Animal book author gets spoiled during a recent trip to San Diego. My nickame is TQ, short for Tiger Queen. I am sure I have many other nicknames that I don't know about. But TQ is an affectionate nickname that I have grown to enjoy.
My travels this week have taken me into San Diego county. Tonight I am teaching a class on animal behavior for the learning annex--cats specifically. Yesterday, an old pal of mine decided we should explore where this class was going to be held. That is how I became queen for the day--or rather TQ for the day.
The first adventure was at church. One of my regrets about living in paradise is that I miss my family at the Church of Today. As usual, the sermon was right on target with what I am looking at. My favorite vocalist, Jimmer, was fabulous as usual. Reconnecting with a couple of my prayer partners was fun, too. The minister, Wendy, whom I mention in the book, was excited to hear that it is doing so well. I am excited too because it is bringing me back to the area enough to enjoy some of the fellowship I've been missing.
Anyway, after the well wishing and invites to homes on my next visit, I was whisked away for a day of spoiling. This was very nice, since I've just been working, working, working and am in what I call the trough--between royalty checks and an income I'd like.
Our first stop was at Dini's in Carlsbad. I have to admit it, I am an addict of their steamed clams. The chef prepares them in a sauce that includes butter, garlic, and fresh bits tomato--and maybe even basil. So, after beginning the day with those tasty morsels, I then chomped down some great mahi-mahi.
I sometimes miss my days of living on the cliffs above the ocean. It is tough being above the water when it is a pristine day of sun with an onshore breeze--but someone has to do it! The rays bounced off the water surface similar to the way diamond facets reflect color and light back to the admirer.
We meandered down the coast to Old Town. Old Town is a collection of shops and resturants around a state park preserving some older Spanish flavored buildings. With a bit of effort, I finally found the classrooms. Richard, the director of International House, where the class will meet, showed me where to park and graced me with a parking pass.
Soon after our brief encounter, I stumbled onto a shop out of the way of the main traffic. Filled with unique treasures from Indonesia and Bali I had little time to browse. My pal insisted I try on a couple of items.
Now you have to understand, I am one of the few women on earth that hates shopping. If it is an open air market or unique shop I can be lured to explore--but not for long. In this case, I tried on the outfits and my friend insisted I have them. So, he bought them both--insisting I needed them for the upcoming television appearances.
He was right, living in a rural area does not prepare you to dress for success--rather for chopping wood, shoveling snow, and the like. I appreciated his generosity and realized how blessed I am with friends. I've had some tough times over the past eight years and it is my friends who have come to my aid. Most of them are very excited about the book and the interest it has generated. Did I mention the book is now available in Canada and the UK?
We next continued onto Balboa Park, which was too packed for our liking. As we headed North I could see how much more development has been happening. I can't help reflect on how it is getting to the point where it is about time to leave California.
Because I live in a rural area I am blessed with little crime, a great view, clean air, and no traffic--except for weekends when the rest of southern California comes to visit.
I live a pretty simple life and have never owned a cell phone because I live in an area with poor reception--if any. Now that is changing and yesterday I received a cell phone as a gift. This gift was promopted by the concern that I am on the road almost every weekend now. It is for emergency use and who am I to argue with the logic of having one--especially when I am off the mountain in areas where it will work!
To end the day, we stopped at a fabulous Indian (Eastern) restaurant. One of the other disadvantages of living in a rural small town is the lack of ethnic diversity--including food and related options. Indian, Greek, and Thai foods are some of my favorites--we hit two out of the three so far. The sushi, well, those tasty morsels will be something I manage during the next trip.
By the time I got back to Oceanside I was exhausted. My niece (read the naughty niece piece further down), Stella was insanely happy to have me return. She has been trying so hard to be good.
CE and Stella take turns instigating jumping exercising. They keep each other busy and entertained. Today, they will hvae to entertain themselves as I am off to the beach before I have to get ready to teach.
