La Jolla Tide Pools

Casa de Manana, an up-scale retirement community, is just up the street from spectacular tide pools in La Jolla.

There is 3-hour parking in front of their building.

The pools speak for themselves.

Take a walk along the sand.

And rock.

Peer into the nooks...

and crannies along the way.

And contemplate retirement.

Or at least how you will spend your next free weekend...

Field Trip

My grade school class went to the Griffith Observatory.

We watched a movie.

Learned about planets.

Et cetera.

Yesterday I was in the Whole Foods store in La Jolla purchasing curried broccoli salad.

There was a lot of noise coming from the olive bar in the back.

The server and I glanced up at the same time. Then she smiled and said, “Oh it is an elementary class.”

Really?

“Yes, they get to walk around the store and taste samples. The group yesterday was chanting ‘chocolate, chocolate, chocolate’ and they got kinda loud.”

School kids line up to try green and black olives.

While checking out, I asked the cashier if Whole Foods sees a lot of field trip groups.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “The kids get to go back to the seafood section and see a whole octopus and stuff.”

Hmmmmmmm.

Still trying to process this.

Am I the only one that thinks this is an odd choice for a school sponsored trip?

On the plus side, the next generation will know where to buy organic.

Pelican Population

Brown pelicans were once an endangered species.

If you have been along the coast, in the last few weeks, you would find that hard to believe.

They seem to be doing fly-bys.

In various formations.

Kinda cool to see.

Although for those with beachfront property it might be a different story.

I would bet that sales of Windex have skyrocketed along with the pelican population.

Makeshift Sunscreen

Protection from harmful rays when temperatures rose over 80 degrees along the coast.

SPF-400?

Working the Quads

Swami’s in Encinitas is an ideal spot to ‘do the stairs’.

From the top,

it is 138 steps…

…and a transition from concrete to wood,

before you hit the sand.

The improvements that took place in April are noticeable.

Now it is easier to enjoy the workout and view without worrying about structural soundness.

Catch of the Day

He definitely hooked a big one….

I think it might be a brown-bellied longboard.

Often spotted in San Diego salt water.

Lots of Lemons

There seems to be an abundance of lemons lately.

Bagfuls, in fact.

From friends. And co-workers.

What is one to do with all this cheery fruit.

Here are some of my favorite lemon treats:

Meyer Lemon and Asparagus Risotto

Recipe

Classic Lemonade

Recipe

and a Lemon and Mint Foot Bath

Needed: 1 glider (or somewhere fun to sit) and a container for soaking

Pour water over smooth clean stones, sliced lemon and sprigs of mint.

Add feet.