Travel

Sometimes we have to make choices and decisions that will change things for more than just ourselves. These moments in turn help to define each of us as individuals. Over time we show change, and we learn how to overcome adversity and fear. It is by acceptance of who and what we are that we learn how to do things the way that we need to. We can be courageous, we can be afraid, and we can hesitate. But in the end we can't really expect change to stop just because we don't want it to happen.

Change is inevitable.

In this particular instance I'm changing again. In some ways it's not really drastic. But I want to try and be accepting. I want to try and stay focused. I want to try an make sure things go right from here on in. But we all know that nothing ever goes according to plan. If it did go according to plan we would be very cynical. Because not everyone agrees as to how something should go.

We don't always get what we want. Sometimes we have to travel, to learn about ourselves and see the world in a new light. It's time to travel again. But waiting to go has been driving me absolutely nuts. You have no idea how crazy it drives me to wait and not know what is really going to happen. Today's the day to travel though. So don't be surprised if you see some odd content in the future, or a changed theme in posts.

Buffalo is much colder than San Diego this time of year. I'm not looking forward to the snow. In fact I'm dreading it to a certain degree. It's been a while since you heard anything personal from me. The reasons why are a bit complex. But you may hear a bit more from me soon enough about new things, new place, and old faces. Though many of the new places are really old ones just getting to be seen again.

I don't know what to do with myself to be honest. I've been going through a bit of irritation and annoyance trying to decide. But I'm at a loss. There's so much to do, and so much that is going to be hard to work through. I'm sure that it will be fine though.

I just need to learn to be more patient.

"I hate being patient! Patience is for wimps."

Oh and side note... Look what I have to look forward to.

Frozen Waters of Niagara Falls Area
 (From https://twitter.com/CBSPittsburgh/status/421479256510578688/photo/1 )

Just Visiting : SeaWorld San Diego

Okay, so this past week I was treated to a unique and interesting experience.  Rather, to me it was rather unique because I'd never been to SeaWorld before. At least, not that I know. Let me just say this, it was a very interesting place to go and there's really a lot to see.

SeaWorld San Diego
500 Sea World Dr
San Diego, CA 92109

Now, when they told me we were going to SeaWorld, I was kinda intrigued. Because I didn't really know what to expect. So I decided we were going to bring home Shamu in the trunk. I was told nope, and shrugged. I was surprised to find out how big they really are. But they're adorable too. But I'm really kind of getting a head of myself I think.

Ok so everyone knows that there are a lot of animals at SeaWorld. And a lot of things there are educational, and it's interesting to have the chance to actually touch some of the animals. I really liked the tide pool area. I got to pick up and look at a live starfish. I found out that it's actually called a bat star. (aiiii! See there are bat's in the ocean!) Bat Stars come in different colors, and the reason isn't really for anything beyond basic genetics. It's the same sort of thing that decides if we're going to be a blond, brunette, or a ginger.

I also got to poke at a sea urchin, which I was surprised to see wiggle it's stick like pokey barbs around when I gently poked them. THEN it started it sprouted little tendril things which I found out are it's feet. None of the tide pool animals move very fast though. I even got to poke a sea anemone which felt like a wet sticky rubber band.

I also liked getting to pet marshmallow fish again. AKA rays. They really do feel like wet marshmallows. I love how they move in the water, they kind of flip they're fins and tails so elegantly in the water. They're amazing to watch and seem so sweet.

The whales though. Just...WOW, I never really realized how big they really are. Or that they could splash so much. At the  Shamu Show, Polka Dot and me sat in t he splash zone (partially because the night before he had told me that I wasn't being very courageous so I wanted to prove him wrong.) Yeah... by the time the whales were done splashing at the end of the show I looked like a drowned rat, and Polka Dot was very cranky and complaining that his sneakers were wet, and all his clothes were wet. But I didn't care, I think it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I hadn't expected it, but I really did enjoy it.

Alright, so I know some of you were hoping to see something more interactive. Unfortunately I haven't gotten the piranha feeding video edited yet. I'll probably post the piranhas in the future, but for now it's on the back burner due to real life timing issues. So, for now here is a video of the whale show that someone kindly posted to you tube. So you can see why Polka Dot ended up all wet and cranky.

All in all, SeaWorld is a very enjoyable place to visit. I would definitely enjoy going again if I ever have a chance to in the future. But I learned a lot, and had a chance to see some things I never really ever would have thought about getting to see. So if you're thinking about going, you should. It's totally worth it.

Animals from the San Diego Zoo

We went to the zoo, and We took some pictures <3 we cropped some down to share with you.

We made sure to get a picture of the Rhino just for Cayden. I was surprised at how soft his footsteps sounded. You would think they would sound similar to a Clydesdale, you know, clomp clomp clomp. It was more like a shuffle shuffle sound.

OMG There was a baby Giraffe and it was her 7 month birthday yesterday, but she is SO VERY TALL! You wouldn't believe she is just a baby because she is so tall!

And uhm, hrmm...we saw koala bears too. And some other kinds of animals too. But this is just some pictures, mainly because we know Cayden is going to be mad that we went to the zoo without him. But that's ok he goes to the zoo all the time for without me. So not fair! But yes we saw a lot of animals yesterday and it was a lot of fun to see them all.

Special Event : Potted Potter

Well... I found this when I was going through my draft list. I'm surprised that I didn't post it in a timely manner. But even I make mistakes. This particular post should have been posted MONTHS ago at this point. So forgive me in the fact that it wasn't done in a timely manner.

Ok, so I know that this is a new page line to add to the blog. But this was really a special treat that we went to. It was amazing and I am sorry that I didn't write about it sooner, I just haven't had  the patience to do a nice write up (am sure you've noticed the slow down we had the past couple months).

ANYWAY! So let's get down to business. What do we have to say about this?

Potted Potter
Balboa Theatre
November 10, 2013
4:00 pm showing

This show is a ton of fun, so if you're a Harry Potter fan and it comes to your area, totally go if you can! It's not a huge floor show. There are only 2 cast members.

(Huge apology to those who saw this on it's accidental release to live state when it was still in draft form)

Just Visiting : Coronado Fine Art

Sometimes you get to see something amazing. There are moments where these amazing things are shown to you, and you never would have known, couldn't plan it. This is a case of that. I'm sure that by now a lot of  you know that I'm interested in all different kinds of art. Music, film, animation, as well as other forms inspire me and help me to question and process the world around me.

This past Sunday I was blessed to get out with some of Polke A Dots family. We went out to celebrate his grandmothers birthday, it was a beautiful day, and I'm getting off topic. His Aunt took us to a place called Coronado, which is an area of San Diego accessed by a sky bridge or ferry. I hadn't even realized it was part of the city, or considered to be a separate area. We went to lunch and we looked at the lovely water. After eating, we went to look at the dock and shops in the plaza near the restaurant.

There was a live band playing zydeco music there, and people were chatting and enjoying the cool yet sunny day. I even saw the tail flipper of a seal as it was playing in the water! But the art galleries were probably my favorite thing that we saw. I can't remember the name of the second one in the shopping plaza, but the one I remember is called Coronada Fine Art Gallery.

Coronado Fine Art
1201 First St., Suite 111
Coronado, CA 92118
http://www.coronadofineart.com/

Now why do I remember the name of this one and not the other? Well... they had a lot of Disney themed art, as well as a collection of Dr. Seuss Art. There was also some gorgeous landscapes, as well as some fantasy art.

Birthday Wishes by Tennessee Loveless

A lot of the Disney art that really caught my eye was pop art style by an artist named Tennessee Loveless. You can check out his portfolio and projects on his website here http://tennesseeloveless.com/ . What I think is amazing is the variety of bright colors he uses in his pieces. As well as the amazing variety in his project listed as TENxTENxTEN. It's kind of repetitious but it's all variations of Mickey Mouse. It's really fun to look through. The woman at the gallery told us about some of the pieces, and they do each have some interesting stories behind them.

AM by Robert Bissell

I also enjoyed the animal art by Robert Bissell. They have a quality that gives the animals human character, while not really changing them from their reality based forms. I especially loved the pieces that showed rabbits and bunnies. They were adorable and sweet, and just made you wanna scoop the bunnies up and cuddle them if you could. But they're art you can't.

 The Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle by Dr. Seuss

But the Dr. Seuss art was really the highlight of the gallery, at least in my opinion. There were some of the taxidermy sculptures of creatures from Seuss world. As well as various panels that were images for some of the books. It was a real treat to get to see them. (Seems he sketched in pencil like most artists <3 such an encouraging revelation.) There was all kinds of sculptures too. Really really wonderful.

Anyway, the gallery isn't huge but it's a nice treat to visit and see. Heck, if you have the budget it'd even be awesome to get some of the pieces. Sadly, I don't have the budget. But the internet is full of information about different places that offer prints and what not. The gallery has a no photography rule, so the images used here are from the internet.

Kid friendly place, just don't let them touch the art. No Admission Fee.

Pictures from the Beach

We went to the beach today ^_^ I thought I'd share some special Hello's.

Happy Halloween

Okay, so this past weekend we went to see the Boulevard Boo! Parade. It was a lot of fun and we got to see a variety of costumes. Unfortunately We didn't catch the whole parade on camera. But we took some photo's and video footage for you all.  Just click on the words video footage to be able to view some of the clips that we captured with our camera.^_^

We hope you have a Safe and Happy Halloween.

Just Visiting : Timken Museum

So it's been a little bit since we told you about anything that there is to see or do. So today We want to share the Timken Museum with you. There are a few different reasons that we can recommend you go to the museum. One is that it has a variety of older art pieces. Another is that it isn't going to be an expensive stop.

The museum is home to a variety of artworks. From various artists around the world, and spanning a large amount  of time. There are some gorgeous religious paintings, as well as some beautiful pastoral scenes. In the American paintings area, the nautical theme is wonderful. Not to mention a lady holding a viper in her cup. It made me pause to wonder what the painter was trying to say.

There is even a Rembrandt painting in the collection. It's very dark, but it's still a lovely painting to get to see. It's not every art museum that has one. It's the kind of thing that's nice to be able to tell people that you got to see. At least, if you're interested in more classical art and history.

The people that supervise the museum are also very knowledgeable. So if you have a question they might have the answer. The museum does do special exhibits. So make sure to check their website, they may be showing a "new" painting you haven't seen before. This helps to offer different pieces for viewing and appreciation.

The Timken Museum is open with free admission 10:30am - 4:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday.  So don't bother trying to get in on a Monday. They're also closed for major holidays.'Located in Balboa Park in downtown San Diego, it can be found near a number of other destinations of interest. While admission is free, they do appreciate donations as a way to help keep the paintings and art pieces available for public viewing.

Timken Museum of Art
1500 El Prado
Balboa Park
San Diego, California 92101

Just Visiting : SeaWorld San Diego

Summer is almost here and it's getting warm. Soon it'll be time to hit the beach to enjoy the warm sand, the cool waters, and the good company of friends. But there is a new option opening here in San Diego, the Aquatica SeaWorld Waterpark. Which is supposedly located just a few minutes from the SeaWorld Park here. But what's interesting about them?

The water park is opening on June first.Aquatica boasts a number of new atractions including a 1,250-foot long lazy river named Loggerhead Lane. For those looking for a steep thrill, they offer the HooRoo Run, their steepest 80-foot slide. The Walhalla Wave rode offers a different kind of experiance. Rafts similar to those in the lazy river enable 2-3 passengers to enjoy a 78-foot long run of twists, turns, and watery waves. The website lists about 13 attractions that will be at the new water park.

SeaWorld itself here in San Diego offers over 27 different attractions and entertainment options. Madagascar Live! Operation : Vacation brings the familiar characters of the Madagascar series to the stage, Where they party on vacation at the park. Or if you prefer something a bit more traditional there is Journey to Atlantis. This water ride combines the classic flume ride soaking fun, with roller coaster type action and special effects. It offers a 60-foot plunge, and the opportunity to sea some interesting sea creatures. Then there's Shipwreck Rapids, which is a tube type raft ride on a winding river. For those who will know the reference, they make it sound similar to Grizzly Run.

SeaWorld offers a Coaster called Manta

7 Eleven is offering a discount promotion coupon for the park. This coupon can either reduce admission to SeaWorld itself by fifteen dollars and add a free second visit (it lists adult or child admission with this promotion as being $63). Or it can be used to save seven dollars on admission to the new Aquatica Park(admission for adult then being $31, child $23). There is some fine print though, these discounts are only available online. The offer for SeaWorld itself ends 9/1/13, while the discount offer for Aquatica ends 9/30/13. There is also a limit of 6 admissions per park.

Interesting History : The Lily Pond in Balboa Park

History can be a very peculiar place. There are many things that happen in the past that some people would refer to as unbelievable, as well as rumor. But today's installment of interesting history is no rumor, though it was a bit unbelievable at first. In some of our earlier posts you learned about the Botanical Building in Balboa Park. A pretty building full of gorgeous flowers. You heard us babbling about the large Koi in the pond, but would you think they'd have used that pond for swimming?

I never would have believed it myself. Why? Well for one thing, to my personal view the pond looked rather shallow when we were there. But it is possible that there is dirt and residue at the bottom of the pond now that was not there in the past. But if you look at the picture below, it is evidence that they did use the pond for swimming for a period of time.

According to what I've read the koi lily pond in Balboa park was used by the navy during 2 seperate times as a pool. They moved the plants and fish out and used it to train. The second time they used the pool, they actually made it deeper, sealing the bottom off. Which is why now when they put the plants into the lily pond now, they have to be in a box or pot. Otherwise they won't be able to stay in place.

So that's that for this interesting and odd history tid bit.
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http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bpbuildings/botanical.htm
http://www.tanglewoodconservatories.com/heritage/balboa-botanical-building.htm
http://www.sandiegoyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Navy-Swimming-Pool-in-Balboa-Park.pdf
http://www.sandiegoyesterday.com/?p=317

Awesome Fish and Chocolate Scented Flowers

I hope you enjoy this bit of footage we took when we visited the Botanical Building last week (on May 1st), the same day that we visited the MOPA. We were tickled by the large koi to be seen in the lily pond.

Now the MOPA was no camera's allowed, so sorry... No images inside..... next time we go somewhere We will let you know about it.

Just Visiting : The Museum of Photographic Arts

There are a large number of museums in the San Diego Area. Some are newer than others, but some have been holding strong. An example of this is The Museum of Photographic Arts which is celebrating it's 30th year. Starting on May 1st, 2013 through the 7th, they're having a special event where they're only charging $1 for admission. This is a rather small fee, and the event as a whole sounds fascinating and like it would be a lot of fun.

On may first they're offering tours behind the scenes, letting visitors see the storage area and library of the collection between 11 am and 4pm. They're also holding a raffle, where every visitor to the museum that day is entered into a raffle for various photography related prizes. Also, if you're interested in items in the MOPA gift shop a sale will be running that first day with items reaching as much as 83% off their original pricing. (Don't worry though if you can't make it to the event on the first day, it'll have a  10% off rate until the 7th of May).

The Museum of Photographic Arts
1649 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101

Museum Hours are Tuesday through Sunday 10 am through 5 pm (may change for special events)

St. Patrick's Day in San Diego

Okay, so we didn't really do much for the holiday. THOUGH We did have the double stuffed Arby's sandwich's they had special for saint patrick's day. >.> But Here's a little bit from what we did get to see. I caught about half an hour in video clips, I'd merge them into one video, but I don't exactly feel like it, since they're not perfect splices anyway. And yeah, I know it's been almost a month since the holiday, but I just managed to find enough time to upload the files. >.>

So here's what I got. I hope you enjoy it. Oh! Yeah, it is kind of educational, because we managed to find a spot right next to where the announcers were that were telling people about each group participating in the parade. So in my opinion, that's a good thing because you can hear some stuff about the city and learn something.

Comparing Commercials

So one of the things that I have noticed since getting here is that there are some commercials that are the same. State Farm, Binder & Binder, and some of the restaurant commercials are the same. But one thing that I have really noticed is that while in Buffalo there are a good number of commercials about cruises and trips to go to warm places. Here in San Diego there are a lot of commercials showing snowy places, skiing, and snowboarding.

Just thought I'd let you know about that observance. (I still don't miss the snow though, just so you know.)

At the Bay : Sea Dragon

More Info about this sculpture HERE and HERE

At The Bay : Unconditional Surrender

Absolutely gorgeous statue, bringing a well known photograph to 'life' in a larger than life manner.

More Info HERE

Salute to Bob Hope

More information on this Piece HERE It lists what/who the statues each are.

Info about Bob Hope & WWII HERE

Check out some video of Bob  Hope performing a Christmas show (1968) in Vietnam HERE

Going To The Bay!

Ok so Here is the video that I took today when we went to the bay. It may not be the best, But it is better than nothing! AND In the future I will hopefully have better videos. So I do apologize for these ones being a bit odd. But at least you can see some of what we have around here ^_^. MISS YA!

Ships by the Bay (and other stuff)

OMGAH XD so cute!

 

On my to do list! See Steam Powered Giraffe.

Supposed to be here in California somewhere...so... Maybe we'll get lucky ^_^