Independence Days

dog and flag

balboa park carousel

Sit-in Closet

I’m hanging out with Quijote, who has decided the safest place to be is in our closet.

quijote the dog hiding

Initially, he played it cool – like the noise of the 4th of July fireworks wasn’t going to bother him. Then, all of the sudden, it was too much, and he began scampering wild-eyed around the house in a panicked search for the best hiding spot.

honeybears bbq sliders

Even before Quijote, we didn’t always go to see fireworks. In the middle of the sweltering Arizona summer, it’s a good day for brunch with friends or swimming or barbecue or staying inside and crafting.

 

Hawthorne Inn room

San Diego

Of course, we were way out of the house when we had our first Independence Day with Quijote on our San Diego trip a year ago.

San Diego - bankers hill

It was a similar story, where he started out unfazed, and then suddenly switched to terrified.

hawthorne historic inn

We were staying at the Hawthorne Historic Inn, which has a deck that’s great for watching fireworks. Phillip found us a couple chairs and brought up some wine and snacks. It was so sweet and lovely until we realized Quijote was not going to be able to deal with noise after all.

san diego fireworks

We gathered up our stuff and climbed back down the wooden steps.

quijote sleeping in san diego

Phillip and I propped up pillows and sat drinking wine and watching tv in bed, while Q burrowed under the comforter.

 

plane window sunset

Indiana

On the other hand, Phillip and I began one 4th of July on a red eye to Indianapolis.

fountain square

We arrived, caught a few hours sleep, stopped by a square where there was a music festival we were too early for, and then drove to Madison County to see my extended family.

fountain square music festival stage

We ended the day outside a different hotel, watching fireworks and fireflies and mysterious orange lights that were floating across the sky.

fireworks in indiana

When you’re with ones you love, you can have a good time whether you’re standing in an open field or hunkering down in a closet.

 

Rest Stop Sunset

The sun was setting over a dusty rest stop off I-8 in southern Arizona.

Mohawk rest stop

We stood among the typical collection of bathroom buildings, empty picnic tables, and overflowing garbage cans, while the sky turned a brilliant gold. The color intensified, spreading upward from behind the silhouettes of jagged mountains before transforming into a fiery pink.

sunset at mohawk rest stop in arizona

I think it’s easy to quickly dismiss a place or experience or a moment as being too ugly or just ordinary. But when you look past the obvious, you may be able to find what makes it special.

Because where you are is not as important as where you look.

Southern AZ sunset


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July 2018: San Diego Shadows

Dragon tree shadows on the sidewalk

I think the fantastical plants I kept seeing around San Diego are called “dragon trees”.

coronado dragon trees

On the way back from Coronado Beach, I noticed the playful-looking shadows they cast on the sidewalk. So, once again, I stopped in my tracks to take a photo of the ground.

La Jolla Cove sunset

Other photo favorites from July include a sunset in La Jolla (San Diego) and Quijote looking at the ocean.

Dog at the beach

Have you seen anything interesting on the sidewalk lately?


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San Diego Sights Worth a Second Trip

palm trees in la jolla

While I’ve never spent more than a few days at a time in San Diego, it’s been part of some very memorable trips.

Windansea Beach San Diego

We camped at a State Park just outside of town on the final night of our trip down the coast in 2012.

Back when Phillip worked for an airline, we flew in just for an afternoon once, because we could go for free.

Another time, we took the San Diego Trolley south to the end of the line. Did you know it goes all the way to the U.S.-Mexico border? We crossed over to visit friends in Tijuana.

And, of course, there’s the trip I took with my grandma. We packed a lot of sightseeing into just a few days!

San Diego marina

Fast forward to this year.  When Phillip and I decided we’d join my brother, sister-in-law, their kids, and my parents on their San Diego trip in July, I started thinking about previous trips and what I’d want to see and do again.
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June 2018: Spreckels Organ

Pipe organ in Balboa Park, San Diego

In the middle of Balboa Park in San Diego is an outdoor concert pavilion and the structure that houses the pipes of the Spreckels Organ.

It was built in 1914 and hasn’t changed much since then. I posted a photo I took 15 years ago of some of the detail wok on the outside before our recent trip to San Diego. It didn’t look different.

Spreckels organ In San Diego

One of its claims to fame is that it’s the world’s largest outdoor organ. Which makes me wonder how many there are in the world.

Have you ever seen an outdoor pipe organ?


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