Sandy Eggo (by Walden)

When we finally drove into the city where my Auntie Shawna and Uncle Chris

Picnic at Mission Bay

live I asked, “Is this San Diego?” Mommy said, “Yes. We are here.” I asked, “Is it sandy here?” Mommy laughed and said, “Actually, yes, there is sand here. Would you like to play in it?” I was so excited! I was also excited to meet Shawna’s dog Spike in person since I’ve only seen him on Skype before. It was very disappointing that he either ran away or barked at me. He wasn’t snuggly and I couldn’t pet him but luckily Shawna gave me my own puppy with zipper on top that I can carry with me. I taught him not to be naughty, put him on Spikes leash, and have been taking him everywhere I go.

Chasing kite tails

The first time I got to play in the San Diego sand was at Mission Bay where we had a picnic. We grilled hot dogs, ate watermelon, and watched boats, kayakers, and swimmers. Shawna brought kites to fly and I ran and chased the tails trying to catch them. I was so disappointed I could not hold the kite and be lifted into the sky like Curious George. I thought that’s how kites work. We watched the sun setting over palm trees. Mommy and Shawna looked for sea shells and I jumped in, ran through, and squeezed the sand.

The next day Mommy, Daddy, I went to a place called Balboa Park.

Stopping to smell the roses

There were interesting buildings, musicians, and a pond with giant goldfish. Mommy and I walked through a huge garden of roses and put our noses in the flowers to find the best smells. In the afternoon, we went to a place called La Jolla to see harbor seals. They lay on the rocks next to the ocean and you could walk right up to them (though, Daddy said not to get too close). My favorites were the baby ones. There were so many seals piled up I wondered which one was the mommy one. Sometimes they made an ‘arf arf’ noise and fought with one another. There were also tide pools with snails, crabs, and enemies (anemone).

Baby on the beach

I was glad there were also some seals on the beach so we could go see them and play in the sand again.

My best tattoo face

Sea treasure

Uncle Chris’ job is giving people tattoos at a shop in Pacific Beach. I had been thinking a lot about what tattoo I wanted and decided on a hammer on my arm weeks ago. Right before we went in the shop I also decided I wanted a mosquito on my arm. I watched Chris draw the designs and met some of the other tattoo artists. When the drawings were ready Chris put them into a special machine to make them purple. (They became stencils that the artists place on the skin before inking. The stencils will wash off in a few days.) I was very still and brave when he put then on my arms and it didn’t hurt at all. The very best part of being at Chris’ work was getting to play with his wind-up robot collection. He keeps it next to the tattoo area and I could point out the one I was interested in and he’d let me try it. He even gave me one to take with me! After my tattoos were done, we walked to the beach and I got to play in the sand again. We found purple jellyfish creatures and giant kelp washed onto the beach. There were people surfing and a guy with macaws that talked. Daddy and I got to share a giant ice cream sandwich made with fresh made chocolate chip cookies and rocky road ice cream.

Auntie Shawna’s job is selling vintage jewelry at Kobey’s Swap Meet.

Vintage treasures at Kobey's Swap Meet

We went to visit her there and ate fresh peaches, cherries, and little donuts for breakfast.  I’m so happy when Mommy lets me have treats and not just oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast. This was our last day to see Shawna because we are driving away from the city. Daddy said it is a holiday weekend so we want to go where there are fewer people.

While we were in San Diego we stayed at Sweetwater Summit Regional Park. It was up on a hill and we could see houses and roads all around. At night, the city lights twinkled. Airplanes and helicopters flew right over us and we could see the red and green lights on their wings. When we went up the hill next to the playground we could see all the way to the ocean. One time we took a walk on a bridge over the Interstate. I had great fun watching the cars drive under me and running to the other side of the bridge to see them come out. When we walked by the golf course I asked where Uncle Randy was. He taught me to play golf in Georgia. Mommy explained that Uncle Randy lives by a different golf course in a different state next to a different ocean. Next to the golf course we walked by pens of horses and some were wearing masks and blankets. Another day we walked through a canyon with palm trees and a river at the bottom. In the bottom, were forts people had made with tarps. The people left their shopping carts at the top of the canyon next to the trail. I was curious to see more but Mommy and Daddy said we better keep walking. San Diego was such an interesting place! 

Our campsite on top of a hill at Sweetwater Park.