Toward the end of August, 2003, we flew to San Diego where the National Public Works Association held its annual convention this year.  Allan is a civil engineer by profession and has been a member since the mid 1970's, including being elected President of the Minnesota Chapter.  As a member of this organization he learns about nationwide problems and solutions that affect cities, including the City of Wayzata where he is the City Manager.  Along the way, he gets to see other amenities of the places he visits for these conventions … and so do I.  A main attraction for us in San Diego was their most fantastic zoo.  See how many of these animals you've met before.

That glare you see is because I took some of these pictures through the protective glass.

This one in particular made us think of prehistoric times.

This is NOT a postcard.  The colors are from my camera ... not to mention the birds.

When we finally turned our back on the zoo, there was so much more to see in and around San Diego.  So we hopped on a trolley train and ...

... set out for Tijuana.  We love mariachi music and margaritas and sidewalk madness.

Our trolley also took us across the huge San Diego-Coronado Bridge to Coronado.

San Diego from the bridge is picturesque on a sunny blue sky day, as you can see.

It was not surprising to see yachts lined up along marinas and sailing in ocean waters.

But it was surprising to see the size of this huge resort hotel on the "island."  It was beautiful, tropical, well landscaped, equipped with eateries and restaurants, and cordial to all visitors ...

After a delicious lunch, with a young man at the grand piano serenading diners from the resort and the mainland, a passerby offered to take our picture.

The trolley also brought us to the original Old Town San Diego.  I bought a red hat!

Old Town San Diego was blooming all over the place. 

We watched playful seals at a downtown wharf, then rented a red convertible to expand horizons.

Located just north of San Diego, this is a monument of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.  We never heard of him before, but this was the place to get to know him.  Apparently this Portuguese explorer was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States.  Adding to the mystery:  "No one knows for certain where Cabrillo was born or where he is buried."  He named the place "San Miguel" after the famous St. Michael the Archangel but it was later named San Diego.by a Catholic Spanish monk -- not Father Junipero Serra who came later and established the first California mission at San Diego.

The Pacific beach at La Jolla was jagged and picturesque and a playground for many.

No matter which direction we looked, the coast by this hilly city of La Jolla was carved like this.

We watched dozens of surfers mount and ride the waves, but they look like dots on this picture.

The luxurious Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego was our home for the entire week.