San FrancisCOLD been there, done that one

Unfortunately we did not have even decent weather for our visit to SF!!  We are glad we took a  lot of pictures because it is not really one of the places we would choose to revisit.
We managed to survive San Diego, drive through LA, without getting shot at :)  and knew enough to stay outside of San Francisco in "Los Gatos"  and make day trips throughout the area instead. Unfortunately for us, due to our schedule, our visit to SF fell on Sunday of the  Fourth of July weekend:  one of the busiest weekends of the year. Through it all Lady Luck still smiled on us.   When we arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge south side visitors' center there were so many people that I almost lost Jackie in the parking lot after she dropped me off because there was no a place to stop and the lot/lots were on two levels and separated by an overpass. Somehow out of maybe several hundred people and fewer than 100 parking spots we managed to fight off the competition and secure a spot in the 1st hour!!!!!! Now that we had a parking space for the day we began our exploration by hitting the porter potty; because it was so cold and windy nature called. There were so many tour buses at the visitors center that I remarked to Jackie why not do the "touristy" thing, which we don't do often.  It turned out that there was a tour bus dropping people off right in front of us and I asked if it was available and what was the cost:  FREE the driver said because he didn't have the mechanism to take money, yippee. The tour took us over the bridge to Sausalito where the houseboat community is.   It was sunny and warm on the "other" side so we decided to stay for lunch and ice cream before catching the return bus to the south side again.

Mood changes: it is amazing how quickly external factors can change my mood. Going from 80 to 60  cold, moist, over cast and windy weather was definitely a bummer.  Having said that, much to Jackie's chagrin,  I still wanted to experience more of the bridge thereby dragging my family back over it on foot.   Needless to say 5 minutes later Jackie wanted to turn back and Alexander was in a terrible funk. Mommy had a talk with him and he managed to scrape up a smile which I will show later on.   Please keep in mind that Molly, the dog, is being subjected to all of the above as well ;-).

We were cold and tired and decided to head on "home" for the rest of the afternoon.  We knew it was warm and sunny in Los Gatos and Alexander wanted to swim in the pool.  We decided to drive through SF on our way North on Tuesday to experience a cable car ride and go to the Cable Car Museum.

Life in Los Gatos:    Jackie had booked this motel several months earlier to avoid a chance encounter on short notice.   We were not disappointed.  True it was a motel, just a room, but we had a patio and 10 ' away a lovely grassy lawn where we threw around the football til dark.   The rate included a pretty healthy buffet breakfast, which we appreciated, as we were making due with take out and snacks at night to save a few $$ when the day's experiences were over the budget.  Also this spot was centrally located which allowed for short day trips.  SF, Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay.

On Monday, the 4th I took Alexander into Santa Cruz (coastal) for a steam train ride through a redwood forest.  It was a wonderful ride which Alexander enjoyed.   Jackie "rested".  Due to the dryness of the land there were only a few fireworks' displays, mostly on the Coast.   There was no noise in Los Gatos.

We wanted to book another night to explore the area some more but there was nothing available, so we headed to SF for another dose of pain on Tuesday morning.  We were pulling the trailer this time around as we were leaving the area for the Northern Coast.   The car "cried out" for help going up those hills.   Jackie was driving, per usual, and was getting quite nervous.   The plan was to park the trailer somewhere and then walk to take the cable car.   No garage would allow the trailer even though we were willing to pay for the extra space, so we put it at a meter on the street, took the car a bit further away to find another meter space so we could walk on.   There is only 2 hours max parking so we were under a time constraint.  We made it to the museum, which was interesting and free but didn't have time for the cable car.   Oh well, wish we could say "maybe next time"...........NOT.

We were due in Redwood Valley to stay with friends for Friday thru Sunday, but we encountered glitches on the way...............

Saying Goodbye San Diego

After 4 nights in San Diego we were so looking forward to spending the 5th night with  friends, an hour outside of San Diego, in the hills.   Our friends have managed to escape the rat race and are in the planning stages of building a home on a 30 acre piece of land in an area called Alpine.  They have been

 living there "off the grid" for some months with electricity produced only when they need it by a gas powered generator. They did invest in drilling, not one, but two wells so water was abundant. We got a chance to use our little generator for electricity and were thankful we did not have to run it through the night for the AC as the temperature dropped from 100 to the mid 70's overnight . We shared a wonderful evening cooking on the barbie and eating at a picnic table outside, sharing stories and drinking wine until late into the night.  Michelle and Will were truly wonderful hosts:   we did nothing and enjoyed a great meal.   Besides the red headed woodpecker, a blue jay,  and a little bunny rabbit, we had to watch out for rattle snakes and keep Molly close to us so she didn't discover one by herself.  At bedtime we slept in a pop up trailer, which is available for guests, with screens opened all around.  How wonderful it was that we were able to sleep under the stars, smell the fresh air and enjoy the sound of wild life in what felt like the frontier.  We had a great night's sleep. We made jokes in the dark and laughed many times before falling asleep.   It was magical.

Happy on the road.

the garden

not quite awake

where we sletp

Our time in San Diego felt rushed from the moment we arrived;  part of it was created by us but the traffic and the drivers will drive a NEnglander nuts!!!   Our true destination for this trip was to experience as much of the Pacific Coast as was possible within our time frame.   We wanted to begin in San Diego for a couple of reasons.   We wanted to visit friends whom we hadn't seen since 2003 and we wanted Alexander to have great fun with the many attractions that SD offers:  Lego Land, Sea World and SD Zoo's Safari land at the top of our list.  We learned very quickly:  If you're going to come to San Diego be prepared to feel the pain.......... in your wallet.

We had done some research about the SD Go Card and found a 4 day pass for the price of 3 at Costco.  This card saves about 40% overall if you score several attractions in the given time frame.  Well, with one thing and another (screw ups) we weren't able to obtain the card, which can only be purchased online, until Sunday.   That delay cost dearly as Sea World is an encounter of the most expensive kind!!  Widy received a 20% discount as a veteran and the (2) tickets still cha-chinged in at $137.00.   However having said that it was the very best "bang for the buck" out of the three parks.  Alexander had a great day (the roller coaster being his favorite ride) and they were able to return after supper to  enjoy some more action and the fireworks explosion at 10pm.  A full day was had by them while Jackie enjoyed a quiet day with Molly in San Diego.

On our first night in SD, Widy (the great researcher) was able to find a unique restaurant close by.  I do have to say that we've never seen so many restaurants anywhere in our travels before.  This one was a "from farm  to table" with exceptional food, both tasty and healthy.  We went all out and bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate the moment we arrived "cross-country".

  The following 3 days were spent like mucho mas dineros on attractions.
Sea world with Alexander and Daddy on Saturday (they didn't get home until 10pm) and as said above it was a great success.   Sunday was the day at Legoland (miserable for Widy and GREAT for Alexander).  Widy must have texted me a dozen times telling me what a  huge, expensive tourist trap it was!

Monday we all went to Safari Park, 35 miles outside of SD, in about 100 degree heat.  It was a big winner with great staff and accommodations.  We brought along our little trailer with the plan of running the generator for the AC for Molly.  We had called in advance to ask if there might be a 110 outlet available to no avail, but when we arrived at the park we found a grounds keeper who was able to find a electrical outlet for us which we felt was much safer and more reliable than the generator; and a security guard who promised to keep an eye out on it for us.
 This park was definitely the winner in my book,(Widy)   not just because they were so accommodating but also because the park itself is beautifully maintained and the 3 of us shared it together.  If you aren't familiar with this particular park it comprises 1800 acres and is a very open concept park, but of course it's still a zoo;  but it is a non profit organization and are very pro active in it's attempt to help promote the resurgence of endangered species.  

The other more expensive Safari tour

Alexander playing Bat

Cheeta run 

Gorilla family

We Made it to San Diego

This past week took us from the desert of Arizona to the coast of CA. Along the way we had some fun experiences..  The Grand Canyon was one, a big check off on the Bucket list.  We took a detour down through Yuma because 120+ degrees through the Joshua Tree NP was not an option and held on with bated breath as our car crawled along, up and down, up and up and up in the mountains nearly over heating.  Well we made it to YUMA only to endure 124 degrees in the parking lot of their water park.   We looked up the temps in San Diego and decided the 70's were where we wanted to be!!

The Grand Canyon:  what is there to say that has not already been said? You simply have to be there in order to  appreciate how "Grand" it is. From my perspective it felt like being a dot in one of those micro painting and therefore was impossible for me to capture by camera the whole landscape.  I did manage to capture snippets, which we're happy with.

Beyond overwhelmed "not" he was just tired and hungry this morning.

  Depending on the light and shadows the landscape was never the same. Jackie and I were a bit overwhelmed to say the least and as for Alexander I think he was beyond overwhelmed and had not much to say at the time.  He simply rolled along with what ever we did/said. If we can't put it into perspective how can we expect him to.

One  highlight took place at the end of day driving back to our hotel . I spotted several cars parked off the road with many people pointing cameras at one of those wild life mentioned in our brochure. I insisted that Jackie to make a U turn:  "we have to take some pictures" I yelled; of course this was at the end of the day and I had already taken a million pics by then so by now she was not feeling the love but did it and it was worth it. Here are some images of this animal standing tall and majestic, very much at home and comfortable being "shot" at by some many humans.  Quite unreal. We were thrilled to have caught the moment on film.

The next morning we visited a place call BEARIZONA.   We had seen the billboard advertising it two days earlier on the way to Williams, AZ.  Now being from the northeast my first reaction was "what sort of  red- neck place would call itself Bearizona"? It reeked "tourist trap".  After some handi-dandi internet research I learned later that it was a  drive through "open concept" zoo: a sort of safari park were the bears roam "freely" and actually come up to the cars.  So we had to go and see for our- selves:  we saw bears, bison, and some wild cats. ( Jackie here:   I'm not fond of traditional zoos, for the most part, and I'm not sure everyone was happy here but they did have many acres to hang out in and it was an up close encounter.  We stayed for a well done and informative presentation about predatory birds. I considered this the park's redemption.   We learned that the park is a non -profit organization which rescues and rehabilitates many indigenous wildlife with the intent of returning them to their natural habitat, if at all possible.)  Some of the pictures are fuzzy because it was a requirement to keep our windows up while rolling pass the bears. Really at no time did we feel unsafe and luckily no bear crawled over our hood.

One Does Not Go to Gallup, NM for the FOOD

As suggested by one of the reviewers from TripAdvisor, I downloaded a few apps that I had chosen for this cross country road trip: Google Maps (even though I have a GPS), Road Trippers, Priceline, Gas Buddy and TripAdvisor. Except for Road Tripper all of them have worked great, even with their strength and weakness ebbing and flowing.  

On our way from Taos, NM to Williams, AZ,  a 486 mile trip we decided we would stop in Gallup, NM as it looked like the halfway point. I surf the net for a place to stay and a place to eat while Jackie does the driving. Let me tell you surfing the net can be quite challenging.  Every town that may have a cell phone tower can be about 50 miles apart, at any time, which is very frustrating but I manage. 

We arrived late and hungry and true to it's name Gallup felt like a city where the population just kept on "Galluping" through and we weren't going to be any different.

We narrowed our restaurant for the night to two  choices and asked at the front desk of our hotel which to chose. We went to a place call Coal Street Pub on the Historic RT 66.  It was full of memorabilia on the walls and the floor. It looked like a cross between the Hard Rock Cafe and a Grunge hang out.  There was a little something for everybody: for me the Elton John record and old photographs; for Jackie the buck saw and six guns (she use to have one as a kid, thank god she does not anymore)

and for Alexander it was the mechanical typewriter.  He really got a kick out of those moving keys and seeing them make an imprint on paper.

During dinner, an Asian family was sitting across from us, add to  that our family and we made a very 'queer' sight in Gallup with it's mostly Mexican Americans and Indigenous Peoples; but here they were and there we were. They had two boys approximately the age of Alexander and both, it seems, had been well trained on the piano, attested to by their performance on the one that was available in the pub. Not to be outdone by anyone, Alexander was eager to show off his skill on the piano asking us if he could go up and play Mary had a little a lamb. "No way" we said but he was persistent " I know how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb". After many pleas we were worn down and much too tired to resist, however as a redirect I said  "why don't you play the conga drum, as you've had much practice in Puerto Rico".  Below is a snippet of that performance,  unfortunately I ran out of video before he finished. When he was done the patrons in the pub started clapping.  He still did not feel that he really measured up to those kids performance and could use some positive re-enforcement.   I hope you are able to watch this video but if not, and you are interested, I can email it to you individually. Perhaps you could give him a call and let him know how great he sounds.

A little magic happen last weekend

Wishes come and wishes go.  As adults, we (meaning I) take those wishes for granted. I tend to play it off because, let's face it, we don't want to let our loved ones down when they do make a wish and it doesn't come true. 
Well, I was proven wrong this past weekend and could not be happier for it.
On Thursday, June 16 th we drove to San Antonio, Tx.  We did the touristy thing and walked the "river walk", had dinner and later visited the Alamo.  It was HOT!!!  We felt lucky for being able to bring along our dog Molly and in most places that we went  she was welcomed;  except for the Alamo.  Jackie took Alexander for the tour while I waited outside with Molly; when they came out Alexander insisted I go in to see the rest of the museum with him. We went in, and in the middle of the courtyard was a wishing well.  I had to explain to him the mythology of the well and gave him a penny; being Alexander, he made his wish out loud:  "I wish I could fly".   Well I said, being the practical, protective parent,  "you can't fly without an airplane, but maybe someday".
That weekendb, Jackie planned, for my birthday,

Balloon Glow

A mother and son moment

Lucky Charm

Alexander in Blue hooded sweater in Awe of the fire

WOW

That fire keeps me warm 

something like a 120k BTU every he fires that thing

That poor guy it's his job to keep the balloon
steady.

life is good.

as well as for Fathers Day, for us to observe the Balloon Festival at Angel Fire, NM.   We arrived Saturday and after dinner attended the ceremonial night- lighting of the Balloons (called Balloon Glow). It was spectacular to see but avoiding the prairie dog holes was a challenge.   The next event was at 7:00  the next morning and we surely were not going to miss that.   Up at 5:30am with sleepy eyes, having changed time zones recently, we head to the field.   Once there we met some people whom Alexander chatted with, but they were working hard to set up and obviously needed another couple of hands so I offered to help and in between helping they hinted that we may be able to go up. Yippee!!!! I texted Jackie, who was sitting in the car, to come out and take some pics while we worked:  being able to "fly" was  like a dream (or a wish) come true.
As expected, Alexander did get the chance.   Unfortunately, there was only room and time for two guests plus the pilot to lift off at a time.  One father who was helping allowed his son to go first and Alexander went next.
Later on, after the work of descending and packing up this huge balloon,  a small ceremony was held celebrating Man's first flight.   The pilot told a story of the first flight which happened somewhere in France in 1837; that's when the magic happened. Alexander and the other boy were both "christened" for having taken part in a tradition of the first man who left the earth without wings. Champagne was passed around (apple juice for the kids) and another little story told; then the kids got down on their knees for the "christening". As part of the ceremony the pilot said and I will try to put it as best as I can remember:
"for having taken your first flight without wings or hands now you must drink without hands".
It wasn't until the next morning that I realized how magical this encounter was and I wanted to share it with all of you (including myself) before I forget it...

                                                       

Alexander the beautiful Mariposa,  San Antonio

Here I am and Alexander below helping out with the balloon

Getting ready for take off

up up and away

up in the air 

getting ready to land

A successful landing

Getting to Ocala

We left our friends in Milford, NJ on Tuesday, June 7th thinking that we could drive 12 hrs to Savannah, GA  in one attempt.......ya right.   We didn't even make it to SC due to lots of traffic backups.  We had to make a stop in NC at midnight to catch some zzzzzzz and proceed to Savannah the next day, arriving in time to do some sightseeing,   For anyone who hasn't had a chance to visit that city:  it is lovely, and very walk-able.  We visited a tourist trap for dinner, called the Pirates House restaurant, with a great outcome:  good food, southern style, and fun interactions.    We walked along the river after dinner and enjoyed the warm evening.  

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River Walk in Savanah

Alexander helping with the Cargo Tray as we load up on our to Savannah (not)

On our way with Alexander entertaining himself

Taking a peaceful break, after being on the road for several hours,  in a beautiful park in Savannah........look at that Magnolia!!

Alexander posing with pirate gear in Pirate House restaurant with Anne Bonny, the famous female pirate

River Walk in Savanah after supper