At the end of February (yes, we realize it's been more than a while since we've posted here), we had the opportunity to visit San Diego. The trip's main thrust was centered around attending the AO Meeting. Not only was this a welcomed trip for the obvious benefits of enjoying 70+ degree sunny days close to the Pacific Ocean, as apposed to 30-40 degree cloudy days in land-locked Iowa, but it was also an opportunity for Chris to see firsthand what some of the leaders around the world in implant esthetic dentistry have been developing.
The trip originally called for Chris to head out two days before Emily (she had to work), and then for Emily to join him for the remainder of the time in San Diego, with a subsequent escape to visit family in Phoenix, AZ. However, shortly after Chris' departure, Emily's grandmother Margaret, who had been in the hospital in Des Moines for a few weeks was transferred to UIHC, after having battled with colon issues for the past 4 months. Luckily for Margaret, Emily was able to play 'nurse' and watch over her care, which was nothing short of excellent. Margaret is now making a strong recovery post-surgery at a rehab center in Iowa City, and both of us have enjoyed being able to be there to spend time with her, aid in her overall recovery, and have some good laughs along the way.
Emily was able to eventually join Chris, and once in San Diego, we were able to enjoy the city together. We made a lucky find by making the historic Hotel St. James (now referred to as the Ramada Gaslamp Hotel) our homebase for our time in San Diego. While our room was small, it had a lot of history, and a great old-style elevator that was the first of its kind back in the day (i.e. early 1900’s). One of the best features of the hotel was the walk-out roof area that allowed for great views of the city and skyline at dusk.
It was amazing how quickly the temperature dropped in San Diego at dusk. During the day it would top off in the high 70’s, low 80’s, and by early evening it would be down in the high 50’s with a breeze that demanded wearing long sleeves.
The first full day we spent driving out to Coronado Island, a short drive from downtown San Diego. Here we spent a lazy day walking the beach, soaking up some rays, and watching the many navy helicopters and planes fly overhead. One of the best features of the beach on Coronado Island was the gold speckles that littered the sand. After getting a bit burned by the rays, we headed back to the town center of Coronado and enjoyed strolling through art galleries and enjoying a great burger, California style, at a place called Burger Lounge. If you have a chance to visit San Diego any time soon, you have to check this place out, they have the best burgers we’ve ever had. By day’s end we made our way to the historic Hotel del Coronado for a self-guided tour. This hotel dates back to the late 1880’s, and has a lot of stories to tell. Unfortunately, dazed and confused by the sun rays all day, we were too tired to hear them all, and decided to make our way back to San Diego for the evening.
The next day found us jaunting north to La Jolla and then back down to Old Town, San Diego. The drive up to La Jolla was beautiful. One minute you’d find yourself driving next to the ocean, smelling the mist off the beach, and the next minute you’d find yourself driving through one of the downtown areas of a coastal area. We basically spent the day strolling a beach park slightly south of La Jolla, just taking our time, with really no structure to the day…the perfect way to spend a day on vacation.
By late afternoon, we decided we’d had enough sand in between our toes, and decided to check out the Old Town area of San Diego, an area that Emily had heard from co-workers was really interesting. Let us make this clear…these same co-workers will never be invited to plan our future vacations, as Old Town was a major bust…basically a tourist trap ala Wisconsin Dells, minus the native moccasins. There was really nothing of note about Old Town; except for the museum of the first dental clinic in San Diego, which of course Chris found extremely interesting (and gave him decorative inspiration for his future practice...riiight). After grabbing some Mexican food for dinner under some colorful umbrellas, we decided to split and go for a walk around the Gaslamp district by our hotel, where most of civilization was.
The next morning we were headed out of San Diego and off to Phoenix to spend time with Chris’ side of the family. Both Chris’ aunt Sue and uncle Ray and his grandmother Mary (all on his mother’s side), as well as his grandparents Chester and Alexsandra from his father’s side reside in the Phoenix area. We figured with it only being a five hour drive away, it was a perfect time to go and visit family, so we did.
We were fortunate enough to have Sue and Ray put us up for our stint in Phoenix, and we really enjoyed laughing it up together, sharing stories, and going for a nice hike in the desert near their home. A good deal of our laughs took place the day before our departure when we got together with the whole family for some Mexican, even more margaritas, and a bubble-blowing session that allowed Ray to let out his "inner" canine, chasing bubbles much like the dogs (on all fours). Should we decide to relocate to the west coast after this next year, we hope that we can exchange visits with them (visits on their behalf in the summer to us, and we in return during the winter or early spring). You can’t help but love waking up to sunshine every morning.
Ending our trip in Arizona was a great way to complete our much needed "Spring Break", as it afforded us time to catch up with family that we don't get to see as often as we'd like. Chris' maternal grandma Mary is a model for what we hope to look like in our early 90's, should we be so lucky.
But warm weather and unlimited sun can't possibly last forever, right?...and so our trip came to an end, and a return to cooler, more dank forecasts.
"Song of the Day":
