Sunrise, sunset

Surprise!  And good morning from San Diego.  You’re thinking, Wait, aren’t Heather and Cas supposed to be home, now?  Because Heather has to be at work today?  Well, you’re not wrong.  I am supposed to be at work today, but here I still am, in beautiful San Diego.  Our flight was cancelled, I told my boss, and I am pretty sure I’m not fired or anything.  Turns out, a school can run for a day without its librarian.  

Yesterday began with a quick bite at our hotel- we purchased a pair of bananas on the way back to the room the night before so we could move out quickly and get started on the day.  We peeled and ate our breakfast, then checked out, backpacks packed, to head to a coffee shop.  We were taking a bit of a circuitous path to a seafood restaurant that had been recommended to us.  I can now fully recommend Point Loma seafoods.  It’s not a fancy, sit-down spot or anything, but the food is spectacular.  Go for the crab sandwich and some sushi.  Cas commented that it may have been his first actual California Roll in California, with fresh crab.  That’s when we checked in on the American Airlines app.  The plane we were supposed to get on yesterday was supposed to travel from somewhere I didn’t catch to Dallas to San Diego, then back to Dallas.  It apparently didn’t make it to Dallas that first time, cancelling the two flights that came after.  We kept getting delays- an hour, then a half hour then another hour.  We remained hopeful, but in the end, the whole darn thing was cancelled.  

Cas and I went to the airport to see what we could do about getting home in a reasonable timeframe- they actually rebooked us to fly to Phoenix early this morning and then from there to Dallas after a very long layover.  Cas was trying to fix it so we could get home in one fell swoop, and maybe get a spot to sleep in the meantime.  The series of delays kind of pushed us so late in the day that there were no more options for Sunday at all, and of course, a whole airplane full of people were all looking for a way home.  When we got to the counter to speak with a representative, I am sure we were the latest in a series of frustrated folks, and I am sure Cas and I were none too pleasant when she told us there wasn’t much she could do, nor was there any way the airline would provide us with a hotel room.  That last part was the record scratch that put Cas off.  The representative said it was a weather related cancellation, and in such cases, the airline wasn’t responsible.  We were standing there on a sunny day wondering how the weather was problematic.  Apparently, weather three stops away is also somehow our problem.  Great.  

Needless to say, we were both frustrated.  But in the end, we booked for a flight this evening straight through to Dallas with a plan to fly standby earlier, if possible.  This morning, Cas actually checked the app again and found us two spots on an also-delayed flight, so we’ll try for that.  Maybe we see Dallas before lunchtime.  Maybe not.  But the hotel is nice, and we did have one heck of a view before we climbed into the freshly made bed.  

See you back in Dallas! 

(I hope!) 

Any way the wind blows

Sometimes, you plan a trip down to the last detail.  Sometimes, you let a tour company tell you where to go.  Sometimes, like this weekend, you just go where the wind takes you.  We did book two things when we were still in landlocked Dallas, but they were things that were likely to sell out before we arrived here.  Everything else, we figured out on the fly or by the recommendations of others.  Yesterday morning, we had breakfast by walking around the twice-a-week Farmers Market that this city holds in Little Italy.  We found a stand that was selling the best fresh squeezed orange juice and Italian lemonade either of us can remember having.  With our beverages in hand, we found a spot that had flaky, French pastries.  I ended up with a croissant muffin that somehow had raspberry jam in it.  Cas had a similarly flaky pastry, also stuffed with a fruit jam.  Wow.  We sat on the outer rim of a pretty fountain and ate our treats while the water behind us arced into the waiting pool below.  We took one more stroll down a different row of vendors, and found ourselves walking back to the hotel carrying a pair of empanadas.  We had to stop at a 7-11 for a few bottles of water, though.  Somehow, there is never water for sale at farmers markets.  Note for future Heather and Cas adventures- take your own water to a farmers market.  

We finished our amazing breakfast, took a bottle of water with us and hit the city bus for our trip to the world renowned San Diego Zoo.  Now, we had some muscles in our backs, abdomens, shoulders and legs that wanted us to remember how much fun we had the day before, rowing a kayak in the ocean.  Hey, that’s no joke.  Kayaks in the ocean aren’t as easy to maneuver as kayaks on calm, Dallas lakes.  Regardless, we knew there would be lots of walking around, and we tried to mentally prepare ourselves for it while we sat on the air conditioned bus.  The tickets to get into the zoo are pretty pricey, but when you visit, there are things inside that seem like add-ons, but they are included with the ticket price.  There’s a guided tour bus so you can have a lap around the grounds while an expert tells you what’s where.  There’s a gondola on a cable that crosses the sky over the grounds so you can float above it all and gaze down at the people and other animals.  And surprisingly, there are concessions available, but the snack Cas and I had was not stupidly expensive.  It did cost more than it should, to be sure, but typical zoo pricing did not apply.  

We had a good time there.  The elephants were pretty active, the hippos were impressively large and the camels were lumpy.  The lions were actually walking around when we went by, but we were told that it was near feeding time, and that gets them up and about.  Heck, one of the koalas was awake- and they allegedly sleep 22 hours a day.  The odds were ever in our favor!  Except for the whole panda situation.  The San Diego Zoo is one of the few places in the US where you may actually see a Giant Panda.  The other is Washington DC.  When we arrived at the zoo yesterday, we scanned the QR code at the gate that said it would let you grab some timed entry tickets and see these guys, but since we arrived just after noon, there were none left for the day.  When we walked by the Panda enclosure, there was a line for the timed ticket holders, then there was a standby line.  There were a few hundred people in the flippin’ standby line.  I love a good peek at a strange creature as much as the next kid, but dang.  We shook our heads and kept walking.  Maybe next time.  

We checked out a few more zoo things, saw grizzly bears and polar bears, peered in at some exotic birds and two different kinds of flamingoes, and somehow, saw a wedding party.  The bride and groom were still dressed from the ceremony, and all I can figure is that this couple really, really loved the zoo.  I hope they got to see the pandas…  

But the clock was winding down on our zoo adventure.  For the record, my step counter says yesterday featured a vacation-esque high of 18,416 steps.  It was clearly time to sit and relax.  Hello, again, bus ride.  They have some decent buses in this town, and the drivers were quite friendly.  Heck, everyone we’ve met in San Diego has been friendly.  We got back to our home base and got ready for the sunset sail.  Before we left Dallas, I booked the kayak and snorkel trip, and Cas booked this.  The sunset sail was for six people, and the man at the helm was Captain Billy.  He was clearly cut out for this line of work.  He loves sailing- takes great joy in moving sails about and turning tight corners to cut across waves.  He sees it as a great personal failing if the winds are good, but you’re running the motor anyway.  It was a very cool trip.  We shared our space with a family of four.  They were an Indian couple who emigrated to San Francisco years ago, where they had their two kids- both in college, now, and both on the boat with us.  The father was celebrating his fiftieth birthday.  The four of them spent most of the pre-sunset time at the front of the boat, sitting near the bow.  I hope they were having the best time, because when they were sitting near us, the 20-year-old boy was staring down at his phone like his neck muscles and tendons had been severed.  

The sunset was gorgeous, though, and Captain Billy mercifully had blankets on board.  Cas and I packed like we were headed to a southern city in July and August.  Nobody mentioned that the water cools it all down.  Especially after sunset.  Live and learn.  

When the sailing adventure came to an end and the sun had set, we had to give the blankets back,  That set us up to be truly appreciative of the Uber ride we sprang for back to the main drag where we were going to have a nice dinner.  Since we’re staying in the Little Italy section of town, an Italian dinner seemed like the right plan.  We ended up at a spot with truly tasty pasta dishes- we had a bottle of red wine, and I ordered a very fancy ravioli.  Cas got their lasagne.  We each ate half of what was in front of us, then switched plates.  It was all extremely good, and we probably ate more than we should have.  And that brings us around to today.  We have a flight home in the afternoon, and we still have one item on our San Diego to-do list unchecked.  We have to try some sushi.  Cas has a recommendation from Captain Billy for a spot where the fish is so fresh you’ll wonder if there’s a guy with a pole out back, catching them as you order.  Then we go home.  And back to work tomorrow for me.  I doubt I will be terribly energetic for the first day back, but I’ll have a nice weekend trip to daydream about during team building exercises.  See you back in Dallas!  

Helmets and waivers

When Cas and I were just starting out on our journey as a couple, we spent one glorious summer going on dates.  So many dates.  Sometimes, we went on two dates a day.  I’m annoyingly into fairness and equity, so I insisted that I pay for half of the dates.  I was also a teacher with a whole darn house all to myself, which meant I had a whole darn mortgage all to myself.  Needless to say, I found lots of things to do on Groupon.  It was a time when every adventure was available there, at a discount.  These days, all I seem to find on Groupon are salon services and oil changes, but that first summer of Heather and Cas took us on an outdoor ropes course, a trapeze, some go-karts- lots of things that required a helmet, the signing of a waiver or both.  It became a joke with both my family and his.  One year for Cas’ birthday, my mother presented him with a helmet of his own, as she had surmised he was often wearing one when going out with me.  At our wedding reception, Cas’ brother Chad presented us with a pair of waivers to sign during his toast.  Needless to say, we developed a reputation as a helmet-wearing, waiver-signing couple.  Now, whenever we are presented with helmets and waivers, we get a good laugh out of it and gleefully sign away.  Yesterday, we got to do it again.  In fact, as we checked in at the desk of the kayak tour place, we were directed to scan a QR and sign a waiver before they even really talked to us.  

With that done, we marched to the back of the strip mall location and were issued wetsuits, snorkel masks, flippers, life vests and… yep.  Helmets.  I mean, we were so darn geared up.  Also, not many people in the world can really pull off the wetsuit look.  Cas and I were both pretty happy when we peeled them off three hours later.  But the gear was a good idea.  The wetsuits were immediately necessary when our kayak flipped and we were dumped out into the chilly water.  San Diego is so much cooler than you expect Southern California to be in July.  The water is quite invigorating, to say the least.  We were given a couple kayak.  We’ve always kayaked in solo boats, but this place had us paired up.  The staff pushes your boat out to the water, you hop in, and they shove you through the waves.  Unless you fall out, then they let you hop back in and give it another try.  Yep.  We fell out.  I guess that was for the best, because after that, we were all good.  But I saw the utility of the helmet at that point- though the kayak didn’t hit me in the head while flipping, it really could have.  

But we rowed to a series of caves on the side of some steep, stone cliffs.  We hopped out of our kayak and we snorkeled.  Cas loves snorkeling, and I have tried to get more into it.  I enjoy looking around under water, but I spend a lot of time trying to get used to breathing the right way, and I live in constant fear that my marginal swimming skills won’t suffice.  Is 50 too old to take swimming lessons?  Question for another day.  But I kept my life vest on and bobbed around, occasionally sticking my face into the water.  It was pretty cool, and it had the benefit of being less nerve-racking than trying to pretend I was some kind of pro.  But that was pretty evident when I struggled to get back into the kayak.  Oof.  I was not the most graceful in that one.  I had to get one of the guides to help shove me back up into the boat.  So also on my list with the swimming lessons, maybe we do a little upper body strength training.  Pulling my wetsuit-clad body out of the water, using the strength of my arms is not as easy as everyone else made it look.  I was properly embarrassed by my inability, but on the bright side, only one of the people who saw me look dumb trying to do it is going home with me at the end of this trip, and he likes me enough not to judge.  

We rounded out the day by having something that basically amounted to deconstructed sushi spread over some kind of fried wonton chip.  It was as confusing as it was delicious.  It was also perfect, as we really needed to sit down, have a bite and rest after that much rowing.  When we were sufficiently relaxed, we decided to take a city bus for a while, then hop off at a spot called Old Town.  We ended up at an outdoor plaza where a Mexican-style band played everything from Margaritaville to Credence.  We stayed for a tune or two, then hopped on a light rail train that deposited us in Little Italy, where we got back to our hotel.  I was pretty tired or wearing a swimsuit under my clothes, and I think Cas was glad to get into some regular shorts.  It was getting kind of close to dinner time, and that wasn’t far off of bed time.  We kind of used up all the energy we had on the kayak adventure, and this morning, we have some muscles reminding us that we did something completely different than usual yesterday.  When we got back into regular clothes, we went out for tacos and margaritas, then we came back to the hotel and flopped on the mattress.  Big day.  

Today, we have a sunset cruise to do later, but I think we may start out at the farmers market for a bite.  Still not sure what else happens today.  We’ve had several ideas, but we’ll decide after we eat.  But seriously- check out these helmets.  

Sparkles

After we checked into our hotel last night, we took off to have a drink on a rooftop.  There was a very cool rooftop bar in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood where we were able to position ourselves just right to watch the sun setting over the water while we sipped mojitos.  So far, I have been impressed by the little fraction of this city we’ve managed to see.  The bartender who made our mojitos was very nice, and there was a customer at another table who was really friendly.  After the sun had set, the temperature got to be a little low for rooftop breezes by the water.  It seems strange to think that way- when we boarded our airplane under 24 hours ago, our phone’s weather apps told us it was 100 degrees outside at the DFW International Airport.  Now, we’re wondering if we should have brought some long sleeved shirts.  

But from the rooftop bar, we walked through Little Italy a bit.  Our stroll took us to a wine bar, where we had a glass of Prosecco.  We have a thing we do involving successful flights and sparking wine.  It goes back nine years, now.  When we did the hot air balloon ride in the Australian Outback, the operator of that balloon served everyone a glass of sparkling wine when we landed.  He explained that it was how you celebrate a successful flight.  We have since expanded that out to other flights.  We did i-fly indoor skydiving and followed with sparkles.  We bungee jumped in New Zealand and followed that with sparkles, and every time we leave an airport, we seem to find some kind of sparkling wine.  The thing with balloons must be real, too, because the hot air balloon in Albuquerque ended with the operator serving sparkling wine in the park where he landed the balloon.  Successful flight.  This trip for us was no different than usual.  Successful flight?  Sparkles.  

We were both pretty tired when we finished our Prosecco.  We had been up late on Wednesday night and early on Thursday morning, two time zones from where we are now.  It was not difficult at all to get to sleep.  But this morning, we were up early enough to hit one of the funkiest breakfast spots in this part of town.  Morning Glory has inventive dishes, fancy coffees and again, very friendly staff.  The girl who served us was spotted with tattoos and dripping with earrings.  She made some extremely welcome and very good menu recommendations, and we really enjoyed our breakfast.  I ordered something called Soufflé Pancakes and Cas got this thing that was basically like a calzone that had been pulled open and cooked.  It was filled with two cheeses, garlic, butter, an egg, bacon and jalapeño.  It was very yummy and pretty confusing.   

Today, we’re gearing up for our snorkeling and kayaking adventure.  Cas and I have done both before, but usually, when we kayak, we have our own boats.  This time, apparently, we’re getting a two-person boat.  Years ago on the Rio Grande, we were informed by a guide that couples boats lead to divorce, but I think we’re solid enough as a couple to make a go of it.  I mean, we both rowed a bit for each other already this summer on our Paris trip.  

But that’s for me to tell about later.  We have to go have the adventures before we can tell you all about them.  So off we go.  Wish us luck- let’s hope our marriage can sustain the blow of a couples boat!

Catch of the day

We took off a little late, so we landed a little behind schedule.  That put dinner at around 5 pm San Diego time, which is 7 in Dallas.  Oh- by the way- we’re in San Diego.  Also of note, we had a nice brunch this morning and were sort of planning to have a late lunch on the West coast.  Chalk that up to an early dinner that we were good and hungry for.  

It’s the last real weekend of my summer break- Cas has one more week of freedom that I don’t get.  Hey, public schools, am I right?  But I never have to wear a suit or a necktie, so I guess it all balances out.  We decided to wrap up this summer and launch into our back-to-school time with a quick weekend away.  Neither of us has ever been to San Diego, and it was on the list of American cities we’d like to see.  We kind of checked where we could fly to and sleep without spending too much, and this time, San Diego won.  We got here, grabbed our backpacks from underneath the seats in front of us and got on a city bus that took us to the neighborhood where our hotel is.  

The thing was, the bus deposited us right next to the water where there were restaurants, lots of boats and a maritime museum.  Oh, and it was 7pm Dallas time, and we were hungry.  We took a chance, walked in the first place we saw (I mean, there were tables on a balcony over the water, so what choice did we have?) and asked the waiter for a recommendation.  Seafood seemed like the right thing, as we were right there, looking at the water while we dined.  One seafood fondue and a catch of the day later, and we felt like San Diego was the right choice.  Also, when a waiter has a favorite thing at a restaurant, it’s usually a good call because he has usually eaten everything they serve.  He recommended the catch  of the day, which was a salmon topped with a grilled shrimp, served over a seafood risotto.  We believed him.  Also, if you are in a spot where you could drop your fork and it may land in the ocean, maybe get the catch of the day.  It’s probably pretty fresh.  

But that was dinner, and from there, we made our way to the hotel.  We actually ate with our backpacks stuffed under the table.  Second time we jammed them in a tight spot in front of our feet today, as it turns out.  After we paid the check, it was time to deposit the backpacks.  So we’re checked in.  On tonight’s agenda is sunset on the water.  Not sure what else- honestly it was a long day.  

While we’re here, we scheduled exactly two things to do, and we’re just going to play the rest by ear.  We have a sunset cruise to take and a kayaking/snorkeling adventure to go on.  It should be good.  Here we go!  

Home again, home again

I have been home long enough to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own bathroom, eat a bacon cheeseburger and have a margarita.  We’re back to having home field advantage for the rest of the summer.  I know how to get around, what foods I like, where to go and how the local currency works.  We came in for a relatively smooth landing at DFW, and Jeanne and Dave were there to greet us.  I am so glad all seven of us were together for the first part of the trip, just as I am glad Cas and I split off and did our own thing for the second part.  Both things were pretty great, but it is  just generally easier to find a restaurant with a table for two available.  

I’ve picked up the mail from my dad, checked in on my brothers and hugged on any and all available folks named Hinds in the Dallas area.  It’s good to be home.  But we’re already starting to plan and scheme.  Next summer will mark the ten-year point for this travel blog, which means it will be ten years from the day I sat down and blogged about my wedding in Fiji.  So a tenth wedding anniversary is about a year and a month away, give or take a few days.  Something for a tenth anniversary is in order.  Who knows.  We’re open to suggestion…  I have never been to Germany.  We were thinking of something in Eastern Europe.  Maybe we head to Quebec?  I hear there’s some really cool stuff to see in Japan.  South America was neat.  

But for the meantime, we have a ninth anniversary to celebrate, a Fourth of July to enjoy, and the remainder of our summer break to play with.  

So, until Heather and Cas ride again, I bid you adieu.  

Also, mind the gap.

Here are our photos: tinyurl.com/dunlap-pl

What’s a Bard?

When you pack up some fruit and cheese and a bottle of wine and head to the Samuel-Grand park in Dallas during the summer, it’s invariably to go see Shakespeare in the Park.  We’ll most certainly do that when we get back to our regularly scheduled Texas summer.  But before they begin the show, someone from the Shakespeare Dallas organization gets up and explains how a bard is a storyteller.  There’s a consistent call-and-response thing that has happened in every show I have attended.  He says something to the general effect of, “And Shakespeare is often called the Bard…”  The audience out on the lawn shouts back, “What’s a bard?”  So let me tell you what he would say next.  

A bard is a storyteller.  

Yesterday, we went to the hometown of the bard of all bards.  The grand-bard of them all.  The third child of a glove maker and a farmer’s daughter, William Shakespeare.  We went on the second of our scheduled day trips from London, this time, to Stratford-upon-Avon, the Cotswolds and Oxford.  Wow.  Stratford was very cool.  We only had enough time to tour the house where Shakespeare was born and raised, then we had to head to the next destination.  We actually grabbed a sandwich after the self-guided tour and ate it on the bus, as we didn’t want to kill time in a restaurant.  The next two stops were the ones that, if I were in charge of the tour company, I would cut out of the tour.  I would have the guide drive by, make a little commentary, and preserve the time for one of the other two locations.  We went through the Cotswolds.  What’s a Cotswolds?  Well, it’s not a bard.  I kid- it’s just a really pretty, picturesque part of England.  The houses are all made of the locally available materials, which means they’re all in a blonde-ish stone.  Frankly, I could have used more time either in Stratford or in Oxford.  

Ooh, and Oxford- we got there at 4:30 and everything closes at 5.  That’s one of the reasons I would have chopped out the Cotswolds from this tour.  There’s a great science museum that was closed, but if it were open, they somehow had Albert Einstein’s chalkboard where he used to do complicated equations.  There were innumerable libraries for the multitudes of universities, all of which looked cool from the outside, and none of which let us in after 4:45.  Behold, Cas trying to get into a door labeled Geometry and Arithmetic: 

Yeah- 30 more minutes in Stratford and another 45 or more in Oxford.  Regardless, we did hit up some really great spots.  There are lots of places that claim to be the oldest pub in England, and we went to one that, of those claimants, is still the third from the oldest. Nobody holds the official title, because no one can prove it.  Regardless, The Porch House was established in 947 AD.  It’s in a spot called Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds.  I got a pint of the trademark “warm” British beer, meaning it’s a cask beer where the draft is pulled from underground wine-cellar-temperature casks.  Had to try it.  Honestly, that was not my favorite, but it was pretty authentic.  

For a stop I would remove if I were the tour organizer, it was a nice perk.  Beyond that, we really enjoyed Oxford, and the trip back to London was pretty swift from there.  We had a dinner at a Thai restaurant.  In fact, when we mentioned where we planned to eat, the tour guide changed his drop-off plans.  Our dinner pick was right around the corner from the spot where his company parks their buses overnight.  We basically went back to the tour company’s mothership.  

All in all, the day was wonderful.  We did feel rushed in parts, but the things we did see were pretty great.  We stopped at a gift shop on our way back to the hotel and picked up our souvenir refrigerator magnet.  This one is a red, double-decker bus.  It’s a little token that could start either of us telling stories…. You know, like a bard.

Here are our photos: tinyurl.com/dunlap-pl