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Matt Vacations in Southern California

Matt had an unexpected vacation from work and he took advantage of it by visiting his Ma and Pa in San Diego.

All Aboard Matt and his Mom board a trolley to explore the sights of San Diego.

Cherie and Matt pause on a pier in front of Seaport Village at the San Diego harbor. The downtown skyscrapers rise in the background. Cherie and Matt at Seaport Village

Old Town Old Town in San Diego was the site of the first European settlement on the American Pacific coast, dating back to 1768. The town grew up at the foot of the first presidio and mission, and some historic buildings commemorating the early years of San Diego still stand in the area. La Casa de Estudillo is a restored 1827 adobe house with period furnishings.

Matt and Cherie sat on a bench outside the abode house to eat the jelly beans and chocolate they'd purchased at one of Old Town's shops. Matt subscribes to the George Washington school of portraiture—never show your teeth. This is about as big a smile as he gives to the camera: a real Kodak moment. Matt and Cherie in Old Town

Jukebox from Top Gun scene Matt and Cherie check out You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling in the jukebox used in the Sleazy Bar scenes from the movie Top Gun. The bar survives as the Kansas City Bar-B-Q near downtown San Diego.

The zoo is a marvelous place to learn about the birds, the bees, and the zebras. Note that zebras do not have stripes over all their bodies. ZZZZ as in Zebra

A panda bear at the San Diego Zoo The San Diego zoo is one of only two or three in the United States that has giant pandas. Here Shi Shi, a 22-year old male panda (so how'd he get a name like THAT?), lounges in a bamboo habitat resembling those at home in China.

Matt wanted to spend much of his time by the ocean. We started by exploring a tidal pool. You can wade in the water or take the long view from atop the rocks overlooking the pools. Here Cherie and Matt watch crabs and other creatures from an aerial perch. Cherie and Matt peer into a tidal pool

Octopus Rolling up our pant legs we got down closer, where we found an octopus swimming by...

...and dozens of anenomies lurking on the ocean floor. An anenomie awaits its prey

All those sea critters got Matt to thinking about a plate full of hot seafood, so we motored up to La Jolla for lunch along the ocean at George's at the Cove restaurant. The food and the views were spectacular. This would have been your seat had you joined us that day.

Then we strolled along the coast to Seal Beach, where Matt took my camera out into the water to get a close up of the seals on the rocks. He lost my lens cap in the ocean but came back with stunning shots of seals so well camoflaged on the rocks that the photos looked like, well, rocks. Oh well. He did get to see them face to face. Here, we see Cherie pointing out the ocean sights. Cherie shows Matt the ocean sights

Matt gazes into the Pacific Matt couldn't get enough of the ocean while he was here. It's where he wanted to spend most of his time, and while there he soaked it up as if he knew that the ocean was just the medicine for a soul seared in the desert. Matt stood or sat at this spot for at least an hour, letting the waves borne by the incoming tide lap at his feet and splash on his legs, leaving only after the sun had set and all the color had been drained from the sky and seas.

At day's end, the sun dropped silently into the ocean, turning the sky pink and lighting the sea froth with its golden light.

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	Matt and his Mom board a trolley to explore the sights of San Diego.
Cherie and Matt pause on a pier in front of Seaport Village at the San Diego harbor. The downtown skyscrapers rise in the background.
	Old Town in San Diego was the site of the first European settlement on the American Pacific coast, dating back to 1768. The town grew up at the foot of the first presidio and mission, and some historic buildings commemorating the early years of San Diego still stand in the area. La Casa de Estudillo is a restored 1827 adobe house with period furnishings.
Matt and Cherie sat on a bench outside the abode house to eat the jelly beans and chocolate they'd purchased at one of Old Town's shops. Matt subscribes to the George Washington school of portraiture—never show your teeth. This is about as big a smile as he gives to the camera: a real Kodak moment.
	Matt and Cherie check out You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling in the jukebox used in the Sleazy Bar scenes from the movie Top Gun. The bar survives as the Kansas City Bar-B-Q near downtown San Diego.
The zoo is a marvelous place to learn about the birds, the bees, and the zebras. Note that zebras do not have stripes over all their bodies.
	The San Diego zoo is one of only two or three in the United States that has giant pandas. Here Shi Shi, a 22-year old male panda (so how'd he get a name like THAT?), lounges in a bamboo habitat resembling those at home in China.
Matt wanted to spend much of his time by the ocean. We started by exploring a tidal pool. You can wade in the water or take the long view from atop the rocks overlooking the pools. Here Cherie and Matt watch crabs and other creatures from an aerial perch.
	Rolling up our pant legs we got down closer, where we found an octopus swimming by...
...and dozens of anenomies lurking on the ocean floor.
	All those sea critters got Matt to thinking about a plate full of hot seafood, so we motored up to La Jolla for lunch along the ocean at George's at the Cove restaurant. The food and the views were spectacular. This would have been your seat had you joined us that day.
Then we strolled along the coast to Seal Beach, where Matt took my camera out into the water to get a close up of the seals on the rocks. He lost my lens cap in the ocean but came back with stunning shots of seals so well camoflaged on the rocks that the photos looked like, well, rocks. Oh well. He did get to see them face to face. Here, we see Cherie pointing out the ocean sights.
	Matt couldn't get enough of the ocean while he was here. It's where he wanted to spend most of his time, and while there he soaked it up as if he knew that the ocean was just the medicine for a soul seared in the desert. Matt stood or sat at this spot for at least an hour, letting the waves borne by the incoming tide lap at his feet and splash on his legs, leaving only after the sun had set and all the color had been drained from the sky and seas.
At day's end, the sun dropped silently into the ocean, turning the sky pink and lighting the sea froth with its golden light.