Monday, June 2. Up at 3 am in Albany. Great flights to Baltimore then to San Diego. Last leg of trip Scott decided to faint on the plane. Out cold in the aisle. Always good to get the trip’s first medical emergency out of the way early.
Arrived fine though shaken. After airport pickup by Randy, we ate lunch at Point Loma Seafood overlooking the bay. Then we traveled through Mission Beach to stop and walk the Pacific Beach boardwalk. Good for the twenty-something (inked and impaled) crowd. Then on to La Jolla. We enjoyed an iced coffee at La Jolla till a bird dumped on Randy’s shoe. Correction: it was gum, not bird poop. Much better. Seals are stinky but cool looking. So are orange fish (Garibaldi) though not stinky like seals.
Next, we continued northward and stopped at Scripps research glider port. Saw hang glider - impressive at first then went too far south. The glider landed far south and called a buddy at the port to come to pick him up. Also watched other paraglider take off and land with confidence.
Finally got back to Randy's and picked up provisions for the evening. Scott made killer Caesar salad and Randy provided Rochioli wine. The salad was delish along with olives. The wine was amazing and expensive. May have to do this again. Like tomorrow. My new fave. But we loved loved loved it. Even called Leah and left a message. She loves it too. Rochioli Winery is located in the bay area in the Russian River valley.
We enjoyed the wine and tipped off the evening with Baileys. So nice out on his patio with only light from Ikea candles. No bugs except one or two.
Tuesday. We actually were trying to make our way to Costco for provisioning but traffic was too heavy due to an I5 accident. Welcome to Southern California traffic. Randy had to be back at his place by a certain time for the new washer and dryer delivery. So we stopped at Pannikin and split 2 muffins between 3 people. Yum.
Randy dropped us off at Fletchers Cove on the way back so we could explore while he waited for delivery. Scott and I discovered Cedros Avenue and visited Carruth winery for a tasting. Met a fun couple. Got sunburned - more. Going to pay for that later. Walked at Del Mar dog beach. Love the vibe of the Solana Beach area. Randy joined us after the washer and dryer delivery, and then we did the Costco provisioning run. We stopped at Pizza Port for pints and pizza.
Wednesday. Went for a brisk walk in AM and Scott did a run. Figuring out the area. Then we traveled to downtown to see the Midway, a huge carrier ship. We walked to Seaport Village for trip trinkets to take back but all we got was a blah lunch. We were trying to eat light because we planned a grilling tonight. Saw a little of downtown San Diego. Skipped Balboa Park. Everyone was a wee bit tired. Need java. Stopped at Torrey pines golf course on the way home. Enjoyed a beverage (surprisingly, not java) on the restaurant deck overlooking the golf course. Life is good.
Grilled dinner was steaks and clams on the grill.
Scott explained the clams are done when they pop open. The smart move was to soak clams and stir, to remove sand and silt prior to grilling. This was a great feast, dinner conversation, and Miles Davis on the stereo.
Thursday. Scott and I went to Disneyland and Adventure Land. Had breakfast at Rose’s Café in San Clemente. Diner extraordinaire! Park was fun but got way too crowded with long lines. Picked Randy up at Cymer and while there we talked on the phone with Bill. Randy had ridden his bike to work in the am. Impressive! Poor Bill was bored at home in Syracuse and regretted not joining us. On the way back to Casa de Randy, we stopped to view the file devastation in a Rancho Santa Fe valley.
We headed to Pizza Port for a pint. Being that Thursday was Cymer Surf Team night, everyone that Randy knew stopped in Pizza Port. We were tired and hungry and pissy so we left and had sushi next door. The waitress was California ditsy but sweet. Randy was hoping for the Brazilian waitress. Note to Self: avoid dining out if the place is trying to close up for the evening; when we got up to leave all chairs except ours had been turned up onto the table. Felt like we were being rushed out. Came home and crashed immediately.
Friday. All went to Del Mar Beach for a brisk walk. After a delish breakfast of course. Randy made the usual concoction of eggs and stuff and Tracy did smoothies. Yum. So at the beach Scott went for a run, Randy sauntered and Tracy walked. Happiness and harmony. Back to Casa de Randy to cleanup then travel to Temecula for wine hunting. First stop at Bailys winery. Not much fluff but a classy place. $12 for six tastings. Scott & Randy loved Malbec. Scott stuck up a conversation with cute Canadian chick. She was loud and seemed a little wild. She was there with her dad and his girlfriend. Wild Loud Canadian gave us some pointers on where to go next and coupons. Next, we hit Wilson Creek winery.
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| Recommended. |
Amazing place!! Had a fantastic picnic lunch prepared by Scott and Randy. Bread, cheese (of course), leftover steak, Caprese, and olives. Randy and Scott went inside to get us each a glass of wine. All mighty tasty. They also offered a white Cabernet Sauvignon. After sampling, Tracy bought a bottle. We were all feeling tipsy by now so decided to hit only one more winery. Randy (driver) had switched to water. We ended up at Thornton winery. Was so-so but not worth a return visit. Didn't care for wines or atmosphere or shop. All ok but not as impressive as the other two.
Stopped at Temecula Costco on our way home and grabbed dinner stuff. Had crab legs, bread and cheese, and sliced tomatoes. Yum. Dessert was pineapple cooked on the grill with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Randy's idea. He's so smart. Takes after his baby sister. Topped off the evening with port wine (purchased during Tracy’s last visit) and tunes by Miles Davis. Life is good.
Decided to start a tradition. Buy a bottle of port for the next visit. Drinking Faulkner port tonight from Tracy's last visit two years ago. Traditions are a good thing.
Saturday. Torrey Pines state park then Runners World then Market 99 for spring rolls and boba tea.
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| Scott & Tracy looking south to La Jolla with Flat Rock in middle. |
We had tickets for Third Eye Blind at the San Diego Fair, walking distance from Casa de Randy. The concert was to start at 7:30 so we got there in time to see a few sights and enjoy some artery-clogging fried stuff. After walking through the cattle and sheep barn, BBQ seemed appropriate for dinner. Scott and Tracy got pulled pork and Randy got polish sausage, which can only be classified as ‘food-like’. Not to be confused with real food. Scott was overtaken with a need for sweets afterward and found a warm brownie covered in ice cream concoction. With three spoons.
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| Third Eye Blind |
Our TEB tickets were for down front. The stage was high and the standing area was sloped down to stage – an excellent setup for viewing. Third Eye Blind was fantastic.
Sunday. Last day in SD. We are so happy we came out to visit. Randy is a great host and of course SD is an amazing place. Yes, I want to live here. We took it easy Sunday and enjoyed the area. Randy went surfing at Del Mar Beach. Scott went for a long run and I walked 3 miles to the area where Randy was surfing. Very cool. Scott & I walked back and visited Dog Park along the way. Later we drove to Swamis Meditation Gardens. Got an iced coffee at a quaint little coffee shop. So much fun to just walk around and take it all in. Beautiful peaceful spot. Decided while driving back to Casa de Randy that we were thirsty – Look – there’s Pizza Port!
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| Final evening hanging out at Pizza Port. |
We sat outside overlooking Pacific Coast Highway 101. Had so much fun we just ate there. So much for grilling out but no one wanted to leave pizza port and no one felt like cooking. The pizza hit the spot.
Home for a nightcap then begrudgingly to bed. All packed and ready for 4:45 am departure to the airport. Back to sucky reality. But for those days in SD life was good.
