Mission Not Impossible

Did you notice that last Wednesday 

was the longest day of the year?  

We did.

That was the day we were up before the chickens, scrambling with two big suitcases, trying to get a handsome young man in a new suit 

to the airport to catch a 6 a.m. flight.

"The Joey" is going on a mission!

You may remember this kid

He's been a willing, or semiwilling participant in many a Larainy Day shenanigan.  Now, he has taken a leave of absence; from college, friends, family life, movies, girls, ipod, facebook, Mac, novels, and sleeping in for the next two years.

If you see a tall handsome missionary in a white shirt and tie with a name tag, stop and say hello. 

It might not be "The Joey", 

but it will be some mother's boy, 

who is probably missing him a lot.

Calee4kneeah: The Rest of the Story

Day Three

Balboa Park
Natural History Museum

Apparently we didn't let Joey ride on enough carousels as a child and he has been forced to compensate

Botanical Garden

If my hand crafted Harry Potter-type wand worked worth a darn I would apperate this whole botanical building into my backyard and live happily ever after.









Mormon Battalion Museum, Old Town San Diego
      and 
Point Loma

For an entertaining half hour, go learn about the only religiously based battalion in U.S. history that marched 2000 miles from Iowa to San Diego.  Plus, you get a nice parking space for exploring old town where you can eat a great meal at Miguel's.

Universal Studios, Los Angeles

There are 345 stairs along side 3 long steep flights of escalators from the lower lot to the upper lot at Universal Studios.  I climbed the stairs and was feeling quite proud until some little kid ran past me laughing.  He waited for me at the top to tell me it was his birthday.  That is why I didn't beat him up.

Six Flags - Magic Mountain

Sorry, no pictures.  I was far too busy not riding roller coasters and eating churros

Home again, home again jiggedy jig

 

Calee4kneeah: Day Two

Day Two

World Famous San Diego Zoo

Don't be surprised to discover that some of the antelopes are highly evolved.  You may be approached by a leggy buckskin-clad pronghorn asking you for spare change

The aviary is spectacular until 

a) an insolent bird swoops by and poops on your shoulder 

and 

b) you look in a cute little food receptacle

and find a pile of neonatal mouse appetizers

I found both the  Dik Dik and the Meerkat to be extremely vain animals, preening for hours, posing from side to side, fluttering eyelashes and letting the breeze ruffle invitingly through their fur.  Shameless, utterly shameless.  They have obviously been in California far too long.

Extremely dangerous large birds of prey abound, but, given a combination of love, firm handling and neonatal mouse snacks, they can be tamed

 As can the king of beasts, except he needs bigger snacks.

Coronado Island

And then we built a sand castle!

Okay, so we didn't build it.

 We didn't stay here either, 

but if you act like you belong,
you can hang out on the Del's superior beach

P.S.  Stay away from the kettlecorn at the zoo 
or you will crave it fortnightly

Calee4kneeah: Day One

Day One

Sentinel Rest Stop - Interstate 8 to San Diego, CA

 


- Totally awed by the gossamer like toilet paper woven by civil service faeries (USDA Rest Stop Faerie Union 1320) out of recycled nonlethal spider webs











Territorial Prison Museum, Yuma AZ

 
- Sadly disappointed to find that Great Great Grandfather, William Jordan Flake
is no longer prominently featured with his own section in glass fronted cabinets of museum.  Has been relegated to brief mention in video.  Wm. J. was an invited guest for six months in 1883 after being convicted of unlawful cohabitation (polygamy) because he refused to abandon one of his two wives.  Organized fellow prisoners into cohesive working groups and demanded and received better food and treatment from guards while serving his time.

 (Dark Cell formerly sponsored by Voldemort)

See how dark the dark cell is?