WWDOOV (part 2)

Before I get started, let's take a moment and remember the victims of 9/11. The war on terrorism is still being waged and there isn't an end in sight. It's amazing how the senseless acts of a few can impact so many people.

Our first full day in San Diego and we decided to tackle the zoo. Thanks to the trusty GPS and lots of patience from M, we got there. It was a beautiful day (everybody says every day in San Diego is beautiful so I'm not mentioning anything that people don't already know.) The zoo is such a big place it was hard to decide where to go first but thanks to the map, we just headed off and went from one display to another. We got there bright and early so there wasn't much of a crowd (yet) and we didn't have to look around or thru people to see the animals. M says her favorite thing there was a furry brown bear that was having a fight a branch in his cage. It was in his way and he was trying to move it so he could get someplace else. He would push and pull at branches until they either broke off or stayed out of his way but at one point he thought he could get over the branch and he sort of got high centered and really had to struggle to free himself. Right next to him was a bear having a really bad hair day. He had to have a little OCD going on. He would go partially behind a wall in his place and rock from side to side for a while then come out and perform a little then go back and start over again with the rocking. We stood and watched him for probably 20 minutes and that is all he did - rock then come out and do something (doesn't take much to entertain us, does it?)

I think my favorite animal there was the hippopottamus (sp). He was right up at the front of his enclosure, leaning against the glass. The only time he moved was when he would surface for a breath then he would sink back down and sit there for at least 2 minutes. His ears were folded back to keep water out and every time he surfaced they would open and twitch then he would seal them up again as he submerged. What a life!!!!!!! Sleep, breath and eat.

We both liked the elephants and the great display that they live in.

We were there for over 6 hours and neither of us remembered a hat and M didn't pack sunscreen so we got a little bit fried but we had a great time. I've never been there before and I was really impressed but I did feel sorry for lots of the animals - they were all alone, didn't have any company in their cages. Maybe it is best that way, I don't know, but I sure wouldn't want to be alone for my entire life.

I learned something there though. I figure if I learn one thing a day, the day isn't a complete loss. I learned that flamingoes are pink because they eat shrimp. Don't know when I will ever need this little bit of knowledge, but it might come up in a converstation sometime. It could happen, stranger things have.

After our day at the zoo, we typed in "Ocean Beach" into the GPS, and we went there. Ocean Beach was ok, your typical beach with muscle-bound guys, girls in bikinies and bathing suits, kids running around and litter) so we just drove around and ended up at Sunset Cliffs. Now we both really liked this place. 50 feet from the road are cliffs that drop down to the ocean. There are houses on this road that have nothing between them and the ocean but the road and the cliffs. Great views, surfers out on the water, beautiful sunsets - what more could you ask for? Now, I ask you, would you get tired of this? Maybe not tired but you would take it for granted after a while. We found a little house that was for sale a couple blocks up from the beach, didn't have much of a view and if their neighbor burped, you would be able to hear him in your house, the houses are so close together. It was about 1500 square feet and it was over 1.5 mill. I guess what they say in the real estate market is right. Location, Location, Location.

Well, we stayed at Sunset Cliffs watching surfers and just enjoying the scenery then headed back to the big city of San Diego. We drove past the airport and the harbor and the maritime museum and decided to stop for dinner. We ended up at Anthony's (they claim to be the best seafood restaurant in San Diego - that is what their sign says). We weren't disappointed, either. M had scallops and I had fish tacos. The service was great. It felt like we had our own water boy - you couldn't take a drink without him being right there to refill your glass. The restaurant was over the water on pilings and had a harbor view so we were able to watch the sunset.

We wandered the pier and ended up talking to a lady in a booth about sailing on the "Californian" the next day. I don't remember what it cost us, but we got admission to the Maritime Museum that night and the next day and a 4 hour sailing trip (it was well worth every penny we paid). More about our sailing adventure, with pictures, another day

Well, by this time, we had about vacationed ourselves to death so we went back to the motel/suite and called it a day.