Hello!
We’re back from our mini-vacation to visit Eric’s parents in San Diego. Before I get started on the day-by-day blogging, I want to share my initial thoughts on sunny Southern California:
1. There are a lot of plants. Seriously. If you are looking for a career in landscaping, I’m sure someone in San Diego will hire you. I have no idea how they have the manpower to take care of the millions and billions of plants around here. But everything is kept super neat and tidy. And it’s all so bright!
2. People don’t seem to have jobs. I can’t figure out what professions these San Diego-ians have. There are people outside all day every day, running or walking or hiking or swimming or surfing. Why aren’t people at work? How do you afford to live here if you don’t have a job? Eric’s parents said they have wondered the same thing. It’s so weird.
3. It is quite sunny. This is probably the best part of San Diego. It is so sunny. As a sun lover, I am thrilled.
4. It’s not nearly as warm as we had hoped. Our goal in planning a trip to California at the beginning of March was to escape the cold of Kentucky and enjoy the warmth of San Diego. Well, wouldn’t you know that during our trip, San Diego was having an unusual cold snap, while Kentucky was unseasonably warm. It was actually warmer in Lexington than it was in San Diego. Of course, as soon as we got home, Lexington was enjoying 30-40 degree temperatures, and it will be in the upper 70’s in San Diego. This is our luck with vacations.
5. The ocean is awesome. Seriously. I’ll never get over how awesome it is.
6. The hills are huge. I decided to go for a run one morning. I take my running clothes on every vacation, but I have never actually gone running. As I am a chronic over-packer, I would probably pack running clothing even if I had never exercised in my life (you never know what you’re going to need!), but it was my goal to run at least once while I was here. Eric’s parents live near the top of an enormous hill. I ran straight downhill for 11 minutes. Then I spent about 22 minutes trying to get back up the hill. Of course, San Diego women are running while pushing strollers up this hill. It’s ridiculous. But I guess if you can give birth, you have a higher tolerance for general discomfort. I, on the other hand, suffered from incredibly sore legs for 2 days. On my next run, I stuck to a less hilly area.
7. You cannot tell the temperature by looking at what people are wearing. It could be 50 degrees outside, and some people are wearing tank tops and shorts, while some are wearing winter coats and pants. We went to the beach a few times, where we all wore pants, long sleeves, and jackets. Some people were in swimsuits. Some were running in pants and sweatshirts. The clothing just doesn’t reveal anything about the temperature.
I’ll fill you in on the fun details of our trip in the days to come!
-Ally
Betsy Ringer says
Loved having you with us and miss you. Wish you could pop in any time! And yes… It is super sunny and 79 degrees
Brendan Ringer says
Thanks for the entertaining outsider’s first take on So-Cal…I was chuckling through several of these, especially your observation about people not seeming to have jobs.