January, 2009 - We snuck away from the Arizona Desert and all the

holiday parties and good cheer and took a quick trip back to San Diego

for the annual January sailboat show.  We had had such a good time

there in October (Shelter Island and Mission Bay) that we wondered

if it would still be as nice.  Sure enough, as we pulled onto Shelter

Island, all the warm vibes we had felt in this spirited town came back.

It was bright and sunny, warm enough for shorts, and we were

surprised to recognize all the RVs lined up on the waterfront.  No one

had left!

We took our place among

them and quickly hopped

on our bikes to check out

all our old favorite haunts.

Not too much had changed

-- Kona Kai Marina was as

graceful as before, the pelicans still roosted and floated, soared and dove as they had

before, and the Navy jets and cruise ships and people walking their dogs and sailboats

criss-crossing the harbor still provided a kaleidoscopic backdrop to life on the

harborfront.

The boat show was way down at the other end of San Diego, and for the first time we

rode our bikes over to Seaport Village.  It is a six mile ride along the bike paths and

walking trails, and it brings you all the way around the harbor through the historic Old

Town.  This is an outdoor city that comes alive in the sunshine.  There is a series of

charming sculptures along this boardwalk.  I liked the bird sculpture and Mark liked the

wild-haired cyclist.

There was a lot of whimsy in

these sculptures, and one was

called "Bottlenose Dolphins" and

featured blue glass bottles on the

noses of the dolphins.  Another

was a giant kaleidoscope that

had lots of hand cranks and

beautiful colors when you peered

through it.

There is an extensive historical

maritime museum featuring

several ships of different eras

that are tied up at the docks for

tourists to walk through.  A

glistening, iridescent statue of a

marlin appeared to leap out of the

waves across the bow of the Star

of India ship behind.

Street performers and vendors of

all kinds line the boardwalks and

grassy areas, giving the city a

friendly, funky air.  One

apparently simple silver statue of

a man in a suit suddenly came to

life and made a face at us as we

rode by.

The boardwalks and paths are ideal for biking.

To see it all would make for a very long walk,

but taken slowly on a bike you can enjoy

everything that Old Town and Seaport Village

have to offer.  Along with the cycling statue we

saw earlier, there were other sculptural

references to bikes along the boardwalk.

Many tourists opt for a ride in a pedal-cab, and

we passed lots of these energetic cabbies toting

passengers all over the place.

Around one corner we came face

to face with a sculptural

representation of the famed WWII

photo of a sailor kissing a nurse

upon the victory of the Allies.  We

couldn't resist mimicking the

smooch, and found a friendly

fellow to take our picture.  He and

his large extended family of wife,

kids, parents and others all got a

huge laugh as we tried to get

ourselves situated just right and

asked him to re-take the photo

several times.

If you have something to sell or share with tourists, it

seems that the vending space is available.  A psychic

found a lovely spot for her umbrella-shaded table under

a tree, and another man brought out his collection of

parrots for people to play with, in hopes of a donation.  I

got my bird fix!

I lived on the Boston waterfront

in a sailboat for four years, but

beautiful as that city is, there is no comparison to San Diego for

warmth of spirit and oceanside magic.  San Diego harbor is

completely accessible to everyone.  Simply stroll along the water's

edge and you are thrust into the midst of the harbor's vibrant

energy.  There are many marinas, and a boat owner can choose

to be situated right among the sky scraping posh hotels downtown,

or over in the more suburban and natural atmosphere of Shelter

Island.

We finally made it to the boat show, our hearts filled with

satisfaction already.  As usual, it was a blast.  All the boats were

beautiful, and it was easy to dream, along with all the other show-

goers, as we waltzed on and off these lovely yachts.  After living in

the confines of a trailer for a 20 months, it was amusing to stand in

each of the boats' cabins and compare the layouts.

Back on Shelter Island we heard the strangest sound coming from the trees.  I thought it must

be a young gull that was sick.  It was an insistent call, higher pitched than a gull, but with a

similar volume.  We walked around the parking lot craning our necks as we stared into the trees.

Then I spotted it -- an Umbrella Cockatoo!  She was

clinging to the branches of a palm tree, swinging up and

down, calling out in sheer glee.

I would have been totally stunned to see her there if I

hadn't heard earlier about "The Bird Man" who lived in a

motorhome along the street.  We were told he would

sometimes free fly his cockatoo in the late afternoons.

At last we would have a chance to meet him!  Dave

showed up on his bike, and after a few minutes his

cockatoo "Bubbi" flew down and landed on his shoulder.

She clucked in his ear and walked down his arm, beak-

by-toe as parrots do, until she was settled on his bike

basket.

I was entranced.  I owned two lesser sulphur crested

cockatoos at one time and would have loved to have

given them the freedom of outdoor flight, but I was too

afraid.  Dave had no such fear, and his cockatoo

showed off for us for an hour.  She swooped from tree

to tree, making impossible landings on swaying

branches that gave her quite a ride as she hung on

with beak and claw, pumping the branches up and

down with powerful flaps of her wings while she

shrieked at the top of the her lungs.  A seagull flew by

her at one point and gave her a disapproving stare, but

she didn't care, she was free.  Shouldn't we all live that

way.

Our three-day visit for the boat show turned into a 10-day stay.  Yet

again, we couldn't tear ourselves away from this enchanting place.

Finally our grey and black water tanks told us it was time to leave, and

we ventured back through Phoenix and on to a cross-country trip to the

Florida Panhandle.

It was only after we had been in Florida for a month that we discovered

San DIego had passed a law prohibiting RVs from parking overnight on

Shelter Island.  I understand their point -- we met RVers who had lived on

those streets for as much as nine years, and that's not right -- but it is a

shame that such a beautiful city has turned its back on budget RV

travelers who would like to experience its uplifting spirit for a few days or

weeks.  It wouldn't have been that hard or that costly to implement a system to monitor and limit RV stays.

October 1-28, 2008 - A few times during our stay in San Diego, we

moved our RV from Shelter Island to Mission Bay.  We (and at least 50

other RVs) were doing the "San Diego Shuffle," moving our rigs around

on the city's waterfront streets to stay in line with California's 72-hour

parking law.  As long as we all moved every three days, we could enjoy

the many delights of this beautiful city and gaze at prime multi-million

dollar waterfront views right outside our doors.

The serenity

of Mission Bay

is a dramatic

contrast to the

hustle and

bustle of Shelter Island.  Also manmade, from sand dredged out of San

Diego Harbor, Mission Bay is a series of waterways through former

mudflats, with the land forming quasi-islands and little peninsulas.  The

manicured grass lawns along the bay are largely city parks, and there

are many children's playgrounds, picnic areas and even large bonfire

rings along the beaches.  The tall palms and sparkling water offer a calm

retreat from downtown San Diego.

The walking and bicycling paths go on for miles, and we had many happy bike rides in and

around the bay and along Mission Beach.  There are endless charming beachfront villas on both

the placid bay side and on the surfing beach side.  Each home is unique, and they line up cheek-

by-jowel, with patios and porches facing the lovely views.  Most are available as vacation rentals.

We rode our bikes along the Mission

Beach boardwalk up as far as Pacific

Beach, making the transparent

transition from one miles-long

expanse of sandy beach to the next.

Pacific Beach was teaming with

people kite-boarding.  Each had a

huge parachute, and they used the

wind to skim across the ocean on their

surfboards.

Surfing is a beloved passtime in this area, and we saw surf shops,

surfers and surfer dudes that were right out of a Beach Boys song.

Sea World is tucked into one corner of the Bay, and bike rentals and

people on

bikes were everywhere.

This is a very laidback

area, where surf, sun,

sand and beach bars all

come together in a

dreamy combination.  As

we drove one afternoon,

we passed a young

fellow playing his guitar

while he rode his bike.

Not too much stress

there!  Others just rolled

along the sidewalk on

beach cruisers.

The best way to enjoy San Diego is to have a

lot of money (for a pretty multi-million dollar

beach bungalow, a convertible roadster and a

yacht) and to have a lot of time to enjoy them

(i.e., no job).  Most people we saw seemed to

have either one or the other.

This can be an eclectic crowd too.  We saw a

strangely painted car, several perfectly

restored Microbuses, and an odd collection of

RVs.

In Mission Bay, the older the RV, it seems, the better.  The

shapes of some are from a long distant era, while others are

clearly homemade.

The "San Diego Shuffle" of RVs moving from one parking

space to another is actually something of a two-step in

Mission Bay, as parking is prohibited between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.  Each evening a parade of RVs makes its way

out of the Mission Bay parking areas into the industrial city streets on the far side of the freeway.  Early each morning

the RVs return, many to the same spot they had the day before.

The best setup we saw was Jerry's.  He towed his toyhauler "office"

trailer behind his Class C motorhome, and on lazy afternoons he would

string up a hammock inside his "office" trailer, taking in the view of the

Bay from his swing.

The stories of each household living in their RV were

varied, but a common concern was the upcoming city vote

on whether to override the California law and ban overnight

parking on public streets.  The days of this urban RV lifestyle of freedom on the waterfront may be

numbered.  The vote was held on our last day in the city, and we didn't hear the outcome.

One day we parked our trailer out on Fiesta Island, a tiny dot of California desert perched in the middle of

the Mission Bay.  The dry, brown, tumbleweed land is sparsely visited, and we had a stretch of beach all

to ourselves.  As we sat there enjoying the view of the homes across the water, a group of horses

suddenly appeared, splashing in the water as they walked.

The weather was unusually warm

for October (90's), and we spent

much of the month in tank tops

and shorts.  A visit to Coronado

Beach offered delicious relief from the heat one afternoon, and we

played in the sand and waves.  On a return visit we discovered the

history and beauty of the Victorian Hotel del Coronado that presides

over one end of the beach.

After a month of coastal pleasures,

we felt a little nip in the air as the

fog banks crept in and stayed

longer and longer each morning.  It

was time to move on, and we

headed inland to the California

desert of Anza-Borrego.  But the

temps were falling fast, and we

continued on to the warmest of the

southwestern desert areas in

Yuma, Arizona.

October 1-28, 2008 - Leaving cool, high elevation Pioche, NV in mid-September, we

attended Interbike, the annual bicycle industry tradeshow, in Las Vegas (a red-hot oven at

this time of year).  From there, we skipped west across the sizzling California deserts like

kids with bare feet leaping across hot sand.  Emerging at the coast in San Diego, we were

greeted with delightful cool breezes, sparkling blue waves, lush green grass and bright

sunny days.  September, 2008, had gone down in history as a stunning month for the

financial markets, but we will always remember it as an energy-charged, unscripted month

of exciting travels that was unusual only in its heartwarming normalcy in this full-time travel

lifestyle.  I felt moved enough to describe it in What's It Like?

We discovered that California

law allows vehicles to park in

one spot on public streets for

up to 72 hours, so we bellied up

to the shoreline with all the

other RVs on San Diego's

Shelter Island.  Parked just

steps from the harbor, we had

an everchanging view of sailboats, joggers, family parties, picnics, Navy

ships, cruise ships, war planes and gatherings of all kinds in the

shoreside city park, all laid out across the backdrop of the San Diego

skyline, right outside our front door.  As one neighbor in an RV near us

said, "This is Paradise."

Shelter Island is a manmade island created from dredged sand in the harbor.  Years ago the people of San Diego wanted this

island to become a recreation area for everyone, and today it is a bustling boat-oriented community framed by a glorious grassy

park.  There is a playground, fishing pier and boat launch on the waterfront.  Yacht brokers, chandleries, boat yards, swank

restaurants, an outdoor music venue and cute bistros line the streets.  The boats bob at anchor almost within arm's reach, and the

RVs line up along the shore.  Both the boats and RVs must keeping changing anchorages and parking spots if they wish to stay

more than three days.  As we moved around the island, swapping places with our neighbors, I took to calling this dance of the RV

fulltimers and boating liveaboards the "San Diego Shuffle."

The park is defined by the pretty walking paths that wander along the

shore.  From early morning till late evening these paths are filled with

locals and visitors alike: dog walkers; iPod-entranced joggers; hand-

holding lovers of all ages; young moms pushing baby strollers and old

folks pushing their rolling walkers.  Families come to the shoreside park

on weekends to host all day picnics, setting up tents and barbecues and

roasting marshmallows over their beach bonfires at night.  We witnessed

birthday parties, weddings and family reunions during our stay there.

The activity on the

water dominates

the scene.  Boats

of every description

ghost by.  In the

background there is

the constant hum of

helicopters hovering

at the Navy base

across the water.

Every so often the

world stops and the

air crackles with the

earsplitting roar of a

Navy jet taking off.

Wildlife

abounds.

Seagull cries fill

the air during

the day, and

when the gulls

finally quiet

down to roost,

the seals take

up an

incessant

barking.

The harbor

seals' barks and coughs and wheezes sound almost human, and when

one pokes his head out of the water behind you during a morning swim, snorting and

gasping, you could swear it was a person in the water.  One afternoon there was a hubub

down at the fishing jetty.  A sport fisherman had landed a small shark.  A crowd formed as

he laid out his prize to measure it and take photos.  His dog was as eager as he was proud.

When he finally returned the shark to the sea, the dog paced and cried in total

bewilderment.

There are several marinas in the

totally protected waters on the

back side of the island.  We

wandered down to the docks

many times to enjoy the pretty

views and watch the busy

activities of the boaters.  The

number of boats is staggering.

Looking across the acres and

acres of masts piercing the sky, I

was reminded of a giant pin

cushion.

We stopped in at West Marine one

afternoon, and a couple was hosting

a barbecue in the parking lot to raise

money for their upcoming round-the-

world cruise.  We bought a hot dog to

support their cause, and listened to

their story.

With his own hands, Stephen Mann

had transformed a 39' sailboat with a

transoceanic racing pedigree into the

vessel of his dreams.  He had

lengthened the bow 3', installed

oodles of electronics for navigation,

and built a stainless steel arch to

support solar panels and wind

generators.

He and his girlfriend Kathleen Torres

were leaving in a week to sail around

the world via the Southern Ocean,

with hopes to complete the trip in 8-9

months.  To put their plans in

perspective, most circumnavigators

take 2-5 years to go around the

world, and most do it via the tropical

oceans.  These intrepid sailors were

going to tackle the world's worst

oceans below South America and

Africa, rounding Cape Horn.  They

planned to stop on land just 5 times during their trip.  They invited us to

an "open boat" the following evening, and we eagerly attended.

The boat was small, but rugged, and they were very excited to get

underway.  I love adventure, but I'm nowhere near as daring as they are.

After the party, they discovered a part in the engine drive-shaft was

faulty, which delayed their departure by a week.  But they finally sailed off

into the sunset.  Keep abreast of their travels at www.svtawodi.com/

log.

The Kona Kai Marina is a very upscale place that caters to the world's

wealthiest on their Mega Yacht Dock.  One evening we noticed that the

very formidable gate to the dock had been propped open.  In we went!!

We heard loud voices and laughter coming from a beautiful wooden

schooner that had pulled in that afternoon, and when we came upon their

boatside barbecue party they welcomed us in.

The crew of five had just sailed the 113' boat down from Alaska, where

they had been surrounded by orcas, swimming bears, and glaciers.

This boat, built in Italy in 1980, had circumnavigated the world three

times, providing its owners with a posh pad for fly-in visits to exotic

locales around the world.  Hailing from several different English speaking

countries, the fulltime crew was in great spirits as they stayed in San

Diego for a few weeks to touch up the already glistening woodwork.  The

owners visit their yacht for just a few weeks at a time, while the crew

keeps it in tip-top shape, sailing to the destinations of the owner's

dreams on demand.  When we asked the captain what his worst

passage was, he said it was a 26-day passage where they encountered

a storm with sustained 60+ knot winds and 60' seas that lashed the boat

for 6 straight days.  "It was a lot of work."  He said.  How would the

couple on Tawodi fare in a storm like that in their boat which was less

than half the size with less than half the crew?

The next dock down from the Mega Yacht Dock is the Transient Dock where arriving boats can tie up

for a few days while they get situated for their San Diego visit.  This is a great place to meet people

from all over the world:  a South African taking his newly acquired boat to New Zealand, a Canadian

family with small children heading to Mexico, a Washington couple heading to the Caribbean on

their catamaran, and the 80+ year old owner of "Cream Puff," a floating disaster of a boat that he

has called home for over 50 years.

There are plenty of salty characters on

this dock too, including Jeff, who has a

mean Right Hook.  He waved his hooked

right hand for a photo and told us some

of the history of the delicate relations

between the liveaboards and the harbor

authorities in San Diego.  Those boaters

call their boats home, but unlike the

transients who arrive in San Diego from

distant lands, the local

liveaboards never leave the

protected confines of the

harbor.

Perhaps the easiest way to

see the world from the deck of a ship is to take a cruise.  Two cruise ships arrived and

left the harbor everyday.  At 5:15 one morning a cruise ship arrived in dense fog.  He

blared a long extended blast on his foghorn once every two minutes for the entire hour

it took him to get from the harbor entrance to his pier downtown.  It sure woke us up,

but what about all those weary cruisers on the ship who were back from a week's

vacation in paradise?

We were blessed with four

opportunities to get out sailing

ourselves.  The atmosphere on

Shelter Island is extremely friendly,

and as we met new friends we

suddenly found ourselves the lucky

recipients of some sailing invitations.

There are all kinds of boats out on the

harbor, and a little car whizzed by us

as we sailed.

Back on Shelter Island,

we came across an

exotic sports car club

having an outing one

day.

Tiny Italian sports cars of all types lined up in the parking lot,

roared their engines for a moment, and took off on a driving tour.

One unfortunate Ferrari owner couldn't get his car started.  No

worries.  We overheard him tell a buddy he'd just have someone

take it away on a flatbed truck while he went home and got his

Lamborghini instead!

The beauty of Shelter Island is the great diversity of activities.  If

exotic sports cars don't grab your interest, perhaps an art show

in the park will.

In the midst of this

continuous excitement and

stimulation, Shelter Island

offers many tranquil places to

enjoy a quiet moment.  The

shore along the marina docks

is beautifully landscaped, with

lots of benches where we

would pause and reflect on all

we'd seen.

While we were on the island,

the Baja Ha-Ha began.  This is

an annual sailboat rally of 150 sailboats that

heads out of San Diego to Cabo San Lucas,

Mexico at the end of October.

It is a 10-day, 750 mile sail with two stops along

the way, and the party-filled atmosphere takes

some of the edge off of doing such a long open

ocean passage by boat.  Once in Cabo, the sailors disperse, some heading out to the South Pacific, some

transiting the Panama Canal to go to the Caribbean, and some staying in Mexican waters.  Throughout October

the transient docks and anchorages in San Diego begin to fill with boats arriving from all points north to take part

in this rally.

We attended their kick-off barbecue, a wild Halloween costume party with prizes, raffles and giveaways.  I felt like

I was at a pirate frat party.  Almost everyone came dressed as a pirate, and the pavement was sticky with spilled

beer.  Laughter filled the air, and a DJ kept us all dancing,  Next day we joined our new friends Gary and Karen

aboard their beautiful Hallberg-Rassey and sailed among the Ha-Ha crowd, listening to their roll call on the VHF

radio, until their colorful spinnakers disappeared to the south.

Every so often we crept away from the action on Shelter Island for a change of pace on Mission Bay.