We've walked along the beach and stuck our toes in the Pacific Ocean! We're back in California!!It was a thrill to cross the state line and know we are almost (well, not exactly) home. We're in San Diego now, and will be in Ventura/Santa Barbara the rest of June, but it sure seems a lot closer to home than we've been in 10 1/2 months!
We have been staying in an RV Park next to I-5. I pretend I'm hearing a babbling brook or ocean waves at night instead of traffic -- doesn't quite work, though! But it has been easy on and off the freeway to explore San Diego. We've loved Balboa Park, with its many museums and gardens, and one of the best zoos in the country. The vegetation in the zoo is as interesting as the animals. We also took in a terrific (free) outdoor organ concert on Sunday afternoon. We also enjoyed going to Old Town. The weather has been mostly wonderful and sunny, with some of the "June gloom" (coastal fog) that is common in this area at this time of year.
The best part has been seeing friends in the area. One evening we spent a very meaningful evening with my (Gayle's) childhood friends from Ki.ngsburg. Tom and Mary Catherine Swanson and I all graduated the same year from Kingsburg High School. Mary Catherine was one of my bridesmaids in 1966. They now live in a beautiful home in Encinitas. Since those Kingsburg days, Mary Catherine has become an internationally known figure. She created the AVID educational program -- a program that helps disadvantaged high school students who are willing to work hard so they can become eligible for college admission. She was listed as the outstanding educator in a 2001 issue of TIME, and has received numerous awards. We were so engaged in visiting that evening that I forgot to take a picture of them. Darn! But one of the web links about Mary Catherine is: http://www.avidonline.org/info/?ID=1023&tabID=0
Another afternoon/evening, we enjoyed hosting a seminary friend, Sue Berry, in our "home." We relaxed in the pool\hot tub at our RV park, then enjoyed local wine she brought with our appetizers and barbeque dinner. It is so much fun to re-connect with friends. That has been one of the joys on our travels this year!
Tonight may be our last night in our trailer on this trip. From now on we will be staying in homes with friends or family, or housesitting once we're back in Santa Rosa until our home is available again in August.
I'll have a few more blogs before our year's adventure is up -- some "wrap-ups" -- as well as commentary about the next few weeks. Stay tuned a bit longer!
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