I flew out of Newark very apprehensively as it was raining and the fog was thick! But the endless blue above the clouds....WOW! Too bad my window was streaky.
Six hours later, the view of San Diego Harbor was a wonderful, welcoming sign.
Though my camera worked overtime on family photos, I'll just share with you the pretty landscapes. It's always so great to return to the place that encapsulates your youth. Seeing high school friends takes me back to a time when we were young and carefree. And how funny now that some of us were not only discussing our grown-up children but the prospect of becoming....EGADS....grandparents!How is this possible?!
Early morning walks on the beach was what I longed to do! But I'd forgotten how foggy the coast can be!
It didn't help that there is a power plant 1/2 mile down the road. This I don't miss...
The beach was a daily destination for me...sometimes even twice. Taking walks, mainly checking out the surfers...haha! Unfortunately, most of them were NOT spring chickens, mind you! Nope, not your average sun bleached, long-haired surfer dudes! (Think Spicoli...anyone??)
Amazing that by 7am, parking lots were filled with guys suiting up and waxing boards. And by the models of their cars, I'm certain these were executive types trying to catch that perfect wave before their 9-5 shift. I'd forgotten how serious surfing can be!
And even more serious, scuba diving!
I find it unbelievable that my whole family lives only 10 minutes from this beautiful paradise and yet never make time to visit! Something about it being "too sandy"....can you imagine?! 
Another major perk when visiting home? The requirement to eat, eat, eat! No matter our age, Mom's home cooking beats any 5-star restaurant! Don't you agree? Ha Xuan, you would appreciate my big steaming bowl of 'Pho' and 'goi cuon' on a daily basis!
So, with my triple(!) intake of calories, I spent many hours walking along the surfs' edge~just me and my....
....shadow!
Alright, I think we DO need at least one flower photo.
....shadow!
Alright, I think we DO need at least one flower photo. So, for the orchid lovers...
In a blink of an eye, my 5 day visit came to an end :(
In a blink of an eye, my 5 day visit came to an end :( The last sunset from Mom's patio....sigh
Back to my window seat with the pretty view. Farewell, Pacific Coast...
A cold and wet weekend forecast and I can actually hear the wind howling outside as I type. A giant Blue Jay just landed 5 ft. away on this choke berry shrub but flew off just as I came back with the camera!
Back to life as I know it in NJ but yours truly will be California dreamin'...
Back to my window seat with the pretty view. Farewell, Pacific Coast...
A cold and wet weekend forecast and I can actually hear the wind howling outside as I type. A giant Blue Jay just landed 5 ft. away on this choke berry shrub but flew off just as I came back with the camera!
Back to life as I know it in NJ but yours truly will be California dreamin'...And in the words of Arnold....hope that
"I'll be back" real soon!
To all my friends and family (you know who YOU are!)
I love you and miss you already!
What a beautiful sight with all of those fluffy clouds. Lynn I would love to be walking there now squishing the sand between my toes.:-) Glad you had a good visit home. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeletevery nice pictures, especially the footprints on sand, shadow and the orchids...........it seems really a good visit to yor home.....nice weekend :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tour! You took some great pics! I would love to visit california some day. -Jackie
ReplyDeleteI think I saw my brother surfing. :)
ReplyDeleteI miss CA. Lived there as a kid. Miss the ocean, thanks for the pics!
I like your Arnold voice, Very clever.
Rosey
I love your visit to California. So wonderful to go back to your home. The beach is gorgeous. Having never been to California I hope to one day see it in person too, but your photos are the next best thing.
ReplyDeleteGood to have you back girl...and the palm trees & colors in that picture 3 had me singing "Hotel California" :)
ReplyDeletePeace~Rene
I love San Diego. It is just so pretty there. Sounds like you had a great time. I agree no matter what age we are it's nice to have our Mom's cooking.
ReplyDeleteI remember Spicoli. Fast Times was one of my favorite movies ever :)
beautiful tour, Lynn!
ReplyDeleteand that is one awesome shadow!
(happy that you found her... and brought her home safely!)
peace~
Chuck
I enjoyed your photos. I have only seen an ocean once, and it was in North Carolina. I have fond memories, and always love seeing ocean and beach photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a holiday! The beach and everything. Home is indeed the greatest place to be. As for food, anything homecook is definitely the best!
ReplyDeleteLona, thanks, you too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Saif. Loved your Holland post!
Hi Jackie, hopefully you'll get to walk along the Pacific Ocean someday ;)
So Rosey, your bro surfs, eh? Watching these pros brought back my boogey-board days...fun!
Thanks so much, Tina!
Hey Rene! Such a great tune, that song you're singing! Thanks for popping in ;)
ReplyDeleteCatherine, Fast Times...such an iconic movie..one of my favs too! Cool that you know and love S.D.
Chuck, I wanted to stay longer but my shadow was anxious to get home....cute!
Hi Sue, nothing compares to just looking out at the vast horizon..I find it so peaceful and humbling.
Thanks, Steph. I miss Mom's cooking already ;)
What great pics! Whenever I go back to my childhood home, I always leave with good memories and a strange feeling of nostalgia... it's difficult to remember the good times without the bad. But I'm getting better at it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Claude, for visiting and mucho thanks for good laugh from your last post :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful trip Lynn! There's nothing like going home, and nothing like Mom's home cooking. Thanks for sharing your trip, glad it was so memorable. Your photos are wonderful, and even though it may be chilly and wet back at home, your garden looks awesome through the window.
ReplyDeleteI was going you say you COUGER until you mentioned the older set is surfing these days. Sounds like a really nice visit! Though I love Maryland and our 4 seasons, I think that if I grew up in Cali, I'd miss it a LOT. And to have mom's cooking? You must have been in heaven! I've been having steaming bowls of pho too - something about the colder weather. But unfortunately for me, my noodles come from a 3, no maybe 2 star restaurant.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is gorgeous from the window, and I bet you were happy to get home to it!
Amazing pictures! It's true that pictures speak a thousand words. Also you must be aware of the water shortage in Southern California. Hence would like to share with you some water-wise gardening tips. Check them at http://j.mp/2vA43F
ReplyDeleteOh my, very lovely photos, I've never been to that side of the US but it looks very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda! I've been too busy to get out to my garden but if the nice weather holds up, I need to plant my bulbs! Thanks again for the help re: Spring Fling 2010.
ReplyDeleteHey Wendy, you can still call me 'cougar'..I don't mind...lol! Yeah, the restaurant I go to here for pho pales in comparison but it's better than nothing!
Dawn, thanks for your visit and nice comment. If you get to the west coast, San Diego is a must ;) but your beautiful Maine is a favorite place for me to visit, too!
Seeing all the pictures, comments and your writing, I guess you truly had a great homecoming. I can feel the nostalgia. To be able to enjoy mum's home cooked food among loved ones is happiness at the highest level.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteI am not into Halloween, so decided to leave another comment here, since I reread this post, and picked up on things I didn't before.
I think if I lived close enough, even a couple hours away, I'd be going to experience the ocean as often as I could. Yet, I do live close to some beautiful places, such as woods, prairie, and lakes, and rarely go there
I enjoyed looking at your photos again! That reminds me, for quite awhile after our Outer Banks vacation, I looked at the piercam daily. The reason I stopped was because they turned the cameras off for the winter. I think I'll go check to see if they are on now.
Good content. You write beautiful things.
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