Excursion San Diego - Day 3 OLD TOWN!

This could be the post that does you in.

The one that has your toes hanging-ten over the precipice known as "Is this chick EVER going to say something interesting?"

Answer: probably not.

What is 'interesting' anyway?

I mean really...it's all perspective, is it not?

Some people consider turning ear wax and belly-button lint into 'art' an interesting endeavor (no, seriously...watch Oddities on the Discovery Channel, I kid you not).

See...perspective.

While this post may lack the irresistible pull of...say...viewing art made with bodily excretions (again...you HAVE to watch Oddities), it is far less odoriferous.

Besides, if you get tired of reading you can just look at the pictures.

So....let's go!

One thing lacking from my San Diego adventure has been food posts - I never had my good camera with me and...

...well...

I would get wrapped up in conversation and hooverize the food before remembering to snap a pic.

I do have some pictures, but they aren't very good...so, I'm going to just share these two:

This small restaurant, in an old house in an industrial area of downtown San Diego, is funky food at its finest!

This is a mustvisitoryouwillbesorry sort of place.

Don't question, just trust me and GO.

Look at my latte...yeah, THIS is how you tell that The Mission is a class act.

Any drink (alcoholic or non) wrapped in a napkin bow just spells: My Kind Of Place.

COME ON...isn't it cute! (no question mark, ain't a question...you just say, "Why, yes...yes it is.")

You don't need to see a pictures of breakfast.
Trust me.
It can only lead to a spontaneous road trip to San Diego...
where the police will have to haul you away from the front door of The Mission...
at the wee hours of the morning...
where they will find you chanting:
"Open, Open, Open..."
Really...who needs that?

Now, come with me to:
I stole this picture from the interwebz.
Know why?
Because...I SUCK.
There is the old part and the REALLY old part.
Paved streets to dirt paths sort of progression, iffin' ya know what I mean.
So, I didn't realize we'd crossed over into the old Old Town and by the time I did I was uninterested in going back to take a picture of the sign.

The rest of the pictures are all mine...
All captured because they whispered to me...
"Please remember me..."
"Please take me home with you..."
"to live in your heart..."
"as a memory..."
"forever..."
Couldn't resist.

There is a story, which I didn't read, about how the Mormon's helped with some sort of skirmish in San Diego. They created a memorial by building this...
It was a lovely building, but new(ish).
Knowing it was new just shot a hole in my interest in exploring the inside.
But I did walk up to the tower...
And as I rounded the corner...

this said, "Hello" to me...
I said, "Well...hello yourself...hold still, will ya...and smile purdy for me"

The view was lovely when you reached the barrier of iron...but that wasn't what was truly beautiful to me. I have a picture of the entire arch...which isn't as interesting in whole.
But half - a fraction of the story, a tease - yes, that is much more interesting.

Speaking of stories....this house has one.
It wanted to tell me of its woes...
and of its joy.
But it couldn't.
It was undergoing a renovation, which in human terms equates to a root canal, and I couldn't go inside.
Stupid renovations.
The widow's walk is my favorite and I'm now trying to figure out how to put one on my house...without being a widow, of course...LOVE YOU HONEY! :-)

Aside from the widow's walk (which makes my heart skip a beat), was this.
I first thought it was a door.
But it isn't.
Now, if you have a wee bit of imagination, as I do, then you could say that maybe it is a magical door.
One that leads to a place that lacks specificity.
It can be any place or time your brain can conjure.
Narnia would beg to be even a fraction of the coolness that this portal would lead to.

Oh dear...there I go again...reality is knocking, let's get back to it...

The Whaley House is supposed to be haunted (eh, so much for back to reality, huh?). I'll reserve my personal opinion about why ghosts can only come out in the middle of the night, yada yada yada.

The building is outstanding. If they were not charging admission I probably would have spent a lot of time in there. So, you get an exterior view...beggars can't be choosers.

You are going to wonder at the next image.
You'll wonder what the hell I thought was so interesting.
Well...it just is.
The sturdy bit of wood pane needed to keep the window from caving in on itself.
The color green that contrasts with the white...

You see it too, right?
Of course you do...trust me.

I just might have to look up the city ordinance on roof top bell towers in San Jose.
I NEED one of these on my roof (on top of the widows walk...my roof is going to get very crowded).
I want to ringy-dingy a bell every day.
Ringy-dingy-ding-ding.

The bell tower was only the icing on the cake that made up the hacienda in Old Town.
The only way to do it justice is to visit yourself.
I have lots more pictures of the dwelling, but I'm not going to post them here.

However, I am going to share the following three...because I love them so...



The last flower, the red thorny one, is my favorite.

The delicate petals were protected by thorns that took their job seriously.

No one will pick the flowers for fear of being impaled, so the flowers remain for all to enjoy.


I fear that Hubbypants will stop taking me places.
"Why?" you ask?
Well...because I want one of these - which I promise not to put on the roof.
I want one in my back yard.
It's practical, too...
I can make pizza...and Bread...and stuff.
I need one.

Speaking of need...

This:
Became this:

When you mix those words in a glass and you swish them around, they turn into a deliciousness that you can't really capture on camera. So, go to The Cosmopolitan Hotel in San Diego and have one.

Pronto. You need it.

You're searching the Web for airfare, aren't ya?
S'ok...go ahead and book your trip, I'll grab some more coffee and keep writing...you'll catch up.


I wish I had all the tools/skill necessary to capture this building as I first saw it from the parking lot. Only the upper half was visible through a sea...I kid you not, TONS... of these cactus plants.
The closer I got, the less dense the cacti, so I was able to pick my way CAREFULLY through the pokey devils and take a picture. The only disappointment is the modern back door and window.
Eh...what'cha gonna do...progress and all.

Old brick, wood and metal...with a cactus...I just love it!

The cactus grove is apparently THE place to profess your love, or to let the world know you were there, or for people to leave inspiring messages for passersby, like...Fuck You or You Suck, all balanced with symbols of peace and love: hearts, flowers, peace signs.

All you need to do is take a sharp instrument and gouge the hell out of the poor cactus leaf and then viola...your message is there until the leaf dies and falls off. After reading a few leaves, I turned and found this:

Coincidentally, Hubbypants has a name that starts with J and I have a name that starts with M. Hmm....
I didn't do it, I swear.

On to the old school house, who's open hours we missed, that had these two signs posted in the window. The image won't get any bigger, so break out your magnifying glass.

#1. Boys & Girls playing together will get you 4 lashes...FOUR! And I bet that isn't even for the naughty stuff. Harsh, man...harsh.


Heading back toward the car we found a street fair at the end of which was this jewel.
The sign says it all.
And boy was my cupcake yummy.
Hooverized before I could even get my camera ready.

Each grave had a fence around it, the graves having been moved as the surrounding area was developed. Apparently there are still graves beyond the cemetary boundary. (cue ghostly noises).

The last stop was the Sheriff's Museum. Lots of interesting stuff, but my favorite was the old pinky-peach squad car. I have a picture of the whole car, but this one best highlights the color.

And since I'm going to be putting stuff on my roof and in my back yard, then I should have something for the FRONT yard, the driveway especially.

I want one of these.


Oh how much fun I could have pulling up next to someone and flashing my spotlight on them, all official like...scaring the pewp right outta them.

The car was locked, so I couldn't get in and play with it.

I think they've had people like me through there before.

So...that's it.

My trip in 3 bloggy nutshells.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing the sights of San Diego through my eyes.

When you go (and you will now, 'cause of my awesome commentary) you'll see it through your own eyes and capture images that inspire you, as these have for me.

Your trip to San Diego will whisper a different story in your ear.

I hope that you'll share that story, too...I'd love to see it.

Peace