Day 4 - Sun, Fun, & Family

Finally, a day that didn't start with trying to figure out how many miles we need to drive before stopping for lunch! We tried to sleep in but Tate had a different agenda. He was up a little after 6 asking for eggs (this kid eats more eggs than a chicken-hawk). Usually, when he gets up, he doesn't want anybody else to miss out on the fun and excitement so he makes sure we're all awake. No worries, I didn't need that fifth hour of sleep anyway.

The good thing about Embassy Suites is their complimentary breakfast. We all visited the buffet and enjoyed a nice large meal. After breakfast I talked to my uncle John, in town from Seattle, and grandma and got plans squared away for the morning. We decided to venture towards Point Loma (about 20 minutes away) and meet them to visit and have some lunch. En route, we decided it was best to try and extract some energy from the boys before heading to my grandma's house. So, we went to a little park on Shelter Island and let the kids swing and slide for a bit. Shelter Island is where a bunch of the sailboat equipment, repair, and sales businesses are. It's also where the San Diego Yacht Club is and where the Americas Cup lived for a while when the US had ownership of it. My grandma's house is right up the hill from Shelter Island. When we got to grandma's house we spent a while talking, taking pictures, looking around and then decided to head out for lunch. There is a Willson family (my mom's family name) tradition whenever visitors are in town. We always go to a Mexican restaurant in Ocean Beach called Nati's. It's a local place that has been open in the same spot since 1960, the same year my grandparents, my mom, and her siblings (she's the middle child of five) moved here from Los Angeles. As always, the food was excellent. We had a room all to ourselves and were thus able to visit for quite a while. I spent some time quizzing grandma about my grandfather, James David Willson, who died five years before I was born and who I am named after. I never really knew much about him. I discovered he was very soft-spoken, funny, and enjoyed working with his hands. He built lots of wood-working crafts and especially enjoyed making boats. He was also very involved in Boy Scouts with his boys, Dave, Tom, & John, and loved being in the outdoors, particularly fishing. I hope to spend more time learning about him tomorrow or on a future trip. After lunch we ventured back to La Jolla, donned our bathing suits and headed for La Jolla Shores beach. It was pretty crowded but we managed to find a spot we could mark as our own. As an interesting aside, I stopped by a surfboard shop to rent an umbrella. The "kid" helping me out was a typical southern California "surfer-dude". He couldn't really figure out how much to charge so he said "Ah man, just give me five bucks". I think he didn't want to fill out any paperwork because then he said "you look trustworthy, just try to have it back by 6:30". I could have so kept that $13 umbrella, but I decided to be honest about it.......:)

The beach was fun and the kids really burned a lot of energy. After we got back to our hotel and got cleaned up, we grabbed a quick bite down the street and topped off by a visit to Baskin-Robbins. I think the kids were asleep within five minutes of being back in the room; they were wiped.

Tomorrow, I hope to make a visit to the USS Midway, an Aircraft Carrier turned museum docked in downtown San Diego. It's supposed to be really neat. We'll have to compare it to the USS Lexington, a carrier in Corpus Christi where Dawson, Braden, & I did an overnight camp-out in February with the Cub Scouts. Afterwards, we'll pack up and make way for Anaheim.

Enjoy the pics.

Jennifer & Tate. I think they look like twins in this picture. The bay is about 30 feet to the left of them.My grandmother holding her great-granddaughter, Abby.
L-R: Uncle John, Grandma, Dawson, Braden, Abby, me, Tate. Abby was infatuated with uncle John. She kept looking at him and smiling, which she is doing in this picture.The view from my grandma's house. The first strip of land across the picture is Shelter Island. Further in the distance is Coronado Island. The closest feature on Coronado Island is the Naval Air Station; this is also where the Navy SEALS train. My dad used to sit in the living room at grandma's house and look out the window for hours. I used to watch the Navy ships go by and try to identify them in a reference book that was always kept nearby. Grandma will tell you she has the best view in all of San Diego. You can see from her house, sweeping from left to right, the airport, downtown San Diego, the Coronado Island bridge and Coronado Island, San Diego Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and on a clear day, Tijuana, Mexico. It's hard to argue with her on this point.
Anybody who has been to Nati's recognizes this waitress. She has worked here since the restaurant opened. Uncle John also shared with me that he had a crush on her when he was a teenager. You'll notice his smile is a little brighter in this picture.

Uncle John: This is payback for pulling out the 24" x 36" picture of me wearing a leotard and makeup (while dancing on stage at our family reunion in Guadalupe when I was 16) at my wedding reception. Uncle Tom, Uncle Dave, & Aunt Suzie, you're day will come.

Aunt Kim: Don't worry, I think this phase of his life is long over with.

One more meal down at Nati's. Still fantastic!

A girl's day at the beach.

That's Dawson & Braden in the surf. They had a blast swimming.

Tate liked the water so long as it didn't get in his mouth. Once that happened, he was done swimming and opted for "sandbox time".

The boys!

I think Braden will have sand in his hair for 6 or 7 weeks now.