where are those Santa Ana winds?

I really should have checked the climate reading for southern California before I moved here. Then I would have known it is a "Mediterranean climate": an average of 57 degrees in January (sounds good!), but only 72 in August. The only time San Diego really gets a hot streak is when the Santa Ana winds blow from the eastern deserts.

We drove through Phoenix on the way here, and it definitely was a desert-- hot, dry, sunny. Now that I'm on the coast, I've experienced the complete opposite of Kansas weather. I remember once this spring in Kansas when it was below freezing on a Monday, and 90 degrees on that Friday. Here, it's sunny all the time and very consistent temperatures in the 60's.

Still, today was cloudy in the 60's. One of the docents turned on a space heater in the boat's library (I'm not the only cold one!), and for once I felt comfortable. I've been wearing all the layers I brought with me when I go to work, which isn't much considering it's summer and supposed to be hot, or so I thought. It felt so nice with the heat that I was seriously considering going to buy a space heater for my room just so I could be out of long pants and a sweatshirt for once.

I was talking to my cashier at the grocery store the other day about this conundrum, and he told me to "just wait a month". We'll see about that...

Happy World Oceans Day!

Today I found out that the hordes of adorable sea lions around here are actually considered a problem for boaters. I was so excited to see wild sea lions when I first got here, and I was unaware how many there are along the coast of San Diego, but it's their migrating season now.

Apparently, not only do they enjoy the rocky cliffs along the water, they also enjoy relaxing on boats.

That orange construction netting is suppose to keep them off and the larger male sea lions can weigh about 600 pounds, so it's easy to see how they can damage the boats. The city has people working to move them by using water hoses and nudging them off with long poles, but I read about how they will slide off when they hear people coming and just wait under the boat until they leave!

the beach!

I've finally made it to a sandy California beach! How exciting! Coronado Beach, to be exact. (Sidenote: I swear this is the second cloudy day I've seen in the three weeks I've been here. The first cloudy day was the first day I got here. It was actually sunny all day until this evening.)

They've got to be cold!

No wonder there is a no kite flying rule. The runway is right at the end of the beach.

And the lifeguards drive Subarus. I want to be a lifeguard. Until those crazy surfers go out in the freezing cold water and get sucked into an undertoe.

good morning!

today's venture: a hill-mountain hike

The highest point in San Diego is named Cowles Mountain, after a rancher who lived in the area in the 1800s. It's only about 1500 ft high, but you can see a fantastic 360-degree view from the top. The west side of it is a rock cliff, a former sea cliff actually, from thousands of years ago.

This is not the west side (the west side would be the ocean, not more mountains), but it is a rock cliff.

 I made two trips up today. The first to scope it out, and the second to see how long it takes. It's only a few miles from my house, so I plan on making it a regular part of my day (running around here has not been so successful with all the traffic and people in general). 

The protected area it's in is very dry and desert-like with no trees, and the trailhead signage tells me that this is what southern California is naturally. No palm trees and pretty flowers! Just lots of dry dust.

It was all steep switchbacks toward the top and with runners (and stumblers) flying down and around the corners on their return, I was sure I was going to get knocked off the trail into the prickly scrub brush. I've never seen so many people fall down on a trail before either, but dust-covered rocks make for a slick descent.

air show

The Wings Over Gillespie air show was today in El Cajon (I'm learning new Spanish words every day!). I took the trolley to the airport this morning, rather than drive, since I'm making the most of that expensive trolley card I waited an hour in line for. It's got to be cheaper than $4.25 gas though, right? The trolley stop is at one end of the 1.5 mile runway, which meant I ended up walking two more miles to get to the actual spectator area. I did not know this at first. The aerial view on Google maps always makes things look much simpler.

Lucky for me, I found an old veteran man on the trolley who was also walking to watch the planes, so I ended up listening to two miles worth of war stories along the way. He told me all about the importance of the multiple buddy system, and then about how he had been married to a pilot for 13 years before she died in a crash in the mountains-- so sad.

The airshow itself was entertaining, but not as exciting as others I have been to. There were no jets, no aerobatics, no formation flying. Ah well. There's always Kansas City's air show when I get home in August.

At least the weather was beautiful, as it has been since I've been here. It's a lot warmer the farther you get from the coast. Since the maritime museum is on a ferry boat, the space is mostly open to the outside, so there is always a cool (cold?) breeze from the water. I'm usually freezing because of this and so for lunch I walk three blocks inland to Little Italy. There, on one of the street corners, is a nice fountain with black metal benches. These are my heat source, and I feel just as a lizard does as I eat lunch there and watch the tourists roll by on the historical trolley tours and gawk.

corner of Little Italy

just look at them go!

it's the end of an era: no more free pancakes

I've left the hostel! I was really quite used to staying there, and I even miss it a little. Especially the free pancakes in the morning. And meeting so many different people. It makes me want to go on a trip far, far away. Today's acquaintance was an older lady from Victoria, Australia who is finishing up a 10-week "holiday" on the west coast. She was a lot of fun to talk to and eat pancakes with.

I'm somewhat moved into my new place with four other roommates, and I feel at home-- probably because I spent the last week sharing one room with up to 9 other girls, so it's nice to have my own space again. Little did I know that at this new place I'm actually sharing a bathroom with two guys. I thought just one. I also thought no one had been using the bathroom when I walked in to unpack because there was nothing to be seen except for some shampoo in the shower. I opened one medicine cabinet and nothing. I opened another and found toothpaste and a razor. It must be nice to be a guy.

I'd say I packed rather efficiently, wouldn't you?

My tiny Ikea mattress. There's just something nice about being able to cram it into the back of a Subaru and it's just as comfortable as any other bed. I had to buy an extra wool blanket (from Ikea...) because it has been COLD here.

New bracelets, plus a not-so-new favorite.