Day 3 in San Diego

Started today with a RUN!!!  Yahooooo.  Both Esther and Debi decided to come with me.  Here we are setting out and stretching!!!  Ha

 I will preface this by saying that running on holidays does not induce a fast time, because I kept having to stop and take photos!  Absolutely loved this run along the Harbour front where there were about 8 tall ships docked, a magnificent site.  

Looking a little hot and sweaty here...

Along the waterfront to the USS Midway, a gigantic aircraft carrier.  There were a number of navy vessels around the Harbour which I soon found out was an entire navy area.  And I will admit that as we were running and hearing Reveille sound out across the Harbour then followed by the Star-Spangled Banner I got a little teary at the enormity of it all.

I called out a cheery good morning to a number of sailors on the various ships and waved to them, often getting a good morning and a wave back, apart from two snooty sailors which had the girls falling about laughing as they were statues up on the Midway deck!

There is a park there which has a tribute to Bob Hope, beautiful bronze figures of wounded soldiers and sailors with a bronze figure of Bob Hope entertaining them, and piped around the circle of figures was Bob Hope doing his routine.  Kept thinking how much my dad would love this, as he loved Bob Hope.

There's another huge statue here in this area reminiscent of a moment when the sailor came home from the war and saw his sweetheart. Wish I had included a point of reference as to the size as it's huge.

Then spent the morning at Balboa Park which saw Debi quite alarmed when she heard Esther and I scream which turned into squeals of delight when we saw a squirrel, then another and another.  Do I dare even own up to the amount of photos we took of these darn squirrels and we hadn't even reached the zoo yet! 

We stumbled onto a little Spanish Craft Village with lots of artisans, really unique things.  I bought a little giftie for one of my girls from an old timer selling gem products.  Such an old fashioned guy, when he was looking for his pen he called it a "writing stick" !!!

This afternoon was spent at San Diego Zoo, absolutely amazing.    I loved the pink flamingos (don't they get tired??), the panda, the zebra, we found a rhinoceros I'm sure that was on Red Bull, charging up his enclosure stirring up the dust and really showing off, the gorillas, just everything, such a beautiful zoo.  The afternoon went way too quick.

Started wandering back at closing time and it got dark really quick so we spent some time on top of the bridge looking back across the highway, or was it freeway, to the buildings of the city, practicing our night photography.  Poor Debi had to look away seeing Esther's camera balancing precariously on the hand railing!  My photos weren't much chop but you get the general idea here how pretty it looked.

Oh, and yes ... Debi is still here!  She was having such fun she extended another day and isn't going home until tomorrow, how lucky we are.  

A delicious meal at an Indian Restaurant tonight, thanks to Esther and her Groupon detective work.  Yum yum!  

And now back at Hotel Vyvant to update pics and blog.  Three friends sitting here clicking away, a bit of chatter but mostly companionable silence, which envelopes us in a bond we will have forever more.