Reasons Why I go to San Diego Every February: A BillsWeek List

Surfers off Ocean Beach Pier


• The smell of green grass.
• Palm trees.
• The Pacific Ocean.
• Surfers in the Pacific Ocean.
• Spring-like temperatures generally in the 60s (this time of year). I’ve been there when it’s been in the 80s and the 40s, however, so dressing in layers is a good idea.
• Wildlife in The Pacific Ocean (seagulls hanging out, pelicans diving off the pier for fish, sometimes I even see dolphins).
• Wearing shorts and sandals outside.
• Ocean, Coronado, and La Jolla Beaches – where I spend hours and hours walking along the Pacific Ocean in my shorts and sandals.
• Ocean Beach Pier: the longest on the west coast and a great place to watch the large waves coming in off the great Pacific Ocean.
• Balboa Park – site of the 1915 World Exposition, an outdoor pipe organ, and palm trees. You can also lie on the green grass and watch big jets fly just over your head on their way to the local airport.
• The airport, by the way, is conveniently located near downtown, just minutes from wherever you want to go, unlike some other airports which are miles and miles and miles away from the city out in the middle of nowhere.
• Cheaper to get to than Hawaii or Australia.
• The option to visit Sea World, the Wildlife Park, a first class zoo, the Scripps Aquarium, whale watches, the Maritime Museum (where you can walk around on an old sailing ship which carried immigrants from England to New Zealand I believe), Los Angeles just up the road, or Mexico just down the road. Of course I rarely or never do these things, but it’s nice to have the option.
• People in San Diego drive up to their local mountains when it snows. I do not do this.
• Flowers blooming.
• This is the time of year when the seals at La Jolla give birth to their pups. So cool to see those wiggly little babies torment their more staid elders.
• Watching air craft carriers and huge Navy ships come and go. There are also sailors.
• Hiking on the Sunset Cliffs. In shorts. In winter.
• I don’t care what anybody says, I think California is awesome!

Breaking Up the Long Winter Blah

As winters go, Denver isn’t bad. We occasionally get the big snows, but it melts within days. We don’t have the ruts of ice on the street that you find in the midwest. When I lived in eastern Nebraska, that first November snow was still there in March as a pile of dark, hard ice. Here in the mile high, the winter temps can climb into in the 50s. The sky is often a magnificent deep blue, and the snow covered Rocky Mountains stand guard over the city.

But in my opinion, this time of year still sucks, even in Colorado. From my office window, I can see a carpet of dirty air lying over the region. “You mean we are breathing that stuff?” we regularly say of the infamous winter “Brown Cloud.” All the trees are bare and, well, brown, and while we're at it, so is the grass. There is not a stitch of green anywhere.

There are many Coloradoans whose favorite season is winter. I am not one of them. No matter how luxurious the "champagne powder snow" is up in the mountains, it’s still brown down here.

The colder weather is tolerable during November and December. There are holidays to look forward to, and time off from work. Pretty colored lights brighten the darkness. It's fun to get out the sweaters and flannel sheets.

By mid-February, Christmas is a distant memory and Memorial Day is impossibly far away. There seems no relief from the dark nights and brown days. I've always hated February.

There are parts of the world, however, that are warm and spring like - where people wear shorts and don't have to put on a coat, gloves, and a scarf just to take out the trash.

About a decade ago, I added a new holiday to my year. In the middle of every February, I pack my shorts and head to the sunny city of San Diego. In February, southern California basks in the comfortable 60s and 70s. I spend most of my time walking up and down the beautiful beaches or watching huge Navy ships moving in and out of the bay. I have all the tourist areas practically to myself because Californians, having a different perspective on winter, are too cold to venture out when it’s only 65 degrees.

I should mention that I did go to south Florida once and it was ok, but Florida weirds me out. It's so flat. I don't understand why the ocean doesn't just wash over the whole state. I had trouble sleeping for the anxiety of it. And culturally, Florida is basically New Jersey south. I was never comfortable with the aggressive rudeness of the east. In California, people are friendly and courteous, just like at home.

But unlike home, San Diego has a beautiful coast punctuated by sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs. Flowers bloom all year around. The grass is green. You can go to concerts in the park - in February!

I love San Diego. A week from now I'll be heading out there for the eleventh year in a row.

Up yours winter!

When I come back from “the coast,” spring will only be a few weeks away and I will have worn my shorts.

Stuff I’m Thankful For – A BillsWeek List

A couple weeks ago I published a rather negative blog entry called Stuff That Bugs Me. In order to ease the sting of that downbeat list, I made a promise that I would do a nice list soon. Well, it’s soon, and it’s less than a week to Thanksgiving, so here’s some stuff I’m thankful for. I hope it conveys a more positive vibe. Ok, here goes:

• Sunny winter days
• Hottubs
• Warm fuzzy cats
• Family and friends
• Those orange creamcicles from King Soopers
• Marie Calendars
• Pizza delivery
• Donuts
• 24 hour supermarkets
• Dinners at El Jardin
• Health care
• Liberals with a sense of humor
• Kathy Griffin's "relationship" with Levi Johnston
• Engineers who like cats on YouTube - yes, "they should be but they aren't"
• Living in the city with all its conveniences (like walking to the store)
• First class performances at The Buell
• Diversity in restaurants - from greasy diners to pho
• 24 hour emergency rooms for animals (I've been there a couple of times)
• Independent movie theaters
• Denver Public Library
• The easy empty canister on my vacuum cleaner
• Scrubbing bubbles
• Clumping kitty litter
• Recessed lighting with dimmer switch
• Off buttons on phones
• State parks early in the morning
• Microwave ovens
• Timely traffic updates
• Michelle Obama
• Ocean Beach, San Diego
• Workout machines with televisions attached
• Late night BBC radio
• Digital Video Recording
• Enduring legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps
• Lake Irene
• Dairy Queen
• Public transportation
• Quiet neighbors
• Jon Stewart
• A roomy freezer
• Leave-in conditioner
• Stove-Top Stuffing
• Time off around the holidays
• Readers of my blog

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!