San Diego and back...

It was a moving experience...
traveling in the van down to San Diego to take SB what she couldn't carry herself. You'd think I would have taken a picture of the strapped in motorcycle, the boxes and bags and plants, the bicycle, but I didn't...it was all a blur.

I did take a picture of a van that has a few more miles on it than ours...

I like how this plumber had his business and residence number on the truck...sign of the times.

The first night we slept at the Montecito Inn, just south of Santa Barbara. A sweet place with marble floors and a Charlie Chaplain theme. I'd say that the employees there are happy to have their jobs based on the friendly kind service they offered.

In the morning we got to San Juan Capistrano before we stopped and I actually popped my camera out there for a picture or two.

You can see the old Mission and all the busy town that surrounds it in this shot.

We went inside the new mission where a children's choir was practicing. Their sweet voices welled within the painted walls.

Down the block , older buildings...you can see two generations of adobe in this arch.


Cactus and shadows of time and trees...

But we were just stretching, not touring, it was back in the van for us and south to San Diego.

San Diego....reached. Its' a long way down the road. Parking in front of her shared town house we feel out the neighborhood. Re-establishing oneself in a new place is a great adventure but also lots of work. What did we do Wednesday? Unpack the van...ponder why the landlord has a refrigerator that traps you behind the door up against a wall, wonder if Abbers Little Girl the Cat will do well here after her coastal paradise time, wander the aisles of the closest grocery store, realize anew how much we will miss SB.

One way streets, cranes towering above the city ...relativity always abounds...we had dinner downtown in a nice restaurant and then drove past homeless folks lined up at a soup kitchen. One man's tent was set up right on the sidewalk, while others have no more than cardboard. San Diego has a large population on the streets. Salvation Army...a donation is in order.

But she's not homeless...she's got a spot and is looking for a new job. I won't describe leaving, but miss her already.

Leaving after dinner, we drove past L.A. in the dark and made it to Thousand Oaks where we found safe haven at a Best Western. How did pioneers do it...one step at a time and camping in the wilderness? The little bells along the road mark where Padre Junipero Serra and his band walked ...El Camino Real.

In the morning we explored highway 192 by Carpenteria ...a photo advertisement for a nursery enticed us and we saw more greenhouses along this route than I could imagine. The nursery was indeed lovely and we soothed ourselves off the road amongst the flowers. This is one that came home with us, it's a Dwarf Blue Tango Bromeliad Aechmea 'Del Mar' .

Here is one of the displays we saw...inspiring.

Well, I must away, the day has warmed up and I better go take care of the new plants.