keeping busy at home: San Diego County Fair

This is a little late, but 4th of July weekend was the last weekend of the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar. Eric's mom and brother Ryan and I went on the morning of the 4th in hopes we would beat the crowds (which we mostly did).




tried the hyped up fried koolaid (basically koolaid flavored dough) Really disappointing.
and these Australian fried potatoes



We checked out scottish dancers



and pig races




the garden show was my favorite part. Lots of pretty flowers and displays of succulents


While it was a fun morning, I have to say I much prefer the smaller scale county fairs in IL!

Kim's Visit

When Kim arrived Wednesday evening, we headed off to C level for a lovely dinner watching the sunset in the harbor. I love this place! We both enjoyed Syrah, Kim ordered the roasted lamb on rosemary foccaccia (the chutney they put on this sandwich is amazing!) and I had lobster BLT with lobster bisque.

after checking out the San Diego skyline

we headed off to the Old Globe for a musical production of Jane Austen's Emma

i love grabbing a hot cocoa at intermission. yum!

We slept in Thursday morning and then headed to the beach town of La Jolla. It was a perfect day.

Eric's mom recommended brunch at the Brockton Villa. It was delicious.

Check out the view from our table!

Kim got the artichoke, asparagus and goat cheese omelette, and I got the house special orange Coast Toast.

they served my (hot) latte in a clear cup with a straw!

We spent the rest of the morning walking the cove

cute little sea lions on the rocks. they had lots of little pups!

Kim's first dip in the pacific

Then we headed inland for some leisurely shopping.

gelato (not as good as Italy's!)

a first for everything--this is the first cupcake shop I've been in. They even had a gluten free option for Kim!

Consignment shops galore provided some new duds for both of us.

We finished up the day at a local winery, Orfila, where we did a tasting and enjoyed the sunset.

Friday morning we headed for the hills a few miles away to hike at San Elijo Hills.

I've never hiked here when it's been so clear--so crazy to see the ocean (15 miles away)!

 We intended on a leisurely morning hike, but ended up walking over 5 miles, all very steep inclines, in about 2.5 hours. (lots of breaks)

is it over yet?

Exhausted, we dragged our selves for some refreshment from In 'N Out!

Can you guess from the attire where we spent a leisurely afternoon? Sadly (ha, this is going to sound so snotty), it was a little too windy and cool for the perfect day at the beach.

but the sun was still shining, surfers still surfing, margaritas still in order

One of Kim's requests for the visit was to visit coffee shops. A latte lover never turns down those opportunities! Friday night we went to Old California Coffee House (formerly, Mocha Marketplace) 

Dessert drinks...my favorite!

Kim tried a Mexican mocha

and I got caramel butterscotch

Saturday morning brought more coffee--at our favorite roasters, Safari

Eric's group of friends has been spending Saturday mornings here for over 8 years.

I convinced Kim to take a pound of beans home (She loved them!) and we headed off to the Island of Coronado for the day.

First stop, Hotel Del

We walked through the basement shops and checked out the display showing the history of the hotel.

Picked up some sweet souvenirs! (Kim had lots of people to buy for!)

We ended the day at Miguel's--a great mexican place across the street from Hotel Del, but hidden down a small walkway.

Margaritas and tacos. A great end to a great (long) weekend!

I love entertaining and was excited to see some new SD sights. I think I may have convinced Kim to join me out here :-)