SIXTY!

I reached a significant milestone on Saturday - I turned 60!  Les spoiled me with a trip to San Diego and it was just what I needed. I found a condo in Mission Bay on VRBO.  It was the same price as a hotel room, but had a full kitchen, living room and secure parking.  I didn't take any pictures of the condo, but you can check it out here.  (There are also only a couple pictures of me from the entire weekend, so I'm using pictures in this post of me before I turned 60!)

 

We arrived in San Diego Thursday afternoon.  After settling in for a bit, we walked to Miss B's Coconut Club for dinner.   I had the Jerk Chicken Wrap and Les tried El Cubano.  These were both served with very tasty fries.

We headed a little bit inland to Road Runner Sports.  I have been buying my running shoes from them since way back in the 90s when they were a mail order company!  San Diego is home to their warehouse and a store.  After checking in, my name showed up on the board as a VIP member for 24 years.  It was my birthday so I got a new pair of running shoes and Les got TWO new pairs!

 

We left Road Runner and headed to a nearby Walmart.  Les forgot to pack a sweatshirt and the weather was a bit cool.  We both wore our sweatshirts all day on Friday which was spent at the San Diego Zoo.  The zoo will get a full post of its own!

 

Friday night we both wanted Mexican food.  Very close to the zoo we found Barrio Star and it was a winner!  Our server recommended the tacos - the tortillas are made fresh in the restaurant.  We split a mixed plate and enjoyed every bite!  The steak tacos on the fresh corn tortillas were amazing.  (I'm drooling just thinking about them!)  He also recommended Extraordinary Desserts which was just down the street.  This was our least favorite place of the trip, but we did walk away with some chocolate.

Saturday, my actual birthday, was super mellow.  We walked along the beach path for a while and ended up at Belmont Park.  If I was turning 16 instead of 60, I would have jumped at the chance to hop on some of the rides, but I kept my feet firmly on the ground the entire time.

We went to Corvette Diner for my birthday dinner.  We have been going to Corvette's for 30 years and love the playful 50s atmosphere.  Their burgers and fries are great!  Of course Les let them know it was my birthday, so I got to wear a hat and be sung to.  We finished the night off with a peppermint malt that was delicious!

 

Sunday morning we went for a bike ride around Mission Bay.  A little over 16 miles of fun in the sun!

 

 

Once we checked out of the condo, we headed to Old Town San Diego. Our final meal was at Encuentro Cafe.  I decided to try something different and ordered the El Vainero - Sweet corn pancakes with Fresh Venezuelan Mano Cheese, Black Beans, Shredded Beef and Fried Plantains.  I had fresh squeezed mango juice and Les had passion fruit.  This was amazing!

We wandered around Old Town for a while.  We picked up some fudge at Cousin's Candy Shop and we also got a variety of root beers from Old Town Jerky and Root Beer.  And now I'm a contented 60 year old, loving life and looking forward to more adventures!

The San Diego Zoo

I have always loved spending time at the zoo.  Growing up in Fresno, a visit to the Roeding Park Zoo (now the Fresno Chaffee Zoo) was a fun and inexpensive way to spend a day.  As a child I was fascinated by the many animals on display and that hasn't changed a bit!  My appreciation for the mighty Creator who designed each one has increased and I can stand for hours watching the interaction of each group.

When we arrived at the San Diego Zoo on Friday, the sound outside was incredible.  A roar of excited children!  Dozens of school groups were in attendance for field trips and were anxiously awaiting their admittance.  We already had our tickets and were able to get past the throng very quickly.  We decided to take the Skyfari Aerial Tram to the back of the zoo, trying to get ahead of the masses.  It worked out great!

I won't take you to every stop, but here are some of the highlights:

The polar bears.  The statue behind me is 10 feet, 6 inches tall.

This guy is 10 feet, 2 inches tall!  He is massive.  He shares a home with his sister and one other female.  They were all rescued after their mothers were killed in the wild.

I've always loved the big cats!  Lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lions, jaguars, lynx and cheetahs.  They were either pacing or sleeping!

Another favorite of mine are monkeys.  The gorillas seem to enjoy messing with their audience.  They come right to the glass and just as everyone has their camera ready, they turn their backs!  The orangutans give a much better show.  They swing and roll and climb and seem to love to entertain!

These camels had an unusual game of footsie going.  Their front feet are crossed and one was trying to bite the other.

I love watching the graceful giraffes.  The tallest at the zoo is about 17 feet.  This one had to really work to get a drink.  A few more inches and she was on her way to doing the splits.

This panda's nickname is the "Bamboo Eating Machine."  He will cover himself with bamboo and slowly eat his way out!

If you need a bigger cute animal fix, go to my SmugMug page. I uploaded dozens more!