Torrey Pines State Reserve

Don't judge me, I don't do hair and makeup at 6am.

I went hiking through the trails at Torrey Pines State Reserve last weekend with my coworkers Pat, Marleen and Veronica at 6am on Saturday morning. This lighter hike is a lot easier then the one we did at Cowles Mountain a couple of weeks ago and is really more of a brisk walk with stairs thrown in now and again to make you pay attention. Paying attention isn't as easy as it sounds either due to the stunning views that constantly pull your eyes away from the trail below.

This hike starts adjacent to the beach. You start up a paved road that leads up to the cliffs above the beach at Torrey Pines and off that road are a number of trail heads, some that head down to the beach, some that run in a loop bringing you back to the main road and others that terminate abruptly at a dead end. We explored several and as you can see by the photos offered amazing scenery.


Me, Pat and Marleen at the big dead tree.


The view from the top of the bluffs.


Stairs lead down to an outlook.


View toward La Jolla from the lookout.


Veronica leads the charge while I hang back for a photo-op.


A stairway through the rock leads to the beach below.

We didn't see any live animals this time aside from a few birds and a large pelican. We ended our hike by taking a beach entrance trail and walking back to the car by the water. We did find something wet, slimy and definitely dead that had washed up. Not sure what it was. I guess some kind of large jellyfish. It had distinctively thick tentacles which lead me to believe it could have been an octopus. No suction cups though and it was completely clear in color. If anyone knows what it is, let me know.


Creepy dead thing.

After hiking I met up with Jeff and we went back to La Jolla Cove for another day of snorkeling. We saw many of the same fish as last time but while the visibility was lower there were a few extra surprises. We got to check the Calico Bass off our list of fish to identify. The coolest thing that I missed, hands down, was a harbor seal swimming under the snorkelers. Evidently it was about 5' to 10' below Jeff as he was swimming and I was off exploring other things and totally missed it. Maybe I'll have better luck next time. For now, I reel with envy.

Bodies...the Exhibition

Bodies...the Exhibition, originally uploaded by minicloud.

I saw Bodies... The Exhibition this weekend and loved it. I highly recommend going if it's in a city near you. The tickets were a little expensive at $26.50 each, plus $6 for the audio wands. The extra wand info wasn't bad but not necessary to get a fulfilling experience. The exhibit galleries were simple; made up of both painted gyp divider walls and temporary curtain walls. Full figures depicting various systems of the body are posed on simple platforms and left out open. Visitors are trusted not to touch the artifacts themselves. Smaller organs and parts are displayed in simple cases with white backgrounds and basic black text labels. There is virtually no flare to the galleries aside from the occasional painted wall or artist's rendering projected on large surfaces. The bodies themselves and the accompanying text were so interesting that not much else was really necessary to make it a successful traveling show.

They said the visit usually takes 90 minutes but I was there a full 2 hours, which flew by as I was completely enveloped in the subject matter. The only complaints I had about the exhibit itself is that most of the text was quite small, both in the labels and on the fun facts hanging around the galleries and lighting could have been improved on the backsides of the full figures. They are placed so you can walk around them and view them from all sides but really only one side was illuminated in most cases. There were actual doctors walking around answering questions too, which was great because folks had a lot of questions. I would have liked to see another doctor or two there as I had several questions that came up when no doctor was in the gallery I was in. Still, the ones that were there were great, very knowledgeable and seemed genuinely happy to be there and excited about the show.

I learned so much about the human body I don't even know where to begin. Most surprisingly for me was how quickly young fetuses actually look like tiny humans. I was surprised to see a fetus as small as a pea with it's tiny head, arms and legs. Those who are sensitive to this sort of subject matter can bypass this gallery and stick with the adults, which surprisingly felt more like a biology lesson then I had expected. Going in I thought I wouldn't be able to get over the fact that these human displays were once real live people but after entering I found myself so fascinated that I was halfway through the entire exhibition before it crossed my mind again. The most visually impressive exhibit was of the circulatory system with dozens of liquid filled cases holding just the arteries of the body. You can see one example in the photo above.

Definitely take the opportunity to visit Bodies if you have a chance. It's around only for a limited time and I guarantee you'll learn something you didn't know before.

La Jolla Cove & Cowles Mountain

Garabaldi, originally uploaded by bphall.

I had a busy weekend of fun and adventure. Saturday morning I woke up at 4:30 am to hike Cowles Mountain (pronounced Coals)with Veronica and Marleen, my coworkers and Marleen's boyfriend Terrance. Even though it was ungodly early, I'm really glad I did it. The trail gets packed quickly if you get a late start and the temperature can get hot quickly this time of year. Fortunately, the temperature was perfect and while there were plenty of others already on their way down the mountain, the trail was by no means crowded. It was perfect. I'm told the view is incredible and offers a 360 degree panoramic of San Diego and even a view into Tijuana but on this particular morning we climbed directly into and above the clouds as you can see by the photos. It was possibly even more beautiful then a city view would have been. It was actually kind of refreshing to walk through the mist of the clouds, especially because it's the closest thing I've seen to rain since I've been here. I have to say, it's hard getting used to such a dry climate. I've been here about six weeks and haven't seen so much as a drop of rain. WEIRD.

The mountain is home to plenty of wildlife including Rattle Snakes and Mountain Lions but fortunately for me I saw neither. I did however see a few rabbits and a Stink Beetle of the Eliodes species.















Sunday Jeff and I went to La Jolla Cove to get in some late afternoon snorkeling. It's said to be the best dive and snorkeling site in the area. We figured if we showed up at 4pm we could avoid the crowds... we were wrong. The surge was stronger than we expected the water drops off quickly which was a little disconcerting at first. We quickly found our sea legs though and were paddling along the surface with the dozens of other marine life enthusiasts. The visibility was decent at about 10' or more and the fish were a plenty. We saw tons of fish including Garibaldi by the dozens, a Bluebanded Goby and lots of another blue fish that I wasn't able to identify. You could hear the ferocious clicking of what we think were lobsters hiding under the grass too. Evidently there are a lot of fish that frequent the waters there and throughout the year it's not uncommon to see sharks, wrays, sea lions, harbor seals, scorpionfish and lots of other creatures. We both had a great time and want to go back again early in the morning before the crowds have had the chance to stir up the sand.

First Visit to Balboa Park

Botanical Building at Balboa Park

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Jeff's parents (Steve & Brenda) came to visit on their way to Hawaii. One their way back East they stopped again for a long weekend which allowed us the opportunity to get out and see more of the city. Top on the list was a trip to Balboa Park, the Nation's largest cultural park. I guess that makes it even bigger then the National Mall in DC. Balboa park is home to 15 museums, a preforming arts theater, various gardens and the San Diego Zoo. We only scratched the surface on our first trip.

Botanical Building

We started at the Botanical Building, built for the 1915 - 1916 Expo and home to over 2100 exotic and local plants. I was particularly fond of the Koi pond outside. The Botanical Building was fairly small and we quickly made our way through in about 20 minutes. It's free to the public and makes for a nice quick visit.



Koi Pond at Balboa Park


San Diego Automotive Museum

Our next stop was to the San Diego Automotive Museum which was hosting a special display called Mustangs, Now and Then. Though the museum is small and the displays as simple as they come, we managed to spend quite a good amount of time here. There were a lot of really cool very old cars from the 1910s and 20s but I have to admit I was more drawn to the muscle cars and of course I had to have my photo taken with my Lambo. Yeah Baby!!! For a full list of cars click here.


Mustang on Display at the San Diego Automotive Museum



Dude, they've got a DeLorean


Lamborghini Countach



San Diego Air & Space Museum

The last stop was to the San Diego Air & Space Museum where we spent the most quality time. As many times as I have been to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum in DC, I still managed to get a lot out of this visit. I guess I have to chalk it up to my new-found interest in WWII due to working on the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. One surprise was that some of the exhibit concepts and details were quite similar to those that we were working on at G&A before I left. Here are some photos from the visit.


Steve & Brenda at the Air & Space Museum


Japanese Zero


USAF Planes


Jeff at the Flight Training Exhibit


Flight Attendant Uniform Exhibit - Notice the Pin on the Lapel

New Job: Jain Malkin Inc.

solid coated rainbow, originally uploaded by auntnanny.

Hi Friends,

Just wanted to let everyone know I accepted an Interior Design position at Jain Malkin Inc. in San Diego. It will be a bit of a change from Exhibit Design but surely just a fulfilling.

JMI is an Interior Architectural firm that specializes in healthcare design with an all encompassing approach to the healing process. The firm's website describes the work better then I ever could so take a second to check out some of their projects. Here's a link to a few case studies.

I just started last week and already I can't say enough about the people there. They are really warm and welcoming and I know will be great to work with. I dove right in on my first day and already have projects. I'm excited to get back to work, though admittedly unemployment in Southern California wasn't all that bad.

Well, I will keep it short today. I just wanted to let everyone know I accepted the position and am enjoying the new career change. I guess I was always an Interior Designer to some degree... it's just so funny to think that it's official. I wouldn't have guessed it.

Photos of the Grounds around Villas

The Clubhouse at The Villas of Renaissance


Hi all. I have gotten requests for photos of the new place. Since the movers are still making their way across the country I haven't bothered with interior photos. I figure everyone can imagine what a partially decorated apartment looks like... None too impressive. Once my stuff arrives and the place is decorated I will post photos. In the mean time, here are some pictures I took of the grounds around the apartment. So, here's the hood. A big difference from Mt. Pleasant.



The Pool Outside our Apartment



Yeah, it's a fountain.



The Park Across the Street



Don't ask why I have so many bird photos.



The main pool and outdoor fireplace.



The path through the park.



The Neighbors. I love their flowers.



More scenes from the park.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village at San Diego's Waterfront


Jeff's parents came to visit last weekend and while their visit was brief we were able to get in a trip to Seaport Village on Saturday at San Diego's waterfront. Seaport Village is similar to other recreated tourist-friendly villages like Mystic Seaport or Jamestown but with emphasis on shopping rather than history. They have over 50 shops and galleries and 17 eateries. A lot of it was kitschy but I did find a place solely dedicated to hot sauces. I was psyched about that and went home with some pretty sweet Buffalo Wing sauce. There were also a couple of art galleries that we perused and Jeff and I both found some pieces we liked at the Wayland Gallery. Unfortunately, his notoriety is such that we can't afford any of his work. Still, we were eyeballing a piece similar to Raging Sea.


Jeff with his parents Brenda & Steve in front of the Coronado Bridge


Tall Ships at San Diego's Waterfront

Later that afternoon we hit the Gaslamp District where I realized every meal I spend away from this place is an experience lost. There is some serious eating going on in this part of town and a lot of amazing restaurants to try. We just walked around that day but I managed to make it back a few days later with Jeff and one of his old coworkers for a delicious chicken teriyaki sandwich and a couple of beers at Maloney's Tavern on the corner of 5th and F streets.

Sunday morning Jeff's parents left bright and early to catch a flight to Maui, Hawaii but will be stopping back by on their way home for another weekend. Hopefully we'll get back to the Gaslamp as I have my eye on some good eats.


Shop at Seaport Village


Tall Ship and Modern Sub at the waterfront.


Love is in the Air


House on the Water


Ducklings at Seaport Village


Tall Ship Figure Head


Gaslamp District Architecture