Of all my years living in San Diego I also had never stopped by San Juan Capistrano but I've always liked it for their white buildings and a huge mansion that is visible from the freeway. I remember always waiting for it to appear in the distance as we drove on the freeway nearing SJC. It sits on the top right hand side of a hill. I've always wondered who lived there. I wondered what it looked like inside. One day I hope to drive up to that mansion, hopefully it wont be a gated street.
We woke up this morning, July 3rd, at a descent time. Jacob found us a good breakfast spot called Molly's Cafe. We had to wait for about ten minutes which wasn't bad at all. We encouraged Riley to have a few bites of bacon again but he wouldn't this time. Go figure!
This is the mansion I was telling you about. That gray one in the center. Ever since I was a little girl I remember just staring at it, imagining how cool it would be to see it inside.
We had a few hours to spare so we visited the Basilica.
Sydna and Riley had noticed a butterfly. They were trying to make it land on their finger but it wouldn't.
It was a warm day so we rested under a large shady tree. This city has a conservative feel so we felt very comfortable here. It was so cool seeing all the U.S. flags all over the streets ... very patriotic. As it should be everywhere in the United States!!!
Nathan hit full blown puberty as soon as the school year ended. It seemed like his voice changed overnight. His facial features are changing constantly. He is continuing to grow ... still has that handsome look.
When it comes to Nathan, his life has definitely flowed at a normal pace. The feeling of "where has the time gone?" hasn't applied to his life and that's been a good thing because I've gotten to enjoy his every milestone thoroughly. I feel close to him and it'll be heartbreaking whenever he moves out.
The brothers. No matter the age difference siblings will argue and roughhouse. These two do and it drives me nuts. But, Riley always wants to hang out with big brother and big brother just wants his privacy .... so yeah, they've got a lot to learn about learning to not be pests and learning how to make time for one another.
Pretty
Took a few moments for prayer and to give thanks.
We drove through Lake Elsinore because I wanted to get the feel of the area, just to get an idea on how it would feel if we ever decided to move back home. I didn't like it. Neither did Jacob. It's also quite hot there and there's really nothing to do in that town, besides of course hanging out at the lake. I was disappointed because I had the impression that it was a descent place. So I gotta scratch Lake Elsinore off my list of possible places to live. I'm not saying we're moving any time soon ... just speculating, just thinking out loud that's all.
We got to Old Town in time for an early dinner. Old Town is nice, pretty but the food fair has changed significantly since the place went under new ownership over a decade ago. Now, all the restaurants serve Mexican American cuisine which is NOT authentic Mexican food. However, we mainly went because of the slush margaritas and appetizers. Our meals were just ok.
To tell you the truth, if you want authentic Mexican food in Southern CA you will have to go to taco shops, not restaurants.
Gates, doors and windows have always caught my attention especially when they're decorated with flowers and vines.
I do enjoy mariachi music. It felt good being back home ... to places we would always frequent when we lived here.
We stopped by to see my parents. We had booked a hotel for the first two nights we were in San Diego. I didn't want to overwhelm my mom with all of our belongings. It was so good to see them. Here's Nathan with my mom.
This year's 4th of July was different for us. Since our car was packed with our luggage and cooler we weren't able to bring our tarp, beach chairs and grill. Because of that I told the kids that we weren't going to spend the entire day at the beach like we normally would for 4th of July. It was a bummer but it was what was best.
We decided to stop by Phil's BBQ in Point Loma for lunch. The wait was about fifteen minutes, not too bad compared how popular this place is. Everyone was at the beach that's why.
My parents. I cannot believe my dad doesn't like bbq sauce. What in the world?!!! I was beside myself. He totally doesn't know what he's missing. I mean, how can someone not like bbq sauce? So he got chicken (lame). I'm glad he came though.
We, on the other hand totally enjoyed some delicious bbq. Oh, and their onion rings are so good and so is their ranch.
After we ate my sister took my parents back home. We headed to Coronado. My sister got there later. We thought we weren't going to find parking because Coronado gets extremely packed but we lucked out. There's an area that's close to the Del that had signs closed off to the public. The city closes this area during the parade. When we got there it was around 3:00 pm and the sign said no parking until 4:00 pm. We knew that the parade was over so we parked there. We stayed in the car for a while just to make sure no police stopped by and had our car towed, in the meantime more cars were parking behind us. Within half an hour the signs were removed by city workers. We parked close to the beach, the Del and restaurants. That was pretty awesome!
I like this next picture because I have a picture at this exact spot with the Del in the background when I was a little girl. I also have a similar picture of Nathan when he was about 2 years old.
Well, since we didn't bring our tarp I shielded myself from with sun with my umbrella. I wanted to avoid getting a tan on my face because I get very dark. I brought a book and read while Jacob and Riley splashed in the water. Sydna and Nathan went to several stores.
Decided to not have Riley wear a rash guard because I wanted him to tan evenly. His belly and back needed a tan. Sand castle building is very calming, wouldn't you agree?
It was around 6:30 pm when we packed up our beach things, changed our clothes and decided to grab some pizza.
My sister arrived shortly after we ordered our food. She also lucked out with parking. We picnicked right in front of this pretty house. I hope these people know just how blessed they are about living in Coronado right off the main street and so close to the beach. I hope they're grateful.
Once done we walked over to the front side of the Del. We walked inside. It's cool that we know where to go, sort of like sneaking in since we all worked here at one point. I think it's sad that the inside of the Del has changed so much. I'm not fond of the changes. I don't know why things have to change. Sometimes it's good to keep things as they are. That's what gives it charm and character. We also recently heard that the hotel Del had been recently bought by the same company that owns Hilton hotels. Can't believe it! I wonder how much it'll change.
My sister loves my kids, ALL of them. And Riley loves his Tia Claudia. She spoils them all. Reagan and Lincoln would have been so loved.
Had to get a picture of all of us ... and my babies (I'll share more when I feel ready) in heaven are always on my mind.
The look on Riley's face. Funny!
This time we didn't feel like walking all the way down by the golf course like we usually do so we watched the fireworks from the Del's property. We were able to see them just fine.
The firework show was just ok. In years past Coronado was known for the best fireworks in San Diego but now the firework shows haven't been as spectacular as they once were. Now fireworks are set off on the San Diego Bay which is right next door to Coronado. We were able to see them and you could just tell that those ones were bigger and louder. We're thinking that next time we visit for the 4th of July that we'll watch the fireworks in Coronado but from the Bay side.
Riley never complained about them though. Kids his age are so carefree that they don't pay attention to those things. He had fun and he thought they were "so much fun and big".
It was a fun day though. We all enjoyed ourselves and the food. I liked being back in Coronado. This city has a special place in my heart especially the Del and Coronado Beach. They've been part of my life since I was about four years old and the Del was where Jacob and I met, twenty two years ago.
God Bless America!
No comments:
Post a Comment
comments welcome