Easter Greetings

May Gray began in mid-March and continues with only an occasional sunny afternoon.  But this Easter Sunday is as good as we’ve had.

Fran's Easter Basket

The month started with my brother Marty and his wife Juanita up from Mazatlán.  There he is known as mar-TEEN, and she as juan-EE.  I can't seem to get the hang of that.

For our first out the 4 of us took a few days to enjoy Borrego Springs.  I again camped at the American Legion with full hookups $30.

Marty and Juanita

All 4 of us enjoyed the comforts of Rufus.  I often sleep outside to enjoy the night sky, but not this time!  The wind really picked up. The flags at the Legion were straight out and flapping.

We always make time for a trip and some alone time with dad at Fonts Point.

This would be dad’s forever view. 

And Juanita and Marty sharing the view.

Every year there is more erosion at the point.  Last Days in the Desert was filmed at Fonts Point.  All the information signs were removed for the filming.  After the filming the signs were replaced.  This particular sign was about 5 feet back for the edge and I could safely walk around it.  But I won’t try it now!

We of course enjoyed a Julian Pie.

of course it was Apple Mountain Berry!

We went to Old Town a couple times.  It's close and always interesting.

We walked about with the idea of finding breakfast.  Juanita chose the Livingroom Cafe and Mexican Grill.

This is a new-to-me spot, she said it remindered her of the barrio cafes of home.  The food was pretty good, it pretty much disappeared before I thought to get a picture.

Breakfast burrito served with a lot of fruit and potatoes

Fiesta de Reyes has Mariachi music on Saturday and Folkloric dancing on Sunday.

We were there on a Saturday, which worked out well as Junita knew all the dance moves and words to most of the mariachi music.

Juanita did most of the cooking for breakfast.  I offered to take them to Breakfast Republic in Liberty Station.  It is a chain, but I’d not been to this location.  The entire staff is very bi-lingual!  Juanita loved it!, Marty a bit embarrassed not being able to keep up, after he offered to translate.

Our final outing was a visit to Point Loma, where I expected Juanita could at least be able to see her beloved Mexico.  Heck, we could barely see North Island!

and the lighthouse could of had its fog horn blaring.

But the lighthouse below did not have a fog warning either.

So down we went to the Big Bay side of Point Loma for a walk on the La Playa Trail.

Beautiful there with the fog only clinging to the upper areas.

This is a beautiful level trail that had lots of gardens with blooming flowers.

As we move on toward Kellogg Beach the fog seems to be lifting from Point Loma.

I’m not a big rose fan, they require too much maintenance.  But this beauty stands alone by a fence.

Juanita and Marty on the Point Loma Yacht Club pier.

Agreed it’s not much of a club, but has a decent membership with lots of perks at the neighboring San Diego Yacht Club at a fraction of the fees.

The walk is 2 miles RT, but we only went about halfway before returning.  

They have returned to Tacoma via Tucson.  I did mention El Charro and their carne seca (dried beef) and perhaps how much I liked the carne seca relleno.  I didn’t mention the servings are generous.

Marty's lunch ... Carne seca relleno, enchalada with rice and beans

The enchilada is a bit too much :)

We've met Gay and Joe here a couple times for lunch.  Thanks to them for introducing us to El Charro! and Marty and Juanita thank you too!

While they were in Tucson Fran and I returned to Tijuana for a dental visit.

which gave us a excuse to exit I-5 north at Washington St and stop by El Indio on the way home. 

Fran says their Pollo Asada is the best chicken tostada around.  I switch between carnitas and shredded beef.

Aj has offered to house sit for us while we travel this summer.  So it’s total Spring Cleaning time as we decide where to go and when.

I hope all readers have enjoyed a great Easter day!  We certainly did!

Thanksgiving - in Borrego

The American Legion in Borrego Springs hosts an annual potluck dinner for it's members and their guests. I still have not been motivated to have the furnace repaired in Rufus, so we booked a FHU site at the Legion.  Thanksgiving we relaxed at the campsite, Fran sat out to enjoy the sun and started a jigsaw puzzle.

At $30 a night it's pretty reasonable and a bit of exercise on a 4 mile bike ride to town.

We arrived at the Legion Hall at 3:30, a half-hour after the potluck's announced time. And boy did the Legion underestimate the turnout! There were still a few rolls ... 

and a dessert table for us to enjoy!

We each enjoyed a dinner roll and a couple pieces of pie. By 4pm even the bar was becoming empty!  We then ordered a couple glasses of wine.  

We enjoyed the wine and took a couple extra pieces of pie back to Rufus.

We do have Plan B: a frozen turkey at home, which is now defrosting. Or we could just go with …

Across the corner from the American Legion is the La Casa del Zorro Resort

the resort has a 1 mile paved jogging path. Fran's waiting for me to catch-up!

The trail is called a 'jogging path'  I don't jog anymore

The resort has some really nice landscaping, lots of grass and fountains

and even its own Starbucks!

We didn't expect Friday morning Farmer's Market to be happening the day after Thanksgiving, but it was

We spent some time wandering the Borrego Mall, where there were lots of art and sculptures being offered up.

Fredrick's is a must shop to wander around. They have art from around the world on display. Currently Shipibo Pottery is available. Each piece also has a portrait of the Amazon artist that created it.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is depicted in these exquisite ceramic pottery pieces.

When I can always stop at Font's Point where I let the wind distribute my dad's cremains.

He chose a great spot!  I may join him there, but not today.

Borrego Springs, as the name implies, has several springs and pumping stations. On one of our bike rides we stopped here to check this one out.

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I did not see any pupfish in the spring. But there were signs that some critters stop by.

And now back at home … we made a trip to Tijuana. It was a quick trip down to Washington Dental. Fran had her final check on her implants and I took advantage of the time and had a cleaning.

The cross back at PedWest is typically faster than the main border crossing at San Ysidro.  Our wait was 90 minutes compared to 3 hours.

Still on the 'Fun Side of the Wall'

But it closes at 2pm to process migrants.

Migrants that have been cleared to apply for entry.  

We are now catching up on our 'homework'. There's Fran on the rake. The little Sweet Gum twig we planted nearly 40 years ago provides a beautiful, altho messy, fall display

Fran and I have much to be thankful for. Even though the Legion's potluck was a bit of a disappointment, it makes for a fun entry in the blog!

February - finally over !!!

Watching Juanita and Aleida making salsa I decided I could do it!

But this gringo wasn’t born with the salsa gene.

A definite failure - too much garlic and not enough other flavor or spice.

Wednesday was beautiful.  Fran teamed up with her gal-pals to play 18 holes at the Balboa course.

That got me thinking I have a half-price ticket good for admission to any/all museums in Balboa Park.  So I too will be in Balboa Park.

The Botanical Building restoration will not be completed for a few more months.  The original 1915 style will be preserved ... YAY!

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The shaded walkways of the Prado are always inviting.

Kg and Aj spent a summer camp at the top of these stairs for acting.  They performed CATS upon graduation.

I’m sure that our kids, Kami and Michael were the last generation to climb the Moreton Bay Fig, which was planted in 1915.

Spanish Village is open daily featuring art and crafts from the area, most with a Spanish influence.

The shops surround a colorful plaza, reminiscent of a Latin market.

I thought of wandering in the rose garden, but alas nothing in bloom, but the fountain would be inviting on a summer day.

There are several fountains in Balboa Park.  Perhaps a fountain walk will be in a future blog ...

The main fountain is Bea Emerson fountain in Plaza de Balboa, which is located between the Fleet Science Center and the Natural History Museum, at the end of the Prado.

I chose not to take the down/back flight of stairs to the Zorro Gardens.  During the California Pacific Expo a ‘nudist colony’ was housed here and performed various rituals to the Sun God.  For an entrance fee of 25 cents a person could watch.

It’s now a butterfly garden with free admission.

Another long shaded walkway returning down the Prado.

The Plaza de Panama Fountain is another well photographed fountain located in front of the Spreckels Oregon Pavilion.

My destination is the building on the left.  The Mingei International Museum.  The building also houses a coffee shop, Craft Cafe.

And the Artifact.  A place we considered for lunch with Joe and Gay.  It does have adult beverages, and food options, but way to much noise for a visit.

It is one of the few, if the only, museum we have not visited. 

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A good dining choice, although it’s a bit pricey, The Prado, it remains the place for a special meal. … or Jimmy Carters …

The Museum of Us, formally the Museum of Man, stands proudly on the Prado.

My turn around was at the Founders Plaza.  Statues of Morse and Horton are shown laying out what was to become San Diego.

But poor George Marston has Caution Tape wrapped around his neck!  He sits next to a lily pond, in need of repair … ARG!

BTW - Kate Sessions sculpture is directly across the street.  There was some encounter happening on the corner, and I’ve shared her contributions before.

The following day was also postcard perfect.  We decided to do a bike ride around Mission Bay.  We planned to stop for fish tacos at Aquarius Grill, but Charli’s Landing has opened in the Royal Rooster location.  Gotta try it!

The menu is pretty limited, but it had what we wanted … fish tacos!  With the choice of grilled or fried, grilled; choice of tortilla flour or corn, one of each; choice of red or green sauce, again one of each.

Next time it’ll be grilled on corn with red sauce. 

Monday we were off to Washington Dental in Tijuana.  It’s been awhile since we attended to our dental hygiene.  The Tijuana PedWest crossing is being used for migrant processing, putting a huge demand on the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing.  Wait times of 3 hours are not uncommon, so we just stayed put.

After reviewing Fran's the X-Rays, at Washington Dental, it was an easy choice for implants!  While I enjoyed a margarita at Tijuana Tilly's, the necessary preparation was done ... and I couldn't hear a single ouch from across the street :)  I watched the Padres game while Fran was put thru the process of extraction, bone graft and anchors.  Padres lost.  But Fran is going to have an awesome smile!

And Thursday Rufus was re-tired.  6 new Michelin Agilis Crossclimate replaced the old Michelin LTX, which gave a good 60,000 miles.  Hope these will do as well.

Where will you be for the April 8th fill eclipse?  We'll be traveling later this month for Ohio too share the experience with Fran's family there. We shared the previous full eclipse with my family in Idaho Falls.  That blog is HERE.

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