Snow in San Diego!

Yes, it’s true. Snow can be found in San Diego! Or at least the nearby hiking trails of Stonewall Peak in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, located just outside the quaint little town of Julian. Apparently, the Sunshine Tax that San Diego residents pay for living here doesn’t cover this part of town. No complaints here; it was a beautiful change of pace.

The trees provided some Tim Burton-esque scenery.

Once up at the top, the temperature changed greatly along with very gusty winds.

The steep climb up the staircase was a little unnerving; I put a lot of blind faith on the rail as I held onto it for dear life!

The views were stupendous, though. Definitely worth it.

Had to borrow the hat when it came time for my photo.

On the way down I encountered this screaming tree. Very creepy…very cool. Probably a refugee from Snow White’s (formerly) Scary Adventures.

Did we get pie while in Julian? The road was completely log-jammed with tourists who had been going stir-crazy, so the pie had to wait until I got home and I purchased one from the frozen section of the local grocery store. It still tasted delicious!

See more Stonewall Peak photos at my main website.

That’s What I Want For Christmas

This is definitely a different holiday season than those experienced in years past. Many are separated from family members and friends because of the pandemic. Today’s post shows photos from my first white Christmas, circa 1966. My brothers wore a different kind of mask back then. Mom bundled us up like the Michelin Man so that we could brave the cold weather that our San Diego family had not yet grown accustomed to.

I’m not sure which department store this was, but most likely it was Wanamaker’s or Gimbels.

So many details to look at here! In the background is a brand new sled, which would not have been practical for us when we lived in San Diego. For Philadelphia and the hill in our backyard: perfect! I still remember that game, Bop the Beetle; if you weren’t careful, the mouth would clamp down hard on your hand. Ouch!

My Fisher-Price school bus is in the foreground. I put a lot of miles on that toy! In the background is the Hot Wheels racetrack that we were also given that year.

It’s now been a year since I have been able to see my mom in person; she’s still on the East Coast. My Christmas wish this year is that things clear so that we can all travel to those that we care about. While Zoom and other programs provide a virtual connection, nothing replaces a hug or an in-person visit.

My Christmas portrait with Willis from last year.

While I know that some of my readers don’t celebrate Christmas, I still hope that they can enjoy the spirit of the season, which is universal no matter what religion you do or don’t subscribe to. Let’s be grateful for blessings, be kind to others, and do our best to spend time with those that we care about (whether in-person or virtually). This once-a-year reminder is a good start to what we all hope is a better year. I will leave you with one of my favorite holiday songs, “Ave Maria,” sung by the incomparable Karen Carpenter. Yes, I love her voice and I’m a geek. Deal with it.

See more Daveland photos at my main website.

Christmas Memories, Pt. 3

What was the worst part of Christmas? Waiting. Standing on the stairs while dad or mom took photos with all of the gifts just steps away. We could see them, but we were stuck on the stairs posing. Oops...have to get another Instamatic flash bulb...hang on a minute!

Then it was pictures in front of the tree with the wrapped presents.



Finally, we got to tear into everything! Another picture, son...please hold up what you got!



A few vintage shots from my brother's second Christmas in 1958. Nothing but drool!



Poor kid just didn't know what to make of all these toys!



If we were lucky, it was a white Christmas, which meant playtime in the snow. Here we are all bundled up against the elements for our very first east coast Christmas.



I was obviously digging the white stuff!



And let's not forget the food. While we played, mom (or grandma, or great-grandmother as shown here) slaved away in the kitchen preparing a fabtabulous meal.



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate. May the joys, hopes, and promises of the season surround you.

See more vintage & current Daveland photos on my main website.

San Diego to Dallas to Philly, Pt. 1

Last Thursday I went to the San Diego airport at the crack of dawn, ready to fly home to Philly for my annual trip home to visit mom. Mother Nature had other ideas. A few early morning shots from the plane show the gorgeous sunrise over downtown San Diego and the perfectly picturesque cloud formations that I was able to capture through the window.







Flash forward a few hours later and you have these horrible shots of Dallas Forth Worth’s airport: talk about winter white! Fearing I might get stuck overnight in Dallas, it was a nailbiter as I sat on the plane for a few hours waiting for us to be cleared.



Once the plane got "de-iced" (which is a rather unsettling process!), I knew we’d be cleared for takeoff shortly. Feeling the wheels spin on the runway, I was saying my prayers!





Once I made it home, all was okay. The icicles and snow made for some beautiful photos, and the warm red of a male cardinal added some pizzazz!







See more Philadelphia photos at my website.