Every so often my family comes out from Colorado to visit and to see my father Jim, who lives in an assisted living facility in Escondido. Jim’s wife Hazel passed a number of years ago, but he has been doing very well. They had six children — getting four of us together is more than we could hope for.
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Terri, Jim and Maggie, and Jon all live in Colorado. Terri lived in Las Vegas for many years, so the usual plan is a road trip: a couple of nights in Vegas for the drive out, then five hours to Rancho Santa Fe for a few nights with us, then back through Vegas for a couple more nights before heading home to Colorado. It works well — they get their city fix and we get the visit.
Evenings at the house involve Jenga — which turns out to be a solid cross-generational game. It gets competitive quickly.
Dad is at Las Villas Del Norte in Escondido and genuinely enjoys it — he has a full social life there, which we’re grateful for. My mother Hazel passed away more than seven years ago, and he has since become close with a friend there named Glenna.
Terri was a cosmetologist and had her own studio in Colorado for years, though she’s long since retired — except for family. Here she’s giving dad a trim. What makes this especially remarkable: Dad sustained a C2 cervical fracture some years back, required a tracheotomy, was ventilated for a year, had his neck fused, and came through it still walking with only a walker for stability. He’s 95 years old. Getting a haircut from his daughter on a sunny afternoon in California seems exactly right.
For meals we mostly eat at home. A house favorite when everyone visits is making grilled pizzas on a pizza steel — everyone builds their own, the results are always different, and it turns into an event. Good food, good wine, no waiting for a table.
Solana Beach
My family has been to San Diego enough times that they’ve done most of the tourist circuit, but the beach is non-negotiable. We brought them to Solana Beach — it’s low-key, easy to park on a weekday, and not overcrowded. After the beach we walked the Cedros Design District, which is worth doing even if you’re not shopping: interesting shops, art galleries, and good places to stop for coffee.
Sandy found the Peanuts mural on Cedros Avenue — Schroeder and Lucy. It’s one of several murals scattered through the district.
Good to Know — Solana Beach & Cedros Design District
Beach access: Fletcher Cove and Tide Beach Park are the main spots — both have free parking and are much less crowded than Mission Beach or La Jolla, especially midweek. Cedros Design District: Cedros Avenue runs about a half mile and is walkable in 30–45 minutes — mix of furniture stores, boutiques, art galleries, and cafes. Parking: Free street parking along Cedros Avenue and the surrounding blocks. Getting there: About 15 minutes from Rancho Santa Fe, 30 minutes from downtown San Diego.
After Everyone Leaves
Once the family heads back to Colorado, Sandy got into a furniture refinishing project. It’s labor-intensive — stripping, sanding, staining — but the results were worth it.
We also made a trip out to Cordiano Winery in Ramona for a glass of red and lunch. It’s a nice drive through the backcountry and the setting is relaxed — the kind of place that earns a return visit.
That time of year when the banana trees are blooming and the fruit is starting to set. We don’t grow them for scale, but it’s satisfying to watch it happen in your neighborhood.
A tiger swallowtail working the flowers in the yard — still around in November, which is one of the things we like about Southern California.
Crepe myrtle and magnolia both still in bloom. The garden keeps going long after most of the country has shut down for the season.
Full moon. These are worth going outside for.
After they left we went out for lunch and dinner a few days running. In retrospect I think we were a little jealous of their Las Vegas layover.
