We are staying in Oceanside, California at Paradise by the Sea RV Resort.
I believe this is our 6th year consecutive year here. Our first year or so involved our 26′ travel trailer; now, the five of us are living in style with the 40′ Class A motor home.
Although Paradise is expensive, we like it here because it’s a block from the ocean, there’s a neighborhood park next door that the dogs love, and the place has that coastal laid-back vibe.
We’re staying here for two months, as usual, taking advantage of “Winter Rates” which begin the day after Labor Day.
Weather this week: Sunny, high 70’s, low temp about 65. Ocean water temp about 70. Surf: 3-5 foot swell. Life is good.
There’s a small food stand across the street from the beach at Buccaneer Park. Local surfer guys have egg burritos and coffee and then critique the guys out in the surf…lots of oohs, ahs, and stuff. Surf was good this morning; lots of great short rides…and wipeouts.
Oceanside is a working-class town, home to the Camp Pendleton U.S.M.C. base, where West Coast recruits get trained. There are lots of barber shops here to fashion those “high and tight” Marine haircuts…
There are also rowdy bars, used car lots, and dry cleaning establishments who specialize in starched creases and sewing doo-dads onto those sharp-looking Marine dress uniforms…
Oceanside also has wonderful beaches and a big pier jutting into the ocean.
And, a cool, weekly Thursday night street fair. We’re going tonight!
The hustle-and-bustle of the Los Angeles-Orange County megalopolis is an hour’s drive north. Nice and close if you’re an out-of-stater and haven’t yet been to Disneyland (the original one!!)…
… or Hollywood…
This was Donald Trump’s “star” on Hollywood Boulevard’s “Walk of Fame”…
…before vandals destroyed it…
Back to the good stuff:
One of the things we like about Paradise by the Sea is Primo’s neighborhood market. It’s a small Mom and Pop operation which includes a “take out” Mexican food component that puts out very good food, including BBQ several days a week and Taco Tuesday (tacos = 69 cents). The food is great; everyone goes there.
The city is located about 35 miles north of San Diego, “America’s Finest City” (according to locals). It truly is a great city, with wonderful year-round weather, a plethora of things to see and do, a booming economy, etc.
Lots of conventions are held in San Diego, like political party confabs and ComicCon.
It’s also the home port on the West Coast for the U.S. Navy. There are often a couple of the Nation’s largest aircraft carriers parked in the bay, and there are several shipyards which are constantly repairing our combat fleet.
One of the finest zoos in America is located there, as well as the Sea World animal theme park.
The Gaslamp Quarter is a fun place to eat, drink and party.
Never a dull moment in San Diego…and only a half-hour drive from “Paradise” south on I-5.
The coastal area between Oceanside and San Diego is something special, even for California. It is a mecca for West Coast surfers and surfer-watchers.
About twenty miles south of Oceanside on Pacific Coast Highway is Del Mar, home to the famous thoroughbred race track.
It is also the location of a nice leash-free dog beach, one of only a few in Southern California.
I’ve seen some Boston Terriers there…that look a lot like JayJay and Booger…
…including the smallest, full-grown Boston (in the world?!)…about 8 pounds!…
They had the annual Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon there last week. It was too early for us; we missed it. Next year, maybe.
My son Tim and I took Booger and Baby down to Dog Beach the other day to frolic on the strand with a bunch of larger ball chasers. As usual, the dogs loved it, particularly when they splashed in the surf. Water temperature was about 70 degrees, which is excellent for this time of year, considering that the air temp was around 75 degrees.
We didn’t take JayJay. The guy isn’t that interested in beach play; he’s more focused on sniffing and peeing. It’s too hard to keep track of the two dogs playing near the surf while JayJay is wandering hundreds of yards away in the other direction, looking for a place to deposit urine. He will sometimes pee on folks sunbathing on their towels. The guy has no shame. So, we left him home with Charlie.
Just adjacent to “Dog Beach” is the Del Mar Fairgrounds, home of the famous racetrack. It is a huge facility, the second-largest fairgrounds on the West Coast, and is home to the annual KAABOO music festival, which kicks off tomorrow.
It is a huge, three-day event, featuring the Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Robert Plant, Imagine Dragons, and fifty other groups. Attendance last year was around 150,000 millenials and wannabes. Uber drivers were getting $150 when the show closed to drive KAABOOers a couple of miles to their cars.
Charlie and I are going to pass on the KAABOO, and save our money for our new house.
Speaking of that, construction is moving ahead nicely. We should be taking possession in another six weeks.
The only problem on the horizon is the fact that our Murrieta home has yet to be sold. We dropped the price a couple of times, but still no takers. I think the H.O.A. fees ($600 per month!) are chasing away buyers who like the property.
Like the realtor says, we only need to find one buyer: he’s out there, somewhere.
Pray for us.
