We have had an eventful couple weeks. After a wonderful trip to Bass Lake, last Thursday Eli and I walked back down to chef’s market. Again there was a demonstration and wine pairing with this week’s learning how to make chocolate lace or other fun designs with chocolate to make your presentation of a dessert even better! It was fun and the atmosphere of the live music and people gathering together is always a good time.
Friday, we packed and got ready for our weekend because Saturday we hit the ground running. Eli set our alarm clocks for 4:30 am, so we could drive to Oakland to catch our flight to San Diego. My uncle Tim, was there to greet us and begin showing us around San Diego. After driving through the city, we hopped from beach to beach from La Jolla all the way up to Encinitas which is where Tim and Edward live. We saw all kinds of seals, kayakers, fishermen and surfers as well as lots of active people out enjoying the sunshine. We lucked out on sun as the locals told us that there is often a May “gray” and a June “gloom,” so we were sure to soak up as much as possible. We were surprised that it wasn’t hot in southern California. It was about 70 and could get chilly on the water. We were told that it really never gets hot there, but as you go inland, that is where it truly warms up. Being from Virginia, I always think of sunny and hot California but that is not necessarily so!! Once we got to Encinitas we enjoyed a delicious chili lunch made by Edward and got to meet Joey, a wire haired fox terrier who was extremely sweet. After lunch, we toured Tim’s work which he is a yoga teacher at a fancy resort named La Costa and then went hiking around the Batiquitos Lagoon. After our afternoon hike, Tim took a nap and Eli and I decided to go exploring and found a beach to do some hiking around on. Saturday evening we went out to a lookout to see the sunset over the water and then ate at a local Mexican restaurant. Following dinner we went to Oceanside to walk on the pier and grab ice cream.
We didn’t stay up too late partying as Tim had us up and at it to attend his yoga class at 7:30. It was such a neat and relaxing experience to see him in action. It was a great way to start the day. After yoga, we went hiking down Torrey Pines to the beach.
You start at the top where the famous golf course is situated and hike straight down the cliff. At times a better word for this hike would be a controlled slide. The sites were breathtaking and the experience was even neater as we had hang gliders zipping right over head. At the bottom of the hike is a beach…a nude beach which I would have to say was my first experience on such a beach. We found our own area and watched the ocean…clothed…as it was another beautiful beach day! Once we rested, we hiked back up the cliff which was difficult but a little easier than the trip down.
Since we were right next to it, we toured the outside of the Salk institute which is an architectural wonder built by the world renowned architect Louis Kahn back in the 1960s. The institute is one of the premier scientific research facilities in the world, doing cutting edge research on everything from stem cells to cancer treatments. Salk currently houses 3 Nobel Prize winners along with lots of other well known scholars and scientists.
Following our hike, we cleaned up and then went to downtown San Diego to do walk through Balboa park. It is a beautiful park that has lots of museums, art work, and interesting people situated throughout. We ate outside at the Prada and then made our way to the airport. Eli and I arrived back to Napa about 1am and then began the work week bright and early Monday morning. It was a wonderful trip to see San Diego as well as spend some quality time with Tim, Edward, and Joey. They were great hosts and showed us enough that we felt we got a good overview of San Diego and surrounding areas, but we definitely want to come back for more!
We have had an eventful couple weeks. After a wonderful trip to Bass Lake, last Thursday Eli and I walked back down to chef’s market. Again there was a demonstration and wine pairing with this week’s learning how to make chocolate lace or other fun designs with chocolate to make your presentation of a dessert even better! It was fun and the atmosphere of the live music and people gathering together is always a good time. 
Friday, we packed and got ready for our weekend because Saturday we hit the ground running. Eli set our alarm clocks for 4:30 am, so we could drive to Oakland to catch our flight to San Diego. My uncle Tim, was there to greet us and begin showing us around San Diego. After driving through the city, we hopped from beach to beach from La Jolla all the way up to Encinitas which is where Tim and Edward live. We saw all kinds of seals, kayakers, fishermen and surfers as well as lots of active people out enjoying the sunshine. We lucked out on sun as the locals told us that there is often a May “gray” and a June “gloom,” so we were sure to soak up as much as possible. We were surprised that it wasn’t hot in southern California. It was about 70 and could get chilly on the water. We were told that it really never gets hot there, but as you go inland, that is where it truly warms up. Being from Virginia, I always think of sunny and hot California but that is not necessarily so!! Once we got to Encinitas we enjoyed a delicious chili lunch made by Edward and got to meet Joey, a wire haired fox terrier who was extremely sweet. After lunch, we toured Tim’s work which he is a yoga teacher at a fancy resort named La Costa and then went hiking around the Batiquitos Lagoon. After our afternoon hike, Tim took a nap and Eli and I decided to go exploring and found a beach to do some hiking around on. Saturday evening we went out to a lookout to see the sunset over the water and then ate at a local Mexican restaurant. Following dinner we went to Oceanside to walk on the pier and grab ice cream. 
Sounds like fun! I love reading about all of your adventures!
ReplyDeleteLast summer when we were in Pasadena/LA it was colder than we expected too and it was July! I had to buy a sweatshirt @ Venice Beach I was so cold! Definitely not how I had pictured it!