Christy Does Southern California, Pt. 1

Over 20 years ago, I was making plans to visit Fairmount, Indiana for the very first time for their annual James Dean Festival. Knowing very little about it, I contacted the Convention and Visitor's Bureau. After a very enthusiastic phone conversation with the young girl who worked there, my fax machine started humming (anyone remember fax machines?). About 30-some pages later, I had just about everything I needed to know about Fairmount and the Festival!

About 6 months later, I finally met that girl in person, and it was BFF's at first sight. Christy is always ready for a good time; whenever we get together, we pack as much fun as possible into the little time that we have. Whether it was the vintage vinyl dance parties in my Indiana living room or dancing at the James Dean Festivals…it was always memorable!



It was the icing on my 50th birthday cake to find out that she was coming out to Southern California to celebrate the occasion with me. With the temperatures beginning to cool, an afternoon at the Hotel del Coronado seemed like a good choice.



A lunch on the patio of the Sheerwater Restaurant at the hotel was the perfect choice; we'll both take Monte Cristos, please! Screw the training for my upcoming half marathon…Christy's in town!



After lunch, I took Christy on a tour of the Hotel del, showing off the rich Victorian-style interior...



followed by an impromptu portrait session on the beach.



Lunch had barely digested before we were on the way to a Mexican dinner at Barrio Star near Balboa Park. Best chips in town!



Lots of Dia de los Muertos decor to creep you out while eating. Don't let it get to you…just have one of their Jalapeño Blackberry Margaritas and you'll be fine!



A trip down Fifth Avenue to Hillcrest…



brought us to our final feeding frenzy destination of the evening, D Bar.



We both devoured our dessert samplers. Yum!



After a restful night, we packed up the car, gathered up little Willis, and headed up north. More to come from our adventures in L.A.!



In the meantime, enjoy this video that Christy was a part of, created by the Community School of the Arts in Grant County, Indiana. And yes…they were really dancing in front of a burning building!



See more Daveland San Diego photos on my main website.

D-Tours in San Diego

As a vacation destination, San Diego is a no-brainer. Beautiful weather, an abundance of restaurants, and coastal scenery that can make even the most novice photographer look good. My friend Sita from Indiana was going to be in town for little more than a day, so the itinerary had to be action-packed. Dinner was the first item on the agenda after she arrived. Barrio Star in the Bankers Hill area is one of my favorite places to get Mexican "soul" food. The place is festive and the dishes are tasty; my favorite is the Brazil Bowl, which is a combo of black beans, power rice, steamed greens, pico de gallo, cilantro lime sauce, and grilled chicken. Delicious without being heavy. And the chips...they are the best in town! Rather than the bland too-greasy chips you often get, these are crispy with plenty of spicy seasoning. DELISH!



The main reason to eat a healthy dinner is so that you can indulge with dessert; we headed over to Extraordinary Desserts for some of the most decadent pieces of cake ever concocted. I absolutely went nuts over the Blood Orange Cake.



Going to bed with a full belly meant that breakfast was a bit later. Before heading off to the La Jolla Cove, Sita and I ate at one of San Diego's best breakfast spots: The Mission in North Park. Definitely worth the wait! The Blackberry Banana pancakes are the bomb.



Willis joined us for our tour of La Jolla; he was pretty excited for the day's adventure! Who wouldn't appreciate scenery like this?





Sita and Willis became fast friends; the sweet potato treats she brought with her were a big help!



Willis was intrigued with all of the different birds and animals that he saw in La Jolla:



Especially the seals, who seemed to be living the life of Riley. Just looking at the smile on this seal's face, you'd never know the controversy these creatures have become a part of because they have taken up residence on the hoity-toity shores of this upscale beachside community.



Willis wanted to play with them; he was obviously fascinated.



I just can't imagine why people flock to La Jolla; can you?



After all of that walking, it was time for us to take a gelatto break. I'm sure Willis licked somebody's spoon.



Naps followed for all so that we could be rested up for dinner at Alexanders, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in North Park. I was enjoying my beet salad and Linguini di Kathleen too much to shoot any photos.



Dessert was Ben & Jerry's while watching "Pitch Perfect." It just doesn't get any better than that.

With a plane to catch, there wasn't much time for touring the next day, so Sita & I had a quick breafast at the Hob Nob in Bankers Hill. Best service/food/value in town.



I couldn't let Sita fly back to Indiana without a quick tour of the downtown, so we ventured into the Gaslamp Quarter before heading to the airport.



A few souvenirs were purchased before we hopped back into the car to make sure Sita caught her plane on time. No surprise that she is already planning a return trip! Another D-Tours success story!

See more vintage & current San Diego photos from my collection on my main website.