June 16 2013--South along the beaches to Pt Loma and Oceanside

June 16, 2013—No odometer reading written down

 HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL OF YOU DADS OUT THERE.

SURE WISH MINE WAS AROUND TO GIVE A BIG HUG TOO AND HAVE A FEW LAUGHS AND MAYBE A JIM BEAM AND COKE.  MISS HIM.

         Today we headed down Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) south instead of north as has been the norm for the last few days.  We are going to Point Loma Lighthouses, old and new, in the San Diego area. The final two lighthouses in the Southern California area.  Driving down PCH, we went through the world-known beach communities…Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, etc.  All so beautiful and perfectly depicting the iconic West Coast beach communities, so much fun being here and remembering all the beach movies when I was a kid, longing to live right here!

         I remember Vickie Robinson Shilling going with her family and the Seipels every summer for 2 weeks to Oceanside. How I longed to be there with them, but alas, was stuck in Cornville, with no place to go swimming or ride horses while they  were gone either.  A boring 2 weeks for sure.

         Stopped at the Las Flores Viewpoint on the way down. A great view north along the coast, but again the marine layer was a little misty. Had a great “compass” set up showing the direction and in some cases mileage to points of interest---Camp Pendleton, Torrey Pines, San Clemente, Dana Point, Rancho Las Flores, Catalina Island. The biggest draw for many of the tourists stopped there wasn't the view, but the squirrels. Obviously very people friendly, and even though signs were posted not to feed the wild life, they were mostly ignored for these hyper little cuties. Guayo was a bit interested, but they weren't lizards, so he soon became bored.

         Went on to Pt Loma. The new Pt Loma Lighthouse is on a fenced and inaccessible area of U.S. Coast Guard property, so couldn't get up close and personal. But we were able to get photos from the cliff area. Actually the cliffs were more amazing than the lighthouse. A picture of what wind and erosion can do to beach areas over time—make them spectacular is what.  Guayo was none to keen on getting close to the edge to get a photo with his Mom so we settled for one with him and his Daddy away from the edge and further into the parking area.

         After photos of the cliff and new Pt Loma light, we went up to the stop again to the  older lighthouse. Not a good time for Guayo…no dogs allowed. One good thing about being on the coast, is that the marine layer blocks the sun so not so much heat gain, plus the temps and breezes keep the air cool, so we can leave windows opened a bit and there is no chance for any heat problems. However, we can see he is not pleased with us when we get back!

      The old lighthouse and quarters was impressive and we learned much about the 3^rd order Fresnel lens (a French made discovery and pronounced fray-nel, not fres-nel as I had been pronouncing it for years), about life at the lighthouse (gardens were grown in order to have fresh produce for the inhabitants since trips to get provisions or deliveries of such were few and far between), and of the loneliness and harsh weather that sometimes took its toll on psyches as well as on health.  Today was a beautiful bright day where you couldn't imagine that each day living here wasn't one of beauty and loveliness.

 

          
The light, built on a high bluff, overlooks the bay and today it was filled with sail boats, bright blue water, and you could see Coronado Island and the Coronado bridge pretty well. Photos don’t show it too well due to again the marine mist, but we could do so. If we didn't have  a timed visit later in the day,we probably would have gone in and driven over to the island, just to pass over that bridge and take more photos.  But alas, it was time to head toward Oceanside.

         In my years living in Cottonwood and running the restaurant, I met many people and quite a few have become a permanent part of my life. One of the most permanent and loved, has been Kirk Stillwater and his bride Rose (aka Beverly). Kirk has been my “bro” and me his “sis” for years, and it hasn't changed although time and distance has come between

us. His health is not what it used to be (is anyone’s of our age group??), but he certainly knew who I was and we reminisced about the old good times. Said what he wouldn't do for a batch of 

chicharones right then…wish I had brought some from Jason’s as had them after making the red and green chili.  Got to reacquaint myself with his daughter Cyndi, who was a child last time I saw her, and who is a wonderful grown woman with a husband and  2 children, one a teenager, of her own. They were gracious enough to host us for a Father’s Day dinner of yummy burgers, potato salad, deviled eggs, and tall cool drinks…it was fun and delicious. And Guayo got to run and play in the backyard with their dog, and got a bite or two or burgers too, so his day was not a total loss. 

         Time passes too quickly, and we had to bid fond adieus to all, as the freeway on a Sunday afternoon, especially Father’s Day weekend when all the dads got to go to the beach and camping, etc., was not going to be pretty.  Hugs and kisses all around, with invitations to come to Prescott and stay whenever they could…after October 15 when we would be home again.

          Sure enough, got caught in a couple of doozey traffic jams, which being from Prescott where 3 cars is a traffic jam, make me nervous. But we got back to Huntington Beach finally around 7:15 pm, and were able to relax with the family for a bit before hitting the sack. Thank goodness for a friendly, comfortable, loving place to hang your hat at the end of a long day in new surroundings.