Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Backcounty Drive
The meadows here were spectacular with flowers and green grass. A right on S2 and S22 took us down the curvy road into Borrego Springs.
We stopped in at the Anza Borrego Park headquarters and checked out the nature center. It was very educational for us. We then headed up a bit to do the Palm Canyon hike. However, the rangers at the site informed us that dogs are not permitted on park land. With nowhere to hike, we drove around a bit to see if we could some wildflowers from the road.
Along Borrego Springs Rd., a landowner has installed life size sculptures of pre-historic creatures. The statues are made of steel and very impressive. We caw sloths, camels, turtles, smilodons, pigs and even velociraptors. Thanks to the Galleta Meadows people for displaying these. We tried heading up a dirt road, but thought the better of it and heading out of Borrego Springs.
We headed south to catch the 78 into Julian. I love going to Julian and it very nice weather there and not crowded at all. The dog got a walk through the old cemetery and the kids got ice cream at the soda fountain on the main corner. On the way out of Julian, we stopped at the Inaja Memorial Park and did a dusk hike on the nature trail there. Wonderful views!
We then headed home the way we came.
Labels: Anza Borrego, family, San Diego, weekend
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Weekend Activites
* Hiked the west approach to the waterfall in Los Penasquitos Canyon. Sophie almost got bit by a rattlesnake after she went into some bushes; she was one a very short leash after that scare. It was a beautiful day, sunny but with a nice cool breeze most of the way. It is nearly 6 miles round trip and the kids were griping towards the end, but it was worth it.

At the falls

On the way back.

A coiled up rattler (not the one that Sophie stumbled upon)
Labels: weekend
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Weekend Activities
* Finally got a chance to walk the dog; took her along 101 to enjoy the beautiful weather
* Finished in the money at a charity poker tourney - the last 5 of us chopped the prize money
Labels: weekend
Monday, November 16, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Open houses at Pacific Ridge and Grauer Schools - the first step in the long journey towards junior high
* Selena Gomez concert at House of Blues
* Worked on the garden
* Jaya performed at a duet concert, Bengt performed at his regular piano recital
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Sophie's Birthday - she got a new collar and a new toy
* Gardening
* Trying to stay cool
* Parents for Sunday dinner
Labels: weekend
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Labor Day Weekend Activities
* Some nice trips to the beach.
* A friend gave Bengt a fencing exhibition. This friend competed at the college level and still had all the equipment. Bengt liked it and we might put him in class.
* Hiking in the trails above Green Valley.
* Nice BBQ with friends.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - was decent, but quite different from the book.
* Dog hike at San Elijo Lagoon - too hot even for the lizards
* Quick trip to Cardiff Beach - nice way to beat the heat
* Harp and flute concert at La Costa Valley - wine and Subway subs!
* Installed a new reverse osmosis system - finally found one that fits our new sink cabinet, a Whirlpool model that has a smaller storage tank. The install went well consider I had to rebuild the drain system from the p-trap up.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Dog walks at Manchester Reserve and San Elijo Lagoon (twice).
Labels: weekend
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Attended our third consecutive Dogs Days of Summer festival in Cardiff. Sophie hates it more each year.
* Went to the Ruben Fleet Science Center with the kids. We checked out all the exhibits before taking in the IMAX Wild California film. I got sick watching the movie; no more IMAX for me :(
* Took Sophie to the Lagoon to chase lizards and rabbits to make up for Dog Days.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Finished the toe kicks and baseboards in the kitchen.
* Cruised through a 20 mile bike ride.
* Walked dog at Pipe Hike and lagoon nature center.
Labels: weekend
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Worked on the kitchen, again.
* Vacuumed the backyard. We have a gravel backyard and I have to use a landscape vacuum to pick all the leaves and pine needles.
* Did some biking, but the heat was brutal.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Hiked the nature trail at Elfin Forest.
* Celebrated the soft opening of the new location of Gaffney's Wine Bar with some wonderful tastings. My favorite was a delicious cab franc.
Labels: weekend
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend Activities

* Checked out the Del Dios Gorge hike, northward from the trailhead. This is trail #12.

Bat houses

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - it was cute, much like the first. Air and Space Magazine had an article on how "real" the movie was. However they were speaking only of the set that was built to mimic the real museum. Because if you see the performance the Wright Flyer puts on, you would think the plane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135, not a 12 horsepower 4 banger.
Labels: weekend
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Checked out the new farmer's market at Flora Vista Elementary. It was a bit light on the fresh produce and had a lot of prepared and packaged foods. We bought some delicious hummus and baked pita chips.
Labels: weekend
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Saw the new Lake Hodges Pedestrian/Bicycle bridge. It was surprisingly high off the water and Sophie was a bit scared.
* Caught a great CYT production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
* Great Memorial Day BBQ at a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday.
* Finally got the veggie garden going with a trip to Sunshine Gardens; and what visit to Sunshine Gardens would be complete without a cupcake from Elizabethan Deserts
Labels: weekend
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Hike at San Elijo Lagoon in perfect weather
Labels: weekend
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Jaya had her sleep-over birthday party
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Monster Trucks
* Obscene amounts of horsepower
* Excessive gasoline consumption
* Wanton destruction
* Over-the-top patriotism
* Intrusive advertising
A couple weeks ago, the family and I took the trip down to Qualcomm Stadium for Monsterjam. It was a blast! The truck drivers really go out of their way to put on a good show. At the end, Gravedigger deliberately wrecked his truck to please the crowd. Just as fun as the trucks was the demolition derby they had during intermission.
There were two negatives on the evening. One was the extreme volume of the public address system; it was much louder than the trucks and very annoying. The other was the obnoxious drunks on the trolley ride back to Old Town. The $9 beers would also have been a negative if I had been stupid enough to purchase one.


Labels: entertainment, weekend
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Old Town
* First, we went through the McCoy House Interpretive Center. This is a very nice museum with each room representing a different period of Old Town's history. Unfortunately, the docent said this house is the first to be cut when the money gets tights so is closed often.

* In the Robinson-Rose House, we saw the wonderful model of Old Town from 1872.
* We did the tour through the Estudillo House. I enjoy the period costumes that the park employees and volunteers wear.

* The kids dipped candles at the candle and soap shop.

* We ate dinner at The Alamo Mexican Food, which is the only fast food Mexican food we could find within walking distance.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Walked dog at San Elijo Lagoon.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Planning meeting for next weekend's Agua Caliente camping trip
Labels: weekend
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Weekend Activities

* We went up to Palomar Mountain State Park to see the snow. I went a slightly different route up there that took us past Lake Wohlford, which I have never seen. At the park, the sun was out and the weather great.

The kids made snowmen...

threw snowballs and tried sledding without sleds...


The dog loved it as well, especially when a squirrel scampered across the snow.
* Took my parents to see Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! as the Old Globe theater. The acting and music were great but the stage was the best part of the show. The scenery people outdid themselves on this one. The only negative was the heat in the theater, too hot for me.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Lux Art Institute Open House
* Hike at San Elijo nature center and South Cardiff
Labels: weekend
Monday, December 01, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Build another loft bed for Bengt. This one was shorter than Jaya's.
* Hiked San Elijo Lagoon with the dog.
* Painted the ceiling (over a year after we removed the popcorn).
* Put up a dartboard in the garage.
Labels: weekend
Monday, November 24, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Classics 4 Kids concert at the newly renovated Balboa Theatre. The Balboa is a wonderful venue. I highly recommend taking your children to see Classics 4 Kids to kick start their appreciation of the arts.
Labels: weekend
Monday, November 17, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Kids had a piano recital.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Weekend Activites
* Walked the dog in the rain
* Visited the new SRF book shop
Labels: weekend
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Weekend Activities

* St. A's had its Fall Festival fundraiser for the Sudanese outreach. Our chili entry again failed to win. Green Flash brewery was on tap which made a perfect compliment to the chili.
Labels: weekend
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Woodcutters Weekend
Here is a before picture of the wood pile.

Here is the after picture of the pile; it is more impressive in person.

The family operating dangerous machinery
Monday, October 06, 2008
Weekend Activities
Labels: weekend
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Weekend Activities
Labels: weekend
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Choctaw kickoff meeting at Poinsettia Park
* Fun at Cottonwood Creek Park


Labels: weekend
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Weekend Activities
Labels: weekend
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Fixed a leaky tub drain.
* Birch Aquarium - nothing new to report, although the octopus is getting very large.
* Drove around the UCSD campus and made a stop at the Geisel Library. It is a very striking building from afar, but the concrete constructions looks very rough when up close. We went up to the 7th floor to see the views but the windows were quite dirty. They had a couple of neat exhibits. One contained a small sampling of Geisel's artwork and books. On the arts and music floor, they had a Etch-A-Sketch display. Apparantly, the library will give you an Etch-A-Sketch for you to draw with and they will put it in the display. We might go back and give this a try. The kids had lots of questions about college. My daughter was very interested in the independence that college offers (mainly that no one forces you to attend classes).
Labels: weekend
Monday, August 18, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Walked Sophie at Cardiff Seaside beach during the evening. I love the beach in the late afternoon to dusk.
Labels: weekend
Monday, August 11, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Finished painting and replacing the hardware on the garage entry door.
* Installed Tiki torched in front patio.
* Attended Cardiff Dog Days of Summer for the third straight year - this was the hottest year yet and Sophie still does not like other dogs. It seemed like the vendor booths where more popular this year but the contests were less popular, go figure. Another phenomenon was the number of pet portrait services. I don't remember any from last year but this year I counted at least 4, from photography to paintings.
Labels: weekend
Monday, July 07, 2008
4th of July Weekend
Labels: weekend
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Fathers' Day Activities
* Fixed the front garden irrigation system.
* The kids had their final piano concert until classes begin again in the fall.
* Had a PTA transition meeting from the old board to the new board (I am El Presidente).
Monday, June 09, 2008
Weekend Activities

* Saw "Prince Caspian" - not a big fan of the Narnia series but my daughter is and she won out over Indy.
* Fixed the kids' closer doors - they were a 1/8" too long due to the unevenness of the floor, so we had to shave some material off the bottom to fit in the floor guides
* Cleaned up the backyard - with the old playhouse off to the dump, I vacuumed up all the leaves and pine needles and put in a new light fixture; it looks very nice now
* Saw the whip snake at San Elijo again - this is the second time we have seen it roughly the same spot
Labels: weekend
Monday, June 02, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Great Adventure Princess event at Indian Hills
Labels: weekend
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial Day Weekend Activities
* Finished the front yard patio
* Dinner with family and friends on Orange County
* Started the back yard rehab
* Did a nice 7.4 mile ride from my house to the 101 and back.
Labels: weekend
Monday, May 19, 2008
Weekend Activities
* The pool was finally warm enough to go in.
Labels: weekend
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Mother's Day BBQ with one grandmother out sick and one wife with a jaw wired shut.
Labels: weekend
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Sick on Sunday (not from party...I think)
Labels: weekend
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Kid's at the grandparents: ate ice cream, watched E.T., went to Disney's California Adventure.
Labels: weekend
Monday, April 14, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Waited out the heat in our nice cool house (sans a/c).
* Grilled up a fabulous pork tenderloin with my rotisserie grill attachment. Haven't used it in ages, but it cooked up the roast beautifully.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Starting planting out the garden and getting rid of the big mound of grass I ripped up
Labels: weekend
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Started the garden rehab
* San Elijo Lagoon hike - saw 3 deer between the flood control dike and the freeway, a buck and 2 does
* Easter at Grandma's
Labels: weekend
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Called into work
* Pompeii exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum
* Jaya's piano test, the performance part
* Choctaw meeting
Labels: weekend
Monday, March 03, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Encinitas library grand opening
* Cleaned rooms during another rainy weekend
Labels: weekend
Monday, February 18, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Hike at Manchester Open Preserve
* Kids at Grandma's
* Clean carpets and other stuff around the house
* Jog along 101 from Java Hut to Chesterfield
* Lunch with wife
* Trail walk beside El Camino Real from Lavante to La Costa
Labels: weekend
Monday, February 11, 2008
Weekend Activities
* Kids had a piano recital and both did great.
Labels: weekend







