We've been getting a lot of snow and cold temperatures this winter, so I decided to trade in our frosty white landscape...
My goal for the week was just to get outside, soak up some sun, and do some sketching. I stayed at the Best Western Bayside Inn in downtown, mostly for its proximity to the waterfront and Balboa Park. My first stop was Spanish Village in Balboa Park - very colorful with lots of sketching opportunities, plus there's a coffee cart right in the plaza serving tasty Mexican mochas.
The last time I was in San Diego, the Botanical Garden was closed for renovation. The renovation is now complete, so I was able to go inside for the first time. The entire "roof" of this structure is made out of redwood lathe (thank goodness the LA fires didn't come down this far). They wouldn't let me sit down and sketch inside, but I found a bench outside the building.
Another day, I headed up to Seal Beach in La Jolla. I sat on a bench away from the seals so I could see them but not smell them (they really stink!), and drew the cliffs these pelicans were sitting on.
What was interesting was that the Watercolor Society was having a paintout at that very same spot, so they invited me to their throwdown when they were finished. These artists must come here all the time, because they were very talented.
No visit to San Diego is complete without some Mexican food. I went up to Old Town one morning and had the huevos rancheros for breakfast. There's real homemade tortillas and 2 eggs underneath all that cheese.
I went to the beach once, but preferred spending my time near the harbors (much safer). The vloggers have taken over the beachfronts by riding their bikes along the boardwalk while taking video selfies of themselves with the ocean as a backdrop.
On my last day, I headed over to the Cabrillo National Monument. It took me 2 buses to get there, but they really did have stunning views of San Diego Bay and the skyline. Most school kids have heard of Christopher Columbus, but not too many schools study the explorers who came to the west coast. Juan Cabrillo was an explorer from Spain.
So after 8 days, I managed to completely fill up my accordion journal. Luckily, by the time I got back home, the temperature had finally risen above freezing.
