Pride By The Beach

On any weekend, in any town, you will find street fairs.  The one I went to on Mission Avenue in Oceanside was different than any one I had been to before.  It was called Pride By the Beach, and was sponsored by the North County LGBTQ.   The mission statement of the orginization is to foster and empower North County LGBTQ community and provide a safe space to sustain equalityand inclusiveness.

I have not seen such a diverse group of presenters in quite a while.   The US Army, several churches of all faiths, political booths for individuals or propositions on the ballot, Community Resource Center, and dozens of LGBTQ organizations to protect gay and lesbian citizens from inequality in housing, work and society.  People of all types were walking around the fair, gathering information and having a good time.  So many services are available for people in need, not just in the gay community, but everywhere.  It's a matter of knowing where to go to access assistance.

Fairs such as Pride By The Beach get the word out that there is a lot of help available for those in the LGBTQ community.  They face unique problems, and luckily we are living in an era where they can get counseling and meet with others like themselves, to discuss their unique issues.  I was so happy to see a broad cross section of the community supporting the fair.  It gives me hope that there are lots of people that want equality and inclusiveness for all.

A Day In Balboa

Several years ago our boogie boarding group decided to take a day to explore Balboa Island, just about an hour north of San Diego.  We had so much fun, we decided to do it again.  This time we invited some of the old boogie boarding group and a few others who we thought would enjoy the day.

Sixteen of us carpooled up to Balboa on a beautiful Tuesday in September.  I even got to ride in a Tesla.  What a treat.  Anyway, we first explored the town, with it's beachy upscale shops and restaurants, then walked to the ferry.  We passed $4-$10 million dollar homes, most with beautiful gardens in front.  The homes in Balboa were once little cottages, so the lots are not big, and homes are very close together.  Homes are practically on the street, with maybe only 10 feet between the house and the sidewalk.  Regardless, the houses are just gorgeous.  We took a quick ride on the car/pedestrian  ferry across to the island.  Here we got our instructions for the the two Duffy boats we rented for the next few hours.  I captained one boat, Fran the other.  We brought our lunches on board, and spent the next two hours  eating, drinking, and pretty much laughing non stop!  I don't think they'll  ask me to drive the boat again.

Driving the Duffy boat was more difficult than I thought.  I couldn't keep the damn think straight, and I was constantly turning the wheel side to side to keep straight.  I had a boat full of back seat drivers.  We had a map that was supposed to show us where all the famous people had lived, John Wayne and others, but we had trouble finding the houses, so we  made up our own stories about who lived in them.  Who would know the difference?  None of us, nor did we care.

Back on land after I nearly hit the ferry twice and a large pleasure boat once, I was exhausted.  I had a two hour workout of my upper arms.  It was a lot of laughs, and I arrived home around 4pm.  What a fun day with 16 great women.  Can't wait to go again.  We had a whole bag of water taffy to sweeten up the trip, which we all thought would never be eaten, but alas, we ate it all, and no one lost a crown!

A Great Day At Pala Casino

Are you looking for a really fun day that won't cost you an arm and a leg, unless you hit the tables?  Try Tuesdays at Pala in Fallbrook.  That's the day they have a special concert at 1pm, 30% off the lunch buffet, and more for people over 60.  Bobbie arranged for a group to visit Pala, and we had a ball.  We arrived at 11am to get our Players card, and our 60+ sticker, which allowed us to see the concert.  We  all stuffed ourselves at a delicious buffet.  I especially enjoyed the desserts.  They had lots of mini desserts, so I sampled many.  Panacotta, bread pudding, peach cobbler, creme brulee, plus cookies and cakes galore, marshmallows with a chocolate fountain, ice cream and hot fudge.  Did I miss anything?  Anyway, we then saw the Corelles, a Supremes tribute band.  They sang for about an hour, all the biggest hits of the Supremes.  Many in our group got out on the dance floor to dance, too.

Every Tuesday you can be entertained at Pala, and the entertainment was very good.  Oh!  Here's the best part.  I'm not much of a gambler, but I do love to play Pai Gow Poker, so I sat down at what I thought was a $5 table of Pai Gow Poker.  When the dealer dealt me only two cards, I knew I was at the wrong table.  I looked up at the sign and saw I was playing Mississippi Stud.  Who ever heard of that, much less knew how to play it?  I said to two very nice men at the table, "Help."  They looked at my cards, told me to put up another chip to look at the next card, so I did.  I ended up with a pair of Kings and pair of fours, and won $80.  Maybe it pays to NOT know what you're doing!  I left the table much richer and happy that my lunch was paid for.

Pala is a great way to spend some time on a Tuesday, and get some very good entertainment.  I will definitely try it again.

Around San Diego: wonderspaces.com

There's always something fun to see or do in San Diego.  Fran was told about an interesting art exhibit at the waterfront.  It was called Wonderspaces.  It's right next to the Star of India, in a big hangar.  It will be there until the end of August.  Tickets are $20, and well worth it.

I have never heard of any of the artists, which doesn't really mean anything.  They are all large installations, some of them interactive.  My favorite was The Dinner Party.  You walk into a room with a huge dining room table set for dinner for about 24 people.  Visitors to the exhibit sit at the table, put on head gear, then ear phones, and are gone for about 10 minutes on an unforgettable trip.  The installation is based on a 1964 event where a couple were supposedly abducted by aliens.  The incident has never been confirmed, but with the help of technology, you are off into space, then getting an intimate view of a dinner party.  It is fascinating and I loved it.  Other installations include big balls that are filled with helium suspended from the ceiling and on the floor.  Another was a spectacular installation of construction paper cut outs of animals, insects, trees, mountains, houses.  Amazing.

Fran, Janie, Linda and I really enjoyed the exhibit, and would encourage anyone who has the time to try to see it.  First, you have to find out what it's called.  I can't find it anywhere.  We were there on the hottest day of the year, and were sweating like crazy, but that didn't mar our good time.  Lunch afterward at Barbusa in Little Italy gave us a chance to cool off and have some delicious food, which I will blog about at another time.

Generate Hope Helps Victims of Sex Trafficking

My Newcomers group organized a most interesting lecture in late January.  It was put on by Generate Hope, a 9 year old organization based in San Diego, who's mission is to help San Diego survivors of sex trafficking a safe home and all the resources needed for recovery and healing.  What I discovered after listening to about an hour of statistics and horror stories, is that so much more is needed both here, and around the nation.  Gangs who traffic young girls, create over $800 million per year just here in San Diego.

You probably are thinking like I did, that the gangs involved in sex trafficking are Mexican and Black.  Not true.  The perpetrators of sex trafficking cross all ethnic lines.  California is #1 on the FBI list for trafficking of American girls.  80% of the victims are US born, 85%of traffickers are affiliated with gangs.

Sex trafficking is modern day slavery.  It is forced, it is fraud, and it is coersion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.  Americans are buying and selling Americans.  Average age of a victim is 15.  It usually takes three years for intervention by authorities  in a sex trafficking case.

The three most lucrative forms of revenue for gangs are drugs, girls and guns.  Girls are becoming the #1 way for gangs to make their money.  Here's an example of how they operate:  Gang members hang around places teenage girls  frequent.  It may be a middle or senior high school, the mall, a park, the beach, etc.  The gang members are usually a little older than the girls they are targeting.  They could be in their early 20's but will often tell the girls they a little younger.  They lure them by promising them gifts, love and affection and security.  Most of the girls targeted are vulnerable.  They may come from single family homes and may not receive much love and affection at home.  What ultimately happens is the gang member asks the girl to have sex with a friend of his as a favor.  What might actually happens is the girl is be taken to a motel and raped, pictures of her performing sex acts are taken, and she becomes psychologically attached to the gang member.  Actually, he's a pimp, and she is forced to have sex with up to 10 men per night.

Generate hope offers a safe place for victims of sex trafficking.  They can earn their GED, learn job skills, and get the emotional support they desperately need.  It will take so much more to get this epidemic under control than is currently being done.  Let's hope that local district attorneys aggressively prosecute traffickers.  There is no place, except jail, in our society for these low lifes.

Dogs Helping People

Ron and I were in the Scripps Lab waiting for him to get blood drawn, and in walks a lady with a beautiful lab/golden retriever dog.  The dog was wearing a jacket identifying him as a canine companion in training.  The woman sat down and of course I started talking to her, wanting to hear all about her role in training a dog to help man.  She was happy to talk.

Although I never got the name of the organization she volunteered for, I do know this.  The organization trains and places canine companions to disabled and handicapped persons and wounded warriors.  They do not train dogs for the blind.  That is another organization.  These dogs, by the time their 18 months of training is completed, know dozens of commands that enable the dogs to assist persons in wheel chairs or walkers, the hard of hearing or those with any affliction that requires assistance.  The woman I talked with was raising her 13th canine companion.  She said that although it was difficult to give up a dog after working with one for 18 months, she knows that another puppy is just around the corner, waiting for her love and training.  Also, she knows that the dog she has just trained is going to a worthy person who is going to have years of love and assistance from the dog she has trained.  For many, a canine companion enables them to get back into society, out in the world, and live a complete and satisfying life.

Thank you to all the men and women that volunteer their time and expertise to making programs like this work.  They are truly making a difference!

All Politics Is Local

A few significant things have happened politically over the past few months.  Roy Moore was defeated in the Alabama senate race, Ed Gillespie was defeated for governor of Virginia, and as of January 11, 2018, 31 Republican senators and members of the house, have decided not to run for re-election.  In particular, Darryl Issa has just announced he will not run for re-election in San Diego and Orange County.  I attribute the latter to the work of our local Indivisible group that has been picketing his office, trying to meet with Issa, and putting tremendous pressure on Isaa ever since Trump's election.  We think  we had a lot to do with his decision NOT to run again.

It's significant that 31 representatives have thus far said they will not run again.  Whether they're going to be primaried by other Republicans, or whether they don't support the president, or whether they fear strong Democrats opposing them, they are bowing out.  It is also significant that over 2,500 women have shown interest in running for office.  I do believe this will be a break out year for women.  They have found their voice.  To quote the movie Network, "They're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

It's time for young men and women of all races and religions to step forward and run.  We need new blood.  Enough of the good ole boys!  It all starts at the local level, with groups like Indivisible rallying around local candidates.  Regardless of party, we need new faces, fresh faces, people without big donors to be beholden to.  Am I dreaming?  Probably, but we've got to start somewhere.  Let's start in our own district and flip the 49th.

San Onofre Nuclear Waste

Ever since the shut down of the San Onofre nuclear plant in  2012 due to a leak, those in charge have been looking for a storage facility for the waste.  Here we are, five years later, and really no closer to an answer.  How could those in charge ever think that building a nuclear power plant just a few feet from the Pacific Ocean, and a few feet from the 5 freeway, one of the busiest freeways in the country, and just a few miles from over 8 million people that live in Southern California, could ever be a good idea?  Oh, I forgot to mention that the nuclear plant is near a 7.4 magnitude fault

I went to a meeting at Ocean Hills recently, where one of the founders of Citizens' Oversight spoke.  He is an advocate for public involvement in this, and other important non political issues.  Citizens' Oversight has filed a lawsuit and are now in settlement negotiations.  Public outcry is essential.  But, even if they win their lawsuit, what are they going to do with the nuclear waste.

Citizens' Oversight's argument is that we are allowing for-profit corporations (Southern California Edison) to decide what to do.  The Ca Coastal Commission (CCC) was only 90 minutes and allowed opponents only two minutes each to make their case.  To top it off, most of the CCC commissioners had improper private meetings with the applicant, Southern California Edison.  This is just wrong.

The high level waste from San Onofre will be around for between 250,000-9million years.  It's not going away!  We've got to find a way to dispose of it, but who wants it?  There are locations in both Arizona and New Mexico that could store the waste, but transporting it there would be a daunting task.

I urge you to read more about the San Onofre waste problem.  It affects us all.  If you are so inclined, check out citizens oversight.org and see what this public advocacy group is doing.  You may even choose to get involved in this important matter.

An Afternoon With Dr. Edie Eger

I was sitting on a bench waiting for Dove library to open one Sunday afternoon, and I got to talking to the lady sitting next to me.  She asked if I was there for the "event."  I said I didn't know about any event, so she went on to tell me.  Dr. Edie Eger, therapist, speaker and author was there to speak about her remarkable life.  She was an Auschwitz survivor.   Through fate or whatever you believe, she and her older sister were liberated by the 71st infantry in May, 1945.  Her story was riveting.

I came home from her 90 minute talk absolutely drained.  Stories about meeting Elie Wiesel at Auschwitz, dancing for her life for Josef Mengele, and later being introduced to the writings of Victor Frankel, who became her mentor, were just some of what she shared with us.  Her life is focused on love, kindness and helping others.  That is the way she survived life in the concentration camp, and that is how she lives her life.  She says she has spent decades forgiving herself for surviving, when so many others died.

Another takeaway from her talk was this:  learn to love yourself.  You are the only person you will know for your entire life.  Others, like parents, spouses, siblings  and children, will be with you for part of your life, but not all of it.  Don't rely on a husband or boyfriend to make you happy.  Make yourself happy.

Edie Eger recently turned 90.  She is funny, witty and engaging.  You can see her on TED Talks.  You can also read her new memoir, The Choice.  I haven't read it yet, but it should be great.  She has so much to share, from her horrific childhood, to academic and financial success in the U.S., to suggestions for living a full life.  She is truly an inspiration.

IFly Oceanside: Skydiving Without The Risk

For Fran's 71st birthday, nine of us went to IFly Oceanside for an indoor skydiving experience.  The sky diving is done in a 4 story tube like structure, with wind speed over 110mph.  We all had a great time, would do it again, and feel proud that we are able to check another item off our bucket list.

Prior to flying, we go to "flight school"  Dan, our instructor, taught us hand signs to communicate (since it's windy and noisy and you can't hear anything), correct body position, and how to get in and out of the flying position.  Then, we donned our flight suits, goggles, helmets and earplugs, and lined up to fly.  Our instructor was with us every inch of the way, letting go and letting us fly when he felt we were ready.  Many women from my group chose to circle up in the tube with instructor, but I decided not to.  Most of them came back dizzy, describing it as similar to a roller coaster.  I'm so glad I passed on that part of the experience.

Our instructor did a short demonstration of the various moves an experienced flyer can perform.  Many outdoor skydivers go to IFly to practice their moves, sommersaults, twists, and turns.  It's entertaining to watch, and I now have a great appreciation for the athletic ability of skydivers.  For me at 72, this was just enough.  I got to experience the sensation of flying without the risk.  I recommend it for those who want a good thrill.

IFly Indoor Skydiving In Oceanside

For the past few months I've driven by a huge structure just off the 78 freeway in Oceanside and wondered what it was, until the sign finally went up.  It's an indoor skydiving center.  There are dozens of them around the country, in fact around the world.  Anyone can do it, if they dare.  It's the kind of thing I'd love to try, and I hope to get a group of my dare devil friends together for an outing soon.  In the meantime, you can look at it online and see what you will experience.  With the use of intense wind (I think the wind speed is around 165 mph, just like a category 5 hurricane), you are kept airborne.  You are in something that looks like a huge cylinder, and the experience definitely simulates skydiving.  Check it out if you're so inclined.  If not, stay tuned.  I plan to give it a try within the next few months.

A Day In Del Mar

Kudos to Joe Harper for finally getting the Breeders Cup to Del Mar.  It's been years in the works, but he finally made it happen.  To make it extra special, the city of Del Mar commissioned 20 artists to decorate 20 life size fiberglass horses, and display them around San Diego.  Friday I took a group of 35 women on a driving/walking tour of the horses.  We had a beautiful day, weather wise, and a wonderful time.

The undecorated horses were for sale for $15,000, and were bought by local businessmen and philanthropists.  Each horse was decorated by a local artist and displayed around town.  After the Breeders Cup is over, the horses will be auctioned off to various charities.  The one in front of Americana Restaurant in Del Mar is already spoken for.  It will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Solana Beach.  You can go to the website and get a map of the location of all the horses, and pictures of each.  It's interesting to see how each artist interpreted the racetrack and it's surroundings.

We began our tour at Seaside Market, and did the first part by car.  We saw one horse on Coast Highway, one on Cedros, three on Via de la Valle, and finally arrived in Del Mar.  Here we took a short walk, starting at L'Auberge, going down to the little park, then back near the plaza, where we saw five horses in all.  Lunch was next, with some of our group staying in Del Mar and going to Sbicca, other went to Flower Hill Mall to see one final horse and eat at one of my favorite lunch spots, Flower Child.

If you have an hour or two with nothing do, try to see the horses, before they are taken somewhere else.  I have a few favorites.  I loved the one in front of Pamplemousse, the one in front of Red Tractons, and the one on Coast Highway in Solana Beach.  I'm sure everyone will have different favorites, but one thing is for sure.  Commissioning the painting of these fiberglass horses was a great addition to the Breeder's Cup.  Enjoy.

Learning To Cook Rissoto

  We began the day with some wine and delicious bruschetta and a tossed green salad.  The first course was followed by two types of risotto:  ragu risotto and radicchio  risotto.  The final course was Italian cookies and espresso coffee.  Wow, what a meal!  I loved the bruschetta, with big chunks of fresh tomato and green olives.  The ragu risotto was my favorite risotto, a mixture of beef and pork in a tomato sauce, blended into the risotto.  After lunch, Fabrizio and chef Rita (speaking in Italian only, with Fabrizio translating), prepared risotto for us, with several Newcomers helping out.

Newcomers offers events for everyone.  This event was just another great day spent with amazing men and women.  It was so much fun sitting at small tables, enjoying an Italian lunch, and getting to know new members.  Will I ever make risotto at home?  Probably not.  Ron doesn't even like risotto, so why would I bother with something so time consuming?  I would, however, make the ragu sauce (easy to do), and pour it over a plate of steaming pasta.  Delicioso!

Wolfstein Sculpture Park in La Jolla

I'm not sure how I discovered the Wolfstein Sculpture Park in La Jolla, but I'm sure glad I did.  I just took a group of women on a docent led tour of of some of the dozens of sculptures at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, spread over 30 acres.  If you haven't been there, I urge you to discover this hidden gem.

Carol Mosley was the coordinator from Scripps who arranged everything, and actually led our tour.  She was so knowledgeable, telling us about all the artists, and really giving us interesting background.  Ralyn and Nathan Wolfstein began the sculpture park in the early 1990's, by donating 5 pieces in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.  From there, he has added sculpture to the park, and now has over 40 pieces at Scripps Memorial.  Nathan Wolfstein feels that art is important in healing, and by having sculpture around the hospital, both patients and their families can benefit from the healing power of art.

I took a group of Newcomers to the sculpture park and they all loved it.  Afterwards we went to the Sheraton La Jolla, and had a fabulous lunch at Humphrey's Grill.  This is the sister restaurant to Humphrey's in San Diego.  The food and presentation were outstanding, and I urge anyone in the area to try it for lunch.  I can't vouch for dinner, but I do know they have music several nights a week, an added bonus.

Wolfstein Sculpture Park is definitely a place to take out of towners.  They will see something most native San Diegans haven't seen.  I was given a self guided map by the volunteer office (in the main building on the lower level), so get that if you plan to take your own tour.  Take a look on line at the Wolfstein Sculpture Park website to see what a treat is in store.  I hope you enjoy it as much as our Newcomers group did.

Breeders Cup Comes To Del Mar

For the first time in 75 years, Del Mar will host the Breeders Cup, and Joe Harper has done everything to make it a huge success.  Of course improving the race course and adding additional seating had to be done, but they've also decorated the track and town with some beautiful horse statues.  "The Art of the Horse" program gave 20 people the opportunity to buy one of the 150 fiberglass horses for $15,000.  Then, the sponsors selected an artist, and the artist went to work.

The Breeders Cup trophy, given to the winner of each race, is a bronze reproduction of the original Torrie horse, created in Florence by Giovanni da Bologna in the late 1580's.  The statue has resided for nearly 2 centuries at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Fran and I are leading a tour of Newcomers around Del Mar to view some of the fiberglass horses, so we went to Del Mar one Saturday morning

to see the horses and map out our route.  There are about six horses in Del Mar itself, several in La Jolla, one in front of the Fairmont Grand, one at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, one on Cedros and one in front of Red Tractons.  Unfortunately there is no map showing the location of all the horses, which I think they should have available.

Most of the artwork is done by local artists, and some of them are so creative.  (remember the Cows in Chicago?) After the Breeders Cup on November 3 and 4, some of the horses will be auctioned off.  The others will remain with the sponsors who bought them originally.  After our tour of the horses in Del Mar, we'll drive to Flower Hill Mall to see one final horse, then lunch at one of my favorite spots, Flower Child.

Creative Mornings

While on a two day girls trip to San Diego in April, we came upon a long line of young people waiting to attend something right next to our hotel.  We couldn't imagine what it was.  Why were all these 20,30, and 40 year olds waiting in line at 9am.  Concert tickets?  No, they were in line to attend the monthly meeting of Creative Mornings.  I had not heard of Creative Mornings before this encounter, and am so happy to know what it is.

Creative Mornings was started in 2008, and has monthly meetings in over 170 cities throughout the world.  It's a breakfast lecture series for the creative community, and it's free.  Many of the attendees are young entrepreneurs or wanna be entrepreneurs.  They sign up for a lecture once a month with other creative types in the audience.  The speakers are varied group of young people, all creative and innovative, who give a short motivational lecture.  What a fabulous idea!

The other interesting concept I learned about that same morning was a workspace called wework.com.  Their mission statement is to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living.  It began in 2010, as a place for start up companies to share workspace and share ideas.  The workplace becomes a community, with everyone trying to help each other.  Any type of business can rent space at wework.com, but the workplace becomes more than just a place to work.  It's a way to cut down on expenses and have a better work experience.

The work place has changed so much in the last twenty years.  New, innovative set ups make the work place friendlier and more like a community.  It's a great way for start up companies on a budget to get office space.  What surprised me, although I don't know why, was that at both wework.com and creative mornings, everyone was under 45.  They work in such a different way than we did, but the result is happier and more creative workers.  Anyone can go to the Creative Mornings lectures.  If we hadn't been rushing off to get our donuts at the Donut Bar that morning in April, I'd be able to tell you first hand all about it.  I'm telling you second hand.  We were told all about it by one of the regular attendees.

An Evening At Moonlight Theatre

I hadn't been to Moonlight Theatre in many years.  I went around 2004 or 2005, and then for some reason, never went back.  However, I went to see Aida recently with four friends, and we had such a great time.  Aida, with words and music by Elton John and Tim Rice, is a modern day version of the opera.  The venue in Vista is just wonderful.  For $35 we had the best seats in the house.  We brought a picnic dinner (chicken salad, French bread, fruit salad, crispy brussels sprouts, lemon bars, and sparkling wine. 

The quality of the performances can vary.  We were lucky enough to hear some very good voices.  There's a lot of good talent in San Diego, and the Moonlight Theatre assembled a very good cast.  No, it's not a Broadway performance, but it's a more intimate experience.  You can actually see the faces of the actors!  Then again, you're not paying Broadway prices.

We brought a pillow for our chair (unnecessary in my opinion), sweaters and a light blanket.  We bundled up and enjoyed 2 1/2 hours of music and dance on a beautiful summer evening.  There are several more shows this summer, and since I bought season tickets (four shows), I'll be there again next month.  If you haven't been in a while, you might enjoy it.  I sure did.

Celebrating At Sherman Gardens

About 50 miles north of Carlsbad, lies the small town of Corona del Mar.  Founded in 1966 by Arnold D. Haskell, it is a beautiful and tranquil cultural center.  A few of us took our friend Jan there for her big birthday.  (I won't say which one).  I'd been there before, but this time we were lucky enough to be there during a glass sculpture.  Chihuli like glass forms were displayed throughout the gardens.  It was just beautiful, and Jan took lots of pictures.

After a delicious lunch, we headed back to Carlsbad, for massages at Happy Head, a massage studio across from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall.  For $39 plus tip, we had a one hour massage (with clothes on) that can't be beat.  I left feeling so relaxed I could hardly drive home.

A little bit more about Sherman Gardens that I didn't know until today.  Arnold Haskell, the founder of the gardens was a successful businessman, who moved from Los Angeles to Corona del Mar and purchased the land and a home.  Originally he only owned a portion of what is now Sherman Gardens, but over time, he owned the entire block.  He named the gardens after his mentor, Moses Hazeltine Sherman.  Moses Sherman was a businessman who was involved in the development of the southern half of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.  Actually, Sherman Oaks was named after him.  Both Haskell and Hazeltine are streets familiar to all who know the Sherman Oaks and Encino area of Los Angeles.  Hazeltine was Moses Sherman's middle name, and Haskell was named after Arnold D. Haskell, founder of Sherman Gardens.  Just a little trivia for those that grew up in the LA area.

Jan's big birthday was a such fun.  I hope she enjoyed it as much as we did.  Deb, get ready, your big day will come soon.  Where do you want to go?  Does ziplining over the Eifel Tower sound like fun?

Escape From Margaritaville Will Make You Feel Good

Want to spend two hours, clapping your hands, singing songs you know, and just overall feeling good all over, go see Esacape to Margaritaville, now playing at the La Jolla Playhouse.  We went on Tuesday night, a few nights before their official opening, and they were still tweaking some of the scenes.  I really haven't enjoyed an evening at the theater this much in a long, long, time.

If you liked Mama Mia, you will love Escape to Margaritaville.  They've taken a simple story and woven many of Jimmy Buffett's best songs into the story.  It will make you smile and cheer.  I felt, for two hours, that I was in Margaritaville, enjoying the island along with the guests at the Margaritaville Hotel.  The cast was terrific.  Dancing and singing was outstanding.  The special effects were fun.  In all, just a wonderful evening.

If you want to go have brunch with the cast, call Torrey Pines Hotel, where on June 10 they are having a brunch with the cast for $95.  No, I won't be there, but for some this is a great opportunity to meet and chat with members of the cast.

When I get in my car today, I will set my Sirius radio to the Margaritaville station and keep the good feeling going.  I hope you get a chance to see this wonderful show before it hits the road, hopefully for Broadway.

Discovering The Architecture Of San Diego

The San Diego Architectural Foundation recently opened the doors of many iconic buildings to the public, and I couldn't wait to see them.  Each site had a volunteer to guide you through the building, or in some cases, just give basic information about the building.

We began our tour at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, on Broadway, in the heart of downtown.  The hotel is currently owned by the Secuan Indians, and after a $56million renovation, have restored it to probably better than the original.  Crystal chandeliers sparkle, yet the furnishings are sleek and modern.  The hotel was built from 1905-1910, by the son of President Ulysses S. Grant, as a tribute to his father.  Other historical buildings that we toured in the Gaslamp area included The Keating Hotel, San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House and the historic Brunswig Drug Company building, which now houses an architectural firm.

The city was divided into sections, each area having about 10 iconic buildings to view.  Bankers Hill, Downtown, East Village and Barrio Logan are other areas of interest to see at another time.  This is such a great way to explore the city, bit by bit, and learn something about the architects and early settlers that influenced San Diego.

After several hours of walking and visiting these historic buildings, we decided to stop for lunch on Broadway at Biga, a restaurant that looked interesting, yet none of us knew anything about.  I can tell you, they have fantastic pizza.  We ordered two pizzas for the four of us, one burrata, and the other mushroom, and they were delicious.  Biga means "dough starter" in Italian.  According to our waiter, the dough starter was brought over from northern Italy by the owner, when he opened the restaurant.  The dough is fantastic, and cooked over a wood burning pizza oven, it is light and chewy and crispy.  The restaurant also makes homemade bread, again cooked over the wood burning fire.  I couldn't resist a loaf of date and bacon bread, which I will try for breakfast tomorrow.  All in all, it was a

wonderful discovering more of San Diego.