I decided to head to Mt Soledad. The cross used to sit on a mound of dirt with nothing around it years ago. It was erected in 1954 to honor those who served in Korea. I knew a memorial had been made at the site as a result of local legal challenges saying the cross had to come down. This memorial with the steps up to the cross and the walls of pictures has all been paid for with private funds. There are plaques honoring young soldiers in WWII who died very young as nothing more than a Army PFC, there are former POW's like Admiral Stockdale who returned to his home in Coronado after being held prisoner by the Viet Cong for 8 years. Some of the plaques honor whole families of brothers & fathers & grandfathers, many honor husband and wives who both served. The views from up here are amazing, you can see all the way to Mexico and past Ramona to the snow covered San Bernardino Mountains.
Next on my drive was a stop in downtown La Jolla where is was easy to find a parking place for the truck. I walked a short block over to the beach. Watching the waves and the surfers I could easily see how the ocean captivated my mother, seaside living and visits to Hawaii were her favorites. I even went down to the waters edge to take more pictures and pick up a pocketful of tiny shells, rocks and a piece of sea glass.I'll probably send a few of the shells to my niece Lili since she too loves gathering shells and rocks at the beach.
As I drove through La Jolla and Pacific Beach it was interesting to see how the communities have evolved. La Jolla was the first place I lived when I came to San Diego and it is still my favorite place, Ramona is my second favorite! So at the end of the day what does that say about me? Well I think it just says I'm a small town girl who likes things simple!
My last stop before heading back home was Fashion Valley Mall for a visit to the Godiva Chocolate shop! In 2010 when I visited National Harbor, MD for the CTMH annual convention the tiny town had a Godiva Chocolate shop. The friendly young man told me if I would give the shop my email address I could join the Godiva Chocolate Rewards club and get a free piece of chocolate - every month forever! Well I still have my Godiva Chocolate Rewards Club card! But the 2 stores in San Diego are not very close to where we live so I don't get to visit every month. I went in to choose my free candy and decided to indulge myself in a Godiva style soft serve ice cream cone, price $6! This was a sugar cone, coated on the inside with chocolate, a chocolate nut covered edge and filled with chocolate / vanilla swirl ice cream! So good!
Hope you're enjoying your day too!
Hugs,
Patty
