Welcome All,
Follow us as we sail Bullwinkle, our Westsail 32, south to California, Mexico, out to Hawaii and back home to Seattle.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Slow day so back tracking a bit

We pulled anchor two days ago and moved to a marina.  Good for us because its just a walk away from showers and ice, bad for us because Mao will be trying to escape each night.  Our dock location happens to be in a VERY 'social' spot.  Just down the ramp from the marina office.  A ramp everyone uses to see and be seen.  A popular marina for live-a-boards.  Because we're a new boat and Ed has the boat outfitted for off-shore sailing, we were the talk of the local community.  The first person to visit, Roy, was described to us as one of the 'local characters'.  Nice guy really and very knowledgeable but he barely takes a breath.  He's sailed all over the south pacific and to Mexico many times, so a wealth of information.  He also has an ice maker on board which I would love to talk Ed in to (for mamas cocktails.)  That be a losing battle for sure, with a guy who thrives on minimalism.
Later Ed and I were below being techies for the first time in a while and people would stop by the boat and speak loud about her to draw one of us out.  After Roy, nothing could have gotten us out!  That evening, after dark, Mao was on her 'docked' look-out (top step of the ladder to the cockpit.)  Mind you because the lights were on inside, I couldn't see outside through the screening on the porthole above the galley where I'm doing dishes.  I heard this guy talking; 'I really like your cat.  Shes so cute' and so on.  I finally took a step up the ladder to see there was a guy talking to me through the porthole!  Turned out he was nice - but holy cow, that was creepy.  Needless to say, not much privacy.  AND we're going to be here at least two weeks! Time to take a trip to the home depot for window covers.

We did a neighborhood walk figuring our surroundings, which we must do at every location.  SeaWorld is 'just across the street' and it took us upwards of an hour to get there.  What a chore!  Did I mention the street is I-5?  I think I've mentioned it before, pedistrians are not a high priority in California.  We didn't go in, just checked to see if we could get there on foot.  We've also been downtown San Diego a couple of times; Gaslamp district and the Embarcado (I have no idea what that means having not cracked open the Rosetta Stone yet, but I'm guessing it means boardwalk with big ships.)  Pictures of the big ships will have to come later.  A couple of more places to visit on my must see list, the zoo, Balboa Park and Coronado Island.  If you know of a hot spot we mustn't miss, let us know.







When we were in Oceanside (our stop just before San Diego) we took the coaster (very nice light rail system) to the San Diego Botanical Gardens and San Luis Rey de Francia.  I've been to many gardens and was disappointed with this one.  On a 5 star rating system, would only give this a 2 or 3.  But kudos on the succulent garden simulating an underwater coral reef -- gorgeous (no pic damn-it.)  Loved all the fruit trees also and can't understand why someone would live in California and not have any!
Because the mission is was still a working facility and much of it under construction, we were unable to walk much of the grounds. We did however go through their active cemetery (Ed made me add this; it was in their pamphlet and Ed kept saying he didn't see much activity, nor had he ever in any cemetery...yuk, yuk, yuk.)








Ed unable to resist fallen fruit splits open a grapefruit


Trumpet tree

Going banannas.





Entrance to cemetery



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