Being Tourists in our Hometown

We just got back from being tourists in our hometown of San Diego, staying in hotels and eating out.  I was born and raised in San Diego.  Howard was mostly raised there and coincidentally was born in the same hospital as me - only a few years later.  I'm a cradle robber!  But, I digress.  The last of our immediate families left San Diego about two years ago.  There are no more spare bedrooms or couches to sleep on and no more home-cooked meals. 

At first we stayed on Coronado Island (which is really a peninsula), where Howard and I spent a lot of time when we were dating.  Back in the day he rented a (maybe) 500 square foot apartment - the rent was at least $1 per square foot.  Whenever we visit San Diego, we always have to drive past his old bachelor pad and pay our respects.  This time we noticed that a dinky two-bedroom in the same complex was available for a mere $1750!  (A few days later we noticed the sign was already gone.)

 

Our first meal on the island.  Those waffles were amazing!

 

I miraculously made a healthy breakfast choice,

but secretly coveted Howard's waffles the whole time.

The new and improved Mormon Battalion Center.

We visited the Mormon Battalion Center in Old Town.  I just love what they've done with the place.  It's like Disneyland - minus the long lines and nausea.  And it's free!  The volunteers dress in period clothing and they interact with talking portraits.  There are lots of hands-on activities and interesting artifacts and reproductions housed in inspiring architecture and decor. 

We cruised around Old Town and soaked up some local color.  I was telling a friend, "It's so colorful here!"  She told me that I said the same thing when we were there a few years ago visiting from Boston.

 

Dorothy, you're not in Nashville anymore!

 

I love all the funky succulent plants!

Check out this colorful taco combo. ¡Delicioso!

I'm not really sure of the relevance of having this shop

in Old Town, but it's Howard's kind of shop!

Holes

Have you ever read the book Holes by Louis Sachar?  It's such a clever book full of unexpected twists and turns.  I loved it so much that I read it in Spanish too.  But, I digress.

Lately I've been digging a lot of holes in the backyard.  I've been waiting to do this for YEARS!  It all started when I taught 3rd grade in National City, California.  Friends, parents and students helped me dig a garden in the grass in front of my classroom - with permission of course.  

My students and I learned lots of things about gardening and composting and recycling.  I immediately became obsessed with recycling, but had to wait a looooong time to have my own yard where I could garden and bury biodegradable stuff.

This is a pile of some of the many 'treasures' that the builders buried in the backyard instead of hauling them away.

Making fruit salad with pineapple and watermelon always creates a huge amount of compost.

I'm pretty sure that the earthworms loved this meal!

Pyros in the Hood

Last night we saw many of our neighbors setting up their lawn chairs on the sidewalk, some of them at the corner of our lot.  Howard said, "Could it be that we're so lucky to have a good view of the fireworks right from our house?"  

It turns out that we had front row seats to an amazing show put on by the neighbor across the street and four houses down.  His show went on for over an hour!  And we're not talking sparklers and other wimpy pyrotechnics.  We're talking seriously big fireworks that produce oohs and aahs and cause hearing loss.  We breathed the smoke of these fireworks and felt their shrapnel falling out of the sky.

Here's a picture of the neighbor's trash this morning.  This pile was about four to five feet high, six to seven feet wide, and three feet deep.

I couldn't find his exact fireworks, but to get an idea of what he might have spent on these go here.  It was crazy!

41st Annual American Artisan Festival

Today we went to the 41st Annual American Artisan Festival in Nashville, not to be confused with a craft fair.  There was no sign of crocheted potholders or plastic canvas tissue covers or clothing for 18" dolls or glass grapes.  There were lots of very artsy people selling amazing stuff (in the rain) for a lot of money.  

Howard and I spent a LOT of time laughing in Lorri Honeycutt's tent.  Her work is brilliant.  We bought an 11" x 14" inch print of this one.  You've GOT to check out her gallery and make sure you read the captions!

Wayne Kirkpatrick was selling really clever clocks he made from vintage game boards. 

Howard spent a lot of time talking to and admiring Bob Copeland's photography.  The pictures on his website don't do justice to his work.  Some of the prints are 30" x 60" and he does a lot of post processing to get a unique look.  He told us that it took him four years worth of trips to Italy to get this shot.  Poor him, right?

By the way, we stumbled upon this festival last year when we were out here for our house hunting trip.  We can't believe that it's already been a year since that trip!

Cicadas (Part 2)

I have a really bad memory for details, but the conversation (that took place about an hour ago!) went something like this:

Me:  Are these cicadas driving you crazy?
Steve (our neighbor who owns a lawn care business):  Oh man, when I use the leaf blower, they don't bother me.  But when I use the weed eater, they're all over me.  (Makes swatting motions.)
Me:  I guess you have to make sure you keep your mouth closed.
Steve:  Yah, they land on your mouth, everywhere.  (Makes more swatting motions.)  Yesterday I got home and found one in my pocket.  Then I took off my shirt and found three more.
Me:  Were they alive!?!  (Or, did I ask if they were dead?  See, I told you I have a bad memory!)
Steve:  Two of them were.
Me:  Oooo, gross!  

It turns out that the sound of lawnmowers and weed eaters sound a lot like the cicada's mating call.  Click here for a brief news article and video.

By the way, in response to yesterday's post, Mr. T (aka Tomoo) says that we should look at this (infestation) as a positive - free food.  He suggested these recipes.  He also mentioned that when he was a kid at scout camp, he and his friends used a razor blade to make a small cicada guillotine.  You gotta love the things that boys come up with!