Two if by sea

The Coronado Bridge across the harbor

The cabanas on the beach near the
Hotel del Coronado

Another vacation picture of Wes on some rocks

On our way back to Broadway Pier
after barely making the 8:30 ferry

A sign previously unseen

One if by land

Yesterday evening, after Wes had finished his day at the conference and I had finished my proposal and sent it off to my advisor for his review, we put on our tennis shoes and took a long walk through the city.  We had already taken in the harbor views on our walk to dinner Wednesday and out the windows at the hotel, so we went more through the center of things, in the Gaslamp Quarter where we're staying and up north to Balboa Park.  We saw a lot of modern condos and lots of older business buildings.  We saw lots of homeless people, something I encounter with much more rarity in Nashville than I did in Chicago.  We saw art galleries and a medicinal marijuana shop and fast food places and fancy restaurants.  We went by an art gallery with some cool artwork.  Wes liked the Lincoln painting, and there was a great Einstein version next to it.  We walked past San Diego High School, the City College, and homeless veterans camped out on a bridge, waiting for the upcoming Operation Stand Down event that was scheduled to start today.  And then finally, about 2.5 miles later, we got to Balboa Park.  

Balboa Park is the nation's largest urban cultural park at 1,200 acres.  It has 15 museums, the San Diego Zoo, playgrounds, an activity center with athletic courts, a place where senior citizens play bridge six nights a week (really -- there's a sign up, and we saw three tables of folks in there playing!), botanical gardens, a huge and open dog park, and running trails.  It's pretty amazing to see.  And it's really well used.  We saw a lot of other tourists, of course -- I think that participants in one of the big conferences at the Convention Center were able to access certain things for free last night as part of the registration -- but there were clearly people of all ages -- little kids with parents, groups of teenagers, young couples and old couples and couples with dogs -- throughout the park.  It was a beautiful night (although I'm starting to think there aren't that many bad weather evenings here), and it was so nice to see a place like that really getting used.

From the park we walked into Banker's Hill, an area just to the east of the park.  It was (and appears still to be) an affluent and more residential part of the city, but also thriving with restaurants and nicer bars and clubs.  Wes and I went there to have dinner at The Tractor Room.  And while the food was fair to good, the ambience was unbeatable.  I don't know who could possibly have thought to themselves, "Let's do an upscale farm decor.  You know, tractor chic," but they actually pulled it off.  There's an old blue tractor out front, leather and animal hair on the banquets and backs of the bar stools.  There's a mounted deer and some other animals, and to our sheer and utter delight, a rabbit -- with antlers on its head.  I think we probably annoyed everyone in the restaurant trying to get a decent picture in the dark dining room of this thing, but there was no way we were leaving without it.  Wes and I each did a beer flight, with essentially a shot of four different kinds of draught beers.  We got black skillet cornbread and a wedge caesar salad for appetizers, then shared the Prime Beef Burger with a side of Criss-Cross Fries and the Honey Mustard Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a side of Acorn Squash with Bacon Maple Farmer's Butter (um, yum).  The burger was good, especially done medium rare, and the pork tenderloin was so-so, maybe a little dry.  But seriously, a bunny with antlers -- you can't beat that.  We did take a cab home rather than walk the four miles back home through the dark.

While Wes was at the conference today, I did a lot of wandering and window shopping and bought a few things for me and Emme.  I went to Seaport Village just here by the hotel to go to Upstart Crow, a bookstore and coffee shop.  It carries a random assortment of books, really funny odds and ends and gifts, and has a basic coffee menu.  I enjoyed looking around and the quirky nature of the place.  It's the kind of bookstore I'd frequent if I lived near one, just to walk through now and then.  I didn't realize there was so much shopping out there, but ended up spending at least an hour looking through toys store, gift shops, and even a place that just sells outdoor swings and hammocks.  I got to talk to my mom to hear how the kids were doing and even to Oliver (and later chatted with everyone on the computer).  I then wandered for several miles around the city to look in a few vintage and high-end consignment women's clothing shops (turns out expensive clothes are still too expensive for me, even when marked down).  I went to the mall in Horton Plaza -- interesting in the way it's open to the center, which is open air, but totally baffling to navigate --, where I found Emme's t-shirt at Nordstrom's, some extra socks at Lady Foot Locker, and got some fruit and cheese and crackers at Ralph's, the local grocery store, across the street.  I'm not sure how far I walked today, but it was nice to just go, take a different street, and pop into places that looked fun.

I still haven't done the 6.5 mile run that the hotel recommends from here along the harbor.  I do intend to attempt it at least once before we leave, just because I think it would be so pretty along the way.  But at least I'm getting plenty of walking in during the day.  Hopefully that, and the almost complete lack of meals the rest of the day, will make up for what I've been eating at night.  For now, I leave you with a rare sight.

And some more about food

I took a quick walk this morning to the CVS down Market, and since I'd missed breakfast at the "Grand Club Lounge," I decided to stop at a coffee shop and get some tea and a muffin or something.  After last night's dinner, I certainly didn't need anything more.  A pleasant mile or so of walking later, I had gotten the necessary items from CVS and was on my way back to the hotel.  I thought about Starbucks, but it just seemed sacrosanct to go there when I'd passed two local coffee shops.  So Lion Coffee is was.  And can I just say, the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte -- yum.  It's like a vanilla milkshake with really nice vanilla bean in it, plus some spices, and so creamy and warm.  Perfect for the overcast but not at all cold day we're having.  And the french toast muffin -- also yum.  This, friends, is why I end up going the same places all the time.  I find something amazing and don't want to try anything else!

I'm now back at the hotel making myself finish this conference proposal (with the sounds of a bagpiper who is playing in a park out my window) that needs sent to my advisor so that I'm free the rest of the trip to do as I please.  Rest assured, mom, I also have a bottle of water on the desk along with the remainder of my tea.

The view from the top

Wes and I made it to San Diego yesterday after a nice morning with the kids -- some snuggling with Emme, some swimming with Oliver.  Leaving them at my parents' house was much harder for us than it was for them, which is a good thing.  We know they're in good hands with their grandparents, but we miss them just the same.  The flight over was fine is long.  I read an entire book, listened to the woman next to me breathe loudly, and let Wes catch a nap between the captain's unbelievably loud announcements.  We got here around 5pm, which is 8pm eastern time.

The hotel itself is beautiful.  The rooms are nothing fancy -- I've stayed in several hotels that were nicer -- but the lobby is grand and the views from the windows are unbelievable.  We're on the 38th floor.  The windows in our room overlook the harbor, Coronado, and the ocean, and the windows just outside our door overlook the part of the harbor where most of the ships and boats are docked.

We didn't have much time to get out last night.  Wes had a meeting to go to as soon as we arrived, which left me time to unpack, look back through the travel book we bought, and pump after a long eight hours.  We decided to just walk around a little -- mostly along the harbor -- and grab a more relaxed dinner and save our "fancy clothes" for another night.  We ended up at Karl Strauss Brewing Company at Columbia and B Street.  They have their own microbrewery, plus a nice menu.  Wes had the Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich with a nice little kick to it, and I had the Cotija Advocado Turkey Burger, plus we shared a mixed green salad and Rollos Locos, which were great.  We sampled several of their beers, just enough (that is, two!) that I had to -- for the first time while nursing Emme -- dump the milk I pumped when I came back.  We were there for several hours, just sitting and talking.  It was nice.

Wes has a full day today, and I actually have some work to get done before I can play much.  I found a running trail I want to try out, but between the bit of a time difference that's left me groggy and a headache that followed me from the plane (yes, mom, I need to drink more water), I'm skipping today to get some more time on my project instead.  Wes will be done in the afternoon, and we'll either head over to Balboa Park or into downtown or something like that.  Good meals are high on our "to do" list, too.  The weather is amazing -- high 60s, low 70s, and no humidity at all -- and we're enjoying it after the sweltering heat we've been having in the last few days back home.  Oh, and did I mention I slept (on and off) for almost nine hours last night?

About my hair

One of my better hair cuts.
I took the picture on a "good" day.

I got a haircut a few weeks ago, and it didn't go quite as planned.  It's not horrible, mind you, but I've had better haircuts.  I'm pretty sure it's uneven, but it's so short that I'm waiting a few weeks to get it fixed.  So I'm making some notes about my hair to keep in mind for the next time I decide to go get it cut.

1. I've never had a haircut that I liked most of the time.  I've had haircuts that would sometimes look good -- when I styled it just right, and it wasn't hot out, and I didn't work up any kind of a sweat.  Those days are few and far between as the mother of two in a southeastern city.  It's unlikely that some new stylist is going to magically realize the haircut that will make me love my hair.  So go for "good enough" and easy to manage.

I liked the length, but it
only looked good when straight.

2. My hair is somewhere between really wavy and kind of curly.  It's not a soft wave or a nice, tight curl.  It's a nice curl in some places, but frizzy on top and somewhat limp on top or bottom depending on the length.
3. I have my father's hair pattern, even as a woman.  My hair hangs forward.  That means that if I don't wear bangs, I have to be able to pull it back in either barrettes or bobby pins if I want to keep it out of my face.
4. My part moves.  Anyone who cuts my hair with my part in one specific place is doing something that won't look good later.
5. I get better haircuts at the pricier hair salon, even if it's with someone new who takes the lowest rate in the salon.  (I guess this the "buy the cheapest house in the nicest neighborhood" approach.)  This is an important one to remember because it's usually impatience -- in having to make and wait for an appointment at a hair salon -- that sends me to a mostly walk-in haircut place that leaves me with these less than stellar haircuts.  I need to get my hair cut by the same person, someone who has an opinion about what will look good and listens to what I tell them.

The current cut.  It's a little longer
on the right, but the curls hide it.

6. When my hair gets very long, it goes in a ponytail.  So I'm better off with hair that's not long enough for a full-fledge ponytail.  

On the plus side, I do like the color of my hair.  It always looks like I've just had highlights done, but it's all natural -- just blonde enough to keep it light, but not a flat color.  I'm hoping it will cover the gray well when that comes :)  

Sunny California

Wes and I have had only a few actual vacations since we got married (and probably none before our wedding).  We went to Africa, but that was more about Wes working in the pediatric hospital than very much travel and relaxation.  Our safari was a fun trip, for sure, but sleeping in tents during the rainy season was hardly romantic.  And while we loved our cook, the fare was less than four star.  We took a wonderful trip to Portland a few years ago, a real live vacation.  We stayed in a nice hotel, slept in late, ate good food and drank local wine and beer, saw the sights.  It was great.  And then we had kids.

Last summer, my mom and sister came and kept Oliver so that Wes and I could have a trip together.  We went to Phoenix, where Wes had a conference.  We stayed in a beautiful resort with several different pool and gorgeous grounds.  Wes had to present and attend some sessions, and I was eight weeks pregnant with all that the first trimester usually brings, plus finishing a final paper for my Maymester class and reading several novels for my June summer session.  So it wasn't completely relaxing, but it was time alone.  No toddler to deal with, lots of naps.  I couldn't enjoy the food really, or the wine, but we did do a little sightseeing.

So this summer we're trying again.  My parents are keeping both the little people so that I can go with Wes to San Diego.  Once again, it's a working vacation.  But it's also in a hotel with an amazing view of the harbor, in an area of the city where I can walk to lots of things, and this time I am not pregnant and able to enjoy all of the local fare.

I will miss my little people terribly while we're gone, but I will also enjoy this vacation.  I know Wes will have to work while we're there, and I'll still be pumping milk every few hours, but I'll also get to sleep.  And read.  And sit on the beach.  And have dinner with my husband without taking a toddler to the potty.