Desert and Rose Gardens, Balboa Park

Balboa Park is the largest urban park in the United States. It lies in the heart of San Diego and includes the world famous San Diego Zoo. It hosts a variety of wonderful art museums, a play area exclusively for dogs, a village of "houses" that pay tribute to various countries, and a plethora of water fountains, shops, and restaurants. 

The park is vast and can be overwhelming for a tourist who might try to fit it all into one day. We, on the other hand, have the option to go and visit a different spot each time and make a casual outing out of it. So, when the sun came shining through this late morning, we gathered our dogs and headed for the cactus and rose gardens. 

We found an astonishing variety of succulents and cactus plants. 

This one strongly reminds me of glass artwork by Dale Chihuly, a renowned glass artist who creates such shapes for things like glass chandeliers. They sell for in the tens of thousands. I went to one of his exhibitions once in St. Petersburg, Florida. I wonder if this type of cactus was one of his inspirations. 

I will have to do some research to figure out the names of all these different trees. I found the shape of this trunk very interesting. 

Crowds appreciating the roses. . . 

Maggie was very interested in the wildlife, including the bird that made her look up in this photo. She pounced into several bushes and delighted in flushing out squirrels and lizards. 

I had thought that this might be a baobab tree, as described in Le Petit Prince, but it isn't. I'll have to find a site that identifies it for me! 

Bird, most likely a type of goldfinch, gathering material for a nest. It must be the right time of year for it. We have a couple sparrows at home preparing a nest in our hanging fern out in the pool area. 

Bizarre and interesting. . . 

We enjoyed the variety and surprise of the cactus garden more than the rather tame rose garden. 

More roses. . . 

Velma Olivia trotted like a champ and enjoyed the rose bushes. She is not afraid of other dogs or of people, but she did not like the water fountains. 

 Mexicans make a kind of fresh salad using the flat broad "leaf" part of the cactus. It is sold in some supermarkets in the U.S., conveniently stripped of its thorns. In Tijuana, roaming street vendors sell bags   of cactus, ready to be used in the salad. 

In Lebanon, my grandfather's favorite fruit was the prickly pear. In July and August, he would eat them by the dozen, even after the doctor told him he shouldn't have more than one or two. The fruit is laden with seeds, which can be a bit hard on the stomach if eaten in large volumes. I can't stand the taste at room temperature, but once refrigerated, they can be addictive!

It was always a trick to have the outer skin and thorns removed. I think I tried it once but was very unsuccessful and ended up with fingers full of tiny thorns. Gloves, newspaper, and a good knife are necessary tools. The flesh of the fruit ranges from yellow-orange to deep red. 

Velma Olivia de la Cruz

When we brought this chihuahua home from the dog shelter, she gasped when she saw the grass in the yard. After spending at least 40 days in a cement kennel, Velma, which means determined protector or warrior, is now one content little dog. 

As a four-year-old and a mother, Velma has been around the block a time or two. She set her boundaries right away when Maggie came to greet her, and the two have been pals ever since. Velma takes the lead, and Maggie the terrier follows happily, enchanted by her new companion. 

This dog loves exploring and has plenty of pep in her step. She's tiny but mighty and loves going for a walk. 

Her favorite thing to do, it seems, is to curl up on a lap to snooze. 

Ever hear of the cartoon characters, Asterix and Obelix? There is something about friendships between characters of such different sizes and personalities. Both dogs seem very happy with the arrangement, and both are young and energetic enough to join us on some great adventures. 

Shelter Island and Dog Shelters

It really was not part of the plan for the day, but we ended up adopting this young terrier. I normally post the pictures in chronological order, but in this case, I'll have to start at the end and offer the rest of the day as a flashback.

The name she had when the rescue folks took her on was Norma Jean. Now, I don't know about you, but that immediately makes me think of Marilyn Monroe. Either way, the name doesn't really fit, so we are scrambling to find a suitable name for our new girl. She's only three and a half months old, so it's early enough to make the change easily. 

The actual PLAN for the day started at Point Loma Seafoods, absolutely the best place in San Diego for any kind of fresh seafood lunches. We had the crab sandwich on sourdough bread, butterfly shrimp, and perfectly sweetened fresh lemonade. 

We then determined we would enjoy the glorious day and walk along Shelter Island. This is a shot of downtown San Diego, beyond the boats. 

Yes, I finally got a decent shot at a pelican!

It was a perfect day. Happy couples were walking along, many with their beloved pooches. So, we smiled and admired all the dogs everyone else had. Dogs are so wonderful, and well, we missed our Whoopie so much that we kept bringing her up in conversation as we walked along.  

That's La Playa in the background. 

San Diegans love to play. They love their boats, their parks, their sports. . . their dogs.

And. . . they have a good sense of humor. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

We found these relatively tame pelicans near where the boats launch into the bay. 

The sea lion acted like a HAPPY LITTLE DOG of the sea. It went up to some kids who threw it some food from this little boat. 

The pelican on the left scrunched down into a bowling ball-like shape. Another one scratched the back of its head, almost LIKE A DOG. 

Well, and I finally got the close-up shot! I had been trying for over a month to get this close. We were able to walk to about four feet away. 

And where does one go after such a good lunch and a wonderful stroll? One of us--I won't admit to anything--suggested we visit the animal shelter. We drove up to the Humane Society. We visited but did not like the place. The dogs were locked up in overly fancy, hermetically sealed chambers. One bedroom  per dog and each room larger than the bedroom in which I spent half of my childhood. After several security measures, an escort took us into a sealed room to visit one dog. But it has issues with its hind legs, and after taking care of geriatric dogs for so many years, we really wanted a young healthy dog. The surreal vibe of the place left us uncomfortable, so it was easy to walk away. 

Where to next? Well, we tried the county animal shelter in our neighborhood, but it doesn't open on Sundays. The most we saw was this rabbit outside the gates. 

We were so close to home, and then someone (not me) suggested we try ONE MORE PLACE. And so we drove a short ways to a pet store that just happened to be having a special adoption of rescued puppies. These puppies were rescued in Rosarito, Mexico and brought across by their foster parents, in the hopes of matching them with new owners. And well, you know what happened next. . . we brought the little girl home. Right now, she is happily wrestling with a stuffed toy rabbit. 

I think this is going to work out just fine. 

Tijuana

 Tijuana is an intense city, bustling and busy. 

Narrow streets are packed with different businesses. Fancy restaurants, food vendors pushing carts, auto mechanics, optical shops, dentists, frame shops, ironworkers, pharmacies, shoe stores, clinics, and so much more can all be found within steps of each other. 

Tecate and Bohemia are local beers. I prefer Bohemia, with a twist of lime!

 Tijuana is a place of contrasts. Pockets of beauty are to be found in unexpected places. 

Numerous walls are painted with very bright colors. Images of Mary are highly revered and scattered throughout the city. 

This friendly fellow was rescued off the streets and is now the proud guardian of his owner. He's big but gentle and loves being petted. 

His owner saved him some nice pieces of chicken and meat left over from our outing. 

 As luck would have it, we went out to a terrific hole-in- the-wall called Al-Manara. Al-Manara means lighthouse, but it is also the name of the neighborhood in which the main lighthouse of Beirut stands. We ordered kafta (ground lamb with parsley), shish-taouk (grilled chicken that has been marinated in yogurt and garlic), hummus, baba ghannouj (eggplant dip), Lebanese salad, and tabbouli. Delicious! 

The food was as good as the best restaurant in Beirut and certainly better than most restaurants (any type of cuisine) to be found in San Diego. I chatted briefly with the owner, who visited our table. 

We stopped at this busy mall on our way back to the border, but it was super crowded and a real chore for us to get out of the parking lot. 

I had never seen this before--the red unit is a portable car wash. For a few pesos, your car can be given the works while you shop. 

We couldn't find where to pay for our parking and drove around in circles inside the crowded lot. Turns out, we had to pay at a vending machine near one of the entrances, jump back in the car, AND THEN the card worked. 

Detail of "some party place" on the way to the border with San Diego.

Because of the slow traffic nearing the border, vendors find opportunity to hawk their wares. Flags, blankets, sugary treats, and kitschy statues of everything from roosters to Jesus can be bought along the way. 

Johnnie Walker, perfume, or a churro treat? 

There is what is called the SENTRI lane for people who have already been vetted by U.S. security and the FBI. It's the "fast lane" for trusted travelers. Both U.S. and Mexican citizens can apply for the SENTRI pass, which works like a passport. It makes going back and forth a lot easier. You have to be careful, though-- fruits, vegetables, all meats, as well as a long list of other items, are prohibited. A turkey sandwich is enough to make you lose your SENTRI pass!