Bon Voyage!

My Dear Friends,

By the time you open this missive Miss Lydia and I will have boarded the silver luck dragon and sped away on the wings of birthday celebrations to the land of San Diego. For you see, a girl only turns 13 once in a lifetime and we intend to celebrate in style as we join Elizabeth for a "Girl's Event" fit to be recorded in the memory bank of oh-so-special moments.

Once we land, gather our bags, and procure our magic carpet transportation (only a convertible will do, I mention politely to the reservationist), we will set out for Coronado Island and my favorite spot in all of San Diego: The Hotel Del Coronado, known affectionately as "The Del."




We will lunch at Sheerwater in the hotel and gaze out onto the pristine beach. Upon finishing the scrumptious meal we will meander slowly through the shops, including my favorite "emporium" of necessities for living the "good life," Babcock and Story Emporium -- named after The Del’s visionary founders, Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story, two mid-western businessmen who dreamed of building a resort hotel that would be the “talk of the Western world.” Need I mention . . . they succeeded?



Hopefully we will not exit the lovely shoppes too heavy laden to enjoy a walk along the surf. This beach ranks as the most pristine I have ever seen in my life. When Gary and I celebrated a "second honeymoon" here four years ago we had an ocean-facing suite that afforded us a full view of the beach. Each morning an employee "groomed" the beach, much as one would an ice rink. The results: Spectacular. So, Lydia and I will surely kick off our strappy little sandals, gather our sunny-day dresses in hand, and frolic in the gentle surf.

Once we satisfy our ocean quotient (remember, we used to live in Santa Cruz . . . Grass Valley is a loooong way from the seaside -- when we detect ocean air we tank up!), we will meander the streets of Coronado until it the clock strikes check-in time for us and school's-out time for Elizabeth.

After checking in to this delightful little inn by the sea, we will peer out the windows to this:

When we finally lay our head down for rest, we will drift off to the sounds of ocean waves meeting rocks and in turn rocking us gently toward slumberland. The tang of salty sea air will bathe our dreams and ensure that we awaken refreshed and ready to play. Ah, but before we even think about sleeping we have a full array of exciting activities to sample.

For starters we shall drive the short distance from our inn to Elizabeth's university for a joyful reunion and a tour of the gorgeous waterfront campus. Then we will cruise along the coast line until we come to Ocean Beach, a delightfully "Santa Cruzian" town with an atmosphere of "casual" that satisfies our homesickness for our Santa Cruz days. We will dine at O'Bistro and talk and laugh and build even deeper bonds over good food eaten en pleine air with the ocean as backdrop to it all.

When we place our napkins to rest and exit the retaurant our scripted schedule ends. In it's place lies a vast portion of possibility from which to fill our vacation basket to brimming. We may stroll on the beach at sunset or return to the inn for a dip in the spa (situated right on the cliffs overlooking the sea and glorious sunset). Our options seem limitless as we relish the holiday mood -- well almost limitless . . . Poor Elizabeth must return to the dormitory and sleep in preparation for a Thursday's class in World Masterpieces. (Hmmmmm . . . maybe we should tag along?) At 11:30 am on the dot we will whisk her away for another day of fun with us. But what will we do?

Hmmmmm . . .

We may visit the Zoo . . .

. . . or take in some of the many galleries and gardens at Balboa Park . . .

. . . or seize any number of splendid opportunities to enjoy ourselves until the clock bids us trade in our flashy convertible for a jet plane ready and waiting to whisk us back to home and hearth and our own comfy beds.

I shall be certain to gather a bounty of souvenir memories (and pics) to share and delight every one of you that stops back by to say "Hi." Be sure to bring a smile to wear, as we will surely be wearing ours for all to see.


I wish you joy 'til we meet again. : )

Me with My Precious Lydia

Little Girl . . . no more