11/30 - 12/14 - San Diego

Just a heads up that since I'm stationary life is definitely not as exciting as my usual posts/travels!  You've been warned!  😂😂

11/30 - After working on my blog in the morning at the Dulzura Vineyard and Winery HH, Zoe and I took a walk around the winery and enjoyed the quiet beauty that vineyards often offer. 

That platform on the water tower has tables and chairs.  It would be a great place to take a bottle of wine and enjoy from there.

Tasting room

Stream on property

I drove over to where Sunny was staying, and from there we headed into San Diego for lunch at Fusion Kabobz. The whole experience turned into a bit of an unexpected adventure. We’d read that it was takeout only, but what we didn’t realize is that you can’t even go inside—you order online, you notify them when you arrive, and they bring your food out to you.

We placed our order anyway and then immediately wondered if we should’ve chosen a sit-down place instead—maybe something overlooking the water, something a little more “San Diego.” But by that point our bowls were already in the works and paid for.  Luckily, the universe rewarded our spontaneity. The guy came out with someone else’s order and told us we could wait in our car—didn’t matter that it was parked across the street. Then, not only did he deliver our meals straight to the van, he came back with free baklava for both of us. How nice is that?  And the food… wow. Both our meals were fantastic. We ended up enjoying our meals right there in the van, and honestly, it turned out to be perfect. I got to play host, which I rarely do.  I swiveled the drivers seat about three-quarters of the way around, encouraged Zoe to get on the passenger seat (swiveling the seats encroaches on her spot between the seats), Sunny took the bench, and we were both able to use the Lagun table.  In the end, our little takeout gamble was a win, and we both left full and happy. Sometimes the best travel moments happen when things are a little weird and unexpected.

On my way to Sunny's, I had pulled over to let about 10 cars pass me and very shortly we ended up stopped at border control and now I had to wait for those 10 cars (and many more ahead of them) to get through.  That's what I get for being nice!  But hey, I'm in no hurry.

My falafel bowl and Sunny and her chicken kabob bowl

As the sun started dipping toward the horizon, it was time to find a spot to settle in for the night. I ended up back at Venture Cove in Mission Bay (this was a favorite spot last time I was in San Diego), parking in the lot right by the water. The view is gorgeous at night, the lights reflecting off the bay like little ripples of color.  Right now it’s a bit noisy—someone on the beach is blasting rap music, but I’m hoping it quiets down soon. It’s only 8:30, so there’s still time for the night to mellow out.

Earlier, Zoe and I met Nathan and his dog, Neptune, on the beach. We ended up walking together for a bit, letting the dogs roam and sniff and just be dogs. Neptune is intact and was very taken with Miss Zoe—borderline smitten, really—but she held her own. She gave him a few playful moments, then mostly brushed off his advances with the dignity of a queen who has better things to do.

Lighted tree at Sea World

My hunt for a month-long place still isn’t going well. The Furnished Finder listings have all stayed silent, so I’ve expanded the search to Airbnb… but even there, nothing seems to check all the boxes and offer parking for Big Bertha. Apparently “cozy rental with van-sized parking” is a tall order.  Norma—Sunny’s stepmom—kindly invited me to park at her place in Cardiff, so I may head up there for a day or two. Part of me actually enjoys being in the van here in San Diego, though, so I’m tempted to just ride it out and save my official vanlife break for Cornville.  Lenore and Matt said I’m welcome anytime, and they’ll be out of town for a week or so in early February. I offered to watch the dogs so they won’t have to kennel them, and the idea of spending time with them before and after their trip sounds pretty perfect.  I’m not 100% committed to the plan yet… but I’m getting close. Sometimes these decisions take shape slowly, almost on their own, and I’m just following where they lead.

12/1 - December already—I can hardly believe it. And yet here I am, greeted by another gorgeous day in sunny California. San Diego’s weather is absolutely my sweet spot right now: cool, calm, and sitting comfortably in the 60s. I’m planning to linger here for the day, maybe even one more night, and soak up some beach time.

I booked a vet appointment for Zoe (recommendation from Soraya) so she can start Librela for her elbow pain. They say it takes about a week to really kick in, so I’ll hang around long enough to make sure she does well with it and to pick up a supply of future doses. Fingers crossed I have better luck giving it to her than I did with Roxy. I still can’t help wondering whether Zoe truly needs the kidney diet, or if a joint-focused diet might serve her better—definitely more questions for tomorrow’s vet visit.  I'm also hoping to get a cancellation for a teeth cleaning at Soraya's dentist!  🤞

After that, I’ll head toward Norma’s place and maybe park there for a night or two (and hopefully sneak in a shower!). But honestly, it’s hard to leave this spot at Venture Cove. It’s such a prime location. There seem to be more vehicles and tents here than last time; It seems to be a semi-sanctioned homeless area, especially because a local group comes by once a week to serve meals.  If I’m still here when they do their food service, I’d like to make a donation—but maybe not hand cash directly to anyone on the spot. Better to figure out which organization is behind it and donate online so I know it goes where it’s meant to go.

Zoe and I walked to the ocean beach in Mission Bay and stopped and got an ice cream from Churro Ice.  OMG!  Sooo good!  Cinnamon sugar is probably one of my favorite foods!

sandy face

Churro bites in soft serve vanilla.  I'm not sure it gets better than this!

I took a solo walk from Venture Cove to see the sunset.  When I got to the beach area, the sun was just touching the horizon, but I don't have any photos of that because I was just enjoying the view as I walked closer to the shore.

A couple of paddle boats 

12/2 - I feel a little funny staying here at Venture Cove with so many homeless people.  I hung out with Nathan and Alex around a struggling fire and Alex is living out of his car, little money from the sound of it and not working.  I guess he's happily homeless.  San Diego really is the place to be homeless.  I'm house-less, but not homeless.  Actually, I just have a traveling house!  I actually like staying there.  I feel safe, can walk to restaurants if I wish, walk on the beach, etc.  Plus the bathrooms are cleaned in the morning and have music playing!  😄  I don't really use it, but it's nice if I want to and I can empty my pee vessel there.

I almost scooped up this little cutie and brought him home with me.  He wasn't wearing a collar...

Took Zoe to the vet today, and wow—the experience at the Helen Woodward Animal Center was night-and-day better than our Reno visit. The veterinarian was incredibly thorough. She noticed subtle things right away: the way Zoe stands, the wobble in her hind end, little details the other vet didn't even look for.  She isn’t convinced that arthritis alone is causing Zoe’s limp, and she warned that Librela can come with some pretty concerning side effects. After hearing that, I decided not to move forward with the injection—but now I’m stuck wondering what is the right path. She suggested either getting an orthopedic consult or trying a vet who focuses more specifically on pain management. So here I am… feeling grateful for good information but unsure of the next step. What to do???

Table at Solana Beach.  There is so much of this art around the beach and it's all beautiful.

Salona Beach

From San Elijo.  I wonder how much farther this pavement went out.  It's all broken off.

Meanwhile, Norma recently received a cancer diagnosis—almost exactly ten years after finishing treatment for breast cancer—which is just heartbreaking. She wasn’t feeling up for company, so instead of heading to her place, I made my way to San Elijo Campground.  I had booked an oceanfront site and was really looking forward to soaking up some afternoon sun, but the moment I arrived, the clouds rolled in. It got chilly fast, and my visions of sitting outside with a book and a view quickly evaporated.  Still, all wasn’t lost. I opened the van’s side door which is facing the water and hung out inside with the view, but a bit warmer.  I could even watch some surfers.

Not great sunset photos.  I had hoped that the clouds would make it more spectacular, but that didn't work out so well...

I went to Fish 101 for dinner and had an amazing Poke bowl.  OMG!  I'd go there all the time if I lived here.  A family of three joined me at my table because I told them I was leaving shortly and they said they go about 1x/week and several reviewers said something similar.  I hope I get a chance to go back.  

I got a call from the dentist today—turns out they can see me on Thursday! Being this close to Mexico, part of me feels like I should head across the border, where everything is so much cheaper… but the convenience of staying put is winning. And thankfully, this dentist doesn’t require a pre-appointment exam before the cleaning, which makes things even easier/cheaper.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a “life-admin” kind of day: shower, laundry, and… who knows what else. I’m hoping the morning brings some sunshine so Zoe and I can soak up a little warmth before we have to check out.

This oceanfront campsite is $70 a night—no hookups, just the view! The non-ocean sites are $50, but honestly, having the waves right outside and the soundtrack of the water is worth the splurge. The road is close, but the ocean drowns most of that out, and I love falling asleep to the sound of the surf.

12/3 - It was a beautiful morning, so Zoe and I got to chill out in our site sunbathing (Zoe) and watching the surfers (me).  I could have stayed all day, but at $70/night, I don't think so.  I took my shower, a walk on the beach, and we headed out.  My shower was actually too hot.  The temperature regulator (so nice to actually have one) in my shower didn't work, so it was basically all hot water.  Thankfully not scalding hot, but too hot for me.

So many surfers out there!

After leaving San Elijo, I went back to Mission Bay to camp among the homeless and people like me.  It feels really funny to do this and be so comfortable with it.  I have been hanging out with Alex and Nathan and their pups.  Charlie, Alex's dog, barks all the freaking time and I have no clue as to why (nor does Alex) and it gets pretty old.  There are times, of course that he isn't barking, but it seems rare.

Walked to the beach again, this time with Zoe, to catch the sunset.  

I stopped at the Sandbar for dinner and had amazing tacos.  I had seen a sign for "Best Fish Tacos in San Diego" and that drew me in.  I hadn't planned to go out to dinner, but I couldn't resist.

12/4 - I managed to catch "God's Kitchen" preparing food to feed the homeless and was able to donate.  They aren't online, so just cash.  Having talked with these people, I'm sure the money stays with the group.  They kept offering me food, but I really wasn't interested.

Off to run errands and head to the dentist.  I loved Soraya's dentist and would absolutely go back if I was in the area.  I was so excited to actually get an appointment!  Lots of x-rays!

Soraya is going to be performing in a Flamenco dance in Balboa Park on Saturday and I really want to go, however, parking Big Bertha there and dealing with Zoe just feels too difficult to me.  If we could find parking at all we'd probably have to park really far away and then Zoe probably couldn't walk the whole way and I wouldn't want to leave her behind, so I found a daycare on Rover and Dylan seems great.  It just so happens that he's right near the dentist, so I went to meet him so that Zoe would feel more comfortable when I leave her on Saturday.  He's a character and I'm sure Zoe will be happy there.  I'm looking forward to a day being free of dog duty.  I'm going to carpool with Tom and Sunny and I'm hoping that we can stay around the December Nights event longer to enjoy more.  

Not a very interesting photo, but in the morning they came by with a loader to move the fire pits up the beach due to the Supermoon and resulting king tide.

I had set a reminder for the moon rise, but had a dentist appointment and missed the reminder, but happily I managed to see it, just not over the water like I would have liked.  After seeing it, I rushed over to Crown Point to catch it over the water.

View of the Sea World tree from Crown Point Park

Fun with the lights and night photos

I ended up staying the night at Crown Point Park along with lots of other vans and RVs, but no so much homeless.

So, last night, I had an interesting and scary experience.  I stupidly had bought a bag of peanut butter M&Ms, which are a favorite of mine.  I should know better!  Anyway, I ate more than I should have and a bit later, I stood up and felt nauseous.  The next thing I knew I was hitting my head very hard on the floor, right in front of Zoe, who looked very confused (as did I!).  I've never had this happen before, but I guess after eating a lot of sugar, the pancreas can release too much insulin, causing low blood sugar.  So, I guess that's what happened to me.  I have a good bump on my forehead (thankfully I didn't hit any other part of my face/nose).  That's the scary part of being alone - in a van or a home!

12/5 - Again, I just love the weather here.  It's cool and sunny, so Zoe nor I overheat!  

Nothing exciting today, but we did go look at a possible place to rent.  It was very reasonable and I really liked Will, the owner, but didn't get to meet his wife.  They live in the back of the house and rent out three rooms in the front, with living room, kitchen, etc.  Nice outdoor area, but the three rooms share the bathroom and I just didn't think I would enjoy that more than staying in my van, so I passed on it. 

It was right near Sunset Cliffs, so Zoe and I walked down and enjoyed the remains of the sunset.  

The sailboat add so much to the view

Kinda a cool shot from inside the van.

12/6 - I dropped Zoe off with Dylan.  I heard a few barks, but I think she settled in well - though they never tell you if she didn't...  I drove up to Tom and Soraya's and Sunny, Norma, Tom and I went to Balboa park to watch Soraya and company do their Flamenco dancing.  We wandered around before the show and then grabbed dinner before heading out.  I wanted to go back to the Botanical Bldg for the light show, but Tom was ready to head home.  

I got a shower there (they're so kind!) before heading back to Crown Point Park for the night.

The Botanical Building - one of the largest lath structures in the world with 12 miles of redwood slats

Soraya Flamenco dancing 

A few Flamenco videos:

9/7 - Spent the day at Crown Point Park and didn't go anywhere other than a few walks.  It was very relaxing!

9/8 - Did a little sightseeing.  The days go so fast because I get up late, then get moving late, and then the sun sets at 4:40ish.  

Harper's Topiary Garden - just a private home with all these sculpted hedges.  

Parked at Balboa park and walked around there for a bit with Zoe.  We went to the dog park where she ignored the other dogs and just sniffed all the smells.  I think it is so funny that she'd rather smell the left behind smells rather than the dogs themselves...  I got to see and learn a bit about lawn bowling.  I would have tried it out if it weren't for the pup.  I chatted with a nice family from Mexico/Sacramento/San Diego and they were learning about lawn bowling too.  We talked about visiting Baja.  I'm still not convinced, but I also don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the next month and a half.  I'm starting to get antsy about staying in San Diego with nothing really to do.

I dropped Zoe back at the van and took a walk around the area.  

Suspension bridge

Just some houses that I like.  There are so many that are just gorgeous

Britt Scripp's Manor, which is now a hotel.  It was built in 1887

Then we went to Sunset Cliffs.  I parked in a rough parking lot, took Zoe for a walk and found I could move to a spot along the water with my side door facing the ocean.  So back we went.  Of course there were a ton of open spaces all together when we walked by, making parking easy, but when I went back, not so much.  So I parallel parked!  I have no idea how many tries it took me - and it was a BIG spot!  Kinda embarrassing, but I was victorious and hopefully learned something for next time!

Lots of people come out for the sunset!

Just the last bit of the sun showing and surfers patiently waiting for a good wave.

I love the after glow!

I went back to Venture Cove, which was quite crowded, but I snuck in between two rough looking old vans.  Alex and Nathan were still there, so I hung with them for a bit until Johnny joined, who's company I could do without.  So I went back to the comfort of Big Bertha and had some dinner.

As I was approaching Venture Cove, I noticed lots of police activity in a lot just before Venture Cove.  I learned there was a crime scene there...  I couldn't help but wonder if I should go to Crown Point, but chose to stay.

Venture Cove - I just love these lights.  It really is a spectacular free spot!

moon rising along side the beautiful lights

12/9 - Ahh, another beautiful morning on the beach. Today I decided to do something I almost never do: walk barefoot in the sand. I usually avoid it because I can’t stand the aftermath—sand stuck between my toes, sand tracked into the van, sand everywhere. But the actual experience of walking barefoot on the beach? I love it.  It hit me how ridiculous it is that I don’t do this more often. What a waste of perfectly good shoreline! So I’m officially committing to more barefoot beach walks from here on out. Of course, karma caught up with me later when I was walking along the Embarcadero, still suffering from the leftover sand… but honestly, it was worth it.  There’s something heavenly about letting the cold water wash over my feet, feeling the earth directly beneath me. Meanwhile, Zoe got to wander around and explore, though she kept trying to sneak sips of seawater—which she didn't appreciate, but seemed to keep forgetting the results...  I found myself completely mesmerized by the patterns in the sand, the sparkle of the light on the water, the endless movement. I could’ve watched it all day.

The glitter is so cool!  It looked more gold with my sunglasses on.

Glitter video:

shadows of the bubbles 

I thought this school chair on the beach was funny for some reason

More cool patterns and glitter

Tonight I’m meeting Sunny, Soraya, Tom, and Norma for dinner at Puesto at The Headquarters in Seaport Village. I decided to head down early with Zoe for a walk along the waterfront and originally planned to leave the van parked at North Embarcadero. But—of course—there’s a strict three-hour limit, and you can’t extend it. I tried!  Every nearby area seemed to have the same frustrating rule.

After the first two hours were up, I moved the van and braced myself for a long, annoying hunt for new parking. On a whim, I asked Google Maps to navigate me to the restaurant—even though I knew exactly where it was and how to get there.  What I didn't know was that there was a parking lot right by Puesto that was reasonably priced (unlike the $8-per-hour Seaport Village lots) and had tons of space.  I pulled in just as Sunny arrived, with everyone else showing up moments later. Perfect timing all around.

Aircraft carrier museum - USS Midway

Downtown San Diego view

A Medium sized cruise ship

Maritime museum schooner

Walking to the restaurant, we came across the jail, which was part of the police headquarters (thus the name of the restuarant) and we got these photos of us in the lineup.  Granted we shouldn't be smiling - Haha.

Soraya is the only one in character

We had an excellent dinner of Tacos (Taco Tuesday!).  Tom paid and wouldn't accept any money - they have been so generous!  The filet mignon taco was amazing.  The fish taco was ok - needed salsa to give it more flavor.

Sunny crocheted me this tiny Christmas Tree.  So incredibly cute!  It's only about 1" tall.

The USS Midway lit up at night.  On our after dinner walk.

Soraya invited me to come park at their house for the night and grab a shower, but by the time we were done with our stroll it felt a little too late to make the drive. Instead, I headed over to Crown Point Park—it was closer and an easy place to settle in for the night.  

12/10 - I am in need of a shower and fresh water, though, so my plan is to head to South Carlsbad Campground today. The Camp Store has live music tonight, and when I was there last time I loved the whole scene—great atmosphere, great music, great sunset, and surprisingly great pizza. I’m looking forward to round two.

Soraya also told me I’m welcome for Christmas if I’m still in the area, which is incredibly kind. I’m not quite sure what I’ll do for the next two weeks, though. I did stop by the rescue side of the vet clinic to ask about volunteering, but as expected, they require training sessions—and they only hold them once a month. So that won’t work out this time.  I’ll figure out the next stretch. For now, some live music, a hot shower, and a little coastal comfort with the sounds of the waves will be ideal.

My itsy bitsy christmas tree!

South Carlsbad CG - I walked around (they wouldn't let me drive through to look at the sites) and ended up choosing the first one I had come to.  And then I was wondering, would this one be better???  I'm so silly that way - obsessing over the perfect site.  I find it kind of annoying!

View from my site (over the fence)

Zoe and I went to the Camp Store to enjoy the music, have a beer, and a pizza.  And we enjoyed another wonderful sunset.  I had hoped to see the green flash again, but no luck.  Music was OK - voices had a few challenges, beer was great, and pizza was good, but not as good as I remembered.  

The afterglow

12/11 - 

Morning window view

Another sunset view along the road - not an overnight spot

12/12 - I stayed at a BW last night in the guy's driveway in Solona Beach.  It was fine, but nothing to write home about!

Zoe enjoying some rays

I’ve spent way too much time trying to sort out health insurance through VT Health Connect, bouncing back and forth between phone calls and contradictory information. The first call went nowhere—there was a definite language barrier, so I politely bowed out. The second call was better; the woman told me my plan (the same one I had last year) would be $127 a month.  Blue Cross Blue Shield had previously sent me a text saying it would cost $170 and the agent said I had to take that up with BCBS. Back to the phone I went. BCBS insisted that VT Health Connect would need to submit a correction. When I called VT Health Connect again, I got the real bombshell: because the subsidies aren’t continuing, that same plan would now cost just under $1,000 a month.  At that point, all I could think was that maybe I should’ve stayed with Zion Health Share after all. Deep breaths… and on to more enjoyable things.

To reset the mood, we headed to Del Mar Dog Beach—and wow. I wish I’d known how big and beautiful it was because I would’ve happily paid for longer parking. I only bought an hour, and just as I was putting the tag in the window, a guy on a bicycle cruised by checking for permits. He didn’t get close enough to check the time, so I wasn’t too worried about overstaying.

The beach itself was fantastic. Big, rolling waves that broke in layers, overlapping and reshaping themselves constantly. It reminded me how different beaches can feel depending on how the waves move and collide. This one was absolutely mesmerizing, and I could have stayed there much longer, just watching the water do its thing.

This rolling wave was so cool.  It reminded me of the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  

After deciding we should head back to the van, I was disappointed at having to leave the beach, so we stopped at Torrey Pines state beach and I took a solo walk.  The waves there weren’t as dramatic as the ones I’d been enjoying at the dog beach, but what it lacked in surf it made up for in scenery. Towering cliffs and scattered rock formations lined the coast, quietly feeding my geologically curious side. I found myself lingering, studying layers and shapes carved by time, grateful for one more beach moment before calling it a day.

The cliff has all sorts of colors and textures

All these different colored rocks that have tumbled down.

Back to Crown Point Park for the night.  

12/13 - It was incredibly foggy this morning, but that made for a cool walk with Zoe—perfect weather for a longer stroll. Silly me, though, I didn't bring water for her, and the walk back was rough since the sun had started peaking through the clouds. She kept trying to make a beeline for the ocean, and I had to keep reminding her that saltwater was definitely not the solution.  Eventually, I spotted a bathhouse and remembered a trick Juliann once shared: using a poop bag as a makeshift water bowl. It took Zoe a minute to figure it out, but once she did, she drank a lot!

Later, I learned there’s a holiday lighted boat parade coming up, along with fireworks from SeaWorld. That pretty much sealed it—I guess I’ll be staying here at least one more night.

I’ve been toying with the idea of heading back up to Julian for a bit (only about 1-1.5 hrs away), as I feel like I should stay in the San Diego area while I sort out what’s going on with Zoe’s limp. This vet doesn’t want her staying on carprofen, especially since it hasn’t helped much and isn’t great for her kidneys, so I guess I have to let that go.  Now I’m left weighing the next options: Adequan injections, or trying a different medication. Part of me leans toward pills—I’d love to avoid giving shots myself after how much I struggled with Roxy. I did learn that Adequan can be given subcutaneously instead of intramuscularly, which sounds less intimidating, but I’d still prefer to try other meds first.  This is one of the hardest parts of moving all the time—navigating ongoing health decisions and not having access to one vet. We’ll figure it out, but it’s not easy and gets expensive having to work with new vets all the time.

When I was visiting with Jim and Jim in Las Vegas, I realized that I might have an in into Portugal if I wanted since my step grandfather was Portuguese and a diplomat at that!  I don't know if the grass is really greener in other countries, but it sure feels like it right now.  If I move to Portugal I could travel all over Europe, which I really would like to do.  Post Zoe, of course.  Sad to think about, but it is a fact...  

It was fun to see adults playing kickball today in the park.  I seem to recall hearing that adults played kickball, but I don't think I've seen it before.  Lots of yelling and screaming and fun being had!

It's still really foggy here.  There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, but I won't see it.  I've not had good luck with that in my travels.  Fireworks at 5:30, then the boat parade, which probably won't come by here until at least an hour later.

It was the shortest firework display I've ever seen.  I don't think it even lasted 5 minutes, but its been a while since I've seen fireworks, so I enjoyed them.  Zoe stayed in the van. 

And then the parade of lights.  I almost missed them, but managed to catch most of them from pretty close.  There were quite a few and some were really well done.  Some of them, not so much... 

Next morning there was a group of people water skiing.  First they used a flat saucer with no foot holds and then just a long rectangular board, also with no foot holds.  I was impressed!