North Coast San Diego

I’ve always loved the North Coast of San Diego.  As a teenager my brother Chris and I would visit Mom in Mira Mesa.  She would work near the coast and we would hit the beach!  I remember swimming all day body surfing.  The workout was incredible and it was just so fun!

My favorite places were Torrey Pines and Cardiff by the Sea, although Cardiff had some seaweed.  That’ll freak you out a little bit when you are swimming along and some seaweed brushes your leg.

I went to visit my brother this past weekend.  He is living in Oceanside which is even north of San Diego’s north coast.  I got there early enough to make a bee-line to Torrey Pines to watch the sunset and roll some video.  There is nothing like the smell of that salty air, especially when you haven’t been near the ocean in a few years.   Here’s a picture, although it doesn’t quite do the sunset justice:

Chris and I had a great visit!  The highlight was Sunday when he cooked bar-b-que and some of his friends came over.  Quality people and great food.  The Chargers even beat the Eagles.

On Monday morning when I left to come home to Tucson, I had to take the scenic route to the freeway.  I paused at the Pier in Oceanside and again in Carlsbad for these pics.  I can’t wait to visit again.  Just need the money and the time all at the same time.

Work Pays Off

Funny.  I can’t seem to get motivated.  Will I have to jog 3 – 5 miles a day for the rest of my life so I can be fit and trim and avoid dying of a heart attack?  I think I’m starting to think I am more of a hiker bike rider than the runner I used to be.  It’s harder than I remember!

Then there is this.  My junior year in high school I returned from my Summer vacation in San Diego.  I had spent the Summer goofing off at the beach and sneaking joints when I could.  (I was pretty lost back then.  No focus.  No vision.)  I reported for two a days in bad shape.  I struggled through the first game and then quit so I could party.  It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life!  If I had to do it over again, I would have stayed home for the Summer, worked out with the team, and been the stud on the football field I should have been.

How does that relate to now?  True, I don’t have anything to prove on the field.  That’s for men younger than I.  However, there is a life lesson for me.  Press through.  Set a goal and trust God to help me achieve it.  I can’t let my laziness of the past few years keep me from good health now.  It will be hard.  I will want to quit.  But if I will persevere, there will be a reward.  The Bible says that work pays off:

1. Proverbs 10:4
   Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
2. Proverbs 12:24
   The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
3. Proverbs 13:4
   The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
4. Proverbs 21:5
   The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

You get the idea :-)

So, this morning, I am going to jog.  I signed up for www.everyoneruns.net, a 5.5 mile run on April 14th.  Ambitious considering I am having trouble running 2 miles right now!  But, with persistence I can do this.

I wanted to climb to the top of Pusch Peak today, but I don’t have the 6 hours it will take.  Even better, I want to climb to Finger Rock.  The vertical climb is the same, but since the trail starts higher, it ends higher!  Awesome views from up there, I’m sure.  Plus I’ve yet to climb to Finger Rock.  Maybe on Monday…

Yet Again!

Tedious.  Another evening ANOTHER AWESOME SUNSET!!!  Arizona has every place I’ve been to beat by quite a long ways when it comes to sunset awesomeness!  Better than Roswell.  Better than Lubbock.  Better than Odessa.  Better than Oregon.  (although Oregon has best lots of other stuff!)  Even better than San Diego at the beach!  It really boggles the mind.

Two things.  First, I noticed that my camera adds some color to the sunsets.  Usually it’s a nice effect, but I would rather capture the actual real colors.  Maybe that’s the difference between a $199 camera and a $1,199 camera :-)  I suppose even a $500 camera might do the trick.  Great.  Something else I need!

Next was catching the hummingbird in flight.  They are sooooo cute!  I stood just a few feet away and waited with my camera.  A couple of times I didn’t have it raised to eye level.  Even when I moved to raise the camera (s)he didn’t fly away every time.  A couple of times, but not every time.  After  I got a few pictures and knew I had what I wanted the next time (s)he came around, I just watched.  Standing three feet away looking at this tiny wonder while (s)he sipped away on some sugar water.  Pretty remarkable.  Did I mention the sunset going on the whole time wasn’t too shabby?!

There really is a God and He really is good!

Yummy!

Call me crazy (I’ll wait…  OK) but I LOVE Cod Liver Oil.  Maybe it’s because my parents never resorted to using it as a punishment.  (Thank You Parents!)  It’s true.  Cod Liver Oil is muy muy muy good for you!  Chalk full of vitamin D  (why is something “chalk full”?  What does that even mean???) and Omega 3s.  Mmmmmm Omega 3s.

Another reason that I love Cod Liver Oil?  When I have my tablespoon full every morning, it reminds me of the ocean!  The pungent fish smell (and taste) take me back to Ocean Beach in San Diego catching rock crabs trying not to get pinched.  Or walking along the Oregon Coast, stopping for salt water taffy.  (don’t misunderstand me.  I’m NOT saying Cod Liver Oil tastes like salt water taffy)

It may be just me, but Cod Liver Oil is nutritious AND delicious!

Favorite Christmas’ – Charlie Brown Tree

I was maybe sixteen? fifteen? Either way, Chris and I went to San Diego to spend Christmas with Mom. Of course, that meant the added benefit of being with Grandma and Grandpa Pagliaro! Of course, that meant that spaghetti was waiting for us when we arrived :-)

We got there and it was very close to Christmas. Just a day or two maybe three. We needed a tree! Turns out, everyone was pretty much sold out. We ended up getting a Charlie Brown Tree! At least, it was brown!! It was maybe 3 feet tall with just a hint of green. We covered that thing with tinsel and ornaments and made it look like a Christmas Tree.  Best part was, it proved that being with family was way more important than the pomp of Christmas. Besides, we had a LOT of fun with it!