Monthly Archives: November 2016

Birch Aquarium

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Birch Aquarium
San Diego
November 26, 2016

We went to the Birch Aquarium with our middle daughter and son-in-law. We set out later than we thought we would, because we were all watching the Ohio State v. Michigan game that morning, and it went to double overtime. The Buckeyes pulled it out in the end, and we headed to lunch in our OSU gear, then on to the aquarium.

birch_group

We first explored the galleries to the left, with thematic exhibits about climate change, Mexican ocean ecology, and current research aboard the research vessel Sally Ride. Also on that side are some of our most favorite creatures: seahorses, pipefish, and seadragons.

seadragon

seahorse

We next toured the galleries to the right of the entrance, which exhibit the bulk of the live collection. Several Pacific coast regions are represented: the local San Diego area, the Northwest, Southern California, and Baja Mexico. At the end are a couple of tropical tanks. The tanks in the gallery are small, but there are a variety of animals on display with good explanatory labels.

At the end of our visit, we stepped outside to see the artificial tide pool area and enjoy the beautiful view out over the Pacific. Gentle touching of creatures in the open tanks in permitted, and Meredith reached in a finger to touch a sea anemone.

birch_ocean_view

Adult admission is $18.50; there are discounts for seniors, students, and children. We opted to buy a dual membership ($75 for one year), which includes four guest passes, thereby covering all four of us today and giving us the opportunity to go back.

Parking is free for up to three hours, which is generally enough to see everything at the aquarium. Wheelchair accessibility is good. Sandwiches and snacks are available at the Splash Cafe, operated by the French Gourmet.

Turkey Trot

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Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K
November 24, 2016
Balboa Park
San Diego

We woke up before dawn and went to Balboa Park to run a 5K this Thanksgiving. This “turkey trot” is a benefit for Father Joe’s Villages, serving the homeless. We attended the open air Mass at 6:30 a.m. on the Plaza de Panama, in front of the art museum. We then walked west over the Laurel Street bridge to the start line.

4-together-at-start

We had meant to sign up for the fun run option, but somehow ended up in the timed runner category. (Meredith had registered for the event on her cell phone, and figures the mistake is due to old eyes trying to read fine print on a small screen.) Bemused, we went to the separate Speedy Turkey start line and chugged along at our own pace, including a few walking breaks.

8b-post-race

It was a big scene, and we had fun taking in the crowd. We are not sure of the exact head count, but we saw numbered bibs in the 8000’s. After we finished we stopped to pick up the pumpkin pie we had pre-ordered with our race registration.

Sheriff’s Museum

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Sheriff’s Museum
Old Town San Diego
November 6, 2016

We have been meaning to visit the Sheriff’s Museum ever since we spotted it on a training hike we did last year, from Clairemont to downtown, in preparation for walking the Camino in Spain. Until we stumbled on this museum at the east edge of Old Town, we did not know it was there.

sheriff_museum_sd

We enjoyed a Sunday brunch at Miguel’s Cocina, then walked a block east to the museum. It is larger than we thought, looking at the building from the outside. The museum collection is housed in a two story building. The ground floor displays contain many artifacts, such as badges and vintage communications equipment. In the courtyard are several historic cars. The top floor has more thematic displays, including the history and role of women in the department, major incidents like the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide and Santee shootings, and separate displays for specialty units. The final room is devoted to deputies who have been honored for bravery and a memorial for deputies killed in the line of duty.

The collection is quite extensive, well laid out, and clearly labeled. Bob was particularly interested in two things: an old map of California and the display honoring all of the Sheriffs in San Diego history. The map caught his eye because this good sized wall hanging showed a huge San Diego County–one of the original twenty-seven, it stretched to the Arizona border and north to the Nevada border half way to Lake Tahoe, including what are now the counties of Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino, and part of Inyo. Not being a native Californian, his knowledge of its history has some gaps. The display honoring the Sheriffs had a couple of points of interest. The first Sheriff, Agoston Haraszthy, was an immigrant from Hungary and was one of the founders of the modern California wine making industry. A 1953 photograph of the then Sheriff and his deputies included one deputy, John Duffy (with requisite buzz-cut), who would later be the county’s twenty-sixth Sheriff. He was in office from 1971-1991; Bob and Meredith arrived in San Diego during his tenure.

This museum would be a good place for a family outing; the exhibits appeal to all ages. There was a retired deputy serving as docent who answered our questions and made us feel welcome.

Admission is free, although donations are encouraged. Handicap access is good, with an elevator connecting the two floors. The gift shop has a good selection of items. There is no on-site parking; we walked over from where we had parked for brunch.