Oceanside - California - February 2015

2-18-15

I would have liked to stay a few more days in Borrego Springs and hike up Palm Canyon with Doris, but we are running out of time and have to head up north very soon.

We have a few days scheduled for the San Diego area.

We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Oceanside at 11:30 AM, just in time to go next door, to the Senior Center, for lunch.

After lunch we went to Best Buy to purchase a battery for Doris’s camera. I should have bought a new camera at the same time. Last night I transferred pictures from my camera to a memory stick and have not seen the camera since. We looked all over the motorhome and cannot find it.

After lunch we went to the Oceanside Harbor. There was a marine layer on the coast and we did not see the sun. The temperature is a lot lower in Oceanside than in the desert.

We watched for a while a man feeding the seagulls.

He also fed ground squirrels.

In the afternoon we went to friends to pick up our mail. On the way home we saw that the Interstate was like a parking lot, so we drove up the coast highway. When we noticed a spectacular sunset we stopped at the beach and enjoyed this very much. Doris took this picture with her camera.

Doris had the urge to bake a cake. After dinner she cut up the nectarines and plums we had and made a delicious cake. If I gain weight it will be her fault.

2-19-15

I found my camera. I had put it on the back dinette seat and when I had to make a fast stop at highway 78 it flew off the seat and was wedged between a one gallon water jug and the side of the seat. I had looked there several times and could not see it. When I finally moved the water jug it came in view.

We still have a marine layer in the morning, so we decided to go sightseeing more inland.

We went to Balboa Park.

The Japanese Garden is still a work in progress. They are making a lot of improvements.

The Botanic Building was closed.

We went to the Rose Garden where there are also strange cacti.

At the Spanish Village we went to some of the art studios.

The park is a very beautiful place to visit.

We met Mike and Carla Peak on the bridge over the canyon. Mike walked past me and I had a feeling I knew him. When Carla walked past me, I asked her whether she worked for Convair. She said yes and said that Mike also worked there.

I knew then who they were. I had not seen them for 22 years. They had moved to Texas and just moved back to California.

Doris and I had lunch at the restaurant at Fiesta De Reyes. In the past it was called Casa De Pico.

It is a restaurant with a south of the border flavor. We had a wonderful meal.

In the evening we went to the Encinitas Elks Lodge and met friends and ate more.

2-20-15

We walked on the Oceanside Pier before we went to the Celebration of Life for Carol Coons.

She was a friend from the Convair Camping Club. Most old time members were present.

Carol was an interesting person. She and Jim went on 80 cruises and visited 89 countries. One cruise was two thirds around the world.

In the evening we went dancing at the lodge. Doris and I were the only people dancing. One couple tried to dance and left the dance floor. Another couple danced one dance, actually they jumped around for a while. We danced almost every dance.

The people who were at the lodge had dinner and listen to the music.

2-21-15

On our way to Point Loma we stopped at Rudfords restaurant and had breakfast with Jim Mousel.

We thought it would be foggy at Cabrillo National Monument, but it turned out to be not bad at all. It was cloudy, just perfect for walking.

We stopped first at the Visitor Center where we saw a movie about the Grey Whales.

From the Visitor Center one has a good view of Ballast Point and the Nuclear Submarine Base.

  

North Island and its runway are also highly visible.

The Cabrillo Monument overlooks the inlet of San Diego Bay.

We walked up to Old Point Loma Lighthouse.

The new lighthouse is near the waters edge. The old lighthouse was a lot of times in heavy fog and mariners could not see it.

Because of the high tide we did not see much at the tide pools.

Our next stop was Shelter Island. There we went to the Japanese Bell and to some of the statues which are located along the waterfront.

From Harbor Island we had a good view of the city and the Coronado Bridge.

On the way home we stopped at Macy’s and visited Gabi, a former neighbor, in Carlsbad.

To top off a wonderful day we had dinner at Mimi’s in Oceanside.
  

2-22-15

We had in mind to visit friends after doing some laundry. Everything changed when Doris did some exercises at the exercise room next to the laundry room. She felt dizzy and we stayed home.

In the evening it started to rain and I did not move the motorhome and attach the car. We watched the Oscars and we will worry tomorrow morning about leaving early to get through Los Angeles.