The Big Day

You may have heard of the movie "The Big Year". It is about three birders trying to see how many birds they can get in a year. Paul has read the book and is reading it again. Paul keeps records of all the birds he sees and how many varieties he can find each month and each year. The most he has had in a year is 414 kinds of birds. He has 583 life birds, not counting what he may have seen in Korea. He was not yet a birder in 1956 when he was there with the Army.

Our son Bill is an even more serious birder. He will go on a trip just to find a certain bird, as many birders do. This is called chasing birds. He has around 550 as the most in a year. He has 684 on his life list, not counting Iraq birds. We get to go on a lot of rides with Bill when he is with us since he goes places to see the birds. I'm glad he chose this same hobby as his Dad. He started birding when he was stationed with the Air Force in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted to figure out good places to take us when we visited him so he needed to know where the birds are. He has since become an avid birder. He has birds from 48 states. He just hasn't been to Alaska or Hawaii.

Laura is better at seeing the birds than I am. She remembers more about more birds than I do and she enjoys birding with her brother and dad. I am not a birder but I know more than someone from a non birding family. I mainly go along for the ride and scenery. We get to go places we would not otherwise.

With Bill here from Florida for the month we are doing a lot more than we usually get to do. It would be considered a big month compared to a normal month for us. We have gone to the mountains, the desert and the beach areas. You could do all three in one day in San Diego. I guess we have not done that yet, but we have done the mountains and desert in one day on more than one occasion.

On Tuesday the 25th we enjoyed an excursion to Balboa Park in San Diego. I enjoyed taking pictures with Bill's good camera. I spent most of my time near the large fountain enjoying watching all the people go by. There were a lot of children at the park that day. There seemed to be classes of children. I know it was free for children at the zoo in October so a lot of classes were going to the zoo the day we were in the park. There seemed to be a lot more activity than on a usual week day when we were there. I took pictures of some of the activity and the historical buildings and fountain. Paul, Laura and Bill walked further than I did as it is difficult for me to walk. Eventually Paul joined me at the bench while Laura and Bill continued their walk. Usually we do more walking through the park, but it was a satisfying day for me.

Wednesday October 26, 2011 was Paul's 78th birthday and a ride was planned. We were up early and left the house when it was barely light out. The birders had a bird to see at Otay Lakes. They had looked earlier in the week and were still after it. I took advantage of the opportunity to take early morning pictures at the lake. I guess the birders didn't find the bird they were after that morning, but I'm sure Bill got it on another try. Of course they saw other birds at the lake. The fishermen were out early too. We had been there a previous day and a lot of people were picnicking that afternoon.

Next on the agenda was to head to highway 94 and go east to Potrero County Park for more birding. I was able to take some decent bird pictures while the rest of the family was birding. These were almost my first bird pictures since I never had the right camera for them before. I had taken one bird picture in Balboa Park but otherwise I haven't been able to take such pictures before. At Potrero I took pictures of Western Bluebirds and tried for other birds that were too quick for me to shoot. We also had a quick lunch since I had packed sandwiches.

I thought that was the big event of our ride, but we were just getting started. We headed east to Campo for more birding. We stopped at an old landmark barn that is now the Motor Transport Museum. This was a good photo opportunity. Lots and lots of old vehicles to take pictures of. I would recommend this spot for an auto or antique buff. There was a man working on some vehicles, but none of us really have the gift of gab so we didn't talk to him. I would like to follow Larry Himmel and get an ear full of his spirited conversation. He is one of our local favorites. He would have a story to tell if he talked to the man working on the vehicles. I took some pictures of 78 year old Paul with some of the oldies that belonged to the motor museum.

Continuing east and birding along the way we made some stops in Jacumba to look for birds. Heading east we tried to go to the desert tower, the overlook at InKoPah, but it was closed on Wednesdays. I don't know if Bill planned this or if it was a spur of the moment decision to keep going this far. Heading east on I 8 we exited the freeway at Ocotillo, next to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This is the largest state park in California. The weather was very nice to be driving through the desert and it was a pretty day for pictures. Heading north we made stops along the way for the birders and picture taking. I wasn't the only one taking pictures as Bill has a long lens camera. He takes good bird pictures as well as other little creatures such as butterflies.

One stop was at Agua Caliente County Park where we took pictures of quails. At Vallecitos Stage Station we took pictures of roadrunners and other birds. We also made other stops while we were driving through Anza-Borrego. The sky was blue as can be with a few white fluffy clouds and that makes for nice pictures. The mountains in the background make the pictures even better. We drove through Shelter Valley which is where Rik and Faith live. Rik was one of Griff's childhood friends and we are still friends with his family. I don't know exactly where they live in Shelter Valley, but Rik's Dad lives around the block from us. Our backyards touch each other at the corners.

Next we headed west and up Banner grade towards Julian. The mountain scenery begins again. This is a favorite part of the county for us. We made a quick stop in a park in Julian and took pictures of some wild turkeys. We soon headed towards Cuyamaca enjoying the green of the trees and the rest of the landscape. We did not go all the way through Cuyamaca as we turned towards the Lagunas where our birders had birds to observe. You can see where the fires have been in our mountains as you drive through them. It is sad to see the fire damage, yet it is also part of nature as the landscape changes through the years. We still have a lot of pretty trees and other foliage.

After more birding we continued south towards the freeway. The sun was turning sunset orange as we neared the end of Sunrise Highway. We had observed the sunrise from this highway the week before. I never did get a chance to take a picture of the sunrise or sunset from this vantage point. It was getting dark as we drove into the city with all of it's traffic. We had been away from home all of the daylight hours on Paul's birthday. We had cake and ice cream waiting for us at home. This truly was a big day for the four of us.

Paul has read some other books with the same theme as "The Big Year". This is a popular subject for serious birders. Paul loves to make lists to keep track of all his birds. I know he enjoys the birds, but I sometimes think that the lists of birds seen are his favorite part of the adventure.

When Paul was a fisherman in his younger days he always kept lists of all the fish he caught. Of course he knew the weights too. His largest fish caught surf fishing in Coronado was a four pound ten ounce Spotfin Croaker. This was when he was a teenager, before we were going together. Then when we were dating we spent a lot of time on the beach while he was fishing. Our first date was at a picnic with a group of friends on the beach. We even went grunion running that evening. That was the only time I ever went grunion running, catching the tiny silver fish on the beach with bare hands. We ended up with a number of them in a bucket. Then we went to a friend's house where her mother fried them till they were crispy and yummy.

The grunion are just innocently trying to lay their eggs on the beach by the light of the moon when they are gathered up and put into a bucket. Then they end up in someones frying pan. Poor fishies. You need a fishing licence to legally do this if you are older than a certain age. I never had a fishing licence as I was young enough. Paul always had a fishing licence in those days. Fishing was his hobby then. Birding is his hobby now. At least no birds suffer for this hobby. The only shooting we do is with a camera.

We do have hunters in the family and I'm not totally adverse to this as long as it is for food. I have enjoyed meals at the table of some of the hunters in my family. I would not be able to be a hunter though. I guess a person can do whatever he has to do though. My dad who was a city boy learned to kill the chickens we raised for fryers. Mom grew up on a farm and knew how to clean them for eating. I don't think my grandparents enjoyed having to butcher the pigs for their use, but they did what they had to do. We are so protected from the realities of life, yet we eat meat. I can understand someone deciding to be a vegetarian.

When we had our boys we had said there would be no toy guns. That did not last long. They got toy guns as gifts for birthdays. And if they don't have the toy they turn a stick into a gun. The youngest son is the one that really likes guns though he is not a hunter. So much for no guns. I am still not fond of them, but will protect the right of the one who chooses to own one. I will stick to shooting with a camera. I'm sure that is the sentiment of most of our family.

Nephews and Nieces

God's plan for families is one of the nicest things to have ever happened. When God put Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden and told them to be fruitful and multiply this was the beginning of marriage and families. We see families throughout the Bible. There are fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and nephews and nieces. There are grandparents, aunts and uncles. Each one of these family members can be an important part of the family.

Today I want to tell about my nephews and nieces. I became an aunt when my sister Donna gave birth to her son Arthur Louis Sinclair on September 29, 1957. He is named after his father Louis Arthur Sinclair. I was already the mother of two year old Kathy at that time. Arthur was a beautiful baby boy, the first grandson on both sides of his family. In just one year and one day he would become the big brother to his sister Debra Marie Sinclair. She was given her mother's middle name Marie. We called her Debbie all through her childhood until she preferred being called Debra. She was as cute as any baby could possibly be. My daughter Laura was right in the middle of Arthur and Debra as far as birth order goes.

Donna's family lived in Los Angeles and we lived in San Diego so we did not see each other as often as I would have liked. Paul and I rarely went to L.A. Donna and Louis got to San Diego on special occasions or several times a year with their two little ones. The cousins enjoyed getting together as they got older and got to know each other better. There would soon be more cousins to add to the mix.

The next addition to the cousins was when my sister Betty had Gary. My handsome nephew Gary Edward was born February 19, 1960. He was an exuberant little boy, with a lot of personality. Laura really loved him a lot as one of her favorite cousins when they were little. Gary would become the big brother when Elizabeth Frances Hamilton was born on July 4th in 1961. She has her mother's middle name Frances. Elizabeth is also a family name. She was called Sissy for much of her childhood. Her family also called her Liz. My son Paul William, aka Bill, fits right in between Gary and Elizabeth age wise.

In December of 1962 I had my second son Griffith H. Marvin, aka Griff. The next baby would be another boy, Matthew Scott Hamilton, brother of Gary and Elizabeth. Matthew was born October 22, 1963. Betty and Sam now have three children, all born in California. One more son would be born in January of 1967 in Hawaii where Sam was stationed with the Navy. Mark Anthony would be child number four, the third son. They would move to Billings, Montana soon after Sam got out of the Navy the summer of 1967 while Mark was a baby. This is where the children would be raised.

When Betty and Sam and family were in San Diego, off and on during the Navy years, our children had chances to get to know each other. In later years after the Hamiltons moved to Billings they made trips to San Diego for family reunions. Gary spent time here the summer of 1973 with his grandma, my mother. He also helped us when we were moving that summer. I remember him with paint brush in hand along with my kids, his cousins. Elizabeth came to San Diego to visit her grandmother the spring of 1980 and ended up at our house for five years. Her dog Mouse joined our menagerie of cats, dogs and turtles.

Matthew has made several trips to visit us over the years. The year my Kathy was getting married Matthew came and helped immensely with putting the food out at the wedding reception. We had other help, but really needed Matthew's extra helping hands. Elizabeth was here then too and she had been involved with us in planning everything for the big day. It was her bright idea to make the mints. As for Matthew he actually prefers to be called Phinwe, but he has always been Matthew to us. Matthew the nephew with style. His color is black and he wears it well.

Mark was only here as a child with his parents. Mark has a sweet disposition whenever I do get to see him. He is the father of Brittany and Michael. They are both grown up now, and Brittany is in college and works for a vet. Elizabeth also has two children. Andrew, her oldest, is now a daddy to a baby girl. Elijah is a teenager, high school age. So Betty and Sam would be enjoying having a great granddaughter, as well as seeing their four grandchildren grow up, if they were still with us. We lost them much too soon. Sam was only 55 and Betty was only 67 when they died.

My sister Donna has more great grandchildren than I can remember. She may have only had two children, but they went forth and multiplied as was mentioned in Genesis. Debra and her husband have two children. Their son Shawn has two children. They all need prayer as there is division among them. Shawn has not been in touch with them as he should be in quite sometime, so Debra and Pete have not been able to see Shawn's girls since the first one was a baby. Debra and Pete have a teenager, Natasha, fourteen years and one day younger than Shawn. Remember that Arthur and Debra were one year and one day apart.

Donna's son Arthur has children and grandchildren. He has been missing since 1994 so he has not seen any of his family in a long time. He probably met up with disaster those many years ago. Arthur has three children and many grandchildren. His son David has four or five children plus a stepchild. David lives in Missouri with his family. Arthur's daughter Nicole lives in Wales and just had a baby boy in September. His son Michael lives near Donna and Fred and is a young man now. I wanted to say he is a teenager but time flies by.

Arthur was the cousin my boys had adventures with when they were young. Bike adventures and even a motorcycle adventure are included on the list of things they did together. Arthur was there when Griff had his bicycle accident on suicide hill. Years later Bill and Griff were trailing Arthur when he flew off his motorcycle. They came around a mountain curve and there was Arthur's cycle with the wheels spinning and no Arthur. He had flown off and was nearby. He survived with serious scrapes and bruises. He probably hurt a lot, but xrays showed no broken bones.

Debra has had health problems since she was a child. She has seizures that her medications don't seem to help. Right now she is in the hospital since one of the medications was making her very sick. She had been throwing up a lot and she was told her pancreas was the problem. It turns out to be that the medication is the problem. I don't know if they still think her pancreas is also involved. She has had one thing after another to deal with almost all of her life. When she was sixteen she had a tumor on her spine. That was resolved with surgery and radiation. Thankfully there was no malignancy involved. This all plays havoc with her emotionally. My prayers go out for this special niece.

My other niece also deals with health problems and I pray for her to enjoy improved health soon. She is enjoying life with her "new" husband Jack, a pastor of a little church in Missouri. She also stays interested in Jack's family which includes his adult children and many grandchildren. Elizabeth became like a daughter to me when she was at our house for five years. I have not seen her or her brothers since I was in Billings for their mother's burial in April of 2008.

I was going to write about our niece and nephews on Paul's side of the family, but I will save them for another day. Paul has one brother and he has three children, plus grandchildren. Charlie's three are all younger than our four. His first was born five months after our youngest son. Eric, Carrie and Deron were all born when the family lived in Coronado so we knew them as babies. They moved to Sacramento and our contacts were few so our children did not get to really know each other, I'm sorry to say. It was always a pleasure to see the whole family. We have had some opportunities to get together with them over the years of which I'm thankful for. Paul and I do stay in touch with Paul's brother and his sweet wife Edye. They are the best at writing to us of all of our family.

Families are close to our hearts and always in our prayers. May God bless each of these dear people. We may sometimes have different ideas about life and our creator. We may have different thoughts on politics and other matters. But we come from the same grandparents and have the same aunts and uncles. Most of us have blue eyes, but there may be some with brown eyes. Some are blondes and some brunette. But we have the same blood line. We have bonds that hold us close even when the distance is great. I love my family. I love my nephews and nieces.

Donna married Fred Guapo in 1979 after some years of being a single mother. Her children were grown up by then, but Fred had a young son, Freddy. He is now a fine young man and has a beautiful wife. In 1980 Freddy was with our large family gathering in a family picture that included all of Mom's family. Donna, Betty and myself with all of our children, my husband Paul and Donna's husband Fred were all in this portrait. All were there except Betty's husband Sam. He was still in Montana as he couldn't make that trip to San Diego.

Family reunions are most enjoyable. Getting together with my grown children and grandchildren is extra special for me. My four are spread across the country from California to Florida. Our oldest daughter Kathy, her husband John and their family are in Colorado. Our granddaughters are all grown up. Becky is married and has a baby boy. Melissa is a teacher's aide for a preschool class and she is studying to be a preschool teacher. Our sons each served in the military for a period of time, and they each own their homes, one in California and the other in Florida. Laura shares our home with us. It is a challenge to get everyone together. We can manage to have three together, but that seems to be the most at one time.

Then when it comes to the nephews and nieces it would be a rare treat to gather everyone together again. The last time may have been when we had that large family portrait in 1980. We also had a very nice gathering with four generations at Kathy and John's wedding in 1983. But there is always someone missing in the picture. We have several more favorite family pictures when our granddaughters were little. These were three and four generation portraits with all four of our children present. It is fun to think on these things. I do not expect all of my mother's grandchildren to gather together again in my lifetime, but the memories are sweet.

originally written October 18,2011
first picture-Arthur and Debra
second pic.-Gary,Elizabeth &Bill in front
Laura and Kathy holding Griff in back
third pic.-my Dad with all of his grandchildren
fourth picture-Arthur with kitten
fifth pic.-Arthur, Laura and Kathy with kittens
last picture is our large family portrait with Mom
and all of Mom's family as described in story.

A New Adventure Each Day

We never know what a day may bring. Today it's a cute little chihuahua that was found in our front yard. We had been thinking we need less pets so we can not keep doggy. When Laura went out to water this morning there was a cute little dog that was not moving under the water spigot next to the house. Who knows how long she had been there waiting for rescue. I think she had given up as she did not even accept water or food at first. She may have been lost for some time. I see lost dogs, especially chihuahuas, quite often. I might have even seen her on the next block when we drove by earlier in the week.

I asked a few neighbors to be sure she was not theirs as I knew at least two have chihuahuas. Then I called animal control to come for her. They will be here sometime today. I feel bad to have to do this, but this gives her owner a better chance of finding her. I already know that putting a lost and found ad in the paper does not bring the desired results. Anyway that is our experience. We ended up keeping the dogs we tried this with. We are down to no dogs, but we have too many cats so no more animals allowed at this time. We are still waiting for animal control to get here. They were real busy this morning when I called.

This has been a busy week with all of our going places with Bill. Monday we went to the mountains and the desert. We found a real interesting mountain road that was long and narrow that I had never been on before. Bill had done part of it once before. We finally had to turn around when it became more narrow and rough, but it was fun while it lasted. A number of trails go off from this road. Bill had hiked a ways on one a week or two earlier. The purpose of the ride was for the birders in the family to find a certain bird. They heard it but I don't know if they ever saw it on Monday. This trip found me without a camera due to my forgetting it. This was a picture perfect day too. I had mountain pictures recently though.

We also went to Borrego Springs on Monday. There I am without a camera and I see things I want to photograph. The large sculptures would have been a great addition to the pictures I have taken with Bill's camera. There was an article in the paper the other day about these sculptures. I had seen articles before too. We went to Borrego Springs by way of Julian and Banner grade, past Scissors Crossing and then north into Borrego Springs. Bill knows the good birding spots so we did a few of them, then we headed west to Ranchita. We did a quick trip to Warner Springs just to say we had been there. Then we looked at some birds on Lake Henshaw before continuing south towards Ramona for more birds, and then headed home. A full day, yet we got home while it was light out. We had left home before sunrise as we often do on these trips. Would have been some good sunrise pictures.

Thursday was another interesting day with the birders of the family. I remembered the camera this time. We headed to Point Loma for some birding. I read the paper while Paul, Laura and Bill did their birding. I always take something to read for those times I want to stay in the car. I was saving my walking for the main event of this trip. We went to LaJolla for our traditional walk at the cove. The birders were enjoying the day and I was taking a lot of pictures. Actually Laura and I walked together in LaJolla, enjoying the scenery along the way. Bill had his long lens camera with him so he also enjoyed taking pictures. The LaJolla Cove is one place we always like to go when we have the opportunity.

We were not quite done in LaJolla as we also enjoyed a ride up Mount Soledad to the Veterans Memorial and the cross. I always find John Moorhouse's plaque and picture on the wall there. It is honoring him and his time in the Marines. He is a purple heart veteran and has a story to tell. In the past we have found plaques honoring President Reagan and Bob Hope among other familiar names. We enjoyed a ride to LaJolla and Mount Soledad with Madeline and Steve not too many years ago. We always enjoyed our special excursions with them over the years. Steve is no longer with us, but we still have special times with my dear friend Madeline.

Yesterday brought out the adventurer in all of us, with Bill at the wheel as usual. We headed north to Del Mar where our birders know some good birding spots at the lagoon. This seems to be a new traditional place for them to spot birds. Heading south afterwards it was decided to not go straight home, but head to another scenic place. Going east to LaMesa and up Mount Helix was next on the agenda. Paul, Laura and I had been there with Madeline and Steve a number of years earlier. Mount Helix is a great place for a view of LaMesa and the ElCajon area, a great photo op like Mount Soledad. We have never done both of these mountains in one excursion. This is the first time doing Mount Helix with Bill. These are very small mountains right in the middle of the city, but are special with crosses on top of each. Thankfully I had a good camera to take pictures.

Our cute little doggy was picked up by a nice animal control officer in the middle of the afternoon. She apologized for being so slow in arriving to pick up the dog. She made sure I did not want an adoption hold on doggy, but she also realized I did not really want more pets. She noted that our cats looked well fed and admired our fluffy kitty. I hope this will be a happy ending for our little chihuahua. They will check her to see if she has a micro chip so she may have a chance to see her owners again. Otherwise I hope she gets a good home soon. I like chihuahuas and would have kept her if it had been realistic.

Originally written Friday, October 21, 2011
first picture is Paul and little Chihuahua we found
next pictures are of Caroline
last picture is Paul, Laura and Bill at Mt.Helix

Sea Otter Seen Near San Diego

On Saturday, October 8th, our son Bill was on a boat with other birders, near the entrance to the San Diego Bay, when he spotted something most unusual for our area. He thought that if this was Monterey, that would be an otter he was observing. He had his camera on the creature so took a quick picture of it. Soon everyone on the boat was getting excited about this sea animal as it was the first sea otter seen in our area as long as anyone could remember. The boat circled the sea otter while everyone took pictures. Bill managed to take several good photos of the otter. This may have been a birding trip, but the most exciting moment of their long day was seeing the sea otter.

On Monday there was an article about this event in the San Diego Union-Tribune on page B2 with a picture of the sea otter similar to the pictures Bill took. "It was a golden moment, with the setting sun lighting the creature as it floated near the vessel for about 15 minutes and boaters took photos...The sighting sent a buzz through San Diego's network of marine experts, who on Sunday were trying to determine when the last sea otter was spotted off local shores."

Bill was enjoying the day with his friend Mark. They have been on a number of birding trips together to our mountains, desert and beaches. This was their first boating excursion together. It was a day for them to get up before the sun was out to get to the boat on time. It was a long day on the ocean and they were heading back to the harbor when they had their golden moment along with all the other birders. They had already enjoyed their day of birding and would have called it a successful trip. This event made the day even more memorable.

We have been on the go with our son here from Florida for the month of October. Even though he had traveled two days straight through from Florida with barely a break he was ready for some San Diego birding when he arrived. It was the morning of Thursday September 29th when he arrived. We soon headed to Point Loma to Rosecrans and Cabrillo National Monument for some birding. Actually Paul and Bill are the birders and I'm just along for the scenery. Laura does some of each. She likes to do a little bit of birding, but enjoys the trip much like I do.

While Paul and Bill looked through their binoculars and Bill's scope Laura and I found the sight where our friend Steve was laid to rest at Rosecrans. We had been there earlier this year with Madeline so pretty much knew where to look for Steve's grave sight in the new wall. When we were there earlier we had put flowers there and at Uncle Ivor's and Uncle El's burial places too. Usually when we go to Point Loma and to Rosecrans it is for seeing the many birds that are there. Cemeteries are good places to find birds. Rosecrans National Cemetery is on the migratory path for the birds, as is Cabrillo National Monument.

The next stop was the tide pool area at Cabrillo. The waves were splashing over the rocks and we stayed on higher ground instead of going to the beach below. I took my first pictures with Bill's digital camera and the guys did their birding. This is a good place to see shore birds. Laura walked a bit further than we did. Then we headed to the lighthouse part of Cabrillo for more birding and photo opportunities. This is always a favorite place to go when Bill is in town. Paul and have gone there by bus on several occasions.

The next week included many birding trips for the birders in the family. One day we enjoyed a trip to the Laguna Mountains with many photo opportunities. Of course this was a great place for seeing birds as well as enjoying the scenery. It was a beautiful October day. We could see the desert from several view points along the way. Some of the birds seen along Sunrise Highway and the nearby mountain area were Stellers Jay, Western Scrub Jay, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow and Mountain Chickadee. Bill heard a Pinion Jay which is rare for the area. Also seen were two kinds of Nuthatch and a California Quail plus a bunch of other birds.

So far this week I have joined the family for a day trip to the desert. The main event of the day was going to the birding spots near the Salton Sea. It was a pretty warm day and would be hot before the day was over. If we had waited to go another day it would have been too hot. Some of the birds seen were Yellow Footed Gull, Laughing Gull, Clapper Rail, White Pelican and Brown Pelican as well as a bunch of other birds. Most of the birds were seen in multiples. I took pictures of a flock of White Pelicans as well as the Brown Pelicans. Burrowing Owls and Road Runners are always favorites to see when on this trip.

Last week we also went to our son Griff's in Valley Center. This is always something we enjoy doing. He has his house on top of a hill and ten plus acres. We always take family pictures there with Palomar Mountain in the background. This is a beautiful setting for his home. Laura picked some avocados to bring home with us. I'm still waiting for them to be ripe to eat. Guacamole is on my list of things to enjoy in the near future. On the way home from Griff's we stopped at Bate's Nut Farm and bought a pumpkin. It was a busy day at the farm as a lot of people were buying pumpkins and taking pictures of the pretty fall scene. We have been to this farm a few times in the past.

The family has enjoyed many of our local birding spots since Bill has been here, and we have more places we can go for birds and photo opportunities. Birds were also seen while at Griff's as he is in a good spot for all things nature including snakes. We did not see snakes this time though. Last year Bill took some good pictures of a California King Snake. That kind of snake is not a problem for me, but I do not want to run into a rattle snake. Griff used to have one in a large aquarium. It was a baby snake when he got it and it grew to be large. He finally took it to the hills to release. I'm glad he does not have that "pet" now. Was not my favorite pet of all time.

A Family Car

The blue Plymouth station wagon had served Paul's parents well and they were getting a new Jeep Wagoneer. The Plymouth still had miles left on it so Paul's dad gave it to us. We had not yet owned a car so this was a real blessing to our young family. We had four children and it was nice to finally have our own set of wheels. We lived in Coronado and could walk everywhere in our small town. Paul's dad, aka Pop, helped us by taking us to the grocery store when needed. We sometimes had other rides with him too so we had managed without a car. We also knew how to use public transportation when necessary.

This is the car that I had ridden in to go to the hospital to have at least two of our babies. I already wrote about the middle of the night ride to the hospital with Pop to deliver our youngest baby at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. Paul's parents also took me to the hospital in Coronado to have my first baby. The blue Plymouth was their vehicle then.

They purchased the Plymouth while Paul and I were dating in 1954, unless it was late 1953 as we were beginning our courtship then. It was a 53 model car. It is the car Paul's brother drove to take us to San Diego the day we were married at the Methodist Church in Coronado in August of 1954. San Diego was our destination since that is where we had our honeymoon. Paul had to work that week at the civic center in San Diego and we made the most of the situation. We stayed in a motel across the street from where Paul worked at the time.

This little blue station wagon was also the vehicle that I rode in with Paul's parents when they took me to Fort Ord to meet Paul after his Army basic training in 1955. We had an enjoyable trip going north on the coast highway towards Monterey, California and then to Fort Ord. Paul was ready for some leave time and I was so happy to see my new husband. I was expecting our first child that same summer and this would be the last time we spent together before she was born. Paul was able to come south with us back to Coronado and spend some precious time with me.

The next summer when Paul was in Korea his parents took baby Kathy and me on a vacation to see my grandma and other relatives in Washington state. The Plymouth was the vehicle we rode in on that memorable vacation. That was the only time I got to see Grandma after I was married and a mother. So Grandma got to see little Kathy, but never got to see my other babies. Kathy had her first birthday on that vacation. Paul's father had the car packed with the crib on top and the mattress to the crib in the back seat for Kathy to sleep and play on as we traveled. No child seats or seat belts in those days. I rode in the front with Mom and Pop. The luggage fit nicely in the back of the car.

That little blue station wagon transported family members for years. Paul's parents went on at least one or two other vacations in that car. One trip they took with just the two of them was to see family in Michigan soon after Paul and I got married. They did not get as many opportunities to travel as they would have liked. But they did enjoy life. They enjoyed square dancing together for a number of years.

I think it was 1965 when Paul's parents gave us the Plymouth. I know we had it when we moved to Olive Lane from the two hundred block of F Avenue. It was with us helping us move everything to the other end of Coronado, from near the bay to a block or two from the ocean. Our station wagon took us to church and Sunday school each week as well as trips to the grocery store. Old Blue was used to these trips as she had been used for transporting us over the years when the senior Marvins had her.

One time soon after we moved to Olive Lane we decided it was high time that we go to the mountains in our "new" vehicle. We had not been able to do this without a car of our own. It had been years since we had made this trip to our mountains. They are not very far away, but they may as well be in another state with no way to get there. We packed a picnic and all four children into our car and headed east to our destination. It had been so long since we had been that way. This is when the freeway over the mountain was partly built. I was used to the old highway so it was not all familiar to me. Paul was not used to driving freeways yet either. We had an adventure ahead of us.

We managed to get just to the other side of Alpine when we had car problems. It was overheating so we could not continue east to Cuyamaca or Julian. We were just beginning the mountain road east of Alpine and had to turn back to find another place to picnic. We were blessed to find a park in Alpine that fit our need. This was Dinosaur Park which was a very interesting place to discover. It had probably seen better days but that did not matter to us. We never found it again and it isn't even there anymore. So glad we enjoyed this little bit if local history.

Paul soon learned to drive freeways and get around San Diego with me navigating. We didn't go a lot of places though as we mainly stayed in Coronado. It was nice to have the car available when we needed it. We eventually got another used car and gave our blue Plymouth to a teenager we knew. I don't remember what year that would have been. Our old car was used by a class in high school to learn auto mechanics if my memory serves me well.

In 1972 Paul's Dad was getting another car so he gave us the Jeep Wagoneer that he had used for so many years. The Jeep had seen some good days with the family as well as some sad days. Our children had enjoyed rides with their grandparents in the Jeep. The senior Marvins enjoyed many happy moments together in their blue Wagoneer. Paul's mother had her final rides in this car not long before she died after her long battle with breast cancer. She died on her sixtieth birthday in December of 1971. She had been the hostess at many a family gathering. We would miss her delicious meals and the filled cookie jars. She was the grandmother that never forgot a birthday. I'm sure she would have liked seeing us enjoy our "new" Jeep Wagoneer. It may have been a 1965 model but it was new to us.

In 1973 we bought our home in San Diego, south of Chula Vista, east of Imperial Beach. This is the south part of San Diego somewhat removed from most of San Diego. We sure appreciated having Jake the Jeep to help us move this time. We traveled out of Coronado for this move. Our first time living someplace besides Coronado. My mother was just one mile from where our new place was. She was happy to have us nearby. Our blue Jeep saw us through many adventures. We finally had those mountain trips we so longed for. I learned the map by heart to get us places.

Jake the Jeep was a few cars ago, but we are still in the house we moved to in 1973. We bought several cars that we got a lot of mileage from and then Paul's Dad gave us one more car after he stopped driving. The last one we got from him was a Nissan Sentra. It was a nice little car that we enjoyed for a few years. We bought one more car that we used for a short time. We now use public transportation and enjoy the kindness of others when they offer us rides. Our car history is not really very long, but we have enjoyed going a lot of places along the way. We have collected memories from all the western states and many National Parks. We have enjoyed living close to beaches. And it is not really so far to the mountains and desert. San Diego county has it all. We can do three separate terrains in one day. But we do need a car to do this.

Thankfully we have family and friends to continue our adventures with. When Bill is here from Florida we go more places than we did when we had our car. So the adventures continue.

Our Old Dodge

When I was nine or ten years old, soon after we came back to Coronado after WWII, my parents were blessed to receive a 1938 Dodge from my grandfather. It was a black beauty that had the misfortune of being crashed into as it was parked next to my grandparent's house in the middle of the night. Third street did not have much traffic in those days, especially in the wee hours of the night, so this was big news in our neighborhood.

In the morning when I got up I heard about all the commotion that had gone on while I was sleeping. Granddad's car had been hit by a young man as he drove down the street next to our family home on third street. The old Dodge now needed repair and a new paint job. Since Granddad did not do much driving anymore he decided to give the car to my parents as they needed it. They had not had a car during the war and were so glad to accept our grandfather's generosity. Since the car needed to be painted they chose to have it painted green. It was more common for cars to be black in those days so our car stood out with the new paint job and the rack they had installed on top of the car.

Mom and Dad began painting houses together around this period of time. Originally Dad was the main painter, but it was not long before they were a team. Mom did the driving as Dad did not see good enough to drive anymore. Dad used to drive for a living when Mom and Dad first knew each other, but things had changed over the years. Now Mom was at the wheel and Dad navigated. He was good at this. He was a very good painter and soon had Mom doing detail work. The car with the rack on top gave them a way to carry paint supplies and ladders to their jobs.

There was plenty of room in the old Dodge for my two sisters and me when we needed to go someplace in the car. I mainly remember walking most places I went since we were mostly in Coronado at this time. I do remember going down the Silver Strand on occasion with my parents. The Strand was just one lane each way in those days. It was widened later in the fifties. I remember going to Imperial Beach where Mom and Dad were painting some houses that were being built then. They also painted one or two houses for the same contractor out near Spring Valley or Lemon Grove. They mostly painted in Coronado for different homeowners.

In the spring of 1949 we decided to travel to Washington state in our old green Dodge. My sister Donna had been there since the previous summer so it was just Betty and me in the back seat along with our pets and many belongings. Mom and Dad were in the front seat along with a friend of the family. I guess this way Mom had someone else who could help drive. Dad was still the navigator. The trunk was full and the rack on top had a large wardrobe with things packed inside. The pets Betty and I were sharing space with were my little turtle, Mac, and our little red hen, Susie Q. Yes, we shared space with a chicken. We had her in a crate for her own safety. This is probably my most told story, with variations each time. I should have a picture for posterity.

I may forget other old cars Mom and Dad probably had after this, but how can I forget our old green Dodge? There are other memories associated with it too. I remember our family going to Tijuana in the car. I remember that one time we went to the horse races south of the border in our Dodge. That is the only time I ever went to the races. I was still a child then.

We sometimes visited my Aunt Clara and her family at their home in Spring Valley. It was still country then. There was a little stream that went along their road that I remember playing in. There was a large California pepper tree in the yard next to the old two story house. I remember climbing this tree as a child. In 1950 we stayed in my aunt's house for a quarter of the school year after we came back from Washington. Some of my cousins were with us then. Mom and Dad had to commute to Coronado from the house in the country so they could continue painting houses in the city. It was a long ways to go in their old green Dodge each day. I took a school bus to school in La Mesa. My sisters went to a nearby school in Spring Valley.

In Washington we also went to the country school by bus. We lived on our grandparents farm then. Mom and Dad helped my mother's parents with their farm at that time. Dad came back to California earlier to find a place for us to live. That is when he made arrangements with his sister for us to live in her Spring Valley house.

Dad's brother came to Washington after Christmas to help us move back to California. This was 1949, just before a new decade. I had just turned thirteen. The reason my uncle came to help us is because his two children were with us then. They had been on the farm with us since summer. They got lessons in a completely different lifestyle than they were used to. They were city kids with no farm experience. I mean old fashioned farm, including outhouse. We left Susie Q on the farm. I hope she survived the blizzard that hit a day or so after we left. We were back in our old Dodge with more kids than before and I still had my turtle. We added a kitten to the mix. We were pulling a small trailer for our belongings on this trip. There was Mom and Uncle Elliot with at least one child in the front seat. No seat belts in those days. The children and teenagers in the car were my two cousins Malcolm and Geraldine plus my two sisters and me. A full car.

So our old car that Granddad gave us after the war was part of our family history. These stories are a significant part of my growing up years and I never get tired of telling them. If it weren't for the time my cousins were with us on the farm and in Spring Valley I would only have childhood pictures to know them by. I barely saw them any other time in my life. When I was very young there are pictures of us on the porch of our grandparents home on third and F in Coronado. These are cute pictures of us playing with Grandma's pots and pans. And since I am back to the place this story began I guess it is a good place to close.

Mom and Dad's New Beauty

It was pink and it was pretty. It was the first new car Mom and Dad ever had and the year was 1960. It was a beauty, long and sleek. Mom was at the wheel and Dad was the navigator of their brand new Mercury. They had only owned older vehicles in the past and they had served them well. It was time for them to own this beauty. It would be their home away from home as they spent their days painting other people's houses. There was plenty of room in the trunk for all their painting equipment, except for the ladders. I don't remember how they managed the ladders with this car. I know they had a rack on top of at least one of their older vehicles, the main car I remember from the past.

This new automobile would be the one that would bring me and our new baby boy home from the hospital in November of 1960. Since Paul and I did not yet own a car my parents brought me home from the hospital with at least three of our babies. Laura, Bill and Griff were all born at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. I remember that Mom and Dad are the ones who brought us home from the hospital since it became a tradition to stop at my father's cousin's house to show off the babies on the way home. Ethel and her husband lived on Fifth Avenue just south of Mercy hospital so it was a nice opportunity. I'm sure that in 1960 my parents would have also enjoyed showing off their new car too. Two years later in December, right after Christmas, our second baby boy would have this ride in the Mercury. This was baby number four and the last time we made this same trip home from Mercy Hospital.

Eventually Mom bought another new Mercury, but I don't remember if it was while Dad was still with us or a while later. This second Mercury is the one my children remember best. It was more of a gold color car. Mom and Dad put a lot of wear and tear on their vehicles as they did a lot of painting and that is hard on cars. The cars appeared well lived in within a short time.

Mom and Dad also bought their first new home in the early sixties. I remember spending Christmas of 1962 at their new house with Paul and our three children. I was great with child and would go to the hospital early the next day to give birth to our youngest child. Actually Paul's father took me to the hospital sometime after I had our children snug in their beds for the night. I had a nice Christmas with family and timed it so that Griff was born the morning of the 26th. How is that for good timing? This was the only time I had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night with any of the children.

I can remember going on the ferry from Coronado to San Diego in the middle of the night when the boats did not run as often. This was way before the bridge was built. When Paul's Dad and I were on the ferry I said to him that I hoped that I was in labor. He told me that I better be. He and I had a good relationship so I was not too concerned about this comment. I think it is sort of humorous. Thankfully I never had false labor with any of the babies.

My Dad did not get to enjoy their home very long before he got cancer. All he knew was that he was in pain and never got treated properly for cancer until it was too late. He died in November of 1964. He worked hard until the very end. I'm glad that my parents were able to enjoy their beautiful Mercury before Dad got sick. I'm thankful that they bought their first home while Dad was able to do so. We enjoyed several family gatherings in their new home with my sisters and their families as well as my family while Dad was with us.

Mom lived in this home in the area where we now live in the south part of San Diego until her final days in 1996. She was happy when we bought our house just a mile from her in 1973. Eventually our house would be where most family gatherings took place. As with her home ours is beginning to get old after so many years of sheltering our family. The homes and vehicles of our lives need upkeep and they show signs of age after a while. But the memories we have with them are wonderful.

Mom and Dad were able to take at least one good trip in their beautiful Mercury in 1961. Mom and Dad traveled that one time with my sister Donna and her husband and children to Washington to see family. That would be Donna's only chance to see our grandmother in Washington since we were children. They also got to see Mom's brother Ray and his family on their farm at that time.

Mom would have more chances to travel in her later years with her second husband Frank. They enjoyed many vacations together in their vehicles. They enjoyed visiting her brother's family in Washington and my sister Betty's family in Montana, as well as Frank's brother in Florida. Many stories could be written about their adventures together. Mom may have had other new vehicles over the years, but none can compare to that beautiful pink Mercury in 1960.

My How Times Have Changed

I'm remembering the first time I used a phone when I was nine or ten years old and thinking about kids today growing up with personal phones, quite the contrast. When I lived on my grandparents' farm in Washington state during World War II there was a crank phone that was rarely used, and never by me. When we arrived back in Coronado after the war my grandparents must not have had a phone since I remember them having one installed in their home. That is the first time I remember using a phone. I actually had a small problem the first time calling a friend. I got used to phones right away even though I rarely used the phone. The phone was in our grandparents' part of the house. We lived in a small apartment in the back part of their home in Coronado.

Then when I was a teenager we lived next door to our Coronado grandparents. We still used their phone as we did not have one yet. I don't think my parents got a phone until soon after I was married. Paul and I got our first phone just before he went into the Army nine months after we were married. I remember one time I had to walk a few blocks to Paul's parents in the evening when it was dark to use their phone. Paul had fallen down the basement steps and needed me to call the doctor. I did not do well walking alone after dark, but I did this for my new husband. The doctor said that if Paul was able to make it back up the steps, as he did, he should be fine. Paul may have been bruised and in pain, but he ended up being o.k. I had the walk in the dark with some big dogs barking at me and making me nervous, but I also survived the experience. I'm not such a scaredy cat now days.

Fast forward to today with so many people on their cell phones daily. We are used to seeing people walking down the street with hands free phones seeming to talk to themselves. We now know that they are not delusional as they are on their phone. When cell phones were new it seemed as if people were just showing off when they had their phones out in public, such as when they were on the bus and on their cell phone. Some people need to learn to keep their conversations private and not talk loud. Too much personal information is given out for the world to hear.

I remember in 1993 when my daughter's family moved from San Diego to Colorado with two cars they used walkie talkies to stay in touch with each other on the highway. I guess there were cell phones then but they were not widely used. It wasn't long before they all had their own cells. my grandchildren have been connected to all the latest conveniences most of their lives. Their dad works for their local cable company. He has always been up to date with all the latest gadgets, unlike our household. It was many years before we got cable and the internet. Laura always wanted to have the internet.

We rarely made long distance calls when I was young. We had to do it through the telephone operator. I never got to talk to my grandparents by phone as a child. I learned to write letters. Contrast that to today when I can pick up the phone and call my grandchildren any time I want to. When Paul was in the Army I only talked to him one time long distance. That was just before he was leaving for sixteen months in Korea. No phone calls, no internet for us all the time he was so far away. I wrote letters every day. He would get a bunch at once after much delay. The same thing at this end. I would get a bunch after much delay.

We are so spoiled with all of our conveniences now days. Josie grew up with no running water or electricity where she lived in the Philippines. She would not want to go back to that. She appreciates our modern lifestyle. I write her a letter and she picks up the phone and thanks me. I appreciate the phone call.

Cameras are another thing that have changed a lot. I mostly use the little one use cameras now so don't have immediate access to the pictures I take. When I was taking some pictures of the children I taught in Sunday school they wanted to see the pictures right then. I hated to disappoint them. I have been using my son's digital camera this week so I am progressing to the modern way. We have a little digital camera but I have not mastered it yet. Laura uses it.

It is amazing that I do anything on the computer. I was hesitant to begin, but I have a teacher in my daughter. She pushed me to learn and still needs to help me at times. I don't use it for much besides Facebook, Email and my Blog. That is enough for me. We still don't have a cell phone so I am attached to the wall when on the phone. I guess I am attached to the old ways.

The first time I remember seeing TV was when I was twelve or thirteen. The first TV my sisters and I saw was next door to my aunt and uncle in L.A. It was a little black and white screen in a larger cabinet. My parents got their first T.V. during my early teenage years. They got the biggest and best they could possibly afford. So I was used to a television in the house during my teens. We were not T.V. addicts though. We had other things to do. Most baby sitting jobs I had did not have television so there was not that distraction. I did my homework after the children were in bed. If no homework I learned to take my own reading.

Paul's family didn't have television till sometime after we were married. Paul was not used to T.V. and did not want it in our house. So we did not have it in our house. Basically our children grew up without television. They got to see special programs at their grandparents' house. They missed some historical events such as the landing on the moon. They would have enjoyed and benefited from seeing this. They benefited from reading and other enjoyable activities. When we finally got a T.V. I liked it too much. We have had times over the years with no television and then times with it. We adjusted either way. We have one now and I doubt I will be without one again. Even Paul enjoys it. Actually he may like it more than me. And he was the one that said no T.V.

Times change and we adjust to this change. One thing that never changes is our Lord. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We would not want Him to be any other way. Praise the Lord.