Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument and Coronado Island

The next day since we still had the rental car we drove out to Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument.  Again, it was foggy so we could not see as far as reported.  Even so Point Loma has a beautiful shoreline.






The foggy view toward the city of San Diego.

The Cabrillo monument and a man reenacting Cabrillo.  Juan Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of the US in 1542.
Next we drove across the bridge to Coronado Island.  We walked around for a couple of hours and visited the iconic Hotel del Coronado.

The landscaping around the hotel and the greenery on the island were beautiful.

Again, despite the fog and cloudiness we really enjoyed our visit to Point Loma and Coronado Island.

The Flower Fields

After Torrey Pines we continued north to Carlsbad and The Flower Fields.  There is about 50 acres of ranunculus which are grown there for their bulbs.  A landscape designer has designed a beautiful array of flowers.



The beauty of the flowers is something that photos cannot do justice.  I could not help but think that this is a place that my mom would have loved to visit.  Only one word to describe the fields….gorgeous!

Torrey Pines State Reserve

On our first day in San Diego, we rented a car and headed up to Torrey Pines State Reserve.  Although the weather report said that it was to be sunny and clear both Saturday and Sunday, God decided otherwise as it was foggy and cloudy.  Despite the fog the area is beautiful.

Evidence of the fog.

 

The Torrey pine is the rarest pine in North America and gets most of its water from taking in the moisture in the air from the fog via its needles.  We hiked down to the beach.

The water was 57 degrees but there were surfers who braved the waters.

Mostly a rocky shore with cliffs but some beach area.

Some vegetation on the cliffs.

We saw dolphins and sea lions and lots of birds and also the ….

……Torrey Pines golf course which hosts a tournament on the PGA tour.

We loved the hiking in the reserve and the views even though it was foggy.

Sprinkle

A shower is what you have with a first baby and a “sprinkle” is what you have for the next new baby.  At least that is how they do it in Houston among Melissa’s friends!  Three of Melissa’s friends hosted a “sprinkle” for Melissa and Will at a dessert shop in Houston.  Heather, Shauna and I were excited to attend and thoroughly enjoyed celebrating this new baby and meeting many of Melissa’s friends.

Melissa with two of her hostesses, Lindsay and Melissa J.

My girls.

The girls and I.

Some of the delicious desserts.

She received lots of diapers and other lovely gifts.

The hydrangea on the table were gorgeous.  They are one of my favorite flowers.  Melissa is due in about four weeks.  We can’t wait to meet Will.

When the Stars Align

Steve loves to star gaze and one night he asked me to come out and take a photos of the moon and stars.  Beautiful!

Easter with the Hodge Family

We had a relatively quiet Easter holiday weekend.  The Alexanders were on a trip and the Hollons were spending Easter with the in-laws so we enjoyed spending time with the Hodge family.

Steve grilled chicken and ribs and they were delicious.  Heather, the boys and I decorated cupcakes which has become a tradition for us.

 

After dinner we read Isaiah 53 together and comtemplated Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection.  We are so thankful for Jesus!

We also took some photos of the family. 

Austin

Ty

Nathan

The mosquitos were really bothering while we were taking the photos so we were lucky to get as many good ones as we did.