June 9, 2010
Vacation, Day 10
The Lord be with you
We started the day off by driving out to my sister and brother-in-law’s home (Claire and Gerry) for breakfast. Diane came also. We enjoyed the breakfast and some of the art projects they do. Claire does amazing pottery. Gerry takes amazing photographs of nature. You can view their work by clicking here.
After breakfast we went to the San Diego Mission. The official name is Mission San Diego de Alcala. It is California’s first church and was a Franciscan mission founded by Father Junipero Serra. It is also the site of the first Christian martyr in California. The mission is an active Roman Catholic Church with a rich history. Visitors are welcomed. They have a self-guided tour and a gift shop. The grounds are beautiful. There is also some archeological digs there. Diane went with us, but after the mission went off to do various things she needed to accomplish.
We then went to the Presidio. This is the sight of the first European encampment. It later became a fort. The San Diego mission actually started there, but after two years moved to its current site. Aside from the main building there are expansive park lands with walks.
Following this we went to Old Town. It is the first site of San Diego and at the foot of the “mountain” that the Presidio is built on. Upon arriving we decided to do something I’ve never done before, we took the Old Town Trolley tour of San Diego. This is about a two hour trip. From Old Town we went past the maritime museum, which is a half dozen or so ships. Then we travel to Seaport Village, which is based on ports from around the world. We also traveled into downtown, traveling past Horton Plaza, through the gaslamp quarter, and over the San Diego-Coronodo Bay Bridge, where we saw the Hotel Del (seen in the movie “Some Like it Hot”). Then it was back across the bridge and on to Balboa Park, then through the Little Italy and back to Old Town. All along the way the driver provided a dialogue with humor and history about San Diego.
Back in Old Town we walked about a bit and then met Amy and Tim (my niece and nephew-in-law) for a great Mexican dinner. We ate, talked, and walked for over two hours.
It was another full and fun day.
The pictures below are:
1. Diane, Kitty, Claire, Gerry, Gregory, Rachel, Dixie (Gregory and Dixie are wearing shirts they got at the San Diego Zoo)
2. Inside the church at the San Diego Mission (Rachel’s Picture)
3. The Presidio (Gregory’s picture)
4. Kitty on the grounds of the Presidio
5. Dixie, Rachel, Kitty, Gregory on the Old Town Trolley
6. The restaurant in Old Town where we ate dinner (Rachel’s picture)
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
The Presidio park area is where John & I used to go on dates when we were a young, lovesick couple! It has changed since those days. He took us down a trail that ended at a freeway off-ramp; we left him there to be a modern-day explorer on his own! Fortunately, he made it back alive sometime later, but he speaks little of what he saw or did on his adventure!
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