San Diego

Four of us flew into San Diego for an annual convention. Two had to work and two got to play. There would have been more playing going on but the weather did not cooperate...at all.

 That Saturday afternoon though the weather was perfect. After we picked up the rental car we had hours to kill before we could check into the hotel so we decided to have some lunch then go to the Midway. The Fetherston's had never been before.

 We had lunch at this fun burger joint that was decorated in a surfers theme.

 Mendis found a veteran buddy that started explaining some things to him and before we knew it he was totally engrossed. So we all split up and checked things out.

 I've always been fascinated by the galleys and the wardrooms.
So we closed the place and got settled into the hotel. The next day was Sunday and the weather started to turn. Karla and I did lunch right across the street and then just spent the rest of the day in our rooms while the guys attended their classes. That night we headed out to eat at the Kansas City BBQ right across the street. Every time we walked by it smelled so good we just had to try it. It wasn't that good actually. The smell was way better than the food sadly. But we found out they filmed the dinner scene of Top Gun there:

 Apparently they filmed the scene right at the table we sat at. Pretty cool.

So after dinner we split up because Mendis and I wanted to walk off that dinner. We walked all around the hotel which was huge. As we walked through the lobby we could see an enormous party going on. Well and we could hear it. Turns out it was all part of the convention they were attending! So we went in and groaned. The food stations looked fabulous. There were open bars galore so we enjoyed some Sprite. We were still full from the heavy bbq but when we saw the fabulous dessert buffets we couldn't resist. We grabbed a couple of plates, loaded up and ate it in our room. They were so cute and yummy.

How adorable is this little chocolate cup of mouse!

The next day Karla and I found a fabulous breakfast buffet in the hotel and then spent a little time at the outdoor shopping mall which was a joke because it was pouring still. So she dropped me off and I went to the convention so I could hear Steve Forbes speak. It was very interesting and I'm glad I went. Right after,I bought my own convention floor pass and we walked the floor. They had food and bars in there too so that became dinner. Pretty pricey dinner but it was fun to see it all and see Mendis in action with the power industry vendors. The next day the weather finally turned nice!! I spent the morning right behind the hotel at the Seaport Village. I'd heard so much about it I was excited to check it out. Got some great tacky fridge magnets and smashed some pennies.

 Of course I picked us up a couple of cupcakes and put them in the fridge for later. We drove out to La Jolla and met Carolyn for lunch. How fun is that. She had made us reservations at Jake's right on the beach front.

Absolutely gorgeous!

Loved the Hula Pie of course. And maybe we also split a creme brulet maybe. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon thrift store hopping. Fun and free because non of us spent any money.

 That night there was a big reception for everyone from the entire convention and their spouses. They opened up 12 restaurants in the Gas Lamp Quarter and people just poured in and stood in long lines and ate and drank. We milled around for awhile and found some food and luckily a place to sit in "The Strip Club" which is actually a steak house lol.

 It was so crowded and it started getting cold. The idea was fun but it wasn't something I wanted to be at all night long not even with the live band. I'm getting old.
The next day we went to Old Town and walked around some and had lunch at the Mexican Restaurant. It was yummy. After our short flight we were home just in time to unpack, do laundry, go to work for a couple of days and get ready to go to Cancun!!