Winter Escape

We survived a month in Homer with the ship away, so we enjoyed a little escape from winter in the form of a family trip to San Diego last week.  It was a much-needed break from our not-so-great weather.  Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind whether it's winter or spring.  This winter's pattern seems to be single digit temperatures, then some snow, and then a quick warm-up followed by rain.  We are now in the the fourth iteration of this cycle, and I feel like I am training to be on Ice Road Truckers.  We have even paid a man with a truck three times to dump sand on our driveway, which looks just like an ice rink. If only the city would keep up with our street as well as we try to do with the driveway...

San Diego wasn't as warm as we had hoped, but there wasn't any ice to contend with.  And there was plenty of sunshine.  We ate tons of good food and exhausted the whole family with trips to both Legoland and the San Diego Zoo, as well as hitting San Diego highlights like Old Town, Children's Pool at La Jolla, and even squeaked in a date night in Banker's Hill and the Gaslamp District (thanks to my mother-in-law meeting us for part of the trip).

We stayed at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, at a fabulous beach cottage.  The ocean was right out our back door.  And the runway was out the front door, along with fighter jets and helicopters coming and going.  It was actually fun to watch...and very loud!  But you can't beat a two-bedroom condo at military prices, with easy access to the commissary (and bowling alley!) nearby.

What a difference a year makes, as far as traveling with the kids is concerned!  Somehow they are now seven and almost five, and for the first time we were much more free to explore without worrying about if it was too close to nap time or whether the restaurant we wanted to eat lunch at had a kids menu.  We survived miles of walking at the zoo without any meltdowns.  They even carried their own backpacks through the airports (all 8 of them that it took us to get there and back!).

I have some very serious little drivers...

 The beach behind our cottage.  Note the jeans and sweatshirts.