2014 San Diego Vacation 6: Pacific Beach Again And La Jolla

Our San Diego Go Cards had run out, so today was just going to be a beach day, which was appropriate, since it was our last day in sunny San Diego before we drove back to our snowy homeland.

We all got ready and the kids and I walked down to the beach at the end of the street.

Some of the kids passed their time building a sand castle.

After putting together a pretty nice castle, then went out to play in the water themselves. They splish-splashed around, and had a good time. We played on the beach for a while, and then, eventually, headed home.

We had lunch at home, and then got ready for a completely different beach. This time we were going to La Jolla. There's a nice beach there, as well as some tide pools, and a place where the sea lions come to congregate and lay on the sand.

We drove up there, and went to the sea lion beach. Those dark spots on the sand are all sea lions.

But the minute we got out of the car, we saw that the weather had changed since the time we'd spent on the beach this morning. Now it was windy, and the wind had brought cold along with it. This was not going to be an afternoon for frolicking in the sand and water like this morning had been.

We hopped back in the car, and drove the short way back to the house, and everyone grabbed their coats, and changed back into pants. Then we went back, so we could at least see the tide pools.

The tide pools were nice, but not amazing. We did manage to find some anemones to play with, so that was nice.

I didn't like the tide pools as much as I'd expected because the cold made us less inclined to get wet as part of our exploration, and Little had fallen asleep on the drive back, so he was grumpy and whiny as could be about being woken up to come down and see the tide pools.

We saw various other things, like shells and even small fish. It was fun, despite the cold. But, once again, the sun was going down. It was time to head home. Before we left, of course, we needed to get a picture of the sunset.

On the way home, we stopped by a store for some ice cream. It was our last bit of fun at the end of the trip. We went home after that, had some dinner, and then packed everything up so that we could leave first thing in the morning. For our trip back, we'd decided we wouldn't stop in Las Vegas, but instead drive the whole way in one shot.

So, when morning came, we packed up the car and said goodbye to our lovely beach house. The trip had been so completely splendid, and we were really going to miss it. It had been the most relaxing vacation that we'd perhaps ever had. Often, when a vacation comes to an end, you've had enough, and you're just happy to get back to your own home again. But that wasn't the case this time. Since we'd had our own place while we were in San Diego, we didn't get that feeling. We really would have preferred to stay, but all that was left now was the least relaxing part: the endless drive home.

At last, after many, many hours, we arrived home. We got out of the car, and brought our stuff in. My wife brought Little in, carrying him because he was asleep. When he got in the door, he opened his eyes, and looked around. When he saw that he was back in his own home, he started screaming and crying.

"No! No! Not this house! I don't want this house! I want the new house! My new house!"

Apparently the feeling was completely universal. We all loved San Diego so much that we wanted to stay for good. If only there was a way.