San Diego Botanic Garden

When I lived in Oceanside, I always had a membership to the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. For my $60-a-year tax-deductible non-profit donation, I could go as often as I liked, which was probably about once every other month. I hadn't been in quite a while so I wanted to go by for a visit this week.

The place is paradise for a plant lover like me. My next-door neighbor at the time got me hooked and I've been going ever since. It's got lots to see and is divided up into different areas such as the desert setting above and the succulent area below.

They've changed their name since last I was there to the San Diego Botanic Garden and I guess it cost them a lot of money because they raised their prices. It now costs $12 per person and they're charging $2 for parking but it's still very much worth it to me. They're known for having a huge collection of different bamboos, which is kinda' cool, along with plants and flowers from all over the world.

I would often go just to get ideas for what plants to buy next. Now it's nice for me to visit to remember all the plants I used to have. If you find yourself in north county San Diego you should stop by the place. Maybe like me you'll enjoy walking through the bamboo...relaxing and peaceful!

In-N-Out Burger With Dave

When you're in southern California, there's just one thing ya' just gotta' do, well other than eat lots of Mexican food, and that's go to In-N-Out to eat a burger. After going to Kobey's on Sunday, Dave drove us over to the nearest In-N-Out to do just that.

In-N-Out reaches near-cult status in California; people are addicted to it. The menu board is quite small compared to most fast-food places. There's really just a couple of different burgers, one size of fries, milkshakes, and drinks on the board. It's quite simple actually, which I believe is part of the charm.

The burgers are excellent with my preference the Double-Double, which has two burger patties each with its own piece of cheese, thus the name. The fries are equally good as they fresh-cut the potatoes on site. Et voila' - lunch for three:

If you're a regular, you probably know all the secret order codes that they do. I didn't know them (I looked them up while writing this) but they include things like an "Protein-style" (protein only with no bun) or "Animal" style where the burger is cooked in mustard among others. All I know is that the burgers and fries are good and I enjoy going. Thanks again Dave for taking me!

Kobey's Swap Meet - San Diego

This past Sunday I went down to the Kobey's Swap Meet near the Sports Arena in San Diego with Dave who was looking for some old-school video game cartridges. I hadn't been to a flea market or swap meet in a looooong time so I was more than happy to go with him. It was pretty much what I remembered, people digging through piles of old junk that would probably be best donated...

...and carnival-style food stands...

For those folks reading this from outside of the U.S., a swap meet is an outdoor market, usually located in a large parking lot, where people rent a space to sell things. You'll find pretty much anything and everything from old electronics, to new clothing, furniture, food, massages, and everything in between. In my opinion, lots of the stuff is junk but people like it and still go to look for that "1980's analog synthesizer" or some other "treasure" that might turn up.

The highlight for me is just walking around because it was a good chance to people watch. I got to see people from all over the world in one place, which is one of the greatest parts of being in San Diego. There were Muslims that looked like they were from Egypt, Asians, Latinos, lots of white folks, and even some Raider's fans; yep, there were all kinds! :-)

Dave managed to find just what he was looking for and I picked up some spicy Mexican candy. I think he spent about $14 and I spent $2...it was a good kill. On our way out, we passed by these young girls busking for change:

They were super cute and were actually pretty good. More power to them! I have to be honest though, I think that I've had my fill of swap meets for a little while but I did have a good time. Thanks Dave for dragging me along!