Harbor Days 2011 and Carlsbad Art Splash

9-25-11
In the morning we went to Oceanside where they had Harbor Days.
There were many booths where vendors sold everything from popcorn to insurance.
Oceanside is a military town and the marines had a display of some of their vehicles.
It was fun for the kids climbing on the Humvees.





















Those three strange guys walked around.











On the way home we stopped at the Carlsbad Art Splash. Artists use chalk for painting pictures on the street. There were more booths selling stuff.
The sun had come out by now and it was warm.



















The weatherman from one of our TV stations was there with his band.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

9-18-11
This was a wonderful day. When we left Carlsbad there was still a marine layer over the town.
Upon arrival in San Juan Capistrano we had sunshine.
We were early at the mission and it was not crowded. They have now an award winning audio tour.
The tour entitled”Voices of the Mission” features music, history, and storytelling about California history and the story of the Jewel of the missions.
At marked points of interest one presses a button on the device and listens to the narrator.
San Juan Capistrano is famous for the return of the swallows. Unfortunately not many swallows nest at the mission anymore. They prefer now highway bridges.











Wine making in California started at the mission. There is an inside vat and an outside vat for fermenting.













The ruin of the Great Stone Church is being stabilized. The church was built in 1797 and an earthquake in 1812 demolished it.












The Serra Chapel was completed in 1788 and is very beautiful.











The gardens and fountains are magnificent.

Spaghetti Factory 2011

9-17-11
Today was our annual outing, with the Shanty Shakers, at the Spaghetti Factory.
Doreen had to go to a memorial service so I went alone.
Campers who attended the Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming, did not talk about their experiences. They want to do it next Saturday at the breakfast meeting in El Cajon.
The food was good as always and we had good conversations.

Greek Festival 2011

9-10-11
Today we attended the Greek Festival, in Cardiff, at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.













There was plenty of Greek food and Greek wine and other beverages. The tent was filled to capacity.
People were eating and watching the dancers.














There was also an area for the children.












We took the church tour. The pictures inside the church are made with mosaics. It is regarded as one of the finest works of Byzantine art in the world.















The architect, who designed the the church, explained how he designed the 30 foot diameter dome. The dome is a golden dome and highly visible.

Labor Day 2011

9-5-11
This was an unusual Labor Day weekend.
Red Beach at Camp Pendleton was closed because the Marines, which will be deployed next month, are in training. We heard all week heavy artillery.
I had turned on the refrigerator in the motorhome since I was sure we would be able to camp this long weekend. I was wrong. So we stayed at home.
Today we had a picnic in our patio.
I tried to make baby back pork ribs like I helped Rob cook at The Trail of the Ancients outing in Moab.
Since I had no Coca Cola I could not use Rob’s secret recipe. I used water for cooking the ribs. They did not taste the same.
We had invited Dottie and Chappy and I picked up Jean from the nursing home. We had a good time.
It rained for a short time which is very strange for this time of the year.