast is special.












The women enjoy the Valentine’s Day breakfast.






















We celebrate the coming of the New Year at the club house. We dance and eat.






















Every 4th of July we have a celebration at the club house.
We enjoy living in our 112 home, 55 and over, gated community.













Part of the year the flowers along Interstate 5 are just spectacular.










The Carlsbad Flower Fields are a sight to see. People come from all over the state in March and April.













Strawberries from Carlsbad are well known throughout the Western United States.












We have a Legoland Park in Carlsbad. Next time Jacob and Nicolette visit us I will take them there. The Welcome sign is made with thousands of Lego blocks.












Leo Carrillo, the movie star, had a ranch in Carlsbad. The city owns the buildings and part of the land now.
During the summer there are free movie nights. After a Cisco Kid film, they show a movie in which Leo Carrillo appeared.













Sometimes we attend parties at neighbor’s houses. Here we are guests of Kathy and Dave.












Before Harley Denk died we camped at his ranch on Memorial Day weekend. It was a lot of fun.
His grandchildren cooked their own breakfast on coffee cans Harley had made into hot plates.






















We also camp on Red Beach in Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps Base north of Carlsbad.
Here we line up a few hours before the beach opens.























We live about four miles from the village, the center of Carlsbad. From our house we still see open farmland.
Carlsbad has now a population of 111,000.









We store our motorhomes at a place near our homes. We have electricity, water and a sewer connection there.
Here I had the new and the old motorhome. It took me some time to move the solar panels, fans, batteries, inverter, and other items to the new motorhome.













We have a swimming pool and tennis courts at the club house.












Our backyard can be very beautiful when the flowers are in bloom.

























Coyotes come by, looking for rabbits.











This is our front yard.











Oceanside is a town north of us. Since there is no open space between the cities it is difficult to know where one starts and ends. We spend a lot of time there.
Here we are at the pier in Oceanside.





















Doreen’s niece Shirlyann lives in Carlsbad and we visit her sometimes.












Carlsbad has a Village Fair once a year.












There are very good restaurants in the village.






















The Craftsmanship Museum has scaled down engines, airplanes, and machinery on display.
Most of the engines and machines are in working condition.














The Gemology Institute of America has their headquarters in Carlsbad. Here they teach how to cut diamonds and other precious stones.














During the fire of 2007 we left home and stayed at El Mateo State Park for three days.
We could not see the sun during the day because of the ashes in the air.
The fire stopped at the outskirts of Carlsbad. We were very lucky.


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