Anza-Borrego Desert

he Park is located on the eastern side of San Diego County, with portions extending east into Imperial County and north into Riverside County. It is about a two-hour drive from San Diego, Riverside, and Palm Springs. Many visitors approach from the east or west via Highways S22 and 78.

From the coast, these highways descend from the heights of the Peninsular range of mountains with spectacular views of the great bowl of the Colorado Desert. Highway S2 enters the park from the south off of Interstate 8.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California. Five hundred miles of dirt roads, 12 wilderness areas and many miles of hiking trails provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the wonders of the California Desert.














The park is named for Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish word borrego, or bighorn sheep. The park features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas. Visitors may also have the chance to see roadrunners, golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deer and bighorn sheep as well as iguanas, chuckwallas and the red diamond rattlesnake. Listening devices for the hearing impaired are available in the visitor center.
 

 A Cholla Cactus may look fuzzy, but never touch it! Its spines are extremely sharp and have barbs like fishhooks. It's painful to get stuck by a Cholla. If an animal brushes up against a Cholla Cactus, a part of the stem will break off and stick to the animal's fur. It will eventually fall off, take root, and grow in the new location. This adaptation helps the Cholla to reproduce.

The Ocotillo spreads its roots out in all directions just below the surface to absorb water whenever it rains.  The Ocotillo sometimes has no leaves and looks like a dead plant.  But it is not dead at all!  As soon as there is some rain the branches will be covered in bright green leaves. 

The slot canyon is a beautiful natural formation nestled in the heart of the Anza Borrego State Park, about an hour and a half East of San Diego.

Make no mistake, you will have to work to find this place. (Lucky we had a guide)  While it is technically on the map, it is still difficult to find, as it is located about two miles down a dirt road that is very easy to miss.

The road itself was dirt and a little rough  From where we parked it was about 200 yards to the start of the hike. There are no signs to direct you where to go, just know when you get to the area in the below picture you want to head left down into the canyon for the start of the slot.

Also, make sure that you mark your entrance as it can be hard to tell exactly where you entered when you come back out.
About three-fourths of the way you will reach the natural rock bridge. It is a great place to stop and take in the size of the canyon you are in.

After walking about 100 yards you will see the entrance to the start of the slot canyon. The canyon itself starts to get taller and taller around you, while the path gets more and more narrow.

The next mile or so is an amazing experience. You simply weave your way through the canyon as it gets to about 100 feet on either side of you. The canyon gets so narrow at some place that you actually have to go sideways.

Happy Christmas

 While having breakfast and sharing our Christmas stocking and opening our presents we had a visit from Santa Seagull.

The view from our table at Bertrand at Mister A's

Duck two ways

NB bread uneaten

Apple tart

We walked home and waited just 2 minutes to get another plane landing

Christmas meet up

 Modern-day Coronado began in 1885 with the purchase of a one-time Spanish rancho that spanned Coronado, North Island and the Silver Strand. A small partnership led by Elisha Babcock and Hampton Story purchased all this for a mere $110,000. Their vision was to establish “the grandest hotel on the Pacific coast” set within a master-planned community featuring wide avenues, parklands, handsome public buildings, and attractive beachside residences.

Caught in a decoration 

Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado would grow together, side by side, for decades — each equally benefiting the other. The beloved “Hotel Del” would become the coast’s largest and grandest hotel while Coronado would develop an uncommon level of charm in the midst of a near-perfect climate. We managed to arrive in the not so perfect weather- cloudy and rain but not too cold.

ice skating by the beach

Through the tour bus window back in San Diego

 Considered the "birthplace" of California, visitors can witness the living legacy of California's birthplace in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Its many preserved historic buildings and museums allow you to "go back in time" and visit California's history firsthand.
The Old Town State Historical Park maintains a collection of 19th-century homes and businesses that give visitors a glimpse into colonial life in San Diego.

 Seek out the old adobe ranch homes, schoolhouse and graveyard spread among the occupied areas of the neighborhood, Kit Carson was among the first pioneers to raise the American flag here in 1846. There are also numerous rumors of ghost sightings in the area—most persistently at the old Whaley House Museum on San Diego Avenue.

Constructed in 1825, Casa de Estudillo unveils the lifestyle of a prominent San Diego family. Standing as the the most famous of the original adobe buildings in Old Town, it’s furnished with representative items from the 16th to 20th centuries within its 13 rooms.

Santa was holding court back in the Seaport 

UWS

Heading for the "beauty parlor" or at least the place to get a facial :) there was evidence of the coming festive season on the Upper West Side. It would have been great to see it the next day in the snow.

Doorways seem to be the spot where the Christmas spirit emerges.

Hillary ll dressed up and our angel/star on top of the tree

 On my way to Macys I came across my first santa for Santa Con in NYC for this year.
A SantaCon is a gathering of people dressed as Santa and if it's open to the public. Traditionally, SantaCon is free to attend, however, some events have costs that need to be covered and the organizers ask for a contribution. Others are held in support of a good cause and also have a mandatory contribution. SantaCon.info lists all SantaCons without prejudice.

On my way to the Union Square Market I saw the Hillary Therapy Wall.
After the success of Subway Therapy's sticky note confession wall in the 14th Street/6th Avenue tunnel, which gave thousands of New Yorkers a small outlet to express their post-election grief, confusion, and fears, two copycat walls sprung up in other train stations.
Union Square has a version of the sticky note wall now, which popped up earlier this week and has taken over entire sections of the station, including two entrances, since appearing. Messages range from denunciations of conservative policies and Donald Trump's racism to calls to action, like a note that says "White women, wake up your blind friends" and another that says "It's not the end of the world, it's time to take action."
A few contrarians have posted sticky notes as well, including a multi-note essay that reads:
This election proves how stupid people in this country really are. If you didn't want Trump then you should of been protesting the day he announced he was running. I am not a supporter of Trump or Hillary. They are both toxic to the country. If you want change, become a leader yourself and stand up for justice, equality, and liberty. Stop complaining.
Others have posted notes in response, like "Protesting is our legal right!" and "We did protest, no one listened, so now we take the streets."

Kids art

A whole wall of kids version of snow domes :).

Mugs

The birthday Moscow Mule mugs.

The Christmas tree is up!  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in "6 Oh"

Windows

One part of the Vineteria windows

It's something new this Christmas season decorated store windows — in Harlem. Businesses along one of Harlem's busiest streets... Fredrick Douglass Boulevard..are featuring elaborate window displays that showcase the community's rich history.
Actors are bringing life to the festive windows at the Chocolat Restaurant on Frederick Douglass Boulevard — it is not a holiday scene — but instead a tribute to Harlem's musical heritage.
"You live in a community and it's great to know what that community stands for," said Choreographer Walter Rutledge.

And that's the message of Harlem Holiday Windows, eight businesses on Frederick Douglass Boulevard from 114th to 122nd Streets with window displays.

It's an effort supported by local civic groups and lead by Jaqueline Orange, who has produced tours of the neighborhood through ArtCrawl Harlem. The theme of the windows is the Harlem Renaissance, a culturally rich period here in the 1920s and 30s.

"So each window is depicting singing about that time and we. Whether it's music, writers, dancers, or prohibition," said Orange, founder and producer of Harlem Holiday Windows.

It's beginning to look...

Herbs and letters

On our window ledge

Waiting for the post in a school.