I stayed at home through the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays this year, but you can do that for only a short period of time before you need to get out and travel! Even though the heat of the summer is gone, you still need the change of scenery that even a short tip can give when you leave the desert valley. I did that in January for just a few days, and had a great time over in the neighboring state of California.
Back in August of last year, Kathy and Fred Wettig of Sedona, moved to a new home in Escondido, just north of San Diego. They said, "Come out to see us!", and they found that when you say that to me, Be Careful, I will probably do that! Their new home is just a few miles from where they lived back in the early 90s, when Erin and I first met them. Some of you may remember that this branch of the Wettig Family has not yet been confirmed as a part of 'our family', but since they are such nice people, we have accepted them. If we can trace another 100 years before 1700, I am sure we will find a connection!
I flew out on Southwest Air, my favorite Airline simply because it seems to fly to all of the places that I like to travel. I had hoped to be able to talk myself into driving over, but when I compared the thought of 7 hours across the dull desert in the van alone, I decided a one hour trip made more sense. And, it was a good flight. I had reserved a Chrysler Sebring Convertible for what I knew would be balmy California, weather. Fortunately I checked the weather map before the flight and changed to a Chrysler 300 with waterproof top! It rained for most of the week that I was there.
Travel with Harry
San Diego in January 2008
I drove up to Escondido with no difficulty. It was Martin Luther King Holiday and the usual heavy traffic was not not too bad. Kathy and Fred's new home is located in a new residential neighborhood called Sonata. They live just off of Beethoven Street. Everything was musical in the area! The house is pictured at left and below.
I didn't take any pictures inside the home. There were patios on all sides and the grounds were beautifully planted. Fred grew up in the San Diego area. He lived with his Aunt Elizabeth after coming from Germany at age 14. Elizabeth and husband, Frank, owned a Nursery, and Fred has a good background in California landscaping. Those who would like to read about Fred and his Family can go to the Genealogy section and read the Story of Gottfried and the Sedona Wettigs. Kathy also grew up in the Escondido area.
The patios surrounding the house are really nice. It was too cold and rainy on this visit to enjoy them but in appropriate weather they would be great! I did not realize that the Escondido Fire of last October was so close to their new home. They were evacuated twice even before they had unpacked all of the possessions moved from Sedona.
Their old home in Escondido was also very close to the fire and only two miles from the new home. Their son, Dave, lives in the old home, and it was also in the path of the Fire but spared from any damage.
The rain subsided a little on Tuesday and we had a chance for a tour of the October Fire Area and a visit to some of the new developments in the Escondido area. There was one that had a Lawn Bowling Green. I got just a brief look at it, and one picture, but it is good to know there is a California community that also appreciates this sport. We also drove up to Lawrence Welk Village. I 'sang' with Lawrence at this same spot back in the early 90s. He had not changed a bit!
Erin and I enjoyed several visits for shows at the Lawrence Welk Theater back in the early 90s when we were active in the Leisure World Rovers Club! Good Memories!
After a great visit with Kathy and Fred, I drove over to the coast and down the familiar coast line toward San Diego. It was great to stop at all of the same little beaches where Erin and I had stopped many years ago. The only change is that there are more people! Too many people! I think we might have chosen a spot on the California Coast for our retirement back in 1980, except for the mass of people who had already done that. Erin used to say, "Just wait! We will have seashore property in Arizona just as soon as California has an earthquake and drops into the sea!" I'm glad that hasn't happened yet because I still like short visits to the area!
The Navy is still represented in San Diego Bay!
I had a great room on the 5th floor of the West Bestern Inn & Suites, just off of the Harbor Yacht Basin. A nice view from the small balcony when the rain was not coming down! Parking was directly in front of the door to the lobby, so access was no problem. The Wireless Internet connection was faultless! I enjoyed the trip out to Balboa Park, but I skipped the Zoo, San Diego has one of the best Zoos in the world. But it was raining! I also went down to Seaport Village where I had dinner. The Carrier, Nimitz is parked next door. I tried to get a photo of the front of the ship, and I made the mistake of getting out of the car. I lost my footing on the slick curb and took a tumble. Cut my hand on the parking sign. And that ended my sight seeing for the day. It also taught me that my rule of "through the windshield photos" is a good rule. For the rest of the trip I stayed in the car!
I took time to go up on the hill to visit Aunt Georgia's home on Meade Street. I expected it to be torn down and replaced by apartments,but the entire area is still the same except the population is now middle eastern. The old Texas Street Market, where I used to buy a bottle of Gin on occasions, was still there, but nobody recognized me! Aunt Georgia would love the area now. She would be fluent in Farci and Arabic if she had lived these last thirty years.
Click on photos for a larger view
It was a good trip and I hope you have enjoyed seeing these photos of present day Southern California. If you have, drop me a line at MacWettig@aol.com
